ADTC

The Apologetic Atheist

2011-09-10T00:07:00.003+08:00

In one of the discussions on a Facebook group, it was asked whether "atheist apologetic" is a valid term. In response, I gave this short sentence:

Atheists don't have anything to apologize for.

The questioner asked for more details by stating the following:

//if there is no belief involved, it is called agnostic. Atheisn [sic] is belief. Opposite of belief is doubt. If you are caliming [sic] to be "certain" of non-existence of God, you have a "belief". If you are not sure, then you are "agnostic"//

My response to these claims went as follows:

Atheism is the position one takes when one does not have a belief in a god. Now, you must not forget that "not having a belief" is not a belief. It does not mean that we "strongly believe" in the non-existence of god.

For example, think about this. Here's what a unicorn looks like [roughly] in most imaginations:

An artist's impression of the pink unicorn

Now, if unicornists are people who actively believe that this mythical creature actually exists in reality. Aunicornists on the other hand would be people who do not actively believe that this creature exists.

Note that aunicornists don't have to spend their time and energy maintaining a "belief" in the non-existence of unicorns, because if that was necessary, we will all be drained of our energy in maintaining beliefs about the non-existence of an infinite number of things! In contrast, all the aunicornists do is to not hold a belief about the existence of the unicorn.

Now the other thing is "agnostic". Contrary to popular belief, an agnostic is not a fence-sitter between an atheist and a theist. A person can be an agnostic atheist, or an agnostic theist.

Gnostic-Agnostic merely means whether one has knowledge or does not have knowledge about something. In the context of theism, that 'something' defaults to the existence of god. But one can also be said as agnostic about unicorns. It merely means he does not have any knowledge about the existence of unicorns.

An agnostic unicornist would be someone who does not have any knowledge about existence of unicorns, but continues to believe in their existence. An agnostic aunicornist would be someone who does not have any knowledge about existence of unicorns, and also does not believe in their existence.

Now, we cannot realistically have a gnostic aunicornist, because if we have verifiable knowledge about the existence of unicorns, it would actually be absurd to not believe in their existence.

The other thing is the apparent confusion between possibility and probability. Many times, theists claim that [at the very least,] it's possible that a god may exist, and many atheists would actually agree to that. I myself would say that it's possible that there actually is a god.

But possibility does not mean it's highly probable. In fact, possibility has no bearing on probability. Even with how much our total sum of human knowledge has expanded, the probability of god's existence is actually remaining very very very low. This is because of the total lack of evidence in support of god's existence, save some holy books and some anecdotal evidence. (Science does not accept anecdotal evidence as valid for good justifiable reasons.)

It is due to this extremely low probability that atheists reject the idea of god. But no atheist is ever certain that there is no god. We accept that there is a possibility that besides the deafening lack of evidence, there could be a god. But, the odds of that being true is so very low that we are able to live our practical lives as though there is no god.

By the way, please do not think that just because I'm giving a long-winded explanation here, it means I'm apologetic. I'm not any more apologetic about atheism than a physics teacher would be [(about the theory of relativity)] when explaining the theory of relativity to his students. Imagine him saying "I'm sorry about the theory I'm teaching you..." LOL!

What happens beyond death

2011-09-09T02:01:00.001+08:00

There is no need to "live beyond death" to know what happens to one beyond death. You can merely observe it from the death of others, and infer from our current knowledge of human/animal anatomy.

The personality, memory and cognitive abilities of a human being (or animal), that is the various qualities attributed to a "soul" that supposedly survives physical death, have now been understood in medical science to merely be functions of the expansive neural network in one's brain. As such, when this brain stops functioning, these qualities immediately stop functioning as well.

Science has not yet found a way to read memories stored in the brain's neural network (dead or alive) or restart the personality stored in it, and it may never find one at all. But it has already been shown with enough evidence that without a functioning brain, there would not be any functioning personality, memory or any other cognitive ability.

The conclusion of this is that, a soul cannot exist as the qualities of a soul (personality, memory, both or anything else) all depend on a functioning *biological, physical* brain. Therefore, nothing survives beyond physical death except the dead body. And once a body is dead, it starts decaying.

The religious are looking for life beyond death and finding vain hopes and empty dreams about an afterlife they like in the religions they pick. Everything people believe about afterlife are just that - beliefs - fueled by wishful thinking.

Atheists on the other hand accept the reality that there is no afterlife and stop looking for one. Instead, they concentrate on using this life for the better while it still lasts. In the end, an atheist and a theist will both be dead. Nothing beyond it, except the decaying bodies of course.

Contact (1997)

2011-09-06T05:02:00.002+08:00

I just watched the 1997 movie called Contact. It is a science fiction movie about alien contact, but there were no visible alien forms onscreen in the movie.

The movie plot in brief is as follows (spoiler alert): An astronomer working on the SETI project manages to pick up three different alien signals from the same source. The first was a sequence of prime numbers from 2 to 101. The second was an amplified re-transmission of Hitler's welcoming address at 1936 Summer Olympics. The third was a blue-print to build an alien device called The Machine, which will supposedly transport one human passenger to the aliens. The government builds two such devices, and as one was destroyed during testing, the other was used, piloted by the astronomer. The movie ends with government disbelieving her story of contacting the aliens, calling it a self-delusion. The pod carrying her had dropped right through The Machine in a matter of seconds, effectively disproving her claim for being gone from Earth for 18 hours. Possibly the only two anomalies in the evidence against her are the electrostatic storm created by The Machine and the recording of approximately 18 hours of static in her video recording device.

What's interesting about the movie is its strong references towards the debate between religion and science. Once the alien signals were received and the news made public, the reactions of the general public (in the movie) greatly varied from various forms of support to fanatic religion-motivated opposition. The astronomer, Dr. Eleanor Arroway, is herself an atheist and during the course of the movie becomes romantically close to a Christian philosopher named Palmer Joss. During their conversations, Eleanor questions how Joss can believe in God despite having no evidence or proof for His existence. Joss could only recount his own personal experience and compare his certainty that God exists to Eleanor's certainty that she loved her deceased father, despite there being no evidence for it.

Remnants of this exchange come back to her at the end of the movie, when she was questioned by the panel on how she can believe she has had contact with aliens despite having no evidence for it. In my opinion, she should have answered the same way 95% of the human race believes there's a God, because it is hypocritical that a majority of human beings can believe in something with no verifiable evidence and think it's perfectly normal to do so, but when one human being believes something different with no verifiable evidence, she could be labelled as self-deluded, an unwitting accomplice in an elaborate hoax, or even a lunatic.

The other interesting point to note was how a candidate was selected to man the pod to be dropped in The Machine. Although Dr. Eleanor was the perfect candidate for the job, she was declined the opportunity in favor of the less suitable David Drumlin, simply because of her lack of belief in God. It was argued that a person chosen to represent the whole of mankind should also represent what 95% of the human race believes in. This, to me would be ridiculous, as an alien civilization much more technologically advanced than our own would probably have had at least thought about the God question, if not already found the answers we're seeking. The last thing they would want is a self-deluded human being bringing the so-called "message of God" to them. The language the aliens spoke to humans in, is indeed, as Eleanor puts it, the language of science, and it is precisely the same language that humans ought to reply in. (It was later revealed that Palmer Joss skewed the panel to vote against her by bringing God up, in order to keep her safe from harm, although it remains unclear if he had knowledge of the planned suicide bombing attack.)

The destruction of the first alien device by a religious fanatic by the name of Joseph is also not to be overlooked. It brings us to realize the fact of how religion has, in its own ways of indoctrinating people, hampered scientific progress for hundreds of centuries. It reminds me of a graph which shows we could have been exploring the stars by now, had our scientific progress not been stifled by the Christian Dark Ages. For centuries, religion has always been questioning and opposing scientific research and progress, labeling it as anything bad from heresy to immorality. The latest among such is stem cell research which has the potential to save billions of human lives, but is opposed on the grounds of morality, that destroying a microscopic blastocyst of a few human cells is the same as killing a human life. What they do not realize is that, stopping or delaying stem cell research will cause millions of real live walking breathing human beings to die, who could have otherwise be saved via the research.

But no matter what religion tries to do to stifle science, just like in the movie, science has always prevailed and will continue to prevail, eventually overtaking religion.

Wikipedia | IMDB | YouTube (trailer)

Revamped

2011-01-10T17:19:00.001+08:00

So I thought I should revamp my blog and added this new zesty orange look to it. Not like anyone is reading it beyond the can opener post, but anyhow...

I also added the new pages feature, and you can see the pages via the tabs on the top. They primarily serve to show you the different kinds of views I have. You're welcome to post your comments on them, of course :)

Worst customer service ever!

2010-09-03T20:55:00.000+08:00

I had the worst customer service ever at Sri Lukshmi Naarasimhan Restaurant, 438 Serangoon Road, Singapore 218133.

My wife and I visited this restaurant for an evening dinner. We had visited this restaurant once before, but we simply had something and left. However, today is the second time, and probably the last time I will ever set foot into this restaurant.

We went there because my wife had tried the Hot & Spicy Andhra Cheese Dosai, a special item which is not available in any other restaurant (that I had visited so far). She recommended that I should try it too. Hence we ordered a plate of the Andhra Cheese Dosai and another plate of Andhra Masala Dosai. It wasn't very spectacular, but something new and likable, but the overly inflated price of $5.90 makes it too expensive for a budget-conscious customer.

We also ordered a cup of Bournvita and a cup of Tea. This is where things get ugly. As we were finishing our Dosai's, the drinks were served. The Bournvita didn't taste like Bournvita, but tasted something like Horlicks concoction mixed with Milo. Still it was bearable.

But the Tea was actually a "Masala Tea." At first I thought it was "Elaichi Tea" due to the cardamom taste in it. Whether it is Masala Tea or Elaichi Tea, this is not what I expected when I ordered Tea. The menu card clearly states the name of the item as "TEA". That's right: "TEA". It doesn't state anything beyond that. What would a new customer walking in, conclude from this? That the tea would be normal.

So I called the waiter and asked him why I'm served with this kind of weird tea, when I ordered Tea. He went to the kitchen, came back and told me "This is the only tea here." So I asked him, "You go to a restaurant outside and order tea, do you want them to serve you masala tea or normal tea?" He didn't even apologize or say anything but simply removed the tea from the table and struck the order off the order slip (as I later discovered).

Later, when paying for everything except the tea, I discussed with the cashier (a man, who seemed to be the boss or manager), showing him the menu card and asking him "How is the customer supposed to know whether this is normal tea or some masala tea?" Instead of apologizing, he shows me a different lunch menu, which has an item called Special Tea and claims that it is a printing mistake in the evening menu.

He was trying to hint that the customer is supposed to know, without being told, that Tea means Special Tea. In response I told him that if there is such a printing mistake, then it is the waiter's responsibility to inform the customer of such error, and make it known to the customer what exactly he will be served when he orders such and such items in the menu. Again, he refused to apologize and even simply ignored my conversation, proudly quoting the bill price instead. (An expensive $13.80!)

At this point, I was already getting very angry at this unworthy attitude of the staff in this restaurant. Even the old lady clad in saree did not care to apologize for the mistake, but simply stood behind silently, backing the cashier/manager. I simply paid getting ready to leave. I left the restaurant with my wife, but not before telling him a final word: "You have to ensure that you're providing quality service and inform the customers of mistakes and changes. How is the customer supposed to know what is what without proper menus? If you are not going to provide quality service, customers will not want to come back to your restaurant (implying that I don't wish to come back)."

With this, we just left the restaurant. I vowed to never step into this restaurant again due to such irresponsible customer service and uncaring and prideful attitude of the staff. They never seem to respect the golden rule of business: "Customer is always right."

I enjoy my life.

2010-07-02T11:29:00.000+08:00

It's been a while since I blogged. Seems like blogging is going out of fashion though, on the face of facebook. The following is something I wrote on a forum in response to the question "Can atheists enjoy life?". I thought I'll share it here as well.

I definitely know that atheists and the irreligious enjoy life unless they choose not to. I certainly do enjoy mine. In fact, I was only able to enjoy life after I said goodbye to religion. I was brought up in a home that was very rarely religious, with emphasis on schooling and knowledge, rather than belief. I didn't understand the value of such upbringing until I tried my hand at christianity for 7 long years from the age of about 14.

It all started when I changed schools to a christian school in a town far away from my home. The schools I have been to before were very much secular and didn't have any religious elements. However, this new school had a small daily prayer gathering in the hostel, led by students. Out of curiosity I asked my friend who attended it and he invited me. I went, and in the room I just followed what everyone does. I got a small new testament bible and became a regular at the meeting.

Soon I learnt that they also go to church on Sundays, and apparently the church is led by our correspondent (highest authority and owner of my school). I joined that too, and once even witnessed an immersion-based baptism (or something like that). There was also a larger weekly gathering in school which I attended, which gave us opportunities to "confess sins and repent".

Anyway I stayed in that school for 3 years, being as firm a christian as I can for a good part of the time. Then I shifted to another city. The hostel here was more religious as everyone staying, regardless of personal beliefs, have to attend church. My atheistic roommates and friends scorned how they had to put up with what they called "nonsense". I on the other hand was wondering how I can "save" them by the grace of "my lord jesus christ" since I was a quiet person and was afraid to talk to people who don't agree with me.

Recalling, I had been one of the top performers in the secular schools I studied. But once I changed my education to christian schools, my performance began to drop slowly. I'm still better than the average, but not the top. Apparently the atheistic friends I had would perform better than I ever could imagine myself performing.

Anyway 2 years in the school, I continued trying to be strong in my faith. Then about a year I stayed at home before going to a different country for further education. Problems were caused at home when I revealed my belief in jesus, as my mom is atheist and my dad pretty much is too (with occasional bursts of hindu faith). I desperately wanted them to see how much my faith meant to me and to see them accepting jesus as well. (How foolish I was back then).

After going to a different country, my faith began to get its knocks as I thought about how it's affecting my life. At first I found a church and attended it. I tried to pray whenever I can remember. Then I realised slowly that it's not worth being a christian. It's like being in chains.

Being a christian is like being in chains. The bible and the church is telling you that we are all sinners, committing sins everyday, so we must pray and ask jesus to cleanse our sins from our souls. I felt guilty of sin for almost everything. It's very usual for girls to wear revealing clothing in this country, but I would feel so guilty and ashamed to set my eyes on them even without intention, that I wish I was blind. Didn't jesus say that if you look at a woman with eyes of desire, you have already committed adultery with her?

I had the guilt of not doing things also. I would hate myself for not being a good christian, not doing daily prayers, not reading bible. I would scold myself that I can't talk to my friends about jesus and save them from hell. Though I had never physically hurt myself out of guilt of sin, I had been mentally torturing myself.

Slowly I realised that I'm in pain for the sake of my religion. I want to break free of the chains. So I decided to drop everything, to stop believing in jesus, in sin, in hell and all the christian stuff. I really felt free and able to enjoy my life. I read books that helped me better understand certain aspects of human psychology. I no longer felt guilty to look at girls dressed sexily. They do so because they want me to look! As long as I don't attempt anything wrong upon the girls, I'm not guilty of anything. (The girl example is just one of the several things I became free to do).

I didn't immediately let go of the belief that there is a god. It took me a while to go from theism to pantheism to agnosticism to atheism. But I don't call myself atheist. Buddhists are atheists too. I call myself irreligious because I refuse to subscribe to any religion or belief system. I only accept what reality really is. I have learnt that I could be wrong, and I should be ready to be corrected. I have learnt that science while it may not have all the answers, those that it provides is based on the observable reality around us and not on the words of a book.

Now I enjoy my life very much, a lot more than a religious person can ever imagine to. I am not restricted by anything except the law. Besides it, I set my own rules, but it doesn't mean I do whatever I want to do. An irreligious moral system is to be guided by consequences. I learnt that consequences are a better moral compass than a holy book. My actions have consequences, and I determine what I do with regards to the consequences it will bring. That's why I enjoy life.

Update (6-Sep-2011, 6:02 am): It has been more than a year since I originally wrote this post. While most of it continues to hold true, I now call myself an atheist and I'm not ashamed to be one. Being an atheist simply means to not have any belief in any form of "god" or gods. In that sense, I am an atheist, and denying that is not going to help me in any way. I continue to stand by my view that an irreligious or atheistic moral system is guided by the consequences and implications of my actions. An eternal reward/punishment system is not necessary to motivate me to be good, as I choose to be good for goodness' sake and to selflessly serve others.

Check out this video

2010-05-06T13:10:00.000+08:00

Folding Paper in Thirds without Guessing or using Ruler

2010-04-15T18:36:00.001+08:00

Update: New method added: "Folding any rectangular (or square) sheet of paper in thirds"

I've been thinking about this lately. How to fold a paper in thirds? I found two separate methods. One works for the A series of papers (most popular of which is the A4 size paper). The other works for any size.

Folding an A series paper (A0, A4, etc.)

Fold the sheet of paper diagonally using two opposing corners (Let us call these A and B).
Orient the paper in such a way that the two other corners (Call these C and D) are at the bottom and a W shape is formed.
Fold the left flap of the W shape over such that the previous fold line is perfectly aligned on itself, and the new fold passes through one of the corners, C or D, whichever is nearer to the flap.
Unfold, and the do the same procedure with the right flap. The new fold must pass through the other one of the corners C and D.
Unfold this new fold, and also the diagonal. Now you must notice that there are two intersection points on the paper. Fold the paper into thirds by folding it through these two points.

Tips and notes:

You may want to avoid performing this procedure on your original paper as it leaves unwanted fold lines or creases on the paper. Instead you may do it on a rough sheet of paper of the exact same size, then transfer the final folds (the thirds) onto your original. Or you may follow procedure below.
A series paper has the unique property that two sheets of paper of a particular number in the series (e.g. A4) joined together would create a paper that is the same size as the previous number (A3). A sheet of paper of a particular number (e.g. A4) when folded or cut in equal halves across the width would give two sheets of paper of the next number (A5). Mathematically, the ratio of length to breadth is 1:√2.
The ability to fold the paper in thirds by the above procedure is a side effect of this property.
Theoretically this should perfectly fold the paper in thirds, however due to practical limitations in ensuring accurate paper size, the folds may not be perfect.
I figured this out on my own. I didn't find anything similar on the web.

Folding any sheet of paper (with straight edge on the side that should be folded in thirds, such as Letter or Legal)

Take another sheet of paper where the width (breadth) is at least 0.662 times the length. In the case of an A series paper, another sheet of paper of the same number in the series is sufficient.
Fold this other sheet in fourths. (First fold in half, then fold the two halves each in half.)
Unfold the paper. You will find three crease lines on the paper.
Now take the original sheet of paper and place it on top of the folded paper, while following the next step.
Place the end corners of the side you want to fold such that one corner coincides exactly with a corner of the folded sheet of paper.
The other corner of the original sheet's side must coincide exactly with a point on the third fold line away from the corner that coincided in step 5. When the papers are flat on a flat surface, there is only one such point.
You will notice that the two other folds of the folded paper divide the side of the original paper in thirds. Simply use these intersections to fold the paper in thirds.

