Friday, September 26, 2008
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Last Entry...
Of the semester. And so I hope. I had decided to attend more conferences, talks and seminars in the weeks ahead. The progress of my ISM report has reached a standstill. This spells trouble. I hereby declare a self-imposed isolation for the next 2 months, with effect from now. I hope I can keep to it and keep my itchy fingers from typing on the keyboard in this duration. My ISM report will bear the same length as my Honours thesis, and yes, I attained an A grade for the latter. Thanks to a similar state of emergency declared then. I am praying for another miracle to happen. I am emotionally drained. I am born in the wrong place. And so I feel sometimes. "Beautiful Island" is a place where I long to be in. Meanwhile, to prevent my mind from drifting too far out on negative grounds, I shall keep myself really really occupied for this whole semester. Lest others think I have been too slack and free. Period.
Of the semester. And so I hope. I had decided to attend more conferences, talks and seminars in the weeks ahead. The progress of my ISM report has reached a standstill. This spells trouble. I hereby declare a self-imposed isolation for the next 2 months, with effect from now. I hope I can keep to it and keep my itchy fingers from typing on the keyboard in this duration. My ISM report will bear the same length as my Honours thesis, and yes, I attained an A grade for the latter. Thanks to a similar state of emergency declared then. I am praying for another miracle to happen. I am emotionally drained. I am born in the wrong place. And so I feel sometimes. "Beautiful Island" is a place where I long to be in. Meanwhile, to prevent my mind from drifting too far out on negative grounds, I shall keep myself really really occupied for this whole semester. Lest others think I have been too slack and free. Period.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Human Nature
Sometimes I get disillusioned by how human nature has become, or has been, just that I have failed to notice it in a distant past. I hate to believe that man is inherently selfish, but nowadays I tend to think so. There was once upon a time when I chose to disregard this and try as i might, become the perfect human that I have always imagined myself to be. How naive. It had been nothing but an imagined construct doomed to fail. I should live out of such fantasies, snap myself out of them and get a grasp of reality. What lies ahead is either a myth or illusion that will never materialize. Period.
Sometimes I get disillusioned by how human nature has become, or has been, just that I have failed to notice it in a distant past. I hate to believe that man is inherently selfish, but nowadays I tend to think so. There was once upon a time when I chose to disregard this and try as i might, become the perfect human that I have always imagined myself to be. How naive. It had been nothing but an imagined construct doomed to fail. I should live out of such fantasies, snap myself out of them and get a grasp of reality. What lies ahead is either a myth or illusion that will never materialize. Period.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Missing Taiwan again
「婚姻，是愛情的墳墓。結了婚以後，什麼都很難。」
「你是不是家裡婚姻不幸福，怎麼會對婚姻那麼悲觀？」
「不是，我從小在幸福的家庭長大。只是我看很多。女人很麻煩的，千錯萬錯都是男人的錯，這樣也不行，那樣也不行，到底要我怎麼樣？」
「呵呵，也有不難搞的女人啊？」
「唉唷，一個人多好，要去哪就去哪，沒有什麼束縛，也不用去照顧別人的感受。女人喔，一定會問她男友說：『你愛不愛我？』男朋友會說：『愛~』，她又再問一次『你愛不愛我？』男友又說『愛~』，她又再問一次『你愛不愛我？』男朋友又說『愛~』，她又再問一次『你愛不愛我？』男友覺得很煩就說『不愛~~』，這時候女生一定會說『你看男人就是這樣騙人，我就知道你不愛我。』女生不是都這樣嗎？」
「呵呵，感覺你經驗豐富。」
「我真的沒有，妳經驗比我豐富。我只是看了我朋友，要應付女朋友，好累喔。單身真的比較好，無牽無掛，很自由。」
走進書店，剛好有本講baby的書…
「這小baby很可愛…」
