I used to enjoy and take pride in being an organizer. It didn't matter if it were parties, gatherings, trips or games. These days, despite my organizing of events, I sometimes loathe being the organizer. So what caused the U-turn? Well, back in my middle school days, I used to be infamous for my Longbai Parties. There would be a party every fortnight or monthly and the turn out would always be great. Everyone looked forward to those parties and I absolutely loved organizing more and more.
Over the years, people have not been as accommodating (I really can't think of a suitable word). Although we are supposed to be more matured and more responsible with the ripening of our respective ages, ironically it has been the contrary for many people. I no longer can organize and event with my mind at ease. To get a gathering of 5 people, I must invite 20 people as 7 will be busy, 2 will be out of the country, and 6 will cancel at the last minute. It is quite rare to see a full attendance these days and even important occasions like birthdays or milestones can no longer guarantee a full house.
So these days, despite my organizing of the odd event here and there, I will, as far as possible, try to avoid or skirt any responsibility in the organization of events. It is ironic that I'm currently the Social Director of the Singapore Students Association, tasked to organize parties, but that is really just something I'm holding on to, with the hope that it shall offer a glimmer of hope. Still, it is far from adequate and sad to say, there will be much more disappointment to come.
Friday, December 22, 2006
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
The Spirits of Kallang River
They are watching you. They know what you're up to when you're floating or walking along the river. Ever have that feeling that there seems to be some sort of presence as you walk along Clarke Quay? That's them. They are there.
How many times have people tried to dump things into the river? Why do you think the government tries hard to maintain it? And murderers who throw body parts in the river - oh how they get it. The spirits retrieve the parts and display it for the public to see. There's no hiding your sins from them - they will get you.
They have been there from the very beginning. Perhaps Sang Nila Utama didn't exactly bump into Singapore. Perhaps he was lured.
Beware the spirits.
How many times have people tried to dump things into the river? Why do you think the government tries hard to maintain it? And murderers who throw body parts in the river - oh how they get it. The spirits retrieve the parts and display it for the public to see. There's no hiding your sins from them - they will get you.
They have been there from the very beginning. Perhaps Sang Nila Utama didn't exactly bump into Singapore. Perhaps he was lured.
Beware the spirits.
Thursday, November 09, 2006
Engulfing Forces
As much a phenomena as it is a force,
Its very presence ever so unpredictable,
Appearing at the most unawares,
The effected unknowing of its course.
As persistant as you are resistant,
It becomes reality roulette,
That you are in control,
But still uncertain of the consequent.
As if on amphetamines,
Impossible tasks suddenly seem possible,
Overcoming distance without hesitance,
Able to do everything it determines.
You are in a room of doors,
Each contains a different outcome,
Some good, some bad.
The choice is almost infinitely yours.
Its very presence ever so unpredictable,
Appearing at the most unawares,
The effected unknowing of its course.
As persistant as you are resistant,
It becomes reality roulette,
That you are in control,
But still uncertain of the consequent.
As if on amphetamines,
Impossible tasks suddenly seem possible,
Overcoming distance without hesitance,
Able to do everything it determines.
You are in a room of doors,
Each contains a different outcome,
Some good, some bad.
The choice is almost infinitely yours.
"A Blind Man's Sight or a Man's Blind Sight?"
I nicked this phrase off Marcus's msn nickname because this phrase has a significant place in society. It may seem like a simple phrase, perhaps one of those that is a play on words. However, it has deeper connotations which I will begin to explain.
Blind Man's Sight
A blind man's sight refers to almost if not total inability to perceive the world visually. This is usually something that occurs naturally and the unfortunate individual would be almost blameless for this misfortunate occurrence. Simply put, this is physical blindless.
Man's Blind Sight
A man's blind sight on the other hand is an individual's failure to take notice of events that are happening in broad daylight. He or she has evidently missed out on the details. In reference to Oedipus in Greek Mythology, Oedipus failed to see his shortcomings and failed to see what lay in front of him. It was only when he was physically blind, that he realized how blind he was. In fact, being physically blind opened his eyes.
How does this relate to society?
There exists a mosaic of unique individuals in the world. The majority are blessed with the gift of sight. However, there exist only a handful who choose to utilize this gift. Physically sight-enabled, but that is all. They fail to realize and take notice of their surroundings. More importantly, their vision of themselves is clouded. Delusions of grandeur or persecution maybe, but whichever way it is, they are blind.
Unlike physical blindness, a man's blind sight can be cured most of the time. However, it is really up to the individual, given it takes courage, determination, and strength to lift those lids. There will always be environmental and social cues to aid this recovery, but they will immediately diminish, should there exist a reluctance or resistance of aid. Denial may be the first step, but should the individual be unable to make it past the threshold, then unfortunately the rite of passage ends.
A parallel can be drawn to an ailment like cancer. Sometimes this blindness may be benign, while other times it may be malignant. If it were benign, it would not pose too much of a threat. However, if it were malignant, drastic action should be taken. Should the individual detect it early, treatment would most certainly get rid of it. However, should the individual not realize the problem and fail to get treatment before it hits a more critical stage, it could be an almost impossible task to cure it. Even so, there is medication that could quell it. It is simply a matter of the individual's humility and willingness to recover. Aid should not be perceived as a threat.
Only then, will a man's blind sight produce the same blindness as a blind man's sight.
Blind Man's Sight
A blind man's sight refers to almost if not total inability to perceive the world visually. This is usually something that occurs naturally and the unfortunate individual would be almost blameless for this misfortunate occurrence. Simply put, this is physical blindless.
Man's Blind Sight
A man's blind sight on the other hand is an individual's failure to take notice of events that are happening in broad daylight. He or she has evidently missed out on the details. In reference to Oedipus in Greek Mythology, Oedipus failed to see his shortcomings and failed to see what lay in front of him. It was only when he was physically blind, that he realized how blind he was. In fact, being physically blind opened his eyes.
How does this relate to society?
There exists a mosaic of unique individuals in the world. The majority are blessed with the gift of sight. However, there exist only a handful who choose to utilize this gift. Physically sight-enabled, but that is all. They fail to realize and take notice of their surroundings. More importantly, their vision of themselves is clouded. Delusions of grandeur or persecution maybe, but whichever way it is, they are blind.
Unlike physical blindness, a man's blind sight can be cured most of the time. However, it is really up to the individual, given it takes courage, determination, and strength to lift those lids. There will always be environmental and social cues to aid this recovery, but they will immediately diminish, should there exist a reluctance or resistance of aid. Denial may be the first step, but should the individual be unable to make it past the threshold, then unfortunately the rite of passage ends.
A parallel can be drawn to an ailment like cancer. Sometimes this blindness may be benign, while other times it may be malignant. If it were benign, it would not pose too much of a threat. However, if it were malignant, drastic action should be taken. Should the individual detect it early, treatment would most certainly get rid of it. However, should the individual not realize the problem and fail to get treatment before it hits a more critical stage, it could be an almost impossible task to cure it. Even so, there is medication that could quell it. It is simply a matter of the individual's humility and willingness to recover. Aid should not be perceived as a threat.
Only then, will a man's blind sight produce the same blindness as a blind man's sight.
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
The Underlying Problem of Modern Time
If World War III was as Nostradamus predicted, to be occurring right now, it would have to be an unconventional World War III. Firstly, apart from Iraq, Afghanistan and some of the tribal wars in Africa, most of the fighting seems to be between terrorists and the respective national armies. In this case I must quote Bush (as much as it kills me to do it) that this is definitely a "war on terrorism". That is of course if you who are currently reading this is not a terrorist yourself.
Although there have been many bombings, threats, and various other terrorist threats taking place in the world that would probably have some people shouting out in anger, "fucking Muslims" or "fucking Arabs", I would have to refute their somewhat misguided rants. Terrorism is not occurring because of Muslims or Arabs. Terrorism is occurring because of certain misguided individuals and a horde of barbaric followers who are weak in the mind. Ask any normal Muslim and he or she will tell you how Islam is not what is misinterpreted as a violent religion. They will not charge at you with a dagger yelling "Jihad Jihad". In fact, they will respect you, as true Islamic preachings teach respect for others.
Secondly, we also forget that the media sometimes manipulates stories either as propaganda or simply because it would generate a more than healthy revenue. Ever realize that the coverage of terrorist bombings in Iraq or Indonesia dominate the news? What about the Basques, the Chechens, or the civil wars in Africa? What about the United States' bullish international relations? Even more importantly, where is the good stuff? Why aren't scientific breakthroughs getting more coverage? Is our world really just about violence, death and depression? So really, everything has been blown out of proportion by the media.
Another thing we should note is that there is another side to the bombings. Why do we see the US and her allies as heroes for bombing the hell out of Afghanistan and Iraq when they are doing more killing than the terrorists have ever done? At the rate the US is conducting herself, with her poorly or unsupported reasons for attacking another nation, it has to be agreed that the US is the largest terrorist network. If they really were concerned about nuclear weapons, why is North Korea still standing? Shouldn't it be blown to smithereens by now? Hell, they've even managed to test one of their warheads!
So again, with the terrorist bombings and a country with its allies conducting worldly issues by force, it is no wonder the greatest problem of modern time is terrorism. As J.D.G Evans and Karl Popper would argue, ad Baculum and reason are two infinitely opposing beliefs and only the latter should be used.
Although there have been many bombings, threats, and various other terrorist threats taking place in the world that would probably have some people shouting out in anger, "fucking Muslims" or "fucking Arabs", I would have to refute their somewhat misguided rants. Terrorism is not occurring because of Muslims or Arabs. Terrorism is occurring because of certain misguided individuals and a horde of barbaric followers who are weak in the mind. Ask any normal Muslim and he or she will tell you how Islam is not what is misinterpreted as a violent religion. They will not charge at you with a dagger yelling "Jihad Jihad". In fact, they will respect you, as true Islamic preachings teach respect for others.
Secondly, we also forget that the media sometimes manipulates stories either as propaganda or simply because it would generate a more than healthy revenue. Ever realize that the coverage of terrorist bombings in Iraq or Indonesia dominate the news? What about the Basques, the Chechens, or the civil wars in Africa? What about the United States' bullish international relations? Even more importantly, where is the good stuff? Why aren't scientific breakthroughs getting more coverage? Is our world really just about violence, death and depression? So really, everything has been blown out of proportion by the media.
Another thing we should note is that there is another side to the bombings. Why do we see the US and her allies as heroes for bombing the hell out of Afghanistan and Iraq when they are doing more killing than the terrorists have ever done? At the rate the US is conducting herself, with her poorly or unsupported reasons for attacking another nation, it has to be agreed that the US is the largest terrorist network. If they really were concerned about nuclear weapons, why is North Korea still standing? Shouldn't it be blown to smithereens by now? Hell, they've even managed to test one of their warheads!
So again, with the terrorist bombings and a country with its allies conducting worldly issues by force, it is no wonder the greatest problem of modern time is terrorism. As J.D.G Evans and Karl Popper would argue, ad Baculum and reason are two infinitely opposing beliefs and only the latter should be used.
Sunday, November 05, 2006
Walk On
Sometimes in life, we make mistakes.
Some are intentional, some are accidental.
But it is essential that we do all it takes,
To brush them by and avoid going mental.
Search for the strength within you,
The mettle to overcome adversity,
Not letting anything affect what you do,
And not to wallow in self-pity.
As long as you have identified the mistake,
You have already come halfway.
So complete the rest for your own sake,
And hopefully the dark clouds shall clear away.
Stand tall, be brave and walk on.
All alone - you definitely are not.
We are the walls you may lean upon,
And the listening ear for the rest of the lot.
Some are intentional, some are accidental.
But it is essential that we do all it takes,
To brush them by and avoid going mental.
Search for the strength within you,
The mettle to overcome adversity,
Not letting anything affect what you do,
And not to wallow in self-pity.
As long as you have identified the mistake,
You have already come halfway.
So complete the rest for your own sake,
And hopefully the dark clouds shall clear away.
Stand tall, be brave and walk on.
All alone - you definitely are not.
We are the walls you may lean upon,
And the listening ear for the rest of the lot.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
Argumentum Ad Hominem
Argumentum ad Hominem, also known as attacking the opposition in regards to his/her opposite views, is according to J.D.G Evans sometimes necessary especially when the opposition is infinitely transigient of his/her own views. Although it may seem like a foreign term to you simply because this is the proper name for it, this argumenta is very common. We experience this so often that we sometimes do not take notice of it. Often times, argumentum ad hominem may be attributed to persons of stubborn or egotistic nature, but there certainly are exceptions. For example, the opposition might be the ones who are stubborn and/or egotistic. Hence this might be the only way of trying to impose your views upon them. No matter how you try to employ rationalization or attempt to reach a compromise, the other person blatantly outright rejects your views.
Then, there are also situations where Argumentum ad Verecundiam or appeal to authority might come into play. This is a situation where you feel strongly that you have your facts wrong as they are supported by the (perceived) relevant authority who has adequate credibility. So perhaps when arguing about a biological theory, if you were taught by your biology teacher about it and you find that a friend of yours is explaining it wrongly, you would attempt to correct the person. However, if the person is persistent in his/her view, you would then implement argumentum ad hominem while supporting your view with argumentum ad verecundiam. In essence, it would be employed in a tandem.
