If you're wondering what took me so long; it was the CNY break! I deserve a break too right? I mean, that's an absolutely reasonable reason. No, I'm sure it's not because I got lazy and had no mood to blog. That just can't be the real reason.
Anyways, here's some feedback that you guys who've viewed my blog have in common:
1. Certain parts of the background(template) is too bright to be able to read the words.
Well, I agree with you all about this. But it takes a lot of trouble to find another template and reconfiguring the whole HTML of the current blog. My suggestion is that you just scroll down to the darker places where you can read them. Or, if even that is such a hassle, highlight the words that can't be seen. You should be able to see them now.
2. Too many words!
I understand your predicament, if this is one anyway. And I understand that you actually read a blog, and can't hear me speaking. But I guess blogging as if I'm speaking to you face to face is my preference. Writing for an article is not really my thing. Maybe I need to get Josh to better myself in that area. =) So all that is required of you is to imagine that I'm actually speaking to you, that you are in fact hearing audible sounds of me talking to you, with complete intonation and diction, even while you're reading my respective posts. Once you're able to do that, you wouldn't think there are too many words; you might even doubt if they're enough! Imagination stimulates those dusty old brains, so start doing that.
The rest are compliments, which I accept gratefully, along with your critiques, which are perhaps more constructive and useful. By all means continue offering feedback and comments; they are very much appreciated.
Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Too late
There are just countless ways that we as humans can physically or mentally injure another person. Consciously or unconsciously we hurt each other. It's true as well as inevitable. Yet a lot of people have come to realize it's the strike to the mind and one's self-respect that do much more damage than physical ones.
'Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.' To put it simply, if that was a true or false statement, it would be a downright false one. No matter how mentally strong we may be, we're still vulnerable and susceptible to mere utterances by fellow human beings.
And the worst part is, words cannot be taken back. Absolutely not. Irreversible. So once you've spoken rash words, even if you didn't mean them, they have reached the other person; the damage has been done. Okay, standing from a point where we want to fix the situation. Plan A: Stop the words from entering the other person's ears. Let's see. Covering the person's ears? If you wanted to do so, that would be a voluntary action. Let's take the fastest possible range of movement of a human being. Your reflex(an involuntary form of action), takes an approximate 0.18 seconds to be executed; bear in mind that your reflex would allow only movement of your hands a distance of a few centimeters. In one second, you'd be able to take three large steps at most. On the other hand, the speed of sound is 343 meters per second. I guess your words might have reached the ears of the person you were talking to before you got a chance to even blink.
Plan A is a failure. Let's move on to plan B: Erase the memory of the person who heard the words. Why, that's foolproof! Imagine, with him not remembering what you said, why would he find any fault in you? We can delete a song, a file, a whole document from our computer but unfortunately the same cannot be said of the human brain. We are incapable of erasing our memories at will, let alone selectively doing so to others. The human memory is so complicated that the exact localization of memory areas is a fact hitherto unknown; even scientists can't pinpoint and tell us precisely where memories are located in the brain, although many physiologists agree that they are located at the cerebrum(the large area of the brain covering the surface of the cortex). Still, that is very general. Though we may complain of not being able to remember facts and dates in history, yet we're able to remember what people say to us for life, that depending on the significance of both the person who was speaking to us and the words spoken. And somehow negative comments and criticism have a way of sticking to our memory better than a piece of paper sticking to another by super glue or two plungers pressed against each other or two supermagnets placed together with their opposite poles facing each other. Even more so when the harsh and cruel words spoken are by people close to us.
Therefore we can safely render the effort of erasing one's memory utterly futile. In that case, what is left for us to do? Well, they say 'time heals all wounds', and to a certain extent all of us can identify with that. But of course, the compunction in ourselves, the guilty ones, remains. While we wait for time to do its thing, in the meantime, we can say to the offended party 'sorry'. Alas, that's the only thing we can do; do we have any other options?
'Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.' To put it simply, if that was a true or false statement, it would be a downright false one. No matter how mentally strong we may be, we're still vulnerable and susceptible to mere utterances by fellow human beings.
And the worst part is, words cannot be taken back. Absolutely not. Irreversible. So once you've spoken rash words, even if you didn't mean them, they have reached the other person; the damage has been done. Okay, standing from a point where we want to fix the situation. Plan A: Stop the words from entering the other person's ears. Let's see. Covering the person's ears? If you wanted to do so, that would be a voluntary action. Let's take the fastest possible range of movement of a human being. Your reflex(an involuntary form of action), takes an approximate 0.18 seconds to be executed; bear in mind that your reflex would allow only movement of your hands a distance of a few centimeters. In one second, you'd be able to take three large steps at most. On the other hand, the speed of sound is 343 meters per second. I guess your words might have reached the ears of the person you were talking to before you got a chance to even blink.
Plan A is a failure. Let's move on to plan B: Erase the memory of the person who heard the words. Why, that's foolproof! Imagine, with him not remembering what you said, why would he find any fault in you? We can delete a song, a file, a whole document from our computer but unfortunately the same cannot be said of the human brain. We are incapable of erasing our memories at will, let alone selectively doing so to others. The human memory is so complicated that the exact localization of memory areas is a fact hitherto unknown; even scientists can't pinpoint and tell us precisely where memories are located in the brain, although many physiologists agree that they are located at the cerebrum(the large area of the brain covering the surface of the cortex). Still, that is very general. Though we may complain of not being able to remember facts and dates in history, yet we're able to remember what people say to us for life, that depending on the significance of both the person who was speaking to us and the words spoken. And somehow negative comments and criticism have a way of sticking to our memory better than a piece of paper sticking to another by super glue or two plungers pressed against each other or two supermagnets placed together with their opposite poles facing each other. Even more so when the harsh and cruel words spoken are by people close to us.
Therefore we can safely render the effort of erasing one's memory utterly futile. In that case, what is left for us to do? Well, they say 'time heals all wounds', and to a certain extent all of us can identify with that. But of course, the compunction in ourselves, the guilty ones, remains. While we wait for time to do its thing, in the meantime, we can say to the offended party 'sorry'. Alas, that's the only thing we can do; do we have any other options?
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Speed
What comes to mind when you see or hear the word 'speed'? Usain Bolt? Michael Schumacher(he's still driving, so he's not outdated)? Ever since our childhood days, we have been introduced to the concept of speed. "Really?" You ask. The story of the race between the rabbit and the tortoise. I don't have to tell you the story. The answer is yes, we were exposed to the concept of speed. And from the story came the saying, 'slow and steady wins the race'. "Really?" Well that's a pretty valid question to ask now. Really? We win the race slowly? And does that only apply in races? Is being slow applicable to life itself?
As technology progressed, so has speed. We had bicycles; now we have cars and airplanes. We had snail mail; now we have e-mail. We had internet dial-up; now we have streamyx. It is natural that as we human beings learn and grow, we invent and innovate for our own comfort and convenience. Yet all actions have consequences. Just as deforestation, supposedly to allow more space for beautiful buildings and cosy homes, have caused global warming and flash floods, so has technology deteriorated the average person's capacity to endure and wait. People just can't WAIT. If otherwise, why do you think people accelerate the moment they see a traffic light turn yellow? I'm pretty sure that in driving school, I learnt that we should slow down and stop when we see a yellow light. Not obeying the traffic light means you will be rewarded with a 10 point demerit. In the case of you still being on probation while committing such a traffic offense, your license would be suspended. So, have people become more brave, daring to disobey the rules? Or become less intelligent, not understanding simple English(or Malay for that matter)? Surely there is a reason that people are willing to risk suspending their license, heavy fines, dignity and even dear lives. And no, people have not become more brave or more dumb. They have become more impatient. You can see for yourself that impatience has such power over people that people no longer consider all the implications mentioned above. Another example would be instant noodles. Yes. A few minutes and you can start eating, without any work or preparation needed. And even during those 3 minutes, people find it hard to wait. So, faster is surely better in this age, right?