「唉唷，妳沒看到他哭的時候，妳會被吵死，小時候你要把屎把尿；長大以後，又擔心他不讀書，叛逆期又跟你頂嘴，整天要錢花。以前人說什麼養兒防老啦，靠自己比較實際，小孩不跟你要錢就不錯了。」
「可是小baby也有可愛的時候…」
「那都不實際啦！還是單身最好。」
「我很喜歡去旅行」
「那我們以後去旅行」
「這要我沒結婚才行啊！」
「那不然，三十歲以後，如果我們都沒結婚，我們每年選個國家去旅行，大概一兩個禮拜…」
「好哇，那我三十歲沒結婚，就準備不結婚啦，女生也嫁不出去了。那以後老了怎麼辦啊？」
「我養一隻貓。」
「那你生病呢？」
「貓給別人養」
「你很喜歡台灣，搬來台灣住我旁邊好了，然後要照顧我喔！」
「好哇！」
「那你會不會騙我？」
「你看你們女生就是這樣，整天想著人要騙妳，我哪有那個閒情逸致？」
「好，那我們打勾勾」
「都二十五歲了，還玩小學生的遊戲…」
「那就是你騙人啦！」嘴巴翹的半天高說道。
「好啦，我沒有騙妳。」
Only time will tell. :-)
「婚姻，是愛情的墳墓。結了婚以後，什麼都很難。」
「你是不是家裡婚姻不幸福，怎麼會對婚姻那麼悲觀？」
「不是，我從小在幸福的家庭長大。只是我看很多。女人很麻煩的，千錯萬錯都是男人的錯，這樣也不行，那樣也不行，到底要我怎麼樣？」
「呵呵，也有不難搞的女人啊？」
「唉唷，一個人多好，要去哪就去哪，沒有什麼束縛，也不用去照顧別人的感受。女人喔，一定會問她男友說：『你愛不愛我？』男朋友會說：『愛~』，她又再問一次『你愛不愛我？』男友又說『愛~』，她又再問一次『你愛不愛我？』男朋友又說『愛~』，她又再問一次『你愛不愛我？』男友覺得很煩就說『不愛~~』，這時候女生一定會說『你看男人就是這樣騙人，我就知道你不愛我。』女生不是都這樣嗎？」
「呵呵，感覺你經驗豐富。」
「我真的沒有，妳經驗比我豐富。我只是看了我朋友，要應付女朋友，好累喔。單身真的比較好，無牽無掛，很自由。」
走進書店，剛好有本講baby的書…
「這小baby很可愛…」
「唉唷，妳沒看到他哭的時候，妳會被吵死，小時候你要把屎把尿；長大以後，又擔心他不讀書，叛逆期又跟你頂嘴，整天要錢花。以前人說什麼養兒防老啦，靠自己比較實際，小孩不跟你要錢就不錯了。」
「可是小baby也有可愛的時候…」
「那都不實際啦！還是單身最好。」
「我很喜歡去旅行」
「那我們以後去旅行」
「這要我沒結婚才行啊！」
「那不然，三十歲以後，如果我們都沒結婚，我們每年選個國家去旅行，大概一兩個禮拜…」
「好哇，那我三十歲沒結婚，就準備不結婚啦，女生也嫁不出去了。那以後老了怎麼辦啊？」
「我養一隻貓。」
「那你生病呢？」
「貓給別人養」
「你很喜歡台灣，搬來台灣住我旁邊好了，然後要照顧我喔！」
「好哇！」
「那你會不會騙我？」
「你看你們女生就是這樣，整天想著人要騙妳，我哪有那個閒情逸致？」
「好，那我們打勾勾」
「都二十五歲了，還玩小學生的遊戲…」
「那就是你騙人啦！」嘴巴翹的半天高說道。
「好啦，我沒有騙妳。」
Only time will tell. :-)
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Elephants
The elephant has always been an integral part of the circus. It is smart, obeys commands and executes acts with adequate accuracy. The children love the elephant, and in turn the elephant appears to love being stroked and teased by the children. We applaud the elephant's performance in the circus, and in turn the elephant returns the gesture by raising its trunk high up in the sky in triumph and tribute. What more can we ask of it?
The infant elephant was captured when its protectors and real guardians, its mother and aunts, were killed by poachers for ivory. The helpless calf was then brought to the campsite of its captors and sold to the ringmaster who had "unfortunately" bought it.
Is revenge always sweet, especially when vengeance kills both its holder and its victim?
How can we measure the psychological pain inflicted upon animals?
As well as that on one another?
The elephant has always been an integral part of the circus. It is smart, obeys commands and executes acts with adequate accuracy. The children love the elephant, and in turn the elephant appears to love being stroked and teased by the children. We applaud the elephant's performance in the circus, and in turn the elephant returns the gesture by raising its trunk high up in the sky in triumph and tribute. What more can we ask of it?
This explains why it so shocks us whenever we hear news of usually docile elephants trampling on their trainers and audiences with merciless ferocity, resulting in instant death of the unaware victims.
To understand such peculiar elephant behaviour, a group of animal psychologists, neuroscientists and biologists embarked on a trip to the habitat of one of these "problematic" elephants, in a bid to analyze its breeding environment and investigate how it might lead to this behaviour. Additional notes that seem irrelevant were nevertheless made lest they became useful in some analyses.
The team of scientists found out that the elephant is an exceedingly intelligent species, displaying higher intellect than many of us would care to imagine. Elephants possess a wide variety of behaviours, including those associated with grief, making music, art, altruism, allomothering, play, use of tools, compassion and self-awareness. Herds of elephants bond together in a tribal system, and they possess "institutions" that can be understood by observing some of the rituals that they perform amongst themselves.
