Wednesday, November 29, 2006
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. ~Dr. Seuss
"There's is no good or bad. In conclusion, there only exists conviction and conception. It is all a matter of belief and mind. Do not be mistaken. There is no absolute.
I dislike people who try their means to coerce others into believing in their ideals. People are entitled to their own world, their own reality. Don't go spoiling it for them. There is no greater sin on this earth than the act of forcing unto others a conformity.
Nationalism, piety, morals, law.
Controls inserted seemingly at random into society which run a seamless control system serving to protect the top level of society. The people who fear the emergence of radical bodies, people not unlike themselves, who in ages past rose against their predecessors.
People like me.
Poeple who refuse to take in their lies unquestioningly.
This will always form a never ending loop. The future will upsurp the past. That has and will always be an unchanging fact, and so, it is inevitable that the present will fear the potential of the future to remove them from their position of comfort.
They once fought the past, and now, they try to oppress the future.
It is futile.
For in the end, there is only Life and Death."A post that "never was". Not posted on this blog, for I believed it too controversial a view that should possibly be contemplated by me. Also, a view that should be privy to select few.
The naiviety and insensitivity of that thought simply astounds me. Freedom of speech my dears. Ever so often, people stifle meaningful thoughts, and bury truths they would find socially unacceptable to express.
I wonder, how socially acceptable must one be? Must we strive to the good person and the hero for all our lives? Afterall, these societal norms are imposed upon us, not a "birth-right". I have tried living as a "socially accceptable" person in NTU, yet I still stick out like a sore thumb. I can be the gentleman whilst being politically correct and understanding to all my friends, but it betrays the real me. Being the model citizen would eventually drive me to apathy. Being yourself versus being Mr. Correct.
The realization is that being Mr Correct ends up making you Mr Wrong. There's too many considerations, numerous permutation and countless variables that simply makes it improbable to do things right every time.
Being yourself equally hard. People fear showing their true colours to the world, afterall, we have our insecurities our fears and expectations. Thus, people put on masks and walk upon a stage. Wilde said that people tend to reveal their self only when they are not their self.
Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth." ~Oscar Wilde
We do not want to disappoint, thus, we try hard to "be". However, in "being" we often forget ourselves, we foget who we are and lose all inkling of our basic principles that constitute our personality and character. When given the opportunity of annonimity, who could be blamed for eagerly taking the offer?
When all is said and done, if you cannot live with yourself, then who shall? We must be comfortable with our real self.
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind." ~Dr. Seuss
---Mood: Enlightened?
Location: Hall 16
Listening to: Taiyou no uta - Karu Amane
Gavin
pondered @ 01:51
Saturday, November 25, 2006
Tarot test
I was hoping to get Death, but the Devil will do just fine =p.
You are The Devil
Materiality. Material Force. Material temptation; sometimes obsession
The Devil is often a great card for business success; hard work and ambition.
Perhaps the most misunderstood of all the major arcana, the Devil is not really "Satan" at all, but Pan the half-goat nature god and/or Dionysius. These are gods of pleasure and abandon, of wild behavior and unbridled desires. This is a card about ambitions; it is also synonymous with temptation and addiction. On the flip side, however, the card can be a warning to someone who is too restrained, someone who never allows themselves to get passionate or messy or wild - or ambitious. This, too, is a form of enslavement. As a person, the Devil can stand for a man of money or erotic power, aggressive, controlling, or just persuasive. This is not to say a bad man, but certainly a powerful man who is hard to resist. The important thing is to remember that any chain is freely worn. In most cases, you are enslaved only because you allow it.
What Tarot Card are You?
Take the Test to Find Out.
---Mood:
Location:
Listening to:
Gavin
pondered @ 23:58
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
meme
Got it from
meiComment and I'll give you a letter; then you have to list 10 things you love that begin with that letter.
After, post this in your journal, and give out some letters of your own.
She gave me the letter Z.