Tips and notes:

The folded sheet of paper is simply a tool to fold the original in thirds. You can use other tools that maybe more readily available such as four parallel lines in which the distance between any two consecutive lines is always equal. You can place the corners of the side such that they coincide with line 1 and line 4.
I found this procedure on the internet, but the website I found only talked about square paper. However it is true for all sizes of paper as long as you can make a tool long enough (and short enough) to accommodate the length of the side to be folded.

Folding any rectangular (or square) sheet of paper in thirds

Fold (and crease) the paper into two equal halves. Unfold it.
Fold a diagonal between two opposing corners. You may optionally fold back to equal halves after this.
Fold a diagonal between two opposing corners of one half of the paper such that this diagonal intersects the original diagonal from step 2. (Only one of the two possible diagonals can intersect the original diagonal).
Unfold everything. The intersection point divides the length and the breadth of the paper into one-thirds and two-thirds.
You can continue to fold a similar diagonal on the other half of the paper, or you can simply fold through the intersection point to divide the sheet into one-thirds and two-thirds. The two-thirds part can then be folded in half, and the paper is folded in thirds.

Tips and notes

As with the first method, you may want to fold a rough paper of same size and transfer the final folds to your target paper.
This method gives better accuracy than the first, and also helps you avoid the hassle (in the second method) of aligning and coinciding corners and fold lines of two sheets of paper.
This method is universal for rectangular sheets of paper (including squares). However the previous method is universal for sheets of paper of any shape, as long as a straight edge of full length can be created, perpendicular to the desired folds.
This too, I found online. However the web page was only talking about square paper. But when I checked, the method works for any size of paper as long as it is rectangular. I checked with A4 and a random sized rectangular paper.

A visual interpretation may be posted when I have the time.

Is religion a prerequisite for morality?

2010-03-20T11:30:00.002+08:00

John Allen Paulos think otherwise. He observes that while morality need not come from religion, religion has damaged a human's ability to behave morally without basing his reasons to do so on it. It means that once you have learnt a religion's version of moral behaviour, it becomes difficult for you to behave morally when you leave the religion for another religion or irreligion.

Here is an excerpt from his book "Irreligion: A mathematician explains why the arguments for God just don't add up." (Undeline emphasis is mine.)

Page 135:

[A] problem associated with assigning ][ disproportionate payoffs to God's existence and the eternal happiness to be derived from obeying Him is that this assignment itself can serve to rationalize the most hateful of actions. Contrary to Dostoyevsky's warning that "if God doesn't exist, everything is allowed," we have the fanatical believer'S threat that "if God does exist, everything is allowed." Killing thousands or even millions of people might be justified in some devout believers' eyes if in doing so they violate only mundane human laws and incur only mundane human penalties while upholding higher divine laws and earning higher divine approbation.

Page 139-141:

I would like to counter ][ the claim regularly made by religious people that atheists and agnostics are somehow less moral or law-abiding than they [are]. There is absolutely no evidence for this, and I suspect whatever average difference there is along the nebulous dimension of morality has the opposite algebraic sign.

[S]tudies on crime rates (and other measures of social dysfunction) showing that nonbelievers in the United States are extremely underrepresented in prison[,] suggest as much. So does Japan, one of the world's least crime-ridden countries, only a minority of whose citizens reportedly believe in God. And so, too, do those ][ monomaniacal true believers whose smiling surety often harbors a toxic intolerance. (Recall the physicist Steven Weinberg's happy quip "With or without religion, good people will do good, and evil people will do evil, but for good people to do evil, that takes religion.") Also worthy of mention are the garden-variety religious scoundrels, hypocrites, and charlatans in public life. Not quite evil, but also far from admirable, is the social opportunism that no doubt is the reason for many expressions of religious humbug. Like feigning an interest in golf to get ahead in business, mouthing the right pieties can often improve one's prospects in politics.

An atheist or agnostic who acts morally simply because it is the right thing to do is, in a sense, more moral than someone who is trying to avoid everlasting torment or, as is the case with martyrs, to achieve eternal bliss. He or she is making the moral choice without benefit of Pascal's divine bribe. This choice is all the more impressive when an atheist or agnostic sacrifices his or her life, for example, to rescue a drowning child, aware that there'll be no heavenly reward for this lifesaving valor. The contrast with acts motivated by calculated expected value or uncalculated unexpected fear (or, worse, fearlessness) is stark.

Still, people do often vigorously insist that religious beliefs are necessary to ensure moral behavior. Though the claim is quite clearly false of people in general, there is a sense in which it might be true if one has been brought up in a very religious environment. A classic experiment on the so-called overjustification effect by the psychologists David Greene, Betty Sternberg, and Mark Lepper is relevant. They exposed fourth- and fifth-grade students to a variety of intriguing mathematical games and measured the time the children played them. They found that the children seemed to possess a good deal of intrinsic interest in the games. The games were fun. After a few days, however, the psychologists began to reward the children for playing; those playing them more had a better chance of winning the prizes offered. The prizes did increase the time the children played the games, but when the prizes were stopped, the children lost almost all interest in the games and rarely played them. The extrinsic rewards had undercut the children's intrinsic interest. Likewise, religious injunctions and rewards promised to children for being good might, if repudiated in later life, drastically reduce the time people spend playing the "being good" game. This is another reason not to base ethics on religious teachings.

God's existence depends on your belief

2010-03-10T12:12:00.004+08:00

Update: See below (after the Legend table).

p → q (means, if p then q)
¬ q
¬ q → ¬ p (contrapositive of 1)
∴ ¬ p

Mathematicians here will agree that this propositional argument is valid.

Let p denote the proposition "God exists"
Let q denote the proposition "I believe in God"

If God exists, then I believe in God. (means, "God exists" implies "I believe in God")
I do not believe in God.
If I do not believe in God, then God does not exist. (contrapositive of 1)
Therefore, God does not exist.

Legend for non-mathematicians:

→	implies
p → q	p implies q meaning, if p is true, then q is true. if p is false, the truth of q is unknown.
¬	not
¬ p	not p negative of p meaning, p is false. in other words, the negative of p is true.
∴	therefore

Update: For anyone who may misunderstand what I'm trying to show you here, let me give you an explanation.

When I say that "If God exists, then I believe in God." I am talking about myself. It is true that if I happen to have irrefutable proof that God exists, then I would happily believe in God. Currently, it is also true that I do not believe in God. By contrapositive in propositional logic, you (as a logic mathematician, not a linguistic scholar*) can derive that if I don't believe in God, then God doesn't exist. And since it is true that I don't believe in God, it implies that it is also true that God does not exist.

* Alas, propositional logic often creates confusion when it is attempted to be expressed in the language I'm trying to explain (which is English). Hence you may misunderstand.

By the way, the above argument is a thought I had since I studied propositional logic and read "Irreligion" by John Allen Paulos, in which he uses propositional logic as well.

A religious person can easily rewrite it this way (conforming to propositional logic rules):

q → p --- If I believe in God, then God exists.
q --- I believe in God.
∴ p --- Therefore, God exists.

Both ways, you can easily see that God's existence depends your belief. In the case of non-believer like me, since I don't believe in God, my absence of belief causes God to not exist (within my realm of belief*). In the case of a believer, since he believes in God, he claims that God exists (within his realm of belief).

* Belief is after all a personal thing, isn't it?

Supernatural beings' existence depends on your belief in them. A believer has no doubt that the supernatural entity (including imaginary friends) exists. But the moment he doubts, the existence of the supernatural entity is undermined. The more he doubts, the more it ceases to exist. Basically, God exists to and only to those who believe in him.

This is unlike natural entities and scientific concepts. Take the example of evolution. Not one scientist has claimed that you have to believe in evolution. Even Darwin did not. What scientists do is to prove or disprove theories. Evolution maybe a theory, but there's a substantial amount of proof supporting this theory, with more being discovered. However, the existence of evolution is not jeopardized by creationists not believing in it. This is because evolution depends on proofs and discoveries (such as fossils), not on the scientists' belief in it.*

In fact, a scientist can believe very religiously in a theory he has created, but unless he can show proof, the theory remains a unproven theory. And if he discovers or someone else shows him something that contradicts his theory, it becomes a disproven theory. In other words, no matter how much a scientist believes in the theory he formulated, it will not become true by virtue of his belief.

* The same can be said of natural entities such as celestial bodies, human beings, supercomputers, to name a few. No matter how strongly you believe a human being exists in the empty corner of your room, one doesn't suddenly begin to exist there. And I am yet to know of a murder case where a man killed another simply by disbelieving in his existence.

Orphaned, Raped and Ignored

2010-02-01T12:07:00.001+08:00

Think about this. When earthquake strikes, everyone is quick to pour in money and manpower to help those affected. But oppression and suppression of human rights can go on for centuries and even millenia, and still go totally unnoticed. Even when people from the inside are finding ways to cry out for help from the free world. Why do those who talk so much about human rights simply turn a blind eye towards political and religious suppression of human rights in the name of political correctness?

Orphaned, Raped and Ignored
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Published: January 30, 2010
KALEHE, Congo

Sometimes I wish eastern Congo could suffer an earthquake or a tsunami, so that it might finally get the attention it needs. The barbaric civil war being waged here is the most lethal conflict since World War II and has claimed at least 30 times as many lives as the Haiti earthquake.

Yet no humanitarian crisis generates so little attention per million corpses, or such a pathetic international response.

That’s why I’m here in the lovely, lush and threatening hills west of Lake Kivu, where militias rape, mutilate and kill civilians with a savagery that is almost incomprehensible. I’m talking to a 9-year-old girl, Chance Tombola, an orphan whose eyes are luminous with fear.

For Chance, the war arrived one evening last May when armed soldiers from an extremist Hutu militia — remnants of those who committed the Rwandan genocide — burst into her home. They killed her parents in front of her. Chance ran away, but the soldiers seized her two sisters, ages 6 and 12, and carried them away into the forest, presumably to be turned into “wives” of soldiers. No one has seen Chance’s sisters since.

Read more and watch video...

Chance moved in with her aunt and uncle and their two teenage daughters. Two months later, the same militia invaded the aunt’s house and held everyone at gunpoint. Chance says she recognized some of the soldiers as the same ones who had killed her parents.

This time, no one could escape. The soldiers first shot her uncle, and then, as the terrified family members sobbed, they pulled out a large knife.

“They sliced his belly so that the intestines fell out,” said his widow, Jeanne Birengenyi, 34, Chance’s aunt. “Then they cut his heart out and showed it to me.” The soldiers continued to mutilate the body, while others began to rape Jeanne.

“One takes a leg, one takes the other leg,” Jeanne said dully. “Others grab the arms while one just starts raping. They don’t care if children are watching.”

Chance added softly: “There were six who raped her. One raped me, too.”

The soldiers left Jeanne and Chance, tightly tied up, and marched off into the forest with Jeanne’s two daughters as prisoners. One daughter is 14, the other 16, and they have not been heard from since.

“They kill, they rape, burn houses and take people’s belongings,” Jeanne said. “When they come with their guns, it’s as if they have a project to eliminate the local population.”

A peer-reviewed study found that 5.4 million people had already died in this war as of April 2007, and hundreds of thousands more have died as the situation has deteriorated since then. A catastrophically planned military offensive last year, backed by the governments of Congo and Rwanda as well as the United Nations force here, made some headway against Hutu militias but also led to increased predation on civilians from all sides.

Human Rights Watch estimates that for every Hutu fighter sent back to Rwanda last year, at least seven women were raped and 900 people forced to flee for their lives. “From a human rights perspective, the operation has been catastrophic,” concluded Philip Alston, a senior United Nations investigator.

This is a pointless war — now a dozen years old — driven by warlords, greed for minerals, ethnic tensions and complete impunity. While there is plenty of fault to go around, Rwanda has long played a particularly troubling role in many ways, including support for one of the militias. Rwanda’s government is dazzlingly successful at home, but next door in Congo, it appears complicit in war crimes.

Jeanne and Chance contracted sexually transmitted diseases. Like other survivors in areas that are accessible, they receive help from the International Rescue Committee, but Chance still suffers pain when she urinates.

Counselors say that most raped women are rejected by their husbands, and raped girls like Chance have difficulty marrying. In an area west of Lake Kivu where attacks are continuing, I met Saleh Bulondo, a newly homeless young man who was educated and spoke a little English. I asked him if he would still marry his girlfriend if she were raped.

“Never,” he said. “I will abandon her.”

A girl here normally fetches a bride price (a reverse dowry, paid by the husband’s family) when she marries. A village chief told me that a typical price would be 20 goats — but if the girl has been raped, two goats. At most.

Thus it takes astonishing courage for Jeanne and Chance to tell their stories (including in a video posted with the on-line version of this column). I’ll be reporting more from eastern Congo in the coming days, hoping that the fortitude of survivors like them can inspire world leaders to step forward to stop this slaughter. It’s time to show the same compassion toward Congo that we have toward Haiti.

I invite you to visit my blog, On the Ground. Please also join me on Facebook, watch my YouTube videos and follow me on Twitter. -Nicholas D. Kristof

So it's okay to offend the Chinese

2010-01-13T13:22:00.002+08:00

Update: McDonald's Singapore subsequently posted a "We're sorry, and we're grateful" (grateful for what?) notice in all its restaurants, and introduced an online poll for customers to indicate interest in a pig doraemon. The notice says that the pig toy is scheduled for production and will be made available in April (that's two long months after CNY!) for those aspiring to complete their collection. But... the damage has already been done, especially for those who decided not to continue collecting once they learnt the pig to be missing!

I guess it's not a problem to offend the Chinese by rewriting their culture, but you must be very careful not to offend the Muslims by being insensitive to their culture. Why the big difference? Can anyone tell me?

McDonald’s pulls pig toy

Instead of a pig, a Cupid (third from right) completes the line-up of 12 soft toys in the McDonald's Doraemon collection for Chinese New Year. -- ST PHOTO: ALPHONSUS CHERN

SINGAPORE, Jan 9 — Fast-food giant McDonald’s has stirred up a controversy in Singapore by omitting pig characters from its latest toy promotions.

The pig soft toy was expected to have been part of a 12-character Doraemon set depicting the animals of the Chinese zodiac calendar. Customers wanting the toy would have to pay US$2 (RM4.8) on top of making a food purchase.

But McDonald’s decided not to include the pig toy to avoid offending Muslim customers, and had a Doraemon Cupid toy in its place instead.

The move has upset Chinese customers keen on collecting all 12 toys in the series. One of them, staff nurse Daphne Koh, 26, said: “I was born in the Year of the Pig and would have collected the whole set. But without the pig, it makes no sense for me to do so.”

Retiree May Liaw, 55, who had wanted to buy a set to decorate her home for Chinese New Year, said: “It is strange to have Cupid in place of the pig. The set is incomplete and I am not interested in individual pieces.”

Various online forums are also abuzz with discussions on whether the fast-food chain has overreacted.

When contacted, McDonald’s Restaurants communications director Linda Ming said the chain excluded the pig toy out of sensitivity for its Muslim customers.

It chose Cupid instead to commemorate Valentine’s Day, which coincides with the first day of the Chinese New Year this year, on Feb 14.

Said Ming: “We seek our customers’ understanding that it has never been our intention to be disrespectful towards any religion or culture.”

She added that the restaurant would continue to sell the Doraemon collectibles which she said have been otherwise well received.

Experts contacted said the decision by McDonald’s showed a lack of cross-cultural understanding.

Sociologist Daniel Goh said that if McDonald’s did not consult Muslim opinions before making the decision to exclude the pig toy, the company had then presumed Muslim sensibilities. He added that it amounted to a form of self-censorship.

Indeed, Muslim teachers and scholars said they saw nothing wrong with a halal restaurant giving out pig toys.

Said religious teacher Mohammed Suhaimi Fauzi: “For Muslims who mind the pig doll, they can choose not to buy it. But even if they buy it for their children to play with or to learn about animals, there is no problem.”

Dr Mohamad Maznah, a visiting senior research fellow with the Asia Research Institute at the National University of Singapore (NUS), said she felt the restaurant was just being cautious, although she doubted the Muslim community here would have been upset if the pig toy had been included.

Dr Syed Muhd Khairudin Aljunied, an assistant professor of Malay Studies at NUS, said: “Pigs and dogs are not non- halal, except when they are consumed.”

The Islamic Religious Council of Singapore, Muis, declined comment when contacted.

Muslim patrons of the restaurant also said they did not see the pig toys as a problem.

Curator Ithnine Atan, 42, said: “The pig is quite important to the whole collection. Even if they put a big picture of a pig there, as long as they comply with the proper halal regulations, it’s okay.”

Administrative assistant Masturah Salim, 26, added: “I think McDonald’s just wanted to consider the Muslim population. Personally, I am fine with the inclusion of the pig because I won’t be buying a set of the Chinese zodiac signs anyway.

“It is understandable for the Chinese to be upset about the pig being excluded from the set if they want to collect all 12 animals.” — Straits Times

Sources:
The Malaysian Insider - McDonald’s pulls pig toy
The Straits Times - McDonalds takes the charm out of Doraemon series
The Straits Times - McDonalds pulls pig toy

Reactions:
Plush pig toy pulled from McDonald’s happy meal in Singapore
McDonalds Singapore remove pig from the Chinese zodiac
Mc Donalds Singapore replaces Pig with Cupid in Chinese Zodiac sign

Jingle Bombs

2010-01-05T19:00:00.000+08:00

[With Jeff Dunham]

Dashing through the sand
With a bomb strapped to my back
I have a nasty plan
For Christmas in Iraq

I got through checkpoint A
But not through checkpoint B
That's when I got shot in the ass by the U.S. military

It's not funny!

Ooo, Jingle bombs, jingle bombs mine blew up you see
Where are all the virgins that Bin Laden promised me
Jingle bombs, jingle bombs your soldiers shot me dead
The only thing that I have left is this towel upon my head

I used to be a man, but every time I cough
Thanks to uncle Sam my nuts keep falling off
My bombing days are done, I need to find some work
Perhaps it would be much safer as a convenient store night clerk,
Ooo, Jingle bombs, jingle bombs I think I got screwed
Don't laugh at me because I'm dead or I kill you

I kill you

Do you believe in God?

2009-12-21T03:00:00.000+08:00

Often times when one is asked this question he or she replies "Yes, of course! Don't you?" or "No. God doesn't exist." But have you ever pondered whether the definition of 'God' as we have in our dictionaries is even correct?

