300 years ago German philosopher, Gottfried Leibniz, pondered on a topic:
"Why is there something rather than nothing?"
17th century philosopher Blaise Pascal described the predicament of those who do not know about their life:
"why I am set down here rather than elsewhere, nor why the brief period appointed for my life is assigned to me at this moment rather than another in all the eternity that has gone before and will come after me. On all sides I behold nothing but infinity, in which I am a mere atom, a mere passing shadow that returns no more. All I know is that I must die soon, but what I understand least of all is this very death which I cannot escape."
From both philosophers, we can understand that they do not know about what happening in their life and of those surrounding them. Pascal was curious why he was living in that era and not another, was his purpose in that place and time important? He is not the only one who pondered on such questions and remained unanswered. All who pondered before him and after could not find a satisfactory answer.
Thus, it is not a choice to know or not to know why and how things are happening in your life. It is something that are out of our comprehension. The only thing to really ponder on is how to make your life meaning and if you are someone who is looking for fame, then you may try hard to leave a mark on the history. But always remember that you are just a mere atom or passing shadow that never returns and history can be erased or forgotten by the future generations but the way you live your life will always be unique to yourself.
Thursday, November 27, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Fortunate As Singaporeans
I believe all men and women should have equal share of the resources in the world, but this is not true in the current world context. Poverty and wealth exist in different parts of the world, leading to unfair and unequal share of the Earth's resources. I believe that a pure communism which promotes the establishment of an egalitarian (a system where all people should be treated as equals and have the same political, economic, social, and civil rights), classless society based on common ownership of the means of production and property in general is great for the world, but most communist structures in the world are not able to achieve it.
Farmer working hard to earn a living
Most Singaporeans are fortunate because we are able to get a huge amount of resources that others are deprived of. My trip to China last week let me realized that we are actually using the resources that should be theirs by right. Thus as the fortunate batch of people, we should live our life more meaningful than those unfortunate batch of people. But this is not true as most fortunate men and women just waste their life trying to reach for more wealth and power and neglect the fact that it is those unfortunate ones who give up their rightful resources to us.
A market in Nanjing, China
A fruit market in Nanjing, China
The fortunate group of people do not understand that they have the obligation to contribute back to the society by helping the poor. In Singapore, some recognize the fact that Singaporeans are selfish and do not help those in need. I do not really know how true it is, but I just hope that we as the fortunate group can do our part to help those in need as a repayment for the over usage of Earth's resources that do not belong to us rightfully.
I chatted with a young lady when I was at 千岛湖 Thousand Islands Lake to find out the standard of living over there. I found that she has about RMB 5 as her daily food expenditure, it might be hard to imagine how little it is. Over at there, a cup of instant noodle or a 500 ml bottle of soft drink sell at RMB 3 plus, so it is considered luxury for her to eat such stuff which is junk food to us. The 2 photos above are showing the better well-off city, Nanjing, China.
Farmer working hard to earn a living
Most Singaporeans are fortunate because we are able to get a huge amount of resources that others are deprived of. My trip to China last week let me realized that we are actually using the resources that should be theirs by right. Thus as the fortunate batch of people, we should live our life more meaningful than those unfortunate batch of people. But this is not true as most fortunate men and women just waste their life trying to reach for more wealth and power and neglect the fact that it is those unfortunate ones who give up their rightful resources to us.
A market in Nanjing, China
A fruit market in Nanjing, China
The fortunate group of people do not understand that they have the obligation to contribute back to the society by helping the poor. In Singapore, some recognize the fact that Singaporeans are selfish and do not help those in need. I do not really know how true it is, but I just hope that we as the fortunate group can do our part to help those in need as a repayment for the over usage of Earth's resources that do not belong to us rightfully.
I chatted with a young lady when I was at 千岛湖 Thousand Islands Lake to find out the standard of living over there. I found that she has about RMB 5 as her daily food expenditure, it might be hard to imagine how little it is. Over at there, a cup of instant noodle or a 500 ml bottle of soft drink sell at RMB 3 plus, so it is considered luxury for her to eat such stuff which is junk food to us. The 2 photos above are showing the better well-off city, Nanjing, China.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
武侠梁祝 Butterfly Lovers
I watched 武侠梁祝 Butterfly Lovers on Saturday, was 5 mins late for the movie but lucky found out that the 5 mins was not critical. It is a kungfu version of Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet with 吴尊 Wu Chun as Romeo and 蔡卓妍 Charlene Choi as Juliet.
The 武侠梁祝 Butterfly Lovers Story:
Yanzi (蔡卓妍 Charlene Choi) and Chengen (胡歌 Hu Ge) grew up together. An enemy of Yanzi family who was a high ranking official wanted a forced marriage with her, thus Yanzi's parents have to send her off to a martial arts sect in the mountain to avoid the marriage. Due to this, Yanzi's parents was imprisoned by the official but she was kept in the dark. Chengen who was also an official was forced to work with a general who wanted to eliminate the premier. Chengen betrayed the premier and was promoted 3 ranks which enabled him to eliminate the high ranking official. In the meanwhile, Yanzi took shelter at the martial arts sect and knew Zhongsan (吴尊 Wu Chun) who was the senior disciple of the sect. Both fall in love with each other deeply while Chengen was trying to eliminate the premier for the general.
Finally, Chengen went to tell Yanzi the truth about what was happening to her family and fetched her home. He also released Yanzi's parents from prison and imprisoned the high ranking official, thus Chengen became the benefactor to the whole family. Chengen knew that Yanzi had fall in love with Zhongsan, so he quickly proposed to Yanzi's parents for marriage and they agreed. Yanzi was strongly against the idea as her heart was with Zhongsan. She knew that Chengen had done alot for her but she felt that kindness should be repay with kindness, not love. In the end, Yanzi was locked up in her room by her parents because she disagreed the marriage.
Zhongsan secretly went to Yanzi's house and met her, they decided to elope together the next day when Yanzi had a chance to visit the temple. Finally, Yanzi escaped and waited at a pavilion for Zhongsan but Chengen knew about it and held her parents as hostages. Since Chengen was influential and held Yanzi parents as hostages, Yanzi had no choice but to return and marry him. But while Yanzi was in the sedan, she took a fake death pill which will make her seemed dead for a few days. Both Chengen and Zhongsan was unaware that Yanzi was faking death and this was the start of the tragedy.
The marriage had become a funeral and Zhongsan fight his way through Chengen's lackeys to see Yanzi one last time. Chengen finally realized what he was doing was wrong, thus he let Zhongsan took the body of Yanzi away. At that time, Zhongsan was already seriously injured after the fight. He carried Yanzi to the butterfly valley which was the place where their love first blossomed. After digging a hole there, he placed Yanzi and himself in the hole and he died. Soon, the disciples of the martial arts sect came and saw both Yanzi and Zhongsan dead thus they start throwing in sands to bury them. In the meanwhile, Yanzi woke up after the effect of the fake death pill went off but she saw Zhongsan lying motionless beside her. Thus she decided to sacrifice and die with him together, being buried alive.
My Personal Opinions:
Chengen was too persistent in getting Yanzi. Even though they grew up together, Yanzi only treat him like a brother. He cannot understand why Yanzi was so deeply in love with Zhongsan whom she had just met and not with him who had known her since young. He does not understand that the law of attractions will overshadow the law of affections which is universal in our world.
Repaying anything (including kindness except love) with love is not a correct thing to do. By doing so, you are harming all the persons involved. Love cannot be forced, thus how can we use it as a repayment material.
Giving is better than receiving. If Chengen give up or give blessings to both Yanzi and Zhongsan, it will result in a good ending. But rather he wanted to possess Yanzi by forcing her to marry him which resulted in such a tragedy. I believe he will receive more if he is willing to give in the first place. Most people will only want to receive and never put in effort to give. It is not a bad idea to surrender or give in, you can still have win-win situation by surrendering or giving in. The Hanged Man of the major arcana of the Tarot card is a very good example of gaining enlightenment through surrendering.