We also learn a certain formula in physics. Impulse equals force multiplied by time. Applying simple mathematics, you would find that force equals to impulse divided by time. Assuming both impulse and force are kept constant. There you go; time becomes the biggest factor, being able to determine outcomes. And I guess the logic behind how time manipulates force goes without saying, since all of you are bright people. In cases like these, we instead would desire to lengthen the time, so as to reduce the force exerted. That's what crumple zones in vehicles are for, because really, a few seconds can mean life or death. So here, we want time to be slow. Back to the last question in the previous paragraph. What's your answer?
Enough of human analysis, logic, comprehension and sense.
Fast versus Slow. Fast 1, Slow 2. Slow wins.
As technology progressed, so has speed. We had bicycles; now we have cars and airplanes. We had snail mail; now we have e-mail. We had internet dial-up; now we have streamyx. It is natural that as we human beings learn and grow, we invent and innovate for our own comfort and convenience. Yet all actions have consequences. Just as deforestation, supposedly to allow more space for beautiful buildings and cosy homes, have caused global warming and flash floods, so has technology deteriorated the average person's capacity to endure and wait. People just can't WAIT. If otherwise, why do you think people accelerate the moment they see a traffic light turn yellow? I'm pretty sure that in driving school, I learnt that we should slow down and stop when we see a yellow light. Not obeying the traffic light means you will be rewarded with a 10 point demerit. In the case of you still being on probation while committing such a traffic offense, your license would be suspended. So, have people become more brave, daring to disobey the rules? Or become less intelligent, not understanding simple English(or Malay for that matter)? Surely there is a reason that people are willing to risk suspending their license, heavy fines, dignity and even dear lives. And no, people have not become more brave or more dumb. They have become more impatient. You can see for yourself that impatience has such power over people that people no longer consider all the implications mentioned above. Another example would be instant noodles. Yes. A few minutes and you can start eating, without any work or preparation needed. And even during those 3 minutes, people find it hard to wait. So, faster is surely better in this age, right?
We also learn a certain formula in physics. Impulse equals force multiplied by time. Applying simple mathematics, you would find that force equals to impulse divided by time. Assuming both impulse and force are kept constant. There you go; time becomes the biggest factor, being able to determine outcomes. And I guess the logic behind how time manipulates force goes without saying, since all of you are bright people. In cases like these, we instead would desire to lengthen the time, so as to reduce the force exerted. That's what crumple zones in vehicles are for, because really, a few seconds can mean life or death. So here, we want time to be slow. Back to the last question in the previous paragraph. What's your answer?
Enough of human analysis, logic, comprehension and sense.
"My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry."~James 1:19
Fast versus Slow. Fast 1, Slow 2. Slow wins.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Wordplay
Below are a list of pairing of particular words:
And your few seconds is up! Thought of it? No? Come on, you don't have to go squeezing the juice out of your brain to get just one more pair. You could have easily thought of stupid/ugly/lazy/dishonest/dumb Weldon.
(There you go laughing, or at least giggling to yourself. Don't lie, I know you are.)
P.S. Looks familiar to you, huh Windjammer? =)
- Giant dwarf
- Stinking perfume
- Secret publicity
- Inexorable humanitarian
- Virgin mother
- Affluent beggar
- Smooth wrinkles
- Dry mud
- Unrestrained prisoner
- Hyperactive sluggard
And your few seconds is up! Thought of it? No? Come on, you don't have to go squeezing the juice out of your brain to get just one more pair. You could have easily thought of stupid/ugly/lazy/dishonest/dumb Weldon.
(There you go laughing, or at least giggling to yourself. Don't lie, I know you are.)
P.S. Looks familiar to you, huh Windjammer? =)
Friday, February 5, 2010
Statement of opinion
The biggest joke I've ever heard in my life. Concerning the recent movie Legion (2010), that is. The movie started off by flashing Psalm 34:11, "Come, my children, and listen to me, and I will teach you to fear the Lord."
