Tweeet!

Sunday, May 27, 2012

The Mid-Term Holidays!

It's here! Don't you just feel that air of laziness? It's that time again to drop all the homework, all the projects and just kick back. And some of us have already jetted off to Japan or somewhere (*is jealous). There's no way you don't have plans for the holidays. Even this anti-social bastard, the one writing this now has plans.

Unfortunately, like all good things, you can't have too much of it. I don't know about you guys but I get that air that what I'm having right now is a luxury, something I don't quite know how to take advantage of but it's still pretty unattainable on a regular basis; peace. For the Form 5s, it's no holiday. Already, many of my friends have had plans to study (but whether they make good on them remains to be seen). Time is precious and that said, we have to cherish it and make use of it the best we can. Look at me, I'll be leaving the public schooling system behind me at the end of this year. Also, I'll be getting my license later this year. Just so many big steps towards growing up. I can picture my mom wiping a tear away with a tissue.

Anyway, enough about me. We're not here to tell you what to do during the holidays because, well it's your holidays! And you get to do whatever you want with your time, unless your parents have already made plans for you, in which case you wouldn't be reading this.




Anyway, we here at Seafield. FM would just like to wish you all an awesome midterm holiday and may fun be by your side always. And to those of you who just can't catch a break, happy studying! And may the Force (= Mass/Acceleration) be with you.

-Le Renard

*Also, lay off the candy and internet porn. It's not good for you!

Thursday, February 23, 2012

Problems With Society (And Whether You're A Total Dick)

I have no clue how it came to be but one thing's for sure: It. Sucks. DONKEY BALLS! (*Haha, I typed "donkey balls" in all caps and it's going to get published anyway). I am of course, talking about the many problems that seem to plague society today. So, first of all... (hmm, where do I start?)... Right! I'll start with kids these days!

"Kids these days..."

Well, coming from a teenager (I recoil at the very word because it sounds stupid and the person who coined the word was probably suffering from a bad case of Ifuckinghateyoulittlepricks-arrea), First of all, some of things you guys do just get on my nerves, especially the attitudes (birth defects) some of you seem to have been born with. You get into fights with your friends over little things, you're shallow, you don't take advantage of life enough! (*I know this because of the crap some of you clog my news feed with) Seriously! Is it so hard to look at life a little brighter? I know it's shit, but that's because everyone else thinks so too! I know I sound like a talking Moral textbook (maybe I am one. >:) So much mystery) but does life really have to be this bitter place where everyone goes around being cynical? Also, do you guys HAVE to fall in love? Seriously, what do you guys hope to get out of it. You find the "perfect" guy/girl and then you're living a Taylor Swift song (the ones with happy endings). But what if you (most likely, and probably) don't? You... also live a Taylor Swift song... (the sad ones where she's singing about the guy breaking her heart) or an Adele song, if you're that trending type. So people, GET YO' SHIT TOGETHER! We are youths! We embody the very definition of energy! Let's prove that. I believe that we can accomplish great things if we're just willing to put our minds to it. As they say, talent exists in every single one of us, have you found yours? Oh, and as for love. Can't you save it for when you're a little older and you understand the world a little better, and also, you're not living on your parent's income? Personally, I'd think it to be a wee bit embarrassing to say, 'Happy Valentine's Day! I got you this neat T-shirt that I paid for using my mom's money!'

I'm strong enough to believe that behind the retarded duck-masks these girls wear, there is hope.

And then there's everyone else:


Society, at least here is described as being the polite kind. We're all very conservative and we love helping each other out.



 
"My goodness, Miss! You seem to have left your purse unattended. Let me just get that for you."

 Of course, you know by now that a lot of what they say about how great our people are over here is bullshit. Our parents always tell us to never go out alone. We have bars and grilles on every hole that separates the interior or our houses from the outside world. Pretty soon, we'll all have to install bars and grilles on our cars (You know, that's actually a pretty good idea!). It's practically a daily thing that we come across headlines crowning newspapers like 'MADMAN HACKS WIFE AND KIDS TO DEATH' or 'xxx IS A RACIST BASTARD - This guy calls this other guy a racist. More racial hatred on page 4!' If there's something I know about Malaysia, it's that we're all talk and no action. We always hype things up even when they don't mean anything. We're a cold society. Also, we can't drive...

'Aaaannnd. Done! Right, everyone out of the car.' - Dad on parking like a total boss.

I know I should like I'm lashing out on everyone because I'm suffering from a case of Ifreakinghateyouall. But that's just the truth, point blank. We always deny things that tarnish our image here, and it's about time we start changing that, and improving ourselves instead of sweeping the dirt under the rug. Malaysia is truly a country full of potential, and for once, I'm being serious in this article. I believe we can get to where all those First World countries are, without paying through our noses to survive everyday life, if only we all stop being this nasty mess of a people.