心如蝶舞 - 蔡卓妍 Charlene Choi
The 武侠梁祝 Butterfly Lovers Story:
Yanzi (蔡卓妍 Charlene Choi) and Chengen (胡歌 Hu Ge) grew up together. An enemy of Yanzi family who was a high ranking official wanted a forced marriage with her, thus Yanzi's parents have to send her off to a martial arts sect in the mountain to avoid the marriage. Due to this, Yanzi's parents was imprisoned by the official but she was kept in the dark. Chengen who was also an official was forced to work with a general who wanted to eliminate the premier. Chengen betrayed the premier and was promoted 3 ranks which enabled him to eliminate the high ranking official. In the meanwhile, Yanzi took shelter at the martial arts sect and knew Zhongsan (吴尊 Wu Chun) who was the senior disciple of the sect. Both fall in love with each other deeply while Chengen was trying to eliminate the premier for the general.
Love blossoms between Yanzi & Zhongsan
Finally, Chengen went to tell Yanzi the truth about what was happening to her family and fetched her home. He also released Yanzi's parents from prison and imprisoned the high ranking official, thus Chengen became the benefactor to the whole family. Chengen knew that Yanzi had fall in love with Zhongsan, so he quickly proposed to Yanzi's parents for marriage and they agreed. Yanzi was strongly against the idea as her heart was with Zhongsan. She knew that Chengen had done alot for her but she felt that kindness should be repay with kindness, not love. In the end, Yanzi was locked up in her room by her parents because she disagreed the marriage.
Yanzi forced to marry Chengen
Zhongsan secretly went to Yanzi's house and met her, they decided to elope together the next day when Yanzi had a chance to visit the temple. Finally, Yanzi escaped and waited at a pavilion for Zhongsan but Chengen knew about it and held her parents as hostages. Since Chengen was influential and held Yanzi parents as hostages, Yanzi had no choice but to return and marry him. But while Yanzi was in the sedan, she took a fake death pill which will make her seemed dead for a few days. Both Chengen and Zhongsan was unaware that Yanzi was faking death and this was the start of the tragedy.
Zhongsan at Yanzi's funeral
The marriage had become a funeral and Zhongsan fight his way through Chengen's lackeys to see Yanzi one last time. Chengen finally realized what he was doing was wrong, thus he let Zhongsan took the body of Yanzi away. At that time, Zhongsan was already seriously injured after the fight. He carried Yanzi to the butterfly valley which was the place where their love first blossomed. After digging a hole there, he placed Yanzi and himself in the hole and he died. Soon, the disciples of the martial arts sect came and saw both Yanzi and Zhongsan dead thus they start throwing in sands to bury them. In the meanwhile, Yanzi woke up after the effect of the fake death pill went off but she saw Zhongsan lying motionless beside her. Thus she decided to sacrifice and die with him together, being buried alive.
My Personal Opinions:
Chengen was too persistent in getting Yanzi. Even though they grew up together, Yanzi only treat him like a brother. He cannot understand why Yanzi was so deeply in love with Zhongsan whom she had just met and not with him who had known her since young. He does not understand that the law of attractions will overshadow the law of affections which is universal in our world.
Repaying anything (including kindness except love) with love is not a correct thing to do. By doing so, you are harming all the persons involved. Love cannot be forced, thus how can we use it as a repayment material.
Giving is better than receiving. If Chengen give up or give blessings to both Yanzi and Zhongsan, it will result in a good ending. But rather he wanted to possess Yanzi by forcing her to marry him which resulted in such a tragedy. I believe he will receive more if he is willing to give in the first place. Most people will only want to receive and never put in effort to give. It is not a bad idea to surrender or give in, you can still have win-win situation by surrendering or giving in. The Hanged Man of the major arcana of the Tarot card is a very good example of gaining enlightenment through surrendering.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Because I'm A Girl
Because I'm A Girl - Kiss
This is a touching MV which shows us how much man can sacrifice for their loved ones. The song was released in 2002, quite long ago but wonderful song will always be remembered.
"You told me that you wanted me and now that I've given you everything, you tell me you're leaving" and "They say that when you give a guy all he wants he quickly get bored" seems true to me. It is the cat string theory in place again. Below is an illustration of cat string theory.
I happened to let cat string theory and law of attractions to play a trick on me also and I hate it. I was hoping to buy a Sony Cybershot camera for quite some time and finally I got it a few days back but the camera no longer interests me. The feeling of owning it is so different from what I expected at first, another clear example of not knowing what I really want. Maybe I should really go and live in seclusion...
This is a touching MV which shows us how much man can sacrifice for their loved ones. The song was released in 2002, quite long ago but wonderful song will always be remembered.
"You told me that you wanted me and now that I've given you everything, you tell me you're leaving" and "They say that when you give a guy all he wants he quickly get bored" seems true to me. It is the cat string theory in place again. Below is an illustration of cat string theory.
I happened to let cat string theory and law of attractions to play a trick on me also and I hate it. I was hoping to buy a Sony Cybershot camera for quite some time and finally I got it a few days back but the camera no longer interests me. The feeling of owning it is so different from what I expected at first, another clear example of not knowing what I really want. Maybe I should really go and live in seclusion...
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Understanding Your Needs & Wants
A bowl of porridge story I heard in radio today:
One day, a boy had a bowl of porridge and a girl asked him what will he do about it. The boy replied, "I will give half a bowl to my mother and the other half to you". Since then on the girl fallen into love with the boy but when the girl grown up, she married someone else. In the end, the girl regretted and realized that purest form of love she experienced was the love from the boy for her...
In modern society, the boundary between needs and wants of human are blurred. To some people, having iPod is becoming a need and no longer a luxury want, thus this leads to more not knowing what they really need or want. In the story, the girl finally realized the love she was pursuing all the while was right beside her but she chose the other guy. Humans have been trying to get what they want and some do it by hooks or by crooks but one thing we seldom realized is that the object we are longing for may not be the best to satisfy our needs. We have been trapped in this dilemma for thousands of years.
I believe that the laws of attraction is at fault, it causes us to get attracted to the object and have sudden surge of obsession over it. We will covers away the flaws that the object may have and only focus on the good points due to the way our brain works. This is why the quote "Love is blind" is all about. Couples whom still enjoying the works of attraction (meaning deeply in love or new couple) will not be able to see through the flaws their partners might have. After the attraction level decreases, our brain will start to think more logically. Thus only after the works of attraction diminish, the couple will then start to complain about the flaws each other has and all those incompatibilities they had since day 1. This is where the quote "Seen your true colours" came about.
Sometimes the object that we really want is right by our side all the while, just that it is human nature to be curious about new object. Attractions caused by the new object will temporary cover up the affection we have for the other objects, but after getting the new object they will realize that this is not what they wanted. Eg, After iPhone came out, tons of people went to grab for it because of the hype but after using it, some will find that the iPhone is not suitable for them due to many reasons. The original handphone model which they wanted to buy might suit them better. Of course, the example listed is only discussing about material object which can be easily replaced. But if we take it into the relationship viewpoint, choosing someone who attracts you more and not the other who love you more may have you regret for life as attraction will die off but affection will not. You cannot guarantee that the one who attracts you will have the same level of affection as the one who love you more.
Thus, do make your choice on your needs and wants wisely and do not be affected by the laws of attraction too much as it is transient only.
PS: If you do not know your needs and wants clearly, just like me, it is good to enjoy some moments of solitude to find out what you really need or want in short-term timeframe.
One day, a boy had a bowl of porridge and a girl asked him what will he do about it. The boy replied, "I will give half a bowl to my mother and the other half to you". Since then on the girl fallen into love with the boy but when the girl grown up, she married someone else. In the end, the girl regretted and realized that purest form of love she experienced was the love from the boy for her...
In modern society, the boundary between needs and wants of human are blurred. To some people, having iPod is becoming a need and no longer a luxury want, thus this leads to more not knowing what they really need or want. In the story, the girl finally realized the love she was pursuing all the while was right beside her but she chose the other guy. Humans have been trying to get what they want and some do it by hooks or by crooks but one thing we seldom realized is that the object we are longing for may not be the best to satisfy our needs. We have been trapped in this dilemma for thousands of years.
