I realize, again, that I've been repeating myself over the same points over and over again. It’s probably a curse; being only able to spot weakness and not strength.
Well, here’s something fresh for a change.
Don’t know if he knew it when he first played it for the class, but the song 手紙 ～拝啓 十五の君へ～ by Angela Aki was initially a song for the 75th NHK National School Music Contest in 2008, Junior High School (12–15 years old) Division. It became such a hit that from that point on, many schools use it as their graduation song.
And it’s surprising in 2 ways, to me at least. First is that it’s not a hard song to play if it were in C major. Second is that because it is NOT in C major, it’s unexpectedly frustrating. So to anyone who wants to try it but has an incompetent ear like mine, it’s in A♭ major.
That’s probably one of the many weaknesses of being musically trained with the harmonica: too focused on C, that every other scale you hear it as a C and only realize it is not when you actually try it out.
An equally good graduating song would be Nickelback’s Photograph. A little old and inappropriate at some parts, but nothing says ‘missing the memories’ like it.
This is actually a bad thing. If I keep this up, I’ll be just like people of the past generation who listen to old tracks and think new ones like the totally terrible ****** ****** or **** **** etc. are the killers of music.
But whatever. That isn’t quite the main issue. What is is that I’ve always wanted to die before I get old, but based on how things are going, I already am.
And on that bombshell, adieu to y’all.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Nothing is right. Meaning everything is wrong
This is usually not the kind of time anyone would want to spend on blogging, since the exams are on and all. Which is precisely why I do it. Because this, being Malaysia, is the kind of time where everyone is too busy committing things they know to memory to have any time for learning anything new. I doubt anyone reads the newspaper for these few days when they’re too busy reading their textbooks and notes. And what I have to say is precisely NOT meant for them, more because they can’t be bothered than because they don’t deserve it; in fact it would do them a world of difference if they saw this. It’s for people who are concerned not about their future money or income or anything of the like, but rather their future.
And I shall begin by referencing a post from ‘The Carapace’ and a news article quoted there. I will not bother repeating whatever that is there here, but I will point out some of the finer details that people either don’t know about, ignore, deny or acknowledge but decided nothing can be done. Sure, their setting is in Australia but I think people are intelligent enough to localize. Unless of course you’re too fixated in obeying a nonexistent dictator.
First point being that, and I quote, “Every election people find themselves asking politicians what they will give them in return for their vote. They forget that we employ our politicians to do a job. We should approach the process of electing them as we would if we were hiring an employee. Can you imagine going into a job interview and having your potential future employer ask you what you are willing to give them in exchange for the job? Shouldn't you be hired on the basis of merit rather than bribery? Of course you should.”
I guess it goes without saying that only people who deserve the votes will get them, not people who promise to be deserving of it. There’s no way of telling if one is being true to their word – like a decent human being – or being a typical politician – lying their way into and then abusing the newfound power and privilege – at all. I wanted to use bona fide but as you can see from the context, it is clearly inappropriate.
I’m not saying all politicians are liars. No doubt there are some out there with clearly good intentions, but unfortunately for these endangered number of people, that’s just the stereotype. And as I have said before, people who stereotype are unfortunate people who have seen more of what they shouldn’t have than what they should have.
The solution? There isn’t one. Because the only thing close to being perfectly fair is communism. But the problem is that it’s way too fair that people lose whatever bragging rights they may have, and that’s the problem with people. Even if we left shame out of the equation, we all still prefer to die proud than live as equals.
Or maybe there is. For one thing, voting shouldn’t be an obligation; it should be a privilege. Every time the elections draw near you hear “exercise your rights” with an almost ‘or else’ tone. Why bother? You’re just pushing people who know nothing or those who can’t be bothered to risk making the wrong choice. At least make sure the people who vote are interested and educated so that at least they know for themselves they are making the right decision.
