All These Things I've Done

This Isn't A Long Post

2008-05-13T23:48:00.004+08:00

I'm having my exams now, so I won't be saying much in this post. As a matter of fact, I'm here to promote my good friend Kevin Chan's latest series - "What Do Women Really Want". Sounds promising eh :)? you can check it out on his blog: hamletshero.blogspot.com. Here's the promotional poster:

Now that the advertising bit's done with, allow me to share my latest findings off the ocean of Youtube videos. You wouldn't believe what gems I discovered.

1st Video: All These Things That I've Done

This was their sleeper hit taken off their debut album "Hot Fuss". Yes, this song came to be known as the song with the line "I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier" (As a matter of fact, I dedicated an entire blog post to deciphering this particular line, if you could remember...). It was th is sensational tune along with "Mr Brightside" and "Somebody Told Me" that catapulted the Killers into international fame.

2nd Video: When You Were Young

"When You Were Young" was released as their first single in 2006, when their sophomore effort "Sam's Town" was released. One of my favourite tracks in the "Sam's Town" collection. The single was performed almost entirely unplugged during their appearance on "Live on Abbey Road". "Sam's Town" turned out to be phenomenally successful, and garnered the Killers the Best International Band and Best International Album Awards in the 2007 Brit Awards.

Note that both the videos I included here are the Killers' acoustic performances. I love their studio works, but I must admit these acoustic tracks are unbelievably good. Now, many of you would say that it isn't an accurate comment on my part, considering the fact that I'm obsessed with The Killers and their music. Take a listen before dismissing my praises though. You won't regret it.

It's amazing how these tracks sound so different, yet so very good when performed unplugged. The tenderness in how the band treated the music, the purity of melody and sound came through, and the intensity of emotion behind the music was made so tangible. I am convinced they deserved the "Best Band" and "Best Track" (for 'Tranquilize' from their compilation album 'Sawdust') Awards in the recent USA NME Awards.

"All These Things That I've Done" makes me wonder what I have done to deserve the satisfaction of listening to such a haunting tune. "When you Were Young" reminds me that it's feels so good to be young. I wonder if being young SOUNDS as good?

So I Lied When I Said it was "Genesis Once More"...

2008-04-21T23:51:00.003+08:00

I have not been updating the blog. I have neglected it. It isn't just dead. It's decomposing, the maggots made it their home. It's gnawing through the pages of my life, and I can smell the decay in the next room.

It stinks. Does life stink? Maybe it does. Or maybe it's just so sterile you can't smell anything anymore. Are emotions really that important in our lives? Does the logic we apply in decision-making stem from logic? Is the heart more powerful than the brain?

I think not. The brain controls everything. The heart wouldn't be beating. The cardiac muscles would cease to work. The atrial and ventricular systoles just won't occur without the brain making sure they do. Logic triumphs over everything. Make your decisions based on pure, cold logic. You'll be fine.

I need control. Control over everything. Just like my brain has control over me. I want control because it probably would pull things together in an instant, make things work in 3 seconds flat. Control.

I'd like to think I'm an unfeeling individual who doesn't have to care about what goes on around me. But I'm not. So take a listen to this. If you concentrate and focus on the message behind the music, perhaps you might understand why. Perhaps you will feel again.

Song: Farewell
Artist: Apocalyptica*

*Apocalyptica is a Finnish cello metal band, composed of classically trained cellists and, since 2005, a drummer. Three of the cellists are graduates of the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Finland. Their music features elements from cello metal, neo-classical metal, thrash metal, progressive metal and symphonic metal.

Genesis Once More

2008-02-04T18:24:00.000+08:00

I wouldn't be exaggerating when I say that its been a long time since the last post.

I left the blog quite unattended for months. I'd like to say the reason for me leaving the blog behind was that I was just too busy. Somehow that sounds like an excuse. I don't like making excuses.

Plenty has happened since the last time I actually posted something new here. I'm still in college, at least that's the same. Went through a round of examinations (again), met more people in my life, and things are pretty ordinary. Won't kid myself. I'm not the same person as I was months ago. Exactly what the changes were? I can't really tell.

What I can tell though, is that I've been growing more cynical by the day. You might scoff and say 'then again, when have I ever stopped being cynical?', but the fact is, if there was and still is a remote possibility that I could ever grow increasingly cynical, I actually am.

I've grown cynical about the things around me. Things we're supposed to count on, things we should be able to take granted for. People talk more nowadays, but if there's an issue that really needs to be discussed, if there's a something that really matters, we just won't talk about it. we will pretend that nothing is happening, and we would make public announcements advising everyone NOT to talk about the issue at hand, because talk is cheap.

Maybe its because we just don't care about what happens in the world anymore. But don't we? Don't we know what's really going on in this world? Where we say something but mean nothing in the end? Are we really that ignorant? Or are we just indifferent?

Maybe I should really ask people I meet if they do care, if my cynicism isn't justified. Then again, I doubt people would care to give me an answer.

True Friend Test

2007-08-11T17:25:00.000+08:00

Try It!

Create your own Friend Test here

The Walls of Sorrow

2007-07-31T23:07:00.000+08:00

The Walls of Sorrow

by John Lee

There was some sorrow lurking round the corner the other day,

It was the colour of mould - rich, but dull;

It fed on the bright colours the walls had,

It grew and eventually clung to the very walls that it fed on.

The colours on the wall melted, sprouting into beads of moisture,

They dripped and flowed - like tears that had no end;

The mould thrived and spread like fire across a golden field,

The dull colour, no longer rich, but ugly now clung tighter, reached further.

Things all fall apart, as the bright-coloured walls began to,

They fall, and crash unto the floor;

Leaving the resounding roar of silence,

ricocheting off the walls, smashing into grief, breaking it apart.

Sadness is a season that will pass, they say,

Nothing is further from the truth;

Sadness will remain inside eating from within, clinging, spreading,

It will never stop, until you fall apart.

A Review

2007-07-29T23:53:00.000+08:00

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS to a good friend of mine named Soraya Sunitra Kee on having your review on the latest Harry Potter book published in the Sunday Star. It was a lovely piece, and I certainly enjoyed it. To read her excellent review, click here.

Well, it was her superb review that caught my attention, and gave me a little inspiration. Seeing how many waves 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' has created, I decided to do a little review of my own. However, let me do it in a different way. I'll list three reasons why I love it, and three reasons why I don't. Readers BEWARE: Harry Potter 7th book spoilers ahead!

I have to be honest, I didn't LOVE the book. I didn't go gaga over it. And I certainly wasn't one of those standing in a mile-long line at TESCO and Carrefour at 5 in the morning to get my grubby hands on a copy. It's not that I'm not a fan, it's just complicated. Let's just get on with it, shall we?

I shall begin with the good things.
3 reasons why I loved 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'

1. The fast-paced storyline - I must say, I'm impressed. While Rowling did have a weird habit of being over-descriptive at the first few chapters of her last 3 or 4 books (thus making the book a tad too draggy) she didn't overdo it this time. I was given a pleasant surprise as she jumped into an exciting incident within the first 50 pages of Book VII. The idea of identical Potters zooming around on magical modes of transportation did provide an adequate kickstart to the story. *Nods head in approval*

2. The deaths - No, I'm not being sadistic here. I don't enjoy death, (don't take it too literally) but the swift elimination of characters such as Mad-Eye Moody, Dobby and even Hedwig did give the book a realistic feel to it. This was what I did not like about the previous books. It was as if Rowling was stretching the fabric of her story to keep as many of her main characters alive. I see that in book VII, her tight clench on whether the key characters live or die loosened somewhat. This is a good thing, people. I don't think we should spare characters just because we like them. To only kill them one by one, so that we don't suffer too much grief reading the book doesn't work either. Her practice of killing off characters sparingly created plenty of speculation that Harry Potter himself will die prior to the book's release. Well ironically, the occurence of 'death' involving the main character is one of the reasons I hate the book. Read on to find out more reasons to dislike the book.