I believe that the laws of attraction is at fault, it causes us to get attracted to the object and have sudden surge of obsession over it. We will covers away the flaws that the object may have and only focus on the good points due to the way our brain works. This is why the quote "Love is blind" is all about. Couples whom still enjoying the works of attraction (meaning deeply in love or new couple) will not be able to see through the flaws their partners might have. After the attraction level decreases, our brain will start to think more logically. Thus only after the works of attraction diminish, the couple will then start to complain about the flaws each other has and all those incompatibilities they had since day 1. This is where the quote "Seen your true colours" came about.
Sometimes the object that we really want is right by our side all the while, just that it is human nature to be curious about new object. Attractions caused by the new object will temporary cover up the affection we have for the other objects, but after getting the new object they will realize that this is not what they wanted. Eg, After iPhone came out, tons of people went to grab for it because of the hype but after using it, some will find that the iPhone is not suitable for them due to many reasons. The original handphone model which they wanted to buy might suit them better. Of course, the example listed is only discussing about material object which can be easily replaced. But if we take it into the relationship viewpoint, choosing someone who attracts you more and not the other who love you more may have you regret for life as attraction will die off but affection will not. You cannot guarantee that the one who attracts you will have the same level of affection as the one who love you more.
Thus, do make your choice on your needs and wants wisely and do not be affected by the laws of attraction too much as it is transient only.
PS: If you do not know your needs and wants clearly, just like me, it is good to enjoy some moments of solitude to find out what you really need or want in short-term timeframe.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Limits & Self-Centeredness
"Love can come at the most unexpected moment and one day, slip away without a trace, leaving an unforgettable impression." A quote I accidentally came across on the Internet, how true is it will depend on the reader. As for me it is only true for the first half, an unforgettable impression is not something rational to me. Let dive back into the topic on limits and self-centeredness.
Limits is defined as the point, edge, or line beyond which something cannot or may not proceed. Do humans really know their personal limits? By not understanding and behaving out of the limits, humans can easily hurt the people around them even if not done deliberately.
Self-centered is defined as being concerned solely or chiefly with one's own interests or centered in oneself. I personally believed that humans are self-centered in nature, with example of historical backing like the geocentric model of the universe embraced by both Aristotle and Ptolemy. Ancient Greek and Chinese believed that the Earth is in the center of the universe and all other objects orbit around it. Even though the geocentric model did not match with some celestial observations, ancient scientists came up with lame sub-models to make it seemed working and rejected a simpler model in which the Earth is orbiting the Sun. Why is this so? The only reason I can think of is that humans are self-centered and they believed that all other objects should be orbiting around them not the other way round.
One should always observe and behave within the specific limits set by others in order not to hurt them. Albert Einstein's view of the world is that one lives for the others, thus we should not go around hurting others who we live for. Please plan your daily decisions and actions in view of others so as to prevent catastrophic consequences which you might regret for life. Making stupid decisions and actions in which the reason was to source for fun will make you a miserable person as fun is transient but consequences aren't.
PS: I personally have break some limits and is still regretting over it which will haunt me for life. Thus with every decision or action you going take, think of the limits set by others and you first. Do not be self-centered.
Limits is defined as the point, edge, or line beyond which something cannot or may not proceed. Do humans really know their personal limits? By not understanding and behaving out of the limits, humans can easily hurt the people around them even if not done deliberately.
Self-centered is defined as being concerned solely or chiefly with one's own interests or centered in oneself. I personally believed that humans are self-centered in nature, with example of historical backing like the geocentric model of the universe embraced by both Aristotle and Ptolemy. Ancient Greek and Chinese believed that the Earth is in the center of the universe and all other objects orbit around it. Even though the geocentric model did not match with some celestial observations, ancient scientists came up with lame sub-models to make it seemed working and rejected a simpler model in which the Earth is orbiting the Sun. Why is this so? The only reason I can think of is that humans are self-centered and they believed that all other objects should be orbiting around them not the other way round.
One should always observe and behave within the specific limits set by others in order not to hurt them. Albert Einstein's view of the world is that one lives for the others, thus we should not go around hurting others who we live for. Please plan your daily decisions and actions in view of others so as to prevent catastrophic consequences which you might regret for life. Making stupid decisions and actions in which the reason was to source for fun will make you a miserable person as fun is transient but consequences aren't.
PS: I personally have break some limits and is still regretting over it which will haunt me for life. Thus with every decision or action you going take, think of the limits set by others and you first. Do not be self-centered.
Monday, September 29, 2008
Mystery: The Most Beautiful Thing
After reading and analyzing Albert Einstein's "The World As I See It", I realized that Mystery is the most beautiful thing the Universe has given to us.
Albert Einstein sees mysterious as the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Science and art might not advance to current level if we human did not try to analyze and solve the mysteries that revolved around us since ancient time. It is the mysterious feeling that Isaac Newton had on "why apples fell from the tree to the ground?" that made him discovered gravity.
To me personally, Mystery allows us to live a fruitful life. With the knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, eg. Our future, Mystery allows us to have high hopes for ourselves. Thus it leads us to better performances, like exceeding in school to secure a bright future. A person is as good as dead if he does not have the experience of Mystery, as the world will no longer amaze him if he was to know all the details of his life beforehand.
Mystery is the main motivation for scientist to work harder to solve the unexplained. It is this driving force that allows us human to progress to such a level of sciences and technologies. I realized that if we are keen in finding out our purposes here, it will no longer be a fulfilling one as we no longer experience the amazement in the ups and downs of our life; we are just plainly following time as it passes, like a novel filled only with the alphabet 'A'.
Thus, Mystery is the most beautiful thing the Universe has given to us. It is this feeling of the unknown that we want to unravel that makes us living! Unravel the Mystery of your life fruitfully, as time makes it mark across.
Albert Einstein sees mysterious as the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Science and art might not advance to current level if we human did not try to analyze and solve the mysteries that revolved around us since ancient time. It is the mysterious feeling that Isaac Newton had on "why apples fell from the tree to the ground?" that made him discovered gravity.
To me personally, Mystery allows us to live a fruitful life. With the knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, eg. Our future, Mystery allows us to have high hopes for ourselves. Thus it leads us to better performances, like exceeding in school to secure a bright future. A person is as good as dead if he does not have the experience of Mystery, as the world will no longer amaze him if he was to know all the details of his life beforehand.
Mystery is the main motivation for scientist to work harder to solve the unexplained. It is this driving force that allows us human to progress to such a level of sciences and technologies. I realized that if we are keen in finding out our purposes here, it will no longer be a fulfilling one as we no longer experience the amazement in the ups and downs of our life; we are just plainly following time as it passes, like a novel filled only with the alphabet 'A'.
Thus, Mystery is the most beautiful thing the Universe has given to us. It is this feeling of the unknown that we want to unravel that makes us living! Unravel the Mystery of your life fruitfully, as time makes it mark across.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
The Beautiful Moon
The Moon is the Earth's only natural satellite and the nearest celestial object to us. Ancient cultures revered the moon. It represented gods and goddesses in various mythologies. Yet in modern society, it is becoming less insignificance even though the great beauty and variations it possess. I believe most people do not even bother to lift their head up to observe the beautiful moon that the universe has given to us. Below are some pictures of the moon showing off its great beauty to us.
I personally find that by observing the great beauty of the ever-changing moon, it can help me understand how beautiful it is to live in this universe, and all my worries will seem so insignificance. Enjoy it!
I personally find that by observing the great beauty of the ever-changing moon, it can help me understand how beautiful it is to live in this universe, and all my worries will seem so insignificance. Enjoy it!
Pictures Of Solstice Moon Over Sounion
Pictures Of Full Moon over Aigina
Picture Of Selene Rising
Special thanks to the Astro-photographer, Anthony Ayiomamitis, for the pictures above.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
The World As I See It
Albert Einstein is considered the greatest scientist of the twentieth century and one of the supreme intellects of all time. Read on to have an insight of how he perceived the world as.