Of course the most extreme method would be Argumentum ad Baculum, which is basically appeal to violence in the sense that you might threaten someone with physical or mental harm should he/she oppose your views. This is especially common in the army where one party has more power over the other. Although this is not a very good method at all, since it does not make the person believe that that is the fact but rather accept the belief that that is the fact, it is used to enforce your beliefs upon another. A parallel can be drawn to the school bully threatening another kid that "if you don't wish to donate your lunch money to me, I will smash your face". So here we can see that the antecedent has nothing to do with the consequent but yet the kid would believe. The rationale for this argument is simply taking a dominant strategy. In both cases, the opposition would not want to get into harm's way and thus would reluctantly accept the argument.
However controversial these argumentum may be, there always comes a time when these methods have to be employed. Rationale and violence will never work in harmony although they might sometimes seem to go hand in hand. Instead, the antithesis of rationale and violence are alternatives of each other, and should be used when appropriate.
Then, there are also situations where Argumentum ad Verecundiam or appeal to authority might come into play. This is a situation where you feel strongly that you have your facts wrong as they are supported by the (perceived) relevant authority who has adequate credibility. So perhaps when arguing about a biological theory, if you were taught by your biology teacher about it and you find that a friend of yours is explaining it wrongly, you would attempt to correct the person. However, if the person is persistent in his/her view, you would then implement argumentum ad hominem while supporting your view with argumentum ad verecundiam. In essence, it would be employed in a tandem.
Of course the most extreme method would be Argumentum ad Baculum, which is basically appeal to violence in the sense that you might threaten someone with physical or mental harm should he/she oppose your views. This is especially common in the army where one party has more power over the other. Although this is not a very good method at all, since it does not make the person believe that that is the fact but rather accept the belief that that is the fact, it is used to enforce your beliefs upon another. A parallel can be drawn to the school bully threatening another kid that "if you don't wish to donate your lunch money to me, I will smash your face". So here we can see that the antecedent has nothing to do with the consequent but yet the kid would believe. The rationale for this argument is simply taking a dominant strategy. In both cases, the opposition would not want to get into harm's way and thus would reluctantly accept the argument.
However controversial these argumentum may be, there always comes a time when these methods have to be employed. Rationale and violence will never work in harmony although they might sometimes seem to go hand in hand. Instead, the antithesis of rationale and violence are alternatives of each other, and should be used when appropriate.
Tuesday, October 24, 2006
Uproar in Cyberspace
In light of the recent uproar over RJC girl Wee Shumin's blog (which has since been shut down) in response to fellow blogger Derek Wee's entry about the "Future of Singapore", I have decided to provide my personal analysis of the situation. Derek's entry was one where he highlights key points of his concern regarding the well-being of Singapore. He talked criticized issues such as employment opportunities or lack of thereof, procreation scheme, and self-discrimination.
Although his points were valid to a certain extent, Shumin's response to his entry was one filled with sarcasm and blatantly ad hominem. As an 18-year old far short on life experiences and not even eligible to vote, she should have shown far more respect. To mock him sarcastically and dismiss his claims unconstructively, she clearly shows that she had only one thing on her mind - to shame the "many wretched, undermotivated, overassuming leeches in our country...whining about how singapore is such an insecure place, how old ppl (ie, 40 and above) fear for their jobs, how the pool of foreign "talent" (dismissively chucked between inverted commas) is really a tsunami that will consume us all". This obviously ruffled feathers of the fans and sympathizers of Derek, who mercilessly condemned her as "perfect bitch" with labels such as "elitegal" who has an "MP Sugar Daddy" (as her father is the MP of Ang Mo Kio).
Both of them have the right to voice their opinions but perhaps Shumin's comments were far too harsh. As an RJC student and MP's daughter, she could have been more tactful and constructive like fellow commentor by the name of Andrew among some of the other commentors. She subsequently claimed that her "post in question was never meant to be a cogent response to the specific points raised in derek wee's article" but rather "a rant in the heat of the moment" and that she "was under the rather naive impression that nobody reads [her] blog ". This says a lot about her character as another blogger Wei Kiat believes, as "true characters of people are often seen when they were in the heat of the moment, or caught unguarded in situations such as being drunk".
In her defence, I must say that Derek's points are partially true but lacks concrete support and hence can be easily dismissed as the common "whining". However, I wouldn't say he was completely wrong about the situation in Singapore as there are areas in which they could definitely improve on. Firstly, he was right in saying that there is an obvious age discrimination and a preference for either younger employees or the so-called foreign talents. However, that is the reality at the end of the day, for an economically-driven society. The reason why Singapore has managed to "miraculously survive the separation from Malaysia" as one commentor put it, was because of their strong focus and prioritization of the nation's finances and economy. So whether you're the top 10% to be promoted or the rest that gets retrenched is really determined by your work ethic and abilities. Of course there will be an element of luck to it, but this is how society works. It is a modern day example of Darwin's theory on the Survival of the Fittest.
Secondly, on the issue of foreign talent, according to nec tamen criminosus, one of the many commentors,
"imagine a typical Singapore male, 18 days of annual leave, PLUS one month of in-camp training. Why not hire a foreigner man? Less disruption to work, and managers don't have to waste time applying for deferrment to get rejected at the last minute. "
Obviously, Singaporean men will always be at a disadvantage in this case, but according to an anonymous commentor, "instead of grumbling and having a defeatist attitude, go get a job, raise a family and try some hard work" as we can't be the "Singaporean who wants everything now and is already defeated before he even starts". Simply put, as long as you are good, you will always succeed. Sure, the government and respective companies place more importance on the so-called foreign talent, but if we Singaporeans can show that we are worth the extra money, we will successfully oust these people out of the jobs that is in a sense, rightfully ours.
Another reason why the government treasures foreign talent is because of their ability to start modestly and not immediately demand a job in a MNC as a manager. They are willing to start as schmucks at the bottom of a barrel before working their way up. This was the exact mentality of our fore fathers who were coolies, boat rowers, rice farmers and so on. Most of them were poor and came with only the clothes on their back. Yet we see many of them slowly becoming so successful. So if they are able to do that, why can't this modern generation. We have better education and a much better life than they ever had. Perhaps it might have been detrimental to our development as more and more of the population is consumed by spoilt individuals determined to have things their way.
Cutting to the bottomline, this entry of mine is not about the future of Singapore, nor is it a defence of elitegal, but rather it highlights something vital in Singaporean society. Singaporeans are well known to be full of complaints, which most of the time stem from small issues. Judging from the reaction and response from the numerous sympathizers of Derek, the majority of the comments were mindless rants. Most chose to jump on the band wagon to crucify Shumin, while others continued Derek's lamenting of society. Only a selective few decided to analyze the situation before coming up with a comment. This is proof of why there can never be freedom of speech in Singapore. The meticulous scrutinizing of attempted entries into the Straits Times forum is a way of providing free speech. That is, free speech that is well-thought of - constructive and not defamatory. Until the citizens learn to be more constructive and less aggressive, freedom of speech should be kept at the current state.
References:
http://weikiatblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/looking-back-home.html
http://derekwee.blogspot.com/2006/10/when-i-read-straits-times-article.html
http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/
Although his points were valid to a certain extent, Shumin's response to his entry was one filled with sarcasm and blatantly ad hominem. As an 18-year old far short on life experiences and not even eligible to vote, she should have shown far more respect. To mock him sarcastically and dismiss his claims unconstructively, she clearly shows that she had only one thing on her mind - to shame the "many wretched, undermotivated, overassuming leeches in our country...whining about how singapore is such an insecure place, how old ppl (ie, 40 and above) fear for their jobs, how the pool of foreign "talent" (dismissively chucked between inverted commas) is really a tsunami that will consume us all". This obviously ruffled feathers of the fans and sympathizers of Derek, who mercilessly condemned her as "perfect bitch" with labels such as "elitegal" who has an "MP Sugar Daddy" (as her father is the MP of Ang Mo Kio).
Both of them have the right to voice their opinions but perhaps Shumin's comments were far too harsh. As an RJC student and MP's daughter, she could have been more tactful and constructive like fellow commentor by the name of Andrew among some of the other commentors. She subsequently claimed that her "post in question was never meant to be a cogent response to the specific points raised in derek wee's article" but rather "a rant in the heat of the moment" and that she "was under the rather naive impression that nobody reads [her] blog ". This says a lot about her character as another blogger Wei Kiat believes, as "true characters of people are often seen when they were in the heat of the moment, or caught unguarded in situations such as being drunk".
In her defence, I must say that Derek's points are partially true but lacks concrete support and hence can be easily dismissed as the common "whining". However, I wouldn't say he was completely wrong about the situation in Singapore as there are areas in which they could definitely improve on. Firstly, he was right in saying that there is an obvious age discrimination and a preference for either younger employees or the so-called foreign talents. However, that is the reality at the end of the day, for an economically-driven society. The reason why Singapore has managed to "miraculously survive the separation from Malaysia" as one commentor put it, was because of their strong focus and prioritization of the nation's finances and economy. So whether you're the top 10% to be promoted or the rest that gets retrenched is really determined by your work ethic and abilities. Of course there will be an element of luck to it, but this is how society works. It is a modern day example of Darwin's theory on the Survival of the Fittest.
Secondly, on the issue of foreign talent, according to nec tamen criminosus, one of the many commentors,
"imagine a typical Singapore male, 18 days of annual leave, PLUS one month of in-camp training. Why not hire a foreigner man? Less disruption to work, and managers don't have to waste time applying for deferrment to get rejected at the last minute. "
Obviously, Singaporean men will always be at a disadvantage in this case, but according to an anonymous commentor, "instead of grumbling and having a defeatist attitude, go get a job, raise a family and try some hard work" as we can't be the "Singaporean who wants everything now and is already defeated before he even starts". Simply put, as long as you are good, you will always succeed. Sure, the government and respective companies place more importance on the so-called foreign talent, but if we Singaporeans can show that we are worth the extra money, we will successfully oust these people out of the jobs that is in a sense, rightfully ours.
Another reason why the government treasures foreign talent is because of their ability to start modestly and not immediately demand a job in a MNC as a manager. They are willing to start as schmucks at the bottom of a barrel before working their way up. This was the exact mentality of our fore fathers who were coolies, boat rowers, rice farmers and so on. Most of them were poor and came with only the clothes on their back. Yet we see many of them slowly becoming so successful. So if they are able to do that, why can't this modern generation. We have better education and a much better life than they ever had. Perhaps it might have been detrimental to our development as more and more of the population is consumed by spoilt individuals determined to have things their way.
Cutting to the bottomline, this entry of mine is not about the future of Singapore, nor is it a defence of elitegal, but rather it highlights something vital in Singaporean society. Singaporeans are well known to be full of complaints, which most of the time stem from small issues. Judging from the reaction and response from the numerous sympathizers of Derek, the majority of the comments were mindless rants. Most chose to jump on the band wagon to crucify Shumin, while others continued Derek's lamenting of society. Only a selective few decided to analyze the situation before coming up with a comment. This is proof of why there can never be freedom of speech in Singapore. The meticulous scrutinizing of attempted entries into the Straits Times forum is a way of providing free speech. That is, free speech that is well-thought of - constructive and not defamatory. Until the citizens learn to be more constructive and less aggressive, freedom of speech should be kept at the current state.
References:
http://weikiatblog.blogspot.com/2006/10/looking-back-home.html
http://derekwee.blogspot.com/2006/10/when-i-read-straits-times-article.html
http://mysingaporenews.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
The Common Denominator
If there's one commonality that Singaporean males share, it's the army talk. Wherever we go and whatever we do, talk about army will find it's way into the center-fold. No matter what we talk about, there would inevitably be a link of some sort to army. The 2 years and 4 months (now 2 years or less) have really changed our mentalities and shaped our lives to a certain extent. In my opinion, I would say in a significant way. Most females usually cringe when males start their army talk but they have no idea how significant it is. However, most of them also accept that it is part and parcel of the Singapore male.
When two Singaporean males (attending university) chance upon a first-time meeting, apart from the usual "which university and degree you're doing", a common question would be "which unit were you from in army". When such common knowledge is shared and especially when they are from similar or known places, they would then start talking like they've known each other for years. Who they know, what they did, and so on. They might even know most of each other's friends and olleagues alike. I guess that would be one of the reasons why many would say army is an enriching experience.
I would not be surprised however, if it were one of the Lee Dynasty's plans to bond Singaporeans, to instill a sense of nationalism in citizens. With the current mentality of the government where it 'values' overseas Singaporeans and is quite active in enticing them for a homecoming, measures in army to promote much more bonding would surely be in place. Measures such as a reduction in the length of service as well as a 5-day work week (which I brought up to the Chief of Army as well as the Commanding Officer of BMTC2) attempt to show the citizens that they are aware of their needs, while the heightened safety regulations in place calms the worries of the current over-protective (understatement) parents of their precious babies.
Males nowadays are getting softer. Bullshit tags like the 'Sensative New Age Guy' have no place in society and they are simply a politically correct term for 'pussies'. All the skiving and all the dodging of hardship in the army doesn't make it any better. Of course, someone has to take up the position of clerks and drivers (not that there's anything bad with that) but to deliberately get yourself out of service is unacceptable. This action not only underlines someone's integrity but also his character. Don't you feel embarrassed that more and more females are taking up jobs in the army. There's even a certain few who elect to go through tough training, and yet remain feminine. If they can do it, why can't you?
So my advice to young teenagers all worried or overly enthusiastic about army is that this will be the most memorable 2 years of your lives. Make the best out of it even though it may not always be a smooth ride. I definitely went through most of the harshest training available for NSFs (National Service Full-time or rather those conscripted). Furthermore, those who are undertaking leadership roles in NCC (National Cadet Corps) should understand that harsh treatment of others is not the way, and somehow such things will only come back to get them 'karmatically'. What goes around, comes around. I could go on about it even more, but I will not. These things should be explored personally.