Speaking of education, the current system’s got to change as well. Currently, and apparently it’s not exclusive to Malaysia, children face their parents’ personal firing squad whenever they come back with a report card that has anything which is not an ‘A’. I’m not alone when I say that school, the way it is now, is almost completely useless. It’s so bad that ‘the dim kids work and work and work until their little hormones are fried and then emerge after five years, suicidal, mad and with an A-level in media studies. The bright kids, meanwhile, lounge all day knowing that a CV will never be checked so, when asked how many A-levels they have, they can lie and say 264’ (Jeremy Clarkson, 27 January 2008). And I totally agree with him when he said ‘all school does is put you off things that might, later in life, be interesting’.
I knew a person from my school who was at the top of the grade without fail every year, but freaks out every time she attempts to cook an egg for herself. Seriously, children in school should be taught to survive as an adult, not be a quantum physicist who cleans public toilets.
Then there’s the segregation. They force science students to be Isaac Newton, Ivan Pavlov and Dmitri Mendeleev all at the same time within two years, when they might, like me, end up with social sciences. Like psychology, for instance. Sure they prepare you for what you might be going into, assuming that there’s nowhere else you can go. It’s like bringing a nuclear warhead into a parliamentary debate: infinitely excessive.
Then there’s history. Instead of all the meaningless dates to memorise about who died when and what year did he take the whole world down with him, why not discuss the impact of whatever his actions may be?
Better yet, why not scrap the whole subject and use newspapers instead? Instead of learning about the past that we cannot do anything about, why not learn about the present and at least know which idiotic politician is taking bribes today so that when you’re of age you know not to vote for him or her instead of learning about how dead some fool was a thousand years ago, and the only benefit that will be today is knowing how much deader he is now compared to then?
But I guess that’s not possible either because what was once known as current affairs is now known as politics and students are not allowed to take part in it. The only thing students are allowed to take part in is mass suicide in the slowest form possible: losing sanity by replacing it with irrelevant knowledge.
Well, nothing is perfect. Perhaps in the same way that perfect is nothing.
And on that bombshell, adieu to y’all.
And I shall begin by referencing a post from ‘The Carapace’ and a news article quoted there. I will not bother repeating whatever that is there here, but I will point out some of the finer details that people either don’t know about, ignore, deny or acknowledge but decided nothing can be done. Sure, their setting is in Australia but I think people are intelligent enough to localize. Unless of course you’re too fixated in obeying a nonexistent dictator.
First point being that, and I quote, “Every election people find themselves asking politicians what they will give them in return for their vote. They forget that we employ our politicians to do a job. We should approach the process of electing them as we would if we were hiring an employee. Can you imagine going into a job interview and having your potential future employer ask you what you are willing to give them in exchange for the job? Shouldn't you be hired on the basis of merit rather than bribery? Of course you should.”
I guess it goes without saying that only people who deserve the votes will get them, not people who promise to be deserving of it. There’s no way of telling if one is being true to their word – like a decent human being – or being a typical politician – lying their way into and then abusing the newfound power and privilege – at all. I wanted to use bona fide but as you can see from the context, it is clearly inappropriate.
I’m not saying all politicians are liars. No doubt there are some out there with clearly good intentions, but unfortunately for these endangered number of people, that’s just the stereotype. And as I have said before, people who stereotype are unfortunate people who have seen more of what they shouldn’t have than what they should have.
The solution? There isn’t one. Because the only thing close to being perfectly fair is communism. But the problem is that it’s way too fair that people lose whatever bragging rights they may have, and that’s the problem with people. Even if we left shame out of the equation, we all still prefer to die proud than live as equals.
Or maybe there is. For one thing, voting shouldn’t be an obligation; it should be a privilege. Every time the elections draw near you hear “exercise your rights” with an almost ‘or else’ tone. Why bother? You’re just pushing people who know nothing or those who can’t be bothered to risk making the wrong choice. At least make sure the people who vote are interested and educated so that at least they know for themselves they are making the right decision.
