Friday, September 30, 2005
Ever get te feeling that nature might be overloading?
Our continued existence, my continued existence. It all seems so meaningless. Everyday that I roam the earth, is one day less for another animal. The carbon cycle shall spin, and there is only so much carbon present. Every life for another.
But the unrelentless tides of human expansion demands ever increasing amounts of carbon, steel and energy. To feed the human march, the earth ungrudginly gives. Until now.
The natural scales have been tipping, and human is making sure it tips to his side. However, like any other states of equilibrium, balnce must be sought. Whatever man is using to hold the side of the see-saw down might not hold for eternity.
The better news? Nature is fighting back.
Hurricanes after hurricanes, bred by warmer temperatures. Viruses spread that should not spread, via the mass production of livesttock. Processes altered, natural flows stopped. Furious changes in too short a time, and the laws of physics may one day yet seek vengence.
Man can fight man all he wants, but will he see the imminent battle looming under his nose?
What are we supposed to do. Do we fight nature, and continue our selfish existence, or do we realize the folly of our choices. Man can be unselfish to man, but can he be unselfish to all.
Man might be the most destrcutive killer of man, but he is not the only killer.
Gavin
pondered @ 21:46
Wednesday, September 28, 2005
So on Ssaturday I shall attempt to claim my Boat license. 4 weeks later, it's the Ophir climb. Then probably in late November tehre's the Archery course to attend. Maybe after that I shall go attend the scuba diving course or go for the class 2B bike license. And what about the fencing/kendo course?
Sounds like I will be sufficiently occupied until August, perhaps a little too busy to start revisions before school starts.
Of course that is another story for another time.
At the moment it is imperative that I equip myself with as many skills as possible, so I will be able to move with ease on land, sea and air, and more importantly, with the art of killing. Why? I have no idea, but there is an irrepressible urge to endow myself with the necessities for survival. As though Armageddon is imminent.
Or it's just because I need some eccentric, paranoid obsession to make my life feel meaningful. I certainly hope that it's wrong.
Gavin
pondered @ 20:23
Sunday, September 25, 2005
Logically flawed
A logical mind is a brilliant mind, and is also insufferably boring.
But unknown to many, those who appear most logical most often are the most detached from reason. Whereas the most eccentric of men are actually the most sensible of the lot.
Most of the time, reality is too mundane, and in fact, the narrative urge of the human mind is obstinately trying to convince itself that the turth is not.
The world is only as real as one makes it. But it must be recognized that there is a limit to interpretting the world. There is a line between the seeing the world and being blind to it.
Such a fine line that a thread width is more than sufficient to cross it.
Gavin
pondered @ 21:02
Friday, September 23, 2005
Dance
Looming trees lit by naked flames, take on a beauty that is unparalleled. Green, yellow, orange reds, held in the sky by darker browns. The light of the welders gave life to the still evening scene, which he failed to notice.
Only an irrepressible urge to overtake every car he saw, and that was what he did. He tried singing the song on the CD, but only to come to the realization that he neither knew the lyrics nor understood them. So his thoughts drifted back to the one he never quite shook off.
"The darn car ain't fast enough."
-----It's a miracle I even noticed that the welder's butane flame. The way the light danced across the drifting leaves was not a sight to be missed. With every moment, the almost electric light of the blowtorches became more vibrant, emboldened by the fleeting light of sunset. Soon it was going to be dusk, and the light on the tree shall possess the tree. Like a gentle caress, the light seems to sing a little duet as the two danced a zealous tango.
Such a curious amalgamation of two distinctly seperate world. Mother Nature's stoic tree and Man's playful fire. The unlikely couple sing sweet romance.
While I was alone in the lacking car. A kaleidoscope of unspoken thoughts.
Gavin
pondered @ 20:22
Monday, September 19, 2005
Moon cake reiew
So the moon cake festival has gone, and in the span of 2 weeks, I had the priviledge of sampling mooncakes from everywhere. Almost.
Of course, they ranged from the cimply atrocious to the out-worldly delicious ones. The reputation of the worse mooncake went to the ones SFI gave for lunch. the size of a cup coaster, it was hard, including the lotus paste inside.
But bad ones aside, there were a few disappointing ones. The mooncakes from the Hilton was really ordinary. Too sweet if I might add.
There was also this one, which the regulars in bought, that tasted quite unique. It was a salty filling, possibly green bean paste. I must ask them where they bought it from.
