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It is said that traditionally the Chinese had a disdain for merchants (thus discouraging private enterprise and competition in the late 1800s)– probably because they are good for nothing and live off the work of others, as pointed out by Siddhartha to Kamaswami. Probably also because of jealousy of how rich these Merchants got. This contradicts my perception of the “entrepreneurial chinese man”.
Think of them as a modern day stocks trader (because that is in essence what they are), people scorn them for earning so much for doing nothing and laugh at them when the market crashes. To my knowledge, most people don’t laugh when they hear that someone’s venture isn’t doing well — unless its stocks.
From the viewpoint of a student, think of it like how someone receives various notes from various notes and exchanges all these study notes with other people without any of his own. This is especially so when notes at this level are exceptionally helpful in terms of distilling a large chunk of material to its essence. The alternative however would be to just receive notes (and get fat) and not give anything in return — which is bad in the long run since people will stop giving eventually.
From the viewpoint of a country, this is called “entrepot”. Enough said about jealousy and disdain. A substantial chunk of my 4000 words talks about the attempt/threat to bypass This Port even if it is more expensive for them — sounds irrational. Jealousy itself is irrational.
But I digress — bottom line is people don’t like those who sit around do nothing and still benefit a lot.
It’s quite risky how one falls asleep again and slips into a dream — making it hard to wake up. I almost forgot how I was quite badly findmucked by a semi-awake dream of sorts on the Backtolife day.
My morning routine is to wake up half an hour earlier than I’m supposed to and snooze the alarm in 10 minute intervals. If I’m good, I’m up in twenty minutes. If I’m bad, I’m up in forty minutes.
Within the snooze, I had fallen back asleep without knowing. I then dreamt that I was woken up by my dad in the dark and that I even took my uniform to the bathroom. It was in the bathroom I realised that his waking-me-up by stroking my face made no sense (-_-). Impossible enough (despite the lag) to send my mind back to fully conscious before the second snooze.
Perhaps this is just based on past expectations from the mundane daily routine.
The KGB was sent to find a rabbit from the forest and after an hour they return with a battered bear confessing “I’m a rabbit! I’m a rabbit!!”
Heh.
Okay, fine, maybe my predicton was not right — but in order to prepare for the broad spectrum, you would have inevitably prepared the questions that came out. So what do you lose? Nothing.
More narrowly, I would make a random guess/partial inference that 1. BOP 2. Comparative Advantage 3. Primary Product Problem (Editdaybefore: Market structure) will make an appearance in the next paper.
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And just on what basis do I suggest these? Especially after having been wrong once (I insist that it will come out eventually — probably prelims)
This has been a holiday I truly enjoyed and I have been happy.
Time to move on, inasmuch as I treasure experience this Summer.
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And perhaps my mind is one step ahead of reality. I had a High-Degree-Realism Dream again last night. Apparently, examinations in the form of mass congregation in a hall were banned. Everyone was back in class and there were no tables since its all in the hall — such is the degree of realism. And everyone is just mucking around doing nothing since the bureacracy is taking forever (Damn Realistic!). Then the less believable part starts — Acertain Teacher returns.
Disturbingly, the Imperial Woman asks McAngry and I “randomly” if the two of us were happy with this. It is at that point of time where I thought “they have Found the Muck”.
Somehow, I think I had a Whiteboard lesson on the Chinese Civil War in my dream (despite not touching China since the start of the week)
What a Saladbowl.
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On another note, I found a script last year that reads “Oh by the way, your handwriting is awful. You should sign up for a penmanship class“. And I realise I should have. For one, my examiners have a harder time. On top of that, I can’t read most of my notes even!
It’s like my olden days in Bates — speak fast to keep up with your brain speed, as undesirable as it might be stylistically. Although it might also be due to time constrains, which is less of a problem (since I got speed and Sheer Quantity). I think at the core, I’m just lazy la. Might be easier to write properly if I wrote less.
My mum should have caned my hands with writing like that ten years ago. I’ll try to write neatly tmr…
… like the last time I tried and the time before that.
