A new beginning

Yep yep. Back to studies for me and I guess I won't be blogging quite so often because I'd be bogged down with all that work and stuff. Everything's new so I'll just do my best. I can handle the Science course though I feel that I'd probably do better at the Arts. Hence, I am set for a little switcheroo. I hope that I would actually succeed and maybe enjoy studying a little more. The career prospects may not be so great initially but I have confidence that it would not be bleaker than if I had not switched. Good hunting to me!

The rise of the proletariat.

Karl Marx wasn't entirely wrong. Here's an example of a standard deviation bell curve of a "normal" community. The far left of the curve represents the bums and social parasites. They do nearly no work but receive nearly no pay. As we move to the right, we encounter the part timers and equivalent. They do little work and receive little pay. Halfway on the rising part of the bell curve, we have the average workers, who do increasing amounts of work for proportionally less pay(though more in absolute terms). Most of the proletariat fall into this category. Even "high flying" salarymen can only go so far (to around the top of the bell curve) because they eventually get burned out from overwork. Those near to the top of the bell curve tend to be low-grade managers and overworked supervisors who are pressured by the top management to keep up with deadlines, and hit from below by disgruntled grunts. Not really an enviable position given the small pay difference. These are the leaders who actually have to do work. Now, after the turning point of the bell curve, workload decreases as pay increases. Why? This is because of increasing delegation of labour to the lower echelons. Actually, only upper management personnel have such work-pay ratios. Only at the extreme right of the curve do we encounter those who are the envy of the masses. Landlords, company founders (who actually aren't really too involved) and commercial criminals. These earn more money than most but simultaneously do less work.

The Mac Saga

Yes! Finally settled on an iBook. I daresay that I had quite a sweet offer, actually. Originally, I'd wanted a PowerBook. After that, I'd gone home to mull over the offers. Today, surprise of surprises, they had offered a new package of upgrades! That tipped the scales in favour of the 14" iBook, really. I had actually found that out when I went to chatter with the same salesman whom I'd met yesterday. I'd asked him about the offers and he declared that there was a new one. So here I am, finally settled on that iBook. It may be heftier, but I think I like the appearance more. Moreover, its features were quite similar to those on the 12" PowerBook. Well, apart from the fact that its actually a whole pound heftier. I'd heard that iBooks were more durable, anyway, so it's a bit of a tradeoff between armor and mobility. *grin* The superdrive leaves much to be desired, as PowerBook superdrives burn DVDs more quickly and can burn dual layer DVDs. I think it shouldn't be a real problem because I'd prefer to do such things on my faster desktop. Go iBook!

I'll have a big mac, please.

I've finally decided to get a mac. (Fenrir approves!) One of the slimming ones. Slimming for my wallet, that is. We have a sweet deal on the PowerBook and it comes with a nice discount on an ipod (which I'd pretty much wanted, too). I was actually waiting for a decent ipod discount to fall on my lap. Here it is, and here's I go. Actually, I regard my transition to a Mac as a rather more exciting event. I'd call it a significant milestone in my life. Actually, I had quite a time deciding between the lighter Fujitsu laptop and the heavier and more expensive PowerBook. The cuteness factor of Apple's PowerBook won out, of course. Not to mention the fact that I already have two powerful desktop PCs and I don't really need a 3rd PC cluttering my den. I'd figured that should something not work with the Mac, the worst case scenario would involve my dashing home and processing everything on my desktop. Heck, that's the reason for my obtaining my rig. I was supposed to be the main powerhouse and gaming platform. Guess I've expensive entertainment equipment. Spendthrift. *cradles burnt wallet*

All your base are belong to us.

Ok. Break's like ending for me and there really isn't much that I can do about it. Actually I suppose that I should have more outings. Time to get back into the swing of work and maybe meet new people. Something like ...go places, meet interesting people ...kill them. New beginnings and great changes are stressful events and should be carefully managed, lest they become overwhelming. I'm overwhelmed. *drowns* Help me to breathe.
Fenrir has been certified as INFJ. That means Fenrir might be unhealthily introverted, moderately feeling and intuitive, and a rather poor judge. *pats Fenrir* I'd think that's a step back from an earlier test, results of which had slipped my mind.

