Sunday, November 27, 2011

Playing God Prologue

Months back, I was at a convention called the South Asian Diaspora Convention. After the 2 day event, the troupe of students I was with was waiting in line to go to the Singapore Art Science Museum as part of a complimentary gesture from the organizer.

And we wait, one of the students mentioned how amazing the speaker was as he described his invention that with just by placing your hand at the sensor, it will know what drink you want and serve you automatically. That student was awestruck that a machine could just do so much. And everyone agreed.

All except me. LOL. I said that it's pretty disgusting to see a machine doing so much. It technically replaces the human being in deciding what to drink. I added that having machines automate our daily tasks seems like a step into the future but no one can ever know how it will truly affect us. For example, the internet. Before the internet, communicating beyond borders was unimaginably difficult. Though a lot will say that the internet has further shrinked the world, we should not forget the other side; Of how the internet fastened the declining of face to face interaction. All around me, I see people glued to these tiny screens. Forgoing their paperback novels or papers and 'embracing' the step towards the future.

By moving forward, do we for forgo what got us so far today? What about the culture? The traditions? The moral values? The unrivaled code of conduct? Are our people becoming less smarter as we step towards this future?

Smarter people are those that involve a huge amount of information but selectively listen to construct, express and take action about their thoughts. Not those that let anything around them decide. Where's that human part of it?

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Real Bad Days

Honestly, today didn't start that well. But like they put it, bad days are as real as you make it.

My FYP is stale. My jacket was junk. My body is bleak. Everything seems bad. Until something reminded me. And that got me to watch Forest Gump.

It's my weekly practice of watching a cult classic to freshen up my literature senses. Like last week, I watched Donnie Darko. Still haven't review that. Maybe tomorrow I'll start it. And then, not forgetting tonight's Forest Gump.

A change from my daily doings that is kinda useless. Some days, you gotta know that you fall. And when you fall, you have to try to remember the things that make you happy.

I know a cup of Milo makes me happy. With you that is. :)

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Beholder of the Cup

Back then, I wouldn't even imagined of doing such feats. It seemed beyond me. It seemed impossible. Sometimes, I got myself so convinced that it was just dumb. But we change, but most importantly, we grow.

I'm out from school for 2 days. An old injury has me limping my left leg and whenever I sit, it just gives an annoying pain. It's not exactly a big deal until I spent hours sitting or immobilized on butt. It's a stark reminder that moving about is my speciality. Moving is living.

Spend an hour at my project lab and you will see me flying all over the place. I've got a table for my computer, a table for the programming manual, another table for my tools. So at any given time, you can see me bounce from my laptop to the manual and then to my tools. It's a cycle. :)

I don't like to stay put. Ironically, I have a DISC profile that hates change. Heck Barnum Effect, even that horoscope stated a Capricon's disgust with change in any form or shape. Sooooo, I like to move around, but I hate to change. Hmm... meh, makes sense to me.

Hey. Do me a favour. On your way back to school, see that stranger on your left/right? Yeah, tell him/her your day for me. Madness much? It seems so. But our basic natural instincts of human social-interaction has us in a cycle that when we reveal what bothers us the most to an available ear, we feel much better. It could be that mechanism of letting things go. But why does it feel better to let go? And not treasure it?

It's a debate of cup half full or half empty.

But to us, human emotions that is, that mechanism is true. For instance, imagine that you just had a heated discussion with a person, you just fell like walking away from that place. It's buit-into boys. We just don't like to hang around the scene of crime. I'm not sure about the other half of the humankind though. Haha.

Familiar with the Home Room system in schools? Largely based in the US, students travel from class to class as according to their timetable. Being able to move around, it serves as a break for the mind to gather what it has learnt in that Science period. Provided the student listens that is.

Moving on, be it from lost game of soccer, from the passing of a loved one or from a failed relationship, is the solution that most of us undertake. And talking about it might be a better outlet for some.

For me... I'd rather bear your pain rather than you hear mine. Half cup full, I've no worries. :)

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Up In Flames.

Just like that, it caught fire and it went up in flames.

Shocked, but it's subsiding. And then contentment I guess? Finally, one less person to worry about. It was nice while it lasted. ;)


Monday, November 07, 2011

"Justin never knew the rules."

The mood is up. It's the holidays yet again. But this time, it's subtle. It's so subtle that it kinda feels repeated. Which it actually is, every year.

I've been wanting to start my work week on Sundays in an effort to stamp out Monday Blues. Unfortunately, this week already stamped out those blues. At any rate, I should enlist my reading self to digest 4 books I recently purchased.

Or I could hunt down a prospective buyer for my now defunct late 2006 model white MacBook. This fella survived at least 6 YEARS of student torture. It is survived by a dirty, slightly blackened keyboard, a set of speakers that won't be rocking any room party , let alone house party, any time soon. It also sports a "war scar". I mean a crack on the right edge of the palm rest. So how much am I getting from this? Well, I'll be damned. If I get at least 200 from this, I will sell it straight away. STRAIGHT AWAY. Honestly, I might get 50 or 100 if I'm lucky.

I definitely need a new machine. iMovie runs to a crawl in it. Pictures load up real real slow. The famous rotating beach ball, akin to Microsoft's hour glass, debuts much more frequently. And also, it's dirty and old and not new. But it still works. A marvellous machine that is a trademark of quality. But that is not what I really want to say is it?

I kinda miss some things, though.