For instance, when an elephant dies, the other elephants in the herd, led by a dominant female, would drag the dead elephant to an open ground, encircle it, and move gently around it. Such a ritual is seldom caught on film, because the elephants are also smart enough not to allow it to be seen so easily.
When the scientists reached the actual site of capture of the killer elephant, they discovered a disturbing truth:
A ringmaster once ventured deep into the Indian forests, in search of nothing but a group of hunters and poachers whose acts must not be seen in the open. Upon his arrival at the poachers' campsite, he saw infant elephants being chained side by side with nails that pierced through the hide of their ankles. At a hefty fee in the eyes of the poachers, the ringmaster bought one of the elephants and trafficked it back to his circus troupe.
The infant elephant had trained well under the guidance of its human mentors, and had performed well for its audiences when it finally came of age. All along it had been a cute, obedient animal, or at least it knew how to conceal its feelings well. When the now-adult elephant went berserk in burning rage and fury, everyone was baffled and appalled. Why?The infant elephant was captured when its protectors and real guardians, its mother and aunts, were killed by poachers for ivory. The helpless calf was then brought to the campsite of its captors and sold to the ringmaster who had "unfortunately" bought it.
Is revenge always sweet, especially when vengeance kills both its holder and its victim?
How can we measure the psychological pain inflicted upon animals?
As well as that on one another?
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Hyperinflation
On 19 July 2008, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe announced plans to introduce a Z$100 billion bank note.
On July 30, 2008, the Governor of the RBZ, Gideon Gono announced that the Zimbabwe dollar would be redenominated by removing 10 zeroes, with effect from August 1, 2008. ZWD10billion will become 1 dollar after the redenomination.
On 19 July 2008, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe announced plans to introduce a Z$100 billion bank note.
On July 30, 2008, the Governor of the RBZ, Gideon Gono announced that the Zimbabwe dollar would be redenominated by removing 10 zeroes, with effect from August 1, 2008. ZWD10billion will become 1 dollar after the redenomination.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
菲尔普斯夺得8金以后
各国对游泳比赛蛙泳、仰泳、蝶泳、自由泳×100、200、400、1500导致金牌过多感到非常不满，纷纷要求增加自己优势项目的金牌数目。
巴西提出: 足球应该分为3人、5人、7人、11人×沙滩、室内、草地。
中国提出: 乒乓球应该分为直板、横板、直板双打、直板单打、直板横板混双。跳水应该分为1m 2m 3m 4m 5m 6m 7m 8m 9m 10m
英国提出: 马术应该分成黑马马术、白马马术、红马马术、褐马马术、皇马马术、斑马马术。
肯尼亚提出: 长跑应该分为10000米、11000米、12000米、13000米
日本提出: 所有男女混合项目应该增加3p、4p、5p、6p、7p
泰国提出: 除了男子和女子项目外，所有应该加上人妖组。
唯独韩国在这方面没有要求，他们大声喊到: 菲尔普斯是韩国人!
各国对游泳比赛蛙泳、仰泳、蝶泳、自由泳×100、200、400、1500导致金牌过多感到非常不满，纷纷要求增加自己优势项目的金牌数目。
巴西提出: 足球应该分为3人、5人、7人、11人×沙滩、室内、草地。
中国提出: 乒乓球应该分为直板、横板、直板双打、直板单打、直板横板混双。跳水应该分为1m 2m 3m 4m 5m 6m 7m 8m 9m 10m
英国提出: 马术应该分成黑马马术、白马马术、红马马术、褐马马术、皇马马术、斑马马术。
肯尼亚提出: 长跑应该分为10000米、11000米、12000米、13000米
日本提出: 所有男女混合项目应该增加3p、4p、5p、6p、7p
泰国提出: 除了男子和女子项目外，所有应该加上人妖组。
唯独韩国在这方面没有要求，他们大声喊到: 菲尔普斯是韩国人!
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Beijing 2008: One World One Dream (2)
Oh no. I have been a procrastinator. The Olympics are over. 2008 is drawing to an end. I have not finished documenting my Beijing trip!
A few of my best "students"...
Oh no. I have been a procrastinator. The Olympics are over. 2008 is drawing to an end. I have not finished documenting my Beijing trip!
A few of my best "students"...
with me "teaching" them.
Beijing is a city of temples. We went to a Confucian shrine, a Taoist temple and a mosque on one particular day.
Dong Hao is also my good buddy, and he is seen together with me, Boon Boon and Denise. Denise had to wear a "sarong" for having failed to meet the mosque's requirements for decent attire.