I believe in God. But I don't believe in God. "How can you believe and not believe at the same time?" you may ask. Well, you should define 'God' and then I'll tell you if I believe (or not believe) in the 'God' you have defined. I can take the most common definitions and give you an explanation.

Do I believe in God in the traditional sense of the word? You know, like those churches, temples and the M places teach you? If you mean God as people normally define it, in a traditional or religious sense, the answer of my belief is a strict NO.

The reason? To think that a blatantly self-proclaimed 'messenger' of God would have all the answers we ever need to live our lives is simply a clear insult to our own (religious people claim God-given) intelligence. I would rather listen to Symantec than to a 'messenger' of God about cyber security.

Does 'not believing in a religious God' make me an atheist or an agnostic? Neither! You see, an atheist you meet on the street is as arrogant as a 'messenger' of God. He is a messenger of "no God," if you will. He says, "Look, there is no God. You better believe me." While atheist thinkers like Richard Dawkins present credible evidence and acknowledge that the existence of God is very very very extremely highly improbable (that would be an exaggeration, for all you know), your everyday atheist simply says existence of God is impossible. I'd rather be on the humbler side of atheists and stick with the improbability, because the impossibility of it is not proven.

So then if impossibility of God's existence can't be proven, does that mean I doubt its existence? Does that make me an agnostic? I don't doubt God's existence. (Absence of doubt does not mean belief.) The thing I doubt is what you thought the word 'God' means in the last sentence you just read. As you already know, if you thought of a bearded man in the sky, I'm an atheist. If you thought of someone 'great' watching over you with invisible surveillance cameras, recording your every move, I'm an atheist.

OK so, I'm not an atheist, I'm not an agnostic, and I don't believe in 'God' as the word is commonly defined. Where does that put me?

Perhaps I'm an Einsteinian. I believe Einstein was the messenger of God. His holy book is, well, he has not been inspired by God to write any holy book. But his religion involves doubting, testing, learning and inventing (among other related things). There was never any element of faith or believing in his religion. (I chuckle at the term 'blind faith' because all faith is blind anyway. Faith means to believe in things you don't see. Right?)

There is a name for the religion of Einstein. It's called SCIENCE. And Einstein was not the founder of this religion. If we will ever reach the true God (assuming he/she/it exists), it is going to be through Science.

Finally I'd like to remind you that if we can ever accurately and completely define what the word 'God' means, we would be greater than 'God'. This is what Science tries to achieve and other religions try to prevent.

PS: This has nothing to do with Scientology, which is a bad joke or a beefed-up version of Christianity.

Is this insanity or religion?

2009-12-18T01:23:00.003+08:00

“Clearly there is sanity in numbers.”
- Sam Harris, author and philosopher.
[Read full quote]

Sam Harris says, and many other philosophers agree, that when one or a few people commit insane acts, we call them insane. When enough number of people commit the same insane acts, we term the group as a cult. When a large number of people commit the same insane acts (specifically as justified by their group leaders' so-called 'holy' books), we call it a religion. And religion automatically bestows a clearly undeserved sanity upon its followers. Clearly, there is sanity in numbers. Check out the following news article. Ponder over how a man can endanger the life of a toddler simply in the name of his own beliefs. Does a cult or a religion have any true morality?

Man confesses to impaling toddler with 40 needles
Mother tells newspaper she suspected ex-husband had been involved in ‘black magic'
RIO DE JANEIRO — Reuters Published on Thursday, Dec. 17, 2009 9:23AM EST

A Brazilian man confessed to putting more than 40 metal sewing needles into the body of a 2-year-old boy in what may have been a cult or religious act, media reported on Thursday.

The boy, whose condition is serious but stable, was being transferred on Thursday to a specialist medical centre in Salvador, the state capital of northeastern Bahia state, after doctors found two needles were dangerously close to his heart.

The boy was brought to a hospital in the remote town of Ibotirama by his mother last week after he complained of pain.

X-rays taken by doctors, and shown on Brazil's Globo news network's website, clearly show dozens of needles deep in his body, some clustered near his lungs and others in his abdomen, neck and legs.

According to Globo television, police in Ibotirama said that the boy's ex-stepfather, 30-year-old Roberto Carlos Magalhaes, had been arrested and confessed to putting the needles into the boy's body. They reportedly said he was helped by two women, one of whom was involved in a religious group.

Surgeons had planned to operate on the boy but cancelled the surgery after deciding it was too dangerous, Dr Fabio Contelle at the hospital in Barreiras town said in an interview with Globo TV. The boy was moved to Barreiras from the smaller hospital in Ibotirama after doctors realized the seriousness of his condition.

The A Tarde newspaper in Bahia quoted the boy's mother, Maria Souza Santos, as saying she suspected Mr. Magalhaes had been involved in some kind of “black magic.”

“My son didn't like to go out with Roberto. I didn't think he was capable of doing something bad to him,” she was quoted as saying.

Police in Ibotirama could not be immediately reached.

Bahia is the heart of African influence in Brazil, where many people practice Afro-Brazilian religions that combine spiritism, indigenous and African beliefs.

Source: Man confesses to impaling toddler with 40 needles - The Globe and Mail

I'm glad we have good Muslims :-)

2009-12-01T04:45:00.000+08:00

Disclaimer: To the best of my belief, this post is not in violation of any act. I am merely relaying what an Islamic cleric is teaching his Muslim viewers through an Islamic channel. Anyone who believes this to be a violation, please contact me and describe exactly how it is a violation.

Watch this (or read transcript below):

Youtube video link: YouTube - Trick Jews into becoming Mohammedans
Original video at MEMRI: MEMRI: Egyptian Cleric Mahmoud Al-Masri Recommends Tricking Jews into Becoming Muslims
Original transcript at MEMRI: Clip Transcript

Following are excerpts from a sermon delivered by Egyptian cleric Mahmoud Al-Masri, which aired on Al-Nas TV on August 10, 2009.

Mahmoud Al-Masri: My dear brothers, we want to repent, and we want to take by the hand those people who have not yet repented. We should feel pity for them. By Allah, we should not be tough with them. These people are sick. They are sinners. We should feel pity for them, we should care for them. We should act like doctors who care for the sick. You should care for them and feel great pity for them, and seek any ingenious way to make a person repent.

I’d like to tell you a very nice story. Once there was a Muslim who lived next to a Jew. The Muslim saw in the Jew a measure of goodheartedness – however small – and he wanted to find any way to make him convert to Islam. So he went to him and asked: “Don’t you feel the need for Islam? Why don’t you become a Muslim?” The Jew said: “The only thing preventing me from becoming a Muslim is that I love drinking alcohol. I would have become a Muslim ages ago, but the only thing stopping me is that I am an alcoholic.”

The Muslim devised a plan. He said: “No problem – become a Muslim, and continue to drink.” The Muslim didn’t meant this, of course, but he said to him: “Become a Muslim, and continue to drink.” The Jews said: “Fine.” He said: “I proclaim that there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” The Muslim said to him: “Now you have become a Muslim. If you drink alcohol, we will carry out the punishment for drinking alcohol on you, and if you renounce Islam, we will kill you.” So the man remained a Muslim and never drank alcohol again. This was a nice trick by this good Muslim.

End of Transcript

Happy Logically Designed Birthday!

2009-11-30T08:46:00.046+08:00

Well yes, it's a Logically Designed birthday today. I'm going to have my "Logic Design" exam in about four hours, and it is, sad to say, my birthday. That one day in a year, that one dreaded day, those 24 hours out of the 8760 hours of a (non-leap) year -- my birthday. Well, I shall not go on blabbering any further. Let me show you some posts from the dusty archives of my blog:

Thursday, November 30, 2006

Most Dreaded Day of the Year

Friday, November 30, 2007

Saturday, November 29, 2008

53 minutes more...

Monday, December 1, 2008

Need a new place to stay

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Nightmares I live every Day – Birthday Slip

I hope that this year at least my birthday or the days following it won't be too bad. Let's see how it goes. Happy Logically Designed... never mind.

Einsteinism - My religion

2009-11-27T11:12:00.001+08:00

The following is a hypothetical conversation between a receptionist of a company, and a person who wants to submit an application form.

Sir you have not filled in your religion in the application form.

Yes, I know.

What's your religion?

Perhaps I should not tell you my religion, lest I offend you or anyone processing this application form.

I'm sorry, but unfortunately, incomplete forms won't be accepted.

Well then, my religion is Einsteinism.

Ein.. what?

Einsteinism.

What kind of a religion is that? Do you believe Einstein is God?

Thankfully, Einstein himself didn't believe he's God. Moreover, he didn't believe there is one.

So you're more like a free thinker.

That's not what I am. That's what the supernatural religionists say I am.

Ok, but I have to write you as a free thinker.

Then I am forced to withdraw my application. You should also be aware that I can sue your company for not allowing me my right to religious freedom.

But you're a free thinker! What makes you think we're taking away your religious freedom?

Exactly what you just said. You are forcing "free thinking" on me. I'm not a free thinker. I'm an Einsteinist. I have my right to be an Einsteinist and not a free thinker.

What's the bloody difference?

What's the similarity?

[That] You don't believe in God?

Sorry, it may surprise you, but I do. Just that my God doesn't bother with me, doesn't punish me for sins or reward me for "good" deeds, nor does he answer prayers.

So you're a deist then.

Ah yes, the classic argument. Unfortunately you're wrong again. my God didn't bother with the universe, didn't bother with how humans must be shaped, and certainly didn't bother with the chemistry of how water is formed. Tell me, is the law of gravity a human being or a spirit?

Neither, everyone knows it's a law.

Then my God is a law, or I shall say it is a bunch of laws. There is no "God" but there are simply laws of nature, laws of physics, laws of chemistry and any other law that is irrefutable.

You contradict yourself.

I expected to hear that. And I'm going to prove you wrong. Does God have control over our lives?

Yes. We can't decide when we will die.

Do laws of physics have control over our lives?

Meaning?

Meaning, if you jump down a building, does the law of gravity have total control over your life or can you break it and save yourself?

Certainly I can't. I'm sure to die.

Hence, God is equal to the laws of physics. Which brings me to another point.

What?

Did the "God" of Bible tell you "Do not murder."?

Yes, but people do murder, if that's what you're coming to.

You're right. And you contradict yourself. If "God" has control over our lives, why is it that people still break his laws? My God has set for me the law of gravity, and I have tried breaking it. I can't! My God is the true God.

Makes sense. Anyway here's your application form, since you wish to withdraw it.

My pleasure.

Some nice quotes

2009-11-27T06:46:00.002+08:00

Where lipstick is concerned, the important thing is not color, but to accept God's final word on where your lips end.
- Jerry Seinfeld

A great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices.
- William James

Did you ever walk into a room and forget why you walked in? I think that's how dogs spend their lives.
- Sue Murphy

How hard it is, sometimes, to trust the evidence of one's senses! How reluctantly the mind consents to reality.
- Norman Douglas

There is no abstract art. You must always start with something. Afterward you can remove all traces of reality.
- Pablo Picasso

A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of.
- Jane Austen

The folly of mistaking a paradox for a discovery, a metaphor for a proof, a torrent of verbiage for a spring of capital truths, and oneself for an oracle, is inborn in us.
- Paul Valery

In a mad world only the mad are sane.
- Akira Kurosawa

The greater the ignorance the greater the dogmatism.
- Sir William Osler

d**k with a glove

2009-11-25T05:58:00.000+08:00

Must blog about this!

Misheard Lyric: Might as well face it, you're a d**k with a glove.
Real Lyric: Might as well face it, you're addicted to love.
Artist: Robert Palmer (Click for more)
Song: Addicted To Love (Click for more)
The story: I thought that it was a song about Michael Jackson and I asked a friend if he had heard this song. He had me recite the lyrics. He laughed at me for days.

Source: Robert Palmer: Might as well face it, you're a d**k with a glove. - KissThisGuy.com (Find it funny? Go there and vote for it!)

The Shield of India

2009-11-23T18:09:00.008+08:00

If there is another man on par in excellence with Mahatma Gandhi, or even above him I may dare say, it is Guru Tegh Bahadur, the 9th Guru of Sikhism. He is the unsung hero of the 17th century India, without whose selfless servitude for his own nation, India (as we know it) would never have existed. When I studied about Aurangzeb in my primary and secondary school history lessons, there was no mention about Guru Tegh Bahadur or the sacrifice he made for India. Shame on you biased and 'politically correct' history textbook makers!

Reading the story (the more detailed account, not the watered-down Wikipedia version) brought tears into my eyes. I normally do not say I'm proud to be an Indian, but after reading this story of great heroism and sacrifice of Guruji to save the true heritage of India, the country of my birth, I gladly declare that I am indeed proud to be an Indian.

The Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur - A Brief Account
[Retrieved from Wikipedia (Version date and time: 21 November 2009 at 01:52)]

The Delhi Emperor, Aurangzeb cherished the ambition of converting India into a land of Islam. This philosophy was also pleaded by Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi (1569–1624), leader of the Naqashbandi School, to counter the liberal policies of Akbar's reign.

The Emperor's experiment was first carried out in Kashmir. The viceroy of Kashmir, Iftikar Khan (1671–1675) carried out the policy vigorously and set about converting non-Muslims by force.

A group of Kashmiri Pandits (Kashmiri Hindu Brahmins) approached Guru Tegh Bahadur and asked for help. They, on the advice of the Guru, told the Mughal authorities that they would willingly embrace Islam if Guru Tegh Bahadur, did the same.

Orders of the arrest of the Guru were issued by Aurangzeb, who was in present day North West Frontier Province of Pakistan subduing Pushtun rebellion. The Guru was arrested at a place called Malikhpur near Anandpur after he had departed from Anandpur for Delhi. Before departing he nominated his son, Gobind Rai (Guru Gobind Singh) as the next Sikh Guru.

He was arrested, along with some of his followers, Bhai Dayala, Bhai Mati Das and Bhai Sati Das by Nur Muhammad Khan of the Rupnagar police post at the village Malikhpur Rangharan, in Ghanaula Parganah, and sent to Sirhind the following day. The Faujdar (Governor) of Sirhind, Dilawar Khan, ordered him to be detained in Bassi Pathana and reported the news to Delhi. His arrest was made in July 1675 and he was kept in custody for over three months. He was then cast in an iron cage and taken to Delhi in November 1675.

The Guru was put in chains and ordered to be tortured until he would accept Islam. When he could not be persuaded to abandon his faith to save himself from persecution, he was asked to perform some miracles to prove his divinity. On his refusal, Guru Tegh Bahadur was beheaded in public at Chandni Chowk on 11 November 1675. Guru Ji is also known as "Hind Di Chadar" [Hindi, translates as Shield of India] ie to save Hinduism, Guru Ji gave his life.

The Martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur - A Detailed Account
[Retrieved from The Sikhism Home Page: Guru Tegh Bahadur]

While the Guru [Tegh Bahadur] attended to his devotees at Anandpur, things in the country were rapidly deteriorating under the tyrannous rule of emperor Aurengzeb. Since coming to power by imprisoning his father and killing his two brothers, Aurengzeb had been consolidating his power base. After ten years he now began to apply his power throughout the country. Aurengzeb was an orthodox Muslim who dreamed of purging India of all ‘infidels’ and converting it into a land of Islam. Aurengzeb had no tolerance for other religions and proceeded on a brutal campaign of repression. Famous Hindu temples throughout the country were demolished and mosques built in their place. Hindu idols were placed in the steps of mosques to be trodden on by the feet of Muslim pilgrims. Aurangzeb issued a number of harsh decrees. In 1665 he forbade Hindus to display illuminations at Diwali festivals. In 1668 he forbade Hindu Jatras, in 1671 he issued an order that only Muslims could be landlords of crown lands, and called upon provincial Viceroys to dismiss all Hindu clerks. In 1669 he issued a general order calling upon all governors of all provinces to destroy with a willing hand the schools and temples of the infidels; and they were told to put a stop to the teachings and practicing of idolatrous forms of worship. In 1674 lands held by Hindus in Gujarat, in religious grants were all confiscated.

In this climate of intolerance the viceroy of Kashmir Iftikhar Khan took to the task of forcibly converting the Hindu population to Islam by the sword. The Hindu Brahmin Pandits of Kashmir were among the most highly learned and orthodox of the Hindu leadership. Aurangzeb felt if they could be converted, the rest of the country would easily follow. He did not want to see the talik (holy mark on the forehead) or janaeu (sacred thread) on any of his subjects. Given this ultimatum, a large delegation of 500 Kashmiri Pandits decided to journey to Anandpur Sahib to seek the help of Guru Tegh Bahadur. This delegation was led by Pandit Kirpa Ram Datt (who would later on become the Sanskrit teacher of Guru Gobind Singh and eventually become a Khalsa and died fighting in the battle of Chamkaur). The Pandits met the Guru and explained their dire predicament to the Guru and requested the Guru to intercede on their behalf. As the Guru was pondering over the issue his nine year old son Gobind Rai walked into the room, noticing the serious and gloomy mood in the room the young Gobind asked his father what was happening. Guru Tegh Bahadur replied, “Unless a holy man lays down his head for the sake of the poor Brahmins, there is no hope for their escape from imperial tyranny.” Young Gobind replied, “Revered father, who would be better equipped for this than yourself?” Guru Tegh Bahadur hugged his son and wept for joy. “I was only worried about the future, for you are far too young”. “Leave me to God”, Gobind replied, “and accept the challenge of the Mughals.”

Even though Guru Nanak [founder of Sikhism] had refused to wear the sacred thread when he was young, the Gurus still believed in the freedom of religion and the right of the Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs to live in peace and practice their own religions. With this Guru Tegh Bahadur laid down the gauntlet in the fight for freedom of religion and told the Pandits to inform Aurangzeb that the Brahmins would gladly accept and embrace Islam if Guru Tegh Bahadur can be convinced to do so. Guru Tegh Bahadur made preparations to leave for Delhi. He bid farewell to his family and followers and dictated that his son Gobind Rai should be installed as the next Guru. Accompanying the Guru on his journey and also prepared to accept the consequences of whatever happened were Bhai Mati Das, Bhai Dyala and Bhai Sati Das. As soon as Aurangzeb heard the news he ordered the immediate arrest of the Guru. Guru Tegh Bahadur and his party were arrested soon after they left Anandpur Sahib and taken in chains to Delhi.