Speaking of education, the current system’s got to change as well. Currently, and apparently it’s not exclusive to Malaysia, children face their parents’ personal firing squad whenever they come back with a report card that has anything which is not an ‘A’. I’m not alone when I say that school, the way it is now, is almost completely useless. It’s so bad that ‘the dim kids work and work and work until their little hormones are fried and then emerge after five years, suicidal, mad and with an A-level in media studies. The bright kids, meanwhile, lounge all day knowing that a CV will never be checked so, when asked how many A-levels they have, they can lie and say 264’ (Jeremy Clarkson, 27 January 2008). And I totally agree with him when he said ‘all school does is put you off things that might, later in life, be interesting’.
I knew a person from my school who was at the top of the grade without fail every year, but freaks out every time she attempts to cook an egg for herself. Seriously, children in school should be taught to survive as an adult, not be a quantum physicist who cleans public toilets.
Then there’s the segregation. They force science students to be Isaac Newton, Ivan Pavlov and Dmitri Mendeleev all at the same time within two years, when they might, like me, end up with social sciences. Like psychology, for instance. Sure they prepare you for what you might be going into, assuming that there’s nowhere else you can go. It’s like bringing a nuclear warhead into a parliamentary debate: infinitely excessive.
Then there’s history. Instead of all the meaningless dates to memorise about who died when and what year did he take the whole world down with him, why not discuss the impact of whatever his actions may be?
Better yet, why not scrap the whole subject and use newspapers instead? Instead of learning about the past that we cannot do anything about, why not learn about the present and at least know which idiotic politician is taking bribes today so that when you’re of age you know not to vote for him or her instead of learning about how dead some fool was a thousand years ago, and the only benefit that will be today is knowing how much deader he is now compared to then?
But I guess that’s not possible either because what was once known as current affairs is now known as politics and students are not allowed to take part in it. The only thing students are allowed to take part in is mass suicide in the slowest form possible: losing sanity by replacing it with irrelevant knowledge.
Well, nothing is perfect. Perhaps in the same way that perfect is nothing.
And on that bombshell, adieu to y’all.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Can't Help But Hate It
Seriously. Epic drama where the tired ones are the supporting characters, good Samaritan suffers while the swindler is having the time of his/her life, rain pelting down ONLY when I’m outdoors, what’s not to hate?
I understand that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but honestly saying, I’ve seen more attractive lavatories.
Sometimes it’s the X-factor that you look out for, but it’s the only thing you never see.
It’s sad to know that sometimes innocence is just another way of saying ignorance; in the same way that sometimes personality is just another way of saying belief.
I’m feeling more and more lifeless by the day. I just hope that it stops being metaphorical and starts getting literal. Right about now would be nice.
Adieu to y’all.
I understand that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but honestly saying, I’ve seen more attractive lavatories.
Sometimes it’s the X-factor that you look out for, but it’s the only thing you never see.
It’s sad to know that sometimes innocence is just another way of saying ignorance; in the same way that sometimes personality is just another way of saying belief.
I’m feeling more and more lifeless by the day. I just hope that it stops being metaphorical and starts getting literal. Right about now would be nice.
Adieu to y’all.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Remember the Terms, Please.
Done some thinking during yesterday’s rather appalling day, frankly, and realized maybe I should call it quits. Because this is more than what I signed up for. It’s like signing up for a job as driver then made to be part of a bank job. Sure, it’s my job to drive around, but not be the driver for a heist that will land me in prison.
And y’all have got to realize that asking me to do what you’re asking of me will only work in the same way as digging a grave with a spanner will work; that by the time you’re done, so much time has passed you might as well bury yourself in the very same hole.
Subtly adding terms to my contract don’t work, in case you have a not so commendable memory. You have doubts? Questions? A problem with amending it? The solution is simple. Fire me.
And it’s the last week. Only when I am in the very same position do I not agree with what the bunch is saying; ‘there isn’t much time left, let’s focus on the job’. Right. If so, stop asking questions. Because after all, you bunch are unaware of my terms to begin with. I agreed to help carry the burden whenever I can, not fill a gap or take a responsibility.
But then again, I don’t blame you. You bunch don’t know me well enough. No one who hasn’t will ever want to. Probably the same for those who already know me well.
