If you could have the ability to do anything what would the one thing be?
I like the idea of bending reality. Changing anything and everything.
But then after a while it wouldn't be fun anymore. Being omnipotent might become a pain in the ass and a bore.
I guess the most powerful ability, the one i would like most to have would be the power of persuasion. Imagine that. To make you do whatever i want you to do.
Beware! For i am powerful!
Saturday, 9 June 2007
Thursday, 7 June 2007
V V V V V
Watched V for Vendetta again a few days ago. It still strikes me as potently as it did before.
Hugo Weaving does an excellent job of narrating V's lines, and he does the alliteration of the phonetic V words with such gusto and finesse that i am impressed all over again. Excellent. Although nowhere as good as the graphic novel itself, it is an adaptation that is commendable in its own right. My favourite quote from the film-
People should not be afraid of their governments- governments should be afraid of us.
-V
After all, is not government but a mechanism? Its the fundamental principle behind governing that it all boils down to- if government were not voted by the people in the first place, it would be impossible for governments to perform. It is something that governments should never forget, in the course of everything. We create you, we gave you life. Oppression and fear of expression should be the least of our worries, eh?
I read the various articles in the newspapers about varsity blues and this morning something struck me. Why feel so strongly about such a thing? It's not as if anything will change. If you read the dean of admissions' reply in the forum page today, you will find that it is a carbon copy of what anybody can find in any admission booklet or even on the admission website itself. He make no light of anything, but reiterating points which are already known to everybody, points itself that are being challenged.
Dean of Admissions
National University of Singapore
Well, he is just repeating himself, isnt he? Every A level student can tell that these 2 paragraphs are the 2 paragraphs of total BOLLOCKS. Not considering S papers?
MAI HAO SIAO LAH
It is so damn ridiculous that i want to laugh. Literally.
What is transparency? Here is one example of transparency. The Australian Admission system.
A level grades are considered on a scale of 5 to 1 points. An A, being 5 points, and an E, 1 point respectively. Thus, based on such a calculation of points- admission criteria are thus created from there. This allows for people to gauge themselves and to know where they stand. For example- how can you define who does better? a person who gets an ABC or a person who has BBB? using this method of calculation both of them score the same points. There is no such thing as 'preference because of an A', because both students' grades even themselves out.
Hugo Weaving does an excellent job of narrating V's lines, and he does the alliteration of the phonetic V words with such gusto and finesse that i am impressed all over again. Excellent. Although nowhere as good as the graphic novel itself, it is an adaptation that is commendable in its own right. My favourite quote from the film-
People should not be afraid of their governments- governments should be afraid of us.
-V
After all, is not government but a mechanism? Its the fundamental principle behind governing that it all boils down to- if government were not voted by the people in the first place, it would be impossible for governments to perform. It is something that governments should never forget, in the course of everything. We create you, we gave you life. Oppression and fear of expression should be the least of our worries, eh?
I read the various articles in the newspapers about varsity blues and this morning something struck me. Why feel so strongly about such a thing? It's not as if anything will change. If you read the dean of admissions' reply in the forum page today, you will find that it is a carbon copy of what anybody can find in any admission booklet or even on the admission website itself. He make no light of anything, but reiterating points which are already known to everybody, points itself that are being challenged.
Additionally, the selection process of some faculties, such as Medicine and Law, includes interviews for candidates shortlisted based on the UAS. Any 'S' papers or fourth or subsequent A-level subjects are not considered when computing the UAS.
Because of components such as General Paper and Project Work in the UAS, it is possible that a student with three As may not be admitted to a course of study while another with two As and a B may because of different performance levels in General Paper and Project Work.
-Associate Professor Tan Thiam SoonDean of Admissions
National University of Singapore
Well, he is just repeating himself, isnt he? Every A level student can tell that these 2 paragraphs are the 2 paragraphs of total BOLLOCKS. Not considering S papers?
MAI HAO SIAO LAH
It is so damn ridiculous that i want to laugh. Literally.
What is transparency? Here is one example of transparency. The Australian Admission system.