Obviously, whoever who's the director, never did finish reading the bible. Particularly, he did not come across these two verses; if he did, well, I can safely conclude of him being plain dense:
It is infinitely possible for me to further share my opinions on this movie, yet this is all that is necessary.
Obviously, whoever who's the director, never did finish reading the bible. Particularly, he did not come across these two verses; if he did, well, I can safely conclude of him being plain dense:
"And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from his love. Death can't, and life can't. The angels can't, and the demons can't. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can't keep God's love away. Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord."~Romans 8:38-39
It is infinitely possible for me to further share my opinions on this movie, yet this is all that is necessary.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Prologue
Welcome to the blog. It's interesting to note that the word 'blog' did not exist until recent times - the 21st century. So, what is a blog? It's a contraction of the term 'web log'. Basically an online diary, right? Well that's what stereotypical blogs sound like, and this definition is well accepted by the majority. However, I would beg to differ. The thing is, most people have misidentified the 'constant/fixed variable' here. They take 'writing about oneself' as the fixed variable in blogging. Yet, to me, the fixed variable is actually 'by who'. Think about it. You start a blog, you publish whatever you typed. It's by you. But the content is really not pre-determined; blogger doesn't have a law or policy stating that if you do not blog about yourself, your account would be terminated. No.
Let me tell you another interesting happening. The moment I published a thought on facebook that went "1st of February. New month, new blog? B-)", a friend of mine, an ex-classmate to be exact immediately commented, saying, "turning emo man?" Well concerning this particular person's comment, don't worry Li Onn I won't mention your name(Mr. Gerald would be proud), one can't help but ask why and how did he come to such a conclusion? It in fact ties with the first paragraph above. We all agree that most people treat blogs as personal diaries, so obviously that's how the emotions got connected with blogs. People have the tendency to pour out their hurts, frustrations, problems, essentially EMOTIONS into their respective blogs. Not that I'm saying it's wrong; you can do anything with your blog. But that's the pattern that is forming among bloggers these days. I, for one would like to break this standard idea about blogs, proving to my dear friend, (no worries Li Onn I won't mention your name at all, not even once =P) that it is in fact possible to blog without getting emotional. Nevertheless, I'm only human, and I have emotions, but I will try my best not to let my emotions get in the way whilst I blog.
So since I'm not going to blog about myself, what in the world am I going to blog here? For those of you dying to know the answer to that question, what I have typed so far should already give you an approximation. Only an approximation will it remain, however. That question does not have a definite answer. I can only tell you this:
"There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to rebuild.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to lose.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak up.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace."
~Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
Let me tell you another interesting happening. The moment I published a thought on facebook that went "1st of February. New month, new blog? B-)", a friend of mine, an ex-classmate to be exact immediately commented, saying, "turning emo man?" Well concerning this particular person's comment, don't worry Li Onn I won't mention your name(Mr. Gerald would be proud), one can't help but ask why and how did he come to such a conclusion? It in fact ties with the first paragraph above. We all agree that most people treat blogs as personal diaries, so obviously that's how the emotions got connected with blogs. People have the tendency to pour out their hurts, frustrations, problems, essentially EMOTIONS into their respective blogs. Not that I'm saying it's wrong; you can do anything with your blog. But that's the pattern that is forming among bloggers these days. I, for one would like to break this standard idea about blogs, proving to my dear friend, (no worries Li Onn I won't mention your name at all, not even once =P) that it is in fact possible to blog without getting emotional. Nevertheless, I'm only human, and I have emotions, but I will try my best not to let my emotions get in the way whilst I blog.
So since I'm not going to blog about myself, what in the world am I going to blog here? For those of you dying to know the answer to that question, what I have typed so far should already give you an approximation. Only an approximation will it remain, however. That question does not have a definite answer. I can only tell you this:
"There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to rebuild.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to lose.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak up.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace."
~Ecclesiastes 3:1-8
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