| Jiefeng 的个人资料Random Ramblings? 峰言峰语照片日志列表 |  工具  帮助 |
|
|
6月10日 Back 2Why some people drink coffee everyday?
Why some people smoke cigarette everyday?
Why freshgrads want to find a job asap?
Why some people are anxious to get attached?
Why some people believe in God?
Why Jiahong and Jiangfeng wants me to get a girlfriend?
Why Minghui thinks I would "fret" when I can't find a passion?
There may be hundred of reasons, but could one of them be that
People are afraid of Freedom ?
Everyone thought that they love freedom, but subconciously they know that freedom is scary. Without something/someone they can depend on, or attached to, or tell them what to do, be it a thing, a person, a religion, a goal, etc., they don't know what to do. They felt lost, empty.
"Life has no meaning," they would say.
And I would agree with them too. After experiencing so much freedom alone in a foreign country for extended period, I realised that, ya, Freedom. Is. SCARY. The only person deciding what you should do is yourself. The only person judging that the things you are doing are right is yourself. The only person you can depend on is yourself.
Scary.
After understanding the "dark side" of freedom, I felt that I have grown up. After all, growing up is all about dealing with increasing freedom (even the freedom to give up freedom). But I will never give up my Freedom easily. To me, I believed that having options is always better than having no options. Hence, the religion I always wrote in the religion column of any forms:
Free Thinker.
So ya, to reply some of the comments of previous entry - having passion (aka "meaning of life") is good, having no passion is not that bad either... at least I am still free to be passionate about anything... or anyone. Haha!
P.S. Yeah! I wrote this without drinking coffee!
5月30日 BackAn instructor told me when I am in US:
"It is always a good experience to live abroad for a while. Not only can you see new things in new country, you also see new things when you go back to your old country."
I am back. He is correct.
I see many things now with cynicism. Many things are so stupid. Hall allocation. Swine flu alert levels. Case of NTU student suicide. Etc. People wasting energies on purposeless things. *Yawn*.
And because many things have become purposeless... time has lost its value to me. These days my working hours on weekdays have increased from 830 to 6 to 7 to 7. Plus I have to work on Saturadays. But the funny thing is, I don't feel a thing. No dulan, no complaints. OT OT lor. No big deal. Nothing else purposeful to do anyway.
When you take the Slack philosophy to the extreme, you will find that you won't mind Work anymore.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Btw, I have already concluded my search to the Purpose of Life, at least for now, after a good chat with Jiamin. The single most important thing in Life. The thing that, without which, you will find your life utterly meaningless. The Answer that everyone seeks, the Truth, and that is... *drum roll...*
PASSION.
The Meaning of Life of a person = the Object of Passion of the person. There is no universal "Meaning of Life". There is no meaning to Life. I have search for it before I went US. I have search for it half a world away in US. I have even drove 5 hours to search for it in Chicago. It is not there. My 3 months in US is purposeless. I felt the angst of an existentialist during my last month in US, when I am all alone with a car and an apartment.
Only when Jiamin asked me, "how you feel when you are doing production?" Then it hit me. The reason why people can find meaning in life climbing Mt Everest.
PASSION.
The Meaning of Life is different for different people. Climbing Mt Everest. Girlfriend. Boyfriend. Doing Productions. "God". Etc. Anything can be one's meaning of life, if it is also an object of one's passion.
Don't know why I took so long to realised it. Currently, I have no passion. Everything is meaningless, purposeless. Everything is so stupid. But it doesn't matter anymore, cos I already know the Reason.
Life goes on until I find the object of my passion. Then, life still goes on.
3月27日 World PeaceWatched the latest episode of Gundam 00, where the protagonist (Setsuna F Seiei) suddenly "evolved" (reached enlightenment) during one of their final battles and his Gundam began to emit light/particles to everywhere. And where the light touches, everyone starts to understand everyone else and the fighting stops.
How good this will be, if such thing exists?
Will it be possible that everybody understands everybody else?
Is it possible to have no wars, and everyone lives in peace?
That is what I like about Gundam series... it makes you think about whether a world with no wars and no fighting is possible. And what means it will take to achieve this. Songs? Gundam? Or the magical GN particles?
Considering current technology... Will Web 2.0, eg. Facebook, blogs etc etc. achieve the same thing, allowing people to understand one another? I guess it is going in the right direction, but it is still far from the goal of achieving world mutual understanding and peace. With the internet, everyone can post their ideas online, promoting understanding between one another. However, the problem is also that EVERYONE post their ideas online. There are simply too much information online for a normal human being to absorb.
That is human capability limitation.
Until technology allows humans to absorb information at the speed of light, (Web 10.0 perhaps, where world wide information is fed directly to the brain), world understanding won't work. (Perhaps we really need GN particles.) And that is only the first hurdle.
The second obstacle is human imperfection. Everyone is has a dark side within oneself, no one is a saint. We can only keep the dark side under control. Under certain circumstances , be it extraordinary ones, but still, the dark side will eventually be unleashed. This is due to the simple fact that human beings has needs... and greed. Until human beings has satisfied all his needs and reach a certain level of civilization to control his greed, living in peace will not be possible.
Well... can we reach that level of civility and understanding of each other? No one knows. In the Watchman and Gundam, the idea is that ONLY a designed catastrophic event which push human beings to the blink of extinction can push human beings through its next evolution. Do we really need that? Can we not naturally become enlightened ourselves as a species? Maybe not in a hundred years, but perhaps in a thousand, or ten thousand?
Before we destroy ourselves.
Things to think about.
2月4日 Random quote from the netCopied from Xiaonan's blog. Meaningful quotes...
