The internet has always been a platform for many different things. It seems that it has even created a platform for drama to be integrated into every single issue.
Unlike news and other forms of general communication, things that are posted on the internet stays. One cannot remove it and it may sometimes prove difficult to repair whatever damage is done, especially since the evidence is almost completely and absolutely real.
Let's take a recent example of this "dramatisation". We have the recent issue of the Hwa Chong student and his post on Stomp. If he had expressed his opinion somewhere else, like in real life, the incident would soon be forgotten, like how words are easily eroded by the flow of time. However, he posted his opinion on the internet. These words, so real yet so virtual, are immune to the erosion of time. As long as the internet exists, someone may just dig up the issue and it would start another massive controversy.
Now you may ask, what about opinions that are spread on the media? Don't those matter? Well, of course they do. Those things do last, but how far does the news actually spread? Many countries tend to try and prevent highly controversial content from being spread through the news. It still happens, but it is much less frequent. On the internet, it takes merely twenty minutes, one hour, for a popular site to receive over nine thousand views. It barely takes anytime for the drama to start. Anyone can post something on the internet and have half the world making a big deal out of it. Not everyone gets a chance to be part of news that half the world will be watching.
An example of such a thing would be Clifford Stoll. Here's a link to his article on Newsweek.
WAIT! Didn't I just link you to a Newsweek article? What has that got to do with the internet? Well, look at the latest comments. 2010. This article dated back to 1995, but there are still people aware about this issue (the controversial comment of one man) 15 years later. What does this say? Things on the internet live. They live for a very long time. When things are active for longer than they should be (like in real life), people start making a rather big deal about things. In real life, things are the Talk of the Month. On the internet, things may very well be the Talk of the Decade. Things become more exxaggerated as their lifespan increases. Watch any long running show and you see that most become more and more ridiculous as it goes on (I'm talking about Pokemon).
Indeed, the internet is a place where information never dies. As a result, people will have all the time in the world to create a massive fuss over anything. This is not my opinion about the Stomp issue, its just a mere observance about the internet's impact on things.
One thing that I already pointed by didn't state in black and white: The Internet makes more people involved with everything.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Nature VS Us
It was always said that natural disasters greatly impacted out lives, and that we have little control over it. However, does nature really affect our lives so much? Personally, I believe that we have more impact over our lives than nature does.
Let us first compare two thing with similar effects: volcanic eruptions vs Indonesia's annual forest fires.
From the most recent volcanic eruption, we know of its devastating effects on the health of people, as well as on the economy. Planes have to be grounded to prevent accidents from happening as a result of the volcanic ash. We have many, many people complaining about this and that, about how troublesome the volcanic eruption was. But doesn't the annual forest fires in Indonesia (started by humans) do the exact same thing?
We may not have control over nature, but we definitely have control over our own actions. We cannot choose when a volcano will erupt, but we can predict when it would happen. On the other hand, we can do something about our own actions, we can do something about what is done annually in Indonesia, something which has an impact as great as a natural disaster.
Of course, there are also things that happen which falls in the grey area between these two categories. The recent oil spill, for example, is not completely natural or man-made. It was an accident. Similar to natural disasters, it is impossible to control when it will happen, but we do have a certain extent of control over it. However, why is it that people are blamed for such incidents more than those which are completely caused by men?
Another example would be in gaming. Excuses include:
My mouse is acting weird.
I was experiencing lag.
My computer hung.
My keyboard key got stuck.
My computer self-destructed.
etc...
I believe many of us refuse to blame ourselves for anything bad that happens. People do not like taking the blame for an event that negatively impacted anything. We choose to blame it on things we cannot control, or blame someone else for failing to do something. It is rather unfair to say that accidents and natural disasters are the things that we should blame the most. We should be blaming ourselves for some of the things that are happening to us.
And I blame the distractions around me for making me forget about posting this earlier.
Let us first compare two thing with similar effects: volcanic eruptions vs Indonesia's annual forest fires.
From the most recent volcanic eruption, we know of its devastating effects on the health of people, as well as on the economy. Planes have to be grounded to prevent accidents from happening as a result of the volcanic ash. We have many, many people complaining about this and that, about how troublesome the volcanic eruption was. But doesn't the annual forest fires in Indonesia (started by humans) do the exact same thing?
We may not have control over nature, but we definitely have control over our own actions. We cannot choose when a volcano will erupt, but we can predict when it would happen. On the other hand, we can do something about our own actions, we can do something about what is done annually in Indonesia, something which has an impact as great as a natural disaster.
Of course, there are also things that happen which falls in the grey area between these two categories. The recent oil spill, for example, is not completely natural or man-made. It was an accident. Similar to natural disasters, it is impossible to control when it will happen, but we do have a certain extent of control over it. However, why is it that people are blamed for such incidents more than those which are completely caused by men?
Another example would be in gaming. Excuses include:
My mouse is acting weird.
I was experiencing lag.
My computer hung.
My keyboard key got stuck.
My computer self-destructed.
etc...
I believe many of us refuse to blame ourselves for anything bad that happens. People do not like taking the blame for an event that negatively impacted anything. We choose to blame it on things we cannot control, or blame someone else for failing to do something. It is rather unfair to say that accidents and natural disasters are the things that we should blame the most. We should be blaming ourselves for some of the things that are happening to us.