When brought before Aurangzeb, he was asked why he was hailed as the Guru or prophet and called ‘Sacha Padsah’ (the True King) and if he really believed in his being one he should perform a miracle to justify his claim. Guru Tegh Bahadur reprimanded the emperor for his blind orthodoxy and his persecution of other faiths, “Hinduism may not be my faith, and I may believe not in the supremacy of Veda or the Brahmins, nor in idol worship or caste or pilgrimages and other rituals, but I would fight for the right of all Hindus to live with honour and practice their faith according to their own rites.” The Guru answered further, “Every ruler of the world must pass away, but not the Word of God or His Saint. This is how people not only call me a True King but have done so through the two centuries before me in respect of my House and also in respect of others who preceded them and identified themselves not with the temporal and the contingent, but with the eternal and the ever dying.” The Guru refused to perform any miracles saying, “this is the work of charlatans and mountebanks to hoodwink the people. Men of God submit ever to the Will of God.” Guru Tegh Bahadur refused to embrace Islam, saying “For me, there is only one religion - of God - and whosoever belongs to it, be he a Hindu or a Muslim, him I own and he owns me. I neither convert others by force, nor submit to force, to change my faith.” Aurangzeb was enraged and ordered Guru Tegh Bahadur to be forced to convert to Islam through torture or be killed.

Guru Tegh Bahadur was subjected to many cruelties, he was kept in an iron cage and starved for many days. [In order to terrorize him further into submission, his companions were tortured to death. The Qazi (Muslim priest) told Bhai Mati Das to embrace Islam: “Brother, embrace Islam and enjoy the pleasures provided by the government. Moreover when you die as a Muslim, you will go to heaven where there will be streams of milk, many kinds of wine to drink and beautiful women to enjoy. If you do not embrace Islam, your body will be sewn into two.” Bhai Mati Dass replied, “I can sacrifice hundreds of such heavens for my faith. I don’t need women or wine. I see all the happiness in the path of my faith.” (Source)] The Guru was made to watch as Bhai Mati Das the devoted Sikh was tied between two pillars and his body split in two by being sawn alive. Bhai Dyala was boiled alive in a cauldron of boiling water and Bhat Sati Das was wrapped in cotton wool and set on fire. The Guru bore these cruelties without flinching or showing any anger or distress. Finally on November 11, 1675 Guru Tegh Bahadur was publicly beheaded with the sword of the executioner as he prayed. The Gurus body was left in the dust as no one dared to pick up the body for fear of the emperors reprisal. A severe storm swept through the city and under the cover of darkness a Sikh named Bhai Jaita managed to collect the Guru’s sacred head and carried it off to Anandpur Sahib to the Guru’s son. Another Sikh Bhai Lakhi Shah who had a cart, was able to smuggle the Gurus headless body to his house. Since a public funeral would be too dangerous, Bhai Lakhi Shah cremated the body by setting his house on fire. Meanwhile the head was taken to the grief stricken young Guru Gobind Singh and the widow Mata Gujari. On November 16, 1675 at Anandpur Sahib, a pyre of sandalwood was constructed, sprinkled with roses and the head of Guru Tegh Bahadur was cremated by young Guru Gobind Singh.

Thus ended the earthly reign of the ninth Nanak, Guru Tegh Bahadur. Never in the annals of history has the religious leader of one religion sacrificed his life to save the freedom of another religion.

“He who trusts in God and makes an honest living to share with others and injures no one, nor harbors ill-will against another need perform no other rituals. His soul ever stays in health.” - Guru Tegh Bahadur

The extent to which people are willing to go...

2009-11-17T19:57:00.000+08:00

Can you imagine what extend people are willing to go just to achieve what they desire? They don't even think about the consequences. Read this short news report:

From 'fat-burning' to burnt fat

Woman suffers burns on body after trying to slimming treatment at spa
By Amanda Yong
November 17, 2009

Enticed by a local spa's promise of a "fat-burning treatment", one housewife literally got burnt.

Madam Li Mei Gui, 35, tried an unusual beauty treatment in which a spa therapist placed a towel on her waist and poured alcoholic fluid on the towel. When the towel was lit up, the flames spread to her bare skin.

Now, she is left with horrific scars on her back, one as abig as a two-dollar note.

For the full report, read The New Paper today (17 Nov).

Hierarchy of Cyber-Needs

2009-09-28T05:13:00.002+08:00

I could have posted this in my computer blog, but I think this is more than just about computers. Have you seen the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs? Well, there is a Hierarchy of Cyber-needs! Check it out:

Source: YouTube - Evgeny Morozov: How the Internet strengthens dictatorships

How long will a faith last in today’s world?

2009-09-24T20:55:00.001+08:00

A strong vibrant and solid society, community, religion can be identified by its:

Openness to evolve and change.
Tolerance to other ideas and thoughts
A willingness to accept reason and logic based on verifiable facts
A confidence that there is nothing to fear or lose.
No fear of losing its members or faithful
No insistence on punishment for those who leave it
No physical enforcement of rules and commands.
Rejection of anything that is based on blind faith and circular logic
A revulsion and contempt for violence based philosophy
A deep respect for women
A strong belief that no thought or idea is permanent.
That change is the only thing that is permanent.

On the other hand
Any community that has values opposite to what is written above..
is weak and unstable and in the long run cannot sustain or hold itself.
It always felt it is under threat.
Scared that it will lose its identity
Unsure of its beliefs and hence enforce and hold its followers by harsh rules
Need to constantly stick to the Blind truth and faith principle.
Feels submission is more important than reason and question.
It lives under constant fear of losing out to change and collapse.
Until a built up momentum destroys it to oblivion by implosion.

"No power on earth can stop an idea whose time has come" – Voltaire

Courtesy: Faith Freedom International • View topic - How long will a faith last in today's world ?

Thought Provoking: The paradox of choice

2009-09-18T22:41:00.001+08:00

Barry Schwartz explains why “The secret to happiness is low expectations.”

Watch more videos from TED at their YouTube channel or on their official website’s Talks List.

Venn Diagram Analysis of Religions

2009-09-06T20:47:00.003+08:00

There are many religions in this world, ranging from major religions with believers from all parts of the world to tribal religions in the jungles of Africa. For the purpose of simplicity, let us assume three major religions, Religion A, Religion B and Religion C. The set of believers in each religion is thus given:
Let us also assume that the world population forms the Universal Set. For the sake of simplicity, we assume that these three are the only religions in the world. However, we know that there are people in this world who do not believe in any of these three.

We also know that the sets of believers of all religions are mutually exclusive, just as your race is. Therefore it is not possible to have a believer in two or more religions. Thus we have:

It is known that any major religion believes it is the only true religion, and that all other religions are false. Therefore, assuming red represents false religions, and green represents true religions, the diagram would look like this to a believer in religion A:
This can easily be changed to a believer in religion B, where the set of believers of religion B would be green, and the set of believers in religion A would be red. How do we now conclude which is the actual true religion? If you take only the green colours and do an “Union” operation, all religions are true. If you do an “Intersection” operation, no religion is true. If you take all the reds and do a “Union” operation, all religions are false.

Also, it is interesting to note that in the above example, one religion is confirmed twice to be false, compared to the one time it confirms itself to be true. In the real world, a religion is confirmed to be false, as many number of times as the number of other religions claiming themselves to be the only true religion. Therefore any given religion is confirmed to be false several times, while it only confirms itself once to be true.

Now, it is a common knowledge that the believers of religion A believes that anyone who does not believe in religion A goes to hell. Let us assume that heaven and hell exist. If you take the colour of the set of people going to hell according to religion A as golden yellow, we have:
We can easily change the above diagram to represent the view held by believers of religion B. Their set would become white, while the set of religion A would become golden yellow.

If you do a “union” operation on these three diagrams, the entire population of the earth is going to hell. If you do an “intersection” operation, anyone who does not believe in a religion that would take them to heaven, would essentially go to hell. It doesn’t matter which religion he chooses, as long as it will take him to heaven.

Conclusions: Thus we see that we cannot determine with absolute confidence that any of the world religions could be the true religion, but at the same time, we cannot conclude that all religions are false.

Also, to go to heaven, we must choose a religion that most appeases us, as a person who rejects all religions would go to hell. This means that we are essentially given the freedom of faith – to choose the religion we want to believe. This also means that we can create our own private religion as well, as the only requirement to go to heaven is that you believe in a religion that takes you to heaven. Your own private religion can also take you to heaven if you want it to!

The third conclusion is that, we cannot be absolutely sure that we would go to heaven even if we believe in a religion. If God chooses to do an “union” operation on all the religions, we are doomed to hell. Let us hope that He does an “intersection” instead.

The Religious Challenge

Happy Onam!

2009-09-02T11:20:00.001+08:00

When Maveli, our King, ruled the land,
All the people had equality.
And people were joyful and merry;
They were all free from harm.
There was neither anxiety nor sickness,
Death of the children was never even heard of,
There were no lies,
There was neither theft nor deceit,
And no one was false in speech either.
Measures and weights were right;
No one cheated or wronged his neighbor.
When Maveli, our King, ruled the land,
All the people formed one casteless race.

Happy Onam!

Freedom of Faith: The Sword vs. God

2009-08-27T16:46:00.008+08:00

Reporting some news, people?

Anyway...

Rifqa Bary, a 17 years young apostate of her former religion, has been fighting for her life in Florida, USA. She escaped the horrific truth of ‘honour killing’ which she believes would have otherwise resulted in her murder, by her father in Ohio. She believes that honour killings are justified by her former religion's holy text, and the mandatory punishment by the law based on it for an apostate is death.

Fearing for her life, Rifqa fled Ohio and is seeking safety in Florida. There are many martyrs of honour killings, such as Aqsa Parvez, for whom a memorial has been recently set up. Rifqa, like every human being, wants to live a normal long life and is aspiring to practice her faith in God as freely as she wishes to. But the religious establishment her parents belong to is fighting to have her back.

Read and follow the entire story of Rifqa Bary here. I am not in any religion, and I don’t wish to be in one. But I believe in God, a Divine power beyond human comprehension. My stance is that religions are man-made attempts to explain this Divinity. So, whatever faith you practice, as long as you believe in God and His incomprehensible power, your prayers for Rifqa Bary will be valuable.

Nice Advice

2009-08-16T01:25:00.001+08:00

Always speak a kind word about anyone.

If you do not have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

Never criticize.

Don't tell lies.

Don't tell tales on anyone or be a snitch.

Don't be jealous. Be pleased when something nice happens to someone. Wish good things to happen to anyone.

Put others first, unless you are being taken advantage of.

Don't take advantage of anyone, especially if they are nice to you.

Do not steal. Ask if you want something and do not take things for granted.

Look after things, especially if they do not belong to you.

Try not to borrow or lend things.

Be confident of yourself. Believe in yourself and always be humble. Do not boast.

ALWAYS BE CONTENTED.

Discrimination – Part 2

2009-08-15T04:09:00.001+08:00

If a language cannot be considered superior to another, as both of them are merely two means of communication between humans, why is that a religion is considered superior to all other religions by its followers? Isn’t religion simply a means of communication with the Divine? The claimed superiority of one religion over the others have created bloodshed throughout history, when there is no such blood-filled history regarding language difference or any other difference for that matter.

If it doesn’t make sense to be friends with someone only of particular country or particular skin colour, why does it make perfect sense to the followers of a religion that they should shun themselves from the rest of the society and make friends only with those from among the followers?

If in God’s eyes, all human beings are considered equal, why do followers of a religion claim themselves to be above other human beings simply in the name of religion? And why do they find it absolutely right to do so?

If a text of any religion should be proven to be accurate beyond the shadow of doubt, there should be no human being questioning them. As nobody questions the fact that gravity exists or that earth is spheroidal, nobody should question the so called “facts” in their own religious texts that are claimed by the followers of that particular religion. Why is this not so? Why are there so many proponents as well as opponents for any given religion?

Discrimination - Part 1

2009-08-09T19:39:00.001+08:00

Could any language be considered better than another language? Would you tell your friend that your language is better than his, and he should learn yours? In that case, is it not fair that he has an equal right to claim his language to be better than yours, and invite you to learn it? Language is a means of communication that had been developed by human beings. How would one mean of communication be superior to other, when there is no real basis to compare the two on?

Are we to choose our friends by the country they’re born in, or by the culture they are part of? Would you tell someone you meet, “Oh you’re from Country-X. Sorry I don’t make friends with people from Country-X and Country-Y.”? Or, how about “Sorry, no offence, but we can’t be friends because your skin colour is darker than mine.”

Should any human being be considered greater than other human beings, in terms of being a human being? Presidents and ministers are only there as they have a responsibility. Beyond this responsibility, they are merely human beings, at the same level as a layman cleaning the street, and an engineer working on an aircraft.

Is there anyone who would dare question a fact that is proved using a solid, tangible proof? Facts proven by science, does anyone question them? Is there anyone who claim today than the value of pi is not 3.14159… and have theories or proofs to back his claim?

Your comments are welcome, please feel free to post.

School Days

2009-07-14T23:39:00.001+08:00

Here are some sayings from school.

Teacher: 'What is your name?'
Student: 'Mera naam Suraj Prakash hai.'
Teacher: 'When I ask a question in English, answer it in English.'
Student: 'My name is Sunlight.'

Teacher: 'What is your name?'.
Student: 'My name is Beautiful Red Underwear'
Teacher: 'What kind of a name is this? Don't joke tell me the right name'
Student: 'My name is Sunderlal Chadda.'

Teacher: What happened in 1869?
Student: Gandhiji was born.
Teacher: What happened in 1873?
Student: Gandhiji was four years old.

Teacher: What is the full form of maths?
Student: Mentally affected teachers harassing students

Teacher: Now children, if I saw a man beating a donkey and stopped him then what virtue would I be showing?
Student: BROTHERLY LOVE

Teacher: Because of Gandhiji's hard work what do we get on 15th August?
Student: A holiday

Teacher: 'Can anyone give me an example of Coincidence? '
Johnny: 'Sir, my mother and father got married on the same day same time.'

Teacher: How old is ur father.
Sunny: As old as I am.
Teacher: How is it possible?
Sunny: He became father only after I was born.

Teacher: There is a frog, Ship is sinking, potatoes cost Rs3/kg...Then, what is my age?
Student: 32 yrs.
Teacher: How do you know?
Student: Well, my sister is 16 yrs old and she is half mad.

Smile!

Interest Rates dropped from this month!

2009-07-14T16:01:00.001+08:00

I just noticed from DBS (link) and POSB (link) websites that they decided to cut down the interest rates with effect from 1 July 2009. The starting interest rate had been cut by half!

Whoever still thinks they can make money from the measly interest rates banks offer to people are plainly not using their brain. I do not treat my bank account as a place for me to make money. I only treat it as a “safe-deposit box” to keep my money inside. It’s safer that keeping all the money in my house, and also provides the convenience of card-based payment such as NETS and Debit Card.

But it simply is a folly to think that saving money in a bank account would make you money. A $3000 deposit would give you $3.75 interest per year! I would rather do something with the money than to “save it” as the banks always love to advertise! In fact, the last time I went to the bank, the person servicing me suggested of opening something in which I would “save” $100 every month. No way! I just told him a big “No, thank you very much.”

Even if I have a job and an income I would definitely not sign up for those “saving” schemes where you put aside money for the future. It’s all a waste, because no matter how much you put aside, it’s still nothing compared to what you will actually need in the future. It’s much better to create pipelines such as a business or an investment than to save up a little water from the buckets you carry everyday into a small water tank labeled “For the Future.”

Communication Evolution

2009-07-07T22:16:00.001+08:00

Communication Evolution @ Yahoo! Video

A very nice video by Yahoo! Mail.

Aung San Suu Kyi, and myself

2009-06-30T00:49:00.001+08:00

When I look at Aung San Suu Kyi and the detention she is willingly accepting for the freedom of Burma, I can’t help but notice the analogy of the situation in my own life.

Burma is governed by its military regime, which is known to be powerful, sadistic and egoistic. Aung San Suu Kyi is fighting for a democratic government in lieu of the military dictatorship. That’s the father.

Aung San Suu Kyi, who won the elections in 1990 but was refused assumption of the office of Prime Minister, was placed under house arrest. She had been placed back into detention several times and is still under house arrest on this very day, after going through several trials.

Through her 13 years of house arrest (in the 19 years since 1990), she held her strength as a person with a cause. She kept herself hopeful of the future in which Burma, her dear motherland, would be a free nation where a democratic government voted by the people would be in charge. That’s the lady.

Many nations, looking back into history and seeing great advocates of non-violence such as Nelson Mandela and Mahatma Gandhi, are rallying together in support of Aung San Suu Kyi. The United Nations are getting involved with their negotiations. Each person who chooses to help her finds his own little way to help her get closer to freedom. That’s us - those who choose to help the lady in our own little way.

A little though to ponder: Small drops makes an ocean. Stop the drops and you have a desert.

Learning to Master Fear

2009-06-26T01:16:00.001+08:00

There are a number of emotions that can create the Velcro® Syndrome*. The most common, though, is an emotion that has an inordinate capacity to interfere with our intention to change. Fear. When fear is your master, it controls you in many ways, particularly when you want your life to change in a fairly significant way.

When fear is your master, you bring the future into the present.

When you master fear, you accept the future only when it actually arrives.

When fear is your master, you forget that you can learn to solve new problems.

When you master fear, you remember how good it feels to bring your skills into new situations.

When fear is your master, you believe you have to face life’s challenges all by yourself.

When you master fear, you remember the many times when you’ve expressed your feelings and your needs clearly and have been supported by others.

When fear is your master, you stop trying because you might make a mistake.

When you master fear, you gain strength from the many times you’ve made a mistake, forgiven yourself, learned from it, and moved on.

When fear is your master, you focus on the separate details of life, judging one thing as good and another as bad, with a particular emphasis on the bad, unable to see life as a whole.

When you master fear, you remember the times that you have transcended your sense of separateness, times when you experienced the ordinary, individual details of life as a whole, when you felt a connection with the essence of life.

Finally, when fear, a very serious emotion, is your master, you ignore the pleasures that life offers.

When you master fear, you live in each moment as it happens, discovering that you can’t be overwhelmed by what may – or may not – happen in the future because you’re fully focused on the present.

* Want to know what Velcro® Syndrome is? Get hold of the book “Ask Yourself Questions and Change Your Life” (by Arlene Harder, MFT)

The Power of Your Own Mind

2009-06-19T15:09:00.001+08:00

Napoleon Hill-What the mind can conceive, believe & achieve.

Transcript:

My search led me to the study of the spiritual forces with which all of us are blest. And it was in this field that I came upon a clue, which has enabled me to help millions of people to find their earthy destinies.

I want to describe my discovery in the simplest terms possible. Because it will reveal to you why it is true that whatever the mind can conceive and believe, the mind can achieve. Regardless of how many times you may have failed in the past, or how lofty your aims and hopes may be.

I caught my first fleeting glimpse of the profound law which provided the means by which we may choose our own purpose in life and attain it while I was being coached by Andrew Carnegie during the organisation of the Science of Success Philosophy.

I just finished telling Mr. Carnegie that I feared he had chosen the wrong person to give the world the first practical philosophy of personal success, because of my youth, my lack of education and my lack of finances.