3. The revelation of Snape's past - This one was the bombshell for me. Seriously. Who would have thought? I did expect some sob story that would redeem Snape from the passionate hate everyone had for him since the first book of the saga, but I did not expect the story of his past to be this juicy. Think about it, Snape being capable of love, and his unrequited love for Harry's late mother, resulting in a love triangle between Severus Snape, Lily Potter and James Potter? Twisted, but sweet. It was ingenious of Rowling to have thought of it.

3 reasons to hate the book

1. The relevance of the title - Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. That was the title. Ever wondered when the mysterious 'deathly hallows' appeared in the book? really late. Really, REALLY late. If it was so insignificant to the storyline that you could postpone the introduction of the deathly hallows to the very-extremely-far-from-the-first-chapters, why make it the name of your book, Rowling? Perplexing and confusing. I finished the first chapter, and the second, and the third, and the........ and a nagging feeling at the back of my head reminded me 'deathly hallows? what the heck is that? did I miss the introduction of such an integral part of the book? It is the title of the book, after all, isn't it? Thought the title didn't tie in well with the story. Relevance, please, Relevance.

2. The love stories - Harry and Ginny. Ok. I didn't think it was a very interesting couple to begin with, but I digressed. Book VII proved my suspicions - the love story just wasn't good enough. It was irritating even. (No, Soraya, I did not hope fervently that Draco and Ginny would one day fall for each other ;P) The sad, brooding longing Harry had for Ginny from the beginning of the book was corny, bordering on ridiculous/ludicrous, the conversation between them made me wish I was watching paint dry instead, and the snogging on Harry's birthday created the nauseous sensation to perfection. 'She kissed him like she never did before.' To quote the book. Sigh. Rowling, Rowling. Please refrain from using cliched, overused phrases from the passionate, lusty romance novels in the Harry Potter series. It just wouldn't do. I don't need to reminded that you could have gotten the same description from a book entitled 'Desire: Mr Seduction' that laid in the shelf of a thrift store for the past 50 years because nobody wanted to know in the remotest instance what the book contained. (the marriage between Ron and Hermione came across as desperate as well. The falling in love, courting, flirting was not developed in the previous books. I think Rowling was just trying to appease the readers by throwing them together under the names Mr and Mrs Weasly. *shakes head in disappointment*)

3. The epilogue - Oh puh-lease! Oh My Gosh. The epilogue STANK. I can still shudder thinking of it. The epilogue didn't cut it. I really think the book would have been much better without it. Let me tell you why. It had loopholes the size of a sumo wrestling rings. Read closely, people. While waiting at platform 9 and three quarters, the Hogwarts alumni, (at least the key characters, anyway) all end up MARRIED. Come on... what about bachelors and spinsters for life? Marriage isn't just so easily arranged you know. The era where mothers employed matchmakers to execute pre-arranged marriages is long over. Why would all of them end up married? Why would they have reason to, anyway? What about the rampant occurence of divorce? Why are they all happily married?all of these very same key characters end up married TO EACH OTHER. Come on... (second time) What are the odds that high school sweethearts end up hitched? Must they be tied down with the same person they dated in Hogwarts? After NINETEEN years, they remained faithful to that very same person they sat next to in the classroom. Believable? For one or two occasional cases, maybe. But for ALL the key characters? Very unlikely. ALL of these key characters appear at King's Cross because they decide to send their children off. Come on.... (third time) All of them had children? ALL?Have they heard of sterility, or difficulty to conceive? What about family planning? Be realistic, people. Many couples remain childless, you know. Some choose to, and others cannot due to natural reasons. there's never such an idealistic situation as painted by Rowling in the epilogue. What about the fact all of their children are about to begin their first year at Hogwarts? This tops the list of ridiculous situations. ALL of them had children, and HAD THEM AT THE SAME TIME? I am too lazy to repeat the two words 'Come on...(fourth time)'. What are they? Beings who have reproductive systems that functioned like clockwork? Potter, Weasly and even Malfoy having children in the same year? Coincidence or what?

Ok. So did I love or hate the book? This book is not my favourite, but it wasn't all bad. I give it a 6.5 out of 10, maybe a 7 on a good day. After all, it IS the last book of the installment. I think some 'close one eye' to the gaping flaws of the book is in order here.

I apologise if I offended any Potter fans. I would welcome some of your views. This blog post of mine is just my opinion. Don't let me spoil the Potter experience for you.

For your information, I was a hardcore Potter fan 4 to 5 years ago. I memorised all I could about the series. I knew the spells, the characters, what happened, mounds of speculation, the whole I'm-such-a-fan attitude. The end of my potter obsession came when I got sick of the series. I bought some of the books and read them over and over and over and over. And over. And over. And I just couldn't have taken it anymore. Sad, isn't it?

There you go. An objective review of the last book in the Harry Potter series. I took in the two sides of a coin, the two sides of the story, the reasons to love, and the reasons to hate Harry Potter.

The 'When You Were Young' Phenomenon

2007-07-23T20:36:00.001+08:00

I cannot believe it, I simply can't! How could I ever have let such an important detail pass without noticing it? Well, no point dwelling upon my mistakes. Let me make things right from this moment. What happened was this: I was surfing through Youtube, and I noticed that under the search for 'When You Were Young', the videos listed included 'When You Were Young Alternate Version'. I started thinking. As far as I knew, The Killers only had one single named 'When You Were Young' taken off their sophomore album 'Sam's Town' (Which I now have two copies of, big thanks to my sister and Mark & Kevin!), and I have only watched one and only one video, so where does this alternate version fit in?

Out of curiosity, (Come On! when have I ever said no to THE KILLERS??) Anyway, I clicked on it, and watched it, and noticed a very, very important thing: there WERE two versions of the music video for this very same song! And BOY, what a difference this was!

I have the evidence to demonstrate the stark difference between the two videos. This is the version I watched umpteen times over. Note: this is also the only version Malaysia airs. They censored the love scene in this version as well. Exhibit A:

This is the alternate version I was fussing about. I can't believe it took me this long to realise there was a difference! I've included the lyrics for your reference ;) Exhibit B:

When You Were Young
You sit there in your heartache
Waiting on some beautiful boy
to save you from your old ways
You play forgiveness
Watch it now ... here he comes!
He doesn't look a thing like Jesus
But he talks like a gentleman
Like you imagined when you were young
Can we climb this mountain I don't know
Higher now than ever before I
know we can make it if we take it slow
Let's take it easy Easy now, watch it go
We're burning up the highway skyline
On the back of a hurricane that started turning When you were young
When you were young
And sometimes you close your eyes and see the place where you used to live
When you were young
They say the devil's water, it ain't so sweet
You don't have to drink right now
But you can dip your feet
Every once in a little while
You sit there in your heartache
Waiting on some beautiful boy to
To save you from your old ways
You play forgiveness
Watch it now here he comes
He doesn't look a thing like Jesus
But he talks like a gentleman
Like you imagined when you were young
(He talks like a gentlemen, like you imagined when)
When you were young
I said he doesn't look a thing like Jesus
He doesn't look a thing like Jesus
But more than you'll ever know

Well, now that you've watched it, what about it? (Yes, the song's great, the video original and entertaining) Let's cut to the chase. Both videos featured a young couple. I have no idea how accurate this story is, but I plucked it off Songmeanings.net. The video, according to these people is supposed to tell the story of this young couple. The man is a pimp or a cheat of some sorts, and the young woman was charmed by him and married him. After marrying him, she didn't give up hope on rehabilitating him, and prayed hard for his change in behaviour in church (hence, the rosary and the church scene). She returns to her home, finding her husband cheating on her, was devastated, and went all the way up to the hills where the huge white cross was, to contemplate suicide.