The Donut Peach Fiasco

Ok...bought donut peaches. Do those things taste terrible. Something like slightly sweetened cotton wool. I'm not sure if it's like that across the board, but my parents are quite certain to never try those things again. My friend claimed that they were smashing(in a good way). He'd bought a different brand of peaches from a different store. Never realised that there could be such a vast difference in the texture and flavour of similar fruit. Kinda like those horridly expensive Fuji apples from Japan that taste rather spongy and flat in comparison to the cheaper china Fujis that are sweeter, jucier and crisper.

Steaks! And...pasta spoons.

Had a go at Kingdom of Loathing. It's a lame online game with terribly simplistic graphics and fall-off-your-seat hilarity in item descriptions. It's also good for those with little time to play games since there are only so many turns available in a day. Prevents addicts from playing all day, or logging on multiple times in a day. Reminds me of a GUI for an old MUD drawn by preschoolers. The item and scenario descriptions are priceless, though.

Food of the day: Steak! It's the first time I actually had a go at preparing steak for the family so I guess it was a fair attempt. Major mistake was not paying enough attention to the fat and tendon so the stuff wound up being undercooked. (oops) On the plus side, I'd managed to get the meat just browned in places and medium-well on the inside. Fluffy red without the grey-red rawness of uncooked steak. Seasoning's simple: Just pepper and a small amount of herbs. Like I keep telling my parents, good meat needs little to no sauce to bring out the flavour. My father insists on getting non-flat cuts of sirloin. I insist that such cuts wouldn't turn out good steaks. Guess it depends on how much one is prepared to fork out for a good steak.

A day of links

Fenrir has been up to something again, I'm sure. Wow. I'm not sure Fenrir Nightwolf is like that, though. I should ask sometime.

If anyone likes Dolls, do visit this page. If you don't like dolls, but like flash animation, do visit this page, too.

Ok. Now agonizing over whether to get a Mac or a PC laptop. Salva nos deus. A Mac costs so much more, but it's got a nice touch of elegance and lightness to it. Plus, it's got great features for a laptop, since my current PC desktop is well equipped to handle my gaming needs for the next 3 years or so. I do not believe in gaming on a ridiculously small computer. Anyway, the only problem is that I'm eyeing the newer PowerBook that costs quite a hefty sum. Plus, I'm quite unsure as to exactly what I'd need to run on the Mac. I presume that it has access to most if not all of the software I'd need for basic function. Good opportunity for me to figure Macs out, too. I think I might just make the plunge at the next IT fair. Computer transition!

A disillusioned Republican

This article was by an ex-Republican, who had chosen to speak out regarding the recent developments on his side.

I know it's probably not news to many people, unlike the latest, apparently minor explosions in London today.

More words

Commonly confused words. One of those tests one might do when bored or trying to test one's mettle. People who know me better might predict how poorly I fare at such tests.

I was tempted to write something devastatingly depressing today but I'd forgotten while reading through the afternoon. (Note to Fenrir: Notepad! Use the notepad!) I can't be sure if I'm actually depressed or just incapable of feeling contentment. Being a perfectionist in quite a few areas can do terrible things to one's happiness.

Cleaning is actually a chronic drudge. No matter how I clean the room, dust bunnies keep showing up. That's besides the mysterious mountains of clutter that keep appearing no matter how much I tidy. Ugh.

Humans and reproduction

It is probably safe to assume from empirical evidence that natural humans should have a drive to reproduce. This natural urge to have children should be present in most, if not all, people. In modern society, there seems to be an increasing number of people who had lost the urge to reproduce. They could have directed their objects of desire elsewhere or they had plain lost the desire to have children. This could be due to economic pressures, such as an inability to provide the offspring with at least basic education and perhaps some measure of luxuries. It is also known to be present amongst the career-minded, who, though having the financial means to support children, are unwilling to do so due to work commitments. This phenomenon has led to an aging and perhaps even decreasing population in some developed countries.

Now, this could be an indication of an erosion of cultural and religious values. Christians believe that their deity had wanted the people to increase in number by reproduction, likewise with many other religions. Nobility had demanded heirs of their descendants. Traditionally, Asians had desired offspring to marry off or perhaps to help with the farm work. This carries on today as some culturally rooted parents pressure their children into having offspring. A lack of rooting in cultural and religious heritage could have led the modern generation to be desirous of remaining childless after marriage or even avoiding the commitment of marriage. It would seem that the pressures of living in the busy modern age alone are sufficient to override years of history.

The question at hand is, just how many people who actually had children had them of their own volition rather than as a result of social, cultural or parental pressures?