And I blame the distractions around me for making me forget about posting this earlier.
Sunday, June 13, 2010
New York Times Bans the Word "Tweet"
So I read this article in the papers. Here's a link to a rather similar article.
Personally, I believe this is a rather valid decision. Standard english and standard english alone should be used in newspapers, so using the word "tweet" would mean that the word has already been classfied as an english word.
Ever since the internet started becoming a large part of our lives, we have started using internet slang regularly in our lives. Many of the words that used to be slang has "evolved" into an english word. An example, as stated in the article, is the word "e-mail". It is very likely that you'll find the word in any dictionary you may look up.
Language is always evolving, new words are added everytime something new is discovered. Now, its not just discovery that brings about evolution in language, we have the internet.
Internet slang is probably one of the only kind of slang that evolves into actual words. I believe this is due to the massive population that is exposed to the internet. In most cases, the internet knows no bounds. People from all over the world are free to access it and its wide database of information. Anything that is on the internet can be viewed by anyone.
Ultimately, we are the ones who created the language, and we are also continuously adding to this. Soon, the words we now use on the internet may become words the future generations use in composition tests.
However, until then, it is important to remind everyone that internet slang should stay what it is, slang. If the newspaper continues to use the word "tweet", it would be sending the wrong message.
Somehow, all of the above made no sense, so let's talk about something else.
If you are someone who has been involved in the internet/computer games, you would have realised that the many games that succeeds thrives on the community. Many games that succeed are due to the users that play it. Some of the things that users do to make the site/game successful:
-Feedback. This is a must for anything to be successful.
-Direct contribution. When a user directly contributes content, an example would be the popular mod DotA Allstars. To be honest, I feel DotA is one of the few things that is keeping Warcraft 3 afloat. It is constantly being updated and Blizzard Entertainments (the creator of Warcraft 3) doesn't even have to do anything.
-Referring friends. More users = more popularity = more users = more popularity = ...
There's only so much the owner of the game/site can do. However, there is so much more that the users can do. The internet is like a campaign, people reach out to you to help, you benefit from it so you want to help. It is rather amazing what can be accomplished this way.
Personally, I believe this is a rather valid decision. Standard english and standard english alone should be used in newspapers, so using the word "tweet" would mean that the word has already been classfied as an english word.
Ever since the internet started becoming a large part of our lives, we have started using internet slang regularly in our lives. Many of the words that used to be slang has "evolved" into an english word. An example, as stated in the article, is the word "e-mail". It is very likely that you'll find the word in any dictionary you may look up.
Language is always evolving, new words are added everytime something new is discovered. Now, its not just discovery that brings about evolution in language, we have the internet.
Internet slang is probably one of the only kind of slang that evolves into actual words. I believe this is due to the massive population that is exposed to the internet. In most cases, the internet knows no bounds. People from all over the world are free to access it and its wide database of information. Anything that is on the internet can be viewed by anyone.
Ultimately, we are the ones who created the language, and we are also continuously adding to this. Soon, the words we now use on the internet may become words the future generations use in composition tests.
However, until then, it is important to remind everyone that internet slang should stay what it is, slang. If the newspaper continues to use the word "tweet", it would be sending the wrong message.
Somehow, all of the above made no sense, so let's talk about something else.
If you are someone who has been involved in the internet/computer games, you would have realised that the many games that succeeds thrives on the community. Many games that succeed are due to the users that play it. Some of the things that users do to make the site/game successful:
-Feedback. This is a must for anything to be successful.
-Direct contribution. When a user directly contributes content, an example would be the popular mod DotA Allstars. To be honest, I feel DotA is one of the few things that is keeping Warcraft 3 afloat. It is constantly being updated and Blizzard Entertainments (the creator of Warcraft 3) doesn't even have to do anything.
-Referring friends. More users = more popularity = more users = more popularity = ...
There's only so much the owner of the game/site can do. However, there is so much more that the users can do. The internet is like a campaign, people reach out to you to help, you benefit from it so you want to help. It is rather amazing what can be accomplished this way.
Saturday, May 29, 2010
Dead Poet's Society Reflections
I personally believe it was a very wonderful movie which managed to evoke my sympathy for certain characters. It also reflects some of the lives teenagers are experiencing really well.
Now, on to the actual reflection.
What is the film’s attitude towards youth? How does the film deal with the theme of ‘growing up’?
The film depicts youth as a time of opportunities and decisions. This can be seen as the film leaves its viewers with 2 words, even after the film has ended: Carpe Diem.
This phrase is constantly repeated by the characters in the movie, which reminds us to 'Seize the Day'. This suggests that youth is a time when many opportunities will pass you by, and one must make a choice so as to grab the opportunity before it escapes.
The film gives us the idea that 'growing up' is not something many individuals look forward to, despite it being inevitable. For one, the movie depicts Neil as a boy whose future has been written in stone by his father. From what Mr. Keatings has said, I feel like he hated growing up. He would try to destroy any evidence of his past, possibly because of how he missed the past. I would, to a certain extent, agree that growing up is rather painful. One loses many things when they grow, although they do gain some. However, the lost can rarely be reclaimed, which makes growing up a particularly painful process.