It’s not in my nature to spot questions really. I just don’t study whatever I think is not important.
Though I would guess that for one Long Answer Question for econs since its more Evaluation dependent, and its in the teacher’s interest to assess newer unexamined topics — it is most likely that they’ll ask about conflicting economic goals. In order to answer this question, one must look at all five goals and in turn -all five topics-. In effect, what prophetic impact did I make? Nothing. Since you would still have to study everything anyway. Furthermore, I will assert that this combination question is unstudiable and depends on understanding. Though I would say that to do one question out of three, it would at least be safe to leave out Micro.
On the topic of spotting topics, I would also assert that just because something has appeared before does not mean that it would not again. Hence elimination is not something which can be used by the last paper. I speak from experience.
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People should just wager on what questions will come out already — at least for the Final one.
It just so happens that the day before there was this discussion about death (in a morbid sense, “what if I die in a car accident” sort) .
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My deepest condolences to all you sad people who have nothing better to do than to be sad over the death of someone who matters despite the fact that you’ve never spoken to him or known him personally — apart from the fact that he might have awesome songs etc. Though, how would this be different from a mere retirement or last album.
Then again, I’m insensitive — I’m not into this idol thing. It’s the same way I can’t emphathise with those who wept at the death of Mao or Zhou. I’m sure I wouldn’t even if any other country’s equivalent did — despite their great historical contributions.
Though, I do wonder if I will ever weep at a person’s funeral — haven’t had one in close proximity enough to care. Hope I won’t for a long while.
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Death — it’s just never seeing someone again. They’re equally bad.
As selfish as the line above may sound, the fact is we’re sad because of our loss and not the deceased.
Upon returning from his overseas trip, my dad has been trying to get me to get a flu jab — this i would consider reasonable in a “safe but sorry” manner but still paranoid at this stage.
Hence, as the King of Siam, I tried to get out of the house early before he could catch me so that I could go on my Northern Expedition.
Apparently, I did not need to escape since unbeknownst to me, my dad called up the clinic and realised they ran out of stock — high demand what and no one really jacks up the price of vaccines to ration. I wouldn’t have had to go for it anyway.
Of course, he was quite unhappy that they ran out of flu jabs and was wondering what to do. Unbeknownst to him (actually he probably knew, being him), I wasn’t planning on going for the damn thing anyway.
If anything, this mirrors the story of a slave who tried to escape without realising that he had been set free from the start of the novel. The slave essentially went through an unnecessary mindgame of Invented Reality with an inevitable end.
Mark Twain laughs.
“Internal decay invites both domestic rebellion and foreign invasion”
While this statement might not show the interrelationship between domestic rebellion and how it affects foreign invasion and vice versa, it sums up the key weakness behind the Qing dynasty. Yet, it could be further applied to other contexts such as the Family Unit for one.
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And I haven’t been home for dinner for more than two weeks by now. In fact, I’ve been spending time out from 8am to 11pm on average
If religion be the Opiate of the masses, stone on. Get hooked, get High.
In spite of skepticism and the predominance of Reason as a Way of Knowing, I believe. I would in fact argue that it is not rational to reject religion on two grounds.
1. It is a rejection of a free gift. Better to have supposed promised blessings or at least a divine being to cast your burdens on than not to have. The last I checked its better to have an Omnipotent being on your side. Not to say that it is cheap but a valuable one that already been paid for. The only reason which would turn people away would be the artificial obligations people come up with (that which I don’t wish to go into). Better to have Christians who don’t live up to these obligations and still get to heaven than um, non-Christians who end up in hell?
Oh but what if heaven and hell and God didn’t exist?
2. It is a raised stakes gamble. If you’re wrong, you get eternal damnation. If you’re right, you go to heaven.
On practical reasoning alone, even if it was hard to believe, it is safer to believe than not to. Its a pragmatic theory of truth really. Of course, I have never shared these views while sharing — somehow religious people have a problem with the practical.
