Do not order black spaghetti for dinner at a dark restaurant. It looks like something that could be served on "Fear Factor"...

Never before have I considered that being able to turn over in your sleep, pain-free is a luxury that I should be grateful for. How low can I go?

I think I'm a little dyslexic. I read "... wish you a happy and prosperous 2005" as "... wish you a happy and preposterous 2005."

What is my neck telling me?

Getting fragments of facial hair in your eyes sucks. You should close your eyes when using a beard trimmer. What seems very odd, but by no means is a complaint, is that when there is a fragment of hair or an eyelash in my eye, it prefers to stick to my fingertip than my eyeball.

I now know why one of my shoes breathes. It has a lung.

When it comes to art, there's a thin line between genius and garbage. Last night I watched a number of pretty modern dance pieces. One piece, "6th Street (In)n" was quite psychotic, it's hard to describe it in words. I'm sure many didn't get it, but I was amazed. It's unusual for dance to evoke such feelings inside me, but this was much more than dance. Or rather, it barely seemed to be dance. It seemed to be something else. In the program, the dancers were refered to as "passengers." The piece was to "Sixteen Reasons" by Connie Stevens and "Twilight Time" by The Platters. It was quite haunting.

In New York if you get arrested for assault and you possess a black belt in any martial art, the charge automatically becomes assault with a deadly weapon. Trained people can be dangerous. In that case, why has no one suggested banning martial artists or people with combat training from airplanes? It's quite an insult to consider that a nail clipper is viewed as more dangerous than I am. Ensuring safety by making sure people don't carry tweezers on board seems a farce.

May is when I have my "deadly weapon" (aka black belt) exam.

Can you see the forest from the trees?

New York has 17% of nation's HIV cases, and in parts (like the Bronx) certain STD rates are 5 times higher than general population.

NY just has a lot of EVERYTHING - noise, traffic, culture, crime, people, money, pollution, languages, cuisines, theaters, rats, public transport, historical/tourist landmarks, museums, lights, concrete, etc, etc.

What does it mean when you often dream of fighting against a person who doesn't seem to get hurt or injured, someone with limitless energy? Someone who won't drown, someone who's eyes keep coming back to normal after they are pressed in... ok, I think I just gave too much detail...

It would be nice to be invincible. Sometimes I feel too human.

And no, I didn't injure myself.

Today I was trying to exit my college though a door that was partially blocked. An elderly woman who was ushering an event in a large room near that exit told me that the door was locked, asked if I could see that the door was blocked, and told me that I deserved a spanking. I wasn't sure how to respond. I said sorry, told her that the door didn't really seem blocked (there was just a 'wet floor' cone in front of it) and then I walked away. Maybe I should have told her that I am a graduate student, not in a 1940s pre-school. I shuddered when I thought this woman might get some kind of pleasure from spanking me.

"House of Flying Daggers" is a Chinese film that's opening in NY and LA today. I saw it in Hong Kong over the summer. It's interesting that because it's a foreign film, there have to be plot descriptions (spoilers) in the US trailer and Western press. I watched the film barely knowing anything about the plot, and I kept being pleasantly surprised. The audience around me stirred whenever there was a plot twist. The US audience is, sadly, likely to be less bemused.

I noticed another cultural difference. This was taken from the bottom of a review in today's NY Times:
"House of Flying Daggers" is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). It has some bloody violence and discreet sexuality.
If there was a similar review in HK, it'd say that it had a typical amount of violence, but was very sexual. Americans are blasé towards sex.

If you go to see it, or if you listen to the music on the official website, I wonder if you'll feel that the score has hints of the score of "The Godfather" and "Romeo and Juliet" (1968). I wonder if this is plagiarism or a lucky/serendipitous link.

Here is the link to the website.

Escalation:
Curious. Terrible. Changes objective, substantive interaction to hurtful, win-lose confrontations. It causes people to have firmer, deeper or more extreme positions.

Having a blog is a socially acceptable way to be narcissistic. Unless you're offering things to people, what makes us think that others are so interested in us and our thoughts? With blogs, you don't tend to write for the sake of others, you write for yourself. This is curious, because if I'm writing for myself, why do I bother publishing and sharing this with others? I could just keep this as a private journal.

What I find is that this is basically a private journal. Only one person comments about what I write with any regularlity. I have no idea how many people read this, nor have I made any attempts to find out how many do.

Yesterday I met a Punjabi who hides things in his turban.

I invented a new word - "fluffle"

It's a mix between fluff and ruffle. I was commenting on an outfit worn by a model in a fashion show which had long floppy sleeves. I said that if the wanted to do anything with her hands (e.g. pull out a wallet from her pocket), she'd have to fluffle up her sleeves first. This word needs to appear in print a certain number of times (and maybe fulfill some other criteria), and then it can become part of the dictionary.

Dave Striver loved the university - its ivy-covered clocktowers, its ancient and sturdy brick, and its sun-splashed verdant greens and eager youth. The university, contrary to popular opinion, is far from free of the stark unforgiving trials of the business world: academia has its own tests, and some are as merciless as any in the marketplace. A prime example is the dissertation defense: to earn the Ph.D., to become a doctor, one must pass an oral examination on one's dissertation. This was a test Professor Edward Hart enjoyed giving.

This is the opening paragraph of a story which was written by a computer program, Brutus.1, which was developed by Selmer Bringsjord, a computer scientist at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and David A. Ferrucci, a researcher at I.B.M.

It sounds like it could have been written by a person. Would you have known it was written without any free will, emotion or life experience? Computers have a rigorous system of logic, while humans make use of serendipitous inspiration and their disorganized natures in their writing. However, if we can't distinguish the products of a computer and a person, is there a difference in their value? I think so - why are hand-made products typically valued more than ones that are mass-manufactured by machines? Even though the quality may be inferior, the intention and effort matters somewhat. Nevertheless, books written by computers may start appearing in bookstores. And after that? Computers and machines that do our work for us?

This is turning into the world just before the world of "The Matrix"... With our dependence on them, machines are supplanting our power and autonomy. I am already a slave to my phone - when it rings I drop what I'm doing, regardless of the importance, to answer it. Even when it doesn't ring, I have to be attentive and devoted to it: I have to remember to switch it off before a class and turn it back on after. Which is the master and which is the slave?

While on stage I made a crowd of hundreds applaud with two vertical waves of my arm (palm facing upwards). I felt like a celebrity for a moment, although most of them don't need to wave. This was just before a friend of mine broke a board that I was holding with a flying head-butt.

Today as a PhD student was relating his experience, he said that serendipitous opportunities come to us. I can see how there have been a number in his life -

1) When moving to a new desk during an internship a book fell on him from a shelf - it was from looking at this book that he decided to go to graduate school in organizational psychology.
2) During a workshop a number of years back, he had a leg in a cast and he spilled juice on himself. A person brought him napkins to help clean up - this person eventually became his consulting partner.
3) He was asked by a distant connection in a random phone call to meet with some people who were in a similar field. With no initial expectations on his part, some very meaningful work followed.

I cannot say with conviction that there have been any serendipitous opportunities in my life. Maybe I'm too young to be clear about the fruits or fortune from any discovery or accident. Or maybe I am not conscious of or cannot realize the fortunes. We come across opportunities all the time, and depending on how we seize them and the outcomes perhaps each has the potential to be seen serendipitous.

N.B. Did you know that "serendipity" comes from "Serendip," the old name for Sri Lanka?