1) Zippers! Where would , Zippers on my jacket.
2) Zaphod. Beeblebrox, Hitchhiker's guide anyone?
3) Zeal. A little zeal to make the day ass with ease.
4) Zest. A little zest to add spice to life
5) Zen. Minimalistic, way of thought that always make me think of a peaceful garden.
6) Zeitgeist. The spirit of time, in other words, the soul of the eras. Victorian England would be nice.
7) Zoroastrian Tower of Silence. They put their dead to be consumed by vultures. Recycle. =)
8) Zhou En Lai. In that Billy Joel song.
9) Zonta. Recall 2000 Formula One season. Hakkinen on his right and Schumacher on his left. The most amazing overtaking manoeuvre I have EVER seen.
10) Zarqawi and Zawahiri. Inside joke. Hahahhaa!
Gavin
pondered @ 21:14
Order
The world tends towards equilibrium regardless of input, just as how humans tend towards equilibrium. Equilibrium as defined by a steady state.
If we would define equilibrium as order, then the Universe tends towards order. However, the time required to reach order varies, and with variances comes interaction. Order is dependent on the state of the Universe, with infinite individual parts. Each element in the Universe interacts with some other and changes the order of things. A dynamic state, that requires eternity to reach order.
Likewise, the Earth tends towards order, albeit in a significantly shorter time frame. The movement of the continents, and shifting of the clouds over the aeons is no doubt a considerably lengthy period compared to the mere decades granted to each person.
In decades, humans seek to find order in their existence. To establish their equilibrium. This often leads to a conflict with the order of the earth. A billion different sets of order in neccessarily in consensus with another against the ancient order of the planet.
Sometimes, it is meaningless that humans should choose to inconvenience others in inherently up-hill struggle they are alreasy engaged in.
Looking around, it is not difficult to hear the weeping planet and the wails of her creatures. We can't kill her. In the end, she will restore the balance, and whether humans are a constituent of said balance, is inconsequential to our dearest planet. Humans are neither masters or gods of this planet, nor do we have any right to claim sovereignty over the lives of any others. Our lives are easily taken as we take those of others.
Through fortuitous circumstances, we have come to inhabit this position, this niche of ours. For how long? That is uncertain, but like the leadership, it is not a priveledge, it is a responsibility. It needs to be exercised with compassion and caution.
As we try to attain our personal order, we must do well to remember that we are not the sole inhabitants of any world. Lest the equilibrium of this world seeks to remove the presence of mankind, we should do well to remember our time and our place.
---Mood: Philosophical
Location: Hall 16
Listening to: Summer Samba (So Nice) - Ayako Kawahara
Gavin
pondered @ 15:44
Monday, November 20, 2006
Waking to bright sunshine
Waking up to the bright sunshine with clear cerulean skies is a joyous occassion. The pristine white clouds echoing the joyful sentiments that begin to envelop the senses. I wish I could enjoy this scene every morning, but there are lapses in the mind which led to a neglect of nature's beauty.
I want this beauty to endure through all eternity, for future generations to appreciate. In all optimism, it will be a beauty that they can enjoy.
How wonderful it would be to live life solely for the enjoyment of nature and beauty. To allow the soothing voice of the piano on stage to serenade the night away, followed by a walk down the star-lit road as the day gradually creeps in, and at your side, the girl of your dreams.
You can read out the poetry of your soul, and sing together ballads that only the other can compliment. Perfectly in sync and oblivious to the world. She'll giggle at the off key-note, and you'll laugh along with her. Holding hands, walking along, being silly little love-birds that never tire of each other.
And even if it was only for one day, it would be absolute heaven.
I wonder if such love stories still exist?
---Mood:
Location:
Listening to:
Gavin
pondered @ 21:02
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Listen for a bit
"I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody." - Bill CosbyTo please everyone is likely to be impossible, so the question is whom shall we please. To please the people around us,to please the people you care for or to please yourself?