I've done my part by not being a total dick to people. Honestly, it's not that hard: You just be nice. It takes a lot of patience to live in a world full of idiots but like they say, patience is a virtue. I just hope that in time, we can all live with peace of mind, in the thought that we are safe and secure where ever we are here and that we can truly call ourselves a constructive and ever-progressive society. But moreover, I can't wait for the day when you people quit trying to drive into me when I'm on the road.

So that's that; all I have to say. I hope you guys didn't take that too seriously because we're all about entertainment and news here at Seafield.FM (To be fair, there's all kinds of drama on E! Entertainment Weekly or one of those shows/ news places). Here's a little something I found a few days ago that I hope you guys might find as enjoyable as I did. Enjoy:



Strangely enough, they share quite a lot in common with my parents. Do they know each other or something?

-Le Renard

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Shit NOT To Do In Preparation For Exams

It's been just another uneventful Tuesday today. Nothing much going on today, at least for me. In other news, the February test is just around the corner and I assume everyone's racing to update and hand in homework, while trying to squeeze some study time in there, in between the many tuition classes everyone seems to take these days, and life in general.

When I started on this, I didn't really have a topic but here it is!(-ish) We're going to give you guys some helpful tips; things to NOT DO in the upcoming week and a half leading up to D-day, so let's start with:

Number 1: Osmosis DOESN'T WORK!

By osmosis, we mean trying to absorb information from your many reference books and notes by piling them all on your desk and totally cluttering up the place, so you have to move mountains of Sejarah notes to look for your magic hiding highlighter (speaking of highlighters, we'll get to those in just a bit). Seriously, guys, it doesn't work. And you'll also be wasting precious time digging up your books and notes from your bags and drawers or cabinets. What you should do is get a good book, sit down and study. I like to do my studying in the morning, when the temperature and light is just right, and also, my neighbor's house doesn't sound like they're demolishing it (which is what they're sort of doing now).


Not pictured: The sounds of drills, sledge hammers and horrible singing coming from right outside my window.

Number 2: Highlighters Don't Do Shit.

It may come as no surprise to you that your mind doesn't pick up words like people do with free stuff, just because they're colored brightly. No?!!? U not wanting to believe moi?!?! Then how do you explain that the very same people who told you that, were also the ones trying to SELL you the freaking highlighters?

"If you buy Stabilo too, you'll look just as perky and successful as I am! Also, I said 'LOOK,' as successful. Actual results may vary.'

Wanting to turn your reference book into a life replica of nyan cat is just your brain flipping out from stress. People having nervous breakdowns revert back to infancy and start flinging their poop around. You're having 40 percent of a nervous breakdown, and reverting to preschool logic. "I'll take the most essential parts of my stuff and COLOR THEM IN! Yay!"

It's understandable, but it's profoundly stupid. If you notice yourself lighting a textbook up like TRON fanfic, drop the highlighter. Instead, try writing out the key points of your reading material on a separate page you can study easily and anywhere. If that sounds like too much work, well done, you've just found out why people highlight instead.

Number 3: If You're Rereading, Chances Are You're Not Actually Studying.

Re-reading your notes does not count as studying, even if it is the easiest way to technically study while watching funny cat videos Set aside time to actually engage with the material. If you're doing Chem, Physics or Math, do problems. If you're in history, write out key elements of a period in a paragraph, or try to teach the chapters you've read to your classmates who didn't read them, and have him try to teach you the ones he read.

If you're studying English lit, put down the book you already read, and write a one page essay discussing how Miss Broome is the weakest ghost ever and she's got nothing on the ones in Poltergeist or The Shining. Do something, anything, which tests your knowledge or makes you actually think, then use your notes to find out what you'd forgotten. Then do the problem again. Instead of sitting and reconfirming, "Yep, I sure can read this language all right!"

 Number 4: You SHOULD Do Exam Problems (Unless They're Outdated)

There's a saying that you prepare for exams by doing exams! Because doing pretend exams prepares you for the actual exam, exam!


Seriously, it's one of the best ways around to study. For one, you won't go shit yourself when you're in the exam hall/classroom and you think, 'hmm, this looks somewhat familiar.' Go out, get a copy of the past year questions with answers and then just go all out. Also, this could help: know what's coming out so you don't waste time studying all the unnecessary things. On second thought, save the past year questions for mid year and the finals, when the papers are based more on the actual thing.

Number 5: SKIP THE BITCHING.

"I'm so scgrewed!" - Annoying Facebook Girl. "Shit! I didn't study. I'm going to fail!", etc. etc. It's a recurring theme every exam season. About everyone with access to the internet will affirm that they:

a) did not study
 b) is screwed, and

What you should be doing instead is shutting down your machine, and getting your borderline-anxiety ass over to a book. Open it up. Study. Presto. Keep it up and you are now set for the exams. (YOU JUST ONE WON ONE MILLION REAL LIFE POINTS!!! Internetz are overrated anyway.)