寂寞的人有两种 一种是什么话都听的明白 一种是什么话都听不明白 从前总以为收信很快乐 因为那表明远方有朋友 现在才知道 收信不一定是好事 因为那意味着朋友在远方 时间仍在 是我们飞逝 人犯错误 大半是该用真情时太过动脑筋 而在该用脑筋时又太感情用事 为寻找而寻找只会在寻找中迷失 4月9日 空Did some googling on JM's comment
"因空见色, 由色生情, 传情入色, 自色悟空" - 曹雪芹，《红楼梦》
To understand the meaning behind, we must first understand the following line where the above idea came from:
"色不异空，空不异色，色即是空，空即是色"- 《般若心经》
"色" refers to the appearance of all objects. All objects came into existence from nothingness/non-existence, "空", and eventually they will go back to nothingness. After you fully understand this (enlightenment), you will find that appearance is just appearance, which is just as empty as nothingness. Actually they are all one and the same thing.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Next time your girlfriend caught you looking at chiobus and pull your ear, you can tell her
"Wah lao eh! Why you pull my ear?? I am actually practicing Buddhism you know. In actual fact, I am looking at 'nothingness'! Did you heard of this: '色不异空，空不异色，色即是空，空即是色。' Pretty gals are actually nothing in my heart!!! "
See, learning philosophy is useful! Haha!
(I am sure your girlfriend will pull your ear even harder.)
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Back to "因空见色, 由色生情, 传情入色, 自色悟空". This is merely a description of the process of how the protagonist in the story understand the above Buddhism concept.
From nothingness you see something / someone.
After you see something / someone, you feel attachment / love.
From attachment / love, you look deeper into that something / someone.
And eventually, you realise that something / someone is nothing.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
JM, bothered by attachment or love?
4月7日 虚于实2An ancient philosophy question:
One day, you came to my room and talked to me, you knew right then that I existed. After you left and close the door, how do you know I still exist? How to you PROVE that, I, or in fact, everything in the room, is still there (when the door is closed)?
You can't, can you?
Everything you know of the reality is through your five senses, and you should know that five senses can be easily fooled. (Ah, how I love optical illusions.) Since the five senses can be easily fooled, how do you know that the reality you know is the REALLY REAL, CONCRETE reality?
You can't, can you?
However, you might be relieved that at the very very least you can prove that YOU yourself exist. "Cogito, ergo sum - I think, therefore I am" - Descartes.
But, that is ALL you can prove - YOU exist, and nothing else.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
This is called 太极图 (commonly mistaken for 八卦, but no, it is NOT 八卦, and that will be for another entry). The black and white in it usually symbolize Yin Yang. In this case I choose to interpret it as Imagination and Reality.
Here, everything is in a flux of change. Who knows where Imagination begins and Reality ends? When Imagination is going to become Reality, Reality is going to become Imagination? Is reality really Reality? Or is it just part of Imagination?
Nobody knows.
I believe that reality is not concrete and fixed. I believe that reality is fluid and malleable. I believe that reality can be changed and bent at will. I believe that we can create our own reality from our own imagination. I believe. DO you?
No? You don't? Then how the hell did the boy bend the spoon in Matrix??? * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * (Hmmmm that doesn't seems very logical... Oh no... I ki siao liao... exam stress... heehee) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Boy: Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead... only try to realize the truth.
Neo: What truth?
Boy: There is no spoon.
Neo: There is no spoon?
Boy: Then you'll see, that it is not the spoon that bends, it is only yourself.
3月28日 Why is it recommended that you do assignments only on the LAST minute?The story goes like this:
Off the coast of Japan lie several tiny islands whose population of Macaques monkeys were under continuous scientific observation for over twenty years. Daily, the participating scientists would strategically place potatoes on a beach in order to entice the monkeys out of the jungle and into the open for observation.
One day, one of these monkeys on an island learned to wash those potatoes, and gradually, this new behavior was spread through the colony of monkeys on the island - in the usual fashion, through observation and repetition. However, the scientists observed that once a critical number of monkeys was reached—the so-called 'hundredth monkey'—this previously learned behaviour spontaneously and instantly spread across the water to all the monkeys on nearby islands.
This is called the Hundredth Monkey Effect.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Collective Unconscious is a term originally coined by Carl Jung. It is also known as "a reservoir of the experiences of our species", or the "racial memory".
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
So how do the above concepts apply to assignments?
At the beginning, when an assigment is given to the students, nobody knows how to do it. As time goes by, more and more students will attempt the assignment, do research, and try to figure out the answers. By the time when it is jus one or two days before the due date, most of the students will have done the assignments and know the answer.
This is where the Collective Unconscious and YOU come in!
Once the number of students who know the answer pass a critical threshold, their knowledge, which is stored in the Collective Unconscious, will be significant enough to be tap by YOU! By then, you can do your assignment easily and effortlessly since you are accessing the answers in the Collective Unconcious of all the students who have done the assignment. The feeling will be something like:
*Ding!* (Light bulb come out from the head) "Eh? How come I suddenly know the answer??" If anyone has any doubt about what I said, ponder about this:
If monkeys can do it, why can't you?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I have been relying on this concept for the past 3+ years in NTU. Since I still survive, I guess it works to a certain extent. It has been one of my closely-guarded secrets of surviving in NTU and I disclose it only because I am graduating soon. To juniors reading my blog, you can make good use of it. =)
However, please take note, there are risks of using this method:
If everyone do their assignment the last minute, then YOU. ARE. DEAD. Hmmm... Actually not quite la. If everyone is as dead as you, then you are still ok. Haha!