Now, the difference here is that in the version I have watched umpteen times, the husband goes frantic and searches for her, finds her at the hill, and comforts her there while she sobbed. In the alternate version, at the beginning of the video, the husband was just about the reach her at the ledge of the cliff, but she jumps off first. The alternate video ends with the husband lamenting his loss.

There you go, a very interesting detail there, eh?

By the way, the frontman of the Killers, Brandon Flowers and his wife, Tana Munblowski had a baby very recently (16 July, if I'm not mistaken), and if I'm not mistaken, the baby boy is named Ammon. Congratulations, Brandon!

Random things - Things I feel like talking about

2007-07-21T23:55:00.000+08:00

I really hate it. It's supposed to be the day 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' is released. It's supposed to be the 7th and final book of the phenomenally successful Potter series. I was looking forward to getting hold of a copy and to reading it, so I could find out what the whole hype was about. I just decided that I didnt' have all that much time to grab a copy at the bookstore today, and made a mental note to do so later this week. Guess WHAT. I recieved 2 text messages, and more than 5 people on my msn messenger list telling me what the ending was today. To all those involved, I'm not pleased. At all. Talking about major CHEEEEESING off!

My dog is growing old. She is. The vet said so. That's not good. :(

I'm pretty hooked on the song by Amy Winehouse 'Rehab'. Found the song quite cute and catchy. Must be the old feel to it.

I was reminded that I missed out on a lifetime of entertainment by my friends today. Everyone was discussing how the movie 'Transformers' was uber cool (to quote Soraya and Yi Lynn) how 'Die Hard 4.0' was action packed enough to keep you at the edge of your seat, and how the latest Harry Potter film just didn't cut it for the hardcore Potter fans. Well, too bad for me if I'm not kept up to date in the movie scene.

Quite a few friend of mine left or are leaving for the new college term at various locations. They had/have to because they were/are being sent there by the scholarship bodies that they are bonded to. To Tian Huey, Jonathan Hiu, Fu Han, Jian Wei, Lixian, Sze Mei, Zhi Wei and whoever else I forgot to mention, hope you're all having a great time!

I really think that certain songs just HAVE to be heard. I HAVE to share them with you because they're just THAT good. After all, sharing is caring!

1st up: U2 singing a song they made popular - this time in collaboration with queen of hip-hop Mary J Blige. This song is way cool. Love the tune, awesome lyrics, what's there not to like? The song's called 'ONE'

2nd on the list: I like this one. By the jazz crooner Michael Buble, taken off his latest album 'Call Me Irresponsible', this is 'EVERYTHING' (in case you're wondering, this is a very very very obvious hint to anyone reading this that you should buy me this particular album because I very much want it)

Number 3: I found this song haunting. The video was a little, well... just a little confusing. The song's good. You'll realise it once you take a listen to Muse's 'UNINTENDED'

Walk for the Right Reasons

2007-07-19T23:30:00.000+08:00

There's an event coming up, and it's an event worthy of your attention.

This event is called the WALK IN AID OF THE PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED.

As you can guess, it's a sport event, a fun one in fact, that is held for the benefit of those less fortunate.

The charity event is organised by the Bukit Kiara Riding for the Disabled Association. The Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) is an association where they seek to help the disabled. Those who genuinely need our care and attention.

This event is held to raise funds for this riding programme for these disabled individuals. Why riding, you may ask? Well, this is what the Association does.

The following piece is extracted from the RDA Malaysia website

'The RDA is a charitable organization that helps disabled children learn to ride. The horse’s
movement is therapeutic and improves the child’s balance, co-ordination, concentration, self-esteemand muscle development.
For the more severely physically handicapped, hippotherapy providescrucial physical benefits they cannot receive in any other way. In other words, it is like putting achild into the gym.
The warmth of the horse’s body, with the three dimensional movement, and rhythm relaxes spastic muscles and stimulates muscular development.
Disabled riding is a two pronged approach, therapy riding then moving on to normal riding skills. Only very special horses, with broad backs, unlimited patience and deeply giving natures, can perform hippotherapy.
RDA Malaysia relies on volunteers for its operation and community support for its funding. There is a constant need for motivated, cheerful, and reliable people to help. It is not necessary to know anything about horses, or disabled children, to make a big difference in the lives of these riders.
RDA teaches its volunteers what they need to know in order to lead a pony or walk by the side of a rider. For those who develop a serious interest in the activity it is possible to train for, and earn, internationally recognized credentials in Riding for the Disabled.
RDA also welcomes other kinds of support, from individuals, groups and corporations. Keeping the classes going requires a steady stream of resources, from boots and hats for the riders to sponsorship for the ponies.'

So now that you're know what your walking/running for, to the details

the 5.5 km charity walk will be at 7.30am in the morning on the Sunday, 5th of August 2007, the venue being the Sports Complex Buukit Kiara Equestrian & Country Resort.

The fees are as follows
Ladies'/Men's Open - RM50
Corporate (max 4) - RM300

Attractive goodie bags, a t-shirt and breakfast will be provided on that day to all participants.

It's not about the fee, It's not about the fact you have to spend time doing something you'd rather not do on a Sunday, It's not about being lazy to walk 5.5 kilometres, or the goodie bags and breakfast. It's about the disabled. Those who need your help and support. Remember that before ignoring this plea for help altogether. YOU have the power to decide. The power to give these members of the society the best that you can offer, because this charity walk is OPEN TO ALL. The charity walk registration is open to you, is your heart and soul open to assisting the organisation and the people they're helping?

I urge you to walk, and to walk for the right reasons. This event is reason enough for you to join the walk.

To register/for more information, call Sannie 016-3236551 or Cecilia 016-2759329

Consider it. Seriously.

Tagged

2007-07-16T20:54:00.000+08:00

I just read Soraya's blog, and I realised she tagged me! Sorry! was away, so forgive me for taking so long to do the tag. I hope I don't fall short of Soraya's expectations. She expects 'uber cool answers' from me, to quote her blog post. Hmmmmm... I'll see what I can do.

Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18, and find line 4.
'symbol of Aes Sedai, before the Breaking, but this disc was a seal on the Dark One's prison'

Stretch your left arm out as far as you can.
Unfortunately, I did not have a camera in my left hand. Otherwise, I daresay I could take quite a good picture of myself from this angle ;P

What is the last thing you watched on TV?
The 4400 on AXN. Something about a guy who has the ability to read people's minds. (Sounds an awful lot like something you watch on Heroes)

Without looking, guess what time it is.
8.48pm

Now look at the clock. What is the actual time?
9.02pm

With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
'Midnight Show' and 'Why do I keep counting?' by the Killers. 'Why do I keep counting?' is playing on my media player, but 'Midnight Show' is playing in my head.