Some people are less indestructible than I am.

One day I'm feeling bad about straining my foot, the next day someone tells me they think they have lupus.

 

Have you noticed that the phrases "is ok" and "is so gay" sound nearly identical?

I once tried to explain to someone that they were only a figment of my mind.

I'm not a solipsist though. Sane people aren't.

Today is the first day of the Indian new year. I'm not doing anything to celebrate or commemorate it (except for writing this post). When I was younger and lived with my family I always did: there were certain religious and cultural customs/rituals I observed. Is it important or beneficial (psychologically, physiologically, socially, etc) to celebrate/observe festivals? I suppose there's something therapeutic about treating certain days as different to others - there's an air or illusion that things are momentarily different. You can be temporarily elevated by that awareness. There are clear economic benefits for communities that observe certain Western festivals - e.g. Christmas and Valentine's Day. Unfortunately the capitalistic materialism supplants, in my opinion, any deeper or more passionate connection to the festivals.

If any festival or custom is thrust on me, and my participation is not by my choosing, I do not stand to gain from it as an existing individual. Festivals have greater meaning, significance and importance if I freely choose to participate; if there are no pressures or influences from outside which may tranquilize my personal, deeper engagement.

"Hoping to escape suffering, it is to suffering that I run.
In the desire for happiness, out of delusion,
I destroy my own happiness, like an enemy."
- Santideva, The Bodhicaryavatara 1.28

"For me, this was among all the marvels that I discovered in nature the most marvelous of all, and I must say, that for my part, no more pleasant sight has met my eye than this of so many thousand living creatures in one small drop of water."
- Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, on his discovery of bacteria

Bacteria is mostly benign. If you take one teaspoon of the water at your feet when you shower, there'd be around 820 billion (according to Charles P. Gerba, a microbiologist at the University of Arizona). This bacteria doesn't do anything to us, yet the nation is obsessed with antibacterial soaps and cleaning products. I don't own any. The only bacteria to really watch out for are the type that cause food poisoning. But as long as you don't keep food out too long (and keep it in the frige or freezer) you'll be fine. It won't multiply enough to overwhelm your immune system.

I roused the sleeping giant today. I didn't want to. Now I have to suffer a bit, till it goes back to sleep.

"Tell me something about windows."

Keeping the place you live clean is good. But I think there's a cost - I think it shortens our life-expectancy. Breathing in the dust, dirt, ammonia and bleach can't be good for us.

Blistering Barnacles!!!

[I was remembering Captain Haddock of Tintin fame]

How can anyone call a two-party system a democracy? It's more like a two-party dictatorship.

There should be a diet for fat cats called the "Catkins" diet. I wonder if I can copyright this. Maybe I could sell the name to Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc (the makers of Science Diet pet food).

"The future is already here. It's just not evenly distributed yet."
- cyberpunk novelist William Gibson

"Don't mistake a finger pointing at the moon for the moon."
- Zen saying

Bruce Lee spoke about this in Enter the Dragon. In one scene he was teaching a young student. He asked the student to attack him, and after two weak attempts he grabs the students and tells him that he has to learn to concentrate. Bruce Lee points to the sky (while turning his head skywards) and says, "It is like a finger pointing away to the moon" (at which point he pauses and slaps the student on the forehead) and continues... "DON'T concentrate on the finger, or you will miss all the heavenly glory."

So what does this actually mean? That we should look beyond our immediate actions/activities for a deeper appreciation and greater effectiveness?

Have you recently (or ever) had powerful and vivid memories evoked by a smell?

This morning I was engrossed writing a paper on strategy development when I felt my lips were getting a little dry. I reached for a moisturizing chap stick that I had not used in some time. Even though I was concentrating on ideas for my paper, as I applied some the salt-water scent elicited a rush of memories. It reminded me of swimming with sea turtles in the Caribbean. I was actually swimming with them with the chap stick unwittingly in my pocket - that's why it has a salt-water smell.

The fear of pain is much worse than the pain itself. This statement now has special meaning to me.

It may only be a matter of time before I, too, become a victim of identity theft. An article in today's New York Times mentions:

"27.3 million Americans had their identities stolen from April 1998 to April 2003 - with more than a third of them, or 9.9 million, victimized in the last 12 months of that period alone. The crimes ranged from the theft of a credit card number to more elaborate identity thefts used to secure loans. During those 12 months, the report said, businesses and financial institutions suffered about $48 billion in losses because of identity theft, and victimized consumers paid more than $5 billion in out-of-pocket expenses to regain their financial identities."

In this digital age, the flow of information is easy, quick and free/cheap. The article says that our identities are worth about $10 on the internet. What is interesting about identity theft is that creativity is much more of an element than in other crimes. This is scary because there is no limit to creativity.

I think rice is the best or most important crop. According to the International Rice Research Institute, in 2000, 20% of the world's total calorie supply was from rice. In China and India, the two most populated countries, 30% of the calorie supply was from rice. If we all ate more rice, less meat and fewer highly processed foods, the world would be a better place. Rice goes well with almost anything. It's also very cheap and lasts for a very long time.

I found a $20 bill on a sidewalk/pavement yesterday. My initial thought was to look in the vicinity for any other bills that might be on the ground. My second thought was to look ahead for a person that might have dropped it. This was a silly idea though, because unless I saw a person drop it, anyone could claim that it was theirs and I'd have no way to really know. So, I did the right thing: I put it in my pocket and carried on walking.

Multi-vitamins tend to have 100% of the RDA of all the important vitamins and minerals. However, I've not noticed a brand that has more than 16% of the calcium RDA. I am curious if this is the case because vitamin manufacturers do not want to upset the dairy industry. I am unsure if it's better for us to ingest calcium in the form of dairy products, or in the form of calcium carbonate (CaCO3), which is what it typically is in the pills. Did you know that calcium carbonate is the chemical name for chalk and limestone? Does that mean the next time I go to class I can suck on a piece of chalk?

In December I noted that Americans spend over $1 billion annually on pet food. I questioned whether it would be better to put the money towards other causes - education, fighting diseases, fighting (human) hunger, etc. However, I just learned that there are health benefits of having pets. Research (and common sense) shows that having a dog is healthy, because you're likely to take it (and yourself) out for walks, etc. Research also shows having a cat is good for your health. The reasons why aren't as intuitive. The answer has to do with petting them - it lowers stress and blood pressure levels. This makes me wonder if being evil is a very stressful thing - because in movies villains tend to be stroking cats.

Underwear is interesting. When it comes to underwear I believe in functionality and value for money. I don't see the point in owning expensive underwear. Maybe it's because I believe the substance of a person is more important than their style. If people are close enough to you (relationship-wise) to see your underwear, it shouldn't matter what kind you have on - as long as they are clean. Do people who buy 'sexy' underwear have a sense of inferiority? Sexiness is a state of mind - the images the media feeds you about sexiness are just propaganda to get your money.

To cut a long story short, unlike the girls I was around at the time, I wasn't excited when a friend of mine announced that she got an internship at Victoria Secret. Although I do feel good that something is working out for her job-wise.

In a way, Bush and Kerry are just arguing about what it means to be a man. It's about strength/arrogance vs. thoughtfulness (I know I'm simplifying hugely).

Strategy is only important in situations where there are scarce resources.

"Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it."
- Salvador Dali (1904 - 1989)

I don't agree entirely with Dali. Someone can be perfect within a very small or limited realm. A person can have a perfect game in bowling. Someone can score a perfect 100% on an exam. However, talking about perfection in a larger context is not possible without running into some problems. Saying that someone is perfect means that they can never learn a thing more, and they can never improve on anything. A state of perfection is stagnant, so it can never be a good thing. Also, there are not always exact or valid criteria to determine perfection (i.e. 300 points in a bowling game or 100% on an exam). Notions of perfection often rest on individual subjectivity.

Surf bums and priests have a few things in common.

Have you ever had an interview where you were asking (and were encouraged to ask) more questions than you were asked?

When you apply pressure to things, there are different reactions and different outcomes. Some things will squash, twist or crack. Some resist very high levels of pressure, but eventually break. Other things mold/adapt to the pressure (e.g. dough). Some things grow stronger if you apply pressure (e.g. an unsupported arch made up of unjoined stones).

I'm not sure what happens to me under pressure. A lot of times I put pressure on myself, e.g. in martial arts training, or on assignments. The outcomes are generally good. I think of Nietzsche's line, "That which does not kill me makes me stronger." But when there is too much pressure from the outside (I keep imagining an elephant sitting on me!) I suspect I'll get squashed.

When I was about 16, I learned in a math class that a googol is the number 10 raised to the power 100. It's 1 followed by 100 zeros. Google is the most popular search engine, but there aren't a googol websites/weblinks out there. Nevertheless, I think it's a pretty good name.

I just read that "Google" appears in "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" by Douglas Adams (which I read when I was also about 16). One of Deep Thought's designers asks, "And are you not," said Fook, leaning anxiously foward, "a greater analyst than the Googleplex Star Thinker in the Seventh Galaxy of Light and Ingenuity which can calculate the trajectory of every single dust particle throughout a five-week Dangrabad Beta sand blizzard?"

When life hands you lemons, and people aren't interested in lemonade these days... what do you think about the people that have been handed chocolate?

"I love Mickey Mouse more than any woman I have ever known."
- Walt Disney (1901-1966)

Oh, to understand...

You have to intuitively know when to use force and when not to.

Protectionism is deplorable. Making it difficult for internationals to work in the US is a form of protectionism.

Pen mark on my face or no pen mark, I think the interviews went very well!

Busy enough to be happy, but not too busy to be happy.

If your assailant was wearing eyeglasses or sunglasses, would you still try to use mace or pepper spray? You'd baffle them at least.

Sometimes when I talk I use my hands to gesture. Usually I'm not aware of it, so I don't know how frequently, in what kind of conversations or with what people I do it. Yesterday I made a point not to use my left hand when I was talking to some professionals. It was because there was a small stain on my left sleeve. I kept that arm under the table, but continued using my right hand. Making gestures isn't a bad thing, unless it distracts from what you are trying to say. It can make your points more empathic.

One time my family was on holiday and my dad pointed out some people in a hotel lobby that were having a conversation about 30 feet from us. Even though we couldn't hear the words, we had a very good idea of the conversation based on the hand gestures. I think we were in Guangzhou, China. Italians tend to use hand gestures a lot, most people know that. Gesticulation isn't restricted to them though.

The common problem with delegating: by the time you explain the task to someone, you could have done it yourself.

"corpus callosum"

I actually recalled this part of our anatomy in a conversation last night about the efficacy of the theory that some people are more left-brained and others are more right-brained.

"The light that burns twice as bright burns half as long."

- from Bladerunner

I want to design/invent a new sport. I don't want it to be an obvious variation of anything out there. How does one go about creating a new sport? I know it involves figuring out an objective and making rules. I wonder if I'll ever come up with good ideas for a sport. If I do, will it ever catch on? I wonder what's the best way to make a sport catch on - one good way is if you're a PE teacher and let all the students in your school try it. I think that's what Naismith did with basketball about 60 years ago.

How do you launch into a task that involves a group or other people? Do you typically plunge in, watch & wait, or a bit of both? What is your personal style - using a volleyball analogy, are you a bumper (defensive), setter (facilitator/controller) or spiker (offensive)?

Rats are remarkable. I saw one in daylight, pouncing about on a large lawn like a squirrel. NYC rats tend to be nocturnal, and they don't tend to hop. I wondered if it was deliberately trying to imitate a squirrel. Squirrels have an undulating motion when they hop on the grass and they have bushier tails. This rat was hopping like a mini kangaroo. I was baffled.

Sometimes in order to see more you need to see less.

I came up with this phrase as I was walking outside without glasses or my contact lenses. I felt that by seeing others less clearly, I could focus more on myself - what I was feeling, and where I was going. Normally when I or others walk up and down the runways/catwalks that are the NYC streets, we become preoccupied with looking at others. Someone may wear something different that catches your attention, or you may read something interesting off someone's t-shirt, or you may see someone you know, or you may see an attractive/unattractive person. There's a tranquilization of the self. The self is temporarily reduced to a viewer, someone who treats others as objects. Or, the self, being concerned with image, participates and allows others to view them as objects. Walking without being able to see very clearly shakes up these patterns.

FYI I'm only a bit shortsighted, my eyes are -1.75 and -2.00.

People who make and sell clothes often use tall, skinny women who don't eat much to help sell their clothes. I wonder exactly why the clothes are supposed to look better when worn by very skinny women. Perhaps they don't really look better on skinny women, but their skinniness makes the clothes stand out more. When people have something that the majority of people don't (skinniness in this case), they grab more attention.

Have you ever walked down a street, seen a pigeon and felt like you could have sworn that you had seen that same pigeon before?

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."

Do you believe this adage? Are the things we already have more valuable than the things we only hope to get? What if you hold out, drop your 'bird' and try to go for the better option? You may be left with nothing or you could be successful and have something better.

Do I take an internship that I need to commit to now, even though it may not be what I want to get into and probably won't lead to employment with that company? Or should I hold out and play the nauseating game of applying to more companies? There is potential for many possible outcomes. In a way, this kind of thinking is counterfactual - how can you completely know that one internship is better than another before embarking on both of them? As we experience them we determine whether it's worth one bird or two.

Potential.

Similar but different. Back like the return of an echo - the sound a bit modified, it doesn't seem quite the same. In its journey it's influenced by the medium, but it's clearly recognizable.

I'm back in my apartment, after being abroad for much of the summer. It feels like something is missing. Not something material.

[on the road]

Aunt N: "This isn't the way to the wildlife reserve"
Uncle P: (driving) "But this is a good road"

Have you ever come back on to land after being on a boat/ship and still felt like you were bobbing on the sea? I hope I only still feel this way because of the free-flowing rum punch.

Today I was over, under, and amidst many schools of fish, it was intense. There were hundreds and hundreds of different kinds of fish - most were bigger than my hand. They really like bread. I'm going to have to go snorkeling again before my stay here is over. I wonder what the fish or turtles think about us finless mammals swimming amongst them. I've noticed that schools seem to have a shared consciousness. This is because when I touch one, a whole bunch of them instantly dart away. How do they know that I'm actually touching their neighbor? They don't care that I'm very close to them. But there's some instant communication, or shared consciousness when it comes to being touched. I only did this twice today, and I was gentle... I'm not a meanie.

I haven't worn socks and closed shoes since I arrived in Barbados. Can you remember a time in your life where you didn't wear socks and shoes for a period of 2 weeks? Infancy doesn't count.

