Open your thoughts.

Ever wanted to get under the skin of another person? See what they see, feel what they feel and ultimately manipulate them into doing your every bidding? The Dominion are like that. They’re the self-proclaimed conquerors of the galaxy and rightly so, for their strange and wonderful hierachy allow them to achieve practically everything they put their mind to.

“We strive to bring order to a universe in chaos.”

The Dominion are essentially a three-tier social strata. I use the word “social” loosely because the lowest caste among them are the burly, brutal and baneful Jem’Hadar. Born and bred to be the ultimate soldier, the Jem’Hadar have little emotion and torture, demolish and execute without second thought. Their only weakness is the need for a drug-like material known as Ketracel White, without which they become no more than a shadow of themselves.

“If your soldiers are addicted to a drug that can’t be replicated and only you can provide, that gives you a great deal of control over them.”

The Ketracel White is closely guarded by the Dominion’s “diplomats”, who act as go-betweens for the Jem’Hadar and the Dominion’s leaders. Vortas are, in the opinion of most other races, the epitome of a snivelling coward who talks well but cannot follow up on his words. They are, however, cunning, manipulative people who have as much morality as Jem’Hadar have emotion. They make perfect sycophants, but don’t underestimate their ability to lead Jem’Hadar against the Dominion’s enemies.

“I will ration the supply. Don’t worry. I am the Vorta. I will take care of you all.”

Which brings us to the final and highest beings in the Dominion. These are the Founders, a race of Changelings who can metamorph at will into any object or person, living or otherwise. Founders are, among other things, arguably the deadliest enemies of the Federation along with the Borg. They have no qualms about transforming into another person and infiltrating enemy territory. They have no respect for the “Solids”–any race that cannot morph–which stems from a history replete with discrimination and prejudice against them. They are a vengeful, bitter race, that only has their well-being at heart.

“Changelings… it is a name given to us by the Solids. They meant it as an insult, but in defiance we took it and made it our own.

Now, just like the Borg and the Dominion, you too can wreak your havoc. Keep this Sunday afternoon, August 31st, free, and all will be revealed.

Watch this space! More details coming soon.

I didn’t really wanna do it, but…

Instant Bishounen! by mizery
Your username
Your eye colour
Hair colour and length	red, very long
Place of residence	back room of a seedy nightclub
Sexual orientation	a virgin - gasp!
Special Quirk	won't stop talking during sex
Created with quill18’s MemeGen!

Oh… my god. How cool is that?

I spent the whole afternoon yesterday with someone and I’m convinced: I really am going to stay a virgin since I can’t make up my mind about my… well… ambisexuality. Don’t you just love making hard decisions?

I just don’t see myself with very long red hair though… I think most of you who’ve seen me in person would agree that it paints a rather… disturbing picture. But the rest is insta-coolness. I dare everyone to try it.

Bisexuality

DISCLAIMER: The thoughts below are the author’s and should not reflect on his upbringing, his heritage, religion, race, culture and whatnot. I am who I am.

Let’s talk sexuality. It’s that time of the year again, when this topic comes up in the mass media and I’m desperate for enetation responses. =) So let’s talk hormonally driven, brain-splitting, heart wrenching, mass hysteria inducing sex.

Taken off the blog of one of starfish’s many female friends: “i’m 20, singaporean, bisexual, a life science undergraduate. and complete scifi and rock music junkie, who happens to be totally in love with LOTR. i have two psychopaths running around in my head. my life is screwed up.”

So that got me to thinking, as most sexually related topics do, about the whole concept of bisexuality. Is it a paradox? Can someone really be sexually attracted to human beings of both genders? Or is said person simply a confused, indecisive, sometimes desperate, lonely person who simply hasn’t found his (or her) significant other?

Is bisexuality a state of mind? Is it something more than just a physical attraction? Could it lead to an appreciation of people, despite their shortcomings, or does it stem from such a skewed perception of those around you? Does it derive from the multiple sex symbols, both female and male alike, that society in general keeps throwing at you? Or does it result in a blurring of the edges, a greater acceptance of “pretty boys” and “grrl power” all around the world?

I ask these questions because they are the same questions that run through my head. I adore Michelle Branch and Vanessa Carlton. I think Alysson Hannigan’s the queen of modern teen idols. In her role as B’Elanna Torres, I feel Roxann Biggs-Dawson is one of sci-fi’s most attractive women (though her sheer presence wasn’t enough to make me watch Voyager religiously). On the other hand, I think the WWE’s Randy Orton is way hot, James “Spike” Marsters is the cutest man alive and I still believe Sean Connery is the sexiest being ever. Oh, and don’t get me started on some of the EPL players.

So what is it, really? Does making all those comments make me bisexual? Or is it really an innate attraction and connection with the roles these people play, the characters they present and the ideals they emulate? Is it simply the unabashed reaction of a fan to the work of a professional?

Perhaps the crux of the matter would be to see if I’m attracted to those I’m close to and the answer, as scary as it seems, is yes. The fact remains that I do think they’ll make excellent lovers and sometimes when I see them with their significant others, I get jealous of the woman more than the man. Now, before all my male friends refuse to talk to me again, it is also true that I will never have wet dreams over men. The sheer thought of engaging in ANY sexual encounter with them is repulsive. Like most other men, my sexual fantasies revolve around myself and any number of highly intelligent women who also happen to be physically attractive.