Another thing to note is that if the number of people doing the assignment is small, ie. not many student taking the same module as you, the effect may not be that obvious.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I have one assignment due next next monday, another on next next thursday, and I don't have a single clue on how to do them. I am still waiting for that sudden flash of inspiration from the Collective Unconcious. God, please make that hundredth monkey faster do his assignment!!!
(Or let everyone be as dead as me.)
HELP!!!
3月20日 ZenMinghui briefly mentioned Zen in her blog. It reminds me of this Zen story which I like alot. This story also brings out the core philosophy of Zen, and it roughly goes like this:
Once upon a time, there was this very highly respected Zen master, 禪宗五祖 - 弘忍, who knew he was going to die soon. So, in order to decide who would be his successor, he called all his diciples to him and said:
"Today, I am going to test you on your understanding on Zen teachings. Summarise the Zen philosophy into a short 4 sentence poem. Who wants to go first?" The eldest diciple, 神秀, stood up and recited this poem:
身是菩提树, Body is Puti tree, 心如明镜台；Heart is like mirror stand. 时时勤拂拭, Clean frequently and deligently, 莫使染尘埃。Never let them get dusty. -神秀
What he meant was that a man's Body and Heart (Mind) will always have impure thoughts. We must practice Zen meditation frequently and deligently to purify the Mind and Body to reach a peaceful and enlightened state.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Everyone clapped. All the diciples thought it was a very good poem which clearly demostrated a good understanding of the Zen philosophy. However, at this point, another diciple, 慧能, suddenly stood up and said he has another poem! It goes like this:
菩提本非树， Puti originally is not tree, 明镜亦非台， Mirror is also not stand. 本来无一物， If there is Nothing in the first place, 何处染尘埃？ Where do the dust land on? -慧能
This is in reponse to 神秀's poems, demonstrating another interpretation of the Zen philosophy. 神秀's understanding of Zen state still includes 'Body' and 'Mind'. However, 慧能's understanding of Zen is that Zen's eventual aim to reach a state that is so PEACEFUL that even the concept of 'Self' (tree / body and mirror / mind) is forgotten - so much so that the issue of 'impure thoughts' is not even an issue anymore. Only then can TRUE enlightenment be achieved.
This is the real meaning of Zen saying: "万物皆空".
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
So in the end, 弘忍 passed the mantle to 慧能, who became 禪宗六祖. 神秀 eventually went off and set up another school in the north, teaching his understanding of Zen, hence dividing Zen into two schools of thoughts - the new 禪宗北宗 and the original 中土禪宗.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
So, Minghui, when you said, 'Need to practice Zen.... seriously... clear my mind...' , do you mean 'clear your mind of impure thoughts' or literally 'clear your mind' (until you have no mind)? Haha!
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Actually, I have composed another poem in response to 慧能 's poem! It goes like this:
-
^_^
Disclaimer: Translation and interpretation of the poems is done by me, they may not be 100% true to the meaning behind the poems (esp the 'mirror stand' part, haha).
10月27日 Random ThoughtsEmotional vs Logical
"Are you more emotional or more logical?" People have always asked this question. This made me thought that you can only either be logical or emotional, but not both. But recently, while I was bathing in the toilet, I suddenly realised: Hey! These two terms are not opposites! Why can't they coexist? Being emotional doesn't mean you can't be logical. You like apple doesn't mean you can't like orange. So now I finally know what I am now.
I am a emotionally logical person. (I am strongly emotional about being logical.) =)
Making Things Difficult
Why do someone like to make things difficult for others? Why would someone want to raise the unhappiness level in this world? I really don't understand. Army has tons of people like this. (That is why I hate army.) School has some people like this. I don't understand, but I accept it. Everywhere have people like this.
But recently, I meet another breed of people which I never (noticed I ) encounter before. They make things difficult for you because they claim that they want to train you to handle people who make things difficult for you in future. It is for your OWN GOOD.
This is a new one. You can't do anything about it. You can't protest. You can't resist. Why? Cos I'm the good guy. It is for you OWN GOOD. LL.
F**KERS.
All they teach is this: Next time you want to make things difficult for others, say it is for their own good that you make things difficult for them.
(Hmmm... sounds like I very emo hor? But actually I am not la, cos that module over le. Hee! For friends who are encountering such people currently, jiayou!)
Zen
Recently I noticed a friend's very unhappy msn nick. Apparently she had some problems with her teammates and projects. (I guess maybe she met people who have the characteristic mentioned above.)
Buddhism philosophy has something to say about unhappiness. All unhappiness comes from unfulfilled expectations. Why do you feel unhappy when the person you meeting is late? Because you expect him to be on time. Why do you feel unhappy when you get a C for your exams? Because you expect to get B. Buddhism philosophy encourage us to have no expectations, so that you won't be unhappy. Of course you also won't feel the happiness that comes from fulfilled expectations. But at least you will enjoy the joy of being peaceful.
A long time ago I asked my buddhist friend, "But, it is impossible for us to have no expectations!"
Then he answered wisely, "Still it doesn't stop you from working towards it."
(Actually there are different types of expectations:
But that will be a discussion for another time.)
Hopefully I will reach Enlightenment by the time i reach 80 (after I got my Lamborghini and a 5 storeys house). =P
9月28日 Should we be 'politically correct'?I posted this in my Human Resource Management module's discussion board:
**************
Came across this passage while I was reading a book called The Big Questions: How Philosophy Can Change Your Life by Lou Marinoff in a cafe -
"What's on trial here today is political correctness. Now, political correctness is the idea that assumes that the worst thing we can do is offend somebody. Well, a lot of people were offended when Galileo suggested that the earth was revolving around the sun. A lot of people were offended by Picasso because in his portraits the eyes weren't where they were supposed to be. ... You see, everybody is offended by something. A joke, a TV show, a song, an idea...And offending is very different from hurting...Political correctness tries to protect us from ourselves, but what do we have to give up for it? WE give up our sense of humor, our sense of romance, our sense of play. We give up the courage to be different, to think different. "
- Alfred Molina in the TV series Ladies Man
The above passage certainly made a very good case that we shouldn't be politically correct, at least most the time. Professor Michael Heng encouraged us to 'SHOOT' and 'KILL' our fellow schoolmates during presentations. Professor Patrick Chan told us to tell the person beside us - "I'm going to EAT you!!!" during last lecture.