Today I saw a calculator used in 1904 (and many other antiques) at an old plantation house. I didn't even know they had calculators in the Western world that long ago. It looked like a mini typewriter. In the Orient they've had abacuses for ages, and many people still use them today.

Wagwan = what is going on?

About 90% of the kids in Barbados are in single-parent families. People here don't tend to want to get married. If they do, it's pretty inevitable that the husband will go off with some other woman. Many women have and raise children from different men. This trend extends throughout the Caribbean, and things have been this way for hundreds of years. How many cultures in the world have this dynamic?

If Michael Phelps was a nation, he'd be 9th on the Olympic medal chart.

What one word can describe pain, pleasure, hate and love?

I really don't like Judge Judy, and I'm not one to really not like people.

Today I was stung by a jellyfish. I'm actually happy about it. The pain only lasted for half a second. But, now I know what it's like to be stung by one and not many people can say that. I'm not afraid of them... although I wouldn't want a huge one stinging me with many tentacles.

Natural disasters are terrible, but let's keep things in perspective: (approximate values)

Hurricane Charley- 16 dead, 'thousands' homeless.

This month's monsoon in South Asia: 1,930 dead, 70,000 homeless, 20 million in need of food. Over 1,500 died in last year's monsoon.

In a blackout that happened tonight -

Uncle P (to my aunt): Here, light this candle.
Aunt N: That's not a candle, that's a sewing kit.

I killed a centipede today (nearly 2 inches long). It was in the kitchen. In the tropics you need to check under your pillow for them.

"One who marries for love alone will have bad days, but good nights."
- Egyptian proverb (which I heard on the radio today)

By the way, I swam with turtles. Some were over 3 ft long. They were cute. I also swam with huge tarpon, which was unpleasant at first - for a second I thought the first one I saw was a medium-sized shark. There was also a big blowfish (the biggest I've ever seen), flying fish, sea urchin, several schools of fish, and what I believed to be a barracuda but didn't stay and investigate long enough to be sure. It had a long cylindrical body, but wasn't shiny. I didn't get a very good look at its teeth.

In Barbados, where I am now, there is a trend of local men hanging out "on the block" (i.e. chatting, gambling, etc. out on the street) and local woman spending time at churches. It's interesting to think about the possible explanations for this.

I'm also wondering about whether I should go swim with big turtles in the sea.

I had a pretty interesting experience last night. Someone at a club shoved me on the shoulder and tried to start a fight. I was pretty shocked by the shove and turned to look at the person, silently. In his drunkenness and testosteroneness he perceived this as deserving a further attack - so he shoved me harder in the center of my chest. After this other people held him back and spoke to him. I was wondering why I didn't see his arm coming and sidestep or rotate my torso (which would have made him lose balance and possibly fall over). I suppose it was because of me having some alcohol in my system, it being dark, me being surprised/unprepared and me being out of sparring practice. This person actually tried to pick a fight with a friend of mine earlier by verbal taunts. The person wasn't thrown out of the club - I don't know why.

Forgetting things lets them be reborn into another form. Keep things close and not forgotten.

Jewel of wisdom, or fluff?

jaded or unjaded?

If someone is angry at you and eventually you and the other person reconcile the problem, how does that affect your enduring relationship with that person? Can it ever be the same as it was before the turbulence? I suppose in some cases the relationship could be better than it was before the problem, and in others it could end up worse. It seems counterintuitive to me that extreme anger could allow for a better relationship even after the conflict has been solved. I don't think anger is good (although in some cases it's justified).

It's nice when parents support your passions. There's a family very close to ours and the son, a few years younger than me, likes music and enjoys DJing. His parents have paid a lot for his equipment and music, have made a DJ booth in his room at home, and are happy that he DJs at bars and clubs in Hong Kong and the UK (where his university is).

My parents are really ambivalent about my interest in the martial arts. They're always worried about me getting injured. They often convey that they want me to quit sparring, which is emphasized where I currently train because of the regular competitions. Our league, the INCTL, consists of 20 universities in the North East (btw - this year we have someone from our league competing in the Olympics). On the other hand, my dad really enjoyed the video clip I sent him of me at an exhibition breaking an inch-thick board held about 7 feet in the air with a jumping front kick. My mom admires my self-discipline to train/exercise just about every day.

Have you ever seen a girl wearing a top that says "My Boyfriend is Out of Town"? On the one hand it's something cute and for fun. On the other, it raises some interesting questions. Is the boyfriend supposed to feel honored? Is the girl asking for advances? Would it raise eyebrows if the girl was wearing that top and was kissing her boyfriend (or anyone) in public?

Blue sharks have sex when they are immature and females store the sperm till they are fertile. Is there anything similar to this among humans (I'm anthropomorphizing)? I suspect it's like arranged marriages, when people were/are promised to each other from a very young age. I know a hundred years ago in India it was typical for 8 year old boys to get engaged to 5 year old girls. They'd marry before they were 15. Things are different with blue sharks though because I don't think families do their partner-arranging. Also, clearly the male is fertile if he's going to deposit sperm. So actually, this is probably more like pedophilia. Eww.

My mom's reaction halfway through the DVD of Michael Moore's "Farenheit 9/11":
"Is this movie 3 hours long? It's so boring."
 
I can't believe I'm related to her. I told her that she wasn't really listening. She said she already knew everything. This is impossible because Moore conveys some things that the media has chosen not to focus on.

One tenth of Shakespeare's words were original. He gave us leapfrog, majestic, hint, and around 1700 others.

I've read an entire book on negotiation and I'm not sure I'd be better off in a negotiation as a result of it. There are many ideas in the book that I contest. For example, it says to focus on fair/objective standards. However, if you use standards independent of will, your interests won't be met. You may still be unhappy even if you're buying a house for a fair price.

Is anyone who makes a bet "gambling"? The definition is taking risks in hope for gains. I can think of a few examples where making a bet isn't gambling:
1) When you're just playing and the amounts are inconsequential, you don't care for the money you win or lose - you care more for the idea of winning.
2) When you bet someone that you're right about something. Again, you're committed more to the idea of being right, of winning, than of making money from the bet. However, if the amount is significant enough to affect emotions about winning or losing, then that crosses the line into gambling.
 
The bottom line is that intentions count, and you can't judge whether a person is gambling just by their actions of making/placing a bet.
 

So bad that it was funny:
 
"You can't bring a gun into the temple, it's a holy place!"
"Well this gun is holy - it makes holes."
 
(I won't give away what movie this was from)

Do animals think that fire is a red flower? That's what the animals in "The Jungle Book" think.

Do animals think? Do they really deliberate, or do they just react to stimuli?

Restaurants in China and Hong Kong have gotten into trouble for serving opium poppies in their food.

China has the world's most skewed sex ratio, with 120 males for every 100 females. This is a result of ultrasound screening and selective abortion, not by some freak of nature. The world average is 107 males for every 100 females.

I wonder why there are different notations for dates. In some countries its day/month/year, in the US it's month/day/year. In others it's year/day/month...

Ridiculous. Difficult. Reclusive.

A lot of people, myself included, are guilty of thinking that the grass is greener on the other side. I know this because whenever I go to another side, I tend to feel there's something else that could be different or better.

According to research by BP, the current level of oil consumption exceeds predictions of the current level made in 1980. Importantly, they predicted that we will run out of oil in 41 years. Some, however, have predicted that we'll run out sooner.