Conciously, we strive to be pleasant to the ones we care about, and inevitably, we neglect everyone else. Sometimes the problem is as simple as being too aware of yourself. You can analyze ever single action just to please one person, whilst that is the fault.
I believe that for one to succeed, one first has to be at ease with oneself. If one has to go out of ones way to present an image that one hopes to maintain and please others, then one is not true to one's heart. Just as how there is a distinction between courtesy and insincerity.
People exists on this world for varied reasons, and it would not do one good to pretend to appreciate the person. People only ask that one be true to them, for a sincere connection, without which, any attachment or relationship is merely empty words.
Maybe a good listening ear is all one needs sometimes. Question is how good a listener am I underneath it all? Secondly, who will listen to me?
Just apply the 5 Ws and 1H. Eventually, my defences will dissolve to reveal more.
---Mood: Sagely
Location: Hall 16
Listening to: nothing
Gavin
pondered @ 22:54
Friday, November 10, 2006
Courage
"Courage is not the lack of fear. It is acting in spite of it." - Mark Twain
I hope to have the courage to do what is right. Often, too often infact, I ginore the wrong that I can right, I ignore the people I can help. Thinking it's notmy responsibility, thinking that I should not interfere. Lacking courage, moral courage.
I resolve to find the courage to right the wrongs.
---Mood: Relaxed
Location: Hall 16
Listening to: Beethoven - 5th SYmphony 1st movement
Gavin
pondered @ 20:11
Tuesday, November 07, 2006
No perfect solution
5th of November, Guy Fawkes Night. The first recorded act of terrorism and in the name of religion. It's nothing new, and the more I think about it, the less tangible the concept appears.
It is hard to grasp the motivation behind terrorism, much less to study it as a science or discipline. Terrorist might target you because of a feud ages past, or simply as a target of opportunity. It makes little difference, nor is it of significance the reason, but the means to their particular end that is of concern.
Anyone can be driven to terrorism, the righteous, the evil, and even states. The fundamental difference is non-existent, or may I be as bold as to postulate that the only difference "who". Who defines terrorism, and who is involved. Countries against countries, it is a war, Muslim bombers against soldiers is terrorism. Often, the term merely becomes an excuse, as an adjective to describe an inexplicable, unexplained state of affairs. At its worse, terrorism is merely a justification for action otherwise deemed unreasonable, unethical, inhumane and the likes.
Yesterday, Osama might have been your pal, and today he's on your most wanted list.
Putting aside the ideological difference, the conflict that of the classical "clash of civilization". It is unreasonable to demand all people see eye to eye. There will be differences, whether theological, ideological, physiological, biological. Differences, not irrevocable differences, but invariably, differences that causes disagreement and segregation.
Interestingly, the common response to violence is violence doubled. I would hardly agree that such drastic responses are constructive. Irrational loss of life, and damage to the earth. When one is spurred to arms, one is unhappy. When one is unhappy, it should sere all good to relieve one of one's unhappiness. It would not make sense to compound the problem by forcing one into submission.
No. That is never an ideal solution, but presently I have no perfect solution either.
Remember, remember, the 5th of November
Gunpowder Treason and plot ;
I know of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Guy Fawkes, Guy Fawkes,
'Twas his intent.
To blow up the King and the Parliament.
Three score barrels of powder below.
Poor old England to overthrow.
By God's providence he was catch'd,
With a dark lantern and burning match
Holloa boys, Holloa boys, let the bells ring
Holloa boys, Holloa boys, God save the King!
Hip hip Hoorah !
Hip hip Hoorah !
A penny loaf to feed ol'Pope,
A farthing cheese to choke him.
A pint of beer to rinse it down,
A faggot of sticks to burn him.
Burn him in a tub of tar,'
Burn him like a blazing star.
Burn his body from his head,
Then we'll say: ol'Pope is dead.
---Mood:
Location:
Listening to:
Gavin
pondered @ 00:16