Adieu to y’all. Think about it, because I certainly have.
And y’all have got to realize that asking me to do what you’re asking of me will only work in the same way as digging a grave with a spanner will work; that by the time you’re done, so much time has passed you might as well bury yourself in the very same hole.
Subtly adding terms to my contract don’t work, in case you have a not so commendable memory. You have doubts? Questions? A problem with amending it? The solution is simple. Fire me.
And it’s the last week. Only when I am in the very same position do I not agree with what the bunch is saying; ‘there isn’t much time left, let’s focus on the job’. Right. If so, stop asking questions. Because after all, you bunch are unaware of my terms to begin with. I agreed to help carry the burden whenever I can, not fill a gap or take a responsibility.
But then again, I don’t blame you. You bunch don’t know me well enough. No one who hasn’t will ever want to. Probably the same for those who already know me well.
Adieu to y’all. Think about it, because I certainly have.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Immortal Journey
As I open the door to my personal sanctuary,
I prepared myself to leave this eternal winter,
Leaving a print behind in the bitter cold,
Knowing that it will eventually,
Be erased by the raging snow.
How I wish I could be,
In the spring that I could only see,
Through a window into a different world,
One so close yet so far from me.
I stare on into the unattainable comfort,
Knowing I need to again tread the blizzard,
To leave the twinkling hope behind,
And unreal desires out of mind.
Perhaps I can find comfort in chaos,
Or establish order in anxiety,
Perhaps I can find meaning in the mundane,
And make a living in this barren, winter wasteland.
I prepared myself to leave this eternal winter,
Leaving a print behind in the bitter cold,
Knowing that it will eventually,
Be erased by the raging snow.
How I wish I could be,
In the spring that I could only see,
Through a window into a different world,
One so close yet so far from me.
I stare on into the unattainable comfort,
Knowing I need to again tread the blizzard,
To leave the twinkling hope behind,
And unreal desires out of mind.
Perhaps I can find comfort in chaos,
Or establish order in anxiety,
Perhaps I can find meaning in the mundane,
And make a living in this barren, winter wasteland.
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Moral Morality
Last night Vingent and I had a really later dinner at around 11pm at the local McD, and talked quite a load, on things like our coming industrial training, how our home may possibly be haunted because some daft, superstitious and gutless hallucinating friends of Fan saw some shadow-or-other dashing up the stairs, and how some people can be plain degenerates when it comes to being human. Or humane, for that matter.
But they all don’t quite matter because as some wise person supposedly said, ‘if everyone in the world were good people, then the world would be a very boring place and heaven would be made redundant’. Quite true, save the fact that a realm that doesn’t exist cannot be redundant. And that shadow-or-other might actually be the guardian demon that I’ve always wanted, that is here to watch over me and curse whoever who crosses me without provocation.
But possibly the most important thing we discussed that night was human morality, how it is truly meant to be and the role of religion and our very own will in enforcing it.
Back when I was just a child, there’s the first ever series of anime called Digimon that I was totally crazy over, and as I recall the part of it that really inspired me to be a good guy was the 8 crests and the values and virtues they represent: Courage, Friendship, Love, Sincerity, Knowledge, Reliability, Hope, and lastly, Light, probably some religious propaganda in an otherwise good mix of values. Given its irrelevance, I have decided to interpret Light as simply being a good person, in general, seeing as how darkness has always been wrongly attributed to evil.
Right. So we have these 8 values that would’ve sufficed for us to live in this world peacefully, but only if it came from within ourselves, as portrayed by the very same show. Distort it, or if it comes with ulterior motive, or if it was otherwise forced, then it works too, for a while before it backfires just as effectively as you wouldn’t want it to.
And this is where religion spoils it all. Every one of it. Especially the monotheistic ones. Even the agnostic Buddhism and its karmic claptrap is no exception. Why? Simple, really.
