This is the second topic of the composition.

A Dinner

We walked into the beautifully decorated restaurant.The tables were already laid.Everything looked very neat and orderly.Coloured lights were shining from the sides of the walls giving the room a warm glow of welcome.Hanging on the walls were a few pictures.The floor was laid with a piece of smooth red carpet.Opposite the entrance ,was a nicely decorated stage.On stage,the band was playing a melodious background tune.I looked around and saw the waitresses here and there,all ready to serve.They were all clad in red 'cheongsams'and all wore a cheerful smile on their faces.

We noticed that we were rather late as most of the diners were already seated.We looked around and saw my first,second,third,fourth uncles and aunties and my grandmother seated at a table nearest the stage.That must be the V.I.P. tables for the celebration of my grandmother's birthday.We went over to greet them.

My brother,sister and I presented my grandmother with a beautifully wrapped birthday gift.Then,together we wished her a Happy Birthday using chinese traditional well-wishes.My parents occupyed the two remaining seats. My brother and sister went to join my older cousins.I ran off to look for my other cousins.I found them occupying another table not far from the stag.I went up to their table and took the only vacant seat laft.It seemed that my cousins had specially reserved the seat for me.We were a very noisy gang.We chatted ,shared jokes and giggled continuously.We laughed heartily when Sa YOng,a cousin,told us an amusing story.How embarrassed we all felt when everyone in the room stared ar us.Still that did not deter us from telling each other more jokes though we tried our best not to laugh so loudly.

It was not till eight-thirty that we were served the food.We had waited impatiently and as the minutes ticked by,we felt we were hungry enough to eat a horse.At tlast,the dishes were placed on our tables.There was my favourite dish,shark fin.There were many other delicious food such as roasted chicken,steamed fish,long life mee and the mouth watering dessert.We finished each dish within a few minuter and we even got a second help from the next table where my older cousins were sitting.After the meal,there was a floor dance for the adults.

After getting the permission from my parents,I slipped off to the bowling alley upstairs with my cousins.Some of them went to play games in the games room.By eleven o'clock we were ready to leave.I had enjoyed myself tremendously and I returned home,tired out.



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Simple kind of wonderful

Sometimes it’s not about how unique or original an outfit is, it’s about how it’s worn. I mentioned this before for some characters in Advance Wars, but there’s no better example than Poison from the Final Fight series.


A police-style cap, simple white half tank top, cut-off jeans, two leather chokers (neck and arm), and two high-heal pumps. It wasn’t meant to win awards, it just had to be thug-like so Cody and crew could whup on them.


Almost immediately, she stood out. To use a phrase I don’t particularly like to use, she totally worked it. This character sculpt by Reflect shows just how awesome this outfit can be when worn with the right attitude. In some rendtitions, she also has hand-cuffs, but they’re very optional.

Cleaning my shelf

While I was arranging my shelf,I found a composition book written by students.It was given to me by Margaret.She was my godmother's daughter.

The book was so old and torn now .I was having this crazy idea of putting the content here.Lol.

Erm,here I goes now.Hitting the keyboard.It was for my reading anyway I hope no one find it bored.But I did not care less.Page by page here i go.

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Lost in the Jungle.
One sunny morning ,Joyce and I accompanied Uncle Wang on a hunting trip.Both of us were very excited as we have never been in the jungle before.So naturally, we were fascinated by the tall trees, colourful flowers and wild animals.

Suddenly,Uncle Wang sighted a wild boar.In an excited whisper,he told us to wait for him behind a tree. He then disappeared among the trees.

We waited for quite some time, but still no Uncle Wang appeared.Finally,Joyce decided to explore the jungle,insisting that Uncle Wang could easily find us afterwards.I could not refused her offer,so off we went into the mystery- filled jungle.

Without realising,the two of us ventured further and further into the jungle.Soon,we found that we were lost.We held hands and shouted for help.Only echoes of our ples could be heard.We clung close to one another,dreading the thought of being chased and eaten up by some wild animals.We sat on a rock and started to cry softly to ourselves.We prayed that Uncle Wang would find us soon.Hours slipped by.The trees began to cast long shadows.Strange,errie noises seemed to be all around us.

Footsteps!We were delighted.Then feas gripped us-could it be a hungry tiger on the prowl,or a tribesman hunting for a head?We were relieved when we spotted Uncle Wang's face among the trees.We ran with all our might towards him,laughing and crying all at once.

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Chapter 43.2: Subtle West Wing Moment

In late January, there was an episode of The West Wing in which a nuclear power plant in California had a problem that required radioactive steam to be released. Thinking of it a month later, the details are fuzzy, but one thing I had made a note of was that during a shot of Republican presidential candidate Arnold Vinnick, who hails from California, there was a placard behind him related to his campaign. Though I can’t find an example on The West Wing -- not even in the candidate pages, the placard looked surprisingly like what you see at the Clinton Foundation’s site -- the starry circle in the upper left corner of the page. For that matter, it looks a little like the flag of the European Union.

The circle of stars is simple enough, and I could be mis-remembering the Vinnick logo, but if nothing else, I chuckled at the possibility that the producers of the show were subtly pointing to a Democratic president with their Republican candidate.