Monday, October 16, 2006
Social Politics
The events that have occured in the last 2 years have really shocked me. After all my years of experience in an international school with people of different backgrounds and nationalities, I've found that Singaporeans are very political. Politics in this circumstance is by no means related to being outspoken regarding the government of the nation but rather socially. This social politics seems to be quite prevalent among Singaporean cliques, groups, committees, teams, etc.
My first taste came when I first enlisted, and saw the numerous gossiping, backstabbing and lies. So much hate. So many facades. Then upon commissioning as an officer, I realized that facades were the commonality. It was only imperative that I hopped onto the band wagon. Failure to conform to the nature of office politics would have sparked my downfall. Fortunately my handling of the situation proved more than adequate and I mastered it to a certain extent. However I handled it, I definitely had more people on my side backing me up.
Upon commencement of my studies in Sydney, I've been mingling with Singaporeans. I've always been very active in the events organized by the Singapore Students Association (SSA) and have seen some of the 'backstage' work. To that, I must say I'm quite appalled, but not surprised. Somehow I'd expected it. Somehow it seems like a normal part of Singaporeans' lives. Wherever I went, wherever there were Singaporeans, there was always a strong political issue lingering.
It definitely needs to be exorcised. This social political game is wrong. As citizens from a tiny dot, we can't even get along, and we expect to build bridges with other countries. Even our government can't even live in harmony with their neighbors! To make things worse, there is so much internal conflict within our city state government. It is no wonder there exists so many internal rifts within social circles. To exist in the large-scale, it has to stem from the existing small-scale conflicts.
Well, I can play the game too. Being a Gemini, putting on a face comes naturally. I can pull off many different faces. Personality - what exactly would you say mine is? Would you know which is the real me? How can you be sure what I'm exhibiting now is but a clever act by me? Ask a few friends of mine how I was during my 21st birthday celebration. They will report to you of my multiple personalities. I know how to play my cards, and I know when I have a strong hand.
Right now, I don't know who to trust. In fact, I don't even trust myself. What you think is genuine could turn out otherwise. Committing at this stage might leave you trapped in a catch 22 situation. Hence I have to exercise my multiple personality and work to my strengths. No one is trust-worthy and whatever I say has been well-rehearsed. I go about things these days with a contingency plan. Being around Singaporeans, one cannot afford to be caught unawares and unprepared. One has to know the game plan in social politics.
My first taste came when I first enlisted, and saw the numerous gossiping, backstabbing and lies. So much hate. So many facades. Then upon commissioning as an officer, I realized that facades were the commonality. It was only imperative that I hopped onto the band wagon. Failure to conform to the nature of office politics would have sparked my downfall. Fortunately my handling of the situation proved more than adequate and I mastered it to a certain extent. However I handled it, I definitely had more people on my side backing me up.
Upon commencement of my studies in Sydney, I've been mingling with Singaporeans. I've always been very active in the events organized by the Singapore Students Association (SSA) and have seen some of the 'backstage' work. To that, I must say I'm quite appalled, but not surprised. Somehow I'd expected it. Somehow it seems like a normal part of Singaporeans' lives. Wherever I went, wherever there were Singaporeans, there was always a strong political issue lingering.
It definitely needs to be exorcised. This social political game is wrong. As citizens from a tiny dot, we can't even get along, and we expect to build bridges with other countries. Even our government can't even live in harmony with their neighbors! To make things worse, there is so much internal conflict within our city state government. It is no wonder there exists so many internal rifts within social circles. To exist in the large-scale, it has to stem from the existing small-scale conflicts.
Well, I can play the game too. Being a Gemini, putting on a face comes naturally. I can pull off many different faces. Personality - what exactly would you say mine is? Would you know which is the real me? How can you be sure what I'm exhibiting now is but a clever act by me? Ask a few friends of mine how I was during my 21st birthday celebration. They will report to you of my multiple personalities. I know how to play my cards, and I know when I have a strong hand.
Right now, I don't know who to trust. In fact, I don't even trust myself. What you think is genuine could turn out otherwise. Committing at this stage might leave you trapped in a catch 22 situation. Hence I have to exercise my multiple personality and work to my strengths. No one is trust-worthy and whatever I say has been well-rehearsed. I go about things these days with a contingency plan. Being around Singaporeans, one cannot afford to be caught unawares and unprepared. One has to know the game plan in social politics.
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
Hazing the Hazers
Singapore should demand compensation from Indonesia. The haze from their country brings about more problems than seen. As the PSI soared to a high of 150, many people fell ill. Would this not be equivalent to the use of biological weapons? The haze is extremely unhealthy and may be carcinogenic. Indonesia should then be charged of war crimes! Their failure to act, their blatant ignorance, and their inability to deal with the situation is not an excuse as time and time again, they have refused international aid, assuring unconvincingly that they are able to deal with the situation.
Year after year, we learn how disabled they are. Their previous president, Gus Dur is a perfect representation of their country - blind and physically disabled. How often have we seen in recent years, Singapore shrouded in this haze? The worst part is that these fires are deliberately started to clear land. Economically, this might seem the most ideal plan, but they are ignoring the negative externalities that accompany or are the result of their actions. Externalities apart from the haze include the extermination of animals, endangering the lives of firemen, as well as the worsening of the reputation of the seemingly incapacitated Indonesian government.
I suggest either Indonesia volunteerily promises to clean up its act as soon as possible or they be imposed certain sanctions and compensates the affected nations until the situation is resolved for good. As it stands however, it seems the latter is the best and only option available. Let's hope for the best.
Year after year, we learn how disabled they are. Their previous president, Gus Dur is a perfect representation of their country - blind and physically disabled. How often have we seen in recent years, Singapore shrouded in this haze? The worst part is that these fires are deliberately started to clear land. Economically, this might seem the most ideal plan, but they are ignoring the negative externalities that accompany or are the result of their actions. Externalities apart from the haze include the extermination of animals, endangering the lives of firemen, as well as the worsening of the reputation of the seemingly incapacitated Indonesian government.
I suggest either Indonesia volunteerily promises to clean up its act as soon as possible or they be imposed certain sanctions and compensates the affected nations until the situation is resolved for good. As it stands however, it seems the latter is the best and only option available. Let's hope for the best.
North Korean "Missile Crisis"
This is an excellent example of misappropriated funds. As it stands, the citizens of this impoverished nation struggle to stay alive each day. The government, together with the international monetary aid could have enabled the rebuilding of North Korea but their stubbornness prevented this. Instead of allocating funds on important things like their infrastructure, economy and their people, their funds have all been invested heavily on nuclear technoogy. Perhaps it would've been reasonable if their goal was to power up the country using nuclear power, but the recent nuclear warhead testing proved otherwise.
It seems that the North Korean government would rather preserve their political ideology at all costs - even at the expense of thousands and possibly millions starving to death, while the rest of the nation wallows in poverty. Their hatred for Western ideals and the US might be the reason for their nuclear weapons research. Perhaps it may be because the US have been far too aggressive in their selling of capitalism and democracy. Maybe they perceive the US as an insurance agent or a telemarketer who refuses to give up trying to tell you right and wrong. However, whatever it is, this is all too unnecessary. Why must millions suffer for your stubbornness? Of course they wouldn't understand. While the nation is shrouded by poverty, these government officials live in big houses and suck on premium Cuban cigars, drinking the best Soju with a king's share of food.
Whatever it is, the US definitely cannot and should not barge in a la Afghanistan and Iraq as it would solve nothing and only lead to World War III. Similarly, ignorance shouldn't be a strategy either. There should be a compromise, that North Korea would work to help its people get out of poverty while being allowed their nuclear weapons. If that's what the North Koreans want, let them have it, on the basis that their people are taken care of. I can't see any other way out and the best alternative to this crisis is war. It will be threat versus blood.
If the US had their way, it would just obliterate the whole nation of North Korea. Their people have nothing to live for anyway. They're impoverished and governed by a corrupt and crooked government. However, this thinking might be misguided as the North Koreans might not agree with me. It might also be a horrible decision. This is currently the situation with Iraq, with the situation being much more calm when Saddam Hussein was in power. It wasn't the best, but it worked. History shouldn't be repeated and another man's food is another's poison.
It seems that the North Korean government would rather preserve their political ideology at all costs - even at the expense of thousands and possibly millions starving to death, while the rest of the nation wallows in poverty. Their hatred for Western ideals and the US might be the reason for their nuclear weapons research. Perhaps it may be because the US have been far too aggressive in their selling of capitalism and democracy. Maybe they perceive the US as an insurance agent or a telemarketer who refuses to give up trying to tell you right and wrong. However, whatever it is, this is all too unnecessary. Why must millions suffer for your stubbornness? Of course they wouldn't understand. While the nation is shrouded by poverty, these government officials live in big houses and suck on premium Cuban cigars, drinking the best Soju with a king's share of food.
Whatever it is, the US definitely cannot and should not barge in a la Afghanistan and Iraq as it would solve nothing and only lead to World War III. Similarly, ignorance shouldn't be a strategy either. There should be a compromise, that North Korea would work to help its people get out of poverty while being allowed their nuclear weapons. If that's what the North Koreans want, let them have it, on the basis that their people are taken care of. I can't see any other way out and the best alternative to this crisis is war. It will be threat versus blood.
If the US had their way, it would just obliterate the whole nation of North Korea. Their people have nothing to live for anyway. They're impoverished and governed by a corrupt and crooked government. However, this thinking might be misguided as the North Koreans might not agree with me. It might also be a horrible decision. This is currently the situation with Iraq, with the situation being much more calm when Saddam Hussein was in power. It wasn't the best, but it worked. History shouldn't be repeated and another man's food is another's poison.
Saturday, October 07, 2006
SSA AGM Results
This AGM almost didn't happen. We were mulling over the lack of representation for a few hours. This delayed the whole process and caused everything to snow ball. Basically 40 members were required but we only had 26. So out of the 300 members, so few actually turned up. It was pathetic really. In the end, everyone started calling people in and we overlooked some detail. In the end, we managed to get to 37 members. Things then started rolling.
I was successfully nominated as Social Director, a position I was quite keen on since the start of the year. It was uncontested so it was a walkover for me. Yuan was also nominated for that position. So now we're both the SSA Social Directors. Anyway, it was a massive disappointment that some of my good friends didn't get voted into the vice president and editor roles. I guess there's always next year.
This actually reminded me of my times in High School when my group of friends pretty much ruled the school. We had majority representation in every council possible in the school as well as in the various sports teams. I hope I can achieve something like that in the years to come. We shall rule!
I was successfully nominated as Social Director, a position I was quite keen on since the start of the year. It was uncontested so it was a walkover for me. Yuan was also nominated for that position. So now we're both the SSA Social Directors. Anyway, it was a massive disappointment that some of my good friends didn't get voted into the vice president and editor roles. I guess there's always next year.
This actually reminded me of my times in High School when my group of friends pretty much ruled the school. We had majority representation in every council possible in the school as well as in the various sports teams. I hope I can achieve something like that in the years to come. We shall rule!
Thursday, October 05, 2006
Positional Indecision
I'm in a dilemma. The Singapore Students Association (SSA) Annual General Meeting (AGM) is tomorrow and I can't decide which position to run for. The choice I have is between President and Social Director. The lure of both is quite equal. I've been telling a lot of people that I plan to run for Social Director but recently I've strongly considered going for the top job.
As Social Director, I would already have plenty of contacts and some prior knowledge as I've been somewhat shadowing the current Social Director. In addition, I've built for myself a reputation as a hard core party animal. It goes back all the way to my past in Shanghai and Singapore, to last semester's party at Havanna. In the latter event, I was totally intoxicated and made a real mess. This then became the image that lingered in the minds of everyone. Of course, word about that incident also spread like wild fire, that being the result of a somewhat closely knit Singaporean community. Furthermore, for many events, people have recognized me and even referred to me readily as "the next Social Director". If I were to run for this position, I'm extremely confident that I would get it.
Running for President on the other hand will be a big risk for me. It has been my ambition to become President of the SSA and I don't see why being in 1st year should impede that. My lack of experience should not be a major factor. Most of the others, despite being here longer than me as well as having held another position on the committee, will not have a clue as to how a President functions. I was thrown into a leadership position when I became a platoon commander. I didn't have any prior knowledge and learned the ways of it all over time. So similarly, it would be an on-the-job-learning experience for me. I can safely say that I did a very good job as a PC during my time in the army and don't see why this will be any different.
I have partially prepared a speech should I decide to run for president. My speech is a replica of the speeches I used to give when I was running for posts in Shanghai (American School). The only difference is that this time, it will not be as formal and will include some local elements to suit the audience. In my mind, I've decided that should someone I think is suitable for the job runs, I might back out. However, if no one that I feel is capable runs, then I will be more than happy to snap up that position. I guess I will have to make my decision "on the ground", that is, at the AGM itself.
Watch this space for updates.
As Social Director, I would already have plenty of contacts and some prior knowledge as I've been somewhat shadowing the current Social Director. In addition, I've built for myself a reputation as a hard core party animal. It goes back all the way to my past in Shanghai and Singapore, to last semester's party at Havanna. In the latter event, I was totally intoxicated and made a real mess. This then became the image that lingered in the minds of everyone. Of course, word about that incident also spread like wild fire, that being the result of a somewhat closely knit Singaporean community. Furthermore, for many events, people have recognized me and even referred to me readily as "the next Social Director". If I were to run for this position, I'm extremely confident that I would get it.