So, the question is:
"Should we really be politically incorrect some of the time? If yes, when?"
I mean, look, some of our (ex) opposition leaders had been politically incorrect, and where does it gets them? Does it pay to risk offending somebody, say, in a workplace?
On deeper thought, does the fact that this problem exists reflect a flaw in our education system? By right, the education system should help us cultivate an internal sense of our own moral worthiness. However, most of us were brought up from young in the exact opposite way, restricting our speech and even thought for fear of offending someone. This way we end up rendered (as Singaporeans) somewhat defenseless against and scared of making any "unsanctioned" thoughts or words.
I don't know whether what I said made any sense or if it is correct or not. I also don't know the answer to the question in the bigger font. ('I don't know' - most politically correct answer... I hope. Haha! =P) What do you think?
************** Hmmm after an incident with a friend recently, I think it will be better to be politically correct most of the time. Ermm... by "most" I mean 99.99% of the time.
9月21日 Quote from Ratatoullie"In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face is that, in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. Last night, I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core. In the past, I have made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto: Anyone can cook. But I realize that only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau's, who is, in this critic's opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I will be returning to Gusteau's soon, hungry for more."
-Anton Ego 8月13日 Story of a PencilI read this from Paulo Coelho's Like the Flowing River. My favourite author never fails to inspire me. =)
Once upon a time, a grandmother told her grandson,
"I hope you will be like this pencil when you grow up."
Intrigued, the boy looked at the pencil. It didn't seem very special.
"But it's just like any other pencil I've ever seen!"
"That depends on how you look at things. It has 5 qualities that will make you a person who is always at peace with the world."
"First quality: You are capable of great things, but you must never forget that there is a always a hand guiding your steps We call that hand of God, and He always guide us according to His will."
"Second quality: Now and then, I have to stop writing and use a sharpener. That makes the pencil suffer a little, but afterwards he is much sharper. So you, too, must learn to bear certain pain and sorrows, because they will make you a better person."
"Third quality: The pencil always allow us to rub out any mistakes. This means correcting something we did isn't necessarily a bad thing; it helps to keep us on the road to justice."
"Four quality: What really matters in a pencil is not its wooden exterior, but the graphite inside. So always pay attention to what is happening inside you."
"Finally, the pencil's fifth quality: it always leave a mark. In the same way, you should know that everything you do in life will leave a mark, so try to be concious of your every action."
7月17日 Psychological TestsKoped this from an old entry of PF's blog since a friend asked me if I know any psycho tests today... (PF, you won't mind right? =P) WHY DO YOU LOVE SOMEONE?
** 1 9 5 0 ** What is your first thought when you saw the above number? 1) Year 2) Phone number 3) Money 4) Combination code in a locker room HERE IS THE ANALYSIS : 1) You think he/she is very smart one....you love his/her brain. 2) You love his/her personality....Everything he/she does is beautiful. 3) Let's face it......you love his/her money. 4) You love his/her appearance....you like a good looking person . THE CAVE YOU WANT TO VISIT.... You decided to go for a cave tour. What kind of caves do you want to visit? 1) Cave with a narrow entrance but a wide exit. 2) Cave with a same space of entrance and exit. 3) Cave with a wide entrance but a narrow exit. HERE IS THE ANALYSIS : The philosophy behind this test indicates how you spend your money...... 1) You easily spend your money much more than what you earn. 2) You keep balance between the money you can earn and the money you spend. 3) Stingy you! Though you have earned a lot of money but you hardly spend it off. A NEW PLANT.... Noticing a new plant pop up from the ground, what is your first thought? 1) Glad and want it to grow quickly. 2) Be careful.Don't step on it. 3) Oh!Will it give flowers? 4) Thank God!Many thanks to you,God,for its growth. 5) All right! No more watering! This test indicates your attitude towards your parents.... 1) You don't want your parents to interfere whatever you are doing. 2) You feel grateful to your parents for bringing you up and making you a nice person. 3) You rely on your parents so much and want them to be always close to you. 4) You have your sincere thanks to your parents. 5) You want to be self-survived as soon as possible. WHAT KIND OF CHAIR DO YOU PREFER? : Your selection of the chair can tell you the type of person you are. 1) Cloth covered 2) Leather covered 3) Wood 4) Cushioned 5) One with a built-in massager HERE IS THE ANALYSIS : 1)You want your partner (girlfriend/boyfriend) to be together with you always, no matter when or where. 2)You want your partner (girlfriend/boyfriend) to be more open with you about himself/herself.. 3)You want your partner (girlfriend/boyfriend) to take more care of his/her dress and manner. 4)You want your partner (girlfriend/boyfriend) to be a little bit more relaxed, calm and composed. 5) One with built-in massager. You want your partner (girlfriend/boyfriend) to do more for you. The message behind the question: A chair is for sitting on. If you choose to sit on certain chair,you have no suspicions or distrust towards it. This is the same psychology present in our relationship with the people we like. In other words, the qualities you look for in a chair are similar to the qualities you look for in a partner. THE THIRD EYE : If you could have the third eye on your body, where would you put it on? 1) your head 2) your heart 3) your back 4) your hand HERE IS THE ANALYSIS 1) You have no respect to your lover, instead, you often exploit him/her. As far as love is concerned, you are too QUICK. You easily fall in love with someone and leave him/her right away when you get bored. 2) Since you are scared of being cheated by the others or not wanting to be disappointed again, you, therefore seem to be contented with your unrequited love. 3) It takes you a long time and big effort before falling in love with someone. But, once you are in love, you will love him/her with all your heart,sincerely and forever 4) It is hard for you to get deeply involved with someone.Most of your relationships are just more than friends but less than lovers. WHEN WILL YOU GET MARRIED? There is a cake with plenty of room to put many more candles on it. How many more candles do you want to put on the cake? 1) One 2) Two 3) Three or four 4) More than five HERE IS THE ANALYSIS : 1) Wow! You seem wanting to get married as soon as possible.You may get married at the age of 20 or right after you have finished your education. 2) You want to be married a little sooner than the other.However,you want your marriage to be agreed and pleased by the others. 3) You want to enjoy your youngster life as long as possible.So you don't want to be married too soon. You may get married when you are over 25 even you already have your steady loved one. 4) You are full of curiosity. You are curious about everything.You want to travel and accumulate your experience more and more.You want to prove yourself with the challenging work.You may enjoy your unmarried life until you are 30 or over even you have had so many lovers by then. 6月26日 EnjoyingMy long-awaited holiday started 2 weeks ago, life have never been more enriching and interesting.