"The World As I See It" By Albert Einstein
What an extraordinary situation is that of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he feels it. But from the point of view of daily life, without going deeper, we exist for our fellow-men — in the first place for those on whose smiles and welfare all our happiness depends, and next for all those unknown to us personally with whose destinies we are bound up by the tie of sympathy. A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labours of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving. I am strongly drawn to the simple life and am often oppressed by the feeling that I am engrossing an unnecessary amount of the labour of my fellow-men. I regard class differences as contrary to justice and, in the last resort, based on force. I also consider that plain living is good for everybody, physically and mentally.
In human freedom in the philosophical sense I am definitely a disbeliever. Everybody acts not only under external compulsion but also in accordance with inner necessity. Schopenhauer's saying, that "a man can do as he will, but not will as he will," has been an inspiration to me since my youth up, and a continual consolation and unfailing well-spring of patience in the face of the hardships of life, my own and others'. This feeling mercifully mitigates the sense of responsibility which so easily becomes paralyzing, and it prevents us from taking ourselves and other people too seriously; it conduces to a view of life in which humour, above all, has its due place.
To inquire after the meaning or object of one's own existence or of creation generally has always seemed to me absurd from an objective point of view. And yet everybody has certain ideals which determine the direction of his endeavours and his judgments. In this sense I have never looked upon ease and happiness as ends in themselves — such an ethical basis I call more proper for a herd of swine. The ideals which have lighted me on my way and time after time given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. Without the sense of fellowship with men of like mind, of preoccupation with the objective, the eternally unattainable in the field of art and scientific research, life would have seemed to me empty. The ordinary objects of human endeavour — property, outward success, luxury — have always seemed to me contemptible.
My passionate sense of social justice and social responsibility has always contrasted oddly with my pronounced freedom from the need for direct contact with other human beings and human communities. I gang my own gait and have never belonged to my country, my home, my friends, or even my immediate family, with my whole heart; in the face of all these ties I have never lost an obstinate sense of detachment, of the need for solitude — a feeling which increases with the tears. One is sharply conscious, yet without regret, of the limits to the possibility of mutual understanding and sympathy with one's fellow-creatures. Such a person no doubt loses something in the way of geniality and light-heartedness; on the other hand, he is largely independent of the opinions, habits, and judgments of his fellows and avoids the temptation to take his stand on such insecure foundations.
My political ideal is that of democracy. Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolized. It is an irony of fate that I myself have been the recipient of excessive admiration and respect from my fellows through no fault, and no merit, of my own. The cause of this may well be the desire, unattainable for many, to understand the one or two ideas to which I have with my feeble powers attained through ceaseless struggle. I am quite aware that it is necessary for the success of any complex undertaking that one man should do the thinking and directing and in general bear the responsibility. But the led must not be compelled, they must be able to choose their leader. An autocratic system of coercion, in my opinion, soon degenerates. For force always attracts men of low morality, and I believe it to be an invariable rule that tyrants of genius are succeeded by scoundrels. For this reason I have always been passionately opposed to systems such as we see in Italy and Russia to-day. The thing that has brought discredit upon the prevailing form of democracy in Europe to-day is not to be laid to the door of the democratic idea as such, but to lack of stability on the part of the heads of governments and to the impersonal character of the electoral system. I believe that in this respect the United States of America have found the right way. They have a responsible President who is elected for a sufficiently long period and has sufficient powers to be really responsible. On the other hand, what I value in our political system is the more extensive provision that it makes for the individual in case of illness or need. The really valuable thing in a pageant of human life seems to me not the State but the creative, sentient individual, the personality; it alone creates the noble and the sublime, while the herd as such remains dull in thought and dull in feeling.
This topic brings me to that worst outcrop of the herd nature, the military system, which I abhor. That a man can take pleasure in marching in formation to the strains of a band is enough to make me despise him. He has only been given his big brain by mistake; a backbone was all he needed. This plague-spot of civilization ought to be abolished with all possible speed. Heroism by order, senseless violence, and all the pestilent nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism — how I hate them! War seems to me a mean, contemptible thing: I would rather be hacked in pieces than take part in such an abominable business. And yet so high, in spite of everything, is my opinion of the human race that I believe this bogey would have disappeared long ago, had the sound sense of the nations not been systematically corrupted by commercial and political interests acting through the schools and the Press.
The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. He who knows it not and can no longer wonder, no longer feel amazement, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle. It was the experience of mystery — even if mixed with fear — that engendered religion. A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which are only accessible to our reason in their most elementary forms — it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute the truly religious attitude; in this sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious man. I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures, or has a will of the type of which we are conscious in ourselves. An individual who should survive his physical death is also beyond my comprehension, nor do I wish it otherwise; such notions are for the fears or absurd egoism of feeble souls. Enough for me the mystery of the eternity of life, and the inkling of the marvelous structure of reality, together with the single-hearted endeavour to comprehend a portion, be it never so tiny, of the reason that manifests itself in nature.
"The World As I See It" By Albert Einstein
What an extraordinary situation is that of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he feels it. But from the point of view of daily life, without going deeper, we exist for our fellow-men — in the first place for those on whose smiles and welfare all our happiness depends, and next for all those unknown to us personally with whose destinies we are bound up by the tie of sympathy. A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labours of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving. I am strongly drawn to the simple life and am often oppressed by the feeling that I am engrossing an unnecessary amount of the labour of my fellow-men. I regard class differences as contrary to justice and, in the last resort, based on force. I also consider that plain living is good for everybody, physically and mentally.
In human freedom in the philosophical sense I am definitely a disbeliever. Everybody acts not only under external compulsion but also in accordance with inner necessity. Schopenhauer's saying, that "a man can do as he will, but not will as he will," has been an inspiration to me since my youth up, and a continual consolation and unfailing well-spring of patience in the face of the hardships of life, my own and others'. This feeling mercifully mitigates the sense of responsibility which so easily becomes paralyzing, and it prevents us from taking ourselves and other people too seriously; it conduces to a view of life in which humour, above all, has its due place.
To inquire after the meaning or object of one's own existence or of creation generally has always seemed to me absurd from an objective point of view. And yet everybody has certain ideals which determine the direction of his endeavours and his judgments. In this sense I have never looked upon ease and happiness as ends in themselves — such an ethical basis I call more proper for a herd of swine. The ideals which have lighted me on my way and time after time given me new courage to face life cheerfully, have been Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. Without the sense of fellowship with men of like mind, of preoccupation with the objective, the eternally unattainable in the field of art and scientific research, life would have seemed to me empty. The ordinary objects of human endeavour — property, outward success, luxury — have always seemed to me contemptible.
My passionate sense of social justice and social responsibility has always contrasted oddly with my pronounced freedom from the need for direct contact with other human beings and human communities. I gang my own gait and have never belonged to my country, my home, my friends, or even my immediate family, with my whole heart; in the face of all these ties I have never lost an obstinate sense of detachment, of the need for solitude — a feeling which increases with the tears. One is sharply conscious, yet without regret, of the limits to the possibility of mutual understanding and sympathy with one's fellow-creatures. Such a person no doubt loses something in the way of geniality and light-heartedness; on the other hand, he is largely independent of the opinions, habits, and judgments of his fellows and avoids the temptation to take his stand on such insecure foundations.
My political ideal is that of democracy. Let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolized. It is an irony of fate that I myself have been the recipient of excessive admiration and respect from my fellows through no fault, and no merit, of my own. The cause of this may well be the desire, unattainable for many, to understand the one or two ideas to which I have with my feeble powers attained through ceaseless struggle. I am quite aware that it is necessary for the success of any complex undertaking that one man should do the thinking and directing and in general bear the responsibility. But the led must not be compelled, they must be able to choose their leader. An autocratic system of coercion, in my opinion, soon degenerates. For force always attracts men of low morality, and I believe it to be an invariable rule that tyrants of genius are succeeded by scoundrels. For this reason I have always been passionately opposed to systems such as we see in Italy and Russia to-day. The thing that has brought discredit upon the prevailing form of democracy in Europe to-day is not to be laid to the door of the democratic idea as such, but to lack of stability on the part of the heads of governments and to the impersonal character of the electoral system. I believe that in this respect the United States of America have found the right way. They have a responsible President who is elected for a sufficiently long period and has sufficient powers to be really responsible. On the other hand, what I value in our political system is the more extensive provision that it makes for the individual in case of illness or need. The really valuable thing in a pageant of human life seems to me not the State but the creative, sentient individual, the personality; it alone creates the noble and the sublime, while the herd as such remains dull in thought and dull in feeling.