Running for President on the other hand will be a big risk for me. It has been my ambition to become President of the SSA and I don't see why being in 1st year should impede that. My lack of experience should not be a major factor. Most of the others, despite being here longer than me as well as having held another position on the committee, will not have a clue as to how a President functions. I was thrown into a leadership position when I became a platoon commander. I didn't have any prior knowledge and learned the ways of it all over time. So similarly, it would be an on-the-job-learning experience for me. I can safely say that I did a very good job as a PC during my time in the army and don't see why this will be any different.
I have partially prepared a speech should I decide to run for president. My speech is a replica of the speeches I used to give when I was running for posts in Shanghai (American School). The only difference is that this time, it will not be as formal and will include some local elements to suit the audience. In my mind, I've decided that should someone I think is suitable for the job runs, I might back out. However, if no one that I feel is capable runs, then I will be more than happy to snap up that position. I guess I will have to make my decision "on the ground", that is, at the AGM itself.
Watch this space for updates.
Procrastination
Procrastination is easy, but making up for it is not. Effective procrastination requires one to be able to make up for the loss time effectively. It is a skill that not everyone possesses. I would say approximately 70% of the population are procrastinators. I mean, given a chance to put something off for something better is a very enticing prospect indeed. In most cases, their opportunity costs would be weighed such that whatever work they have to do is forgone for something of pleasure.
Making up for procrastination usually incurs a lot of energy. Stress is often strongly associated with that, especially when it comes to last minute work. It has been said that last minute work results in waste due to the haste. However, in some cases, the haste results in good things. Some people work better under pressure while others simply buckle over. Not everyone can work the same way. Unfortunately, this would be the demise of some. They are bad procrastinators in the sense that they do not know how to make up for their procrastination.
Procrastination has very strong links to socialization as it is usually the result of your peers and surroundings. Often, one would rather succumb to the temptation of meeting a friend for a movie or meal rather than concentrate on the completion of an assignment. Of course there are exceptions, but this is the general consensus. Procrastination can also sometimes be a way of bonding a group. Everyone just decides to procrastinate and voila, we have a good hang out session.
Procrastination is a big part of my life although I wouldn't say I'm proud of it. However, I find that I am indeed one of those who are good at procrastination. My high distinction on my philosophy essay is proof of that. That is a stark contrast to my other assignments which I prepared for way in advance. I guess this is a good strategy for me. However, I might have to learn the ways of the non-procrastinator as I can't afford to have soaring stress levels. High stress levels lead to many problems including high blood pressure and mood swings.
I feel like writing more but I think I'll do it tomorrow...and the week after
Making up for procrastination usually incurs a lot of energy. Stress is often strongly associated with that, especially when it comes to last minute work. It has been said that last minute work results in waste due to the haste. However, in some cases, the haste results in good things. Some people work better under pressure while others simply buckle over. Not everyone can work the same way. Unfortunately, this would be the demise of some. They are bad procrastinators in the sense that they do not know how to make up for their procrastination.
Procrastination has very strong links to socialization as it is usually the result of your peers and surroundings. Often, one would rather succumb to the temptation of meeting a friend for a movie or meal rather than concentrate on the completion of an assignment. Of course there are exceptions, but this is the general consensus. Procrastination can also sometimes be a way of bonding a group. Everyone just decides to procrastinate and voila, we have a good hang out session.
Procrastination is a big part of my life although I wouldn't say I'm proud of it. However, I find that I am indeed one of those who are good at procrastination. My high distinction on my philosophy essay is proof of that. That is a stark contrast to my other assignments which I prepared for way in advance. I guess this is a good strategy for me. However, I might have to learn the ways of the non-procrastinator as I can't afford to have soaring stress levels. High stress levels lead to many problems including high blood pressure and mood swings.
I feel like writing more but I think I'll do it tomorrow...and the week after
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Friday, September 29, 2006
Word Play
Just playing with words... It takes a bit of general knowledge to really understand some of them...
1. Energizer Bunny Arrested & Charged with Battery.
2. A pessimist's blood type is always b-negative.
3. Practice safe eating -- always use condiments.
4. A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother.
5. Shotgun wedding: A case of wife or death.
6. Marriage is the mourning after the knot before.
7. A hangover is the wrath of grapes.
8. Corduroy pillows are making headlines.
9. Is a book on voyeurism a peeping tome?
10 Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
11. A successful diet is the triumph of mind over platter.
12. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
13. A gossip is someone with a great sense of rumor.
14. Without geometry, life is pointless.
15. A man's home is his castle, in a manor of speaking.
16. When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I.
17. A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two-tired.
18. What's the definition of a will? (Come on, it's a dead giveaway!)
19. A backwards poet writes inverse.
20. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
21. If you don't pay your exorcist, you get repossessed.
22. With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
23. When a clock is hungry, it goes back four seconds.
24. The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.
25. A grenade in a French kitchen results in Linoleum Blownapart.
26. A lot of money is tainted. It t'aint yours and it t'aint mine.
27. A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.
28. He had a photographic memory that was never developed.
29. A short fortune-teller escaped from prison is a small medium-at-large.
30. Once you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall.
31. Those who jump off a Paris bridge are in Seine.
32. An actress who saw her first strands of grey hair thought she'd dye.
33. Acupuncture is a jab well done.
1. Energizer Bunny Arrested & Charged with Battery.
2. A pessimist's blood type is always b-negative.
3. Practice safe eating -- always use condiments.
4. A Freudian slip is when you say one thing but mean your mother.
5. Shotgun wedding: A case of wife or death.
6. Marriage is the mourning after the knot before.
7. A hangover is the wrath of grapes.
8. Corduroy pillows are making headlines.
9. Is a book on voyeurism a peeping tome?
10 Does the name Pavlov ring a bell?
11. A successful diet is the triumph of mind over platter.
12. Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana.
13. A gossip is someone with a great sense of rumor.
14. Without geometry, life is pointless.
15. A man's home is his castle, in a manor of speaking.
16. When two egotists meet, it's an I for an I.
17. A bicycle can't stand on its own because it is two-tired.
18. What's the definition of a will? (Come on, it's a dead giveaway!)
19. A backwards poet writes inverse.
20. A chicken crossing the road is poultry in motion.
21. If you don't pay your exorcist, you get repossessed.
22. With her marriage, she got a new name and a dress.
23. When a clock is hungry, it goes back four seconds.
24. The man who fell into an upholstery machine is fully recovered.
25. A grenade in a French kitchen results in Linoleum Blownapart.
26. A lot of money is tainted. It t'aint yours and it t'aint mine.
27. A boiled egg in the morning is hard to beat.
28. He had a photographic memory that was never developed.
29. A short fortune-teller escaped from prison is a small medium-at-large.
30. Once you've seen one shopping center, you've seen a mall.
31. Those who jump off a Paris bridge are in Seine.
32. An actress who saw her first strands of grey hair thought she'd dye.
33. Acupuncture is a jab well done.
Sunday, September 24, 2006
What's wrong with this picture?
Can anyone see what's wrong with the above picture? This is actually a poster in this Singapore-Malaysia Restaurant in Sydney. I guess they had good intentions but were unaware of the negative connotations of it.
Firstly, it inadvertently shows the condonement of graffiti or vandalism. Secondly, it shows a person of another race desecrating a religious artifact of another. Thirdly, the depiction of the Buddha as Singapore might leave room for confusion.
The possible consequences of this act is a daunting thought. The Malay boy would be caned a la Michael Fay; the Muslims and Buddhists will have a verbal joust; tourism Singapore would have a lot of explaining to do; the Malays will be ostracized yet again; Malaysia and Indonesia would somehow get involved; and massive fines will be on the books. The country would be in disarray. Wonder how no one thought about the implications of this drawing.
Friday, September 22, 2006
Tied down
It's inescapable. I can't fight it. It's like the ocean's current. The more I fight it, the deeper it drags me. Of course I wouldn't want to shed it in such a negative light, but this is perhaps an appropriate way to describe this feeling. I want a happy resolution, but I have no solutions. I'm not necessarily spent, but this is just a big risk that I wish I had a watertight solution for.
Thursday, September 21, 2006
Deception
For a moment, it seemed like a passing cloud, merely a phase or trend making it's way through. I felt liberated briefly, but how misguided that was. In reality, it's nothing like that. It's more permanent than I'd imagine. Looking at it, I'd compare it to an itch I can't scratch. I'm like a kid peering at his favorite toy or lolly through the glass but unable to get it. As we used to say when we were kids, "see no touch, touch no see. See and touch must pay money." It seemed so easily interpreted back then. Now, that money is but a symbol. If there is that "money" I just might be able to achieve it.
It is more reciprocal than it appears however, and thus the example might not quite be a good one. I guess I'd have to rethink my strategy. There is no sure-fire way of pursuing it. Of course, taking note of tips and hints might get me somewhere but ultimately, those are mere grains of sand in this structure I'm attempting to build. Foundations are always the hardest part, and until I attain that, I will perpetually be looking at an empty plot. In my case, there aren't any blue prints. That is the complication. There can be no blue prints in my attempted creation.
It is more reciprocal than it appears however, and thus the example might not quite be a good one. I guess I'd have to rethink my strategy. There is no sure-fire way of pursuing it. Of course, taking note of tips and hints might get me somewhere but ultimately, those are mere grains of sand in this structure I'm attempting to build. Foundations are always the hardest part, and until I attain that, I will perpetually be looking at an empty plot. In my case, there aren't any blue prints. That is the complication. There can be no blue prints in my attempted creation.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
Why it's great to be a man
- Your ass is never a factor in a job interview.
- Your orgasms are real. Always.
- Your last name stays put.
- The garage is all yours.
- Wedding plans take care of themselves.
- You never feel compelled to stop a friend from getting laid.
- Car mechanics tell you the truth.
- You don't give a rat's ass if someone notices your new haircut.
- Hot wax never comes near your pubic area.
- Same work ... more pay.
- Wrinkles- they add character.
- You don't have to leave the room to make emergency crotch adjustments.
- Wedding Dress $2000; Tuxedo rental $100.
- People never glance at your chest when you're talking to them.
- New shoes don't cut, blister or mangle your feet.
- One mood, ALL the ####### time.
- Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds.
- A five-day vacation requires only 1 suitcase.
- You can open all your jars on your own.
- You can quietly watch a game with your buddy for hours without ever thinking "He must be mad at me."
- If another guy shows up at the party in the same outfit, you just might become lifelong friends.
- You are not expected to know the names of more than five colours.
- You don't have to stop and think of which way to turn a nut on a bolt.
- You are unable to see wrinkles in clothes.
- The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades.
- Your belly usually hides your big hips.
Monday, September 18, 2006
The Ultimate Power
There is this power that can be possessed by humans. When unleashed, it can do great things. If used wrongly, it can be detrimental and cause collateral damage. However, when used for good, it can make the world the way God meant it to be - one of peace and happiness. Immediately Xmen or Captain Planet may spring to mind, but this power is not something of that sort. No mutant chromosome, no ring, and no toxic waste. In fact, this power is quite the commonality among the majority of living things on this planet.
The 'possessors' of this power usually is an unwilling party, much like the heroes in movies, and is always the result of another person(s)'s involvement. In spite of that, there are specific circumstances where this power might be artificially attained. In the latter case, it can be either attained with good or bad intentions. Luckily, the number of creatures attaining it for the wrong purposes aren't too widespread and may be restricted.
I myself am a victim of someone's attainment of this power. In fact, not only I, but a few of my friends have found ourselves victimized if you'd have it, by our respective 'possessors'. In our case however, these 'possessors' have attained this power rather reluctantly and unknowingly. With this power attained by them, we find ourselves doing many things uncharacteristic of our daily unaffected lives.
We suddenly find ourselves going at lengths to please the person, sacrificing and foregoing our usual leisurely doings, and basically having lingering thoughts about the person no matter what activity we partake in. Often, we are subject to a great deal of anxiety when separated from the person. Sometimes, we also experience the same anxiety when around the person. It is this catch 22 we are stuck in - an oxymoron effect of this power we are enslaved by.
Escape from the entrapment of this power is almost futile, although time sometimes proves to be a tool, albeit its lengthy effect. Ironically, an escape from this power usually comes in the form of being subject to another person's power, which has a stronger effect on you. Sometimes it is welcomed, sometimes it is not. However, one thing for sure is that it will come when your guard is down, when you least expect it.
The silver lining to this subjection of power is that if there is a reciprocation of this power subjection, it could lead to a greater power. Something so great that it surpasses plenty the world has ever known. This is ultimately, what we all seek. We dream about it. We think about it. We don't just want it, we need it. It is quite often, the key to happiness.
The 'possessors' of this power usually is an unwilling party, much like the heroes in movies, and is always the result of another person(s)'s involvement. In spite of that, there are specific circumstances where this power might be artificially attained. In the latter case, it can be either attained with good or bad intentions. Luckily, the number of creatures attaining it for the wrong purposes aren't too widespread and may be restricted.
I myself am a victim of someone's attainment of this power. In fact, not only I, but a few of my friends have found ourselves victimized if you'd have it, by our respective 'possessors'. In our case however, these 'possessors' have attained this power rather reluctantly and unknowingly. With this power attained by them, we find ourselves doing many things uncharacteristic of our daily unaffected lives.
We suddenly find ourselves going at lengths to please the person, sacrificing and foregoing our usual leisurely doings, and basically having lingering thoughts about the person no matter what activity we partake in. Often, we are subject to a great deal of anxiety when separated from the person. Sometimes, we also experience the same anxiety when around the person. It is this catch 22 we are stuck in - an oxymoron effect of this power we are enslaved by.