How does each of the boys below choose to ‘seize the day’? What is your opinion about their individual choices?
a) Neil Perry
b) Charlie Dalton
c) Knox Overstreet
d) Todd Anderson
Neil Perry made a simple choice. He chose to remain in the play and perform on the night of the performance. Under normal circumstances, this is a perfectly good decision. However, Neil chose to do it despite knowing how much his father disapproved of it. Furthermore, he lied to Mr. Keating and kept his father in the dark about his decision. The decision itself isn't wrong, it was what the decision led him to do that I find marginally acceptable.
Charlie Dalton, the on other hand, made a rather bold choice. He wanted girls to be allowed in the school, so he snuck an article into the school paper to fight for it. Furthermore, he played a prank in front of the entire school, claiming that God made a phonecall to the school, telling the principal to allow girls to enter the school. It was a terribly bold thing to do, but unbelievably stupid. I find this to be the worst decision made by the boys, as it shows a lack of thought put into the choice. I would consider this decision to be a show of bravado.
Know Overstreet chose to court a girl that he liked, despite her already having a boyfriend. I believe this is a very brave decision. For the sake of love, Knox met many obstacles, including Chris' boyfriend. Despite the difficulties, he pressed on, which I find is extremely admirable.
Finally, we have Todd Anderson. Todd wasn't a large focus in the movie, but he did seize the day when he started reciting a poem he though up on-the-spot. The display of raw potential was simply amazing, and he chose to hold onto his ability and began liking poetry. There are many that have potential, but some refuse to capitalise on their own potential. Todd did not like poetry at the beginning of the film, neither did he like speaking before many people. However, he changed when he knew he had a lot of potential to be a poet, he chose to change himself, which is a wonderful decision, in many ways.
What does the quote suggest about the relationship between man and nature? How does the film reinterpret this idea?
I believe the quote is telling us that living life naturally is the way to live life to the fullest. If you allow things around to affect the natural way of living, you will not be able to live a full life.
However, the film tells us otherwise. It tells us to turn away from the natural way of life and to change it. The way the boys chose to seize the day seems to be a way of encouraging viewers to do things you would not normally do, and stray from the path of life that is naturally determined. It tells us to make our own decisions and not be satisfied with what is given to us. To change how we would usually live so as to live a life that we will not regret. In short, the film tells us to choose our own future, and not stick with the life that others present to you.
What have you learnt from the film about conformity to societal conventions?
Conformity is sometimes important, but it is those who choose not to conform that are able to make a change. One needs to follow the standards of society most of the time, else one would be labelled 'abnormal'. However, what this standard is set by those who conform to the standards of society.
I have also learnt that conformity is one of the things that hold one back from their dreams. In the case of Neil, if he had listened to his father and conform himself to the expectations of aristocrats, he would never have been able to taste his dream. Although he did not live his dream for long, he was able to experience it, which may have been the beginning of a great actor.
It is those who do not conform that will stand out and maybe excel. If everyone follows what is expected of them, all would be the same, and nothing would be unique enough to stand out.
Compare your own relationship with your father (or mother) to the relationship Neil has with Mr Perry. In what ways are they similar / different?
Like most children, both Neil and I have parents that care for us and want the best for us. The only difference between our parents is the way they aim 'govern' us.
Neil has a very strict father who plans every bit of Neil's future for him. He is somewhat inflexible to changes and is harsh towards defiance.
On the other hand, my parents let me choose what I want to achieve in the future, with constant guidance to keep me on the right path. They are also less harsh towards me when I make mistakes or choose to do something my own way.
Compare the friendship you share with your friends to that of the relationship the members of the Dead Poets Society have with one another. In what ways are they similar / different?
Because the members of the Dead Poet's society spend more time together and do almost everything together, they are naturally closer to each other. As such, I would say that the friendship I share with my friends less strong, as compared to the friends in film. This can also be seen from how Charlie expected Cameron to keep quiet and keep the members of the Dead Poet's Society safe.
Still, the members of the Dead Poet's Society still do many things that I do with my friends. They help each other in studies, talk about each other's social lives, have fun and just stick together. However, they do stay together in almost everything, from reviving the Dead Poet's Society to standing up for Mr. Keatings.
Which of the poems quoted in the movie left the greatest impact on you? (Find the poem on www.poemhunter.com and attach it to this reflection.) Why?
The poem that left the greatest impact on me is definitely the one by Robert Frost, "The Road Not Taken".
-“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
I believe this is a very deep poem. It reflects the message of the film rather clearly. This poem talks about conformity, and how we have a choice. It makes me remember that we can choose what we wish to do, and we do not always have to ride the bandwagon. In the end, it is the choice to be different that can make one's future very different.
Most important of all, it reminds me of the message of the film, which I find has a very powerful impact on me.
Overall, I find the film to be very entertaining and well made. There was humour mixed in at the appropriate scenes and the tragedy was not over dramatic. In short, it was simply excellent. I had expected a really boring film, but I was dead wrong.
Now, on to the actual reflection.
What is the film’s attitude towards youth? How does the film deal with the theme of ‘growing up’?
The film depicts youth as a time of opportunities and decisions. This can be seen as the film leaves its viewers with 2 words, even after the film has ended: Carpe Diem.