6) Quit Building The Perfect Nest.

And by nest, we're of course talking about getting comfy. I think we've all done it once upon a time; create just the right setting for hours of cramming at your desk. Whether you want to set up your surround sound or have a mini fridge in your room (I should totally get my own mini fridge), everyone wants to be comfortable while studying. Unfortunately, that just doesn't work. Why? Because it's not comfortable enough, IT'S NEVER COMFORTABLE ENOUGH!

 "Hold up, guys! I just gotta turn these into juice. Then I'll drink it all up and then totally insomnia-out later tonight beating myself up for not studying."

 In times of stress, the Examinated Student (Stressus Procrastinatus) can spend over an hour crafting the perfect study nest to defend itself from guilt. It all has to be just right, from lighting to coffee, because every single thing that needs to be fixed is another reason not to actually study yet. Some students spend longer trying to reach the perfect setup than Buddhist Monks spend trying to reach Nirvana, and with less tangible results.

7) Life Isn't All About Doing Exams.

Complaining that the exam was unfair is generally the best way to go through the uncomfortable process of failing a class, while not learning that any of the above strategies are bullshit.
The most common post-exam complaint is, "Why didn't the classes just teach us how to do the exam?" For the same reason sex isn't just wetting a condom and throwing it in the toilet. Your teachers are actually trying to teach you the subject (in most cases). Exams aren't the point of education. You can be Einstein and be a total dick about it or you can be Average Joe and be a lovable member of society. Frankly, there are too many dickhead Einsteins and plain morons all over, so much so, that we could solve the energy crisis if we could somehow harness power from evil, greed and stupidity. Exams used to be walking into a room with all the smart people and just talking to them until they decided whether you were a dumbass or not. We suspect most students don't want to go back to that.


"Sorry, Gordon. Multiple choice doesn't count for shit when you don't know what you're talking about."

Now that higher education isn't just for nobility we can't do it that way. Hundreds of thousands of people get into higher education. This is progress. But it's not going to be a perfect system.
You're in school to learn how to think and do things. Exams are an extremely small part of that. If you treat the only minor obstacles in five years of opportunity unmatched in the entire history of human civilization as a huge hassle to be avoided, you're right when you say the educational system isn't working for you. But it's not the educational system's fault. Well, that was bullshit. It totally is!


-Le Renard

Monday, February 20, 2012

BREAKING NEWS!

Could cell phones be allowed back in school? I don't know about you guys but that's the question on my mind right now. They took away cell-phones in... 2010, if my memory serves me correctly and man, was it difficult. I don't know about the rest of you guys, but I need a phone specifically to do phone-related stuff, like to call my parents or to ask something from someone in the school when I don't know where they are. Beats waiting at the bus stop forever because the timing is wrong or having to go look everywhere for said person and waste time.

Call me old, but phones with WiFi, Facebook and the huge touch screens with the big megapixels, and the Angry Pigs or whatever it is everyone's playing these days doesn't mean crap to me. I guess it's just a matter of personal taste (I prefer buttons to touch screens, by the way). Should they be allowed in school? My answer is a huge "YES!!!" because it's just more convenient, especially for those like me who have to rely solely on vehicular transport from one place to another because of distance complications. There's supposed to be some place where you can log onto, a blog of some sort to place your vote in a poll, but unfortunately, everyone was just babbling too loudly this morning for me to catch it. I have more important things to do than look around the internet for the site so DO IT YOURSELF! -lol. (Funny, how when you add "lol" at the end of a sentence, no matter how serious, it makes everything seem all light hearted.)

Also, we're all very busy here ramping up our game. Everything, projects and initiatives and all are in pre-production as of now. Like I always say, please keep an eye out for us because we'll be doing some super epic stuff this year. I mean, it's the final year for some of us, and we want to make it count! We'll be doing sales, some other marketing gimmicks and maybe some other stuff too, but that's all I know right now, so if you want to know just what exactly we have in plan, just stay tuned.

Oh, and before I log off, we're proud to announce we finally have a board! A notice board, if you didn't catch that! It's located on the top floor, near the LEO, Interact and Scout's board, if I'm not mistaken. Monthly slots will be posted there, specially for those who just don't seem to have a need for email or Facebook. Other things of significance will be posted there too. This is rather short but thanks for reading anyway.