(This is going to be one hell of a super long duper entry. Sorry for the user unfriendliness.)
Right after the end of my attachment on Friday, my dad brought the whole family for a weekend stay in Melaka, together with my aunt's family, in a holiday condo by the seaside. Nothing remarkable in Melaka actually, just walked around its town's 2 shopping mall and pasar malam. It is a nice retreat though.
Bought a nice little book in Melaka called The Monk Who Sold His Farrari, by Robin S. Sharma. I will talk a little about it here. It is a story about a very successful lawyer who have every material thing he wanted in life. However, one day, he had a heart attack the middle of a pack courtroom and almost died. Upon recovering, he sold all his material possessions and went off to India. During his travels, he met a group of sages who taught him the secrets of happiness and fulfillment. After he finished his learning, he proceed back home to teach his protege in law, the author, the secrets. Here are some quotes from the book:
"The secrets of happiness is simple: find out what you truely love and direct all your energies towards doing it. Once you do it, abundance flows into your life and all your desires are filled with ease and grace."
"Never forget the importance of living with unbridled exhilaration. Never neglect to see the exquisite beauty in all living things. Today, and this very moment, is a gift. Stay focused on your purpose. The Universe will take care of everything else."
"The Universe favors the brave. When you resolve to lift your life to its highest level, the strength of your soul will guide you to a magical place with magnificent treasures."
It really feels different when you are reading while facing the great blue sky and magnificent sea from a twenty storey high condo. Only finish the book a few days ago.
*************
Back to the topic. Monday, after sending a friend off to Taiwan in the morning, I went Kushinbo @ Suntec to eat buffet together with my fellow IA mates. We ate from 12pm to 3pm. The food is really very very good. The $20++ is well spent. Satisfied. Recommended: Kushinbo Lunch.
Then I got a temp job on Tuesday: counting pple in vehicles going out of Biopolis. Working hours 7am to 10am, 5pm to 8pm. Pay is good, $10/hr, though it is kinda boring when you are doing it alone. In fact, it is VERY boring when you are doing it alone. It is frustrating staying in the same spot for 3 hours doing a very mundane job. However it is a very good exercise i guess. After the 2 hours in the morning I shifted from the roadside to a small green hill overlooking the street. Sitting in a lotus position, I tried to empty my frustration and boredom from my mind through 'meditation' to achieve a peaceful Zen-like state. As the wise man in The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari said, it is important to keep negative thoughts away from your mind and meditation is one of the exercises to do that.
I almost succeed before the time's up. Almost. Haha!
Anw went to watch Ocean 13 (nice show) with a hall senior to pass time until 4.30pm, then back to work again. The evening shift is much more bearable. Switched place with a junior and had a heart to heart talk with the hall senior at the side of a little used street at the back of Biopolis. Turned out that he likes a girl and don't know whether to tell her or not... same problem I encountered about a month ago. I believed that it is not the crime to love somebody, why do you need to hide it? So I encouraged him to tell her straight. I feel that if everyone can declare their love openly without any fear, ie, father to son, daughter to mother, brother to sister, friends to friends, senior to junior, stranger to stranger, the world will be a much better place! Haha! A quote from Manual of the Warrior of the Light by Paulo Coelho:
"For the warrior there is no such thing as an impossible love. He is not intimidated by silence, indifference or rejection. He knows that, behind the mask of ice that people wear. there beats a heart of fire... A warrior never gives in to fear when he is searching for what he needs. Without love, he is nothing."
I got rejected about a month ago. T_T But strangely I felt light-hearted because I've finally ease my burden. The world is still beautiful. (Though most probably I'll stay single my entire life cause no one likes me. Sad. Haha! =)
*************
Wednesday I watched Wong Kar Wai's Dream with my favorite theatre khaki SY. It is an abstract show about a woman dreaming of the famous director Wong Kar Wai making a film of her. In her dream's film, she dreamt of herself (hmm) becoming a horrible lonely old woman who had the same routine of going to work, go home, watching tv, sleep, going to work over and over and over everyday. In fact, there is 2 version of her, one present and one future (the old woman), each being "each other's worst nightmare", and unsure of who is dreaming of who.
In retrospect, watching the show is like... Dreaming. It is as if we are living in one big dream. I guess the director is trying to tell us to
WAKE UP YOUR IDEA!