When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
It was around 6pm or so. I was feeding my dogs.

Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
Soraya's blog

What are you wearing?
SMK Damansara Jaya Rumah Hebat T-shirt! woohoo! and a pair of slacks.

Did you dream last night?
No, I don't think I did. But scientifically speaking, people always dream when they're asleep. If they don't, they haven't achieved rapid eye movement (REM) or something like that, and they would have had practically no sleep at all. Since I slept well, I'm guessing I forgot what I dreamt about.

When did you last laugh?
Not too long ago. I can't remember exactly when. What's the point of these random questions? to test my memory? No, I'm not suffering from amnesia, or from any mentally degenerative disease eg. Alzheimers or dementia...

What are on the walls you are in?
A family portrait. An old one. I was only eleven then, I think.

Seen anything weird lately?
I've been to Korea and back, and attended my first day of college today... There's nothing I haven't seen anymore. Nothing's weird to me now. Nothing can touch me anymore...lol

What do you think of this quiz?
I'm not thinking right now. Ask me in an hour, you'll probably have better luck getting an answer out of me then.

What is the last film you saw?
Drumline. An old movie (made in 2002). About a varsity band and the life of one of the drummers in that very band. Watched it on television in Seoul.

If you became a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?
hmm.. The Killers' albums, their concert tickets, their fansite membership (members get priority when it comes to ticket sales!), the plane tickets to get to the various venues. I would also like to pay for the registration to attend the next World Schools Debating Championships in Washington!

Tell me something about you that I don't know.
I love 'Wuthering Heights' by Emily Bronte.

If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt or politics, what would you do?
I would seek justice for those who truly deserve it, I would clean the air and water to maintain the greens, hills and valleys, and I would vote for world peace! Wait, I was only supposed to name one right? scroll up and pick one.

George Bush:
Makes very stupid but funny remarks in his speeches (eg. Talking about how he was 'trained by the Al-Qaeda, Talking about how 'Single mothers struggle to put food on their families, and on how 'humans and fish can coexist peacefully'. LOL

Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
Tatiana

Imagine your first child is a boy, what do you call him?
Constantine

Would you ever consider living abroad?
Yes, I guess I would... This proposal is worth considering.

What do you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
'Come in! The pearly gates are now wide open for you!' I mean, that's the most important thing isn't it? being at the pearly gates doesn't necessarily mean you get to enter through them. Gosh, imagine reaching the gates to find it closed to you! horrors of horrors! choi choi choi... Touchwood, touchwood

I now tag:
Pui Yean
Zhi Wei
Mark
Suh Ming
Jian Wei
Sze Mei
Eswhy
Xin Dee and Yi Lynn

You all have seriously got to watch this. This is 'Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground' by Chris Thile. In case you're wondering who Chris Thile is, He's one of the three members from Nickel Creek. (they were featured in my last blog post) He makes amazing music!

Continuum: Seoul Part II

2007-07-15T19:47:00.000+08:00

Well, to appease my friends, who think I didnt' describe Seoul in enough detail (read: OW XIN DEE) I'll spend some time elaborating more things.

Well, I didn't really enjoy the kimchi there. There are many kinds of pickled vegetables in Korea, but the most basic kind is the pickled cabbage in red sauce/soup/juice. This is how it looks like.

Things were pretty expensive. Cheapest meal you can get there is worth 5000 Korean Won. That is equivalent to RM20. I'm no rich kid, so naturally, I pinched my pennies, and I pinched them hard. Pork (no offense to my muslim friends, this is a purely neutral discussion about Korean delicacies) and beef are Korean specialties. They like to cook it in a stew/casserole, where they boil it in this red, hot, spicy soup:

Or you have slabs of chilled/frozen pork/beef barbequed on a hot plate:

As I said earlier, the hotel that we stayed in was really pretty. They had traditional Korean folk music played live at the lobby by Korean costume clad musicians during the daytime. At night, there's a live jazz band at the lobby instead.

On the night of the first day of debates, there was a gala dinner. Some sort of opening ceremony. Took some pics in the Imperial Palace Hotel's Dubhe Hall, where we had the dinner. If I'm not mistaken, they served cream of mushroom soup, rib eye steak and ice-cream roll. I have not seen an ice-cream roll before. It's actually this slice of swiss roll cake, just that it had 3 flavours of ice-cream in the middle. After dinner, there was this exciting performance by the local breakdancing group - B Boyz! The way they contorted themselves, and spun at breakneck speed was entertaining in every sense of the word. They danced to loud rock and techno themes, accompanied by skilful traditional Korean drum beating. The performance featured a fantastic beatboxer too!

Well, we had debates for the days after that. They were held at various venues. Some at Jongam Middle School, Korean International School, Seoul English Village and Chong Ang University

On the last day, we watched the final round of debate between Singapore and Scotland. Just in case you were wondering, SCOTLAND WON!!!!

That very night, was another gala dinner. The closing ceremony, I would say. After dinner, there was a performance called 'nanta'. It was basically a musical show, where 4 people playing comedic cooks made percussion instruments out of cooking utensils.

The morning we were about to leave Korea was hellish. We had to wake up at 4 am because we had to catch the 5 am bus to Incheon International Airport. We had to WAIT there till 11 am, the time our flight was scheduled. I just couldn't sleep well on planes, so I didn't sleep much. I came back looking like a washed out rag. Still haven't recovered from the lack of sleep! can you believe it! When I was at Korea, breakfast was at 6.30 am every morning. In case you didn't know, the difference in time here in Malaysia and in Korea is one hour. Korea's time is 1 hour ahead of ours, meaning I eat breakfast, when my mind is conditioned to the fact its 5.30am back home. Heck, I SLEEP at that time!

By the way, today, I attended an MPO show, where Joshua Bell performed. Yes, JOSHUA BELL, the legendary violinist. It was mind-blowingly amazing! He must have almost flawless technique. He's moves quite a bit while playing, I noticed. A lot of flailing of his hair. Forgive me, but this is my first time watching JOSHUA BELL, so I'm a bit jakun. ;)

I'll leave you with one of my favourites. The song's called 'This Side', and it's by a bluegrass band called Nickel Creek. A Must-Hear, I say!

I've got Seoul, but I'm not a Seouldier

2007-07-14T01:49:00.000+08:00

Hi people, I'm back from Seoul, Korea. (Just to let all of you know: if you care, that is) That is why I have not updated my blog in such a very very very very long time. I didn't want to leave the blog dead and all, but I had to, you see? ;) In case you wondered what I would be doing in the land of kimchi, (Korean pickled vegetables), let me refresh your memory.

I was at Seoul from the 2nd to the 12th of July for the World Schools Debating Championships. Seoul was amazing. As bustling cities should, Seoul had wide streets and unending traffic jams. A total of 35 countries participated, and we all stayed at this fantastic 5 star hotel called the Imperial Palace Hotel. Beautiful place. Looked expensive, with all the wooden panellings, golden ornaments, and ancient paintings. Here are pics of the place:

Let me introduce you to the Malaysian team:

Andrew 'I will nung soong your boodle' (That was the name of a Korean restaurant, don't ask me why he used the name in this context)

Jian Wei 'I see, I like, I order *smiles toothily while rubbing his tummy* Prosperity!'