But deep down, we all know that it is the Practical that matters. The very reason people believe in the first place is to get out of hell and to save their souls. There is nothing wrong with belief for benefit. In fact, it is more humble to seek help from God than to constantly self-indulge in the motions of self importance through giving. People don’t give to God because (The Omnipotent, if i may remind) God needs it. People give to God because they need to feel important and need to feel a meaning in their life. Even when people do make sacrifices of their time, money or even people for God, it is for their own Pride — that they can assert their importance and tell themselves they can still do something worth while. (This is why I believe there is no such thing as an altruistic giver — there is always still a reason/motive)
It’s all about the Individual’s pride. One group of people have to keep giving for their pride and making themselves feel like a Better person. The other group reject the help of God so they could solve it themselves — stupid pride, I’d rather have someone do it for m, plus I don’t think self-effort could bring one to heaven. The third group takes pride in calling everyone proud!
Hence, it -still- is about what we gain in the end, so…there really is nothing wrong with being concerned about what we gain right? Life, for sure, is more worthwhile than just a big trial.
That being said, I still believe and give — even though I do wonder what it means for “money to be used by God” and “giving to God”…apart from paying pastor salaries and building churches. The fact is — it doesnt matter what happens to the money as long as I give.
And I’m extremely thankful and appreciative for all that I have been given.
It is interesting to note how the version of history recorded depends on the victor or even the common view. In studying the Taiping revolution, we learn that Hong Xiuquan has a “vision” of a more literal ”Christ our brother, God our father” because he was in delirium. Of course if he had a say in writing the history or had the majority support, he wouldn’t record that it was due a delirium — instead it may have been regarded as a Vision From God!
Of course nobody regarded his Visions as truth as they contradicted/deviated from their other beliefs — no Christian Westerner then or even now will acknowledge a Chinese Man as the Brother of God!
In practice, visions are not reliable in any way if you reject them when they deviate from your beliefs and accept them only when they adhere to your beliefs. If you can find truth in some visions, why not others? In principle, sounds like confirmation bias and some may even argue that this is circular reasoning given that certain beliefs are based on visions of Angels as well. In terms of consequences, beliefs premised upon unstable hallucinations can lead to unnecessary scares at best and mass cult killings at worst.
All in all, these visionary hallucinations are chemical reactions in the head. Hong probably saw a chinese old man and assumed it was God. Just because the dude in the dream states his identity does not mean its true. If he was of a different race…you get the idea.
Damn I wish I had cooler less real-life based hallucinations/dreams that i can at least DIFFERENTIATE from reality.
It started from the first week of hols spent in school where I asserted that I will not start real work until real holidays start.
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Personal message on Tuesday night: “Real work starts tomorrow, bitches!”
Personal message on Wed: ”Real work starts tomorrow, bitches! (Didn’t I say that YESTERDAY?)”
Personal message on Thur: “Real work starts tomorrow, bitches! (FOR REAL THIS TIME)
Personal message on Friday: -
Procrstination has got the better of me — Friday even has no expectation of work the next day given that I spend the evening in a park (and a lot of money on a lot of good food to the extent i was temporarily back to the “owe you money” stage.)
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Facts aren’t important — we can forget themafter 12th November. Skills are. Economics has taught me about incentives and to an extent behaviour. History has trains the skills to seek the truth and examine motivations, causes and effects, which is much fun to apply to personal issues and certain private sagas. My most dreaded subject — English Literature trains the skill set of interpreting people through picking up details (it can be argued that one who is strong in literature will have greater degree of sharpness) — both of which, I’m bad at.
It is in this backdrop that I will start work — perhaps, tomorrow.
Of course there has to be a greater application of what we learn in school to what is beyond school. After all, the purpose of school is to prepare the student for real life.