This phrase is constantly repeated by the characters in the movie, which reminds us to 'Seize the Day'. This suggests that youth is a time when many opportunities will pass you by, and one must make a choice so as to grab the opportunity before it escapes.
The film gives us the idea that 'growing up' is not something many individuals look forward to, despite it being inevitable. For one, the movie depicts Neil as a boy whose future has been written in stone by his father. From what Mr. Keatings has said, I feel like he hated growing up. He would try to destroy any evidence of his past, possibly because of how he missed the past. I would, to a certain extent, agree that growing up is rather painful. One loses many things when they grow, although they do gain some. However, the lost can rarely be reclaimed, which makes growing up a particularly painful process.
How does each of the boys below choose to ‘seize the day’? What is your opinion about their individual choices?
a) Neil Perry
b) Charlie Dalton
c) Knox Overstreet
d) Todd Anderson
Neil Perry made a simple choice. He chose to remain in the play and perform on the night of the performance. Under normal circumstances, this is a perfectly good decision. However, Neil chose to do it despite knowing how much his father disapproved of it. Furthermore, he lied to Mr. Keating and kept his father in the dark about his decision. The decision itself isn't wrong, it was what the decision led him to do that I find marginally acceptable.
Charlie Dalton, the on other hand, made a rather bold choice. He wanted girls to be allowed in the school, so he snuck an article into the school paper to fight for it. Furthermore, he played a prank in front of the entire school, claiming that God made a phonecall to the school, telling the principal to allow girls to enter the school. It was a terribly bold thing to do, but unbelievably stupid. I find this to be the worst decision made by the boys, as it shows a lack of thought put into the choice. I would consider this decision to be a show of bravado.
Know Overstreet chose to court a girl that he liked, despite her already having a boyfriend. I believe this is a very brave decision. For the sake of love, Knox met many obstacles, including Chris' boyfriend. Despite the difficulties, he pressed on, which I find is extremely admirable.
Finally, we have Todd Anderson. Todd wasn't a large focus in the movie, but he did seize the day when he started reciting a poem he though up on-the-spot. The display of raw potential was simply amazing, and he chose to hold onto his ability and began liking poetry. There are many that have potential, but some refuse to capitalise on their own potential. Todd did not like poetry at the beginning of the film, neither did he like speaking before many people. However, he changed when he knew he had a lot of potential to be a poet, he chose to change himself, which is a wonderful decision, in many ways.
What does the quote suggest about the relationship between man and nature? How does the film reinterpret this idea?
I believe the quote is telling us that living life naturally is the way to live life to the fullest. If you allow things around to affect the natural way of living, you will not be able to live a full life.
However, the film tells us otherwise. It tells us to turn away from the natural way of life and to change it. The way the boys chose to seize the day seems to be a way of encouraging viewers to do things you would not normally do, and stray from the path of life that is naturally determined. It tells us to make our own decisions and not be satisfied with what is given to us. To change how we would usually live so as to live a life that we will not regret. In short, the film tells us to choose our own future, and not stick with the life that others present to you.
What have you learnt from the film about conformity to societal conventions?
Conformity is sometimes important, but it is those who choose not to conform that are able to make a change. One needs to follow the standards of society most of the time, else one would be labelled 'abnormal'. However, what this standard is set by those who conform to the standards of society.
I have also learnt that conformity is one of the things that hold one back from their dreams. In the case of Neil, if he had listened to his father and conform himself to the expectations of aristocrats, he would never have been able to taste his dream. Although he did not live his dream for long, he was able to experience it, which may have been the beginning of a great actor.
It is those who do not conform that will stand out and maybe excel. If everyone follows what is expected of them, all would be the same, and nothing would be unique enough to stand out.
Compare your own relationship with your father (or mother) to the relationship Neil has with Mr Perry. In what ways are they similar / different?
Like most children, both Neil and I have parents that care for us and want the best for us. The only difference between our parents is the way they aim 'govern' us.
Neil has a very strict father who plans every bit of Neil's future for him. He is somewhat inflexible to changes and is harsh towards defiance.
On the other hand, my parents let me choose what I want to achieve in the future, with constant guidance to keep me on the right path. They are also less harsh towards me when I make mistakes or choose to do something my own way.
Compare the friendship you share with your friends to that of the relationship the members of the Dead Poets Society have with one another. In what ways are they similar / different?
Because the members of the Dead Poet's society spend more time together and do almost everything together, they are naturally closer to each other. As such, I would say that the friendship I share with my friends less strong, as compared to the friends in film. This can also be seen from how Charlie expected Cameron to keep quiet and keep the members of the Dead Poet's Society safe.
Still, the members of the Dead Poet's Society still do many things that I do with my friends. They help each other in studies, talk about each other's social lives, have fun and just stick together. However, they do stay together in almost everything, from reviving the Dead Poet's Society to standing up for Mr. Keatings.
Which of the poems quoted in the movie left the greatest impact on you? (Find the poem on www.poemhunter.com and attach it to this reflection.) Why?
The poem that left the greatest impact on me is definitely the one by Robert Frost, "The Road Not Taken".
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.