This topic brings me to that worst outcrop of the herd nature, the military system, which I abhor. That a man can take pleasure in marching in formation to the strains of a band is enough to make me despise him. He has only been given his big brain by mistake; a backbone was all he needed. This plague-spot of civilization ought to be abolished with all possible speed. Heroism by order, senseless violence, and all the pestilent nonsense that goes by the name of patriotism — how I hate them! War seems to me a mean, contemptible thing: I would rather be hacked in pieces than take part in such an abominable business. And yet so high, in spite of everything, is my opinion of the human race that I believe this bogey would have disappeared long ago, had the sound sense of the nations not been systematically corrupted by commercial and political interests acting through the schools and the Press.
The fairest thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion which stands at the cradle of true art and true science. He who knows it not and can no longer wonder, no longer feel amazement, is as good as dead, a snuffed-out candle. It was the experience of mystery — even if mixed with fear — that engendered religion. A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty, which are only accessible to our reason in their most elementary forms — it is this knowledge and this emotion that constitute the truly religious attitude; in this sense, and in this alone, I am a deeply religious man. I cannot conceive of a God who rewards and punishes his creatures, or has a will of the type of which we are conscious in ourselves. An individual who should survive his physical death is also beyond my comprehension, nor do I wish it otherwise; such notions are for the fears or absurd egoism of feeble souls. Enough for me the mystery of the eternity of life, and the inkling of the marvelous structure of reality, together with the single-hearted endeavour to comprehend a portion, be it never so tiny, of the reason that manifests itself in nature.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Decided Not To Die!
You may be shocked by the title! "Decided Not To Die!"
Since ancient times, human had been trying very hard to escape death. Many rulers wanted to live for eternity so that they can continue their everlasting empire dreams which seems so far-fetched. Benjamin Franklin once said, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." Is it really possible to evade death and what will eternity life bring us?
A married couple, Arakawa and Madeline Gins, have boldly declared that "We decided not to die". They believe that human can reinvent ourselves as immortal beings by changing and challenging our perceptions. The best way to shake up our beliefs, as presented by Arakawa and Gins, is to change the very nature of how and where we live. They have designed residences that force the occupant to interact with his or her surroundings in a different way. That is the idea behind the Bioscleave House, a home constructed in New York that will have its residents living forever if their belief is true.
On first look at the house, it appears it would buy you a lot of paint. Both the exterior and the interior are splashed with vibrant colors with names like pink popsicle, tricycle red and traffic light green. About 40 colors are in the house altogether.
The home contains a kitchen, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a study. That might sound conventional, but the kitchen is sunken into the center of the house. Bumpy flooring rises around the kitchen in undulating waves. Around the funky flooring are the other rooms, but they lack some of the traditional comforts of home you might expect. For one, none of the rooms have doors, not even the bathroom. Good luck trying to plug in a nightlight, because the outlets are scattered at odd angles. And if you had hoped for a room with a view to spend immortality, better get used to the windows that are at unconventional heights.
Those windows have one important effect that starts to get at the heart of what Arakawa and Gins are trying to accomplish. Because they are either very high or low, you cannot establish where the horizon is. You do not know what is level and what is not. The roof is not always a fixed distance from the floor. You cannot use your normal ways of getting around, which you may not even have to think about at this point; tools like depth perception and distance do not apply. Arakawa and Gins claim that losing balance and using your body in surprising ways to maintain equilibrium will stimulate the immune system, which will eventually stop aging and death.
Human has always try to evade death through many ways. Examples are finding elixir which is believed to give you eternal life, improving the medical science to stop aging and cryogenic freezing yourself until science improvement is made. In my opinion, what is the use of living forever without a purpose in life? By having no meaningful purpose and yet a never-ending life, I believe we will just become living zombies who might in the end (technically there is no end if eternity exists) wish that we can end our life. Self-contradicting is very common in human, we always want the best for us, but only to realize that it may not be the best for us. Just like one thing I realized long ago, "The more knowledge you gained, the more you know you dont know". Sometimes, I feel that it is better to be naive and live a simple life.
PS: Parts of the information and pictures are extracted from www.howstuffworks.com.
Since ancient times, human had been trying very hard to escape death. Many rulers wanted to live for eternity so that they can continue their everlasting empire dreams which seems so far-fetched. Benjamin Franklin once said, "In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes." Is it really possible to evade death and what will eternity life bring us?
A married couple, Arakawa and Madeline Gins, have boldly declared that "We decided not to die". They believe that human can reinvent ourselves as immortal beings by changing and challenging our perceptions. The best way to shake up our beliefs, as presented by Arakawa and Gins, is to change the very nature of how and where we live. They have designed residences that force the occupant to interact with his or her surroundings in a different way. That is the idea behind the Bioscleave House, a home constructed in New York that will have its residents living forever if their belief is true.
On first look at the house, it appears it would buy you a lot of paint. Both the exterior and the interior are splashed with vibrant colors with names like pink popsicle, tricycle red and traffic light green. About 40 colors are in the house altogether.
The home contains a kitchen, two bedrooms, a bathroom and a study. That might sound conventional, but the kitchen is sunken into the center of the house. Bumpy flooring rises around the kitchen in undulating waves. Around the funky flooring are the other rooms, but they lack some of the traditional comforts of home you might expect. For one, none of the rooms have doors, not even the bathroom. Good luck trying to plug in a nightlight, because the outlets are scattered at odd angles. And if you had hoped for a room with a view to spend immortality, better get used to the windows that are at unconventional heights.
Those windows have one important effect that starts to get at the heart of what Arakawa and Gins are trying to accomplish. Because they are either very high or low, you cannot establish where the horizon is. You do not know what is level and what is not. The roof is not always a fixed distance from the floor. You cannot use your normal ways of getting around, which you may not even have to think about at this point; tools like depth perception and distance do not apply. Arakawa and Gins claim that losing balance and using your body in surprising ways to maintain equilibrium will stimulate the immune system, which will eventually stop aging and death.
Human has always try to evade death through many ways. Examples are finding elixir which is believed to give you eternal life, improving the medical science to stop aging and cryogenic freezing yourself until science improvement is made. In my opinion, what is the use of living forever without a purpose in life? By having no meaningful purpose and yet a never-ending life, I believe we will just become living zombies who might in the end (technically there is no end if eternity exists) wish that we can end our life. Self-contradicting is very common in human, we always want the best for us, but only to realize that it may not be the best for us. Just like one thing I realized long ago, "The more knowledge you gained, the more you know you dont know". Sometimes, I feel that it is better to be naive and live a simple life.
PS: Parts of the information and pictures are extracted from www.howstuffworks.com.
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Came Out Of Hiatus
Feel so good! Finally came out of long hiatus, went to club at MOS with friends and buddies. I really enjoyed it since I was absent from clubbing scene for one and half months. Catch up with a platoon mate which completed his service and have good talk with him. He was concerned about his acne and acne scars problem which persisted in him for long time. He was trying out an over-the-counter cream which will repair and rejuvenate the skin, but told me that the effects was not great. You might laugh at this but we guys do discuss about such stuffs.
Some of my friends might even consider me as metro-sexual because of my complex face regime but I personally believe that maintaining appearance is important. Why not if you are able to do something to make yourself look better? If the reason is because you are lazy then you are being disrespectful to yourself and the others. Famous quote: "There are no ugly women in the world, only lazy women", of course we can change it from women to men.