You see, what every single religion out there are saying, to be very honest, direct and blunt without any form of caramel coating, is, ‘do good or else’, and monotheistic ones take it a step further by changing it to, ‘obey me for I am ‘good’, or else’. To spell it out, every religion has this supposed realm called Hell and every evil doer or disobeyers will be sent there, disintegrated in to a billion useless pieces and burned with eternal hellfire as punishment. But what for? What’s fear have to do with anything?
Sure, fear is widely regarded as a very effective weapon, probably even the most effective, if you’re interested in warfare, subtle or open, it makes no difference. It’s also perceived by mankind as the most effective deterrent. But it still is nothing more than a mere weapon. When people forget the existence of such a weapon, or when they have finally disarmed this psychological nuclear warhead, how long will such virtues of humanity last? Not even a fraction of a split second, I’m afraid.
When it comes down to it, people have got to want to do good just because. They’ve got to want to, say, not murder random strangers, and not because it’ll get them a life sentence, death sentence, or eternal youth, burning in flames. That’s why we need to get rid of the ‘or else’ factor. Otherwise, it all seems pointless. People are being ‘not evil’ out of fear. Not because that’s what they want. Because with fear, all one can be is ‘not evil’, because the evil intentions are there, just not acted out because of the possible consequences, and that’s not being properly good. The only way to be a truly good person is to want to be so from the bottom of one’s heart, without any fear or doubt. Only then can people actually help others because they are concerned about the welfare of others. True empathy and altruism, if you will.
And in studying psychology I know more than ever that intrinsic motivation and rewards work infinitely better than any negative reinforcement or punishment. It is infinitely ineffective, detrimental even at certain extents, to rely on fear to enforce morality. Not to mention that in doing so, one is also being a hypocrite, using immorality to enforce morality. I remember as a child my father was (and still is) the kind of person who’d want you to be moral, but would want to do whatever he likes himself. And so I grew up getting caned whenever I told a lie and also whenever he told one and I pointed it out. Point being, people mimic others; so if you want morality out of someone, then first practice what you preach. Leadership by example, if you will; instead of by fear, coercion and hypocrisy.
What I propose here is an ideal, one that will definitely outlast any weapon, including fear. Weapons wear with usage, and will eventually break. Ideals, on the other hand, live forever, so long as they are properly initiated. And as with many old ideals, this one, too will hopefully replace reality one day.
And with that, adieu to y’all.
But they all don’t quite matter because as some wise person supposedly said, ‘if everyone in the world were good people, then the world would be a very boring place and heaven would be made redundant’. Quite true, save the fact that a realm that doesn’t exist cannot be redundant. And that shadow-or-other might actually be the guardian demon that I’ve always wanted, that is here to watch over me and curse whoever who crosses me without provocation.
But possibly the most important thing we discussed that night was human morality, how it is truly meant to be and the role of religion and our very own will in enforcing it.
Back when I was just a child, there’s the first ever series of anime called Digimon that I was totally crazy over, and as I recall the part of it that really inspired me to be a good guy was the 8 crests and the values and virtues they represent: Courage, Friendship, Love, Sincerity, Knowledge, Reliability, Hope, and lastly, Light, probably some religious propaganda in an otherwise good mix of values. Given its irrelevance, I have decided to interpret Light as simply being a good person, in general, seeing as how darkness has always been wrongly attributed to evil.
Right. So we have these 8 values that would’ve sufficed for us to live in this world peacefully, but only if it came from within ourselves, as portrayed by the very same show. Distort it, or if it comes with ulterior motive, or if it was otherwise forced, then it works too, for a while before it backfires just as effectively as you wouldn’t want it to.
And this is where religion spoils it all. Every one of it. Especially the monotheistic ones. Even the agnostic Buddhism and its karmic claptrap is no exception. Why? Simple, really.
You see, what every single religion out there are saying, to be very honest, direct and blunt without any form of caramel coating, is, ‘do good or else’, and monotheistic ones take it a step further by changing it to, ‘obey me for I am ‘good’, or else’. To spell it out, every religion has this supposed realm called Hell and every evil doer or disobeyers will be sent there, disintegrated in to a billion useless pieces and burned with eternal hellfire as punishment. But what for? What’s fear have to do with anything?