Scientists have found that rice yields have been dropping due to global warming. The yield drops about 10% for every degree of increase in temperature. Rice is the staple for most of the world's population, and the yields actually need to increase by 1% every year to sustain the growing population. Planting more crops would encroach into natural ecosystems.

Basically, unless there are some major changes, there is going to be catastrophe. I don't think there will be a magic bullet - the world won't be saved if a scientist discovers a viable alternate fuel source, or if someone can influence everyone to produce and consume less. We may be destined to follow the typical patterns of population growth and decline observed by ecologists. Perhaps we will reach our threshold soon. As food and resources become scarce, the population can't be sustained.

Among other things, this makes me wonder about bringing life into this world.

According to GQ, the average UK household spends the same amount of money on fresh fruits and vegetables as it does on tobacco and illegal substances.

A lot of young people (teens and 20-somethings) face an identity crisis. How do people solve it? It seems they tranquilize themselves by identifying themselves with their profession, their relationships, their social status, etc. I think there's no easy solution... there are only ways to cover-up the "crisis". It makes sense to me that these cover-ups, these inadequate solutions, lead people to have mid-life crises.

I want to figure out an answer. But, if/when I do I won't be able to share it with others. If I do, that'll be another form of tranquilization. It may become a new religion, and people will still not confront their issues directly.

There are two ways to say cheers in Cantonese. "Yum sing" means as you wish, and "Kanpai" (or "Gwon Pui") means dry glass.

I ate some jellyfish tonight.

There are over 2 million saunas in Finland, and just over 5 million people. Apparently a lot of men conduct business naked, in saunas. Nokia (whose headquarters are in Finland) has an entire sauna facility. Women have complained that they can't be part of these business deals. The response is that 'official' business isn't conducted in the saunas.

"Mennaanko avantoon uimaan" is Finnish for "Shall we go into the hole in the ice for a swim?"

They say, "all is fair in love and war." Therefore, isn't the idea of a "war criminal" preposterous? Think about it: why are war criminals always on the losing side? Why aren't there any on the winning side that have been captured, imprisoned and prosecuted? What would have happened to FDR or General Patton if the Japanese won? The concept of "war criminals" is, to me, entirely self-righteous.

Why is it that when I'm reading an article or looking at a website, I'll sometimes read the words in the accent of the region? For example, if it's a Singaporean website, the words tend to have a Singaporean accent as they are going through my head. It's as though it makes more sense to me if I'm hearing it as a local does. Also interesting is that recently, when reading an article on physics, I read it in a Scottish accent! (Perhaps in tribute to my Scottish physics teacher, who taught me for 2 years).

While I can understand and recognize accents... I don't think I'm very good at enunciating them.

Go

Do you know the difference between an egotist and an egoist? I think both are bad.

From a SONG that I heard:

Donald Duck was banned in Finland, because he doesn’t wear pants
The average person swallows 8 spiders a year
The world's most well-known word is 'okay'

45% of Chinese women in Hong Kong use skin whitening products. This percentage is higher than in any other Southeast Asian country. 50% of Philippino women in Hong Kong (largely maids) use skin whitening products.

What is this world coming to? When will society start to value people's minds and personality more than how they look? Looking good should stem from being healthy, so people should watch what they eat and exercise. External quick-fixes do nothing for health (except perhaps for mental health, but that shouldn't be the case).

When we think of 'celebrities' we tend to think of good-looking people. Or if they're not good looking, they're still an actor or musician. Celebrities are people we 'celebrate'... so why doesn't society celebrate its intellectuals? That's the first step to change the obsession society has with external appearances.

Succulent endorphins.

An article in the South China Morning Post said that a university in HK interviewed 501 people (aged 16-80), and found that only 255 of the people had EVER said, 'I love you'. 57% of men and said it, versus 42% of females. It seems that people in HK are reluctant to declare their love (or even feel love?). It's shocking, but in light of what I know about Asia/Asians... not so.

What two things on this planet go better together than rice and beans? (of course, it makes a difference if they're jazzed up with a few other ingredients)

Easy to start, hard to let go.

(no, I'm not talking about an addictive substance)

Want to know the most interesting sensation I've experienced lately? Having an earwax-obsessed cat lick my ears.

"I would not think of quarreling with your interpretation nor offering any other, as I have found it always the best policy to allow the film to speak for itself."
- Stanley Kubrick

What is the importance and significance of being able to defend yourself? Just how 'practical' are the skills? Is it more important that they make you feel safe?

Central Park is great!

After reading an article on rating others' looks online, I spent a few minutes on www.hotornot.com. I'm sure people have different reasons for posting pictures of themselves and wanting to be rated. This is what the article had to say:

The most straightforward explanation [for the popularity of these sites] is that the world is crowded with people so hungry for attention that they will submit to any number of indignities for even a small bit of it.

"I see this phenomenon as an extension of the narcissism that has become much more pervasive in our culture," Dr. Aserinsky said [whose field is psychology in mass media]. "I see it especially in the under-30 crowd, where there's this insatiable appetite for acknowledgment based largely on patterns in child-rearing that came along about the time of that generation." He calls it the "overappreciated child," whose every accomplishment, no matter how pedestrian, is praised as if extraordinary, if not also bronzed and placed on a pedestal.

"I'm sure these people would rather get praise, but more important is this primitive kind of need for attention," Dr. Aserinsky said.

I do agree that I like attention. However, I think I'm more selective in terms of what kind of attention I like, and for what things I want people to know me for. In my generation there is a perverted cult of celebrity. People confuse meaning/value with exposure. Being known has become a value, when people should be known for real accomplishments (just look at Paris Hilton). Are these people really worth knowing?

What do you do when you miss someone or something? Distract yourself? Act on the longing? Reminders are bittersweet.

I don't view dreams as puzzles to be solved, as if there were answers and I could get them right. I use them as felt images, to generate thoughts or other ideas. That's more useful.

The sun is about 8 light-minutes away from the Earth - 93 million miles.

"If you aren't confused by the contemporary world, you haven't fully understood it"

- some contemporary writer

"Easy is right. Begin right
And you are easy.
Continue easy and you are right.
The right way to go easy
Is to forget the right way
And forget that the going is easy."

- Chuang Tzu, c. 500 B.C.

"The victorious seek battle only after victory has already been assured."
- Sun Tzu, The Art of War

This somewhat contradicts what I wrote yesterday. Sun Tzu, a practical person, was concerned about effectiveness, utility, results, outcomes, etc. So, what is the right/best philosophy to live by? I don't think a normative approach to this question is possible, or desirable. The way we should live is contingent on our situations, our circumstances. Therefore the philosophies aren't necessarily fundamentally opposed to one another. If it's really war you are waging, ethical considerations will be modified. You will do whatever it takes to win. If you are doing something else, e.g. playing a game or a sport, you will constrain your behavior (e.g. you will follow rules) and should be more concerned with the process than the outcomes. In war you would want to know your enemy's communications and their plans - so spies are important. In sports, you wouldn't want to steal the other team's play-book. Unfair advantage or cheating would sabotage your joy of victory - so process takes precedence over outcomes in non-war situations. But what about business situations? Or other situations where external gains, extrinsic rewards and results matter?

I suppose the point is not to come up with an answer (it might not be possible to). The point is to be aware of these alternatives and to have these deliberations.

It's the how, not the what. The process, not the product. The struggle, not the achievement.