Zhi Wei 'You come and smell my feet!'

Mishyan (Words fail me when it comes to quoting anything Mishyan said, cos nothing he said is worth quoting lol)

and Me (You know me lah)

A picture of the entire team, I'm there: 3rd from left.

Well, it was a fabulous 10 days to spend in the company of the best debaters all over the world. We met teams from the Netherlands,

Hong Kong,

Romania,

Ireland,

Lithuania,

Canada,

Well, to cut a long story short, we didnt' win big in the tournament. We won some rounds, lost some others narrowly with some terrible split decisions from the judges. Despite all of that, I had a great time with the debaters of the WSDC, enjoyed Korea, and I greatly appreciate the invaluable experience it all gave me. Wow, the last sentence is perfect for a primary school english composition. ;P

Banana

2007-06-11T17:22:00.000+08:00

Finally, I'm back from my amazingly long absence! My apologies to those who came to my blog and saw no new updates over the past few weeks. I humbly beg for your forgiveness. I did not leave you with the same old blog page deliberately. I just had some unpleasant but important business to attend to. Curse the exams ;P

In case you ever wondered, I attended a chinese school throughout my primary years. No, I'm not ashamed of that fact. I know is kinda random for me to talk about my chinese roots here right now, but I had a sudden impulse to talk about what a yellow person I am. Although I speak English to most of my friends, I'm not what they call a 'banana', as I do have a part of me that is steeped in the chinese language and the chinese traditions. To explain the term 'banana', it is a name-a slur, if you may call it-used to describe a person of the chinese race who is quite western/white in the inside. The conditions you must fulfil before you can be called a 'banana':

1. You cannot speak chinese/mandarin, or at least you have the remotest of ideas on how it is spoken (read: you're so bad at it, it's embarassing)
2. You must, of course, have yellow-coloured skin. (you must be chinese lah)
3. You speak English all the time, meaning English is your main means of communication. (acting like the infidels! ;P)
4. (Doesn't apply to all 'bananas', but some only) Act superior to the rest of your race, whom all converse in fluent mandarin. Whereas you view your fluency in English as a symbol status. In their eyes, they are the civilised ones, and the other non-'banana' chinese as people who are a world beneath them.

The extreme view of the chinese community is this: If you have yellow skin, yet you do not even know your mother tongue, you don't deserve to be chinese at all! You are, in other words, ashamed of your own race, traitor of your own kind.

I do not feel that strongly about chinese who don't speak chinese. I think it is your God-given right to speak whatever language you are comfortable speaking. In fact, many of my friends don't speak chinese on a regular basis. They are perfectly normal, nice people.

I do believe, however, that one should know one's mother tongue. At least a little bit of it. One should learn about one's race, the traditions, the customs, the practices, the history. It is part and parcel of your identity, and it is therefore your responsibility to know and understand these things. You may not be proud of being chinese, but my advice is : Why don't you find out more about it before deciding what it is you like? After all, unlike your many coats, dresses, socks, prosthetic arms and legs, your skin colour can't be altered to fit some other race, unless you are Michael Jackson, of course.

If you're chinese, you must admit, it isn't so bad being chinese. We produce successful international figures : Michelle Yeoh, Lucy Liu, Zhang Ziyi, Gong Li, Chow Yun Fatt. We have the tallest building in the world, the Taipei 101 (Now, I do not want to argue about how Taiwan is not part of China, but they're basically chinese, right? Same origin, similar DNA and genes). By the way, China's economy is one of the fastest growing in the world. Although the China stock market is pretty volatile, they still make a very good gdp growth each year. China will even host the olympics in Beijing so very soon! Remember, the Chinese race has produced fleets of shrewd and successful businessmen. There is reason to be proud of being Chinese isn't there?

Heck we even have 'The Phantom of the Opera' in chinese! I'll leave you with that video. This chinese version was sung by Kris Phillips Fei Xiang and Zhu Hua. Kris Phillips is an international Broadway star who has been featured in many of Andrew Lloyd Webber productions. Andrew Lloyd Webber=big, famous musical composer. Now, Kris here is part Brit, part chinese I think, yet, he can speak and sing impeccable chinese. That puts a lot of bananas to shame, eh? Enjoy the chinese video. The singing is good to boot.

Look, He sings (well) in English too!

The Latest from THE KILLERS

2007-05-26T01:45:00.000+08:00

I thought I would take a break from blogging till June, because there's just too much work to do in too short a time. Exams, boy, exams. More books, less computer/email/chatting/blogging. You get what I mean.

Well, I have been trying my best to spend minimal time in front of the monitor these past few days, but I just can't resist having a little post here today, 'cause I discovered some really really cool stuff on youtube. I tell you, since I figured out how to embed videos on my blog, I have never stopped posting them here!

I wanted some good Killers music, so I tubed for some. You can guess what happens from there: Killers music craving + Youtube + Blog = THIS

CHECK THIS OUT, I had no idea it was out so soon! The Killer's latest single 'For Reasons Unknown', off their sophomore album 'Sam's Town'. The video was up on Youtube, and I just went berserk with excitement. haha. The video's cute, the songs good, what's there to complain about?

The Killers 'For Reasons Unknown' Lyrics
I pack my case, I check my face,
I look a little bit older, I look a little bit colder,
With one deep breath, and one big step,
I move a little bit closer, I move a little bit closer
For reasons unknown..I caught my stride, I flew and flied
I know if destiny's kind, I've got the rest on my mind
Well my heart, it don't beat, it don't beat the way it used to
And my eyes, they don't see you no more
And my lips, they don't kiss, they don't kiss the way they used to
And my eyes don't recognize you no more
For reasons unknown (2X)
It was an open chair
We sat down in, the open chair
I said if destiny's kind, I've got the rest on my mind
But my heart, it don't beat, it don't beat the way it used to
And my eyes, they don't see you no more
And my lips, they don't kiss, they don't kiss the way they used to
And my eyes don't recognize you at all
For reasons unknown (2X)
I said my heart, it don't beat, it don't beat the way it used to
And my eyes, don't recognize you no more
And my lips, they don't kiss, they don't kiss the way they used to
And my eyes don't recognize you no more
For reasons unknown (4X)

I only meant to post 'For Reasons Unknown', but one click on one video on Youtube led to another, and after a series of clicks, I unearthed this waaaayyyy cooooolll video of the song 'Why do I Keep Counting?', also from 'Sam's Town'. The song is haunting. I thought the person behind this video did a neat job creating it. If you have not heard it, I strongly recommend you do, 'cause it's great! (at least to me, it is)

The Killers 'Why Do I Keep Counting?' Lyrics
There's a plane and I am flying
There's a mountain waiting for me
Oh these years have been so trying
I don't know if I can use them
Am I strong enough, To be the one?
Will I live to have some children?
Help me get down, I can make it, Help me get down
Help me get down, I can make it, Help me get down
If I only knew the answer, I wouldn't be bothering you
Father
Help me get down, I can make it, Help me get down
Help me get down, I can make it, Help me get down
If I only knew the answer, And if all our days are numbered
Then why do I keep counting?
My sugar sweet, Is so atainable
This behaviour so unexplainable
The days just slip and slide, Like they always did
The trouble is my head, Won't let me forget
I took one last good look around, So many unusual sounds
I gotta get my feet on the ground
Help me get down, I can make it, Help me get down
Help me get down, I can make it, Help me get down
If I only knew the answer, I wouldn't be bothering you
Father
Help me get down, I can make it, Help me get down
Help me get down, I can make it, Help me get down
If I only knew the answer, And if all of our days are numbered
Would you help me get down?
If I only knew the answer, If I change my way of living
And If I pave my streets with good times, Will the mountain keep on giving
And if all of our days are numbered
Then why do I keep counting?