A level grades are considered on a scale of 5 to 1 points. An A, being 5 points, and an E, 1 point respectively. Thus, based on such a calculation of points- admission criteria are thus created from there. This allows for people to gauge themselves and to know where they stand. For example- how can you define who does better? a person who gets an ABC or a person who has BBB? using this method of calculation both of them score the same points. There is no such thing as 'preference because of an A', because both students' grades even themselves out.
Saturday, 2 June 2007
Grats
He got it.
NUS business sponsorship.
In response to all the recent hubbub about getting good grades and not being able to get into courses of choice, i use him as an absolute example.
He is not from a prestigious school
He does not even have perfect scores
He worked his ass off from secondary school all the way to JC, to his A's to give him the results that he has today. He has always been conscious of the fact that the cohort is a competitive one, and has worked hard bearing this in mind.
Somehow, when you see someone close to you succeed, its an overwhelming feeling of pride that that person is able to achieve what you can only dream of getting. The feeling is totally indescribable. You just feel---happy!
And it lightens the burden off my parents, the burden that I HAVE CREATED. Goddam man.
NUS business sponsorship.
In response to all the recent hubbub about getting good grades and not being able to get into courses of choice, i use him as an absolute example.
He is not from a prestigious school
He does not even have perfect scores
He worked his ass off from secondary school all the way to JC, to his A's to give him the results that he has today. He has always been conscious of the fact that the cohort is a competitive one, and has worked hard bearing this in mind.
Somehow, when you see someone close to you succeed, its an overwhelming feeling of pride that that person is able to achieve what you can only dream of getting. The feeling is totally indescribable. You just feel---happy!
And it lightens the burden off my parents, the burden that I HAVE CREATED. Goddam man.
2 Pieces of News, 2 Cents- No 2
| Getting anime illegally online? Beware Japanese animated cartoons distributor sending letters to culprits warning of legal action | |
| By Chua Hian Hou | |
| PRICES of anime DVDs here are the world's lowest, but fans of these Japanese animated cartoons prefer to get them online - for free. Now they may land in the soup because a crackdown has been launched, and they are the targets for downloading these English-subtitled cartoons through file-sharing networks. Local anime distributor Odex, which brings in the DVDs from Japan, has sent out letters to culprits it has identified as having downloaded these 'fansubs' using the Internet and peer-to-peer systems like BitTorrent. 'Fansubs' are the works subtitled by bilingual fans of anime as a service to the community of non-Japanese-speaking anime fans. Odex spokesman Stephen Sing would not say how many legal letters have been issued. A copy of one such letter obtained by The Straits Times announced that Odex would take legal action against the alleged downloader unless he settled the issue. Odex did not say what constituted a settlement. The letter to this particular alleged downloader - a SingNet subscriber - came attached with a three-page listing of alleged downloads. Mr Sing said that Odex, together with the Anti Video Piracy Association of Singapore, had no choice but to take legal action, because 'pirates' here download more anime files than any other country except the United States, which was 'ridiculous, considering our population'. Anime fansubs, around since the 1980s, used to come in video cassettes, but the Internet and BitTorrent have made it cheap and easy to get hold of the cartoons. An anime fan here, who declined to be named, said the community was downloading fansubs because original anime works were of poor quality and overpriced. Mr Sing's counter: 'Perception problem.' Focus groups, he said, have been unable to differentiate fansubs from its DVDs when played back on a 42-inch TV set. Mr Sing added that on a per-DVD basis, prices here were the world's lowest, and that even when Odex bundled three DVDs for a $9.90 trial offer, fans did not bite. In the US, the price of a two-DVD set costs between US$15 and US$20, depending on the anime title. The anime fan was dismissive of the crackdown and said it would not stop fansub piracy. The community is tech-savvy and will find ways to continue downloading without getting caught, he said. Under Singapore's Copyright Act, users found guilty of 'wilful' and 'significant' downloads face fines of up to $20,000 and up to six months behind bars. The Act does not specify what constitutes a significant number of downloads. .......................................................... An interesting article. We are seeing a repeat of history. It was like this with Napster, and now the crackdown is happening to Anime.