Escape from the entrapment of this power is almost futile, although time sometimes proves to be a tool, albeit its lengthy effect. Ironically, an escape from this power usually comes in the form of being subject to another person's power, which has a stronger effect on you. Sometimes it is welcomed, sometimes it is not. However, one thing for sure is that it will come when your guard is down, when you least expect it.
The silver lining to this subjection of power is that if there is a reciprocation of this power subjection, it could lead to a greater power. Something so great that it surpasses plenty the world has ever known. This is ultimately, what we all seek. We dream about it. We think about it. We don't just want it, we need it. It is quite often, the key to happiness.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Green Pastures
"I cried when I had no shoes, until I saw a man with no feet"
This is a famous quote from the former Persia. It basically talks about relative deprivation - the notion that you are worse off than others, in the sense that it dawned on the author that there are people who are worse off than he. In fact, the grass at that moment seemed much greener on his side than the other side.
Humans are insatiable by nature and we will forever be comparing ourselves with others. It's quite ironic really, as the more we have, the more we want. It's quite a selfish tendency as elsewhere in the world, there are millions that can't even quench their needs, while we are trying to fulfil all our wants. Chuck them that huge plate of pasta you ordered out of sheer mental hunger/greed and they'll feel like a king. For us, we take it for granted such that when given that same plate, we would request for something else.
I didn't have to look to far to realize how lucky I am. I mean I really thank God for all that I have. I've a great family, I'm healthy, I'm in university, I'm not burdened by real financial problems, I can spend almost freely, I have lots of friends, I am decent in most sports, I've visited more places in the world than most people my age, I've plenty of experiences as an expatriate, and so on. There is really so much that I can be thankful for. So if ever I were to refer to the common negative phrase of 'life sucks', remind me again how lucky I am.
Wednesday, September 13, 2006
Over Reliance
What do the following activities - waiting for a friend, travelling on a bus, being bored at lectures, and checking the time have in common? The answer is simple. You will notice that you'd have your cell phone in your hand! Yes, we are that reliant and tied to our phones. Not convinced? Well think about it. Everytime you leave home, what would you always bring besides the wallet and keys? Yes. The phone! If you go out without your phone, wouldn't you feel this empty feeling, like what you'd experience when you forget your homework. In fact, we are all so reliant on our phones that we barely remember any numbers anymore!
Australians, I find aren't so attached to their phones. They hardly even whip out their phones and even normal phone conversations with them are very brief. In contrast, we Singaporeans (along with our Japanese, Korean and Hong Kong counterparts) are so reliant on our phones that every time we have nothing to do, we feel the urge to message someone. Looking at the trains here, it seemed quite odd at first, when I didn't see anyone at all with their phone in their palm. Even the frequent variety of ring tones weren't present apart from a token phone ringing albeit with a boring ring ring sound.
During my trip to Mudgee (a rural town of 5000 people 300km North of Sydney), I cracked up when an advertisement for "scary ring tones" came on. It was extremely corny and very lame but it struck me that this was how Singapore was like when cell phones were first introduced. I guess give Australia another 5 or 6 years and people everywhere will be phone-reliant. Perhaps then, the calling rates would drop with the increased demand.
Australians, I find aren't so attached to their phones. They hardly even whip out their phones and even normal phone conversations with them are very brief. In contrast, we Singaporeans (along with our Japanese, Korean and Hong Kong counterparts) are so reliant on our phones that every time we have nothing to do, we feel the urge to message someone. Looking at the trains here, it seemed quite odd at first, when I didn't see anyone at all with their phone in their palm. Even the frequent variety of ring tones weren't present apart from a token phone ringing albeit with a boring ring ring sound.
During my trip to Mudgee (a rural town of 5000 people 300km North of Sydney), I cracked up when an advertisement for "scary ring tones" came on. It was extremely corny and very lame but it struck me that this was how Singapore was like when cell phones were first introduced. I guess give Australia another 5 or 6 years and people everywhere will be phone-reliant. Perhaps then, the calling rates would drop with the increased demand.
Sexual Stimulation by Feet
I was reading up on my neurobiology notes earlier in the library and something struck me. I think I see the link between people getting turned on sexually due to their partner(s) stimulating them via their toes. Our bodily senses are all processed by this area of our brain called the sensory cortex, which is just in front of the parietal lobe. Each area of this cortex responds to a certain body part or area. I noticed that the part associated with genitals (yes I specifically looked for that part) and realized that the part for the toes is just next to it. Now prior to that, I read that since these parts are not switchboard-like, in the sense that they may affect each other and are not as specific as it makes out to be. So basically, when you stroke the face of someone whose arm has been amputated, he or she would feel it in his or her non-existent fingers. Using this concept, we can understand why people get turned on by their feet getting stimulated. Perhaps this is how feet fetishes develop. I'm not entirely certain that what I think holds a watertight truth but I guess this would be a stepping stone looking into all these things. Maybe in the future when I have to do my research, I'll do it on sexual fetishes. That would really be interesting.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
A banana a day, keeps the doctor away
Bananas. Containing three natural sugars - sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber, a banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world's leading athletes. But energy isn't the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.
Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The Vitamin B6 contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration have just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn; try eating a banana for soothing relief.
Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoids morning sickness.
Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings; we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.
Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.
Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body’s water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.
Stroke: According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine, "eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by stroke by as much as 40%!
Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!
So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around.
So maybe it’s time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"
Depression: According to a recent survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
PMS: Forget the pills - eat a banana. The Vitamin B6 contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it the perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration have just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit's ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn; try eating a banana for soothing relief.
Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoids morning sickness.
Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Overweight and at work? Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings; we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady.
Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity and reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a "cooling" fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of expectant mothers. In Thailand, for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood enhancer tryptophan.
Smoking: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body’s water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.
Stroke: According to research in "The New England Journal of Medicine, "eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by stroke by as much as 40%!
Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape!
So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills. When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around.
So maybe it’s time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, "A banana a day keeps the doctor away!"
Eternal Damnation
I read a very interesting blog the other day that stated that if one did not believe in God, that person is condemned to eternal damnation in hell. I responded to her post that as long as one leads a life of goodness, he or she would have a chance to go to heaven. In fact, I remember hearing this in one of the sermons a long time ago. Also, I've been taught that God is accepting and will never condemn anyone to hell unless the person really wants to.
Basically almost everyone heads to purgatory where their sins are purged in their repentance prior to their entry through the heavenly gates. No matter what sins you've committed during your life time on Earth, God will forgive, provided you are willing to repent. I believe that hell is where you go if you renounce God and all that he stands for. One will only be banished into the lake of fire that is hell only if he or she refuses to repent.
This brings me to the topic of radical religious groups. The obvious one would be the radical muslim groups such as the Al Qaeida led by Osama Bin Laden who believe that all infidels should be persecuted because 'God wills it'. Of course, based on my education in Cathecism classes and basically being a human being, I know that it is wrong to kill regardless of the reason. However, these aren't the only ones present in our world today. There are others such as the various cults where people commit mass suicides to those that have very unorthodox methods of worship. But there have been a few in the recent years, that have been very successful in manipulating the minds of thousands.
I'm refering to the so-called Christian evangelism groups that have been sprouting up all over. There are many positives to them such as the praise and worship, the socialization, the feel good factor, and of course some of the teachings which tell people to lead a life of goodness. However, they also tend to say a lot of things that are misguided. There have been things bordering on ridiculous such as banning its followers from reading Harry Potter because it apparently has satanic connotations. Then there's the evangelistic part of it which I feel is approaching a certain level of extremism.
This leads me back to my first topic where I read about the blog iterating that one would go to hell if he or she is not a believer of God. This is the very thing that irks me as I feel that they portray the wrong message. These are the sort of things that are the cause of religious wars. More often than not, these are the people who are very stubborn in their beliefs and refuse to acknowledge that there are certain things that are misconstrued and misinterpreted.
If I were to be cynical, I would simply put it that everyone would end up in hell. Why? Simply because almost every religion (based on the extremists' views) states that non-believers would go to hell. So in essence, with the mosaic of beliefs and religions existing in our mortal world, it would all cancel each other out, singling out our common final destination. So the phrase 'see you in hell', would really make sense.
Basically almost everyone heads to purgatory where their sins are purged in their repentance prior to their entry through the heavenly gates. No matter what sins you've committed during your life time on Earth, God will forgive, provided you are willing to repent. I believe that hell is where you go if you renounce God and all that he stands for. One will only be banished into the lake of fire that is hell only if he or she refuses to repent.
This brings me to the topic of radical religious groups. The obvious one would be the radical muslim groups such as the Al Qaeida led by Osama Bin Laden who believe that all infidels should be persecuted because 'God wills it'. Of course, based on my education in Cathecism classes and basically being a human being, I know that it is wrong to kill regardless of the reason. However, these aren't the only ones present in our world today. There are others such as the various cults where people commit mass suicides to those that have very unorthodox methods of worship. But there have been a few in the recent years, that have been very successful in manipulating the minds of thousands.
I'm refering to the so-called Christian evangelism groups that have been sprouting up all over. There are many positives to them such as the praise and worship, the socialization, the feel good factor, and of course some of the teachings which tell people to lead a life of goodness. However, they also tend to say a lot of things that are misguided. There have been things bordering on ridiculous such as banning its followers from reading Harry Potter because it apparently has satanic connotations. Then there's the evangelistic part of it which I feel is approaching a certain level of extremism.
This leads me back to my first topic where I read about the blog iterating that one would go to hell if he or she is not a believer of God. This is the very thing that irks me as I feel that they portray the wrong message. These are the sort of things that are the cause of religious wars. More often than not, these are the people who are very stubborn in their beliefs and refuse to acknowledge that there are certain things that are misconstrued and misinterpreted.
If I were to be cynical, I would simply put it that everyone would end up in hell. Why? Simply because almost every religion (based on the extremists' views) states that non-believers would go to hell. So in essence, with the mosaic of beliefs and religions existing in our mortal world, it would all cancel each other out, singling out our common final destination. So the phrase 'see you in hell', would really make sense.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Death to Druggies
Although many people would've thought that I apparently being so "hardcore" and having gone to an international school, have probably tried drugs before, I can honestly say that I've never even entertained that prospect. I've seen the damage it has caused. It affects not just the person but the person's family and friends as well. Drug traffickers are like Jigsaw, the sadistic mastermind in the show Saw, he doesn't actually kill the victims, but rather puts them in the position to do so. Therefore, with the existing laws, he cannot be rendered guilty of manslaughter. However, in actual fact, he is a serial killer. These are the people who should be hanged. In fact, they should be tortured, just like their victims. The death penalty is far too lenient a punishment for them.
All the human rights groups can protest all they want, but they don't even know what they are protesting about. I bet it would all change if they were put into the shoes of the victims. If I had to decide the sentence, I would have these criminals placed behind bars permanently and everyday they would watch drug addicts go through rehabilitation. Then having suffered enough, they would then be hanged. (Maybe castrated before that as well...)
All the human rights groups can protest all they want, but they don't even know what they are protesting about. I bet it would all change if they were put into the shoes of the victims. If I had to decide the sentence, I would have these criminals placed behind bars permanently and everyday they would watch drug addicts go through rehabilitation. Then having suffered enough, they would then be hanged. (Maybe castrated before that as well...)
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
You know you've been in China too long when...
I've lived in Shanghai for 6 years and that seems like a very long time. However, it's all good experience for me and as a tribute to that, I'd like to come up with a list of 50 points indicating that when "you know you've been in China too long".
- Bargaining is the norm. You bargain everywhere even in taxis and departmental stores.
- You no longer wait in line, but go immediately to the head of the queue.
- It becomes exciting to see if you can get on the lift before anyone can get off.
- You spit in the middle of the sidewalk and wonder why everyone stares.
- You think the beggar on the sidewalk's just doing it as a hobby or to earn extra cash.
- You accept the fact that you have to queue to get a number for the next queue.
- You find that it saves time to stand and retrieve your hand luggage while the plane is on final approach.
- A T-Bone steak with rice sounds just fine.
- It makes you curious what another guy has on his parking ticket.
- You have developed an uncontrollable urge to follow people carrying small flags.
- When listening to the pilot prove he cannot speak English, you no longer wonder if he can understand the air traffic controller.
- You regard it as part of the 'adventure' when the waiter correctly repeats your order and the cook makes something completely different.
- You are not surprised when three men with a ladder show up to change a light bulb.
- You look over people's shoulder to see what they are reading
- You throw your trash out the window of your house, your car or bus you are on
- Drying your underwear, chicken, or dirty linen in full view of the main road doesn't bother you.
- You honk your horn at people because they are in your way as you drive down the sidewalk
- You regularly fumble for five minutes to find your coins despite 10 people waiting in line behind you.
- You ride around on your bicycle ringing a bell for some unknown f***ing reason
- Even when you know you'll take a long time, you tell someone you'll be done "immediately"
- You forget that the other person needs to finish speaking before you can start
- Taking a nap while you are dining in a restaurant with your girlfriend/boyfriend is perfectly alright
- Just everything produced in your home town is "very famous in China"
- You don't do any favors without wondering what your personal benefit could be
- You walk through the zoo and wonder how each animal would be prepared.
- The live seafood is flapping on the supermarket floor and you don't flinch when it is picked up and directly put back in the tank. You don't even get out of the way of the one trying to catch it.
- You have no problems watching your waitress pick her nose or the cook smoking a cig while preparing your meal.
- You talk leave out word no important, people understand.
- Instead of calmly asking a question, you, oblivious to others shout for no necessary reason at the person right next to you in the office so that everyone can hear you.