BREAK OUT OF ROUTINE!
STOP WORKING!
TAKE A BREAK, DAMN IT!
LIVE YOUR LIFE!!!
Ironically, when we stepped out of the theatre, our minds are so muddled and confused after watching such an abstract dream-like show that I guess it is equally possible that the director is trying to tell us that life is but a stupid dream. Lets just go back to sleep. =)
The one thing I like a lot about this show is that there is collection of quotes from Wong Kar Wai's films in its programme booklet. Share with you guys this one from Chungking Express, uttered by Jin Cheng Wu:
"Somehow everything comes with an expiry date. Swordfish expires. Meat sauce expires. Is there anything in the world which doesn't?"
I wonder if friendships have an expiry date? How many of your friendships had expired, or expiring soon?
*************
(To be continued…)
LifeThursday... blogged about it in the last entry. Kinda a free day. Started my exercise regime, finally, after 2 years. A good friend of mine has always been a very positive influence on me. She tells you your bad points straight in the face. Who in the world will tell you you have bad dress sense after only knowing you for less than a month? Of course she didn't tell me I've bad dress sense, she only tell me to buy more clothes, which basically meant the same thing... ermm... haha! Anw she also encouraged me to exercise and join Christianity. It is kinda hard to find a true friend who tells you your faults these days. (Or is it I have too little faults for my friends to tell? =)
Have been running 5 times for the past 2 weeks. Only very short distance, around 2km or less. But it makes me feels alive... cos it makes me feels like dying every time. Anw, I am going to shrink my spare tire!!!
Also I have started preparing for my Final Year Project. Btw for those who don't know, my project is to convert speech to sign language 3D animation for hearing impaired children. I'm learning how to create animations using animation software such as Poser and 3ds Max. It's quite fun, but now I'm troubled about how an input can called out an output of 3D animation. Hmmm... programming... anyone can point me in the right direction?
Yup, I've also decided to listen to my cousin's advice to update myself daily with the latest news by making Channel News Asia's website my homepage and scan for headlines for a minute or two every time I on my comp. Though I've no great interest in news, I'm going out into the society in a year and I guess I can't be too ignorant of the current affairs anymore. Another minor improvement for me. =)
*************
Friday I met up with 2 friends. One of them worked in Mediacorp's News Division for her internship, which makes her very knowledgeable about how artistes make up to look good in front of the camera. She said my face's most flattering angle is 45 degree. Next time don't be surprised if you see me kept facing away when taking photos. =P Watched Fantastic Four with them. An enjoyable show which don't engage you intellectually.
*************
Monday is the start of my Special Sem's Elective, which takes place every Mon and Wed from 6.30pm to 10pm. The name of the module is Eco-Architecture in an Urban Environment. It is about different ways to build sustainable or even self-renewable buildings in Singapore. Quite interesting. Came across this very Tao-like statement which I like alot in the lecture:
"Change is the only constant."
How true! We mustn't forget to constantly improve and renew ourselves in this constantly changing environment. Do not get stuck in a routine. We need to think out of the box! Be creative! Innovate!
A question from the lecturer: What is the difference between 'creative' and 'innovative'?
Answer: An innovation is a small improvement on an existing product. Creation is the making of a new product. The time needed to make an innovation is much much shorter than creating something new. The reason why Japan got back so quickly after WW2 is because it takes America's products (which takes years to develop) and make lots of small innovations on them. As results, Japan end out having superior products.
A little food for thought. =)
*************
(To be continued…)
,Tuesday was an interesting day. Met up with my JC classmate for a hike in MacRitchie to the Tree Top Walk. Actually the Tree Top Walk is just a short 100m wooden bridge suspended over the canopy of the forest, nothing much. But the hike itself was fun. We walked for 4 hours, from MacRitchie until Bt Timah Nature Reserve and came out of the forest at Dairy Farm. Tiring, but fun.
At one point of time, we were quite lost in the Reserve. It makes me thought of a passage from The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho. In the story, a foreign couple asked Athena (the 'witch') how to get to a tourist spot. She gave them very precise but totally wrong directions. After they left, she explained to her boyfriend:
"It doesn't matter. They'll get lost, and that's the best way to discover interesting places. Try to fill your life again with a little fantasy... Forget everything you've ever learned about the stars and they'll once more transformed into angels, or into children, or into whatever you want to believe at the moment. It won't make you more stupid - after all, it's only a game - but it could enrich your life."
We did get lost to one of the higher and more scenic spot in Bt Timah Hill, but we almost died after climbing hundreds of steep steps... And I think I will be very du lan if someone purposely give me the wrong directions. Haha!
Later we bathed in Hwachong (a nostalgic place =) and proceed to meet another old friend to go Mind's Cafe for some mental stimulation after physical exertion. Had a good guys' day out.
The day end off with us visiting a newly opened magic shop in Orchard. Always love visiting magic shops 'cos the shopkeeper will always perform a trick or two. And this time, surprisingly, an old friend / my shi fu from anther shop in Shaw Tower was manning this shop! Turns out that he has quit to become a full time hypnotist and is now doing part time there. Anw he showed us his new trick which blown us all away! It is quite rare to see a magic trick that impress me these days and it really feels good to see a good trick... the feeling of amazement... Life needs some surprises once in a while.
Actually I also know a trick or two with a deck of cards, feel free to ask me to show them. I love to amaze people too. Haha!
*************
Friday evening I met a friend to visit Singapore Art Museum. One very interesting thing you can do while looking at the exhibits is to guess what are the exhibits' name. This is to see whether you are at the same frequency as the artists.