Sure, fear is widely regarded as a very effective weapon, probably even the most effective, if you’re interested in warfare, subtle or open, it makes no difference. It’s also perceived by mankind as the most effective deterrent. But it still is nothing more than a mere weapon. When people forget the existence of such a weapon, or when they have finally disarmed this psychological nuclear warhead, how long will such virtues of humanity last? Not even a fraction of a split second, I’m afraid.
When it comes down to it, people have got to want to do good just because. They’ve got to want to, say, not murder random strangers, and not because it’ll get them a life sentence, death sentence, or eternal youth, burning in flames. That’s why we need to get rid of the ‘or else’ factor. Otherwise, it all seems pointless. People are being ‘not evil’ out of fear. Not because that’s what they want. Because with fear, all one can be is ‘not evil’, because the evil intentions are there, just not acted out because of the possible consequences, and that’s not being properly good. The only way to be a truly good person is to want to be so from the bottom of one’s heart, without any fear or doubt. Only then can people actually help others because they are concerned about the welfare of others. True empathy and altruism, if you will.
And in studying psychology I know more than ever that intrinsic motivation and rewards work infinitely better than any negative reinforcement or punishment. It is infinitely ineffective, detrimental even at certain extents, to rely on fear to enforce morality. Not to mention that in doing so, one is also being a hypocrite, using immorality to enforce morality. I remember as a child my father was (and still is) the kind of person who’d want you to be moral, but would want to do whatever he likes himself. And so I grew up getting caned whenever I told a lie and also whenever he told one and I pointed it out. Point being, people mimic others; so if you want morality out of someone, then first practice what you preach. Leadership by example, if you will; instead of by fear, coercion and hypocrisy.
What I propose here is an ideal, one that will definitely outlast any weapon, including fear. Weapons wear with usage, and will eventually break. Ideals, on the other hand, live forever, so long as they are properly initiated. And as with many old ideals, this one, too will hopefully replace reality one day.
And with that, adieu to y’all.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Visionary nonsense
I had a series of the weirdest dreams today. After this morning’s demo I came home for a nap and before I woke up I was a member of the SAS, in an anti-terrorist op when suddenly I had superpowers. Then after class I took another nap and there was this most bizarre series of dreams where the person I desire to kill the most is trying to reconcile the friendship he fucked up and a complete stranger was shamelessly flirting with me.
Now all this seems like it’d give me a whole lot of question marks and whatnot but actually it also gave me something to laugh about, especially after the demo that didn’t go as well as expected and the mock open book test where despite it being an open book test, I realized if I were to write all the points the lecturer was looking for, it would’ve taken me an hour to answer a single question. And earn about 40 marks for a 25 mark question. Guess I’ll have another if I screw up tomorrow’s Japanese test 2.
People around are starting to get interview offers for their industrial attachment. Now I’m wondering when I will be getting mine. Worse yet, am I getting mine during important days like presentation or midterm? Or at all? And still? This seems like the semester with the least happenings. And this seems to make time pass very fast. Kind of like working, only shittier.
Adieu to y’all. And check this out guys. This will hopefully be the future of education. Hopefully.
Now all this seems like it’d give me a whole lot of question marks and whatnot but actually it also gave me something to laugh about, especially after the demo that didn’t go as well as expected and the mock open book test where despite it being an open book test, I realized if I were to write all the points the lecturer was looking for, it would’ve taken me an hour to answer a single question. And earn about 40 marks for a 25 mark question. Guess I’ll have another if I screw up tomorrow’s Japanese test 2.
People around are starting to get interview offers for their industrial attachment. Now I’m wondering when I will be getting mine. Worse yet, am I getting mine during important days like presentation or midterm? Or at all? And still? This seems like the semester with the least happenings. And this seems to make time pass very fast. Kind of like working, only shittier.
Adieu to y’all. And check this out guys. This will hopefully be the future of education. Hopefully.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