The J curve in econs most simply put is how devaluation will lead to a temporal worsening in balance of payments due to short run inelasticity of demand because of contracts. Inelastic demand means that the quantity does not adjust in a more than proportionate manner and hence results in an opposite effect on the overall value. (i could explain this in a more step-by-step simple way but it would be lengthy)
In terms of politics, Ian Bremmer (no prize for guessing the title of the book) puts stability on the y-axis and openness on the x-axis. Increasing openness will initially plunge the country into instability temporarily before making greater progress later.
More nonsense spheres would be Martial Arts with the most powerful skill requiring the user to lose all his power first! (I read this chinese book when I was in primary school la please)
All in all, I’m quite intrigued by this idea of “temporal worsening before reaching greater heights” — usually a sense of awakening or even rest (in terms of work) or how the Eagle would peck at itself before being able to soar. Its counterintuitive nature somewhat appeals to my interest.
One must be careful not to end up with a “permanent worsening” though — which I have risked before! What does not kill you seriously screws you up.
Breaking your leg either maims you permanently or endows you with a stronger leg in return. Question is — how deliberate is it?
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As an archivist-somewhat, 5th June, 11th August, 18th April, 25th March, 25th April, 18 June are all significant but it is the havoc that is important. The chronology is one that is unconventional and shuffled.
Some may assert that the need to clean up mess is due to needing to feel in control of objects and mess since that’s the only thing they have in their control.
I would argue that Mess in and of itself does not exert control on the person unless it affects you enough to clean up the mess. In which case, clearly — Objects control your life instead of you controlling objects, especially if i’m able to live with an “Organised Mess” and still be able to sieve through the objects.
That being said, having a neat house/room -is- always better aesthetically as compared to a mess. I say this, having been to two different houses on both extremes in the same day. This is why i need a Messy Quarters of a house and only keep the Living quarters clean and presentable. My room to a large extent already does this by allowing me to hide all my mess behind the shelf doors.
It’s like sweeping your problems under the carpet.
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And perhaps control is just a state of mind and perception in the end. It can be one that is induced through a mindgame on others to provide an illusion of control.
It is strange that some people find themselves in control when asking and receiving while others when they are able to give and assert their (self)importance. Whatever rocks your boat.
If Shaw constantly does these AABB rhyme scheme poems, i can do haiku!
Scribbling on paper,
Three lines of five seven five.
A piece of Haiku.
Though the best is still -
Writing a Haiku.
Fuck this shit I go sleep first,
Maybe tomorrow.
: D
To frame things in a historical context, being skeptical and optimistic at the same time is to a large extent similar to modernization via western methods but retaining traditional eastern means of bureacracy that are inefficient as well as corrupt, on top of lacking the institutions and skills needed to apply western methods — this is what it means by “Superficial and half-hearted attempt” which is a phrase that has been commonly used with regards to modernization .
Essentially, having a conflicting mindset will inevitably lead to a lack of progress. Tho it is a fine line between Balance and Contradiction — in my earlier days in Bates, people (especially even those i worked with) fail to realise that they do not have to go all out “based on the principle” all the time. To suggest certain limitations makes an argument more realistic and “strikes a balance” rather than a “contradiction” of the principle argument.
Pft, words and labels. The coin only has two different sides because Man engraves different things on each sides.
Tho today was a bad day to visit City Hall given the IT fair crowd. I can’t help but to notice two things
1. The ASUS people (where i got my minicom from) are all really short also — even the guys. I might be generalising.
2. This really cute couple — one Apple one Microsoft on their shirts. Okay I don’t recall if they were really that cute, because I didn’t look above the neck… but I find the whole idea of Enemy/Rival shirts quite cute. Forbidden Love!!
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Ignore the feet at the bottom. I took a random book — first I saw on the Chinese shelf to make it look like I was actually using the library for reference. Usually I would take a book from the Chinese Medicine shelf and actually flip through to my amusement. But this was the Business section — I figured that the only thing better than Chinese Medicine is Chinese Entrepreneurship!
At first I thought the book was a historical record about a War battle and its failure — the Failure of Lanhai like the Battle of Nomonhon or something.