Sadly, I got none correct. =( Guess I'm not a very artistic person.
Before I met my friend, I bought a book while shopping at Raffles City. It is called The Meaning of the 21st Century by James Martin. The book's first paragraph is this:
"At the start of the 21st century, humankind finds itself on a non-sustainable course – a course that, unless it is changed, will lead to catastrophes of awesome consequences. At the same time, we are unlocking formidable new capabilities that could lead to much more exciting lives and glorious civilization. This could be humanity's last century, or it could be the century in which civilization sets sail towards a far more spectacular future. Decision that will lead to these wildly different conclusions have to be made soon."
Whatever I do makes no difference. So, heck la, I cannot be bothered.
(Are you thinking this way?)
Frankly speaking I think that way most of the time. But I think since I'm going to be an Engineer in future, I gotta stop thinking that way...
*************
(To be continued…)
6月15日 An inspiration story (in inverted commas)"When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it. "
"Intuition is really a sudden immersion of the soul into the universal current of life."
"When you want something with all your heart, that's when you are closest to the Soul of the World. It's always a positive force."
Quotes from The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho, my favourite story book.
*************
Yesterday, I travelled to Yishun to a very rare shop in Singapore, again. The shop is a good 15 mins walk from the MRT station. I found the very rare shop on a friend's instruction the day before, and bought a software needed for my FYP which I wanted to learn during this holiday. However, to my dismay, when I reached home and tested the software, it doesn't work on my comp. It is a 64bit software while my comp is a 32bit system. I need to get the 32bit version of the software. So there I was, walking back to the shop from the MRT station, wanting to exchange the CD, with great reluctance. The red afternoon sun was burning hot, and I was sweating like hell. Still, I was determined to get the software. But, when I reached there...
The shop was closed.
I was hot and sweating and dejected. I walked past the bus stop on my way back and on a strange whim, boarded the first bus that comes which seems to go in the direction of the MRT station. Since the top front of the TIBS bus showed "YISHUN INTERCHANGE", I am quite confident that I made the right decision.
I was wrong.
The bus turned away from the direction of the MRT and looped until God knows where for 20-30 mins. One word comes into my mind: 'Sianzzz...', followed by a string of other words as the journey got longer and longer, which I shan't write here, but you get the idea.
In the end, just when I was wondering how long more the bus is going to loop, I had came back to the original place where I boarded the bus, and through the window I saw the shop was open again! So I got off the bus and exchanged the CD gratefully.
By then, the sun isn't so hot anymore, so I walked happily back to the MRT station. And by the time I reached the station, rain came pouring down to cool the land. And I breathed in a breathful of cool fresh air.
A good day for me, yesterday. =)
Moral of the story 1:
When in doubt, just get on any bus you want. Eventually you will still reach your destination, even if you have to walk to get there. =P
Moral of the story 2:
Do whatever you want to do when it is sunny. It will rain in the end, and by that time, it is too late.
3月14日 ShopRecently, I've been thinking about what I want to do when I graduate. Strangely I don't find being an engineer very appealing to me, despite that is what I've been studying for for the past 24 years, minus the time when I'm not studying. (I guess that left only about 1 year. =P)
There are only two kinds of profession in this world - The first are those that maintain and improve our way of life, eg. engineers, doctors, accountants, lawyers, etc. The second are those that give life to our way of life, eg. actors, writers, musicians, artists, philosophers etc.
I feel that, in my blood, I belong to the second category.
And I wanted to be a shopkeeper.
My shop will be situated on a very stylish and lively street, or in a secluded and peaceful corner of a very lively shopping centre. The keyword is 'lively', the place doesn't matter. The interior will be either brightly lit, to give a happy and lively feeling; or dimly lit, to give a magical and mysterious atmosphere; or both. I've yet to decide. Outside the shop, carved artistically on a wooden board or an acrylic, will be the name of my shop:
INTEREST(h)INGS
Ideas, Inspirations, Imaginations
And the things you find in my shop, you won't find somewhere else. At the left side of my shop will be the shelves, on which beautiful bottles of various shapes, sizes, colors are displayed. On the front of the bottles will be pasted with nicely designed labels:
|-----------------------------------------------|
| Bottled Happiness |
| (Just add hot water) |
|-----------------------------------------------|
Of course there will be other bottles like 'Bottled Love' and 'Bottled Dreams' etc.
Actually what is inside the bottle is a piece of colored dry ice cube. For those who never play with dry ice before, I promise you that it will be fun. =) Behind the bottle will be a line from my year one hall production script -
"Whether you can hold it, or not, it is up to you."
=)
Bottled ? is just one of my pet products. There are other products also. The shelf next to the Shelf of Bottles will be the Shelf of Ideas and Inspirations. The shelf will be packed with A4 size envelopes, each level is differently categorized: Stories, Arts, Music, Inventions, Business. Each category will again divide into sub-categories, eg. Stories -> Fantasy, Sci-Fi, Triller, Love, War, Short Story etc etc.
Inside the envelopes will contain papers where there are ideas or inspirations for its respective category. Each envelope will have a different price, ranging from 50 cents to a few hundred dollars, depending on how inspiring it is. Let say you randomly take a $20 envelope from the Invention - Mechanical section, this is what you will find inside:
***********************
Hi, You Who Are At A Loss Of What To Invent,
Have you ever thought about what is the most troublesome dish on a dinner table? That's right! It is a plate of prawns that have their irritating shells on! Imagine how much you will earn if you manage to invent some simple and elegant device to remove their shells! Here is what you need to get started - 3 possible ways how a Prawn Shell Remover could work:
*Some very hazy diagrams and very vague explanations*
Well, this is it! Hope that you will be inspired, and successful in inventing it, and earn big bucks! Btw if you haven't read the Terms and Conditions in small print at the back of the envelope, you might want to read them now. Good luck!