I recommended him to see a dermatologist for advice as past experiences tell me that his skin problem can be easily solved through a proper face regime. I have been seeing a dermatologist for my skin problems also and the advices & medicines that they gave are really good at helping me. Just a tube of topical tretinoin cream may be the answer to acne and acne scars even though long term usage is needed to show the effects. I have been using the cream for more than half a year and the effects are great. Just a short introduction to tretinoin cream, it helps to improve skin complexion and treat & prevent acne.
I am really happy that I can resume my face regime this coming week because of the chicken pox outbreak which forces me to suspend the use of the cream. My face still has some scars left from chicken pox which can be improved by using the cream. Hopefully, I can get back to the good complexion which I always had.
Final note, I will advice anyone facing face problems to see a dermatologist for advice. It is not that expensive as some might think and the regime might not be that nuisance to follow through. This is especially important for those who has low confidence because of skin problem.
Some of my friends might even consider me as metro-sexual because of my complex face regime but I personally believe that maintaining appearance is important. Why not if you are able to do something to make yourself look better? If the reason is because you are lazy then you are being disrespectful to yourself and the others. Famous quote: "There are no ugly women in the world, only lazy women", of course we can change it from women to men.
I recommended him to see a dermatologist for advice as past experiences tell me that his skin problem can be easily solved through a proper face regime. I have been seeing a dermatologist for my skin problems also and the advices & medicines that they gave are really good at helping me. Just a tube of topical tretinoin cream may be the answer to acne and acne scars even though long term usage is needed to show the effects. I have been using the cream for more than half a year and the effects are great. Just a short introduction to tretinoin cream, it helps to improve skin complexion and treat & prevent acne.
I am really happy that I can resume my face regime this coming week because of the chicken pox outbreak which forces me to suspend the use of the cream. My face still has some scars left from chicken pox which can be improved by using the cream. Hopefully, I can get back to the good complexion which I always had.
Final note, I will advice anyone facing face problems to see a dermatologist for advice. It is not that expensive as some might think and the regime might not be that nuisance to follow through. This is especially important for those who has low confidence because of skin problem.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Emotions
你 - 林依晨 (恶作剧2吻片尾曲)
林依晨甜美线唱片尾曲“你”. 感受她对爱情的甜蜜吧!
你 is a great MV! It shows us that loving someone wholeheartedly can be so easy yet so difficult. 林依晨 may not be a superb singer, but the essence of the song is well expressed by her. During a relationship, you might feel hurt and not surrounded by happiness and sweetness at times. Sadness, bitterness, anger and even jealousy may even set in, urging you to give up the relationship.
But something I realised from 恶作剧2吻 & 恶作剧之吻 is that your heart will only stir up such emotions for those that you really care. Thus do not give up any friendship or relationship easily because they are the only small fraction of people in the entire universe that can make you have such emotions. Do treasure every friendships and relationships well. Without such emotions, life will be a fruitless journey.
Of course I do not mean that as a friend or beau, you must let your concerned ones feel the different kind of emotions in equal amounts. Life with lots of happiness and some sadness, bitterness, etc, will be more fulfilling as opposed to one which is packed with only happiness all the times. Thus, enjoy the emotions that your loved ones stirred up in you and enjoy the song :)
你 - 林依晨 Lyrics
风轻轻 我听见你声音
你对着我叮咛 要注意自己的心情
雨轻轻 我听见你声音
你拿着伞靠近 为我遮着风挡着雨
一点点想哭泣一点点想着你
你的爱很珍惜 我总依赖着你的记忆
你就像风在说话 顺着我方向
你就像海中的波浪 堆着我成长
我明白你的回答 温柔的对话
爱情其实没有办法 不被感动吧 我不说谎
风轻轻 我听见你声音
你对着我叮咛 要注意自己的心情
雨轻轻 我听见你声音
你拿着伞靠近 为我遮着风挡着雨
一点点想哭泣一点点想着你
你的爱很珍惜 我总依赖着你的记忆
你就像风在说话 顺著我方向
你就像海中的波浪 堆着我成长
我明白你的回答 温柔的对话
爱情其实没有办法 不被感动吧 我不说谎
林依晨甜美线唱片尾曲“你”. 感受她对爱情的甜蜜吧!
你 is a great MV! It shows us that loving someone wholeheartedly can be so easy yet so difficult. 林依晨 may not be a superb singer, but the essence of the song is well expressed by her. During a relationship, you might feel hurt and not surrounded by happiness and sweetness at times. Sadness, bitterness, anger and even jealousy may even set in, urging you to give up the relationship.
But something I realised from 恶作剧2吻 & 恶作剧之吻 is that your heart will only stir up such emotions for those that you really care. Thus do not give up any friendship or relationship easily because they are the only small fraction of people in the entire universe that can make you have such emotions. Do treasure every friendships and relationships well. Without such emotions, life will be a fruitless journey.
Of course I do not mean that as a friend or beau, you must let your concerned ones feel the different kind of emotions in equal amounts. Life with lots of happiness and some sadness, bitterness, etc, will be more fulfilling as opposed to one which is packed with only happiness all the times. Thus, enjoy the emotions that your loved ones stirred up in you and enjoy the song :)
你 - 林依晨 Lyrics
风轻轻 我听见你声音
你对着我叮咛 要注意自己的心情
雨轻轻 我听见你声音
你拿着伞靠近 为我遮着风挡着雨
一点点想哭泣一点点想着你
你的爱很珍惜 我总依赖着你的记忆
你就像风在说话 顺着我方向
你就像海中的波浪 堆着我成长
我明白你的回答 温柔的对话
爱情其实没有办法 不被感动吧 我不说谎
风轻轻 我听见你声音
你对着我叮咛 要注意自己的心情
雨轻轻 我听见你声音
你拿着伞靠近 为我遮着风挡着雨
一点点想哭泣一点点想着你
你的爱很珍惜 我总依赖着你的记忆
你就像风在说话 顺著我方向
你就像海中的波浪 堆着我成长
我明白你的回答 温柔的对话
爱情其实没有办法 不被感动吧 我不说谎
Sunday, September 7, 2008
The Large Hadron Collider
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is the world's largest particle accelerator complex and is situated at the France - Switzerland border near Geneva, Switzerland. It purpose is to collide opposing beams of 7 TeV protons to explore the validity and limitations of the Standard Model, the current theoretical model for particle physics. In simple words, it is used to examine the universe's tiniest particles.
The LHC is contained in a circular tunnel with a circumference of 27 KM at a depth ranging from 50 M to 175 M underground. The LHC will be operating at a temperature of 1.9 K or -271.25 °C, making it the largest cryogenic facility in the world at liquid helium temperature. Once switched on and fully operated, it will cause the protons and ions to collide at near the velocity of light. Scientists will record the resulting events caused by the collision and hope to understand the universe began and what it is made of. It is the most ambitious and powerful particle accelerator built to date with thousands of scientists from hundreds of countries in different disciplines working together.
The principle behind the LHC is pretty simple. First, fire 2 beams of particles along the two pathway, with one going clockwise and the other going counterclockwise. Then you accelerate both beams to near the velocity of light and direct them to collide with each other and watch the resulting events.
There has been arguments that the LHC will create powerful reactions never seen before that could cause serious trouble for the Earth such as destroying it. Few people are so concerned that they filed lawsuit to the CERN agency which operates the LHC to stop the LHC from activating and operating. The CERN has ruled out the possibilities that the LHC will destroy the Earth and will continue their plan to activate it on 10 September 2008.
I hope that the full activation and operation of the LHC will advance the understanding of the universe that we knew so little about. It will be a major step to the advancement of science and the corresponding theories that evolve around it. Of course you maybe paranoid about the safety of the LHC on human race and the Earth, so do enjoy yourself before 10 September 2008 arrives.
The LHC is contained in a circular tunnel with a circumference of 27 KM at a depth ranging from 50 M to 175 M underground. The LHC will be operating at a temperature of 1.9 K or -271.25 °C, making it the largest cryogenic facility in the world at liquid helium temperature. Once switched on and fully operated, it will cause the protons and ions to collide at near the velocity of light. Scientists will record the resulting events caused by the collision and hope to understand the universe began and what it is made of. It is the most ambitious and powerful particle accelerator built to date with thousands of scientists from hundreds of countries in different disciplines working together.