But we must not forget the basis behind the success of these anime series. The very people who are responsible for bringing this phenomenon to the world, are those who have painstakingly taken their time to provide subtitles for the various series, and to distribute them over the internet. It is thru these downloads and fansubbing groups that anime has such a high appeal. To even crack down on such so called "illegally distributed" versions of japanese animation would be, in short, to bite the very hand that feeds you. Legal action is something every person dreads. If even watching animation in this way is considered illegal, then the ramifications of this will be a significantly lower fan base, and a definite decrease in popularity. If ANBU and Anime-One did not perform their fansubs of Naruto, in all honesty it would not have been the commercial success that it is today. Neither would the chinese comic books becomes such a popular hit. Face it, we are all human. No one wants to buy anime and come out disappointed. Downloading anime on a weekly basis is just akin to following the series itself as and when it is released in japan. And lets not forget the fact that there has already been one crackdown so far on anime. Out of this, a list of licensed and unlicensed anime series have already been released. Why the sudden fuss now? This situation has to be assessed. Most likely, there is something deeper behind this crackdown. Perhaps the problem lies internally- that local servers are finding the excessive downloads made by users a problem as it causes network congestion? One possible reason i can think of. Another possible reason? That there just isnt a market for buying so called "original" anime dvd's and vcd's. What to do? No business to be made from selling "cheapest original dvd's and vcd's in the world even when compared to america", cannot cry woh. So call police bring the black and white in LOR This is so typically Singaporean it disgusts me.
|
2 Pieces of News, 2 Cents- No 1
Birth-swap Msian man files suit over religion
KUALA LUMPUR - A MALAYSIAN man mistakenly given to Muslim parents at birth has filed a claim to be legally recognised as a Buddhist, the New Straits Times reported on Saturday, amid an ongoing row over religious recognition.
Mr Zulhadi Omar, 29, was registered as a Malay Muslim at birth. But in an incredible chance meeting, an ethnic Chinese couple approached him in a shopping centre in February after noticing his similarity to his real father.
Mr Zulhadi said his lawyer had filed the suit on Friday after Malaysian authorities failed to respond to a written request for his name and religion to be changed on his birth certificate and identity card.
DNA tests have confirmed Zulhadi is the biological son of Teyo Ma Liong and Lim Sik Hai and not his registered Malay Muslim parents.
'On the day that I was born, a woman named Lim Sik Hai also gave birth to a baby boy at the same hospital,' The Star newspaper quoted Mr Zulhadi as saying.
'I was registered a Muslim based on an error at birth. I should have been named Eddie Teyo, son of Teyo Ma Liong and Lim Sik Hai, and a Buddhist.' The move follows the controversial refusal of Malaysia's top secular court to allow a woman who converted from Islam to be legally recognised as a Christian.
The court on Wednesday rejected a request by Lina Joy to have the word 'Islam' removed from her national identity card after her conversion, saying an Islamic, or sharia, court would first have to recognise her conversion.
Ethnic Malays are defined as Muslims from birth. Renouncing the faith is one of the gravest sins in Islam and is rarely allowed by Islamic authorities. -- AFP
The idea of an islamic state is interesting. In fact, the idea of having a religion as something national itself is an interesting idea. True enough, it may be a consensus of the majority of the country's population, but face it- in some ways it constitutes an absolute realization of what Mill describes as a "tyranny of the majority". Inevitably it is impossible to come to a universal agreement on beliefs. Beliefs are what differentiate us as humans just like fingerprints or our voices. To make everybody bound to popular belief, is to infringe on the very sanctity of our persona- to question how we think and act. If truly there is such a thing as benevolent governing, this should not be the case.
KUALA LUMPUR - A MALAYSIAN man mistakenly given to Muslim parents at birth has filed a claim to be legally recognised as a Buddhist, the New Straits Times reported on Saturday, amid an ongoing row over religious recognition.
Mr Zulhadi Omar, 29, was registered as a Malay Muslim at birth. But in an incredible chance meeting, an ethnic Chinese couple approached him in a shopping centre in February after noticing his similarity to his real father.
Mr Zulhadi said his lawyer had filed the suit on Friday after Malaysian authorities failed to respond to a written request for his name and religion to be changed on his birth certificate and identity card.
DNA tests have confirmed Zulhadi is the biological son of Teyo Ma Liong and Lim Sik Hai and not his registered Malay Muslim parents.
