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0ne point Zer0

The Fool shows a child or youth, while the Magician depicts an all powerful adept. Just as the Fool showed us the price of eternal innocence, so this Magician gives us the fearsomeness of taking on responsibility. If the Major Arcana represents the Fool’s journey, the Magician is the first thing the Fool encounters.

“殺很大” is a recent cultural meme in Taiwan, made popular by the TV advertisement for the MMORPG “殺Online”

殺 Online 仇人篇

That’s because the commercial featured the busty Taiwanese idol 瑤瑤 (Yaoyao, which also alludes to ’shake shake’). 殺很大 (SHA HEN DA) is now a popular catch phrase, to describe stuff (especially boobs) of incredible size.

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The game that I worked on last year was announced this month at E3. Front Mission Evolved, a game from Square Enix, is slated for release in 2010:

Front Mission Evolved: Trailer

It’s the latest Front Mission sequel. It takes a departure from the predecessors because Front Mission Evolved is going to be a multi-player capable first/third-person shooter instead of the traditional isometric-view tactical simulation game. Another significant break from tradition: this game will be available not just on PS3, but Xbox 360 as well PC.

Looking back, it was a memorable and enriching experience working on this project.

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Finally, I got my first ‘A’ grade (though technically, it’s an “A-”) for my school assignment - for the ‘campaign war studies’ module. I chose the topic on manoeuvre warfare. I believe the level of difficulty is manageable, as long as I can spell ‘ manoeuvre’ correctly.

Mikhail Tukhachevsky vs Heinz Guderian

So, can Manoeuvre Warfare win wars? It may help a military win battles - but not enough to win wars if tactical successes do not contribute to the strategic goals. Here’s what my essay argued:

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The third volume of  The Resident Tourist is now finally out in print. This self-published Singapore comix is now available at Ani-Play, and you can soon find it at Kinokuniya Main Store and G&B Comics.

The Resident Tourist (Part 3)

The page paperback was first published as a web-comic last year on 9 August. It was timed to coincide with National Day because The Resident Tourist is the autobiographical tale of Troy’s experience growing up in Singapore during the 80s and the 90s - when Singapore was making the transition from the 3rd world to first. This series of comics is highly recommended for those who grew up during the same era - you’ll identify with the themes and find the stories very close to heart.

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The past number of weeks, I’ve been subjected to arcane mathematical formulae and technical jargons during the military technology classes. Though, you need not be an engineer to appreciate the possibilities that technology can provide. All you need is imagination. So, here’s what I think my future of air power’s gonna be like:

Flying Evil Eyeball

…at least, conceptually.  The near future’s aerial combatant will be the unmanned aircraft. In fact, it manned air combat platforms will be the exceptions rather than the norm. “What? You mean you need a man to fly that thing? You gotta be mad.” That will be the common reactions when our grand kids look at the model of the F-35 at aerospace museums. The unmanned combat aircraft (UCAV) will be the standard platform for delivering firepower and conducting surveillance over combat zones. Prof Bernard Loo from RSIS also share this view.

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The regular fanboy/geek who’re obsessed with sci-fi war stories are usually fascinated with military technology; because today’s imagination could be tomorrow’s reality. My interest in military technology a natural extension of my fascination with mechas. Given my profession, understanding military technology is an obligation. For the past couple of weeks, I’ve been attending lessons in the fundaments of warfare and military technology.

Chinese Military Technology Magazines

“War. War never changes…” War is a contest of wills. Warfare is the application of force to coerce the other side to act according to one’s desire. The form and conduct of warfare may vary over the years; what is constant is the infliction of pain to elicit a change in behaviour. Weapons are the tools of the trade.  It is an instrument of power.

Over thousands of years the tools of trade for the military have, evolved and transformed  - from the blunt club to the sharpened edge of a flintstone into the guided weapon systems of today. Yet, the nature of the weapon is essentially unchanged: to cause trauma. The armoured tank that fires a sabot round is not very different from the archer on horseback - its a weapon system that launches a sharpened object at a target, mounted on a mobile platform.

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It was a bloody hot and humid weekend. It sure felt like summer in a temperate country. Summer is the season for t-shirt (though tank tops are preferable).

Uni Qlo @ Tampines 1

Usually, I would avoid going to crowded places on a terribly hot day. But since I was alone and had time to spare (no assignments due the following week), I decided to make a detour to the newly opened Tampines 1 mall after picking up my weekly shipment of Hong Kong comics from the local Comics Connection. There was still a crowd at Singapore’s first Uni Qlo even though it’s been more than a week after the opening. I was hoping to get some of the anime-themed t-shirts, especially the Tatsunoko Production line-up.

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