Eyes to the ground, mind your own business.

Social cuing. Humans are social creatures that like to follow the crowd. It just so happens that this aspect of human nature is emphasized and even encouraged in some cultures. These cultures believing in hammering the nail that sticks up. Sometimes I wonder if it is this instinct that prevents people from standing up to oppression (or just plain bad policies) and causes those who oppose it to act in strange (strange being relative) and radical (relative too) manner.

People in busy places like large cities seem to have stronger tendencies to mind their own business. It could be because they are too tired to actually observe what goes on around them, or it could be due to their mental preoccupation. It is hard to tell if people are plain jaded or just apathetic. For example, a commuter had claimed to have observed the potential London bomber repeatedly dipping into his backpack in a rather flustered manner. Now, hindsight being 20/20, people would wonder why he didn't approach the bomber or at least feel suspicious. Was it because of his being used to such unusual conduct on public transport (he did find it out of place) or was it because he had no reason to suspect that such a malicious deed was in progress? Another example would be when chinese people in China let a person drown while they were haggling over the price for getting involved. Some people seem to value money more than the lives of others, apparently.

Now, the question of the day is whether people are unwilling to step forward because of the herd instinct, or because of the modern lifestyle. I know one thing for sure, though. Standing in the middle of a busy pedestrian walkway while pointing and looking at the sky would not really draw a crowd of curious onlookers like it used to.

Getting out of that shell

The internet is a shell of comfort. One can be a hero (without being laughed at) by moving into the cyberworld and hiding behind some goofy avatar. I know of a friend who's like that. It's fairly dreadful, spending a nice long break just playing games. I'm wondering how much better I am, stuck on the internet blabbering words that don't really matter and watching anime. Bloggers are an interesting bunch. Some bloggers are rather vocal online and discuss personal issues as if the entire audience were their friends. In contrast to their online personas, bloggers might just clam up in real life. Makes one wonder if online people are socially inept in some way.

Life always seems to be meaningless. Well, that or maybe just generally unproductive. Maybe it's because I'm not making any sort of lasting impact on the world at large. Would what I do really matter anyway. Don't answer that. Everyone turns out to be cogs in the great economic machine (Fenrir's note: CLICHE!) and individual meaning in life has to be sought somehow. So...what some define as having done stuff in life may not always apply to everyone. By my definition, however, my friend's been wasting all those months of freedom. That's just my take, of course.
My parents feel that people should work as an occupation, or a means by which one might burn his/her spare time. I do not understand that concept. There are many things that can be done without one having to resort to work (except maybe to earn enough money to survive and stuff).

Frankly, I'm not getting along at all with my parents at times. They just have a totally different social outlook. My father's overly cautious (and realistic) and mother's probably too emotional. Father's always a downer, considering worst case scenarios for every dream that I may have. Mother just doesn't get it when I present my vision to her, and I just wind up upsetting her and making her feel that I'm lazy. Early retirement is a bane, in their eyes, even if there is sufficient money to facilitate that. Anyway, yeah. It's a bit hard to confide in them. Strange that I can't even confide in my closest blood relations. No point saying more stuff to alienate dad and reduce mom to a nervous wreck. Love you both no matter what. *sigh*

Bitter asian men!

Bitter Asian Men

No...it isn't a porno link. I find it highly amusing, however. Perhaps that explains why asian guys are always so depressed. Hmm.

Capstone

Capstone in place. Final touches to general cleaning of room complete. Now all that's left is to make the place seem comfortable enough to actually work in. Maybe a little redecoration of the place and some paint/wallpaper.

It's incredible how much junk can pile up when one doesn't really care for 6 years or so. Every nook and cranny ends up full of dust and all sorts of weird items tossed about. It's archaeology, then it's flower arrangement. I should write some haiku about room tidying.


Room

The spring. Come, gone.
Surroundings once buried, cleared.
Transformed and reborn.

Gadget of the day

http://www.artlebedev.com/portfolio/optimus/

Oh darn. I really could do with one of these. The cool factor's there, but I'm uncertain about the durability of this rig.

Cogito ergo numb

It is cool to be sick of things. Everything is worth getting sick of. We get sick of people, food, life and whatever else can come to mind. What, exactly, happens, when we eventually get sick of feeling sick? Is it possible to think oneself into numbness? I've encountered a couple individuals that I can only classify as "numb". Perhaps it is shown by a general apathy to work and life in general, or perhaps an inability or unwillingness to express opinions regarding issues.