P/S : For those of you who prefer to ogle at Brandon Flowers, (frontman of The Killers), *pssst, specifically Yi Lynn*, in the second video 'Why Do I Keep Counting?', you may find the floppy-haired-Brit-Looking-Rockstar you were looking for.

I repeat, THANK GOD FOR YOUTUBE!

Alan Shore it is!

2007-05-22T17:24:00.000+08:00

I've made up my mind. I think I have. My choice is clear. God help me, I hope this is the right one! Feels right, but I'll have to walk down this path of my choice to know for sure.

I choose to be ALAN SHORE. (if you don't get what I mean, go check my previous blogpost on 'Where are YOU going?' It explains my dilemma, and why I am stating my decision right here and right now.)

This is Alan Shore at his best:

I realise that law has more to it than exciting, juicy, dramatic, sensational legal tv dramas, but it sure makes the profession a very appealing one! The simple message that these tv shows have is the same however, that the law is there so that justice can prevail, that we can be heard, that we keep a check on things to ensure the right things are done most, if not all the time. THAT is what I hope to do. Wish me luck!

Indulgence

2007-05-21T20:34:00.000+08:00

Romeo and Juliet, (no, I'm not talking about the Shakespeare play) is a song that Karleng brought to my attention sometime ago. (Thank God for Youtube!) It was originally done by the band Dire Straits, and most recently was covered by The Killers. Pure bliss I tell you. It may have been a cover, but the Killers made it their own. The way they dealt with the song. The vocals, so gentle, yet so intense emotionally. The music is well controlled, and provides great accompaniment. Love the song!

Catch the lyrics. Romantic, eh?
'I love you like the stars above, I love you till I die.'
'I can't do the talk, like the talk on tv. Can't do a love song, like the way it's meant to be. I can't do anything, but I'll do anything for you. I can't do anything 'cept be in love with you'

I know this post is kinda indulgent, but had this impulse to do it anyway haha... Exam stress and Blogging can be quite a weird combination!

Couldn't resist adding this extra live performance here! 'Bones' performed LIVE! I somehow find it better than the studio version. You judge for yourself:

That's all for now! hope you enjoyed it! Gotta go back to hitting the books. Toodles.

Spam - lighter things

2007-05-19T23:11:00.000+08:00

Well, the general feedback I've had so far about my blog is that there are just too many 'heavy' , 'uninteresting' issues discussed. To please you guys reading what's written on your monitor, I decided to deal with some lighter things in this post. According to some of my fellow bloggers/friends, you can write lighter blog posts by describing your everyday experiences. You never know, it can be so very interesting.

Fine. I'll do it your way. Let's talk about something that requires minimal brain matter now, shall we? I'll begin by telling you how I signed in using my Gmail username and password, and checked my recent emails. (Things are getting boring already, aren't they?) The fun started when I clicked on the spam folder. I unleashed over 150 types of advertisements, random emails, and emails that I suspect are laced with virus. Going through them, I noted the interesting details.

1. These people who spam you have an unending stream of ridiculous, hideous names. Someone named Mario Shenglu sent me some mail about receiving bonuses and cash. Quite a combination isn't it? Mario, being one of the more popular names in Sicily, coupled with a pure mainland China name. Mario Shenglu, who (assuming the name is real) probably lives in either Xinjiang, or even in the Vito Corleone's Sicilian household is offering me cash and bonuses? If he's in Sicily, accepting the offer for this cash would not be quite a smart move. You may actually be taking dollar billls from a member of a huge, well-connected mafia family. The last thing you want is to get entangled in this, because if you offend the mafia, they'll 'make you an offer you can't refuse', quoting Vito Corleone from 'The Godfather'.

2. Spammers have very bad English. It's either that, or they are highly inaccurate in typing their spam emails. Mr Dylan Horne sent me an email starting with the words 'you milledgeville well chromosome'. Let's make an attempt at deciphering it. I get you, and I get chromosome. If he's referring to these two, then it should be 'youR chromosome'. What puzzles me is the 'milledgeville well'. milledgeville? A mill at the edge of a village? A mill that has a output that suits the country's economy well? What does that mill at the end of the village have to do with my chromosome? I remember that chromosomes are found in the nucleus of the cell, and contain genetic material. Where does the mill fit in?
Ms Elnora Cox decided to tell me about her boyfriend I think. My conclusion is made by analysing her spam mail's title - 'a barclay he felicitous'. I could not find a single word spelt 'barclay' in the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary. It was not on Webster's New World. Not on Marriam-Webster, and Princetonword.net has failed me too. Maybe the person typing it was in a hurry and huddled all the letters together. Maybe Elnora meant 'A bar of clay' (I'm starting to get weird ideas... a bar of clay?) Why do I assume she's talking about her boyfriend? I did that because she talked about 'he' being 'felicitous', 'felicitous' meaning he could be exhibiting an agreeably appropriate manner, or that he could be marked by good fortune. I swear, these spammers are speaking a whole new language.
Ms Betty Mccoy said to me in her mail : 'is do lahoma', while Ms Cara Nelson told me : 'it wesley ourselves calligraphy'. Go figure. Tell me what you make of it later.

3. Spammers are obsessed with drugs, ESPECIALLY sexual enhancing, libido enhancing, aphrodisiac kind of drugs. Viagra sent me mail on 'oral medications'. Viagra online talked about 'when you need it NOW'. They either think I'm a chronic heart patient, or that I have a lot of time to spare for extra-curricular activities. Reading the line 'longer satisfaction for you and your partner', I'm pretty certain it isn't my cardiac muscles they're talking about.
Well, I can't say that the spam folder holds nothing to learn. It can be educational. For example, I discovered the existence of the drug Cialis. Cialis is a drug, as the spammer quoted 'can really help you'. I wonder what sort of help this exciting sounding drug could do. I googled it, expecting to see the next miracle modern medicine can do to alleviate pain all over the world until I read the first line on www.cialis.com. It is an FDA approved drug to overcome erectile dysfunction. Wow, great help.
Well, aside from these weird drugs, the spammers insist on giving you the best deal you can ever get for the drugs you buy via the internet. Ms Rebecca Jernigan took it as part of her responsibility to remind me of my 'Pharm4cy 0rder #18045' (don't ask me why she typed in the numbers as part of the alphabets, 'cause I don't know). Ms Veronica Tillman sent me a mail about 'the cheapest way to solve health problems', and Mr Dudley Duncan (seemingly the only male pharmacist on my spam folder list) decided that he would reply my email which I never remembered sending - 're: drugs worldwide at low price'.
Other than pharmacists, I have a feeling a doctor spammer called Goldie Levy sent this : 'IMPORTANT:my do vascular'. The word vascular sounds quite medicine-y to me, unless she's a botanist talking about the vascular bundle (xylem and phloem) in the plant.
Gosh, does my email address indicate that I have heart problems, erectile dysfunction and a host of other health issues?