'On the day that I was born, a woman named Lim Sik Hai also gave birth to a baby boy at the same hospital,' The Star newspaper quoted Mr Zulhadi as saying.
'I was registered a Muslim based on an error at birth. I should have been named Eddie Teyo, son of Teyo Ma Liong and Lim Sik Hai, and a Buddhist.' The move follows the controversial refusal of Malaysia's top secular court to allow a woman who converted from Islam to be legally recognised as a Christian.
The court on Wednesday rejected a request by Lina Joy to have the word 'Islam' removed from her national identity card after her conversion, saying an Islamic, or sharia, court would first have to recognise her conversion.
Ethnic Malays are defined as Muslims from birth. Renouncing the faith is one of the gravest sins in Islam and is rarely allowed by Islamic authorities. -- AFP
The idea of an islamic state is interesting. In fact, the idea of having a religion as something national itself is an interesting idea. True enough, it may be a consensus of the majority of the country's population, but face it- in some ways it constitutes an absolute realization of what Mill describes as a "tyranny of the majority". Inevitably it is impossible to come to a universal agreement on beliefs. Beliefs are what differentiate us as humans just like fingerprints or our voices. To make everybody bound to popular belief, is to infringe on the very sanctity of our persona- to question how we think and act. If truly there is such a thing as benevolent governing, this should not be the case.
Friday, 1 June 2007
Moving out
I cannot see myself living together with any of the blokes on this floor.
Somehow, if i sit at a damn table and i can count thirty seconds of absolute silence when conversation should very obviously be occurring, then there is no point in me making the extra effort. Everything looks peachy keen but i know it is different. I will never be able to tolerate living with any of these people under one roof. If that is the case, then why even make the effort to go further?
Moving out with other people will be so much better. I may hardly know them, but there are a few things i am sure of:
1- They will obviously consume less
2- They are obviously neater
3- Making concessions for them is easier
4- I can see myself making the effort to open up
F$%^ it man. I'm not moving out with any blokes. Period.
Somehow, if i sit at a damn table and i can count thirty seconds of absolute silence when conversation should very obviously be occurring, then there is no point in me making the extra effort. Everything looks peachy keen but i know it is different. I will never be able to tolerate living with any of these people under one roof. If that is the case, then why even make the effort to go further?
Moving out with other people will be so much better. I may hardly know them, but there are a few things i am sure of:
1- They will obviously consume less
2- They are obviously neater
3- Making concessions for them is easier
4- I can see myself making the effort to open up
F$%^ it man. I'm not moving out with any blokes. Period.
The definition of a friend
I admit that at times i can be a very easygoing person. To me, most of the time 'anything goes'. It is also relatively easy to make me change my mind about a certain something. I dont give a shit about a lot of things but when things strike me they really hit me hard and my head goes all the way into it.
But seriously, actions speak louder than words.
How can i get to know a person better if i cannot get my ideas across?
How can i be friends with people who very obviously are not listening when they appear to?
In a nutshell, i think what summarises this f$%%king shebang is this narration between Marla and the Narrator from Fight Club:
The Narrator: When people think you are dying then they really really listen to you instead of just....
Marla: Instead of just waiting for their turn to speak.
I lent you my bowl. The only damn bowl i have. And you bloody mixed it up with the bowls in the dining room. Ok perhaps its only a BOWL, but it really goes to show how you treat me, how you view me as a person. You obviously do not have much respect for my belongings, so why the hell would you have respect for me as a person? Pfft.
I really want to cuss now.
I give up.
But seriously, actions speak louder than words.
How can i get to know a person better if i cannot get my ideas across?
How can i be friends with people who very obviously are not listening when they appear to?
In a nutshell, i think what summarises this f$%%king shebang is this narration between Marla and the Narrator from Fight Club:
The Narrator: When people think you are dying then they really really listen to you instead of just....
Marla: Instead of just waiting for their turn to speak.
I lent you my bowl. The only damn bowl i have. And you bloody mixed it up with the bowls in the dining room. Ok perhaps its only a BOWL, but it really goes to show how you treat me, how you view me as a person. You obviously do not have much respect for my belongings, so why the hell would you have respect for me as a person? Pfft.
I really want to cuss now.
I give up.
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