The how is critical, rather than the what. What is true? The characteristics of things/objects/phenomena aren't true or important to you, but the relation (or process) to the things are. The way we relate generates the significance. Objectivity doesn't mean anything to us as existing individuals. Maybe it does as speculators or abstract thinkers. Objective, external truths are irrelevant, indifferent, and you can't be passionate/inward about them. We should hold truths through appropriation. That maximizes our individual confrontation. Truths relate necessarily and essentially to the existing individual.

Can I be certain that the choices I make are really mine?

Aaron (to a couple of friends): The most important thing in Tae Kwon Do is to wear a cup.

[uncomfortable silence ensues]

Rosh (to Aaron): Have I kicked you in the groin before? [NB I trained with him at Duke]

There is no shortcut when making fresh gnocchi. Start making it *before* you're hungry.

One of the lines/ideas from "Troy" (which I'm not sure was in "The Illyad" or borrowed from somewhere else) is that the Gods envy us. Because we're mortal everything is more beautiful. Every day, every moment, could be our last. Because they can have everything forever, perhaps their experience of phenomena is the same every time. For us, because we change and our circumstances change, every time we eat something, or look at something, we experience it differently. If we look at a painting now, and at it again a year or a month from now, it's a different esthetic object. Because of the temporal aspect, we may perceive different connotations and interpret it differently. Gods would just see the same thing every time.

"May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds."
- Edward Abbey

I understand why people like to kiss and be kissed on the mouth, but I don't get why dogs like it too.

Evergreen (Dusted Remix)

'nuff said.

Have you ever seen a fighting rooster? I've seen a bunch in the Philippines, but I've never actually seen a fight. I hear that they have blades up to 4 inches long tied to their legs. Needless to say the fights don't last very long, and the losing side have fresh chicken for dinner that night. Because of the injuries, cocks rarely make it past their 2nd or 3rd fight. It is estimated that the number of roosters that fight and are killed in the Philippines is between 7 and 13 million each year. Is it cruel and barbaric? Does it provide a useful outlet for people to contain their feelings about a number of issues?

Whoever can start manufacturing foods with oxytocin, or foods that increase our oxytocin levels will be very rich... and very loved.

I know someone who's friend was engaged to be married. The bride-to-be went down to the Florida Keys for a bachelorette party. After a day or so, she telephoned her fiancee and told him that they weren't getting married as she met her "soulmate" in the Keys. How disturbing is that!

It is more important to know who you are than where you are going, for where you are going will change as the world around you changes. Core ideology endures as a source of guidance and inspiration.
- ideas in an article about the importance of building vision for companies.

For today's youth the question of where they are going is as, if not more, ephemeral/ambiguous than the question of who they are. This is largely but not solely because of the poor job market. It provides a host of challenges that people of previous generations never had to face.

I've been saying on and off for about 3 years that I'm going to stretch like crazy and be able to go down into the splits. Once and for all, I'm going to achieve it! I have to set a deadline... which is hard to do. I wonder if I can manage it in 4 months.

Do I or don't I have a valence for the stereotype of the exotic, sexually uncontrollable, insatiable, heterosexual male?

Coconut water.

"No knot unties itself"
- Stephen Sondheim, Into the Woods

"Man really attains the state of complete humanity when he produces, without being forced by physical need to sell himself as a commodity."
- Che Guevara

It is unfortunate that even for the well-off, so many things people do are because of physical needs (for food, shelter, etc). Even though we take 'civilized' jobs and aren't forced to work in the fields, what we do is just glorified labor. Society still has us by the short and curlies - most people would choke if they missed two or three paychecks. We sell ourselves to employers as we convey how we could add value to their company/organization, how we could be a valuable commodity. How many of us can really do what we want in life without there being a necessity for steady/substantial income?

If love or passion was the root of all our decisions, how many of us would end up as bankers or garbagemen? What would this world look like? If you shut out all elements other than your passions, if you put aside need for income, social desirability, need for power/status/recognition, family/societal pressures, etc, etc... what would you want to do? Is this a reasonable question to ask, or am I just young and idealistic? It seems that many people don't answer this question and are quick to get herded like sheep down one path or another.

"Che was the most complete human being of our age."
- Jean-Paul Sartre

Canadian researchers have found that loud, fast music cuts your reaction time when driving by up to 20 percent. Examples of songs that are particularly bad are "Firestarter" by The Prodigy, and "Red Alert" by Basement Jaxx.

"Artists, indeed, are lifted by the ideality of their pursuits a little way off the earth, and are therefore able to catch the evanescent fragrance that floats in the atmosphere of life above the heads of the ordinary crowd. Even if they seem endowed with little imagination individually, yet there is a property, a gift, a talisman, common to their class, entitling them to partake somewhat more bountifully than other people in the thin delights of moonshine and romance."

- from The Marble Faun by Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1859

Has anyone done anything for purely selfless reasons? This is a question we can't answer, since we can always find egoistic reasons to explain behavior.

It'd be good to be indestructible.

Life is like a rainbow:
You need both the sun and the rain
To make its colors appear.
- A. Ramaiya

"Rappers aren't sexist! Who else would employ so many women to shake their ass in music videos?"

- (can't remember where I heard/read this from)

"Turn off TV, turn on life"
- a sign on a TV set that was thrown out and is lying on my street

How much can people really learn from the past? The maxim goes, "Those who ignore the past are condemned to relive it," but how seriously should we believe this? Hindsight is 20-20. It's difficult to ignore knowledge of an actual outcome and make unbiased inferences about what should or could have happened. Lessons of history aren't clear since they are biased with hindsight. We are beings trapped in the present. Participants in historical events do not know the full importance of the events they are involved in. The things we should be learning from the past are indeterminate. The better maxim might be, "While the past entertains, enobles, and expands quite readily, it enlightens only with delicate coaxing" (B. Fischhoff, 1980).

"We do not know what we want and yet we are responsible for what we are - that is the fact."
- Jean-Paul Sartre

Question asked to me: "Are you indecisive?"
My answer: "Ehhh, I don't know." (which, actually, is the only true way to say yes to this question)

I'm too used to holding multiple views/perspectives on things. There's always a different way to look at an issue. How can you be sure that the side you take is right or the best? There are no real answers out there and things are always evolving.

You know how over the years countries have disarmed and there's been deescalation of many intractable conflicts... that's exactly what the TV industry needs to do with their shows. They need to cool down. It's come to a point where it's just too crazy. People are dehumanized. I think I'm crazy for watching a show about someone's plastic surgery (I watched for about 10 minutes). What is actually being conveyed? There is no story. There's only a fraction of a glimpse into someone's life. And a very biased one too. I think I'm a better person for not watching TV. There are much better things to do.

Calm like a bomb.

What does success mean for you? Everyone should answer this. I can't right now, I'm just groping in the dark. I can't find or see what I'm looking for. I need to find a light switch first. And, until I do, I have to tread carefully or else risk breaking something, or hurting myself (or someone else…). Things will be better when the light is on, once the initial discomfort of the brightness is over. Then everything can be seen. And even though I am in the same room and nothing, physically, has changed… I will just know where everything is. I can breathe a sigh of relief, not worry about accidents, and locate what it is I am looking for.