-“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost
I believe this is a very deep poem. It reflects the message of the film rather clearly. This poem talks about conformity, and how we have a choice. It makes me remember that we can choose what we wish to do, and we do not always have to ride the bandwagon. In the end, it is the choice to be different that can make one's future very different.
Most important of all, it reminds me of the message of the film, which I find has a very powerful impact on me.
Overall, I find the film to be very entertaining and well made. There was humour mixed in at the appropriate scenes and the tragedy was not over dramatic. In short, it was simply excellent. I had expected a really boring film, but I was dead wrong.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Justice
Justice is probably one of the most debatable topics ever. It is nearly impossible to have a clear-cut definition for it.
Justice is what one comsiders to be fair. The problem is, fairness varies from one to another, so that cannot be the proper definition for justice.
Alternatively, one can say that the law is justice. However, many would ask this, "Who made the law? If the law was created by a person, isn't it bent to his version of justice?"
This is precisely the case. Justice doesn't tell you in the face "THIS IS TRUE JUSTICE!". It is more of a personal thing. One decides what is just, humans decide what is just in their own opinion. Therefore, there is no universal agreement on what justice can be, similar to the concept of dividing by 0. Some people (like myself) decide that it is infinity. Other simply say that it is undefined. However, there is a rather clear line which divides the two: perspective.
There are numerous reasons why people choose a certain perspective, similar to the concept of justice. One can choose which perspective he/she wants to approach the problem from and therefore come to the conclusion of what is justice.
Frankly, there isn't really much to say about justice, since there's too much to talk about. So I'll just end this post saying that there is no true justice. There is no real evil. Just a massive topic for people to spend their lives debating their own point of view, and failing at it.
Justice is what one comsiders to be fair. The problem is, fairness varies from one to another, so that cannot be the proper definition for justice.
Alternatively, one can say that the law is justice. However, many would ask this, "Who made the law? If the law was created by a person, isn't it bent to his version of justice?"
This is precisely the case. Justice doesn't tell you in the face "THIS IS TRUE JUSTICE!". It is more of a personal thing. One decides what is just, humans decide what is just in their own opinion. Therefore, there is no universal agreement on what justice can be, similar to the concept of dividing by 0. Some people (like myself) decide that it is infinity. Other simply say that it is undefined. However, there is a rather clear line which divides the two: perspective.
There are numerous reasons why people choose a certain perspective, similar to the concept of justice. One can choose which perspective he/she wants to approach the problem from and therefore come to the conclusion of what is justice.
Frankly, there isn't really much to say about justice, since there's too much to talk about. So I'll just end this post saying that there is no true justice. There is no real evil. Just a massive topic for people to spend their lives debating their own point of view, and failing at it.
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
The Times Are Changing
The times are changing.
Nigel and Darren are out.
School life is awesome.
Once upon a time, school felt boring. Nothing happens. Nothing changes. We go on in class, people get scolded, homework, tests...
But now, we have awesomeness.
Now, we have randomness.
Now, we have thingy-ness.
And class is in chaos.
Its pretty amazing that we actually still manage to go on with lessons, at a pretty normal pace at that. It truly is much more exciting than the normal things we usually have, especially since all our teachers are much more lenient and epic. Sometimes, its not about trying to make life more interesting, its merely about giving life the chance to make itself more interesting. Let's look at an example of how waiting for things to happen makes things happen:
I heard this story from someone I know. Basically, he got stuck outside his house together with his brother. He somehow left his key behind when he left, he then had two options:
Look for his parents, who were having a meal somewhere.
Wait for his parents to return.
He picked the former, and his brother decided to wait there. And guess what, his parents returned and opened the door for his brother while he was failing somewhere over the rainbow.
This proves 1 thing:
Chinese Proverbs/Idioms (cheng yu) fail.
守株待兔 was disproven.
Again, lets go back to the topic about class chaos. I do believe that none of us (2I1) actually did much to result in the current situation. If we had tried to help, we may still be stuck with 3 of the biggest troublemakers in iSpark.
I'm merely speaking the truth, or what I believe to be the truth, perhaps I should discuss truth in another post ;). There are some things that you have to leave to time to do the dirty work, while there are many other things that we actually have to do ourselves.
But hey, in the end, those who actually do things would probably accomplish more than those who doesn't do anything. Yet, those who don't do anything would still be able to accomplish something.
To end off this post, I'd like to remind everyone:
Haste is the assassin of elegance.
I doubt anyone actually reads this, though ;P
Nigel and Darren are out.
School life is awesome.
Once upon a time, school felt boring. Nothing happens. Nothing changes. We go on in class, people get scolded, homework, tests...
But now, we have awesomeness.
Now, we have randomness.
Now, we have thingy-ness.
And class is in chaos.
Its pretty amazing that we actually still manage to go on with lessons, at a pretty normal pace at that. It truly is much more exciting than the normal things we usually have, especially since all our teachers are much more lenient and epic. Sometimes, its not about trying to make life more interesting, its merely about giving life the chance to make itself more interesting. Let's look at an example of how waiting for things to happen makes things happen:
I heard this story from someone I know. Basically, he got stuck outside his house together with his brother. He somehow left his key behind when he left, he then had two options:
Look for his parents, who were having a meal somewhere.
Wait for his parents to return.