There's the ones from Bengawan solo, which isn't really much to boast about, althought it was the better amongst the ones listed so far.
There's this box of Mariott hotel mooncakes which I am too stuffed to try, but let's get to the best ones shall we?
Such intricate design for the box.
Inside of the box
The is of course, the Hagen Daaz mooncake ice-creams! But knowing how I'm a die-hard fan of cookies and Cream ice-cream, which happened to be the filling for the Hagen Daaz mooncakes, there's boiund to be much prejudice in that choice. However, that's not the one I'm heare to preach about.
With a Mango Shorbet core
The Hagen Daaz mooncake ice-cream that really stood out is definitely the liquer mooncake ice-creams. You should see them.
Instead of the regular milk chocolate shell, this one has got a dark chocolate shell, hinting at a darker eauty. The dark chocolate is definitely a better choice for this as it has a bitter taste, which suitably accuntuates the sweetness of the ice-cream inside. It came in 3 flavours, Bailey's, Champagne (I'm not sure on this) and Brandied cherry. I had the Bailey's flavoured one, and I tell you, it was heavenly. THe filling was of the finest vanila ice-cream which seemed to be mixed with finely ground chocolate, absolutely marvelous, and the core of this ice-crea is forzen liquer. I must abmit that I was guilty of finishing the whole thing except for the liquer core. I left it almost intact save for one bite. It just did not go well. One would have been much heppier with a molten chocolate core, or maybe white chocolate core.
So now, we come to the star attraction, this year's champion of the mooncakes, the snow mooncake from Raffles hotel.
These petite white bundles of pure indulgence are simply put, out of this world. They are about the size of a large watch face, and they sare serve chilled. The outer skin is soft, and your teeth simply slice through them with the slightest little effort. Past the skin, there lies a ground nut paste, of composition with quite sonfounds me. I reckon a good proportion of almond and some chinese nut which name I can't quite recall. And the secret lies in it's heart, the heart which is made of chocolate, a hard White chocolate ball with softer white chocolate inside. Ooh-la-la. Pure and wonderful, so good that it should be banned.
Gavin
pondered @ 19:47
Sunday, September 18, 2005
Full moon night
Tonight the pale moon smile it's snowy grin, the brightest time in the dozen months.Still cool night, hardly stirred by breeze, and the silver spray illuminates the dark unknowns. Slowly the night passes by, and I watch the people walk. They run, they play and the children laugh with lanterns tightly held. The neighbours runs to me, and I smile at them. His little feet going pitter-patter, the innoncent children go.
As I see these scences, I feel that all is at peace, for one night at least, and hoping maybe it could be like so every night. Seeing them happy, that's good, and yet, feeling so out of place. A wandering explorer, that beats the heart inside, I ask the moon to sing me a song, and to listen with the stars.
Inside, there is a restless spirit that longs to soar, one that wants to see the world. I want to fly out there, among the silver seas and the dark blue depths.
Destined to be a lonely wandere, searching, seeking. Not content to be, but yearning not to be. For if I am not then only can I seek to be. Unending, with no conclusion in sight, that story that is not to have the conclusion.
Challenging beliefs to see new truths, pushing the limits to see how much further to go. Failing only to be better subsequently. Only by getting lost will you ever see the many paths in life.
Scenic paths, barren roads, dead ends and uphill slopes. Many of the possible places I might find.
If only I can findone that never ends.
Gavin
pondered @ 21:58
Saturday, September 17, 2005
It's hard to liberate people from the chains of convention, and at the same time, not force them to believe in your views simply through coercion. That would be pointless and no different from the very influences you seek to free them from.
You are left with no choice but to challenge their views, and at that point of time, their obstinance just hits you. Some refuse to hear, some have no views, and some just don't care.
It is almost as though they are waiting for somebody to tell them waht to do. Scared of making the wrong decisions, afraid of being wrong, and unwilling to try.
So why in the world keeps me trying?
-----Anyway, look what I found in the canal.
Water rat.
Gavin
pondered @ 23:14
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
S-O-C-R-A-T-E-S
Socrates.
Is it pronounced So-Crates or So-cra-tees?
More interestingly, did this man ever exist or is he as much part of fiction as little red riding hood.