- You wear your pajamas outside; you wear them when shopping at the local grocery store.
- Your TV is always on and at full volume.
- Whenever you shop, you always ask yourself whether you could get it at a discount
- You no longer laugh as much when you see someone carry a Prata (Prada) bag
- You curse and swear at other drivers when you drive against traffic
- You get excited when someone says he/she is from China.
- Crowding doesn't seem to bother you anymore.
- You push and shove people because you want to get in the subway.
- Burping or farting loudly followed by a booming laugh is your way of saying the meal was yummy.
- You know what Mao Tai is.
- You place food on your friends' plates even before they touch their utensils.
- You can tell the difference between a conversation and an argument.
- You know the Silk Market isn't somewhere along the Silk Road.
- When ordering food at a restaurant, you don't need a menu. Instead you order the dishes at the next table.
- You know China Airlines isn't a 'China' airline.
- The abbreviations P.R.C makes sense to you.
- You know why you go to a W.C for.
- You can easily say where Urumuqi is.
- You've gone down from the Great Wall on a luge.
- You would argue that certain cities in China are more advanced than cities in so-called developed countries.
- All the above references make perfect sense and are relevant to you.
Friday, May 19, 2006
Social Poison
Sometimes being too social and knowing too many people can be poison. What I mean is that while I'm busy satisfying my commitments with various groups of friends, I neglect being close to either one. So essentially, what I end up with is a huge network of friends but a lack of social circle or clique. Sure it may sound very materialistic and superficial, but it really isn't. I don't have a group where I share my most personal problems. In fact, I can't exactly fathom the whole definition of personal if it makes no difference who I rant my problems to. I have no best friend or so-called bestie. I don't exactly know how to define who my close friends are. All I have now are 2 distinct groups - friends, who I know relatively well and acquaintances who I meet occasionally or not at all.
Don't get me wrong. Friends are of the utmost importance. They offer support, companionship, activity partners, and so on. However, I do wonder if simply having 2 or 3 close friends would be more satiable than having so many whose closeness varies at an enormous distribution.
The friendships I had in my early years is a stark contrast to those I have now. In those days, I limited myself to small groups, mainly because I was a shy kid (hard to believe but it's true). I had few friends but we were very close. We never needed anyone and always stuck together. Bosom friends indeed. Fast forward to the present and yes, I acknowledge my surge in social-ism (not the idealogy), leading me to being what people misinterpret as "popularity". I really couldn't give a rat's arse whether I was popular or not. Really. I may know everyone but they don't owe me a living. What I look for is friendship. Genuine friendship. Those who've shown that they don't deserve it have duly been cast away. Those who have proven their worth have remained. But where are those who can be close friends. There are one or two, maybe three. But they are so far away.
My 21st Birthday is nearing, and yet I can't decide what to do. Should I throw a huge party and invite everyone? Should I celebrate it with the various groups of friends? Or should I just follow suit from the last few years and just not do anything at all? I think I just might go with the 3rd Option. After all, I have exams in the following week. Who in the right mind would want to party?!
Tuesday, May 16, 2006
Primary 6 Writings
There are certain things that you write in life which makes you think and smile. You just can't imagine yourself capable of writing such things. I guess that would be my thoughts in the future years when I look back on my blogs. Anyhow, attached is a short story I wrote during my primary 6 days, which was published in the school magazine (or better known now as the school yearbook).
A Narrow Escape
I rushed down from the bus and ran as fast as I could. From a distance I heard the school bell ring. 'Oh no! Late again!' I moaned. This was the second time I was late this week. Nevertheless, this time the excuse was different. I was late because I helped or was involved in an accident.
On that day, I left my house earlier. As I was walking down the path, I saw a speeding car driven by what seemed a reckless driver. He kept swerving left and right. Suddenly, I heard a loud screeching of brakes followed by a loud crash. The car had slammed into a Jaguar. The driver of the Jaguar was bleeding profusely. He was suffering from serious head injuries. Some curious onlookers crowded around. Some called the police and ambulance. Some helped the drivers out of their cars.
Then suddenly the cars burst into flames. The blazing fire was spreading quickly. The drivers escaped the fire; it was a narrow escape. One of the passers-by called the Fire Brigade.Soon after the ambulance arrived and took the victims to a hospital, I then went to school.I was lucky again! The discipline master excused me!
Julian Sng Yeung Liang
Primary 6D, 1997
A Narrow Escape
I rushed down from the bus and ran as fast as I could. From a distance I heard the school bell ring. 'Oh no! Late again!' I moaned. This was the second time I was late this week. Nevertheless, this time the excuse was different. I was late because I helped or was involved in an accident.
On that day, I left my house earlier. As I was walking down the path, I saw a speeding car driven by what seemed a reckless driver. He kept swerving left and right. Suddenly, I heard a loud screeching of brakes followed by a loud crash. The car had slammed into a Jaguar. The driver of the Jaguar was bleeding profusely. He was suffering from serious head injuries. Some curious onlookers crowded around. Some called the police and ambulance. Some helped the drivers out of their cars.
Then suddenly the cars burst into flames. The blazing fire was spreading quickly. The drivers escaped the fire; it was a narrow escape. One of the passers-by called the Fire Brigade.Soon after the ambulance arrived and took the victims to a hospital, I then went to school.I was lucky again! The discipline master excused me!
Julian Sng Yeung Liang
Primary 6D, 1997
Lingo Bingo
Lingo plays a bigger part in our lives than you think. If you think back, you’ve probably had words or phrases that were such commonplace during that particular period of your life. I personally know and recall vividly some of them during my younger days. Let’s see if I could recall them.
0 - 7 years
[This period draws a blank to me]
8 -9 years
The Beginnings of Swearing and Cussing
This was when I started learning all the swear words like “fuck”, “shit”, “bastard”, “asshole” and “motherfucker” hence I used those quite a lot. Another would be “ka ni na bei chao chee bye”
10 - 12 years
Red Alert & Ping Pong
The Command & Conquer: Red Alert craze coined words like “unit lost” and “ion cannon ready”. Yes, we actually used those in everyday speak. It was amazing. Then with my new found interest in table tennis, we had terms like “psycho spin” – a very difficult serve to receive.
13 - 14 years
Korean Influence
My first years at Shanghai American School – it was a blend of different cultures and languages. There was a strong Korean influence so words like “gay-a”, “keisiki”, “shibai asikei” and “shibai seki” were very common. During that period, I was equally as influenced by the break dancing scene and there was a Korean rap that went something like “freestyle reckio, chikeide reckio…”
14 years
French Phase
The term “lucky bastard” also came up in reference to my competition with my best mate Antoine in many things. I even began swearing in French with words like “putain” and/or “merde” the popular choice. This was the year my interest in French was on the increase.
15 years
Asian American Era
Arriving in high school this was when “ghetto” or “AzN” was popular. People were fond of giving themselves nicknames like “ghetto_AzN_raver” which also brings me to the topic of raving. This was officially the year I got into raving. “Glowsticking”, “photons”, “raver rings”, “e”, and “trance head” were the new in-thing. This I would refer to as my Asian American Era taking into account all the AzN Pride things and the raving.
16 years
The Cartoon Era
This has to be the period when we were influenced most by cartoons. The Simpsons got us to cuss like Homer i.e. saying “Doh!” all the time. Cartoon Network’s I R Baboon made us speak like I R very happy! Also a prominent bloke by the name of Kerpal led to the philosophical question of “why you kick my dog”. Memorization of the entire clip was the norm.
17 years
Homophobia and Basketball
Ok we really weren’t homophobic but we had some homophobic lingo such as “gay”, “fag”, “faggot” or “gay fag” being commonly used words. It wasn’t used to insult gays but rather just to poke fun at each other. This period was also the period when basketball was very popular. Understandably words and phrases like “swish”, “fade away”, “nothing but net”, “rejection” and “turn around jumper” were popular. Thrash talking complemented our playing with provocations like “luck”, “skills yo!”, “smelly shot”, “burn”, “oooooooh yeah” or “in your face” popping up ever so frequently.
18 years
The Highs of Volleyball
This year was quite dominated by volleyball since it was arguably our best year. So it was our cheers that really made us seem like cheerleaders rather than volleyball players. “Do I hear a boo ya? BOO YA!”/“Pay what? Pay cut!” (in reference to our somewhat incompetent Sports Director) /“What time is it? Game time! Yeah!”/“Got moxie?”/“Out! Way out! Close? Not even!” There were really too many including our cheering actions. In terms of normal speak, it was really a mixture of the previous 2 years with the inclusion of our comparisons of the most “manly” person. Being “buff” was an important factor and you’d always hear the two words come together.
19 years
Army Recruit
Entering the service was a culture shock as I was put into a batch of soldiers who were infamous for being in gangs and having low education levels. Somehow I mixed around with the Malays a lot and ended up learning a few Malay phrases like “relac lah” and “botoh!” I actually did my BMT twice (long story) and the second one was with scholarly people. Nevertheless, half our instructors were Malay and the inevitability of more Malay words. “Kotek plastic” and “garung” were famously used by my Platoon Sergeant.
19 - 20 years
Impersonations
Officer Cadet school didn’t really produce many notable lingo. The only thing we were quite obsessed with was impersonating our instructors. Frankly, we did a hell of a job that even the instructors were impressed.
20 years
Command
Being in command, I was basically the one setting the lingo since my men started using my words quite frequently. I honestly can’t recall them but you can always check with the men.
Now
At the moment there aren’t any that really stand out.
0 - 7 years
[This period draws a blank to me]
8 -9 years
The Beginnings of Swearing and Cussing
This was when I started learning all the swear words like “fuck”, “shit”, “bastard”, “asshole” and “motherfucker” hence I used those quite a lot. Another would be “ka ni na bei chao chee bye”
10 - 12 years
Red Alert & Ping Pong
The Command & Conquer: Red Alert craze coined words like “unit lost” and “ion cannon ready”. Yes, we actually used those in everyday speak. It was amazing. Then with my new found interest in table tennis, we had terms like “psycho spin” – a very difficult serve to receive.
13 - 14 years
Korean Influence
My first years at Shanghai American School – it was a blend of different cultures and languages. There was a strong Korean influence so words like “gay-a”, “keisiki”, “shibai asikei” and “shibai seki” were very common. During that period, I was equally as influenced by the break dancing scene and there was a Korean rap that went something like “freestyle reckio, chikeide reckio…”
14 years
French Phase
The term “lucky bastard” also came up in reference to my competition with my best mate Antoine in many things. I even began swearing in French with words like “putain” and/or “merde” the popular choice. This was the year my interest in French was on the increase.
15 years
Asian American Era
Arriving in high school this was when “ghetto” or “AzN” was popular. People were fond of giving themselves nicknames like “ghetto_AzN_raver” which also brings me to the topic of raving. This was officially the year I got into raving. “Glowsticking”, “photons”, “raver rings”, “e”, and “trance head” were the new in-thing. This I would refer to as my Asian American Era taking into account all the AzN Pride things and the raving.
16 years
The Cartoon Era
This has to be the period when we were influenced most by cartoons. The Simpsons got us to cuss like Homer i.e. saying “Doh!” all the time. Cartoon Network’s I R Baboon made us speak like I R very happy! Also a prominent bloke by the name of Kerpal led to the philosophical question of “why you kick my dog”. Memorization of the entire clip was the norm.
17 years
Homophobia and Basketball
Ok we really weren’t homophobic but we had some homophobic lingo such as “gay”, “fag”, “faggot” or “gay fag” being commonly used words. It wasn’t used to insult gays but rather just to poke fun at each other. This period was also the period when basketball was very popular. Understandably words and phrases like “swish”, “fade away”, “nothing but net”, “rejection” and “turn around jumper” were popular. Thrash talking complemented our playing with provocations like “luck”, “skills yo!”, “smelly shot”, “burn”, “oooooooh yeah” or “in your face” popping up ever so frequently.
18 years
The Highs of Volleyball
This year was quite dominated by volleyball since it was arguably our best year. So it was our cheers that really made us seem like cheerleaders rather than volleyball players. “Do I hear a boo ya? BOO YA!”/“Pay what? Pay cut!” (in reference to our somewhat incompetent Sports Director) /“What time is it? Game time! Yeah!”/“Got moxie?”/“Out! Way out! Close? Not even!” There were really too many including our cheering actions. In terms of normal speak, it was really a mixture of the previous 2 years with the inclusion of our comparisons of the most “manly” person. Being “buff” was an important factor and you’d always hear the two words come together.
19 years
Army Recruit
Entering the service was a culture shock as I was put into a batch of soldiers who were infamous for being in gangs and having low education levels. Somehow I mixed around with the Malays a lot and ended up learning a few Malay phrases like “relac lah” and “botoh!” I actually did my BMT twice (long story) and the second one was with scholarly people. Nevertheless, half our instructors were Malay and the inevitability of more Malay words. “Kotek plastic” and “garung” were famously used by my Platoon Sergeant.
19 - 20 years
Impersonations
Officer Cadet school didn’t really produce many notable lingo. The only thing we were quite obsessed with was impersonating our instructors. Frankly, we did a hell of a job that even the instructors were impressed.
20 years
Command
Being in command, I was basically the one setting the lingo since my men started using my words quite frequently. I honestly can’t recall them but you can always check with the men.
Now
At the moment there aren’t any that really stand out.
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Of Control and Satisfaction
Ever been late, and when you get to a traffic light or lift, you repeatedly press the button? Then when you think about it, does pressing the button so many times actually make it go faster? I mean there's no mechanism that sends a signal telling the green man to flash or the lift to come down faster when you do that. So why do we still do that? Well the answer lies in the idea that humans like to be in control.