But upon a closer look — it isn’t what I think it is about right — if you were to do a direct translation…
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And in case my subject teachers happen to chance upon…. only one out of seven can read chinese (the other three three are indian and angmoh)
Other than that, I think even gremlin can read the first two letters at least and -possibly- the last.
I spent time listening about unappreciation and its pains.
It seems to me that despite my assertion that I’m 40 years old in my head, I really haven’t been through much. Either that or I just don’t take note or respond to the same extent even in the same situation.
If anything, I’ve been the “cause” for people feeling unappreciated before (not that I can remember specific incidents, but i THINK la)
Whatever, I’d like to think that i’m becoming increasingly appreciative or at least I should be.
An elusive end: Appreciation leads to deficits.
What sort of stupid Painkillers work by causing pain in just some other area (gastric). Apparently my codeine supply has been cut — that which I thought I would have for eternity or at least for the next two years while in the Jungle. This is because it has been replaced by the need for a stronger painkiller and also due to a change in the Doctor Team.
Anyway I have been trying to get off it already by using proper protection (the alternative would be a Metal Casted Leg) – which has resulted in an increased appetite. If I do need, I still have a 124 pills to go.
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I keep attributing many things (feelings) to chemical reactions in the head. My conclusion would be to carry on going through encounters which results in the chemicals being produced naturally. In our lives spent searching for happiness, I must clarify that I will refrain from faking depression just to get a Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor as i fear physical side-effects *ahem* and withdrawal symptoms (maybe just try Hypnosis)
But what is more disturbing is how they can shape a character — i.e. increased testosterone will mean a more impulsive, rahgrahrah character with more drive in more than one way. Having more sedatives make one more quiet. Opiates can create a feeling of euphoria. Beyond drugs, I refer to hormones as well and how they might affect decisions made.
Implication being, if chemicals can affect the way we behave — do we consider ourselves to be defined by our character? Say I no longer act the way I used to, can i be considered the same person? Not just in the sense of dementia and alzheimer’s, what if I reform — does that count?
It seems that every thing which we think “defines me” can fade away — physical appearance (aging/disfiguration), experience (memory loss) and now even character and personality.
So then what does it mean to “like you for who you are”
It means what it means. (I am who I am!)
While trekking a large part of a Lorong Chuan housing estate for a few kilometres and hours worth of a hot afternoon, we came across this huge Monster Dog of sorts — which led me to wonder, just WHY would people want a scary looking dog. I thought everyone would prefer a Cuddly dog.
(Not to mention Big Dog makes Big Shit)
Perhaps, they have a big scary dog for pride-associated reasons like having big other-things (like a Car!)… in a scary sense.
The discussion then went into how the Bankai is probably a symbol of Asian Pride.
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Speaking of scary, a certain classmate is damn afraid of big things.
One instance involve her going “omg it looks really scary” at drawings of Mushrooms on the table. Another more recent one involved her going “eee, its so big and scary” at a larger-than-usual water hose. Most HUH one is telling me that my hands are damn big and scary. Strange that a Not-Very-Small person would perceive things this way.
And she probably still thinks Phallic is derived from the word Fallacy.
I recall dismissing a potential memory as a dream instead of a repressed memory that i made an effort to forget on the grounds that it was 1) rather ridiculous that the event arose in reality despite the fact that it was possible and explained unexplainable queer interactions currently 2) even more ludicruous and unlikely that I am capable of mindgaming myself brilliantly enough to effectively erase a memory till then and 3) it is more convenient.
This time I am entirely unsure. Either I really did wake up and fall asleep immediately upon a cyclical routine every two hours four times or I had a repeated dream four times. Perhaps due to the frenzy/excitement before I got home — there are five points as to why I think it was a dream.
1) I would place doubt mainly on how the clock displaye a time which was too nice each time. what are the odds of sleeping and waking for exactly two hours. 1200, 0200, 0400, 0600.