"America is therefore the land of the future, where, in the ages that lie before us, the burden of the World's History shall reveal itself."
- Georg W. Hegel (1770 - 1831)

I agree, he was really onto something. This country is such a melting pot, and dialogue is always fostered and encouraged. I can't wait to hear of the discoveries yet to come. I hear 'multiculturalism' is a thing of the past and 'transculturalism' is the new wave of thinking. I'm not so sure what I think of that yet. Perhaps it'll help me make sense of something I experienced last week: an Asian male, born in this country, vehemently claimed that he does not identify himself as Asian-American. People are growing ever more complex, particularly as people become less and less connected to traditions and cognitions of their ancestors.

Air travellers catch four times more colds than non air-travellers, according to Runners World, a health/fitness magazine.

Happiness can come in the form of an omelette. Or is the omelette just a front for something else, something deeper?

I want to eat marigolds. I want to feel the petals with my tongue and the sensations of biting through them, chewing them. I read that they taste like celery.

"In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins. Not through strength but by perseverance."
- H. Jackson Brown

"No roots, no tree, no family, no me."
- chorus in "No roots" by Faithless

Today is the 2-year birthday/anniversary of my blog. I wouldn't have remembered, except I was going through a few of the archive pages the other day and saw my very first posts. I feel it's appropriate to write something about the blog today.

I recall some of Friedrich Schiller's ideas (German dramatist and poet, who wrote some essays on aesthetics) and see how they can be applied to this blog. Schiller wrote about the play impulse ('spieltrieb'), about how it's not in response to material or moral necessity. Only when we play are we really free - it is the highest form of human aspiration (and yet children do it so readily). Play is voluntary, not instrumental, requires no preparation, isn't preparatory for anything else, has no natural occasion, is a suspension of our everyday world, has no prescribed outcome or result, and isn't progressive. In these ways blogging has, for me, been like playing. I think that, importantly, playing and blogging are great because they are gloriously futile.

"Why not go out on a limb? Isn't that where the fruit is?"
- Frank Scully

Even if it cracks and you fall, the fear of failure or of negative consequences does more damage to us than the consequences themselves. Having an overly cautious orientation won't allow you to get everything you can out of life. We shouldn't cripple ourselves to keep us from maiming ourselves. We should take risks and experiment and be exposed to the possibility of pain/discomfort/suffering. If we protect ourselves all the time, we'll never learn. Telling ourselves that ALL of our decisions will affect our life and not exposing ourselves to the possibility of failure is injurious to experimentation.

A person is a complex ecosystem, a multilayered network. The self has masses of non-linear systems - there is little direct cause and effect. To really change something you have to effect multiple dynamics simultaneously. If you only interfere with one variable in a complex system, there can be many unintended consequences. With any complexity you have to challenge the way you view things and deal with constellations of variables.

I was walking past a bookstore and saw Donald Trump's new book through the window. Actually, I saw about 50 of them. It was called something like "How to Get Rich". His picture was on the front and he had a ridiculously big smile. Was this smile genuine? Does his money make him happy? If that's the case I think he's very shallow. I believe that money doesn't make people happy, but a lack of money has the power to make us unhappy. I think Trump's book (or the image I got of it) is illusory propaganda. Money is labelled as the thing which will make us happy. Money is the tangible scapegoat for the real uncertainty about what we should attain in our existence. People keep avoiding confrontations with the empty core of existence - that is what's true and what we need to individually confront in our lives. Society and institutions propose things as fake targets/aspirations for us. Our current age is one of dismissing dogma and received belief. When will people learn that we shouldn't aspire to be rich, as that won't do anything for us. We should just find what we like to do and then do it - and the money should follow. Too often people who are pursuing riches get caught in "golden handcuffs" - they are earning a lot, their job is nice, but they aren't happy or content.

What goes around, comes around.

What is it with pointy, witch-shoes that women sometimes wear? Surely they can't be comfortable, especially if they have heels and toes are being squashed in the front. Some are so pointy that if a person is kicked, I'm sure skin would be pierced.

Why do some people feel the need to announce themselves by saying their names in their songs? I notice only rap and hip hop artists doing it. It's gratuitous, egocentric and I don't really appreciate it. Do they not think that their music can stand on it's own? I have a hard time considering them "artists" too since they seem to be purely interested in entertaining and making money (this being the case of most people that release popular music). Now Tupac... he was an artist. I'm sure there are/were others too, and I'm not condemning all African American music. I will admit that I'm not extensively familiar with black music.

"Spaghetti Westerns" were so called because they were financed by Italians and often made in Europe, because no Americans wanted to make them.

since feeling is first
who pays any attention
to the syntax of things
will never wholly kiss you

e.e. cummings

I believe people don't have a fixed concept or awareness of themselves, in the sense that they don't have a complete grasp on how they think/feel about themselves. What's my data for this? You will feel differently about yourself depending on the group of people you are in/around.

It is interesting to experiment with different ways of walking. For example, walking while trying to be more upright and leaning back ever so slightly. The familiar, yet mostly unconscious, sensations of joints/muscles is lost and you feel something new, different. Does it make you feel like you are in a different body? How does it make you feel that you are trying something that people don't normally try or think about?

On Choices

Suppose you have a choice to make and you have a few alternatives (schools to go to, summer jobs to do, people to date, etc). Instinctively, you may want to think hard about what each alternative would entail and use the ideas generated to guide your final decision. However, once these choices are made and you've started at the school/summer job, started going out with someone, etc. your experience evolves in an unpredictable and uncontrollable way. Things arise that you didn't anticipate. You begin to see the iceberg below sea level (which is where 90% of an iceberg is). Therefore, isn't deliberation about alternatives somewhat arbitrary? Each choice carries the potential for satisfaction and dissatisfaction. What may seem good initially may impact your life negatively, and vice versa.

Is the solution then to quit choosing and, instead, write the alternatives on little slips of paper, stick them on a wall and throw darts at them while blindfolded? No. There is something about the act of choosing things that reinforces our commitment to the choices, which in turn affects the outcome and our satisfaction. It is ok to engage in a little self-deception about the quality/accuracy/justifiableness of our choices if the end result is our satisfaction. The trouble is, now that I'm hyper-aware of the arbitrariness of choices, how can I have the conventional faith in and commitment to the choices I make?

How is it that for-profit radio stations have colluded with each other to have ads at the same time? That's so shrewd. It means you don't have much choice but to listen to the ads - since switching stations to look for music doesn't really work. Sneaky bas***ds.

Watch out for Dasani.

"Sometimes it is important to abandon the hope of togetherness in order to get together."
- what a group I was in felt, and what someone in it said

When you're in a group of people and you say something, do you ever realize that actually it's not just your will that's making you say it, but that the group has a shared unconscious and is thinking the issue that you are, and you're just the first one that the idea is channeled to? You're just saying it on the behalf of the group, because you're authorized to. That's part of weird, trippy group-as-a-whole theory.

Why do I love watching big ukemi (rolls)? It looks graceful and it's cool that a person who is thrown can roll and get up completely unscathed. Sometimes it's hard to believe that a person, weighing above 150lbs can have such unity with the ground and not be affected by it (i.e. nothing bad happens when thrown).

Can you spot fake smiles?
I got 14/20 correct. I don't know if that's good, but I got better as time went on. I got the last 9 correct.

They should make pets that eat dirt and crumbs and stuff, to help keep your home clean. Roaches eat that stuff... but they're dirty themselves. And they don't look so nice.

Venting to a third party will actually increase your anger towards the target, it's worse than not venting. Venting to the target will result in less anger, post-venting. One of my professors found this in their research.

In the West it's ladies first. But in Japan the ladies wait and let the men go first.