Monday, September 08, 2008
No Copyrights Reserved
I have taken the liberty to reproduce this without the permission of my friend, whose identity I shall protect:
my temp 4yr stay of ippt/rt/reservist is over/almost over.and the feeling of dejavu, of being a 2nd class shitizen in my own country, having wasted 2.5yrs (supposedly) for the sake of protecting 4m people (but 1/4 foreigners, many freeloaders, many who take SG as a stepping stone, some who take the easy PR status to obtain a quick buck, 2yrs of wasted income is a lot of money (a few hundred thousand dollars), etc etc), is back again!so high time for me to choose one of the only 2 options available to me.1) escape from paradise2) get myself medically certifiedsince i cant escape for now, i have only option 2).ok. take action
Lacking money. Need to work with him for Bing's contributions.
I have taken the liberty to reproduce this without the permission of my friend, whose identity I shall protect:
my temp 4yr stay of ippt/rt/reservist is over/almost over.and the feeling of dejavu, of being a 2nd class shitizen in my own country, having wasted 2.5yrs (supposedly) for the sake of protecting 4m people (but 1/4 foreigners, many freeloaders, many who take SG as a stepping stone, some who take the easy PR status to obtain a quick buck, 2yrs of wasted income is a lot of money (a few hundred thousand dollars), etc etc), is back again!so high time for me to choose one of the only 2 options available to me.1) escape from paradise2) get myself medically certifiedsince i cant escape for now, i have only option 2).ok. take action
Lacking money. Need to work with him for Bing's contributions.
Thursday, September 04, 2008
Very stressed
But no one will know it. To many, arts or Chinese Studies per se is an easy discipline to score in and achieve an A grade. Not much work involved eh? Plus one of my best buddies getting married. Must do my best to draft my best script ever and not screw up any aspect of his wedding (I'm the emcee). Papers and more papers. Requiring endless research. I, however, have no regrets. It is this path that I had chosen to undertake, and I should finish it.
But no one will know it. To many, arts or Chinese Studies per se is an easy discipline to score in and achieve an A grade. Not much work involved eh? Plus one of my best buddies getting married. Must do my best to draft my best script ever and not screw up any aspect of his wedding (I'm the emcee). Papers and more papers. Requiring endless research. I, however, have no regrets. It is this path that I had chosen to undertake, and I should finish it.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Weird
Some singers are really good, but their English names sound really weird. Given their gifted voices and talent, why the names? These names include Aska (where's Chage?), Jam (what?!) and Yoga (haha!). Please, record companies, get your singers better-sounding names, even if it means naming them Tom, Dick or Harry.
Some singers are really good, but their English names sound really weird. Given their gifted voices and talent, why the names? These names include Aska (where's Chage?), Jam (what?!) and Yoga (haha!). Please, record companies, get your singers better-sounding names, even if it means naming them Tom, Dick or Harry.
Monday, September 01, 2008
Orientation Camps
I have never participated in any orientation camp. And having heard enough horror stories about them, I am glad to have done so.
Passing food from mouth to mouth. Pole dance. Whipped cream forfeit. And the stupidest and lamest of all, push-ups over gals. Plain lewd, to quote the Forum. How can such games be fun, especially for the most conservative students.
I read that in the past, freshies were subject to humiliating treatment by their seniors such as "having their heads dunked in a toilet bowl" (?!). The trend has since shifted to a more sexual one. Why the humiliation? Why the intimate physical contact? Aren't orientation camps supposed to welcome freshmen into their school community?
I am like half a Taiwanese, so I can safely attest to the fact that even in liberal Taiwan, I seldom see such activities or events being organized in the universities. Exchange students are invited to tour different parts of Taiwan, eat and drink with their volunteer helpers, and attend bashes and parties at lounge bars and pubs. Little, if any, sexual implication in such a context. And yes, I have nothing against holding bashes and D&Ds, even though I don't go for them as well. Prom nights and social dinners would be nice too.
Final verdict: Orientation camps are childish and tasteless. Ragging ought to go to the rags.
I have never participated in any orientation camp. And having heard enough horror stories about them, I am glad to have done so.
Passing food from mouth to mouth. Pole dance. Whipped cream forfeit. And the stupidest and lamest of all, push-ups over gals. Plain lewd, to quote the Forum. How can such games be fun, especially for the most conservative students.
I read that in the past, freshies were subject to humiliating treatment by their seniors such as "having their heads dunked in a toilet bowl" (?!). The trend has since shifted to a more sexual one. Why the humiliation? Why the intimate physical contact? Aren't orientation camps supposed to welcome freshmen into their school community?
I am like half a Taiwanese, so I can safely attest to the fact that even in liberal Taiwan, I seldom see such activities or events being organized in the universities. Exchange students are invited to tour different parts of Taiwan, eat and drink with their volunteer helpers, and attend bashes and parties at lounge bars and pubs. Little, if any, sexual implication in such a context. And yes, I have nothing against holding bashes and D&Ds, even though I don't go for them as well. Prom nights and social dinners would be nice too.
Final verdict: Orientation camps are childish and tasteless. Ragging ought to go to the rags.
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