2) what are the odds of the water beaker not running out of water after the routine action of pouring water each time i woke up and drinking
3) what is the rationale of me going back to sleep without turning off the lights such that the lights were on each time
4) not to mention how my body feels perfectly fine and has no sense of fatigue/sleep debt
5) i didn’t realise it was a dream and wake up because there was no Unrealistic Irregularity to notice. The lack of irregularity, upon hindsight, was the irregularity!
In a slept-for-two-hours state, I’d be too hazy to tell. hell, how do i remember all these details. One fine day I’m going to see Monsters when I hacculinate (or a palace of wine, women, rich food if I’m lucky!)
At the core, Blue and Red are but ideas. And in fact, I would consider a Red Ocean to be newer, rarer and more novel than a Blue one.
(I shouldnt be saying this: but nothing more in-line with the BoS than to turn something not meant to be about competition into one through arbitrary rankings. It’s a national mindset.)
But I present to you: the Red Influx strategy. Much like a communist Infiltration tactic, it involves the flooding or an Influx of red to disrupt the blue.
The underlying principle is simply: “we can do everything and anything better than you and we shall outcompete you in everything.” Relying on tried and tested strengths because Old-style competition and sheer brute force is what they’re best at.
Red Influx. T(ri)ed, Ve(ri)fied and Supe(ri)or.
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That being said, the counter argument(with much reference to an economic study of Monopolies and their market power) is that inasmuch as the barriers to entry may be low, the earlier entrant into the market has an increased competitiveness which new smaller entrants might not have and hence have a disadvantage.
Furthermore given the structural differences, unless an Institution is setup within an Institution (which might be possible even at the risk of disunity since some might stop at nothing to pursue the RiS), there is a degree of incompatibility and arguably an unwillingness to give up their previously obtained Red Ocean. This may even result in a form of (in historical terms) Imperial Overstretch in order to spread talent between the two.
Then again, circumstances are but circumstances and can be overcome by sheerbruteforce and the combined powers of RiGourouS strength and Pride
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In weighing the two, I would evaluate the worries i hear to be over-played, at least till I settle my two years of Jungle (thereafter I no longer will be concerned). Not from the exte(ri)or at least…
Not from the exterior, I subtly insinuate.
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Caveat: do not mistake me to be a spirited enthusiast or a “rah rah __” person if you know what I mean, i frown upon that. In fact I think institutions are a means to an end, people don’t serve an organization, organizations serve
people.
I’m just an extremely bored person with too much time on my hands such that I need to make observations to amuse myself.
When someone told me recently “my girlfriend is like you”, it took me a while to realise the possiblities of an Almost-Homo-Undertone behind the statement — a subconscious projection of desire on a female replica of the character ><
ohmygawddd… better rein in my mind for now before i explore the deeper possibilities.
What the Jung. On a literary note, Kamala may very well be a part of Siddhartha’s character. Selfcest!
It is interesting having spent an afternoon with someone of -to an extent- similar circumstance and more importantly, similar world view (or so I infer) to see how the Archetype responds in the given circumstance. (Note to self: I owe $5 since i was penniless that day)
Although — I am full aware of the clear differences in Archetype to begin with despite the similarities.
Either way, it was an afternoon well-spent exploring random places, talking crap and going through some work. I am certain I would have rather this than having a rushed dinner, then watching a movie from the front row in a crowded part of town (when there’re auditions down the road)
Looking through the eyes of ____ ____
As a result of sleep-wake experimentation which has messed up my body clock, I think I have messed up my mind myself.
Majority (or arguably the entirety) of the flashback seemed to have been real and more of a memory from last year. I am certain of All but *one* significant portion — which apparently I am supposed to have made a mutual agreement “never to mention this again” and “make a strong effort to forget everything” — it would be most absurd that I could sufficiently and convincingly mindgame myself into erasing a memory.
Either it was a repressed memory or an invented figment of a dream. More than the confusion, I am extremely fearful that the flashback of sorts was real.
It seems ridiculous and improbable and extreme. But it fits and explains a lot of unusual behaviour/interaction.
It fits!
I have no way to ascertain the truth. I’ll just assume that it isn’t. Better off I didn’t know.
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