Candle

A candle glows at night. Burning and shedding light. The flame consumes. The wick exhausts. Darkness looms. The candle cries out melting wax. Its existence remains. Converted to ashes. Still air. Endless state.

Everything turns dim. Wick or wit?

One of my smart and funny friends

Conversation 1 (2006):

MK: Yo you are on Dean's List eh?
YK: Wow, how you know?
MK: Someone told me.
YK: You leh?
MK: My name permanently parked there one. No need to check.
YK: ... ...

Conversation 2 (2005):

MK: Wah not bad, your test score is quite high.
YK: Thanks. You leh?
MK: I top the class. So many "tops" until I sian liao. No feel le.
YK: ... ...

Thank You!

As the year draws to a close, allow me to thank some of my foreign friends who had travelled to Singapore over the last few months.

March: Ryota, Angela
April: Hisashi, Marvin, Francoise
July-September: Albert
September: Peggy and her friend, Alex and his sister

Reason for thanking them: For their generous contribution to our small economy, as well as for rekindling our friendship! Welcome back, and see you all soon!

If any of you (whose name is mentioned above) sees this post, please send me some of your photos taken in Singapore. Thanks!

Reflections of a Geek

Here is some advice from a nerd of me:

1. Never mug at the Central Library, especially on the 6th storey, during the weekdays. The Central Library is predominantly filled with people from the FASS, who usually open their laptops and appear diligently hard at work. MSN and Youtube occupy a bulk of their work.

2. Never sit near a group of people who seem to know one another within a one-metre radius from where they are. With friends all around them, their attention span is short enough to spark off conversations at five-minute intervals. The online chats manifest themselves in reality.

3. Simply put, many people who study at level 6 of the Central Library are deluding themselves. They believe that their very existence at the library constitute to sheer diligence and will eventually amount to tangible grades at the exams. However, such efforts are more to compensate for a sense of guilt that may erupt for not making any at all.

4. Even the Science Library may not be conducive at times. Although it has been a well-known fact that Science students are more motivated than Arts students, their disciplines usually require them to consult one another when questions cannot be answered and problems cannot be solved. The problems may plague them for as long as fifteen minutes, and you may want to settle your big business at the washroom given such ample resting time that is forcibly imposed onto you.

Having said so much, I have not been mugging much these days. Instead, I had gone for a movie marathon to watch about thirty films at the Multimedia Lab of the Central Library in preparation for two of my papers. The above points are merely my observations with no hard feelings or offence to anyone in particular. However, many inconsiderate people do appear at the library, and I hope that they can keep their behaviour in check in contribution to a more conducive environment for students who are striving for their Dean's Lists.

Disclaimer: Definitely not for me. I just want to stay afloat.

24 May 2007: Kuala Lumpur (Day 2)

First, the Mazu Temple. After lunch, we walked the stretch of road where many of the government buildings are located. The big Malaysian flag was flying proudly in the air. Later, we visited the famous Petronas Twin Towers. Very tall indeed.

In the evening, we went atop the KL Tower to catch a glimpse of the city landscape at night. Standing prominently amongst all is still our beloved Petronas Twin Towers.

23 May 2007: Kuala Lumpur (Day 1)

We set off from Malacca in the morning and reached Kuala Lumpur in mid-afternoon. It was my first time in the Malaysian capital, and I was impressed by the level of development in the city. We went for some shopping in the central district, which was again cheap and good. Jerry bought loads of DVDs that were either unavailable or too expensive in Vancouver.

22 May 2007: Malacca

Malacca is a sleepy town. We visited some old houses owned by rich "Kapitans". I went to a temple located in the Chinatown area, followed by a trip to a mosque. Then I walked to the central square with the famous church and fort that were built by the Portugese. Finally, I had dinner at a Japanese restaurant that was cheap and good.

Self-Challenge: 10-minute Post

I think Premier Wen is lodging at the Four Seasons Park Hotel. I was on my way home from a bookstore when my bus stopped at Orchard Road for more than 10 minutes, and even when the lights turned green the bus could not move an inch forward with two policemen blocking the flow of traffic on the road. An entourage of posh cars, vans and police bikers appeared from another road at the junction and it stopped right outside the Hotel. No bigger shot than Premier Wen has arrived in Singapore this week, so it must be him lah. I have decided to break my life of seclusion to work in China. Wonder if he has any lobangs for me.

Hogzilla and I were discussing Chinese history a week ago. I told him that Liu Bang succeeded because he had Zhang Liang and Han Xin, and Liu Bei failed because he only had Zhuge Liang. Therefore, what I meant was that a successful CEO or anyone else needed to possess someone who can devise the strategies and another person who can execute them. Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Huang Zhong, Ma Chao, Wei Yan and others CMI lah. Liu Bang himself had said that he could not govern as well as Xiao He, plot as well as Zhang Liang, or manage as well as Han Xin, but he was best at selecting them and realizing their full potentials. Moral of the story? Be a general of generals, not a general of armies!