Well, at this point Mr. Carnegie delivered a lecture that I shall never forget, because it changed my entire life and paved the way for my helping to change the lives of millions of people, some of them not yet born.

“Let me call your attention to a great power which is under your control,” said Mr. Carnegie, “A power which is greater than poverty, greater than the lack of education, greater than all of your fears and superstitions combined. It is the power to take possession of your own mind and direct it to whatever ends you may desire.

“This profound power,” Mr. Carnegie continued, “is the gift of the Creator and it must have been considered the greatest of all of His gifts to man, because it is the only thing over which man has the complete and unchallengeable right of control and direction.

“When you speak of your poverty and lack of education,” Mr. Carnegie explained, “you are simply directing your mind power to attract these undesirable circumstances. Because it is true that whatever your mind feeds upon, your mind attracts to you.

“Now you see why it is important that you recognise that all success begins with definiteness of purpose, with a clear picture in your mind of precisely what you want from life.”

And then Mr. Carnegie continued his speech with a description of the great universal truth which made such an impact upon my mind that I began then and there to give myself a new outlook on life and set up for myself a goal so far above my previous achievements that it shocked my friends and relatives when they heard about it.

"Everyone,” said Mr. Carnegie, “comes to the earth plane blest with the privilege of controlling his mind power and directing it to whatever ends he may choose. But,” he continued, “everyone brings over with him at birth the equivalent of two sealed envelopes. One of which is clearly labelled: ‘The Riches you may enjoy if you take possession of your own mind and direct it to ends of your choice.’ And the other is labelled: ‘The Penalties you must pay if you neglect to take possession of your mind and direct it.’

And now, let me reveal to you,” said Mr. Carnegie, “the contents of those two sealed envelopes. In the one labelled Riches is this list of blessings:

Sound health.
Peace of mind.
A labour of love of your own choice.
Freedom from fear and worry.
A positive mental attitude.
Material riches of your own choice and quantity.

In the sealed envelope labelled Penalties,” Mr. Carnegie continued, “is this list of the prices one must pay for neglecting to take possession of his own mind:

Ill health.
Fear and worry.
Indecision and doubt.
Frustration and discouragement throughout life.
Poverty and want.
And a whole flock of evils consisting of envy, greed, jealousy, anger, hatred and superstition.”

Now, my mission in life is to help you and everyone who needs my help to open up and use the contents of the sealed envelope labelled Riches. And the starting point from which you must take off if you wish to write your own ticket from here on out, for the remainder of your life, I will describe for you in these simple instructions.

Procure a neat pocket-sized notebook, or something on the order of this one here, loose leaf affair. And on page one write down a clear description of your major desire in life. The one circumstance, position or thing which you will be willing to accept as your idea of success. And remember before you begin writing, that your only limitations are those which you set up in your own mind or permit others to set up for you. And,
On page two of your notebook write down a clear statement of precisely what you intend to give, in return for that which you desire from life. And then start in right where you stand now to begin giving. And,
Memorize both of your statements, what you desire and what you intend to give in return for it. And repeat them at least a dozen times daily.

And always end your statements with this expression of gratitude for the blessings with which you were gifted at birth:

“I ask not, oh Divine Providence, for more riches, but more wisdom with which to accept and use wisely the riches I received at birth in the form of the power to control and direct my mind to whatever ends I desire.”

If you are not too successful or self-satisfied to accept and express this profound prayer; if you accept it and express it in the same spirit of humble sincerity in which I pass it on to you, a new and better world will reveal itself to you. A world in which you will see reflected the circumstances and the things which you yourself have created.

And now let me close this, our first visit, with my favourite expression of gratitude:

“Oh Divine Providence, I ask not for more riches, but more wisdom with which to make wiser use of the riches you gave me at birth consisting in the power to control and direct my own mind to whatever ends I desire.”

End of Transcript.

Family

2009-06-16T13:02:00.001+08:00

I ran into a stranger as he passed by,
'Oh excuse me please' was my reply.
He said, 'Please excuse me too;
I wasn't watching for you.'

We were very polite, this stranger and I.
We went on our way and we said goodbye.
But at home a different story is told,
How we treat our loved ones, young and old..

Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
My son stood beside me very still.
When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.
'Move out of the way,' I said with a frown.

He walked away, his little heart broken.
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.
While I lay awake in bed,
God's still small voice came to me and said,

'While dealing with a stranger,
common courtesy you use,
but the family you love,
you seem to abuse.

Go and look on the kitchen floor,
You'll find some flowers there by the door.
Those are the flowers he brought for you.
He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.
He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes.'

By this time, I felt very small,
And now my tears began to fall.
I quietly went and knelt by his bed;
'Wake up, little one, wake up,' I said.

'Are these the flowers you picked for me?'
He smiled, 'I found 'em, out by the tree.
I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue.'

I said, 'Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way.'
He said, 'Oh, Mom, that's okay.
I love you anyway.'
I said, 'Son, I love you too,
and I do like the flowers, especially the blue.'

FAMILY

Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think?

So what is behind the story? Do you know what the word FAMILY means?

FAMILY = FATHER AND MOTHER, I LOVE YOU

Next Train: Disk Boot Failure

2009-06-14T02:17:00.001+08:00

It’s been years since I saw a computer screen like this! I saw this in one of the information screens in Jurong East MRT. Apparently this screen is hooked up to a computer with AMD K6-2 processor (running at 300 MHz) and 16MB RAM memory. The computer’s hard disk has failed, causing it to display the message “Disk Boot Failure, Insert System Disk and Press Enter.” Now, where do the train passengers find that System Disk?

Relationship Audio Books

2009-06-13T01:29:00.001+08:00

Some audio books that would help you in your dating, relationships, marriage and life.

Why men don't listen and women can't read maps - Allan & Barbara Pease [Review]

Disc 1
- Part 1
- Part 2
Disc 2
- Part 1
- Part 2

The Five Love Languages - Gary Chapman [Details]

Right-click the links and save the ZIP files. Then extract them to get the MP3 files inside.

Water and Wellness

2009-05-29T13:33:00.001+08:00

Why is water good for you?

We all know water is essential to life. But most of us are not aware of the crucial role water plays in sustaining the function of every organ and function of our bodies. Water does more than sustain life. Good water can actually improve our health, our fitness and even our appearance.

What happens without water?

We can go for weeks at a time without food, but we will die in a matter of days without water – even faster in warm climates where perspiration causes us to lose water quickly. Going without water can have disastrous results:

A 1% deficit in the body’s water creates thirst.
A 5% deficit causes a slight fever.
A 10% deficit and the tongue swells, the kidneys start to fail, and the muscles go into spasms. Walking becomes impossible.
At or before 20% loss, skin cracks, organs grind to a halt, and death occurs.

What does water do in the body?

Water is the single most important nutrient the body takes in; every cell, tissue, and organ needs water to function properly.

Water transports essential water-soluble vitamins and nutrients (such as protein, minerals, vitamins B & C) that cells, tissues, and organs needs to function properly.
Water moistens our eyes, mouth, and nasal passages, helping organs perform properly and keeping us physically comfortable.
Water allows the body’s cells to retain their structure and carries oxygen to the cells.
Water cushions the organs and acts as a shock absorber to minimise stress and damage to organs.
Water helps regulate body temperature, keeping the body cool when it is hot and insulating it when outside conditions are cold.
Water flushes the kidneys to rid the body of toxic substances.
Water carries solid waste from the body.
Water balances electrolytes (minerals such as potassium, sodium, and chloride) that help regulate body temperature and control blood pressure.
Water provides optimum lubrication for joints.
Water is a valuable source of trace minerals such as manganese, magnesium, cobalt, and copper.

Drinking water can improve your health and well-being.

Water helps maintain blood volume, which maintains your energy.
Proper hydration improves your concentration and reaction time, especially during exercise.
Water increases the number of calories your burn during regular daily activities.
Water can help lessen the stomach distress concentrated medicines can cause.
Water helps rid the body of excess sodium, which can cause fluid retention.
Studies show links between high water consumption and reduced risk of minor ailments, such as colds, constipation, and urinary tract infections, to more serious conditions, including kidney stones and bladder cancer.
Frequent water intake prevents dehydration among the very young and old. (Dehydration is on of the leading causes of hospital admissions for those over 65 years old.)
Water may help you lose weight and improve your appearance.
The body often mistakes thirst for hunger pangs, so people often eat snacks when their bodies are thirsty, not hungry. Studies show that people who drink large amounts of water usually feel less hungry.
Water gives you more energy during exercise and increases the calories you burn during exercise.
Studies indicate that water may also help reduce fat deposits.
Water helps hydrate the skin, leaving it smoother, softer, more supple, and more wrinkle-free. (Water reaches the skin last; if the body doesn’t get enough water, the skin will feel the effects sooner than any other organ.)

How much water do you need?

Your body needs water even if you do not feel thirsty.

While individual needs depend on many factors, as a general guideline, the average person should drink between 1.5 and 2.5 litres of water (about 1.5 – 2.5 quarts) every day. (Check out our Water Intake Calculator to find out more about how much water you should drink based on your exercise habits and your current weight.)
Beverages with caffeine – coffee, tea, and colas – actually dehydrate the body, robbing the organs by using more water to process than they provide.
Alcoholic beverages also cause dehydration.
Juices and sports drinks quench the body’s thirst, but they may also provide unwanted calories.

A variety of sources were used for the data on this page, including the Center for Disease Control, the Water Quality Association, the American Cancer Society, the American Dietetic Association, and the American Heart Association (USA).

Help me and Ronaldinho make Every Kick Count

2009-05-22T01:35:00.001+08:00

Hey - check out what Ronaldinho is doing to raise money for kids in need. I'm kicking it to you, and then we can track where the kicks go from there.

Here's the link to my kick: www.everykickcounts.com It's yours to pass on now...

From: Ronaldinho
Sent: 05-21-2009
To: send2adtc@gmail.com
Re: Every Kick Counts

Hi Arun,

Sure, I kick a ball for a living. But this time, my kicks aren't important. YOURS are.

I've been working with Nutrilite (they make my daily multivitamin) to figure out a fun way to raise money for the AMWAY ONE BY ONE^TM Campaign for Children. And we've done it at www.everykickcounts.com.

Just start a virtual kick. Or continue a kick that's sent to you. When you do, NUTRILITE^TM will make a donation to the AMWAY ONE BY ONE campaign. You can even check out where in the world your kick has gone. Could there be a simpler or more fun way to help kids who need it?

Can you help us reach 10 million kicks? Click Here and get started. Because Every Kick Counts.

Obrigado!
Ronaldinho

Robert Kiyosaki

2009-04-27T02:46:00.001+08:00

Check out the Principles of “Rich Dad, Poor Dad” (link).

The most interesting thing I learnt in one of these wonderful videos is that active income (going to a job) can make you pay 50% of the income in taxes, while the tax levied on passive income (income from a business) can be legally brought down to 0%!

Another thing I learnt is the "Cone of Learning” devised by Edgar Dale. Here are a few links you can take a look at the cone of learning, and learn more about it.

Laos Photo Albums on Facebook

2009-04-13T22:24:00.001+08:00

It’s a big mess! Forty-one photo albums on Facebook! I decided to organize them here in this blog post. Note that you have to be signed into Facebook and you have to be in my network to see the photos.

Day 1

1. Flight to Bangkok
2. At Bangkok
3. At Vientiane
4. SG Embassy and Dinner
5. Walk along the streets

Day 2

1. Lao Peoples Revolutionary Youth Union
2. Packet Lunch at LPRYU
3. Meeting the Lao People (Intro and Games)
4. Dinner at some back alley

Day 3

1. Morning
2. That Luang
3. Patuxay Park
4. Talat Sao Mall
5. Hor Pha Keo Museum
6. Inspire Centre & Night

Day 4

1. Morning Market
2. Buddha Park, Going Up
3. Buddha Park, Coming Down
4. Walk, Dinner and Debrief

Day 5

English Lessons

Day 6

1. Teaching IT
2. Bowling at Lao-Itec Shopping Mall

Day 7

1. Soccer Practice
2. Group Photo Taking
3. Soccer Match
4. After the Match

Day 8

1. Morning Classes
2. Photo-taking and Lunch
3. Beerlao Brewery Tour
4. Dinner and Shopping

Day 9

1. Farewell Function
2. Certificate for Laos students
3. Certificate for OCP volunteers Part 1
4. Certificate for OCP volunteers Part 2
5. Certificate for OCP volunteers Part 3
6. Performance Morning Part 1
7. Performance Morning Part 2
8. Water Festival, Lunch and Farewell Dinner

Day 10

1. Leaving Ulayvanh Hotel
2. At Vientiane Airport
3. At Bangkok Airport

Note that you have to be signed into Facebook and you have to be in my network to see the photos.

Yummy!

2009-02-15T02:46:00.001+08:00

Hehe =)

Nightmares I live every Day – Screwed Up

2009-01-30T18:02:00.001+08:00

I’m screwed up. And most of this person’s friends would agree to that statement. This person I wish to talk about here, is not the same person as in my previous episode of ‘Nightmares I live every Day’ series. It is a different person altogether.

As you have noticed already, I will not give you any details that reveal anything about this person. But if you know me well, you should know who this person is. Just like before, I once again screwed up a good friendship that could have been there. And I foolishly destroyed it, all in the name of my selfish pleasure.

I regret it and if I could go back in time, I would tell my past Arun what nightmare I am living with now, and what I wish to avoid. I have not done the right thing at all. More than any other bad event in my life, seeing this person makes me want what I will never have. An eraser than can rub away past mistakes and set things straight.

Regardless, I’m learning to let go of it as a mistake, a huge one indeed, one that I pay for whenever the person appears in front of my eyes. I’m learning my lesson from this mistake, and it’s the most important lesson I have ever learnt in my entire life. For this lesson, I want to give this person a big “Thank You.”

Bellaelysium

2009-01-20T19:11:00.005+08:00

That's the nick of my new friend Esther Peh. Well, actually we were acquaintances for three years of my diploma course, but only recently did I get a chance to know her better. Thanks to Facebook for that. I was really taken aback by the awesome and creative collection of cards hand-made by her. If I knew she's so good at card-making I would have bought all my greeting cards from her.

Preview

Profile
Esther Peh
Bellaelysium
Website
Etsy Store
Blog
DeviantArt
Facebook
Card Gallery
Tutorials
Videos

Check out my Facebook profile

2009-01-18T15:58:00.009+08:00

facebook

Adtc Rulez has:
many friends
loads of photos

Check out my Facebook profile

Hi Reader,

I set up a Facebook profile where I can post my pictures, videos and events and I want to add you as a friend so you can see it. First, you need to join Facebook! Once you join, you can also create your own profile.

Thanks,
ADTC

To sign up for Facebook, follow the link below:
http://www.facebook.com/p.php?i=700284391&k=5YDZ44SZUW2M511AUD53RR&r

This blog post may contain promotional materials. Facebook's offices are located at 156 University Ave., Palo Alto, CA 94301.

Nightmares I live every Day – Friendship without Foundation

2009-01-14T15:36:00.001+08:00

Some years ago, I developed a friendship with a person. We thought the friendship was going great, but in the end it all fell apart too fast. I tried to hold on to the friendship, but the more I tried, the more it slipped away. In the end it was completely lost and we are like enemies now. I don’t hate the person, but the person hates me to the core.

If I could go back in time and change the way our ex-friendship went, I will do it and make things better. I will make sure that the friendship has a foundation which it never had, before I start building it up. This was the mistake I did, I rushed things and tried to build the friendship without a foundation.

A 20-storey building has a 40-storey foundation that keeps it on the ground.

What time is it?

2009-01-11T15:16:00.001+08:00

It’s football time! –Tiger Lager Beer

[This poster is on the back of my room door.]

Oh btw, I don’t drink beer.

Nightmares I live every Day – Birthday Slip

2009-01-08T13:56:00.001+08:00

A long long time ago. I was in a hostel and it was my birthday. The hostel warden arranged a birthday cake and a celebration. My mom was also visiting the hostel and was with me. Everything was going on as usual, but when it was time to cut the cake… I forgot to blow the candles! I just cut the cake right-away… (pause) ‘Why isn’t anyone clapping?’

At first, I was really confused that the whole hall suddenly became silent. But instead of going insane about it, I just blew the candles – in the middle of cutting! Some of the hostel mates clapped, while others didn’t. Usually the whole hall claps, and loudly too. But not today.

A few moments later, I realized what I did wrong and was really embarrassed. In front of some 50 people I did something obviously wrong and everyone knew. But no-one talked about it, at all. Nobody ever mentioned about the slip. Usually, anything stupid I do, they all will have something to say about it. But not the birthday slip. Well I’m glad they never mentioned it ever again.

Why did this happen? I blame it on nobody guiding me. I’ve seen in movies and all that in situations like this, the mother or close friend or relative would guide the birthday boy saying “C’mon make a wish and blow the candles.” But the warden just gave me the knife and I really didn’t know what to do. It isn’t like I celebrate birthdays all the time!

This is the first time I’m telling anyone about this incident. I had kept this a secret for a long time. It’s time to let go. And you know, whenever I see a birthday cake or hear about a birthday celebration, I remember this embarrassing incident and live the horrors of it over again.

God spoke to all mankind…

2009-01-07T02:32:00.001+08:00

Notice the spelling!

Courtesy: Carpe Diem!

Touchdown…

2008-12-26T17:49:00.001+08:00

On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
A totally insufficient dowry.

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Two nosy in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.

On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Three butter chickens
Two nosy in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Four Hare Krsna's [Is that Indian?]
Three butter chickens
Two nosy in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Five Indian games [I want to be the Cowboy]
Four Hare Krsna's
Three butter chickens
Two nosy in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Six I.T. graduates
Five Indian games
Four Hare Krsna's
Three butter chickens
Two nosy in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Seven eleven workers
Six I.T. graduates
Five Indian games
Four Hare Krsna's
Three butter chickens
Two nosy in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Eight Bollywood films [I didn’t eat the baby, was the dingo ate the baby]
Seven eleven workers
Six I.T. graduates
Five Indian games
Four Hare Krsna's
Three butter chickens
Two nosy in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.

On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Nine telemarketers [G'day mate, this is calling Jones, are you wanting greater car rates.]
Eight Bollywood films
Seven eleven workers
Six I.T. graduates
Five Indian games
Four Hare Krsna's
Three butter chickens
Two nosy in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.

On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Ten minute yoga [Think the Lotus, feel the Lotus... drive the Lotus]
Nine telemarketers
Eight Bollywood films
Seven eleven workers
Six I.T. graduates
Five Indian games
Four Hare Krsna's
Three butter chickens
Two nosy in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Eleven syllable names [Peesaravanmuthu-double-decker-bus]
Ten minute yoga
Nine telemarketers
Eight Bollywood films
Seven eleven workers
Six I.T. graduates
Five Indian games
Four Hare Krsna's
Three butter chickens
Two nosy in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.