-Le Renard

The Binary Universe

  Hi people! Autornative here and with my first ever album review. Well today's review is BT’s (Brian Wayne Transeau) "This Binary Universe", his fifth studio album, released back in 2006 on both CD and DVD. It features an interesting blend of glitch, orchestral , electronica and ambient music. The DVD version is one being reviewed here and I recommend good headphones to go with it to fully appreciate the DTS 5.1 surround mastering ( if don’t have a good pair , there is also a stereo sound option ) . But enough about that, here is the play list and my view on the tracks:

 1. All That Makes Us Human Continues
 - Truly a great intro and at same time, a track which clearly contrasts with BT’s masterful use of the shutter edit. The elementals of the track are nicely produced and the track has a slight melancholic yet hopeful feel. I like the way the guitar lines up with the glitch elementals and the bells. (4/ 5 )

2. Dynamic Symmetry
- Something more ambient and at the same time, resembling electronica. A flavored track with a slight touch of glitch. This is more energetic than the previous track which I say is a good choice. It has interesting use of samples recorded from sea gulls and has an almost lounge-ish feel midway
into the track. Refreshing to listen to, and preparing you for what’s to come. ( 3.5/ 5 )

3. The Internal Locus - Named after internal locus of control (I believe), this track has two sides to it. Starting off with rain then progressing into some more like marching music with cheery sounds and drum rolls but then it slowly makes it way to the other side (which is rather short) of the track filled glitch and ending with an ambient interlude. ( 3.5 / 5 )

4. 1.618
- 1.618 is the golden ratio(that is interestingly used in the track) which is a ratio which not only fascinated mathematicians like Pythagoras , Euclid and Roger Penrose but biologist , artist , musicians and architects alike and this track I would say does some justice to it . Taking a darker stance, with a little guitar to compliment, then changing into a more ambient and beautiful track with a sad yet slightly epic feel (an epic feeling which is a bit present in the track but not overpowering) . ( 4/ 5 )

5. See You On The Other Side
- Mystical and somewhat melancholic with hopeful and cheery undertones. This track aptly follows 1.618 as a sort of afterglow. This track tells a story of regret, but yet at the same time gratitude, for those who have passed on. All of the elements fit nicely and it does its purpose. An easy track to listen to and to reminisce while alone, this track is one of my favorites of this album. ( 4.5 / 5 )


6. The Antikythera Mechanism
- Named after the oldest known complex scientific calculator, this is another beautiful tune accented with a piano and a filled the sense of wonder with a slight undertone of mystery. This track's guitar stutter edit serves as the main menu track for the DVD and when you hear it, the mystery becomes even more complex and a tense sensation comes in, then it drops back into the flows of piano and adventure but this time, it's accompanied with glitch elements; finally building up into an anthemic tune with some glitch parts. (4 / 5 )

7. Good Morning Kaia
This time this tune is a bit more personal, a tune dedicated to his daughter Kaia. I won’t say much of this track since I will let you this decide on this tune. ( ? / 5 )


Overall This Binary Universe is not only an album but also an audio sculpture (if you want to get all artsy) complimenting this grammy nominated artist's past. I cannot stress how enjoyable this listen was. As I mainly focus on the music I cannot rate the videos that go with the music on the DVD version. The best place to get this would be any good online retailer (if you are the kind that legally gets their music) though I am not sure if they keep 5.1 surround sound. Listening to this in stereo downgrades the clarity and experience. Musically interesting and entertain this album requires patience and a certain taste but may fall short in some areas when it comes to execution in some tracks (which I won’t describe for simplicity sake’s). A true masterpiece in synthesis and modern composition, I give it a 4.5 / 5 as it just below perfect .

 Disclaimer: This review does not reflect the view of Seafield FM but the view of the
reviewer .

- Autornative

Friday, January 20, 2012

Results of the Interview

Well, looks like the interviews have been concluded. The counters have closed and we're looking forward to grading the candidates. *MUHAHAHAHAHAHA ~ Ahem, sorry. 

For those that went for the interview, do check your email inbox for news from us during the holidays. Well, I guess that's that for you guys. Also, for those of you who missed it, we're sorry to say that we've officially concluded these rounds of interviews for now. New sessions might be conducted sometime in May, catering especially for the Form 3 and Lower 6 students. Do stay tuned and remember, we're always in need of dedicated members. 
Now, for those of you awaiting the results, do keep in mind that we'll be evaluating your performance very carefully and the results will be closed to everyone but the top guys in Seafield.FM. Heck, even I don't know how anyone did and I was there helping with the interviews (so don't ask me). In the mean time, don't stress yourselves out! It's the holidays and tis the time for family and some other festive stuff.

If you didn't make it, please take it as a lesson to improve yourselves. Remember, failure is the mother of success and you're welcome to come try out again! But for those of you that did make it, welcome aboard! We'll brief you on your duties to the club as soon as the school reopens. Until then, please do enjoy yourselves this Chinese New Year/Holidays.

Seafield.FM

PS: Sorry if the title misled you. We need more readers. Lol~ I'm mean, deal with it. HAHAHA.