4. Some spammers simply SCARE you. Looking through my folder, I noticed that Tony Estrada sent me an email on a 'Father's Day Special'. I was staring wide-eyed at the screen... Could this person be in any way related to JOSEPH ESTRADA? the previous Phillipines leader who started off as an actor before delving into politics and was charged with bribery in 2001? What would Joseph Estrada's brother want with me? What 'Father's Day Special' does he want to offer? The word 'special' here is quite disturbing. Besides, I received this email on Mother's Day. This someone, possibly a family member of former Phillipines president, expects me to take up a 'Father's Day Special' on Mother's Day?
Nothing beats this scary email in my spam folder, where Ms Cassie Blackwell tells me in her email to 'Have a Burial!'.
..........................................
The sheer horror of it is that I can practically hear the gleefulness in Ms Blackwell's voice if she were to say those words out loud.

What do you Believe?

2007-05-16T20:31:00.000+08:00

We have to agree that we humans are individuals with the capacity to believe the unseen, and the unknown. We have faith in many things that we cannot explain. We say that miracles are divine, and are God's providence. Excluding the atheists, we human beings have our own beliefs. Some of our beliefs are in the form of our religions.

Most of our textbooks focus a lot on the four main religions in Malaysia today. We have Islam, where the muslims believe in the almighty Allah. We have Christianity, though broken into many denominations, christians generally believe in God and Jesus Christ. We have Buddhism, where Siddharta Gautama's enlightenment becomes the aim of every devout Buddhist. Hinduism, the religion with quite a number of Gods and Goddesses, including Siva, Vishnu, and Kaali, to name a few.

These religions are extremely well-known, and assuming you belong to any of these religious groups, I'll save myself the trouble of elaborating much on them. Instead, I'll introduce the religions that caught my eye lately.

Kabbalah

Originated from Judaic mysticism. Exact origin is not known, but the founder is believed to be Spanish philosopher, Iba Gabriol, Solomon ibn Gabirol, (1021 - 1058) or to the 13th century CE Spanish Kabbalist Bahya ben Asher. (cool names, eh?). Let's explore some of the concepts in Kabbalah, shall we? The idea is that God creates both spirit and matter, but is neither. (Quite hard to grasp, but bear with me.) So the concept of God is divided into 2 : Firstly, God as the unknowable, because being neither spirit or matter, God cannot possibly be known by us mere mortals. This side of God is known as Ein Sof (אין סוף), or 'the infinite'. Secondly, God is also viewed as the creator of the universe and all that's in it. This second aspect of God is at least partially accesible to us through human thought. Kabbalists explain the existence of evil in this world through the Kabbalistic tree, which consists of ten Sephiroth, the ten "enumerations" or "emanations" of God. There is all sorts of really fascinating beliefs in the entire system of Kaballah, like how 'nefesh', or the human soul has three parts, and how the the Kabbalistic tree's ten sephiroth can fall out of balance, and existence of death angels. I'll spare you the details, but if you are looking for a interesting read, google some Kabbalistic websites. It is quite eye-opening.

Kabbalistic Tree and the Ten Sephiroth. It's in Jewish, but apparently, it is divided into a male side and a female side. Kabbalists believe that the female side is more destructive. (ahem ahem)

Now, the thing about Kabbalah is, it is believed that you are only prepared to study Kabbalah in depth after you are married and have reached the age of 40. THAT'S why Madonna started her Kabbalah lifestyle in full-blown style after marrying Guy Ritchie, and after hitting the big four-o. If you're interested in making Kabbalah your way of life, wait till you hit your mid-life crisis first, and make sure you make POTS of money. In her first four years of Kabbalah life, Madonna donated more than 4.5 million to set up Kabbalah centres. We don't have Kabbalah centres here in Malaysia, (none that I know of anyway), so to establish one, prepare to fork out the mint. Another thing, Kabbalists love Kabbalah water, which they claim to be made of holy water, and is the latest, most trendy, most magical energy drink in the market. Now, this Kabbalah water costs up to 4 pounds per 1.5 litre bottle. Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher led all Kabbalists in drinking this concoction religiously, and it's a must for all Kabbalist-wannabes! Money is important here as well, this time to foot the 4 quid per bottle of water bill.

Take the Kabbalah energy drink! Aside from all the magical properties, it's actually sugar free!

If you don't want to drink it, you can SPRAY it! Kabbalah water atomizer is sold now! and based on what's written on the bottle, it is 'effectively different'. Hmmm..... I'll leave it up to your interpretation.

Another interesting belief - Scientology

If you don't know what scientology is other than the fact that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes are proud to practise it, here is some background info. Scientology is a body of teachings and related techniques created by American science fiction author L. Ron Hubbard. Created in 1952 as an outgrowth of his earlier self-help system, Dianetics, Hubbard later characterized Scientology as an "applied religious philosophy" and the basis for a new religion. The name "Scientology" is also used to refer to the often controversial Church of Scientology, the largest organization promoting the practice of Scientology, which is itself part of a network of affiliated organizations that claim ownership and sole authority to disseminate Dianetics and Scientology. Scientology claims to offer "an exact methodology" to help humans achieve awareness of their spiritual existence across many lifetimes and, simultaneously, to become more effective in the physical world. A goal of Scientology is to rehabilitate the "thetan" (roughly equivalent to the soul) to regain its native state of "total freedom." In addition to its promises of spiritual rehabilitation, Hubbard's "technology" offers specific programs for diverse areas including drug rehabilitation and criminal rehabilitation. (This sounds too good to be true!)

L Ron Hubbard- the sci-fi author who founded the Church of Scientology

Okay, that was the good stuff. Here are some of the recent controversies Scientology brought. I would not take any of the advantages OR disadvantages as the gospel truth. Just a simple presentation of data with no intention of siding either party, pro or anti-Scientologist.

There are claims that Scientology is a cult, not a religion. There are accusations that Scientology involves the constant brain-washing and mind-controlling of its members. Some actually criticise the use of hypnosis in Scientology. Some question the purpose, others question the effectiveness and the ethics of it. The media has labelled Scientology as a cult claiming that 75 million years ago aliens came to earth and their spirits now infest our bodies. Any expert in this field may contradict me at any point, but this is what i gathered from what I have read in the papers and online. There is also the huge uproar against Scientologists' disconnection policy, where members are cut off from family. Again, I'm not too clear about all this because I'm not a Scientologist myself. Hence, the general, unbiased words, phrases and sentences I'm using in this post here today. ;)

Alright, just last year, Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes became proud parents of Suri. As a devout Scientologist, Tom Cruise ensured that the birth of Suri was a silent one. This was in line with the strict rules as set by his Scientology beliefs. He made sure everyone was silent, and the only sound he allowed was Katie's screaming, because noise during birth could possibly lead to 'spiritually negative effects'. I'm not sure if this is a Scientology practice, but Cruise tucked in to the placenta right after the birth, cord and all. He consumed the double layer membrane, oestrogen and progesteron secreting organ/tissue whole, and said it was 'nutritious'. This sparked a huge response. As a joke, his movies were renamed to mark his placenta-eating stunt:

TOM'S NEW MOVIES..
Mission Impassable
A Chew Good Men
Eyes Wide Gut
Top Gum
The Gore of the Worlds
Cord on the Fourth of July
Days of Chunder
Maternity Report
Interwomb with the Vampire

A picture featured in a magazine along with the news that TomKat were about to wed. Spot the UFOs/ flying saucers!