On the twelth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Twelve cricket ball tamperers [I was simply correcting the stitching]
Eleven syllable names
Ten minute yoga
Nine telemarketers
Eight Bollywood films
Seven eleven workers
Six I.T. graduates
Five minutes of fame
Four Hare Krsna's
Three butter chickens
Two nosy in-laws and a totally insufficient dowry.

T o u c h d o w n . . .

7 Secrets to Happiness

2008-12-13T15:06:00.001+08:00

~~Why haven’t I know this before?~~ No, strike that! I’m glad I know this now! There are just seven simple, yet contradictory secrets to having lasting happiness in your life. Here they are, with my thoughts about them.

1. You Need a Solid Core Group of Friends

I find myself most happy when I’m out with friends, going for movies or lunch, or playing games and sports with them. You do need friends and to socialize in order to be happy.

2. You Gotta Have Adventures

I learnt that to make life a bit more interesting, I need to take risks and not stay safe. I have taken some risks, some paid off well, while others created bad consequences. Nevertheless, without taking risks I would not have learnt many of the valuable lessons I have learnt.

Taking risks adds spice to your life. Just try it.

3. It’s Time to Toss Excess Stuff

This is a tough one. It says I need to get rid of stuff I don’t use anymore. Well, I do try to get rid of much stuff that are useless, sometimes I keep small things that may not be useful per se, but carry some value. That’s alright, I believe.

Even when talking about the mind, I need to forget about all the past bad experiences and move on, striving to create new good ones. If I dwell on the past and only find time to regret it, thinking “I could have not done it, I could have done something else”, I am going to waste my present time and in turn my future.

What has happened, has already happened. You can’t change the past.

4. A Balance of Busy and Dead Time Is Key

I’ve seen some people who are just busy busy busy all the time, that they can’t even stop a short while and chit chat a bit with me. I hate such kind of people. At the same time, having absolutely nothing to do kills me a lot. I try to keep myself fairly busy, but at the same time relax.

5. It’s Crucial to Give in to Temptation

This has nothing to do with the Christian view of “temptation” but rather means to treat yourself with something pleasurable once in a while. It’s good to be strict with yourself and control what your activities and life, but once in a while, just give in to temptation and indulge in a little pleasure. On the other hand, over-indulging is also harmful.

6. Liking Yourself Is Nonnegotiable

I can’t stress enough the need to like yourself. It’s the most important secret to being happy. I used to not like myself at all, but then I learnt to admire my good qualities and improve on them. It helps.

I always tell my friends who are unhappy with their physical appearance that it is important that they look in their mirror and tell themselves “I’m beautiful. Those who love me, will accept me just how beautiful I am.”

7. You Must Stop Mentally Browsing

Occasionally I have seen some people who choose something and then wonder if he should have chosen something else. I have had such moments myself, but I quickly dismiss them by reminding myself that I should be happy with myself and my choice. It may not be good to someone else, but it’s the best choice to myself. Why? Simply because I made it. And it makes me happy.

[Read this article to get in-depth explanation about the secrets.]

Dr. Fish Spa

2008-12-05T23:16:00.004+08:00

This was so fun! My friend and I went to a fish spa today! It was our first time there and we had so much laughter while 100s of Garra Rufa (Nibble or Kangal) fishes were nibbling on our feet and legs. They were cleaning up our skin by eating all the dead cells.

It’s a funny feeling when they just keep on sucking on your skin. Imagine, the people at the spa don’t have to feed the fish. They only have to get customers to put their legs in. Extra money!

You should try it. It’s at IMM Shopping Mall near Jurong East MRT, at Level 2, opposite a small toy shop. There are also others around in Singapore, like Tesco Plentong in Causeway and Katong Mall B2 in East Coast Road.

20 minutes @ $10
30 minutes @ $13

Hotline: 9696 5671 / 9145 2177

Neat Little Trick

2008-12-03T18:24:00.000+08:00

Pulling the tab off drink cans just got easier with a new method taught by my friend Lewis.

Usually, when I feel like getting the tab off the a drink can, I’d keep pulling it and pushing it back until it breaks off due to metal fatigue.

But Lewis has a new method. It’s faster and even makes a loud pop sound. You can entertain your friends with it!

Pull open the drink can as usual and push the tab back.
Now rotate the tab exactly 180 degrees (rotate half a round).
Pull the tab again, just the same way as you would pull it to open the can.

The difference is that the can’s opening is now on the opposite side. Since there is no opening for the tab to puncture, it pops off the centre joint, making a loud noise.

[Original Picture Online]

A good cook and…

2008-12-03T11:05:00.001+08:00

My friend and her friend agreed that “Guys want a good cook and a whore in bed.” True, I’d say. But they why don’t we guys put ads like “Wanted: Good Cook, and Whore in Bed”?

Guys don’t say what they really feel, but they strive hard to say what the girl wants to hear. And later on, when the girl finds out he had been lying (not being truthful) all along to keep her, things start to fall apart.

But if a guy does an experiment by being all so truthful about how poor, weak or stupid he is, it becomes clear that there is very little chance of finding any girl. So he pretends to be rich, strong and smart. I’m sure all guys agree.

Girls, would you rather guys be truthful than act in your love scenes as knights in shining armor?

Need a new place to stay

2008-12-01T10:24:00.001+08:00

The only birthday gift I received so far was a one-month notice from my current landlord to vacate the premises.

I need to find a new room to stay, preferably near Temasek Polytechnic, Tampines, Singapore.

If anyone can help me out, maybe you have a room for me, or you know someone who might, please give me call. Thanks a lot, reader!

53 minutes more...

2008-11-29T23:07:00.000+08:00

... for my birthday. Anyone remember?

Lactose Intolerance Special Case

2008-11-14T10:07:00.001+08:00

My right nose is Dutch Lady Strawberry lactose intolerant.

Why right nose? Because my left nose is just fine.

Why Dutch Lady? Because it never occurred with Marigold.

Why Strawberry? Because it never occurred with Chocolate.

Why lactose? Because it's milk, goddamnit!

Why intolerant? Because my right nose has been running for two days, non-stop. Someone help me catch him!

Cacao? Who knew!

2008-11-11T18:49:00.002+08:00

I've been so used to the spelling "cocoa" that I told my friend it's wrong to spell it as "cacao." But actually I was wrong. Even though cocoa is the most widespread spelling, the original spelling was cacao. Due to the widespread usage, both are used interchangeably and accepted as correct. However, linguists and chocolate experts would rather you stick to the more appropriate spelling according to the context of usage. Here's the breakdown:

Cacao: pronounced Ka-Kow. Refers to the tree, its pods and the beans inside.

Cocoa: pronounced Koh-Koh. Refers to two by-products of the cacao bean – cocoa powder and cocoa butter. Both are extracted from the bean when it is processed in the factory.

From: Cacao vs. Cocoa - Updating your Chocolate Vocabulary

Hierarchy of Needs

2008-11-05T00:22:00.001+08:00

I have this subject called Human Factors, which is something like a sociology and psychology class. There is an interesting topic in it called the Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. Take a look:

Maslow's hierarchy of needs is often depicted as a pyramid consisting of five levels: the first lower level is being associated with Physiological needs, while the top levels are termed growth needs associated with psychological needs. Deficiency needs must be met first. Once these are met, seeking to satisfy growth needs drives personal growth. The higher needs in this hierarchy only come into focus when the lower needs in the pyramid are satisfied. Once an individual has moved upwards to the next level, needs in the lower level will no longer be prioritized. If a lower set of needs is no longer being met, the individual will temporarily re-prioritize those needs by focusing attention on the unfulfilled needs, but will not permanently regress to the lower level.

From the Wikipedia Article [4 November 2008, 14:55]

The Man, The Horse, The Ox, and The Dog

2008-10-30T23:18:00.001+08:00

One winter's day, during a severe storm, a Horse, an Ox, and a Dog came and begged for shelter in the house of a Man. He readily admitted them, and, as they were cold and wet, he lit a fire for their comfort: and he put oats before the Horse, and hay before the Ox, while he fed the Dog with the remains of his own dinner.

When the storm abated, and they were about to depart, they determined to show their gratitude in the following way. They divided the life of Man among them, and each endowed one part of it with the qualities which were peculiarly his own.

The Horse took youth, and hence young men are high-mettled and impatient of restraint; the Ox took middle age, and accordingly men in middle life are steady and hard-working; while the Dog took old age, which is the reason why old men are so often peevish and ill-tempered, and, like dogs, attached chiefly to those who look to their comfort, while they are disposed to snap at those who are unfamiliar or distasteful to them.

An Aesop's Fable from Aesop's Fables, Section 14 of 16.

Permanent Residency

2008-10-26T01:02:00.002+08:00

Yesterday, I went with my group of friends to apply for Permanent Residency of Singapore, and also to change the address given in the Visa Pass. We had expected to be a lot troublesome, having a long queue and such. But it turned out to be very fast and easy.

The address change was the easiest as we just had to get a form each and write the new address. We just had to attach a copy of student pass and put the form in a box.

The application for PR went smoothly as we didn't have to wait for long. The person just took our PR application form without much questions and told us that we will get an invitation letter soon.

I find that, unlike India, Singapore places a great emphasis on customer satisfaction. Be it sale of goods or provision of services, you are always greeted with a smile and taken care of in the best way they can. Services are provided in the fastest time possible, avoiding any cause of delay.

You wouldn't find such a thing in India, where they only want to treat business as business. They would drag and drag something creating huge unnecessary delays and the only way to avoid such delays is to bribe them. Especially government services of India are inconsiderate to customers and treat the customers like they are inferior to the service providers.

I hope they would learn some lessons from the smile of Singapore.

PS: A post that appeared before this one, if you read it, was unintentional. I forgot to delete it from the schedule and it was published automatically. Please excuse.

Who is responsible?

2008-10-16T01:13:00.003+08:00

Who is responsible to teach a human child how to live a life on his own, so that when he grows up to be an adult, he would live his life fearlessly and without ignorance? Is it the teachers at his school? Is it life itself? Or are all children expected to be born knowing how to live?

Many children, I feel, are just tossed into schools like banana chips tossed into a pot of hot oil. It is assumed by almost everybody that children only need to learn how to do something as they grow up. And that they only need to know how to make a living.

But never has anyone given a thought if it is necessary to teach a child how to live. It's almost considered a waste of time to touch on this vital issue in a child's life. I feel I was never taught how to live. I was let in the open like a newborn deserted by its mother

I went to schools and learnt Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Computers, Engineering, French. But no school and no teacher could teach me Life. Because no teacher can teach me that. No school can provide such a curriculum.

So tell me, who is responsible to provide me with the necessary training to live a live, when I reach the mature age of an adult? And whoever it is, why have they not provided such a training. Why have they deserted me when they knew that they had to teach me valuable lessons of life, that nobody else can teach me?

3 more hours

2008-10-09T16:57:00.001+08:00

I will start the four hours journey to Trivandrum, India in about 3 hours' time. I am hopeful that the next 10 days I'm going to stay in India would be another wonderful time in my life, and that nothing worthy of regret would occur during this time.

See you all on the 19th or 20th when I will be back. Take care.

Have you seen it?

2008-10-06T22:29:00.001+08:00

Have you seen episode 7 of Who is Johnny X? It's so sweet, how he finds out it is his real wife after all, and how he cries upon the revelation. And then how they hug each other like long lost lovers. I cried.

Watch in the player above or watch in wide-screen HD here.

Side Note: Notice how crisp and clear a real X1 screen is? (You'll see that when you watch the wide-screen HD version. Ha! Beat that, Mr. Omnia!

Short Trip to India

2008-10-04T02:54:00.001+08:00

I'm going to India next week. I'll be leaving Singapore on the 9th October in the evening/night. As usual I'm taking a SilkAir flight straight to Trivandrum. It's quite convenient as my parents can be just waiting for me outside the airport. Better than flying elsewhere and then traveling down to my home town.

Anyway I'll be returning to Singapore on the 19th of October in the morning. Also I'm shifting to Tampines to stay with my friend in a room there, sharing the room. I will do the shifting after I have returned from India.

Good night.

Colour of My Aura - Indigo

2008-09-30T13:57:00.001+08:00

Overview

Indigos are truth-tellers. They are quiet, alert, spiritual, inquisitive, patient, determined, guiltless, stubborn and honest. They can be blunt.

The reality of our world is a shifting, evolving, dynamic energy field. As part of this ecosystem, humanity is growing and developing. As the needs of the whole shift, changes need to be made in the parts that make up that whole. So it is with the auras. A new colour-Indigos emerged, with skills, talents; and physical characteristics significantly different from those of the other colours. At this time, most Indigos are still children or young adults. I see Indigo children as a new colour invested with new talents and abilities that will be necessary for our evolution. These children have unique characteristics for which we can only guess the purpose.

Parents of Indigo children have a special challenge-how to nurture and cultivate their unique children while at the same time helping them exist in the mainstream of contemporary society. The parents of some of these Indigo children will love and support their differences. Other Indigos will not be so lucky. In this chapter, I will be putting forth what I know intuitively about these children.

The significant thing about Indigos is that they have leadership capabilities unlike those we have heretofore experienced. They understand what it means to be a fully actualised human being without having been taught that concept.

The most difficult thing for an Indigo to develop is patience and forbearance. Because they seem to have already grasped what it means to be authentic, they have little tolerance for others who struggle with this issue. Indigos are not without compassion. However, their form of compassion is to give other human beings time and space enough to find their own answers, to come to their own resolutions.

Excerpts from other sections:

Physical Approach to Life

Indigos have a biochemical system that has differing needs and considerations than other aura colours. Acceptance of their more sensitive systems pays rich dividends for parents.

They have extremely sensitive neural systems. Excessive excitement or prolonged stimulation can cause them to withdraw into themselves.

They mate soul to soul rather than body-to-body. Sexuality is not an expression of masculinity or femininity, but rather the capacity of one human soul to interact with another soul. Sexual expression is a medium of communication so profound that sex for the purpose of physical release only is incomprehensible to an Indigo.

Because an Indigo is renewed spiritually as well as physically by each such experience, they seem to have lower sex drives, finding that fewer but more fulfilling experiences are preferable to many casual experiences.

Mental Approach to Life

They are bright and inquisitive, with an intelligence that cannot be measured by traditional psychological tests. Since these children seem to be born knowing everything, they are not asking for information but for verification of the knowledge they already have.

Independent without being arrogant, they are like solo molecules floating through the space of their reality. They are eager to learn and experience. However, Indigos are inherently unwilling to adapt to a standardized learning pattern.

Indigo children learn best when they are encouraged to follow their own interests. They have a capacity for pursuing topics deeply rather than skimming lightly over the surface. They resent teacher-imposed decisions as to what and how they should learn.

They need their own special place-their own room, a table, a corner of the family room-where they can keep their projects set up, without having to clean up after each work session.

These children will respond to the gentle reminder that it will be dinnertime in half an hour-better think about getting ready for dinner." This gives them an opportunity to mentally put a page marker on their thinking process.

Indigos see the whole pattern and all the individual piece's of the pattern at the same time. As a result, they sometimes have difficulty explaining their ideas and images to others. However, they will hammer their listener with data and examples until they have communicated their idea and the listener has expressed comprehension.

They are not arrogant and do not consider themselves brighter or more astute than their peers. They simply want the freedom, with a certain amount of guidance, to pursue their interests and to satisfy their need to know.

Indigos will remain cooperative as long as they are not patronized. They become incredibly stubborn when they feel put down and will cheerfully disrupt an entire classroom.

Emotional Approach to Life

On many levels, Indigos are never children at all, even though in their early years of development they can be very childlike. They seem more mature than others of the same age, reacting with sympathy and understanding to life's little dramas. Indigo children are more self-contained than other children, needing less interaction with family and peers.

They do well if given large amounts of time alone to pursue their own interests and activities. They have active imaginations and often talk to themselves, lost in another reality.

Going without meals, being deprived of privileges, giving up toys or activities-such punishments are of no consequence to an Indigo.

Promises are remembered. Indigos are not fooled by such vague words as "someday" and "soon." They want to know exactly which "someday" or precisely how "soon." Without meaning to nag they will remind you of your promises, which they see as a part of your responsibility to them. They do not hold grudges or resort to emotional blackmail.

Indigos are not demonstrative or overly affectionate. They seem to be self-contained. They are cautious with those to whom they give their affection. They can communicate openly and spontaneously with only a few people.

Indigos, at some deep level, understand that we are all interrelated as family, with no dividing lines and no areas of ownership or separation. Seeing so clearly this lack of distinctions, they feel the isolation of their knowing. They are gentle souls looking for a haven and understanding.

Spiritual Approach to Life

Spirituality as expressed by an Indigo is an example of what it would be like to live without the guilt and fear used by many religions to intimidate and manipulate.

To an Indigo, the Higher Power is a daily reality, not a theological concept. God is. Indigos see our striving after spirituality as posturing-much the way Christ saw the Pharisees.

Indigos find it easy to conform to institutionalised spiritual practices. They intuitively incorporate reverence and honour into their behaviour handling the spiritual objects with respect.

They are not bound by old traditions, habits, or belief systems. These children know that there is an order and a pattern to the universe that has little to do with the rules and regulations others make up. They are able to construct a holistic spirituality within themselves.

Leadership

Their power is in their indifference to accepted rewards and their refusal to be manipulated. Indigos will lead by making us rethink and reexamine our beliefs, values, and ways of doing things. By questioning standard practices they will begin to expose the lack of logic in much of what we do.

They are born with the knowledge that life is joyful and can remain so, not through avoiding pain, but by accepting it; not by being good, but by confronting lust, greed, and envy and integrating them into one's being.

Finances and Careers

Indigos will work because they enjoy the work, because it brings benefit and pleasure to themselves and others, and they feel useful doing it. If they find a job boring, or more work than they bargained for, they will simply quit.

Indigos are not lazy. To observe Indigos working on a project that interests them and absorbs their full attention is to see what tenacity really is. They simply know what they want and what they don't want.

This leaves Indigos in the precarious position of trying to figure out how to support themselves while doing what they enjoy.

Indigos find great satisfaction working with their hands in occupations that require them to pay attention to the process that is not intellectually demanding. They art intelligent, soft-spoken, hardworking, and dedicated employees.

For the future, as new needs and situations arise, Indigos will move into leadership positions because they have firsthand knowledge gained from experience in repairing today's technology.

Socializing

Indigos will always tell the truth, no matter how brutal it may seem to others. They are not governed by society's rules. They will not behave in a certain way simply because an adult promises them acceptance or love as a reward for doing so.

