A totally cyclic life

I have realized that, just like a part from the show i just saw - Planet 51, that my life always feels almost perfect, and then just like that, everything seems to come tumbling down. Nothing goes my way. I realize that when I am thinking of solving all that shit that is coming my way, I really like a conducive environment. One that I have been striving to have almost all my life. Unfortunately I too realize that this environment is oh so easily screwed up, and I am constantly having to sweep the floor, clear the table, an whatever not else, just so that I can even sit there to surf the internet!

I really wonder what would encourage others to be more tolerant and understanding toward you. Hinting, asking directly and encouraging is obviously not working, and I am really wondering if there are simply sides of us all which are so self-centered that we lose sight of what is better for us in the long run. I have been trying to find an answer to that for so long now, and I am beginning to feel totally lost. I thought getting away would be good, for me to re-think what I want and how to go about getting it. I thought talking would be good, but again, it takes two to talk. Well, i think I better get started on getting actual work done rather than bitch about life... As usual, and perhaps, though it has never worked, maybe this time, time would solve it all...

Waving!!!

Between life and death

For those who havent heard about it, while windsurfing, I almost killed myself. It was interesting, here goes. I was waiting for the storm to come in, cause the best winds are just before a storm really kicks in. Everything was fine and good, and I was having a blast out at sea, with I would say, a short period of rather kick ass wind. Then, the clouds came in... and I was hurrying back to shore, duhh, cos it looked terribly menacing (and it was!!!). And so, I was happily sailing back, going as fast as a little pebble skipping on the surface of the water when lo and behold, the wind came to an abrupt stop! This was all while I was about say just over a kilometer away from shore.

So, I used my sail as a fan and started pumping it like mad trying to get back to shore but 5 seconds into that, torrential rain hit. I had say 20 meter visibility, and needless to say, I couldnt see shore no more. to compound that (and here's where I thought I was screwed) there was lightning. Not your normal every couple of minutes, but rather, clouds only an apartment block high, every 4 second type of lightning. I put down my sail and sat on my board, thinking... I'm screwed. Half an hour of drifting later, and thank my lucky stars I didnt get hit by any lightning / ships / coast guard / ferries, the lightning eased off.

Just before I lost sight of shore, I saw the wind change direction to an off shore-ly direction, and so, I got up again, and started to surf. Upwind of course. After say an hour of aimless surfing, mind you, it was still 20 meter visibility, i realized i was going nowhere. I heard planes in the distance, and started going toward the noise, cos the sailing center's right next to the airport. Another hour of aimless surfing before the rain eased a tad, and when I saw trees in the horizon, I was pretty darned happy! Took me 45 mins to get close to shore.

This I have to emphasize, to thank all those involved in getting me back. All the boats in the sailing center and neighboring Ministry of Education's adventure camp were out looking for me. Took them an hour and a half to get me. Special thanks to Bow and Alvin (who had blue lips from the cold) for finding me!

Anyhow, I will add another part soon, about how this has affected my belief system.

brains and their vessels

I was speaking with an acquaintance lately, and it struck me as very strange, the way he thought. See, for us, well, me at least, I do view myself as one entity. Not much thought into that. Period. However, it came to light that there are some people out there, of high academic standings, who view their bodies as mere vessels to transport their brains around. This was rather perplexing as in my line of work, there was always a need to ensure that the inter-personal aspect of a relationship was outstanding. When the situation is such that there was superiority of one party, simply because he / she has spent so much time studying "totally irrelevant to society" , "totally obscure" subjects, there comes a point of time when there is a hierarchy formed just because of knowledge.

That said, the necessity of building a knowledge based economy is important, but there has to be alternate forms of attaining this knowledge. With all the emphasis of this being the information age, and the fact that information is now available 24/7, packaged nicely with a ribbon on top, emphasis has to be moved from the ability to recite, to independent thinking.