The principle behind the LHC is pretty simple. First, fire 2 beams of particles along the two pathway, with one going clockwise and the other going counterclockwise. Then you accelerate both beams to near the velocity of light and direct them to collide with each other and watch the resulting events.
There has been arguments that the LHC will create powerful reactions never seen before that could cause serious trouble for the Earth such as destroying it. Few people are so concerned that they filed lawsuit to the CERN agency which operates the LHC to stop the LHC from activating and operating. The CERN has ruled out the possibilities that the LHC will destroy the Earth and will continue their plan to activate it on 10 September 2008.
I hope that the full activation and operation of the LHC will advance the understanding of the universe that we knew so little about. It will be a major step to the advancement of science and the corresponding theories that evolve around it. Of course you maybe paranoid about the safety of the LHC on human race and the Earth, so do enjoy yourself before 10 September 2008 arrives.
Friday, September 5, 2008
My Roles & Purposes
Even though I do not wish to brood over it, the most important question of my life still popped up when I was lying on the bed waiting to fall asleep yesterday.
What are my roles and purposes in this universe?
This question does pops up a few times in my life, but I only briefly thought of the answer. Yesterday night was a different one, I pondered on the memories of my childhood to adulthood and found alots of realisations.
What are my roles and purposes in this universe?
This question does pops up a few times in my life, but I only briefly thought of the answer. Yesterday night was a different one, I pondered on the memories of my childhood to adulthood and found alots of realisations.
- I have grown old too fast, the change from a kid to an adult seems to be like within days.
- My parents and family members have grown old too. I do not believe in watching my parents get old, to me it a great torment. Thinking of how healthy they were when I was young and the health deterioration they went through makes me wonder what has TIME done to us. And knowing the fact, that eventually we have to part our ways just make me stop thinking of the FUTURE.
- What is the purpose of LIFE? Is it simply by being successful in your career and finding your other half to settle down and form a blissful family? Has all these social conditioning "purpose of LIFE" numbed our real purposes and roles in the universe.
- Does supreme being such as GOD exists, or am I an atheist, denying the existence of supreme being above us?
- What is the purposes of LOVE? Is it just a solution to make us blindly believe that forming a family and reproducing is a great thing, or is it one of the best grace GOD has given to human so that we can partner and walk the LIFE path together? Does true love exists, and can it last?
After repeated thinking on these realisations, I still cannot understand my roles and purposes in life well. It may be due to the lack of vast life experiences. The idea of eternity also came up on my mind, another word for eternity is forever. Forever seems to be a word that is brought up frequently by human; "Friends forever", "I love you forever", etc, but do human really understand the real meaning of it. Dictionary findings of forever is: without ever ending or an endless period of time. How many can actually understand and imagine the eternity or forever afterlife that all religions has to offer. Finally, I just hope that as I go through the path of LIFE, I can conclude on my real roles and purposes in the universe.
PS: These are my personal opinions on the topic, it does not aim to defame any religion or the existence of supreme being or promote the idea of atheism.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Because Of You
My favourite song when clubbing. It put me to the dance floor instantaneously. The song is melodious and the lyrics are well written. Enjoy it :)
Because Of You - Ne-yo
[Conversation]
-You're obsessed
-You're like a drug
-I'm addicted to you. -You're like a drug
-I'm obsessed
-No, me (No, me). -No, me.
-I'm strung out
-It's because of you. -It's because of me.
Want to, but I can’t help it
I love the way it feels
It’s got me stuck between my fantasy and what is real
I need it when I want it
I want it when I don’t
Tell myself I’ll stop everyday, knowing that I won't
I got a problem and I (don’t know what to do about it)
Even if I did, I don’t know if I would quit but I doubt it. I’m
Taken by the thought of it
And I know this much is true
Baby, you, have become my addiction
I’m so strung out on you
I can barely move
But I like it
So then it’s all because of you (All because of you)
So then it’s all because of you (All because of you), hmm
And it’s all because of you (All because of you)
So then it’s all because
(Never get enough
She’s the sweetest drug)
Think of it every second
I can't get nothing done
Only concern is the next time, I’m gonna get me some
Know I should stay away from, cause it's no good for me
I try and try but my obsession, won't let me leave
I got a problem and I (don’t know what to do about it), ooh
Even if I did, I don’t know if I would quit but I doubt it. I’m
Taken by the thought of it (Hey!)
And I know this much is true
Baby, you, have become my addiction
I’m so strung out on you (strung out on you)
I can barely move (ooh)
But I like it (But I like it)
So then it’s all because of you, hey! (All because of you)
So then it’s all because of you, hmm (All because of you)
And it’s all because of you (All because of you)
So then it’s all because
(Never get enough) Never get enough
(She’s the sweetest drug)
Ain’t no doubt (No doubt, hey!)
So strung out (Strung ou-out)
Ain’t no doubt (Too certain, ain't no doubt, oh)
So strung out (hey-hey-hey!)
Over you
Over you (you)
Over you
Because of you
And it’s all because of you
Hmm-mmm
Never get enough
She’s the sweetest drug
She’s the sweetest drug
Because Of You - Ne-yo
[Conversation]
-You're obsessed
-You're like a drug
-I'm addicted to you. -You're like a drug
-I'm obsessed
-No, me (No, me). -No, me.
-I'm strung out
-It's because of you. -It's because of me.
Want to, but I can’t help it
I love the way it feels
It’s got me stuck between my fantasy and what is real
I need it when I want it
I want it when I don’t
Tell myself I’ll stop everyday, knowing that I won't
I got a problem and I (don’t know what to do about it)
Even if I did, I don’t know if I would quit but I doubt it. I’m
Taken by the thought of it
And I know this much is true
Baby, you, have become my addiction
I’m so strung out on you
I can barely move
But I like it
So then it’s all because of you (All because of you)
So then it’s all because of you (All because of you), hmm
And it’s all because of you (All because of you)
So then it’s all because
(Never get enough
She’s the sweetest drug)
Think of it every second
I can't get nothing done
Only concern is the next time, I’m gonna get me some
Know I should stay away from, cause it's no good for me
I try and try but my obsession, won't let me leave
I got a problem and I (don’t know what to do about it), ooh
Even if I did, I don’t know if I would quit but I doubt it. I’m
Taken by the thought of it (Hey!)
And I know this much is true
Baby, you, have become my addiction
I’m so strung out on you (strung out on you)
I can barely move (ooh)
But I like it (But I like it)
So then it’s all because of you, hey! (All because of you)
So then it’s all because of you, hmm (All because of you)
And it’s all because of you (All because of you)
So then it’s all because
(Never get enough) Never get enough
(She’s the sweetest drug)
Ain’t no doubt (No doubt, hey!)
So strung out (Strung ou-out)
Ain’t no doubt (Too certain, ain't no doubt, oh)
So strung out (hey-hey-hey!)
Over you
Over you (you)
Over you
Because of you
And it’s all because of you
Hmm-mmm
Never get enough
She’s the sweetest drug
She’s the sweetest drug
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Chicken Pox
It has been 10 days since the discovery of my chicken pox. Life has been boring, even if some envy my long MC... Come to think of it, 2 wks of MC = 2 wks of home dentention. Do you want it? Pity myself for getting chicken pox in adulthood. Coincidently, most of my close cousins still havent had chicken pox before. Do they want to carry the tragedy like what I did, only getting it in adulthood? I heard that getting chicken pox in adulthood is bad because the chicken pox will not go off so easily and the chance of scarring is higher. My face and body is full of chicken pox and my parents said that it is better this way, thinking that having a serious one will reduce the chance of getting it another time. Even until now, there are still lots of dried chicken pox on my face and body. Just hope they will disappear soon without scarring. Another note, been eating plain food like porridge with canned cai xin for 10 whole days already. Really hope to eat some good foods but my mum told me not to eat anything "toxic" like chicken and eggs within 40 days. My god....