He picked the former, and his brother decided to wait there. And guess what, his parents returned and opened the door for his brother while he was failing somewhere over the rainbow.
This proves 1 thing:
Chinese Proverbs/Idioms (cheng yu) fail.
守株待兔 was disproven.
Again, lets go back to the topic about class chaos. I do believe that none of us (2I1) actually did much to result in the current situation. If we had tried to help, we may still be stuck with 3 of the biggest troublemakers in iSpark.
I'm merely speaking the truth, or what I believe to be the truth, perhaps I should discuss truth in another post ;). There are some things that you have to leave to time to do the dirty work, while there are many other things that we actually have to do ourselves.
But hey, in the end, those who actually do things would probably accomplish more than those who doesn't do anything. Yet, those who don't do anything would still be able to accomplish something.
To end off this post, I'd like to remind everyone:
Haste is the assassin of elegance.
I doubt anyone actually reads this, though ;P
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Taxi Drivers are :(
A while ago (3 months I believe), I visited the blog of a Taxi Driver to do that evaluation worksheet that Ms. Huang wanted us to do about blogs. Anyway, in there, I read of all the "adventures and misadventures" of a Singapore taxi driver. One of the post that caught my eye was this one.
Now, let's talk about something I saw yesterday. While I was on my way back from school, I chanced upon an argument between a taxi driver and two passengers. The conversation went something like this:
Passenger A: There wasn't even an accident on the highway, you are the most dishonest human being I have ever seen!
I only heard her voice because she was shouting it out for the whole world. I didn't hear what the other passenger and the taxi driver was saying, but I inferred that the passenger felt that she was scammed of her time and money.
Well, I can't really say much in the matter, since I don't know whether the taxi driver really lied. But anyway, if he really did, I doubt anyone would be able to sympathise with him the way people sympathised with the taxi driver writing the diary.
Sympathy is a pretty funny thing, the same thing can happen to two people and one of them would be sympathised by others, whereas the other would be detested by the people around him. Let's have a little diagram:
Misunderstanding -> If real -> Hated
\/
If not real
\/
Sympathy
Speaking of taxi drivers, reading the blog entries of the taxi diary made me realise something that I didn't before. I realised that even a somewhat average job could actually have so many interesting things happening. Strangely, thousands of shows are focused on the interactions of rich people (*cough* Taiwanese Dramas *cough*) and the simple and small things are often neglected.
I do believe this can be carried on to how our lives sometimes are. We often look at all the big things in life and miss out on the small things. There are tons of examples, but I doubt there's a need to cite them.
To conclude this post, I feel for taxi drivers. They have to deal with all kind of people all the time and people aren't always that normal xD
iSpark is weird. Period.
Now, let's talk about something I saw yesterday. While I was on my way back from school, I chanced upon an argument between a taxi driver and two passengers. The conversation went something like this:
Passenger A: There wasn't even an accident on the highway, you are the most dishonest human being I have ever seen!
I only heard her voice because she was shouting it out for the whole world. I didn't hear what the other passenger and the taxi driver was saying, but I inferred that the passenger felt that she was scammed of her time and money.
Well, I can't really say much in the matter, since I don't know whether the taxi driver really lied. But anyway, if he really did, I doubt anyone would be able to sympathise with him the way people sympathised with the taxi driver writing the diary.
Sympathy is a pretty funny thing, the same thing can happen to two people and one of them would be sympathised by others, whereas the other would be detested by the people around him. Let's have a little diagram:
Misunderstanding -> If real -> Hated
\/
If not real
\/
Sympathy
Speaking of taxi drivers, reading the blog entries of the taxi diary made me realise something that I didn't before. I realised that even a somewhat average job could actually have so many interesting things happening. Strangely, thousands of shows are focused on the interactions of rich people (*cough* Taiwanese Dramas *cough*) and the simple and small things are often neglected.
I do believe this can be carried on to how our lives sometimes are. We often look at all the big things in life and miss out on the small things. There are tons of examples, but I doubt there's a need to cite them.
To conclude this post, I feel for taxi drivers. They have to deal with all kind of people all the time and people aren't always that normal xD
iSpark is weird. Period.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Random Talk
Yesterday, when I was eating out, I saw this old woman sitting by the street. There were some things very wrong about the situation:
She was sitting on the streets. She was smoking. She was asking for some money (as I inferred from her sticking out two of her fingers).
Lets look at the first and third problem together. It surfaces a very large problem in the current society, where children decide to turn their backs to their elderly parents. Sometimes they kick them out of the house, other times they send them to elderly homes. There were also cases of the parents being sent out to beg for money to give their children.
What has happened to the current society? What happened to all the filial peity that our ancestors were so particular about? Now do we just treat the parents who have raised us as our servants or some obstacle?
I remember watching a video awhile ago about this Malay family, I do believe many other school mates have seen the one about the sick grandfather and his son-in-law treating him badly because he wasn't able to do things properly. But in the end the father-daughter bond still persists.
Coming back to the topic at hand, I would personally blame the fact that the society is more competitive for such a thing to happen. When you don't have the money, time and love for your parents, you won't want to take care of someone who could possibly obstruct your progress at work. I directing this more to the men of the family, as I personally do believe that women would not be the ones to throw their parents out, unless they are the ones who have such a great amount of greed.