They will obey a rule because they agree with the moral premise behind it, and they will behave in a certain way because they want to be in a relationship where sharing and negotiating are required.

As they grow older, they find it more and more difficult to explain their differentness, and they choose friends and companions who accept them as they are. They do not have a lot of friends, preferring to be alone rather than to try to conform.

In an intimate relationship, they do not want to have to monitor their behaviour; therefore they choose mates who are sympathetic to their need to communicate soul-to-soul, and to their unwillingness to conform. The gentleness and emotional commitment of the Indigo are the rewards for those who are in a relationship with them.

What colour is your aura?
[Does not work in Firefox]

Will You Join Me to Help Burma

2008-09-28T18:34:00.002+08:00

Saturday is the first anniversary of the crackdown on Buddhist monks' peaceful uprising in Burma. I wanted to do something to help them in their struggle for an end to military dictatorship in Burma.

Will you join me in signing an online petition to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon? The petition asks him to take immediate action to secure the release of all political prisoners in Burma, and also support a global ban on weapons sales to Burma's military regime.

As you may know, Burma is ruled by a brutal military dictatorship that uses torture, systematic rape, and political arrests to suppress a nonviolent democracy movement. Last year, a peaceful march lead by Buddhist Monks called the "Saffron Revolution" was violently crushed by the Burmese military. Nearly 2000 political prisoners remain in jail. The regime continues to use intimidate the movements leaders, including its legendary leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Aung San Suu Kyi.

I hope you will join me in helping to stop these abuses. A great organization -- the U.S. Campaign for Burma -- is leading this effort.

You can sign the petition by going here - http://uscampaignforburma.org/action/2008-petition.html

Thank You!

Cigarettes and Chewing Gums

2008-09-20T14:28:00.001+08:00

Update on a previous post: The correct word is deteriorate. No idea why some people spell it as ~~detoriate~~ and think it's correct.

If you are outraged by the following information, calm down, take a deep breath and know that I'm not against Singapore Government (hereafter called SG Gov). I appreciate a lot of things it does to make Singapore a better place. Like having grasslands and trees everywhere.

Why are cigarettes sold with high tax, and why are chewing gums banned? Think about it, are chewing gums harmful to anybody? They are a fun way to chew away hours of idle time, and a good way to exercise your mouth's muscles. But cigarettes cause cancer, bad breath, mouth diseases, discomfort to others around, and many more.

It should have really been the other way around, if the Gov cares about its people as it claims to. Cigarettes, and possibly even alcohol should be banned, thus giving Singaporeans a healthier lifestyle. Sure there will be protests at first, but soon they will subside and people will accept the healthier lifestyle forced on them. Bhutan has done it.

Chewing gums on the other hand should be allowed, as banning them has no positive effect on health of people, but allowing them will have a tremendous positive effect. People will just need to be trained to wrap gums in paper before throwing them in dust-bin, and to not spit them out anywhere. The Gov is already so good at enforcing rules, that this simple rule is not a big deal.

So why isn't SG Gov doing this? The reason - MONEY! A high tax is implied on cigarettes under the pretence of discouraging minors from buying them. Minors don't have enough money with them to buy a $15 pack, but working adults can easily afford it. But the real reason is not to save the minors, but to get money. The money that cigarette buyers of SG pay as tax is a great source of income for the Gov.

And about chewing gums, well, it's money again. It's a little indirect though. If people chew gums, but aren't trained on how to discard gums, they would just spit them out everywhere. This would dirty the place and cleaners would have a harder time cleaning up. Gums are usually really sticky and you will have to scrape a lot to get them out of floors, walls and under chairs.

So how does banning gums help? A clean Singapore! And that means more tourists will flock to Singapore, hearing about the tip-top standards of cleanliness of SG. This translates into more tourist income for the Gov.

And PETA should especially take note, as some cigarette consumers put out their finished cig butts on poor animals like cats and dogs.

A little time off.

2008-09-09T07:12:00.001+08:00

A little time off my daily routine. Just taking some time to post some rubbish. Because if I post something useful here, certain people who doesn't like me will read it, and criticize me with words that describe a person to be an amateur.

I don't understand, I have left them alone a long time ago, and I don't bother them anymore. But they still like to look at my blog, trying to find ways to disturb me. Great!

Okay, I'll pause blogging for a while due to this situation. I'll continue some other time, when the things settle and I lose all contact with those people totally. By then, even if they would be still reading my blog, they won't be able to do anything about it.

Peace, Arun.

English, and it's various siblings.

2008-08-20T18:26:00.001+08:00

We are all familiar with the English of the movies, which is American English, because most of the movies we watch are from Hollywood. English has become an universal language of communication, and is preferred by more and more countries everyday as the official language due to the transcending of language barriers it promises. Here is an account of how this beautiful yet funny language has been experienced by me, and my comments on it.

Have you watched any British English movies? Or have you talked to someone from England? The accent is dramatically different from the American version, and I have felt it a bit strange at first when one of my instructors, an Englishman, began his lessons. Oh, if you watch BBC, it really doesn't have the pure British accent, it has a rather mixed variety.

Then oh there's Singlish. Ya lah! No need grammar one. Talk cock anyhow also can!! I picked up Singlish very quickly once I started my course in Singapore, although I don't know many Malay, Hokkien or Mandarin terms. Although it has had it's advantages that I have been able to connect with Singaporeans better by communicating the way they do, there are also some drawbacks such as impairing my English speaking skills.

I just found out that there is no such word called "detoriate." It is not officially found in the Oxford dictionary. How did this 'word' come into being considered a good word to use in reports when it isn't even correct? English is a funny language.

What has irritated the most out of me is Manglish, which is not really English, but transliterating Malayalam (one of Indian languages) using the English alphabets. It means the sounds of that Indian language are expressed in writing using English letters. It is used by those stubborn Malayalees who refuse to talk in English to other Malayalees even in email or chat. They use Manglish when talking to others online, or on SMS.

Besides the fact that not all sounds of an Indian language can be fully expressed by using English alphabets, the use of Manglish also clearly shows the stubbornness of such people. They are not ready to embrace English as an effective, common and versatile mode of communication, but rather claim a non-existent patriotism by shying away from foreign languages. The Tamil version would be called Tanglish.

There was a message I heard on radio today that is worth mentioning here. Speaking Good English is not about following a culture's accent. That is, you don't need to follow the movies or the British. It is about speaking with correct grammar, in full sentences, clearly and audibly.

But we are living in a fast moving world, where communication only focuses on getting the main message across, but not on how it is presented. It is like two exit signs, one that simply has a single word "EXIT" and the other has a long sentence "If you wish to exit the building, or are required to exit the building during an emergency, please use the door below." Surely, the first sign is more desirable as just four capital letters would convey the exact same message as would the 22 words.

Nevertheless, we should remember that even though we are living in a fast-developing world, we are still social beings and crave for the company of one another. Communication is what creates bonds and friendships, and without communication there would be much chaos. Can an EXIT sign be your best friend?

The Deck of Cards

2008-08-07T22:04:00.001+08:00

Ace - There is only one God.
2 - The Bible is divided into two testaments.
3 - Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
4 - The four saints: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.
5 - The five wise virgins with the oil lamps.
6 - Six days of Creation.
7 - And on seventh day, God rested.
8 - Only eight people were spared from the Flood.
9 - The nine lepers who were healed, but never thanked.
10 - The Ten Commandments.
King - God is the Almighty King.
Queen - Blessed be the Virgin Mary.
Jack - The Devil.

Thanks to Mr. Dennis for this nice piece of information.

Update: Links to: the story and the song.

Is your flag hung correctly? Is it fresh out of the package?

2008-07-30T17:49:00.001+08:00

Yesterday on my way home, there was heavy traffic on the road, and as the bus was moving ever so slowly, I was checking out the block besides the road. All the houses in the block have hung up Singaporean flags! Usually I see only a few houses have them. But there still were some problems.

1. All the houses had fresh new flags, right out of the tailoring shops. The white was shining bright in the sunlight, and the red was as thick as the Singaporean blood. I could even see the uniform folds like they're fresh out of the package. All, except one. I noticed, like a pimple on a beautiful face, one flag is so old, the "white" is more yellow than my own teeth. The red is faded pale like there's no life in it.

2. Another flag caught my attention too. It is new, fresh out of the package, yes. The colours are right; the red on top, the white below. But the crescent is on - you guessed it - the right. Perhaps the picture below that I found, would make life easier. [Click on it to see original post.]

Yea, so please correct these mistakes. Spread the word.

- A foreigner looking out for you.

I'm so vulnerable.

2008-07-24T22:42:00.001+08:00

I'm so helpful and vulnerable to being used by people for their own benefits. I hate being so vulnerable. I hate it that it's in my nature to help those who need help.

But what hurts me more than this vulnerability is how some people pretend to like me, pretend to be my friends and by pretending, abuse my vulnerability.

And once they got what they need by using me, pretending to be my friends, they stop the pretence of being my friend, turn against me, avoid me, ignore me and even turn others against me.

But there will be a time when they will realize their mistake. There will be a time when they will remember how they used me. And they will regret it.

When they could have been my genuine friends, they didn't. But such opportunities do not strike them so often. It's them who lost something. I have nothing to lose.

Blood Rose

2008-07-20T23:07:00.001+08:00

What is it that I'm not doing right? I don't know. Life just feels like a big blank slate on which I'm supposed to write with chalk my achievements. But such things feel worthless or meaningless when I see others enjoying life as something more than just a slate. To them, it's like a colourful animated world in four dimensions, not a flat black and white picture.

Yet why is it that some people like me are chosen to be on the dark side of luck, to be on the boring side of life, to live this short time that equals less than the blink of God's eyelids with no meaning or reason? Is there luck waiting in the future for me, to hit me with a massive amazing blow? One so huge that even I wouldn't be able to believe it? I wonder.

Well, all I can really do is nothing but wonder. And hope.

But does luck and fortune really exist? Some would deny the existence of luck and say things that can't be determined beforehand happen by chance, not luck.

Luck and chance are essentially the same thing - one a religious term, while the other is scientific. One would say Mahjongg is a game of luck, while to another, it's a game of chance.

Okay, why am I teaching you - whoever you are - English? I should be talking about how luck, or chance, is badly lacking in my life.

If I want something, I must work for it. Sometimes I want the wrong things, things I don't need, things I shouldn't want. Other times, I want the right things, but do the wrong work to get them. Where is the ultimate guidance I can ask for?

[Most of the above typed in phone while travelling today. The title and the picture has nothing to do with it.]

Skipping a heartbeat...

2008-07-08T23:06:00.001+08:00

Been a while since I blogged. I'm not sure what to write about.

Life has become less stressful now, with things to do, and new friends.

I've made one of my most important decisions, and it gives me a lot of relief from tension.

11th July is going to be the Director's List Ceremony, and I can't wait ^_^

Have you heard of the song Heartbeat by Scouting for Girls? Quite nice.

Every time that we meet, I skip a heartbeat.
I skip a heartbeat for you.

Click for original music video (could not be embedded above)

Communication Anchors Friendship

2008-06-23T20:01:00.001+08:00

Drifting ships may hit icebergs. Here's a quote from an article I found:

Good communication is a necessity with those we value as friends. When you converse with others, you show personal interest in their feelings, and you encourage them to express their thoughts and emotions. If the conversation always centers on you, you might end up talking to yourself. Good communication requires being a good listener as well as the ability to express yourself. To have real friends, we must open up to others-let them know who we really are. At the same time we must allow them the same opportunity. Just be yourself. Only by being genuine can we enjoy a genuine friendship.

PS: Iron Man, Spider-man and The Hulk

Five simple rules to be happy

2008-06-17T05:15:00.001+08:00

1. Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.

2. Free your mind from worries - Most never happens.

3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.

4. Give more.

5. Expect less from people but more from God.

Unbelievable

2008-06-15T23:55:00.001+08:00

UPDATE: Information in the post below is not valid any more. I will not be studying an extra semester.

I can't believe ~~I'm going to study an extra semester.~~ I hope it turns out to be a blessing in disguise. And I hope a tuition grant would be awarded for the extra semester as well. It's just too much to afford without a grant.

Update: I just checked TP website [link] and confirmed that Tuition Grant is awarded to a maximum of 10 semesters. Yay!

But now ~~I have no choice but to do an extra semester.~~ I hope everything turns out well.

Yea if everything goes as planned, ~~I will be finishing my diploma in 3 and a half years~~. Which means ~~I would do my last semester in April-August 2009.~~

Chinese Years

2008-06-06T06:55:00.001+08:00

My birth month is November 1986, making me a mix of these two?

Year Of The Tiger
1914, 1926, 1938, 1950, 1962, 1974, 1986, 1998, 2010

Tiger people are sensitive, given to deep thinking, capable of great sympathy. They can be ~~extremely short-tempered~~, however [I was so before, but not anymore.]. Other people have great respect for them(?), but sometimes tiger people ~~come into conflict with~~ older people or those in authority [Not true, I click well with people of authority, most of the time]. sometimes Tiger people cannot make up their minds, which can result in a poor, hasty decision or a sound decision arrived at too late. They are suspicious of others, but they are courageous and powerful. Tigers are most compatible with Horses, Dragons, and Dogs.

Year Of The Rabbit
1915, 1927, 1939, 1951, 1963, 1975, 1987, 1999, 2011

People born in the Year of the Rabbit are ~~articulate~~, talented, and ambitious. They are virtuous, reserved, and have excellent taste. Rabbit people are admired, trusted, and are often financially lucky. They are fond of gossip but are tactful and generally kind. Rabbit people seldom lose their temper. They are clever at business and being conscientious, never back out of a contract. They would make ~~good gamblers~~ for they have the uncanny gift of ~~choosing the right thing~~ [I always choose the wrong things, so that's not me]. However, they seldom gamble, as they are conservative and wise. They are most compatible with those born in the years of the Sheep, Pig, and Dog.

But then, I checked out the other years [link], many of the years have traits that I show. So we really can't stereotype a person based on the year or date he or she was born on.

Horrible, but justified

2008-05-23T22:59:00.001+08:00

55740 is the highest death toll I could find on Google News today. That is a whole lot of people to die in a few days.

It's so horrible to see people die all of a sudden in huge numbers. I grieve for all the loss of lives, and spread my condolences to the next of kin and other survivors. I also join the millions of people mourning for the event.

But somehow, all these tsunami, earthquakes, global warming, and such horrible things slowly killing humankind off are justified because of the horrible things we do to the Earth. If you punch someone, there is only a very slim chance, he will ask you to punch him on the other side too.

Earth does not give you that chance. Humankind has been tapping into the resources of the Earth for the last hundreds and thousands of years, for their own development. There is definitely a threshold, a level of tolerance for anything and everything. We have long exceeded that threshold.

It seems like Earth would have been a lot better place to live, if humans were like any other animals, with no higher intelligence. Yes, we would all be naked, living in caves, eating fruits, possibly hunting animals. But we would not be driving cars, flying airplanes, going to school or even reading this blog on a computer. Just like any other animal, we would be living in jungles.

What's the advantage? The Earth's delicate balance would not have been disturbed over time by the advanced development of human beings. Earth would not have retaliated by slashing us with tsunami, earthquakes, floods and other horrible mass wipe out of human civilizations. Those people who died in such horrible events would have been living long fruitful lives.

It seems like that the end of the world as we know it, is nearing. The Earth is wiping its slate clean, slowly but surely. Soon, it will start all over again, repair itself, and will be back in balance. One thing I hope, Earth would not once again commit the mistake of creating (or evoluting) an intelligence higher than the spinal cord.

Do I love to prove you wrong?

2008-05-20T19:46:00.001+08:00

I like to think. About science, about technology, about mathematics, about the accuracy and logic of the information provided to me. If something doesn't sound right, I will set out on a conquest to prove it wrong, or to prove myself wrong.

If it so happens that I have proved myself wrong, I do not take it as a blow and get worked up about it. I congratulate myself that I have learnt what my mistake is, and appreciate that I had the opportunity to find it out.

But sometimes I prove the information wrong. I find out what the correct information should be. And in the process, someone is proved wrong. Sometimes it's a lecturer, sometimes it's a fellow student, sometimes it's just a random person.

I do feel happy to have proved the information wrong, and even happier to provide the correct information. But I do not pride over the fact that I have proved someone wrong, because in reality, it is not that someone who is wrong, but the information. That someone is simply a carrier of the information and is therefore not blamed by me.

So please, if I ever say "you're wrong," what I really mean is "the information you carry is wrong, here's the correct information."

Time to write a blog post

2008-05-16T22:38:00.002+08:00

But I don't know what to write about. Ok time to be random?

I'm reading Understanding Psychology by Robert S. Feldman for leisure. It's quite an interesting book, but I just started on the interesting parts of it. Did you know that Asians outperform U.S. students in education because Asian parents teach that anything is possible if you're willing to do hard work, while U.S. parents tell their children that intelligence as defined at birth determines their success?

Talking about reading, I think I'm starting to like reading for leisure. I used to read nothing, until my good friend introduced me to books that interested me, but was never found by me until I met her. For the first time I bought a book after I had finished reading every page of it. That's Body Language by Allan & Barbara. You should try it *thumbs up*

I had Pasta with chunky pasta sauce, and chocolate milk for dinner. And fruit cocktail in apple juice for dessert. Mmm tastes so good. So refreshing ^_^

I told my parents that they failed in being a good parent to me. (Yea that sounds horrible to some of you, but believe me, my childhood sucks.) Exact words: "A parent's job doesn't end with providing food, clothing and shelter. It only begins there. A parent can be, and should be, a friend who never leaves, a teacher who never stops teaching and a guide who never stops showing the way."

That's it for randomness now. Wish me luck for my love life. I'm gonna seriously start pushing myself ahead.

Weekend of Pain (Serves 1)

2008-05-11T09:28:00.001+08:00

Ingredients

1 Swollen Right Ankle
1 Handphone (mobile phone)
1 Sprain Bandage
2 Sprain Bandage Clips
1 Polyclinic Doctor
1 Friday
2 cups Excruciating Pain
1 kind Landlord
3 Panadols
1 Saturday
1 Voltex
1 Failing Round Tubelight
1 Sunday
1 Blog Post
2 Irritated Nostrils that cause sneezing
Diclofenac Sodium as needed
Famotidine for taste and aroma

Cooking Method

Ensure that right ankle is swelling up on Friday by walking around a lot, hoping the increasing pain will subside. Go have lunch outside school so that there is more walking than usual. By the end of evening, you have one swollen right ankle mixed with two cups of excruciating pain.

Keeping the excruciating pain mixed in the swollen ankle, try to reach home even though home seems as far away as heaven. Once reached (finally!), apply small amounts of Voltex on the ankle, and tie one sprain bandage around the swelling. Use one or two sprain bandage clips as needed.