Monday, July 28, 2008
Sad Memories
Yesterday, out of a sudden my dad started talking about the past. This brings me back to some sad childhood's memories that I have nearly forgotten. One such memory is the incident where my mum had a miscarriage when I was about 8 to 9 yrs old. Even though I was quite young at that time but I remembered it quite well deeply in my heart as I always hope to have a sibling. By the way, I am the only child in my family. At that time my mum was still working at an electronic factory and the miscarriage happened during the 3rd or 4th month of the pregnancy.
Enough of this, the reason why I wanted to blog on this is how human try to or easily tends to forget about sad memories and incidents. Even though I have not deleted this sad incident from my brain, but I had put it aside and never want to touch it. It was only through recall that makes me think of it again. Is it human nature to try to forget sad memories and only remembered the happy ones? Translation from part of the lyrics of Jay Chou's Cai Hong (Rainbow): "Maybe time is an antidote and is also a poison I am currently taking". I find the lyrics are meaningful. Time seems to be an antidote to heal our pain but also as time goes by, human grows numbed towards the surrounding and happening, and thus this is why it is also a poison we are taking.
Thus does the growing up process and ageing process makes us numbed towards everything including love. Is this the reason why some say that they can never put in the same amount of love in a new relationship because of the experience of a failed relationship? If these questions account to a "YES", then I found that as human grows older, they are getting more protective towards themselves; just like a tortoise hiding in its shell, too afraid to get hurt. It seems really pathetic if this is the human nature. Aren't we supposed to be the most intelligent species in the animal world, then why can't we bravely face the sad memories and incidents?
Enough of this, the reason why I wanted to blog on this is how human try to or easily tends to forget about sad memories and incidents. Even though I have not deleted this sad incident from my brain, but I had put it aside and never want to touch it. It was only through recall that makes me think of it again. Is it human nature to try to forget sad memories and only remembered the happy ones? Translation from part of the lyrics of Jay Chou's Cai Hong (Rainbow): "Maybe time is an antidote and is also a poison I am currently taking". I find the lyrics are meaningful. Time seems to be an antidote to heal our pain but also as time goes by, human grows numbed towards the surrounding and happening, and thus this is why it is also a poison we are taking.
Thus does the growing up process and ageing process makes us numbed towards everything including love. Is this the reason why some say that they can never put in the same amount of love in a new relationship because of the experience of a failed relationship? If these questions account to a "YES", then I found that as human grows older, they are getting more protective towards themselves; just like a tortoise hiding in its shell, too afraid to get hurt. It seems really pathetic if this is the human nature. Aren't we supposed to be the most intelligent species in the animal world, then why can't we bravely face the sad memories and incidents?
Thursday, July 24, 2008
1st Time @ Ladies' Night
Finally went to my 1st Ladie's Night with my army mates yesterday. We went to St James Powerhouse as half a bottle Hennesy V.S.O.P. was left from last saturday clubbing. I joined in as a member of Powerhouse last saturday too, thus I can bring two friends with me and enter free into the outlets of St James. The feeling of 1st time clubbing during wednesday ladies' night was a unique one, as I need to report to camp straight after that and I am used to clubbing only during fridays or saturdays. It filled me with anticipation on which group of gals and guys will actually bother to come since its a weekday. To my surprise, there was a wide group of girls and guys over there; working adults, tertiary school students, aunties and uncles and many others.
After finish drinking the Hennesy, we went to the dance floor at about 12 midnight and started to dance with gals. Soon, one of my favourite clubbing songs, "Because Of You" by Ne-yo was played and brightened up my whole mood. Overall , 1st Ladies' Night for me was enjoyable and my platoon mates and I was discussing of going to Phuture next month.
After finish drinking the Hennesy, we went to the dance floor at about 12 midnight and started to dance with gals. Soon, one of my favourite clubbing songs, "Because Of You" by Ne-yo was played and brightened up my whole mood. Overall , 1st Ladies' Night for me was enjoyable and my platoon mates and I was discussing of going to Phuture next month.
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Astrological Signs
To many, astrology or simply horoscope is all about the 12 signs that are spread throughout the 12 months of a year. Thus when you ask someone for their horoscope, they will just tell you that they fall in one of the signs listed below:
Aries (21 Mar - 19 Apr)
Taurus (20 Apr - 20 May)
Gemini (21 May - 21 Jun)
Cancer (22 Jun - 22 Jul)
Leo (23 Jul - 22 Aug)
Virgo (23 Aug - 22 Sep)
Libra (23 Sep - 22 Oct)
Scorpio (23 Oct - 21 Nov)
Sagittarius (22 Nov - 21 Dec)
Capricorn (22 Dec - 19 Jan)
Aquarius (20 Jan - 18 Feb)
Pisces (19 Feb - 20 Mar)
Note that even though Capricorn fall from mid December to mid January, it is not considered the first sign of the astrological year. Aries is considered the first sign of the astrological year.
The dates that the signs fall in provided above are just a rough guide only as some websites and books are basing it on a certain place on the Earth like GMT (Greenwich Mean Time). Thus in Singapore we will have to add 8 hours to it. For example, you were born on 20 April 0300hrs in Singapore, but in GMT, it is only 19 April 1900hrs, thus you are still considered as an Aries and not Taurus. So the easiest and most accurate way is to go to website that let you fill in your birth place, birth date and time to find out your actual sign. One more thing to note is that if you are born within a few days after or before the transition of the signs, you are known as on the cusp. This means that you will have the some personalities traits from both the signs. An example will be like someone born on 17 Apr, he is an Aries but he does have some traits of Taurus on him also.
Until now, all the signs and dates that I stated belong to only a type of astrology and that is known as the Sun Sign or more commonly as Star Sign. What Sun or Star sign simply mean is which sign was the Sun in when you were born. Thus if you can conclude that you are born on 17 June 1984 like me, then you are sure that the Sun was in Gemini zodiac when I was born. Please note that when I mean the Sun was in Gemini zodiac, it does not mean that the Sun was in the Gemini constellation. Rather it means that the Sun was in the Gemini zodiac. Astrologers divided the sky into 12 equal parts of 30 degree and named each part with different zodiac after the constellation but due to the precession of Earth in the universe, the zodiac and constellation locations do not match anymore. What we read in newspapers, magazines and some website all uses the Sun Sign to predict your daily horoscope.
Another more common type of astrology will be the Moon Sign. As the name stated by itself, we know that it mean which sign was the Moon when someone was born. For Moon Sign, the average transition from one sign to another is about 2.33 days thus Moon Sign does not have a roughly fixed date range like the Sun Sign. In order to find out your Moon Sign, you need to go to website that let you fill in your birth place, birth date and time. If you are not sure of the time, it is pretty okay unless the specific day is the transition of the signs then the more exact your birth time is the better.
A site that offer free basic astrology chart can be found at http://www.chaosastrology.net/freeastrologyreports.cfm
So after saying so much about the Sun Sign and Moon Sign, what the differences? The Sun Sign is said to describe your basic nature and the personality traits that remain constant through the ups and downs of life. It is the image you shine out to the world, but it comes from that truest, innermost part of you while the Moon Sign is said to describe the inner life that only close companions get to experience. It’s the private you that reveals itself behind closed doors, when you’ve put on something more comfortable. It’s also the unguarded you that has to act on instinct, the one that comes out in a crisis. Thus, the Sun Sign describe the outer part of you and the Moon Sign describe your inner world of feelings and emotions.
Astrology is not a simple subject as many think, there are still many topics and types related to it to make every individual's personalities unique from others. Doing a complete astrological chart might prove insights to your past and future life but the exact birth time is important because many other celestial objects are considered when making such a chart. Thus uniqueness isn't by choice, it is by fate of your birth place, birth date and time.
A New Start
Hi all, I am Frederick. Gurfield Blog has been setup quite long ago but it is only till now that I actually took effort to revamp the whole blog and start blogging again. I will blog on my interests in astrology, astronomy, clubbing, music and movies and my personal life experiences. Finally, I hope this new start will be a good one.
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