In the end, its still about what you view your family as. Some view their parents as a gold mine, some just hope that they'd get a large share of the fortune (typical drama material), while many others truly care. It is this love that binds families together, but apparently greed and so many other factors can crush it. What is family bonds now? A mere term that a secondary school student analyses with little to no insight? I do hope that the meaning of this bond does not deteriorate in this fast changing world. The once important things about putting others before oneself have long died, and 'I', 'Me' and 'Myself' are the only words some people know.
Lets get back to the second point I pointed out. Smoking.
When I saw the scene, I was reminded of Mrs Duboses' situation. She was alone, a drug addict, and rather pitiful.
In the situation as described above, I have reasons to believe that the person may have taken up smoking due to her situation, or merely because it never came to her to give up the habbit.
Once again, I remember Mrs Dubose. The courage to quit her morphine addiction before death is really admirable. Not many would be willing to try and quit a painkiller despite knowing that they are close to death. Many would just accept their situation and die an addict. Mrs Dubose actually had the courage to say she wanted to die beholden to nothing and nobody.
Its funny how many similarities the two share, yet Mrs Dubose seemed so different. That courage in itself is admirable, the determination to keep her own promise is amazing.
Speaking of determination, there was news on the NTU run. The 218km run was simply incredible, especially those who managed to run to the very end.
My past PE teacher once told me, that if your mind gave up, even if your body is still capable of running, you will not be able to run on. Similarly, I find that it takes an insane amount of determination to finish this extreme marathon. Many find it hard just to run the 2.4km that we are tested on for NAPFA, but people manage to finish this incredible feat.
She was sitting on the streets. She was smoking. She was asking for some money (as I inferred from her sticking out two of her fingers).
Lets look at the first and third problem together. It surfaces a very large problem in the current society, where children decide to turn their backs to their elderly parents. Sometimes they kick them out of the house, other times they send them to elderly homes. There were also cases of the parents being sent out to beg for money to give their children.
What has happened to the current society? What happened to all the filial peity that our ancestors were so particular about? Now do we just treat the parents who have raised us as our servants or some obstacle?
I remember watching a video awhile ago about this Malay family, I do believe many other school mates have seen the one about the sick grandfather and his son-in-law treating him badly because he wasn't able to do things properly. But in the end the father-daughter bond still persists.
Coming back to the topic at hand, I would personally blame the fact that the society is more competitive for such a thing to happen. When you don't have the money, time and love for your parents, you won't want to take care of someone who could possibly obstruct your progress at work. I directing this more to the men of the family, as I personally do believe that women would not be the ones to throw their parents out, unless they are the ones who have such a great amount of greed.
In the end, its still about what you view your family as. Some view their parents as a gold mine, some just hope that they'd get a large share of the fortune (typical drama material), while many others truly care. It is this love that binds families together, but apparently greed and so many other factors can crush it. What is family bonds now? A mere term that a secondary school student analyses with little to no insight? I do hope that the meaning of this bond does not deteriorate in this fast changing world. The once important things about putting others before oneself have long died, and 'I', 'Me' and 'Myself' are the only words some people know.
Lets get back to the second point I pointed out. Smoking.
When I saw the scene, I was reminded of Mrs Duboses' situation. She was alone, a drug addict, and rather pitiful.
In the situation as described above, I have reasons to believe that the person may have taken up smoking due to her situation, or merely because it never came to her to give up the habbit.
Once again, I remember Mrs Dubose. The courage to quit her morphine addiction before death is really admirable. Not many would be willing to try and quit a painkiller despite knowing that they are close to death. Many would just accept their situation and die an addict. Mrs Dubose actually had the courage to say she wanted to die beholden to nothing and nobody.
Its funny how many similarities the two share, yet Mrs Dubose seemed so different. That courage in itself is admirable, the determination to keep her own promise is amazing.
Speaking of determination, there was news on the NTU run. The 218km run was simply incredible, especially those who managed to run to the very end.
My past PE teacher once told me, that if your mind gave up, even if your body is still capable of running, you will not be able to run on. Similarly, I find that it takes an insane amount of determination to finish this extreme marathon. Many find it hard just to run the 2.4km that we are tested on for NAPFA, but people manage to finish this incredible feat.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
CMap On Courage
A CMap on Courage. Basically a summary of courage as discussed previously in the lecture, with some new points :)
Courage CMap Screenshot
Please follow the link, since blogger fails at image display.
EDIT: Sorry, realised that I spell "psychological" wrongly.
Courage CMap Screenshot
Please follow the link, since blogger fails at image display.
EDIT: Sorry, realised that I spell "psychological" wrongly.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Random Speculations About Superstition
Just saw a book regarding some superstitions. It got me pretty interested.
Somehow, superstition seemed to me like it was some form of "prejudice", in a very loose way. People believe in certain superstitions because of certain ideas that they have in their minds as a result of comments from other people, or even self experience. Sometimes, people make generalisations and blame something for bad luck. Perhaps the first person to say "Friday the 13th is a day is bad luck" is someone who has had a terrible day from dawn to dusk.