After several repeated applications of Voltex with no desirable effect, try to go to sleep besides the excruciating pain that is already mixed. When this fails, use the handphone to call the kind landlord and ask for painkillers. Obtain Panadols and take two of them into your system.

On Saturday morning, get ready, take the remaining Panadol and go to the Polyclinic. Use both bus and taxi. Make appointment, wait 45 minutes and see the polyclinic doctor. Try to show off your failing memory skills by telling the last time you visited was in March, and be ashamed when he shows you on computer screen that it was January 16th 3.35 pm.

Obtain Diclofenac Sodium and Famotidine from pharmacy and return home in bus and taxi again. On the way, buy and eat food.

Mix two parts Diclofenac Sodium with one part Famotidine and take it. Apply more Voltex and reapply sprain bandage. Spend evening rewatching Prison Break Season 3. Also cook dinner, take another set of 2 parts Diclofenac Sodium and 1 part Famotidine, reapply Voltex and sprain bandage. Break one of the sprain bandage clips, making it useless.

Switch on and off the failing round tubelight and find out that it has finally failed. Try to go to sleep, but don't fall asleep until 4 in the morning, despite all the excruciating pain being fully absorbed and not evident anymore. Meanwhile play with handphone and send lame messages like "Which is cute?"

Wake up on Sunday morning, thinking it's 11 am, but find out it's only around 8.30 pm. Get up on the table, unscrew the failed round tubelight and remove it. Sneeze a few times during the process. Screw the tubelight cover back.

Start tagging others and then start writing a new blog post. Sneeze a few more times when you are writing it.

Serve hot.
You may also store in refrigerator for one year and reheat as needed.

New and Improved

2008-05-08T16:58:00.001+08:00

How can something be new, and be improved at the same time? Either it's something new, that was never there before. Or it's improved version of something that already existed.

Anyway, I'm improving my presentation skills, and I'm able to stand in front of whole class and talk without fear or nervousness. I'm able to not blindly read the slides, but explain to the class, looking in their eyes, what information I'm presenting. I'm able to get myself be fully involved in the presentation and enjoy the fact that I have the privilege to have people listening to me.

Yea I still suck according to standards required, but it's better than before ;)

Lufthansa Technik

2008-04-30T20:44:00.001+08:00

It's fun when it's not mindless filing, or boring lectures. Here's an analysis.

Workshop

What's Hot

Getting to mingle around with our classmates and make friends.
Getting to think and solve problems that we encounter.
Operating cool machines and stuff.
Sometimes, getting time to officially slack, due to unavailability of required materials (sorry the next batch will not enjoy that :P)
Getting to go home early if we finish our day's work early.
Getting a good work-out (is that really hot? well, maybe it is when we get a six-pack abs.)
Soon, we will be making a part of aircraft skin ^_^
Being able to listen to music while we do continuous mindless work. It helps me keep active.

What's Not

Mindless filing and hack-sawing of metal blocks or sheets.
Frustratingly stubborn metal which just does not wanna get corrected. (that is, if I want to make a surface flat, no matter what I try, it still remains curved.)
Hands, fingers and even legs would be aching at the end of the day.
Our lecturer wanting 100% perfection in what we do. Well, I just don't show him. If I can't make it perfect in a set time, I just give up at the almost-perfect condition and keep quiet ;) *shhh*
Lots of time taken to complete a work.
The knowledge that all these we are doing now is not graded and is simply for practice before our project.

Classroom

What's Hot

Lots of cool videos, not just documentaries like Nat Geo Air Crash Investigations, but also funny commercials and other comedy stuff. Our lecturer has a good sense of humour.
Learning cool things about aircraft maintenance.
Once again, getting to go home early if we finish our lesson early.
Being able to stay connected to Windows Live Messenger on my PDA and still listen to class without being distracted (that's personal)
Laughing at the jokes our lecturer cracks in the midst of boring lectures.
Listening to awesome stories he recalls from his experiences as a technician.
Having breaks almost every half an hour :D

What's Not

Listening to boring boring boring lecture notes being recited.
My fingers shivering due to the strong air-con. That's why I bought my shawl. Because only my fingers shiver, so a jacket is a complete no-no.

I knew I loved you before I met you...

2008-04-19T22:54:00.001+08:00

In the post "Secrets Exposed" I said:

You can't meet someone you love because you can't love someone before you meet him/her.

Let me explain further. There are two important differences between guys and girls.

1. Guys can (sometimes very very) easily separate sex and love, while girls find it hard to do so.
2. Guys tend to be blur about friendships, relationships and affection, while girls usually have a clear cut view. They know which guy is a friend, and which is more than that.

Both these truths I have learnt recently and I am trying to understand them and practice the girls' way (no that doesn't mean I'm becoming gay, if you thought that's the case, you probably wanna be gay yourself ;)

So what's the connection between these truths and the loving before meeting part? Well, before going into that, we should look at the connection between meeting and loving.

What does it mean to meet a person? Oh that's so simple. Just saying hi to someone you never knew before, and making small talk. Possibly getting to know them.

Then what does it mean to love a person? This is where things get a bit too complicated. Oh this is the part where people tend to talk about the four Greek loves, but I'm gonna cut the crap. You already know it.

Love, in the romance and BGR concept, means several things, ranging from knowing the other person more than anybody else would know him/her to spending lots of quality time together to both parties selflessly living lives for each other.

So if all these and many more things mean love, how can you love someone you never met before. You meet someone knew, you get to know him/her, then you request a relationship. If it happens, then the relationship blooms, love happens. If you have to love someone before you meet them, you gotta start rewinding time now.

Now, for the truths. The song's artists are two guys (Savage Garden). Truth number 2, guys tend to be blur. There maybe exceptions, but the rule still remains. Now the song is very nice and romantic. It's even a romantic thought to think you loved this special someone and knew she's out there before you met her.

But it doesn't happen for real. For starters, anyone who knew this someone is there out there, he would go find her. Why doesn't such a thing happen? Because he is only hoping that there is someone, but he doesn't know yet who that is.

If you say "I know I love you even though I haven't met you yet; whoever 'you' are." that's acceptable ;) Just remember, the guy/girl you meet tomorrow might or might not be the 'you'. Don't judge for yourself, you have to allow time to tell you.

Stiff neck, with a dose of neck pain.

2008-04-13T20:27:00.001+08:00

Ok I'm trying to hold my neck still as I'm typing this. I'm not feeling the best of best right now. Tomorrow is a big day as I start class. I wanted to get a new T-shirt, but just going to Bugis made my neck ache worse, and gave me headache. Oh well, mission aborted. Not in mood to go anywhere now.

It's been 24 days since I last blogged (questionnaire not counted). Every time I think about blogging, I don't know what to write.

This morning I had this weird dream which seems like my own cooked up version of "28 Weeks Later", with a little dose of "Lost." I think I have been watching way too much stuff over too little time.

I came back earlier than scheduled from India, and I still don't regret it. I don't know, I can't call that house there a home. There has always been communication problems with my parents, and there will always be. Oh don't ask, I don't even want to get started.

*applying some Voltex on my neck* I hope this gets better by tomorrow morning because I need to go to school. This whole LTT training is something new that has never been before in whole of Singapore, so I'm really looking forward to it, and I feel privileged to be in the first batch to attend it.

That's it. I think I'll just have something light for dinner and go to bed. Not staying online for long.

Secrets Exposed

2008-04-01T18:52:00.000+08:00

1. At what age do you wish to marry?
Is "right now" an age? Haha I'm kidding. Whatever age I'm settled with a good job and ready to take responsibilities of marriage, I will get married. Till then, let's play!

2. Have you given your first kiss away?
I want to be as sure as possible that my first kiss is stolen by someone who will live with me for a lifetime. (The answer is no.)

3. If you were to be stranded on a desert island, who are the 3 buddies you would take with you? Why?
Me, myself and my best friend, because they're the closest buddies I got.

4. Where is the place that you want to go the most?
Anywhere except here, where I am right now.

5. If you can have 1 dream to come true, what would it be?
I don't remember my dreams.

6. Do you believe in seeing a rainbow after the rain?
Scientifically proven.

7. What are you afraid to lose the most now?
My cool.

8. If you win $1 million, what would you do?
Stop studying or working! Ok maybe 1 million is not enough to do that now, so maybe I will start taking life less seriously ;)

9. If you meet someone that you love, would you confess to him/her?
You can't meet someone you love because you can't love someone before you meet him/her.

10. What is your favorite quote?
Erm...

11. What are the requirements that you wish from your other half?
I wanna find someone with whom I totally connect, and who totally connects with me.

12. Which type of person do you hate the most?
A person who is proud of himself / herself and doesn't like to admit his / her mistakes.

13. What is your ambition?
Just live life as it comes.

14. If you have a fault, would you rather the people around you point out to you or would you rather they keep quiet?
I don't mind them pointing out my mistakes to me, but they must let me know and correct me in a loving and kind way, not in a harsh way or by ridiculing.

15. What do you think is the most important thing in your life?
Not money, not work.

16. Are you a shopaholic or not?
Nah, shopping gives me haemorrhage within half an hour. But sometimes I do shop. Usually it's quick.

17. Find a word to describe the person who tagged you.
She is amazing. We connect well.

18. If you have a chance, which part of your character you would like to change?
Shyness.

19. Is there anything that you have done that makes you regret?
Lot of things. One of them is mistakenly accusing a girl of thinking I'm hitting on her. Yea I overreacted; what an idiot I am.

Few more hours...

2008-03-20T16:23:00.001+08:00

... and I will be flying, alone, sadly enough. And nobody is coming to send me off. Last time my group of friends sent me off, but this time they're all busy. I don't blame them. When they have schedules and are busy, of course they can't come. It's their right. But I feel like so sad that I'm going to the airport alone and leaving Singapore alone.

It reminds me of life somehow. We may have people around us, but in the end, it's us that remains, while all the people around us have gone away. But we can still hold hopes that some day, some new people would come around and meet us. It is a cycle. People moving in and out of our lives...

while a selected few would choose to stay. I haven't really found who would stay in my life besides my parents. That special someone with whom I would live the rest of my life. That she who would accompany me through the steps of time ahead. [Arun, you idiot... all you can think of is girl girl girl... shut up and talk about something else...]

Alright. Flight is at 8:05 pm today. It's 4:09 pm now, which gives around 4 more hours. I think I will shut down my computer and leave for the airport around 5 plus. Then I will find The Cocoa Trees or some other shop to buy more chocolates. It seems, my mom has a new friend and she wants to give her some chocolates from Singapore :P I'd like to meet this new kiddo as well.

I have a feeling this vacation would be a bit different. Not only about the kid, but I'm also not taking my laptop with me. It's an absolute addiction, trust me. I'd have to be pulled away from the computer to be more productive in life. And I think I will talk with my parents more.. *dreaded feeling* I hope!

Oh I just found out Ngee Ann Poly has a new course: The Art of Dating... I should take that. LOL! [Link 2]

Dreams

2008-03-12T11:11:00.001+08:00

How many of you have dreams regularly? I get dreams like almost every night. And all those dreams are in the morning, before I wake up. It's all so mixed and it's all very real. Real as in, something that can theoretically happen in real world. Many of them are created in figment of my imagination but all are heavily based of my past experiences with people.

Back in 2003, there was a male teacher in my (then) school. He was quite fearsome as he used to cane students very badly for not doing homework. Recently I watched an episode of CSI where a murdered professor was teaching the students about pain and torture, telling them that pain is necessary.

Mix them together and I just got a wild dream where this teacher who taught me in school was throwing a knife and a scissor at me, after asking me act like I'm weak and tired. It felt like he was trying to teach the people around me something by doing that.

That was quite scary. But that was just a miniscule part of the dream. There were many other parts like the science exhibition I had in my one school in 2002, was mixed with the playfulness of my friends and classmates from my another school where I studied in 2003-05.

My dreams are not vague or sketchy. They are vivid and full of details, which adds so much to the reality. There are a lot of details in it, even tiny ones. When I wake up, I'm so relieved that it was just a dream, but I'm also shocked by what happened because it feels like those things really happened.

What are your experiences with dreams? [Please comment to this post instead of tagging in the tagboard. Thank you]

Escaped Terrorist Spotter

2008-03-06T21:42:00.001+08:00

Be sure to print this out with Epson high-quality colour laser printer and carry it with you in your Pierre Cardin wallets (gentlemen) or Gucci handbags (ladies). Make sure that your LG Prada phone is ready at all times to call 999. You may skip the printing part if you have an HTC TyTN II instead of LG Prada. Store the picture on the Toshiba microSD card, and create a shortcut on the Windows Mobile 6 Home Screen.

[Original Link: Sunday Emergency Extra: TalkingCock’s Escaped Terrorist Spotter]

Big Moo and Moother does it...

2008-03-02T23:43:00.001+08:00

and out comes little moo-moo!

Check out the link and read all the comments. Trust me, you'll die laughing :P

Am I a bad person?

2008-03-02T11:34:00.001+08:00

Am I a bad person?

Valentine's...

2008-02-15T12:28:00.001+08:00

Wow it's been quite some time since I blogged. I didn't get any ideas to write about. Even now, I don't know what I'm going to write about.

Well.. let's talk about the speciality of yesterday, the Valentine's Day. What is Valentine's Day and how did it come about?

The origins of Valentine's Day rests on the martyrdom of eleven saints of Catholic Church. That's disturbing, because how did a day of memorial become a day of courtly love?

It turns out that the saints called Saint Valentine had no connection to the romantic overtones of this day. Neither did Lupercalia, a rite celebrated in Ancient Rome on Feb 15 which put an emphasis on fertility, but not romance.

A literature from 1382 by Geoffrey Chaucer...

For this was on seynt Volantynys day
Whan euery bryd comyth there to chese [choose] his make [mate].

... had a reference to Valentine's Day and the mating of birds. Although this is the earliest known reference connecting Valentine's Day with romance, it does not link the date Feb 14, as mid February is not a mating season for birds in England. What next?

Using the language of the law courts for the rituals of courtly love, a "High Court of Love" was established in Paris on Valentine's Day in 1400. The court dealt with love contracts, betrayals, and violence against women. Judges were selected by women on the basis of a poetry reading.

I guess this is the earliest event that truly solidified the link of Valentine's Day with romance and courtly love. Many other literatures followed about Valentine's Day.

The V-Day ended being a Catholic HolyDay and became a local or national holiday in 1969, when the Roman Calendar was revised.

In our times, it was popularised, as you can guess, by flourishing businesses such as jewellery, and a changing perspective on love. Everything put together, the romantic overtones of V-Day has no connection to it's origin or Saint Valentine.

Talking about perspective on love, research shows that marriage rates are declining. This means more and more people are not honouring the value of marriage bond, and are deeming it unnecessary for a loving couple.

First, it was sex that came out of marriage, now even love is coming out of marriage. In ancient times, it was culturally accepted to not have sex with a woman unless the man is married to her. Today's culture, especially American, demeans such a man who abstains from sex until marriage as being a sissy. Even though Asian cultures still respect this tradition, Westernisation is slowly changing it.

Even those who do marry, are no longer respecting the traditional terms of marriage bond. This bond is for life, till death do you part. Latest marriages are treated like wearing a coat. When the day is over, you take off the coat and the next day, you put on a new one. Divorces are given for the lamest of reasons. The only traditionally accepted reason for divorce is adultery. Now even the wife sitting on the husband's chair becomes a reason.

What's more fulfilling than finding the best girl within your reach, marrying her and committing yourself to her for life, then making love to her?

Interested in getting future foretold?

2008-01-29T14:38:00.001+08:00

Alright this is a plug for my friend, a close one. I'll just quote what she said on her blog. Name's Jasmine.

I'm doing tarot readings as my part time job. I mean, I'm quite good with tarot readings.. so you guys can ask me if you want them..

Read:
Tarot cards are not evil.
Tarot cards don't tell da future [as in, it's just a projected future. Can be changed depending on what you do next.]
Tarot cards are not dangerous.

I've got customers already =] so.. whether you want it or not depends on you..

Blessed be.

PS: you can call and tell me or email me at simpeijun89 (at) hotmail (dot) com [I only do local ones.. meaning for Singaporeans as of now]

Not bad eh?

2008-01-24T10:40:00.001+08:00

55 words

free Touch typing

One day on crutches

2008-01-20T16:11:00.001+08:00

It's been a while since I last updated, so I thought I'd do a quick post.

I've uploaded some new photos in my Friendster Profile, so do check them out.

Nothing much have been happening this past week because I've been home for like four days continuous, going out only for food. It's quite boring, I know. But I had to take rest.

Here is how it all went.

Last Saturday, I joined my friends at a condominium swimming pool. I got in the water, regardless of my inability to swim. (Surprising, huh?) I've never learnt to swim. I was walking and "running" in the water and at some point my right ankle twisted a bit, horizontally. It ached a bit, then I just wiggled it off.

Sunday, I was fine, Monday I was fine too.

Forward to Tuesday. In the morning when I woke up, I was experiencing slight pain on the right ankle. It wasn't too much, so I got ready in the afternoon and went to school. But it was raining heavily on my way to school and my pants got soaking wet. This added to the weight I had to bear. It was aching more, but I was still able to walk. I thought maybe it's because of the soaked pants, and it will be gone by the next day.

Wednesday, I woke up really early in the morning because I couldn't bear the pain on my right ankle. It has swollen up so much that I couldn't move my foot without screaming! [I didn't scream for real, but I was moaning though :P] With that early a wake up I would have surely been able to come to school on time. But I didn't because I could hardly walk. There were crutches in my house, so I asked the landlord if I can borrow them. So I used them and got to the Toa Payoh Polyclinic in the afternoon.

Waiting time in polyclinic is so long! The doctor looks at the computer screen more than she looks at the patient. So impersonal. In the end, their fees in total was $49.90! $19 is the minimum because I'm foreigner. Then there was X-ray, then medicine and other fees. I also got MC for three days, starting Wednesday. In total, I spent $72 inclusive of cab fare. I was forced to take taxi both ways. Taking bus was near impossible!

Oh, in the morning, I was installing Vista, but that's a story of it's own.

Thursday morning I woke up and found that the pain was 90% gone! It was unexpected. I thought I would have to use the crutches a day more, but I could put them away. I continued on my medication. The gel they gave has the stamp "POISON" on it! Never seen any medicine like that before. But it's fast acting. I spent the day watching CSI, going out only for food.

Friday and Saturday, I continued on medication, and spent the day watching more CSI, thanks to my friend. Only went out to get food. I also watched The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers towards the night, yesterday.

Sunday, it is today. I think I'll go out for food now, and come back and see if I have to do any assignments or continue CSI or movie. Or maybe I'll pack up and go roaming. Either of the two.