There is a problem with the education system and the workforce. Most of us are studying to get a better job, better pay, better life etc. Education has become a platform on which we can value-add and "sell" ourselves to employers, who will determine our worth by the salaries that they are willing to pay us. That's awfully disgusting. And in the years ahead, I can foresee some silly competition between individuals such as earning the fattest paychecks, buying bigger houses and posher (or poser) cars, and getting promotions even if it means displaying your soccer skills on the corporate ladder, kicking asses and not balls. To quote Kiyosaki, we should make money work for us, not the other way round. Of course, I guess this is subject to the availability of capital. Whatever the case is, we should think big and achieve greater things.

A survey was done many years back to study the aspirations of children in developed countries, and it reflected that children in the USA and Europe often responded with answers such as "I want to become an astronaut!" or "I wish to become the President!", but what Singaporean children offered were "I want to become rich!" or "I hope to own big cars and houses!" See the contrast? I don't know if there are any cultural attributes to this phenomenon. If there ain't any, then it is worrying, well at least to me. Bold ambitions maybe, but no bold dreams.

Feeling the Academia in me

I'm beginning to feel more like an amateur academic rather than a mere student. This is not to say that my intellectual capabilities have improved by leaps and bounds, but I feel more obliged these days to write good essays beyond the consideration of grades alone.

I used to "mass-produce" essays over a short span of time, and my "best" record was having completed 6 essays in slightly less than 2 weeks. These "factory-made" products passed without any form of proof-reading for quality control, but somehow I was often rewarded decently at the end of the day. I'm not bragging here, but I was just plain lucky in the past. Sheer luck indeed.

Due to the same old problem of time constraint, I still don't proof-read my essays, but would now devote more time and effort in consolidating my thoughts and devising a smooth delivery of my ideas in them. This is perhaps what I coin as an academic obligation. I ought to be more responsible for what I write. However, such a mentality has taken a toll on me. I possess little time to conduct individual field research, and had practically lost all sense and track of time. In fact, it suddenly dawned upon me that the exams will be held in about 2 weeks' time.

In addition, I have begun to formulate arguments of novelty instead of deciding on the "safe" ones in my papers. For instance, in my previous assignments, I discussed about how the demand of the Wu kingdom for horses had actually stimulated the maritime Nanhai trade during the Three Kingdoms period, as well as how Taiwan's State-Owned Enterprises can support a diplomatic quest for political legitimacy. These are controversial arguments that have not been fully ascertained, but I was willing to give them a try.

I suppose these changes within me should be viewed positively, if I really want to become an "academic boy".

......

...

No Money Sia

Some of my friends from Hong Kong and Taiwan had congratulated me on MSN for the Singapore purchase and launch of the Airbus A380. If that's the case, however, I told them that they had spoken to the wrong person. For obvious reasons, of course.

1. I don't own SIA.
2. I can only afford to take the bus, not the one that can fly.
3. I may never get a chance to travel on it anyway, given my status as a low-income earner.

Ah yes, yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of my encounter with Jacky Wu in Taiwan! Hurray!

Egalitarianism?

In some societies, the winners think they have won a fair competition, while the losers are generally unaware that structural inequalities may have contributed to their failure to succeed. The winners always prefer a status quo, and the losers have to live with it. Egalitarianism? Sure, if the winners say so.

I Love Hong Kong

Since the handover in 1997, Hong Kong's economic links with China have strengthened over the years. I just read from a report that there now exists a huge demand for Chinese teachers by private schools and big corporations in Hong Kong. However, owing to visa problems and social stigma, there are few teachers from mainland China who can fill the vacancies. Therefore, I have finally found a lucrative market for my services, because it seems that the Hongkongers are willing to pay high salaries (and I know they can) to satisfy the domestic demand. Finally, I feel wanted! I hope to contribute to Hong Kong's economic growth if I can in the near future. Hong Kong has to be the haven for talents, of whom I shall try harder to qualify as one. Hong Kong!

12 May 2007: Guangzhou (Day 2)

We visited the National Park of Sun Yat-Sen's Mausoleum, and were touched by the heroic deeds of the 72 Martyrs who died in their fight against the Manchu dynasty. As a result, we all wore solemn faces at the Park.
Later in the morning, we went to the Guangzhou Museum, and for a history buff like myself, it was definitely a welcome treat. I learnt about the early history of Guangzhou, starting from the Nanyue Kingdom, to the Panyu city, to the Nanhai trade, to the Shi Xie regime, to the links with North Vietnam, to the Canton trade system, and finally to the modern city that we see now. I took many pictures of the relics exhibited at the Museum.

To wrap up the day, we toured the old streets of Guangzhou to catch a glimpse of what life might have been in the past. However, the streets teemed with shops and shoppers, and they displayed a distasteful blend of traditionalism and commercialization.

Should Guangzhou succumb to capitalism and globalization in entirety, then Hong Kong can take over and assume the role of a cultural ballast for the Cantonese and the Chinese as a whole.