Independent thinking is something that is a really rare commodity where I am, and from a blog that I was reading, it suddenly becomes evident that there are many who are actually un-spontaneous, anti-intellects, masquerading as academics all around me. Just because you can remember stuff better doesnt make you in any way superior. After all this time in school, I am disappointed to say that that is all institutionalized learning is. A constant unrelenting monster to ensure that you conform, to ensure that you will emerge as a desk-bound worker, to join the masses already in the work-force. This perhaps is another part, much like the matrix movie, of how society has been mapped to ensure the conformance of every individual. This tether that all of us have, perhaps sans jungle-dwellers and tree huggers, is multi-layered. Religion, the working society, education, et cetera.

But then again, perhaps it's all because we have evolved from monkeys, and we are naturally social creatures. creatures who will conform to be accepted. Who wants to be different? More importantly, how and why be different?

Thought

The key to every man is his thought.
Sturdy and defying though he look, he has a helm which he obeys,
which is the idea after which all his facts are classified.
He can only be reformed by showing him a new idea which commands his own.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sitting

The past few days have been rather hectic, with some crap resurfacing,different people, same story. I just hope that the story ends somewhere, and not entire processes of the interpersonal relationship is repeated. That said, I decided that my blog is a tad too bland, and so, introducing, my new sail and board! However, as for the experience, because this is supposed to be reserved for thought and not so much encounters, I will leave that out! But, of course, pictures...

Lemme go back to 2 days ago, when someone close to me, in my opinion, handled a situation in a very poor way. I do understand that it is a common Asian mentality that filial piety is demonstrated by the degree of submissiveness shown by the less advanced of age, but, in my opinion, sometimes, when there is more than one variable at stake, there needs to be a certain understanding that there are going to be repercussions. In this case, to actions that were taken when the end result was not totally weighed. I do believe that actions should be taken by someone as a gamble, a pure and simple gamble, when there is a potential gain that can be obtained. When the risk totally and fully outweighs and outstrips the potential gain, why then do some people insist on going head on into a wall?

Oh well, whatever it is,

I look and I see

Sometimes, I hate people who pretend to know me oh so well, and yet, honestly, they simply do not take the effort to really understand / have not the mental capacity to understand my ramblings, and thus me.

Alright. I admit. Everyone is individual, and everyone has many sides to them and everyone is deep beyond mutual comprehension. BUT, isnt it only right that you give people the benefit of the doubt even when you think they have stepped on your toes?


Well, I dont. and that's why this blog post is so short. Am I HONESTLY supposed to expect from others what I give?

Do unto others what you want others to do unto you.

I was reading the paper a few days ago, and I have to say that for once, I am pleasantly surprised at the letters that are actually getting published. It was an article about religious attitudes and the active soliciting of members into different religious sects. I was really amused that it made it into the papers that, and the writer quoted the line from the collected works, commonly known as the Bible; Do unto others what you want others to do unto you. I have to agree with this, and that if you are all for your religion, then good for you. If you don't want me to try converting you to my beliefs, do not try your luck with me.

I have to applaud whatever is happening around me, and I have to say that I have had a rather interesting time reading the local paper. That's a first.

Living standards.

I was reading about the progress of a nation, a rather familiar small country. I noticed that it had a lot to say about where they were, and where they have come since then. It was all good and jolly and mostly patriotic and inspiring, until I came across a certain section. It was about a man, who obviously spent most of his life in that country giving his two cents worth.

This particular individual was happy with the progress of the infrastructure, namely with transportation and the public works. I paused for quite a while actually, and I was wondering as to how much we are supposed to be thankful for what we have. I have always made it such a point that I am thankful that I have what I have, thanking those around me if they had a part to play in that. However, I think that that is exaggerated and overdone when even basic and normal progress of a society is brought out, and public opinion is shaped to be such that the point of - noone owes you a living, you'd still be in a hut in the woods if not for this administration. HOWEVER, has it dawned on that same group of people that this is very much the same thing that is happening all around the world? Are countries not developing and regressing at some pace or other?

My two cents worth; Noonne owes you a living. Play your part, and if this administration doesnt cut it, dont keep living in ignorance, find where you want to be!