Anyway, I had tried the numb routine in which I'd just pretty much disregard everything that went on around me. Maybe like read a book or essentially space out. It doesn't work. Worse, still, stuff comes back out of the past to haunt the present (which, by Murphy's Law, happens only at the worst possible time) and increasing the risk of a mental breakdown from excessive stress. I wonder if there is a way to compartmentalize one's life and pretty much handle impossible issues only later on when solutions become possible.

Ok. That aside, I'd been wondering about pizzas. Why are some mozzarella toppings so chewy, stringy and essentially "yummy" when the stuff I use always winds up tasting like starch? Starchy-tasting mozzie doesn't improve even when amounts are reduced or increased. I'm quite sad about that. The only consolation is that I know that generally delicious pizza from the same nice pizza chain varies in quality, too. Some places put too little pepperoni into it, and others just don't make them "perfect" like the few really good ones at the joint.

Speaking of mozzies...there's a flying mosquito in my room that I'm calling Bugger. She obviously has had commando training. There's a massive mozzie hunt out there, but there's no end in sight. I hope to nail her before she dies of old age. =p

Saying good bye to a dear friend.

Saying good bye to a dear friend.

It’s happened. I’ve finally gotten down to chucking that crummy old p-133 tower away. It was my old friend. *salutes, 21 gun salute, Last Bugle playing, flag-covered march past* A rather dear old friend. And so now I must be a speaker for the dead…or discarded.

That old Navi was the first system I’d had that could actually play Red Alert without some serious lag. It could play Command and Conquer and Warcraft 2 without a hitch. It was reliable, quiet and almost never hung on me (can’t say the same about my new rigs). 4 generations of Navis back, it had actually taken me through Dust, A Tale of the Wired West and Conquest of the New World. In fact, that was my second rig since I’d moved from consoles. I’ve never looked back ever since. Farewell, old friend, and may you find rest. *puts another CPU chip on the display board*

This really does remind me of a time about 2 years back when I’d sent another (person) friend off. Except, that one was a bit less of a funeral and had more crying to it. I could say that he was (and is) the best friend I’d had since…I was born. His sisters were at the airport with me, and we’d bid him a farewell. He was going overseas to study. It was then that the older of his two sisters (who was still younger than him) decided to break down and cry. Now, he’d used to go around town with me, browsing the bookstores and essentially hoofing it all around. And now that I’m nearing the end of my long break, I kinda realize exactly what he’d meant to me back then. I don’t have a companion to march around with anymore. I’ve got friends, sure, but none of whom are actually as alike as him and I. Outings would end earlier than they have to, and if I’d obliged to follow all the way, I wouldn’t be having as much fun as I’d normally would. *closes another chapter in life*

Haiku

Cherry Blossoms

The cherry blossoms,
Spreading petals to the breeze,
A grand sight it is.



Sentinels

Sentinels watching,
eyes as dead as the winter.
The eternal guards.


It's strange, but whenever I stay up, I get the inspiration to write haiku. Or poetry. Or essentially write something. Anything.

Tabula Rasa, anyone?

It's probably safe to ignore the following praragraphs. I'm in a blabbering mood again.


Tabula Rasa. Clean Slate. John Locke was the one who had thought up the concept, which had suggested that minds were blank at birth, and were programmed with data only through experience and observations.

I was thinking about this philosophy while observing people around me. It would seem that peoples’ experiences shape the way they turn out to a great extent. For example, people of a region have a tendency to think alike because they share a similar pool of experience. The external influences introduced into a region are also likely to create a group of “deviants” or “heretics” who have different views from the rest of the community.

Now, taking Berkeley’s philosophy (that things that are perceived actually exist) into account, how would such a group form should there be no such external factors? Lacking the knowledge of the existence of external schools of thought, opposing schools are formed due to the opposition to what is taught or learned in the existing environment.

Hence, I think it is more of a matter of belief that shapes people. Learning can’t really be forced. One has to believe what one is taught before one can actually learn it. Even if it is say…some terrible subject like mathematics, one has to believe in it at some level in order to apply it. I, for one, do not believe in most formulae, so I do poorly in mathematics. Neat excuse. =p

That’s also part of the reason why the national indoctrination program called Civics is not something that’s churning out generation after generation of fanatical patriots.