Less odd things have also took place in Cruise's life. Being a religious scientologist, he finds his relationship and communication with Katie extremely good.

Well, I have been an innocent, impartial officer so far, passing on information in its purest form as possible (within my abilities). Finding it odd? bizzare? Or have you found the perfect religion/belief for you? I know what I believe, but what do YOU believe?

Of Capitalism and Socialism... with a pinch of Communism

2007-05-15T00:21:00.000+08:00

Now we have read so many essays by so many economists and human rights activists about how pro-capitalist/anti-capitalist or pro-socialist/anti-socialist they are.

In case you do not know what capitalism and socialism mean exactly (sorry for being pedantic here, but it is better to assume that the readers don't know, 'cause understanding the issue is vital to understand the rest of what I'm about to write ;P ). By definition, capitalism is an economic system in which the means of production are privately owned and controlled and which is characterized by competition and the profit motive. In other words, it means : you invest in something, you reap the profits, and that all you're investing in has a sole purpose -- to bring in profits (by the cartload!). Therefore, if you are a capitalist, or a strong supporter of capitalism, you are, to put it gently, a selfish person, who makes pots of money for your own benefit.

Adam Smith, the selfish boy who strongly supported capitalism. He came up with free trade as well. Looks like this economist over here devoted his life to earn money. Very practical man, this one, unlike Capt. John Smith, who did the most impractical thing -- sail to the land of the red indians, and fall in love with Pochahontas, the drum-beating, canoe-rowing-princess who was living under such primitive circumstances. (According to the Disney animated film anyway, which by the way, didn't make much sense. I mean, Pochahontas spoke FLAWLESS English! How cool is THAT? Miss one-little-two-little-three-little-indians-princess could speak to her white-ship-captain-love-interest as if she was an Oxbridge first-class honour graduate with an impeccable accent!)

Socialism, however, is quite the opposite. Socialism is an economic, social and political doctrine which expresses the struggle for the equal distribution of wealth by eliminating private property and the exploitative ruling class. In practice, such a distribution of wealth is achieved by social ownership of the means of production, exchange and diffusion. To put it simply, if you are a socialist, you think of things in a more utilitarian point of view. You want everyone to have a slice of the pie, not a winner takes all concept. A more extreme take on socialism would be communism, which is an ideology where there is no class, no state, no nothing in society. Everything belongs to everyone, nothing more, and nothing less.

Karl Marx, the man who brought you communism. Apparently, he believed that everyone would sit back and accept that regardless how hard they worked, they would receive identical salaries anyway. What he DIDN'T believe in, was shaving. (the picture is self-explanatory)

Thinking through it all, I started having quite an inner conflict. ( it happens, quite frequently. Refer to the blog post on 'Clash') Am I a capitalist, or a socialist? I acknowledge the importance of money, but I can't bring myself to take everything and keep it to myself. Therefore, I'm not a capitalist in the true sense of the word. Profit isn't the priority in everything I do in life, so it would be an insult to the enter concept of capitalism to call myself a capitalist.

If I'm not a capitalist, then i must be a socialist, and possibly *gasp* a communist! Don't point your fingers and guns at me screaming that I graced the pages of your history textbooks as evil, ruthless anti-national rebels! I'm just exploring the possibilities. I think that if i could, I would try to help people from all walks of life, from all levels of society. That is a socialist's point of view. Then again, I can't say that I'm a saint and martyr, and that my sole objective in life is to fight poverty, cure AIDS and cancer, fight for women's rights, human rights, for the minority groups' voices to be heard, for elderly AND youths to get their fair share out of the economy, for better education, for better facilities (think: public toilets), to pull American troops out of Iraq, to adopt underpriviledged children from Guinea-Bissau, Laos, and Angola all at once, to make sure that Palestine and Israel hug, kiss and make up, and to guarantee the world peace for everyone forever and ever.

I admit it. I'm selfish. I see to my own needs. I eat when I'm hungry, without much thought about the millions starving in Africa. I get money and the first thing I do is spend it on myself. Fulfil my needs before I look at others' needs. That is so NOT socialism. I do not make sure that I divide my allowance to microscopical parts, and to send each miniscule fraction to every inch of the deprived world, leaving almost nothing to sustain MY life.

So what am I. uh oh... confusion kicks in. What am I?

I view myself as a practical person, but not cold blooded and icy to the core practical. I am not evil, (not entirely anyway, though most of you will not agree.. haha) and believe it or not, I hope to see that society does receive benefits out of the socioeconomic system as a whole. It is idealistic, I know, but one can only dream.

To decide once and for all if I'm a capitalist or socialist at heart, I decided to run my own nation, and to see how things will turn out to be. I went to nationstates.net, and created my very own country -- The Most Serene Republic of A Blackhole.

This is the country that is under my full control. The Most Serene Republic of A Blackhole is a small, devout nation, renowned for its strong anti-business politics. Its compassionate population of 9 million are fiercely patriotic and enjoy great social equality; they tend to view other, more capitalist countries as somewhat immoral and corrupt.
It is difficult to tell where the omnipresent, socially-minded government stops and the rest of society begins, but it concentrates mainly on Social Welfare, although Religion & Spirituality and Healthcare are on the agenda. The average income tax rate is 51%, and even higher for the wealthy. Private enterprise is illegal, but for those in the know there is a slick and highly efficient black market in Soda Sales.
Voting is voluntary, nudity is frowned upon, citizens are barcoded to keep track of their movements, and a well-funded social safety net protects the unfortunate. Crime is totally unknown. A Blackhole's national animal is the rat-tailed maggot, which frolics freely in the nation's many lush forests, and its currency is the flower.
A Blackhole is ranked 3198th in the region and 56,305th in the world for Largest Agricultural Sector.

The shocking thing is, the UN categorised me as a democratic socialist. My nation is stated to have only 'some' civil rights, a 'fragile' economy, and 'some' political freedoms. What the......... Am I that bad a national leader?

Nationstates.net proved that I'm more of a socialist than a capitalist. Call me naive or call me a dreamer, I still hope that the idealistic idea that everyone will have fairness and equality in every aspect of life would one day be realised. Wait, by hoping for the impossible, this completely contradicts my sentence earlier when I said 'I'm practical', right?

Confused

2007-05-14T00:43:00.000+08:00

I got some news some time back.

I don't really know what to do with it.

I felt like fiddling with that piece of paper in my hands. I felt like I should have poured myself a glass of water, 'cause at least that way, I will have a glass to toy with in my hands.

I did not know what to make of it.

I did not want to think of it, because thinking about it would have been too tedious. One thing thought out would lead to another. And another. And another. And that's assuming that I can actually think things out, which I doubt I could.

I'm so indecisive. I just want to sit on the fence all day and stay there. I want to sit in the epicentre of the universe, cross legged, with my eyes closed, with a clean mind, a clean soul. Like a clean slate. Tabula rasa.

I wish I could choose. I wish I didn't need to. I wish someone can force it down my throat so I don't need to worry about it another second.

Why do you waste my time? is the answer, to the question on my mind. Well I'm sick of all my judges, too scared of what they'll find. And I know that I can make it, as long as somebody takes me home, every now and then.

It's dark, and I'm tired.

I'm stressed.