Regards,
The Shopkeeper
************************
Yup, behind the envelopes:
Terms and Conditions
1. Once opened considered sold. No refund.
2. Five percent of profits from the product inspired by information contained inside this envelope will be given to the Shopkeeper. Hehe.
3. Each idea will only sell to you and you alone. However, if the idea doesn't develop into a product in 2 years, the Shopkeeper reserves the right to sell the idea to another person.
My target customers will range from primary school kids who don't know what to write for their composition, poly students who don't what to do for their project, to established artists, musicians, professors etc who are looking for inspirations for their next breakthrough. =)
Let me continue with the layout of my shop. Besides the Shelf of Bottles and the Shelf of Ideas and Inspirations, is the Shelf of Surprises. On the shelf will be boxes of assorted shapes and sizes, all wrapped up nicely. There will be a range of prices, but you will never know that is inside. It will be all random randomness. It may be a lucky clover leaf, or a little hand-made bookmark, or an art sculpture, or a brass puzzle, or a board game you have never played before, or a pair of tickets to a play you will never have thought to watch. All you know is that, the things inside will be an interesting novelty which can't be found easily elsewhere.
For people who wants a little surprise in their life. =)
And that's all for the shelves on the left. At the end of the shop, there will be a display counter, behind which there is a man, and behind which there are more shelves. Who is the man? He will be a magician cum trickster. In the display counter and on the shelf will be bags of tricks, magical devices, strange contraptions, poker cards, wands and books of magic. Here you will be able to learn the secrets of mind reading, spoon bending, levitation, misdirection, transformation of objects etc etc. ...little miracles that brighten up your life and the life of others around you.
On the right will be another counter, quite a big one, and that is where The Shopkeeper, which is me, will be. And guess what, I'll be selling coffee - mocha, latte, cappuccino, frappe etc etc! Haha! All coffees will be served with double shots unless the customer requests otherwise. At the center of the shop will be tables and chairs, for people to chill out, read magazines, chit-chat, relax, discuss, brainstorm, and think of world changing ideas (with the help of my double shots coffees, of course =P). And once in a while, when he feels like it, the in-house magician will go around and amaze the customers with his little walkaround magic. I guess pple in this stressful country needs to be amazed once in a while. =)
Yup that's all. So what do you think of my shop? Anyone wants to invest? LOL!
3月12日 TriviaA caffeine rush never fails to make me want to blog. Tried Belgian Chocolate Ice Blended instead of the usual The Ultimate at Coffee Bean. Damned sweet, but it's rich. Nice. =)
Anwz today's entry will be ramblings as usual. It will start off with a little piece of trivia and end off with a little piece trivia.
(Don't worry, they are not the same trivia. Though I originally intend to make it so. Hee. =P)
Trivia Number 1
Have you ever wondered what the piece of rectangle on your laptop, which allows you to move the cursor using your finger, is called, and how it works? I've been musing on the above questions during one of my fits of 'boredness' at the office. I tried rubbing the rectangle of my company's laptop with a rubber, my wallet's leather, and a small cute furry Australian 'Hugging Kola Bear' (whose is hugging a stick of glue). The rubbings might had excite / stimulate the Kola Bear, but they sure didn't make the cursor move. And I wondered why. So, I did a little research today, and here's the answer:
The rectangle is called a Touchpad, and it works by sensing the changes in capacitance created when your finger touches the pad. Put simply (as I understand it), the touchpad is made of a conducting metal grid (determining location) covered by a non-conducting plastic membrane. Your finger / body is a (grounded) conductor. If you know your physics well, 2 conductors separated by a thin non-conductor causes charge built-up, and that charge difference between the conductors is called capacitance. And the Touchpad senses the change in capacitance on the metal grid as your finger moves around, and moves the pointer accordingly.
Kola Bears (toy ones) doesn't work because they are insulators. Try metals, they works (given enough surface area).
I tried explained this to some pple. They gave me the 'Human body is conductor meh?' look. Then I would give them the 'Ya hor. Why har?' look. Afterall human body isn't exactly made of metal, isn't it? So, I did a little research, and hence, I present to you, Trivia Number 2!
Trivia Number 2
Actually the answer is very simple (I've just forgotten it). Given enough voltage, current can pass through almost anything, even insulator. Strictly speaking, materials ain't exactly divided into conductor or insulator (or semiconductor, for those who are engineers). Conductivity isn't so black and white, there are a range of greys in between. Human body is less conductive than conductors like metals, but is more conductive than insulators like plastics/ceramics - somewhere in the middle of the spectrum... but still, it conducts current in that situation nevertheless , so, human body is a conductor.
Frankly speaking, I hate grey areas. That's why semiconductor is one of my most lousy subjects. T_T
3月3日 Carrot, egg, coffeeA little story sent by a good friend. Found it quite inspiring. Share with you guys here, hope it inspires you too! =)
A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up. She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose. Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil, without saying a word.
In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl. Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see."
"Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.
Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg. Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled as she tasted its richness and savored its aroma.
The daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"
Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity - boiling water. Each reacted differently.
The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak.
The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its inside became hardened.
The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water. "Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?"
Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?
Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?
Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get even better and change the situation around you.
When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle diversity?
Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?
May you have enough happiness to make you sweet, enough trials to make you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human and enough hope to make you happy.
The happiest of people don't necessarily have the best of everything; they just make the most of everything that comes along their way. The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you can't go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.
When you were born, you were crying and everyone around you was smiling. Live your life so at the end, you're the one who is smiling and everyone around you is crying.
May we all be COFFEE!
|
|
|