Superstitions are not (always) true, yet they still persist through the times of science and whatnot. Why is it so? Do people wish to have something they can do to make themself feel confident? Is luck merely an inner feeling that makes people less fearful and more confident about their actions? Why, then, is there actually a need for superstition, if you merely want a boost in confidence?
Personally, I find that superstition is a good way to make one cautious or confident. When you are told that you are unlucky for the day, one would be careful. If you were told that you are lucky, you would be very optimistic and confident about everything.
So far, I have been talking about the positive things of superstition, but like everything else, there is always a down side. People sometimes take superstitions way too far. The results are sometimes rather dire, but such instances are rare nowadays, as compared to the times when Science was still developing.
Superstitions are a pretty cool thing to believe in, but as long as no one takes it too far, its ok. Also, many superstitions go against Science as we know today, lets take an example:
"Blue Flames in the Fire - spirits are in the house"
We now know that blue flames are non-luminous flames, which are much hotter and whatnot. However, such superstitions were created who-knows-how-long ago. This just goes to show that such superstitions are wrong, but it won't hurt to just believe it xD
Somehow, superstition seemed to me like it was some form of "prejudice", in a very loose way. People believe in certain superstitions because of certain ideas that they have in their minds as a result of comments from other people, or even self experience. Sometimes, people make generalisations and blame something for bad luck. Perhaps the first person to say "Friday the 13th is a day is bad luck" is someone who has had a terrible day from dawn to dusk.
Superstitions are not (always) true, yet they still persist through the times of science and whatnot. Why is it so? Do people wish to have something they can do to make themself feel confident? Is luck merely an inner feeling that makes people less fearful and more confident about their actions? Why, then, is there actually a need for superstition, if you merely want a boost in confidence?
Personally, I find that superstition is a good way to make one cautious or confident. When you are told that you are unlucky for the day, one would be careful. If you were told that you are lucky, you would be very optimistic and confident about everything.
So far, I have been talking about the positive things of superstition, but like everything else, there is always a down side. People sometimes take superstitions way too far. The results are sometimes rather dire, but such instances are rare nowadays, as compared to the times when Science was still developing.
Superstitions are a pretty cool thing to believe in, but as long as no one takes it too far, its ok. Also, many superstitions go against Science as we know today, lets take an example:
"Blue Flames in the Fire - spirits are in the house"
We now know that blue flames are non-luminous flames, which are much hotter and whatnot. However, such superstitions were created who-knows-how-long ago. This just goes to show that such superstitions are wrong, but it won't hurt to just believe it xD
Sunday, February 21, 2010
So much for Insight
Hello people. This is my collection of random thoughts. About 2% of it may be insightful, the rest are probably random xD
Anyway, I finally decided to create this blog since I finally thought of things to write about- discrimination.
Will blog about it tomorrow :)
Anyway, I finally decided to create this blog since I finally thought of things to write about- discrimination.
Will blog about it tomorrow :)
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
E-Learning
28z97615
I find that the MIDAS test is helpful for one, especially in learning. I can tell from the chart that I am better when dealing with numbers and people, rather than music and nature. It was rather obvious from the kind of answers I gave. Nevertheless, it could be very helpful for people who are unsure what they are better in.
INTRAPERSONAL
-Who would you want to be friends with in the novel? Explain.
I would want to befriend Tom Robinson. Tom Robinson is a very honest man. He does not lie even though he was aware of the consequences of what he says. Furthermore, he is very helpful towards other people, such as Mayella Ewell, while asking for nothing in return. This shows how good a friend he would make, as he is willing to commit his time and effort to aid someone whom he barely understands, someone who was not very socialable.
Tom Robinson has proven himself to be a very calm and collected man in the face of despair. He did not react impulsively during the entire court session, and managed to stay calm despite all the evidence that was against him.
I would like to make friends with a man who is reliable and helpful, someone like Tom Robinson. A good friend that will stand by you and unlikely to betray you to achieve their own ambitions.
Interpersonal
-Conduct an interview with a friend (not from HCI) or family member. Find out from their point of view on prejudice and discrimination. Either record the interview or write out the interview transcript.
(I will be interviewing my brother in the interview.)
Me: What is your view on the topic of prejudice?
Brother: I think that prejudice is something that people think about other people. Prejudice is usually a negative opinion on someone or a group of people.
Me: What do you feel brings out prejudice?
Brother: I feel that the society is a large reason for many prejudices in this world. There are also many other reasons, such as people's experiences with a type of people.
Me: What are you opinions on prejudice?
Brother: Prejudice is very unfair. It is not right to generalise people just because of past experiences or what people tell you.
Me: How is discrimination different from prejudice?
Brother: Discrimination is when you treat someone unfairly just because you think you are better than them. Prejudice is just an opinion, discrimination is more of the things you do to people you have prejudices against.
Me: Have you witnessed any instances of discrimination?
Brother: I think I did see this instance of discrimination. My teacher always picked chinese students over students of other races during discussion and when asking for volunteers. Students of other races are deprives of some chances that Chinese students get.
Me: Overall, what are you opinions on prejudice and discrimination?
Brother: Being prejudiced or showing signs of discrimination gives people a rather bad impression of you, unless you live in a society that generally accepts the ideas. However, it is not a good idea to live by the prejudice and discrimination, regardless of the type of society you are in.
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