In many situations, you'll find that we'd find some way or another to be in charge. It can even be as simple as twirling your pen during a lecture or as complex as running for executive student council. The fact is that we actually derive some sort of pleasure being in control. Most of us would actually feel uneasy if we weren't in control of things. That's why deadlines stress us out so much. Despite being up to us to complete the assignment, we'd still like to be in control of the deadline.
Ever wondered why some people are so terrified of rollercoasters? It's not so much the speed or the plunge that people claim to be afraid of. Those are simply reasons they attribute to their fear. It was actually very well put in the movie Final Destination 3, when the main character says that the fear comes from not being in control. So what about those we are not afraid and in fact find it exciting? The answer to that would be the fact that humans are all different. We experience this sort of fear in various ways. There will always be exceptions so there's no use arguing for the sake of these anomalies.
Anyway I was coaching volleyball last night and it felt quite good being in charge I must say. In fact, when I shouted for everyone to gather around me, it just reminded me of my army days when I would gather my men. I even brought a little smile to my face thinking about it. To be in control of what they all did felt great. We ended off with a friendly game and giving advice to them all but increased my satisfaction. I miss being in control. I really do.
So I'll just wait till reservice or something...745 Guards hoohah!
hahaha how bored could I get? I actually doodled this is Accounting tutorial...
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Not Quite the Racing Rally but Certainly a Big Rally (Elections)
Ask me a few months ago about the upcoming elections and I would've just told you that it'd be a PAP show with the occasional law suits filed against the opposition for defamation. However, recently it seems that the opposition has seemingly managed a credible opposition (pun intended) and the news about the the rallies albeit me having to extract it from other sources other than the local papers have clearly surprised and to some extent impressed me.
The rallies were far from the infamous Speakers Corner where speeches served to tickle the fast moving Singaporean wind, and the most the speakers would get as what I'm reluctant to call an audience was perhaps one or two senior citizens inquisitively inquiring about the cause of the disturbance of their peace. This year's elections, "Everybody's talking about it" more than the originator of the quote, being the Bugis Junction advertisement years ago.
In fact, an observer wrote in his blog that he'd even notice "a gaunt old man with sunken eyes, a grey crew cut and white stubble...held a gnarled up hand against the corner of his eye, smoothening out the tears. Yes, he had been crying". Take a look at the following picture taken from Yawning Bread and the Star News website and you'll be equally amazed.
The rallies were far from the infamous Speakers Corner where speeches served to tickle the fast moving Singaporean wind, and the most the speakers would get as what I'm reluctant to call an audience was perhaps one or two senior citizens inquisitively inquiring about the cause of the disturbance of their peace. This year's elections, "Everybody's talking about it" more than the originator of the quote, being the Bugis Junction advertisement years ago.
In fact, an observer wrote in his blog that he'd even notice "a gaunt old man with sunken eyes, a grey crew cut and white stubble...held a gnarled up hand against the corner of his eye, smoothening out the tears. Yes, he had been crying". Take a look at the following picture taken from Yawning Bread and the Star News website and you'll be equally amazed.
Yes. It was no Stephanie Sun or Jay Chou concert. It was a rally in one of the Heartlands (Hougang), close to where I used to live (Parry Terrace). I turn 21 soon but not soon enough to be casting my vote. I have to acknowledge though, that this could be a signigicant historical moment for Singapore. Anyhow, my vote goes to the PAP as I've already pledged my allegiance by attending Grassroots Activities and I've set my mind to go into politics in the future.
Anyway, since this will be a political entry, I shall fan the flames a bit by drawing attention to the ways of the PAP. We'll start with a few quotes from our MM Lee Kuan Yew from various years:
"Repression, Sir is a habit that grows. I am told it is like making love-it is always easier the second time! The first time there may be pangs of conscience, a sense of guilt. But once embarked on this course with constant repetition you get more and more brazen in the attack. All you have to do is to dissolve organizations and societies and banish and detain the key political workers in these societies. Then miraculously everything is tranquil on the surface. Then an intimidated press and the government-controlled radio together can regularly sing your praises, and slowly and steadily the people are made to forget the evil things that have already been done, or if these things are referred to again they're conveniently distorted and distorted with impunity, because there will be no opposition to contradict."
- Lee Kuan Yew as an opposition PAP member speaking to David Marshall, Singapore Legislative Assembly, Debates, 4 October, 1956
"If you are a troublemaker...it's our job to politically destroy you. Put it this way. As long as JB Jeyaratnam stands for what he stands for - a thoroughly destructive force - we will knock him. Everybody knows that in my bag I have a hatchet, and a very sharp one. You take me on, I take my hatchet, we meet in the cul-de-sac."
- SM Lee Kuan Yew, The Man And His Ideas, 1997
"If I have to shoot 200,000 students to save China from another 100 years of disorder, so be it."
- MM Lee Kuan Yew endorsing the Tiananmen Square massacre, Straits Times, Aug 17,2004
Well, it seems rather ominous doesn't it? That's exactly what's happening these days. There are defamation suits, one after the other. What I feel the opposition should do is learn from their mistakes. They obviously have not learned from them and continue to blunder their ways to bankruptcy. What I suggest to them is that instead of trying to 'defame' the PAP and focusing on trying to make the PAP look bad (which they've been rather inadequate) I suggest they focus on telling the people what they can do.
We, the people are not dumb. We read the news, we watch TV and we hear all about it from our friends, family, and even the friendly taxi driver. So instead on trying to dig up a murderer's coffin, they should just get on with it and tell the people what difference they'll make. The approach is key to how successful they might get. Even in a social context, we know when to be tactful and how to present ourselves. The opposition has definitely failed in this respect. Until they learn how to stop criticising the PAP for things the public already know, they will never ever get far.
I might be a bit biased being on the PAP's side but I just think the the opposition aren't mounting a credible enough challenge. Challenging is good and healthy for the government, but I don't want a party that does nothing but criticise and not do anything. Imagine if they went around criticising Malaysia for their shortcomings. So if I voted, it'd be for the PAP.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Mere Exposure Effect
So today I decided to be a lab rat in 3.5 hours of experiments. It was time consuming but I actually learned a little bit. So I'll share my wealth of knowledge. Anyway, one of the experiments stood out from the rest. Perhaps it could be due to it being the only time I wasn't falling asleep.
There's this term called the Mere Exposure Effect which is basically the tendency for one to have a preference over a particular stimuli resulting from repeated mere exposure. However, the person does not need to be able to recognize the stimulus for that to happen, and thus it is suggested that it's due to the implicit memory system being the underlying mechanism.
Anyway I thought this was interesting because it could have an effect on everyone of us and in our decision-making. This basically means that something as common as choosing our consumer goods to something more complicated such as being singled out for outstanding achievements in a practical job. So if you ever wondered how you got your name, it is highly probable that your parents were exposed to a name like yours or something related.
There's this term called the Mere Exposure Effect which is basically the tendency for one to have a preference over a particular stimuli resulting from repeated mere exposure. However, the person does not need to be able to recognize the stimulus for that to happen, and thus it is suggested that it's due to the implicit memory system being the underlying mechanism.
Anyway I thought this was interesting because it could have an effect on everyone of us and in our decision-making. This basically means that something as common as choosing our consumer goods to something more complicated such as being singled out for outstanding achievements in a practical job. So if you ever wondered how you got your name, it is highly probable that your parents were exposed to a name like yours or something related.
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
The More We Have, The More We Need
It just occured to me that sometimes, we give ourselves necessary problems. What I mean by that is that when we don't have something, we don't miss anything. However, when we have something extra, we have to go through the extra process of taking care of it or increasing the opportunity cost in terms of time. Take hair for example, I've never had to worry much about my hair for the last 3 years of my life. The reason was simple. My hair was cropped to a length that I could hardly grab and much less comb. At times I might've used gel, but there really wasn't a need due to the incredibly short length. Fast forward to the present where my hair has grown in great lengths and now I find myself having to take care of my hair in various ways. My hair takes a longer time to dry, costs me valuable time just to make it look presentable, and sometimes gets in my way.
Why then do I still continue to leave my hair this way? Perhaps it's simply to satisfy my wants or simply the after-effects of not having much hair to take care of in the first place. Humans are insatiable by nature, forever wanting, but never fully getting. We struggle to get things, which in turn branches out more wants. For example, we get a car, and that is complemented by getting an air freshener, little dolls, pillows, seat covers and so on.
A true minimalist does not exist. We may call ourselves minimalists but that very minimalism covers only a sparse area. In fact, it is so small, the label area is too big, and should instead be called a speck. Take for example, the activity of running. I consider myself a minimalist in the fact that I'd rather run in tiny running shorts, topless, and with the lightest shoes possible. Even a earring would weigh me down, and I would discard it. Not even my digestive system would be spared as I would get rid of the waste before a run. It all may seem extensive but really, it is not, and rather, merely a speck.
Human behavior is extremely interesting and the theories and explanations will never really cease. It is so overwhelming that it is quite an impossibility keeping it brief and avoiding digressing, which I've done, moving from idea to idea.
Why then do I still continue to leave my hair this way? Perhaps it's simply to satisfy my wants or simply the after-effects of not having much hair to take care of in the first place. Humans are insatiable by nature, forever wanting, but never fully getting. We struggle to get things, which in turn branches out more wants. For example, we get a car, and that is complemented by getting an air freshener, little dolls, pillows, seat covers and so on.
A true minimalist does not exist. We may call ourselves minimalists but that very minimalism covers only a sparse area. In fact, it is so small, the label area is too big, and should instead be called a speck. Take for example, the activity of running. I consider myself a minimalist in the fact that I'd rather run in tiny running shorts, topless, and with the lightest shoes possible. Even a earring would weigh me down, and I would discard it. Not even my digestive system would be spared as I would get rid of the waste before a run. It all may seem extensive but really, it is not, and rather, merely a speck.
Human behavior is extremely interesting and the theories and explanations will never really cease. It is so overwhelming that it is quite an impossibility keeping it brief and avoiding digressing, which I've done, moving from idea to idea.
Monday, April 10, 2006
The Difference between Sex & Gender
Do you know that there is a distinct difference between sex and gender? Most of us would hardly care what the difference is. We see them in many forms and our instinct would be to fill in either "male" or "female". Unless of course you're a certain individual by the name of Austin Powers filling in the part labelled "sex". Jokes aside however, there is a difference between the two.
Sex is biologically founded. It is based on your chromosomal pairing. So regardless of the number of times you've gone under the knife, you're either of the male or female sex. The only time you are identical in sex, is during the first 8 weeks of embryo formation when the male hormones are not yet produced. The absence of these hormones will eventually lead to a female newborn.
Gender on the other hand, is defined as 'a socially-constructed notion of what is feminine and what is masculine', which according to Simone de Beauvoir, “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman”. According to researchers at Indiana University, gender is a continuous category where one can be more masculine or more feminine in contrast to sex which is a binary category.
Therefore, you might be a transvestite where your gender would be along the lines of feminine (if you want to be a convincing one) but your sex would still be male. This should also not be confused with sexuality, as that is sexual preference. So the next time you fill out a form, now you know the difference!
Sex is biologically founded. It is based on your chromosomal pairing. So regardless of the number of times you've gone under the knife, you're either of the male or female sex. The only time you are identical in sex, is during the first 8 weeks of embryo formation when the male hormones are not yet produced. The absence of these hormones will eventually lead to a female newborn.
Gender on the other hand, is defined as 'a socially-constructed notion of what is feminine and what is masculine', which according to Simone de Beauvoir, “One is not born, but rather becomes, a woman”. According to researchers at Indiana University, gender is a continuous category where one can be more masculine or more feminine in contrast to sex which is a binary category.
Therefore, you might be a transvestite where your gender would be along the lines of feminine (if you want to be a convincing one) but your sex would still be male. This should also not be confused with sexuality, as that is sexual preference. So the next time you fill out a form, now you know the difference!
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Female Rivalry
It's very interesting how female rivalry works. Put 2 women who are vying for the heart of one man together and you can just feel the tension. They won't usually show their hate for each other but nor will they show a liking for the other. In certain cases they may talk to each other, but that's only a facade to give a false sense of assurance to the people around that things are fine between them. Inside, they're both boiling.
If you happen to be lucky enough to be caught between the two, while also being somewhat close to them, pay attention to the things they tell you about the other. You will realise that they tend to say quite negative things about the other. Sometimes they may be direct but mostly they tend to keep it quite subtle. You're supposed to detect and comprehend the insinuation. Another thing is the body motion. Just observe how one behaves when the other is around. If you know it well enough, you can feel the heat of the Cold War.
At times one may be more dominant than the other and you can tell when you see the less dominant one
making way for the other in the sense that rather than try to exert her position and stance on the man, she simply avoids the other by walking away, often by giving excuses that are mostly unquestionable. What you really don't want to see however, is two dominant females. This often leads to a big scene being created and the poor guy would have to make a very difficult choice.Unlike males, female rivals in love can never be friends. Even if they seem to be friends, you can never imagine the intensity of inner hate and politics that go on.
Thursday, March 30, 2006
What is Love?
We've always stumbled upon this particular question, "What is love?" far too many times. I'm sure we'd get a variety of answers ranging from "when I get this tingling feeling in my stomach" to "there is clearly a huge void when she's gone." Well, this question popped up in my Psychology lecture today and it sparked a barrage of questions in my head.
Love is truly a complicated thing. I'd be lying if I said I never experienced it. Honestly, albeit the obvious family bonds, I've never had a relationship with anyone where I could call it love. Those I believe stem from the likes of infatuation, lust, and puppy love. I think the closest I ever came to this is probably an event that took place just recently. However, I will not elaborate on my personal life.