Do I want to represent Hong Kong in the 2012 Olympics in Taekwondo? It's possible.

Have you ever been served a drink in a plastic bag (with a straw)? That's how you get a drink "to go" in some places in the world.

It's not every day that the BBC contacts you!
It was nothing spectacular though. I wrote to them a little while back saying that the prices they had on their travel website for NYC subway passes was wrong.

Are there ideas that are unformulated/undiscovered at this point? Or is everything that is considered novel/creative just a synthesis of prior ideas, or something held by another culture? If you look at any movie plot, they all have elements of older stories. And if not, they borrow philosophical ideas or things from other disciplines.

Q: What do you call a deer with no eyes?
A: No eye deer

Q: What do you call a fish with no eyes?
A: Fsh

Who is the greatest person that ever lived? How would you go about deciding? If "greatest" means most influential, then you'd have an easy time. What if the greatest person wasn't documented in history?

Setting goals to achieve something specific conflicts with leaving yourself open to seize opportunities. So what should we do? Don't sit on the fence and say a bit of both. Research on goal setting has shown that they are most likely achieved if they are specific, measurable and have deadlines. So, you're not really setting a goal if you are vague. I'm not talking about a general vision statement either. I'm talking about goals vs. being flexible, taking risks and being able to seize opportunities. Am I guilty of all-or-nothing thinking?

There are many people out there that work 7 days a week. I was wondering why the people who work 7 days a week, but who aren't required to (to keep their job) or don't have to (to earn enough to survive) do it. I can understand that if they have strong desire for promotions or recognition, that that's what drives them to do that. But, is that healthy or desirable? Isn't there something maladaptive happening? Aren't they making their happiness contingent on getting that promotion/recognition? Are there people that work 7 days a week primarily for the intrinsic benefit of it, or for the social benefit that their job may have? It's admirable when people have drives and passions, but not when they are based on shallow/superficial reasons.

Jif or Skippy?

Etiquette in an interesting thing. What's the point of having any? It's artificial, and restrains us from our natural tendencies/instincts. But, because it's artificial, it helps us deal with things and express things (like emotions) in ways that others can tolerate. It inhibits us from acting on our offensive impulses - it makes us civilized.

I can understand why people have an incredulous look when they learn that I'm from overseas but don't speak a language other than English. I really should speak more than one language. Between them, my parents speak 5 - English, Cantonese, Tagalog, Hindi and Sindhi. I studied German for 7 years, but that was more for academic than practical purposes. I haven't practiced in over 4 years and consequently I've forgotten just about all of it.

They say when there's a will there's a way. But, I don't know what language I should learn. At this point I can probably get most practice in Spanish. But, would I be using it in the future? Do I want to invest the effort? Do I have the will?

I can't believe they've added "bootylicious" to the OED (Oxford English Dictionary). What is this world coming to?!

George Bernard Shaw said that the US and UK are "two nations divided by a common language"... I think that's still true today. A lot of words and phrases are different, not to mention the pronounciation.

"Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
- Harold Whitman

Based on how I interpret what the world needs, I don't agree with this. The world would be a better place if there was a stronger sense of social responsibility. Ideally people would find a middle ground between their wants/desires and what the world/society needs.

Is it a bad thing when you're cooking and adding a variety of spices, herbs and other flavors to the dish and the person who tries it when it's done says it has a very "natural" taste? I suppose that I should be content that the dish was enjoyed (and very healthy).

"Confidence is the sexiest thing you can wear."
- poster ad for Budweiser in HK

"Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods."
- Aristotle

Have you ever wondered why in movies the heroes or the really "good" (in a moral way) characters pretty much never die? Why does American cinema refuse to have more stories where the hero dies in the end? Is it because it would weaken the commitment of viewers to Judeo-Christian morality? Or is it because of secular consumerism? (i.e. viewers would be more inclined to watch/purchase a movie if it's happy and the heroes always win)

One in 241 Cambodians is an amputee. Till today there are hundreds of thousands of unexploded landmines around the country. I was wondering if it's feasible for the UN to arrange for some countries to fly over Cambodia and drop debris (or garbage?), to help detonate much of the remaining mines. Then there would have to be a massive clean-up. But once it's all done, there could be one big party.

I saw "Catch Me if You Can" for the first time last night. While highly entertaining and well made, there are a number of interesting philosophical ideas to consider. In a way I understand why Frank was taken out of prison to work for the FBI and paid lots of money to work for banks. This is similar to the amnesty placed on certain kinds of hackers - Microsoft and the government want to pay the hackers to work for them. However, this is totally utilitarian, and I disagree that criminal charges should be mitigated and punishment avoided. While these actions may be profitable for institutions, it sends out a dangerous message - one that encourages high-tech crimes. Also, these individuals do not undergo any punishment/rehabilitation to learn that their crimes were wrong, and that they are morally and legally culpable. Why is it right that some criminal charges but not others be reduced/mitigated because the criminals can be of use to institutions? This is unethical. The Nazis conduced a variety of cruel tests on people in concentration camps. But after the war, the Allies chose to destroy the findings. Sure the findings could have provided some good (e.g. the tests on surviving hypothermia), however the end doesn't justify the means. To me, Frank's story is an example of the creases that exist in the justice system. Can the creases be ironed out though?

I can't understand Maryland fans. Some were wearing "F*** Duke" t-shirts, and many were even chanting "F*** J.J." (a Duke guard, who had an amazing game). In sports you aren't supposed to hate your opponent. They are there so that you can test your (or your team's) skills. If it was war, then you'd want to win at all costs, and would do anything, even dishonorable things. But in sports, people should be more gracious to opponents (or opposing teams). Teams don't try to steal each other's playbooks, as that's just not right and it defeats the purpose of playing the game (but in war, of course you'd try to crack the enemy's codes). I just think Maryland fans should have more respect. They are notorious though, and have been known to throw full bottles of water, and other hard/heavy objects at the heads of fans of the opposing team. During a game in Maryland a few years ago the mother of a Duke basketball player got a concussion! Clearly they have a perverted view of sports.

There were around 160 kidnappings in the Philippines in '03. They involved the middle class too and the ransoms were as low as US$1800. Around only 15% of families go to the police. This is because of fear of them bungling a rescue, hampering the payment of a ransom, or conspiring with the criminals for a share of the payout. Over past 5 years, less than 10% of the kidnapping trials resulted in a conviction. What is wrong with that country? Why can't they get their act together? Ineffectiveness and corruption are extremely prevalent there.

The Babylonians were the ones who invented new year's resolutions. (or made it into a custom)

"I could tell from the moment I saw you that you haven't been going out much, that you've just been staying in and studying."
- My friend Taran, who I haven't seen in a year, who has helped me see that I've been locked away in an ivory tower

I believe that my perceptions/tastes are fairly standard/average/normal/mainstream. However, tonight I saw a movie that made me think otherwise. The movie was "East is East." The Wall Street Journal said it's "hilarious!" and the Rolling Stone said it's "a roaring good time!" However... I found it pretty serious and depressing. The movie is about cultures that clash. I have a lot of empathy for all the people involved... even though they were fictitious. That's because there are many people out there that have comparable lives.

I just learned that my right eye is dominant over my left eye. That means I view/perceive the world through my left-brain, which is the logical/rational part. I wonder about the significance of that on my personality. The right-brain is more emotional/feeling. If you're interested in finding out which of your eyes is dominant, I'll describe the test to you.