But I love this guy. There is a Socrates in everyone of us and this is the part of us that is forever trying to ask questions. Stronger in some and weaker in others, the eternal search for truth seems to be a intrinsic part of the human psyche.
That results in a quandary: To find contentment eventually or to persistantly quest for answers to the very last moment.
Questioning is a the very basis of the human life. Through questions lies the path to answers, but answer that only lead to even more questions. Alternatively, you can choose to satisfy yourself with what you already know. Then, what are you going to look forward to?
Gavin
pondered @ 21:18
Saturday, September 10, 2005
So what is real?
There are many layers present in the mind, layer upon layer of conciousness. Different levels of semtience, and each not neccessarily corresponding with adjacent levels.
Some layers prominently stake their claim to you being, others appear to be redundant. Even more alarming are the layers that we do not even know exists, layers that stay hidden yet are the ones that control the most primal of our responses.
But without doubt, these layers form one cohesive unit, the human soul. So how do we ever know what is the real "self"?
This is a rather frustrating question which has at certain points in one's life, one had invariably found oneself worrying about. A question that inextricably finds itself linked with the other question - What is the meaning of life. Simply put, if one is unable to understand who one is, then how could one ever unravel the meaning of one's existence.
It's like asking you to explain the ingredients involved in the making of a cake before you ahve even seen or tasted a cake. Similiarly, people must first understand the being that they refer to as their "self". It is thi process that is perhaps one of the hardest to comprehend in human society.
People often remark that the most dangerous animal is man. That is a highly accurate observation, and the most dangerous specimen is oneself. Why? Because one's existence is undeniably linked to one's preception of the world around one. THus, any form of hatred, pain, and suffering are basically representations of emotions. Of feeling and chemical signals generated within the various layers of the body.
So, I ask, how does one go about comprehending the soul?
Gavin
pondered @ 20:34
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Back to school in a year, and I'm mugging already. Actually it's for my boat license.
Just a warning to all boaters. It is illegal to drve your boataround Singapore waters without a rubbish bin.
Gavin
pondered @ 20:29
Saturday, September 03, 2005
Katrina
One thing that the hurricane has taught us? It's that regardless of the petty little wars that man wage, nothing compares to nature's power. That Katrina should reduce the world's super power to a crying state. It's such a sorry sight that even the "almighty" US is reduced to a return to "anarchy". Reports have indicated that Bush had given orders to the National Guard to "shoot to kill" any troublemaker.
For a country which expounds the merits of truth and freedom, it seems all to eager to resort to violence means, even on it's own citizens. Of course, it is in part a result of the chaos that had evnveloped the affected areas.
Inevitably, the estruction and the situation is hauntingly similar to those of the tsunami hit countries last december. One would think that the US would have had better plans in case of such a situation, but the slow respoense served only to draw more flak.
Complacency perhaps, but having only witnessed the tsunami last year and being the target of the 911 attacks, the preparations of the US against Katrina is appaling. Are they telling the world tht they are too preoccupied with the thoughts of Osama, Saddam and Iraq that they have not even remembered that they are still vulnerable to anything other than military attacks or terrorists.
It's not a problem only the US has, but more a common security problem. People try to o hard to prepare against what had already hit, and often, to the extent that of neglecting anything else. In many ways, it's worse to only prepare agianst terrorist attacks than not to prepare at all.
Gavin
pondered @ 21:02
The Observatory concert at the Esplanade had for one better seats, the last time round, we had to bring our own cushions, fortunately, they provided chairs this tie round.
The first thing I noticed about them was the addition of the drum set, I heard they got a new drummer, and it was going to be interesting.
Blank walls' songs are as one would say, a tad more "heavy". Or at least from the selection of the songs performed, that was one of the conclusions. Maybe it's their new direction or maybe it's the addition of a drummer. I for one find that any band with the addition of any half-decent drummer will tend to play much louder, heavier music in general. THe Observatory's new drummer was pretty good.
On the whole, the band still retains that surreal type of music, albeit much more angsty and less of a drifting kind of feel. Where the first album gives one a sense of floating along, this one tells you that they are rushing forward on a bike.
If you ask, me, it's not "Observatory" per se. But hopefully, it's just half of the songs on the album.
They did play killing time as part of the encore performance, but, it lacked emotion. Vivian was off-tune and off beat through out the song.
But on a positive note, the bass players have definitely improved.
Go get the album, I think it's good.
Gavin
pondered @ 00:03