In my IB English class during my senior year of high school, I recall my teacher Mr. McTernan a.k.a Macker-T who wisely said once that "there is passion in love, and the word passion comes from the latin word 'passio' meaning pain and suffering". This I find very true as in order to find love, we get hurt ever so often. Think carefully. When you were pursuing your love interest, how often do you suffer? How often were you feeling down? How often did your emotions depend on the person's actions? Then evaluate the ratio between the times you felt happy and the times you felt sad. It's obvious that the latter figure overwhelms the former.
Among the countless theories of love, there's this theory called "Sternberg's Theory of Love" which basically says that there is 2 kinds of love:
1) Passionate/Romantic Love - The state of intense longing for union with another
2) Companionate/Compassionate Love - Affection/tenderness for those whose lives are interdependent with own
Now there was a survey conducted based on these 2 types of love and the results were as follows. It showed that for passionate/romantic love, the intensity takes a decline over the years while companionate/compassionate love shows a gradual increase in intensity over the years. So good news and bad news. Those couples you see getting all touchy and disgusting will get bored of each other in the coming future. On the other hand, those couples who are less clingy will enjoy greater intensity and will eventually show signs of being touchy and disgusting. I guess I can understand that concept. I take the analogy of a video game. It just came out and I love it so much that I play it day and night. However after a while you get bored of it. The other one can be analogized with a pair of sneakers. You use it every now and then but never chuck it aside. Yes, I admit there are flaws in my analogies, and I already thought of many as I typed them out so just bear with me for trying to simplify things.
As of now, I'm still pushing on in my search for love. Well I'm not searching currently since I believe the time and person will just come one day. And no, I don't believe in destiny or any of those concepts for that matter.
Love is truly a complicated thing. I'd be lying if I said I never experienced it. Honestly, albeit the obvious family bonds, I've never had a relationship with anyone where I could call it love. Those I believe stem from the likes of infatuation, lust, and puppy love. I think the closest I ever came to this is probably an event that took place just recently. However, I will not elaborate on my personal life.
In my IB English class during my senior year of high school, I recall my teacher Mr. McTernan a.k.a Macker-T who wisely said once that "there is passion in love, and the word passion comes from the latin word 'passio' meaning pain and suffering". This I find very true as in order to find love, we get hurt ever so often. Think carefully. When you were pursuing your love interest, how often do you suffer? How often were you feeling down? How often did your emotions depend on the person's actions? Then evaluate the ratio between the times you felt happy and the times you felt sad. It's obvious that the latter figure overwhelms the former.
Among the countless theories of love, there's this theory called "Sternberg's Theory of Love" which basically says that there is 2 kinds of love:
1) Passionate/Romantic Love - The state of intense longing for union with another
2) Companionate/Compassionate Love - Affection/tenderness for those whose lives are interdependent with own
Now there was a survey conducted based on these 2 types of love and the results were as follows. It showed that for passionate/romantic love, the intensity takes a decline over the years while companionate/compassionate love shows a gradual increase in intensity over the years. So good news and bad news. Those couples you see getting all touchy and disgusting will get bored of each other in the coming future. On the other hand, those couples who are less clingy will enjoy greater intensity and will eventually show signs of being touchy and disgusting. I guess I can understand that concept. I take the analogy of a video game. It just came out and I love it so much that I play it day and night. However after a while you get bored of it. The other one can be analogized with a pair of sneakers. You use it every now and then but never chuck it aside. Yes, I admit there are flaws in my analogies, and I already thought of many as I typed them out so just bear with me for trying to simplify things.
As of now, I'm still pushing on in my search for love. Well I'm not searching currently since I believe the time and person will just come one day. And no, I don't believe in destiny or any of those concepts for that matter.
Sunday, March 26, 2006
Que Sera Sera Rewritten
When I was a chao recruit,
I asked my sergeant, what will I be?
Will I be (a) storeman? Will I be (a) clerk?
Here's what he said to me.
Chao Chee Bai Recruit!
MG Gunner you'll be, you'll be.
The MG's just meant to be,
Chao Chee Bai Recruit!
MG Gunner you'll be, you'll be.
Then I became an officer,
My sergeant asked me, what will it be?
Will I get nights off? Will I get leave?
Here's what I said to him.
Just take 3 duties!
Guardroom Com'd you'll be, you'll be.
The sentries not mine to see,
Just take 3 duties!
Guardroom Com'd you'll be, you'll be.
When I was just an undergrad,
I asked my tutor, what will it be?
Will I get HD? Will I get D?
Here's what he said to me.
QMA my man.
Whatever you do, is wrong.
The undergrad days'll be long.
QMA my man,
Whatever you do, is wrong.
to be continued...
I asked my sergeant, what will I be?
Will I be (a) storeman? Will I be (a) clerk?
Here's what he said to me.
Chao Chee Bai Recruit!
MG Gunner you'll be, you'll be.
The MG's just meant to be,
Chao Chee Bai Recruit!
MG Gunner you'll be, you'll be.
Then I became an officer,
My sergeant asked me, what will it be?
Will I get nights off? Will I get leave?
Here's what I said to him.
Just take 3 duties!
Guardroom Com'd you'll be, you'll be.
The sentries not mine to see,
Just take 3 duties!
Guardroom Com'd you'll be, you'll be.
When I was just an undergrad,
I asked my tutor, what will it be?
Will I get HD? Will I get D?
Here's what he said to me.
QMA my man.
Whatever you do, is wrong.
The undergrad days'll be long.
QMA my man,
Whatever you do, is wrong.
to be continued...
Drunk on Tonic Water
The way the mind and body interact is very interesting. I'm sure you've probably heard of terms like "mind over body" and phrases like "it's all in the mind". Well, according to scientific and psychological research, that holds some truth. I won't go into things such as the rituals during Indian Festival of Taipusam where people go into a trance, pierce themselves a thousand places and walk on fire. Instead I'll touch on something that's closer and more common to our lives.
Before we begin, I'll tell you about the Placebo Effect. This effect is basically the body reacting in a particular way simply because the mind believes it to. I take the simple example of aspirin - the common medication for headaches. Let's say I exchange the panadol pills with a sugar pill. I believe that to some extent, your headache would go away. In fact this experiment was performed by a psychologist named Fabrizio Benedetti. He believed that by giving the patient this pill together with the knowledge that he/she would be cured of the headache, the brain would release its own Opiates or pain relievers that would relieve the headache. So the mind is truly a strong tool.
Now, there's something you could try and have fun while doing it. This experiment was performed by a psychologist by the name of Alan Marlatt but I'm sure he just claimed it for fame judging by its simplicity and common nature. Well, here's what to do for the experiment:
Step 1: Go shopping, purchase vodka and tonic water.
Step 2: Have a few cups and have a few mixtures - vodka, vokda tonic, and tonic water
Step 3: Label the cups and deliberately label a few of the tonic water cups as "vodka tonic" and vodka tonic as "tonic water"
Step 4: Gather a few eager teenagers (if they're underage, don't get caught)
Step 5: Assign each of them to a mixture
Step 6: Get them to drink, then observe
Step 7: Release those who drank tonic water and keep the rest who drank the alcohol
Now here's what would happen. Those who drank the cups labeled "Vodka Tonic" but drank only Tonic Water would act like they're drunk. "Oh man...I am so drunk...I can fly...woooo..." I'm sure you get the picture. When you release them, imagine the embarrassment. Throw in a breathalyzer as well to convince them that they're as sober as a cold fish.
Anyway, this is the lab method. If you want to do this on a more casual environment, what you could do is get a bottle of Vodka Raspberry (those the size of Breezer bottles), empty the contents (down to your gut of course...don't waste good alcohol), then fill it up with Raspberry juice. During your outing, give it to someone who has never drank before but has a great desire to do so and wants to get drunk. Watch what happens.
Friday, March 24, 2006
Julian the Economist
If I were to disregard all the other economic terms and focus on market equilibrium, I'd like to think I'm quite decent in economics. As a consumer, I feel I've managed to gain more for less.
I take grocery shopping as an example. Walking around the supermarket aisles, I see many of the goods I want over-priced. Of course to me, that is not acceptable as my income is only so much. I know I'm definitely able to buy normal goods over the so-called inferior goods, but in order to get certain things, I would have to sacrifice - opportunity cost. Knowing me, I'm not really one who revels in sacrifice. As a result of this income effect, I turn to substitute goods, thereby using the substitution effect. I look for generic brands and similar items of a different brand with discounts. This I think I do quite well with the quantity I end up with for the kind of money I pay out.
Then of course we cannot forget and avoid my shopping escapades in Shanghai. Many of my friends regard me as a very good "bargainer" as I've always managed to get rock bottom prices. Sometimes I even wonder how they can even pay for the material of the good I pay for with such low prices. So with more income and a decrease in price, my demand for goods increase. This is where I turn to the normal goods while still acquiring inferior goods in smaller quantities. Clearly, I've upset the economic balance and I'm definitely on the side of the equilibrium that benefits me. I've purchased more for less, while trading inferior for normal goods.
I take grocery shopping as an example. Walking around the supermarket aisles, I see many of the goods I want over-priced. Of course to me, that is not acceptable as my income is only so much. I know I'm definitely able to buy normal goods over the so-called inferior goods, but in order to get certain things, I would have to sacrifice - opportunity cost. Knowing me, I'm not really one who revels in sacrifice. As a result of this income effect, I turn to substitute goods, thereby using the substitution effect. I look for generic brands and similar items of a different brand with discounts. This I think I do quite well with the quantity I end up with for the kind of money I pay out.
Then of course we cannot forget and avoid my shopping escapades in Shanghai. Many of my friends regard me as a very good "bargainer" as I've always managed to get rock bottom prices. Sometimes I even wonder how they can even pay for the material of the good I pay for with such low prices. So with more income and a decrease in price, my demand for goods increase. This is where I turn to the normal goods while still acquiring inferior goods in smaller quantities. Clearly, I've upset the economic balance and I'm definitely on the side of the equilibrium that benefits me. I've purchased more for less, while trading inferior for normal goods.
Good/Bad Parenting Determines Your Outcome
During my Psychology lecture today, we learned about childhood attachments. There was a basic experiment that we were shown, involving a baby, his parent and a stranger. Basically what they were testing was the reaction of the baby given exposure to novel things.
1) Baby & Parent introduced to a play room with lots of toys.
2) Parent watches but does not respond to the baby.
3) A stranger walks in, sits down, and talks to the parent.
4) Parent walks out, and stranger responds to the baby.
5) Parent returns and responds to the baby.
With this 5 steps, psychologists were about to classify and categorise the babies into 4 main groups.
1) Secure Attachment - Baby explores the room when parent's around, gets distressed when parent leaves but calms down when parent returns. He also keeps an eye on the stranger.
2) Anxious-Avoidant Attachment - Baby goes about playing and exploring. He doesn't care when parent leaves or when stranger comes in.
3) Anxious-Resistant Attachment - Baby is easily distressed and clings on to the parent even before being released in the play room. When parent leaves, baby is very distressed and very resentful when parent returns.
4) Disorganised/Disorientated Attachment - Baby is confused and has a dazed look. He might sometimes cry for no apparent reason unexpectantly.
Now all these results were recorded and then when the babies were older, their characters were noted. The following was the general consensus:
1) Secure Attachment - More tolerant, sociable, and feel less anxious in relationships.
2) Anxious-Avoidant Attachment - Less trusting of others, feels negative self-worth, and less likely to seek help when needed
3) Anxious-Resistant Attachment - Less persistent, enthusiastic, and compliant; expresses more anger and frustration; likely to be exploited by peers.
4) Disorganised/Disorientated Attachment - Some evidence shows that they are most likely to show hostile and/or aggressive behaviour.
So with these in mind, what kind of baby were you and did it pre-determine how you'd turn out to be? And when people claim that you were brought up badly by your parents, they could be right.
1) Baby & Parent introduced to a play room with lots of toys.
2) Parent watches but does not respond to the baby.
3) A stranger walks in, sits down, and talks to the parent.
4) Parent walks out, and stranger responds to the baby.
5) Parent returns and responds to the baby.
With this 5 steps, psychologists were about to classify and categorise the babies into 4 main groups.
1) Secure Attachment - Baby explores the room when parent's around, gets distressed when parent leaves but calms down when parent returns. He also keeps an eye on the stranger.
2) Anxious-Avoidant Attachment - Baby goes about playing and exploring. He doesn't care when parent leaves or when stranger comes in.
3) Anxious-Resistant Attachment - Baby is easily distressed and clings on to the parent even before being released in the play room. When parent leaves, baby is very distressed and very resentful when parent returns.
4) Disorganised/Disorientated Attachment - Baby is confused and has a dazed look. He might sometimes cry for no apparent reason unexpectantly.
Now all these results were recorded and then when the babies were older, their characters were noted. The following was the general consensus:
1) Secure Attachment - More tolerant, sociable, and feel less anxious in relationships.
2) Anxious-Avoidant Attachment - Less trusting of others, feels negative self-worth, and less likely to seek help when needed
3) Anxious-Resistant Attachment - Less persistent, enthusiastic, and compliant; expresses more anger and frustration; likely to be exploited by peers.
4) Disorganised/Disorientated Attachment - Some evidence shows that they are most likely to show hostile and/or aggressive behaviour.
So with these in mind, what kind of baby were you and did it pre-determine how you'd turn out to be? And when people claim that you were brought up badly by your parents, they could be right.