For what it’s worth, I don’t care which candidate wins in the show. When John Spencer died unexpectedly, it meant the end of one of my favorite characters, Leo McGarry. Then, when the producers announced this would be the final season, it made the victorious candidate almost a moot point. Sure, there are questions of what it would mean to the “Bartlet legacy,” but it’s just a TV show. I’m not going to get wistful over something like that. I’m going to enjoy the rest of the series (which should never have been moved to Sundays, but that’s a whole other argument I don’t care to go into), and then I’ll move on to something else. As for other quality television, there’s always Medium.

Chapter 43: Flurries of Baseball News

I sit typing while a few stray flakes of snow float outside my window. The cat is napping, satisfied that it’s too damn cold to go out on the porch today. And my thoughts turn to baseball.

The Mets are talking playoffs. Postseason dreams for a club that hasn’t sniffed the second week of October since the 9/11 terrorist attacks pushed the final weeks of 2001 into the month. They have some strengths, and spring training is the time of year when all clubs boast of opportunities not yet lost and rookies not yet busted. Managers talk about how their team might surprise their competition. (Except for Pittsburgh, perhaps.) But the Mets co-exist in a division with the Atlanta Braves, who have won the past fourteen division championships (no one seems to count 1994, when the Expos ended the aborted season in first place). The Braves sound confident. Chipper Jones, who may start to feel old age creep up on him this season, said they expect to win the division.

I’m all for confidence, but that’s bordering on the type of arrogance normally associated with the Yankees and their fans. And if there’s one thing a Mets fan hates more than the Braves, it’s the Yankees. I think we have heard a gauntlet tossed onto the green grass of a spring training infield. Heat it up, boys. I’m ready for some baseball!

Chapter 42.99: One of the Good Guys

I recently noticed a piece in the Chicago Tribune about Jimmie Alford, a consultant to nonprofit organizations. I’ve known Jimmie for a decade. He’s a good man, and his firm -- to my knowledge -- is among the most ethical out there. And that means a lot to me.

A few years ago, Jimmie and I jogged several miles along the shoreline of the Puget Sound during the AFP conference. That conversation helped me in many ways; he helped me focus on my personal and professional goals, and he pushed me farther than I thought I could go. Literally, in the sense that we ran more than five miles when I was training on only two miles, and figuratively in that I envisioned several possible futures for myself.

Jimmie’s been stepping back from his daily work schedule these past few years, though I was proud to have him write for me in the magazine I was editing a year ago. I don’t see him completely retiring from the field he’s served for many decades, but he’s done much to help the U.S. nonprofit sector, both in placing strong executives in organizations and helping match donors with groups and causes. Good luck, Jimmie.

Lara Croft shamed

I’ve already stated my opinion on how drab and uninspired Lara’s UPS worker-like outfit is, but I think it needs to be made again now that they have unveiled the latest model to dress up in her gear. Karima Adebibe, a 20-year-old from London has been chosen to be the live action representative for the new game.


Man, everything that bugged me about the costume in virtual form bugs me twenty times more in real life. All the flaws are brutally exposed like the utterly ridiculous shorts and the really awkward cut of the shirt. If a designer on Project Runway made it, they would have been OUT.

I’m still looking forward to the game, but will be playing with gritted teeth.


On a brighter note, I've finally updated a mess of links on the lower right-hand bar. Thanks to everyone who has linked to this site!

Virtua Fighter Fever

The original Virtua Fighter was not only the first polygonal brawler, it was also the first 3D fighter to offer alternate outfits. Over the course of the series, the 2nd player costume kept evolving and sometimes featured a radically different look for the character. My favorite (and least favorite) example is Sarah’s hip hop groupie outfit complete with corn rows.

As a costume hound, it’s been frustrating that there hasn’t been a larger selection of looks. On the other hand, each installment of the game pushes the visuals so far past the previous game that you need the main outfits to stay the same to more easily recognize each character.


The screens of Virtua Fighter 5 that have surfaced thus far look quite hot, but it’s still too early to render any verdicts. I’ll be keeping a close eye on costume developments.

Real-time bikini wrinkling?

The pic above doesn’t look so sharp since it’s from a scan from a Japanese mag. Aside from the jerseys in the Xbox 360 NBA 2K6, most clothes that sit on top of skin seem glued on. They rarely give the illusion that the characters are actually wearing the costumes.

For a good example of what sort of look I want to see in games, check out how the clothes sit on the characters in the movie The Incredibles. Most striking is the scene where Mrs. Incredible is convincingly wearing a cotton bath robe.

In real life, bikinis tend to shift and move around. That’s why ladies are always adjusting them. It’s probably just the way the bikini is textured, but the RR pic almost looks like the bikini bottom is wrinkling in reaction to Reiko’s body movement. She’s almost in danger of eventually getting a wedgie.

Still, I seriously doubt RR actually has sliding/wrinkling bikinis. Such a feature will be hard to control, sort of like encountering problems with physics in Half-Life 2 without a gravity gun to bail you out.

Chapter 42.9: Super Bowl Sunday

I can't believe how quickly the past month has flown by, and I've not touched this blog in way too long. Frankly, I don't have much to talk about at the moment, so no one has really missed much as far as my contributions to the world are concerned.

But to add my prediction on the big game, (Aaron Neville and Aretha Franklin are singing as I type), I'll preface by saying I don't care which team wins. I'm more of an NFC fan; the Giants have been preparing themselves for next year for a few weeks now. I've got friends in Pittsburgh, so perhaps I'm a bit partial to the Steelers. I think the Steelers and Seahawks match up pretty well, and the game should be tight.

My prediction: Steelers 24, Seahawks 21.