Yes, I too, am a sad, lonely dude.

So am I bisexual? No, I don’t think so. But I feel my experience and my emotions have been more of a blessing than a curse. I suppose it’s much much easier for me to empathise with any sexual orientation compared to someone who’s VERY heterosexual. I believe such compassion is severely needed within the world today, even as our Singaporean society, the Catholic Church and just about any social organisation look to review the way they view, treat and embrace those of non-heterosexual inclinations.

Footnote: You know, on hindsight, this post has killed any possibility of me going into politics. Unless, of course, our society is willing to be led by someone of multiple sexual orientations. =P

The NTU GEP student

I never thought I’d even have to type something like this. Since my earlier days, I’ve always figured I was going to NUS just like everyone else. The thought of NTU simply never occurred to me, since, well, it still has the unfortunate stereotype of being the “2nd class university” that people that simply cannot get into NUS end up in.

I wonder how much of that is still true. On the one hand, I believe I am currently the only former GEP student on campus. There have been others before, like my church friend (who graduated half a decade ago), but as far as I know, I am unique in this way. Yet, I’ve never been made to realise that very fact until Saturday, at the party, when just about everyone else was an NUS student.

It felt VERY weird to be among, and I use these terms without malice, “geeks and nerds” again.

Don’t get me wrong. I love playing “dweeb boy” among the non-GEP people I hang out with, using proper English when I type, wearing a Episode 1 T-shirt to school, and generally appearing more academically inclined. My peers wish I’d dumb down and the older people I hang around with wish they had a son like me. I don’t get that kind of love among fellow GEPs. Maybe that’s why I’m finding myself straying away, subconciously.

Maybe that’s why I’m among “normal” people now.

Harems.

“Most guys invite other guys, who bring their girlfriends.” -Me, to dys, commenting on those present at starfish’s b-day party.

Many happy returns to the boy who turns 21 sometime around now! We all had fun (note: definition still debatable) and though I didn’t stay for long, it sounds like the many who did had loads of (again, debatable) fun.

Pictures can be found here. More to be released soon, hopefully.

Little irony: Despite knowing him “since we were 4!” (claims his mother), I might not have been invited had I not re-discovered his blog. Kinda makes you stop and think about the friends you make and the ones you keep, doesn’t it?

And speaking about friends you keep: It somehow struck me that outside of the annual batch gathering/chalet I haven’t had the chance to keep in close contact with most of the peeps I met Saturday night. The guests I’ve known since secondary school like TC, Clem, Glynn, Juish and Yangbin, and those I’ve known since the early years at Coleman Street including kakita, Stephen and Licai. It all made for really surreal emotions and more than anything, it made me feel old.

And I’m not 21 yet!

Speaking of which, I’m constantly amazed by the communities built around blogs. starfish’s “harem” is a good example of this. My last post got a stunning response of 15 (none of which were about the post!) and it’s arguably an all-time high since I’ve started using enetations. When I do celebrate my birthday, I don’t know who I’m going to invite, because in big and small ways, all of you have shared in my life, from being there for more than half of it, to just getting to know me over the past year or so.

However, I will say this: If you don’t get an invite to my 21st… well… we’ll see.

P.S. I am, however, not partial to inviting peeps I’ve never met… =P Twinkie, that means you.

Turnaround.

I hate it when I’m wrong.

Last Friday I complained about someone? Yesterday, he also becomes my lab group mate. Best of all, he turns out to be one of the nicer, friendlier people I’ve met (outside of my CCAs) within the school. I don’t know how long this will last (cynical me wants to believe that all new friendships are temporary till they’ve lasted a year or two) but it’s nice to have people to hang out with.

Now if only it was easier to get out of my “loner” rut.

In other news.

There’s a new worm going around. It’s been given a medium-risk label by Trend Micro, but as it’s only two days old, it’ll probably be better to be safe than sorry. It’s already infected the NTU computers and even now, they’re shutting down all around me.

We are Borg.

Cold and unfeeling are two terms that best describe this powerful half-mechanical, half-organic species. Introduced as a counterpoint to the fledging crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D, the Borg soon became the most feared opponents of the peace-loving, explorer-friendly United Federation of Planets. The Borg’s unique ability to assimilate cultures, memories and knowledge, coupled with a vast pool of resources run on a system of efficiency, quickly made them into an unstoppable force of destruction.

The Borg’s invasive abilities reached its climax when, in the fan favourite movie First Contact, the Queen, personification of the Borg hive-mind, attempted and suceeded in travelling back to pre-Federation Earth, hoping to eliminate one of their arguably worst enemies in its infancy. Naturally, it failed and Earth survived to co-found the Federation, but who knows when the Borg would try again?

“We are Borg… You are individuals. You are small, and you think in small terms.” - Seven of Nine

Think she’s right? Now’s your chance to prove your worth to them. Join the Collective! Take control of some of the most feared beings in the known Universe! Assimilate! Overrun! Multitask! Make Seven do your utmost bidding! The decisions are yours to make. The strategies are yours to utilise. The Borg are yours to command.

Make it so.

Watch this space! More details coming soon.