An illogical side

Can you ever buy happiness?

2008-09-20T21:04:00.000-07:00

That was an age-old question that set ablaze a flurry of controversies. True enough, like all mysteries, it would remain unsolved and would only be a target for self-proclaimed gurus who claims that they have an answer. Despite the countless number of surveys and investigations that tells us happiness can never be bought, I, on the other hand disagree. Yes, let me tell you all, Happiness CAN be bought! Go lavish your money to get that feeling of superiority where customers are king. Go boast your purchasing power to others. Go and be free!!

Hold on, hold on!

Wait wait!! Don't go rushing off to gamble, splurge or indulge yourself into any other vices, just yet. I know you guys are about to take your wallets. Don't sigh, just read on!

Ah, What is happiness? How do you get it? Don't worry, I, self-proclaimed guru DO have all the answers! Feel free to ask me later on. But i would always opine you all to buy my book that contains a few decades of research and case materials which has been specially edited and modified for simple browsing by me. Yup yup. Just ask me for the information and i assure you that you would be another guru of your kind.

As i was saying, What is happiness? In the layman's terms for everyone's benefit, it is like a foreign bacteria or virus around you that tries to invade you. Yes, it is in layman's terms so don't doubt it. And when you get infected, you will feel some sort of warm fuzzy feeling somewhere near your tummy. You would acquire many different symptoms depending on the strain of the bacteria. Some would feel high which is symptomatic to banned drugs, others would feel crazy and burst out in hysterical laughter periodically. Also, some may suffer so much that they begin losing control of their movements and suffer spasm. This results in a huge pain in the stomach. (you can see them hugging their stomach rolling while laughing in a state of delirium. But i can assure you this too, they are just unwell not crazy! So calm down when you see them and try not to call for any medical help.

Yes, And the worst thing is happiness is infectious. People whom you are close to would somehow fall victim easily. So it would not be surprising that your particular group is the only one suffering. And trust me, when i say RUN, FLEE and ESCAPE when you see your friend being infected, otherwise you will end up like him/her.

Ah. Thank goodness, the immune system in our body has developed anti-bodies to defend us against such troubles. The anti-bodies are known as SAD: Serious Aiding Depressant. Yes, that way, people will feel sad most of the time. And those with strong immune systems would always turn 'emo'. So like an equilibrium, our body will try to negotiate and balance the Happy bacteria or virus against the Sad anti-bodies. We normally try to weaken the SAD anti-bodies by consuming really sweet stuffs and paradoxically, it works!

But why then, do people want these pathogenic Happiness in us? Like a genius a work, i found the answer. It seems that warm fuzzy feeling near the tummy is the key to everything. People like that feeling and begin to get addicted to it. So they start to do crazy things to get that same dose of happiness. And they have to do more and more wackier stuff to sustain that feel. Otherwise, they won't laugh anymore. (Would you laugh the same when you watch the same comedy?)

But according to reports, there is only one way to substitute the Happiness pathogen. It is through eating. No, you saw correctly. Eating. Eating CAN make your tummy warm and fuzzy too. That's why Happy Meals are always in demand! *One Happy Meal, please!* And i am always in favor of munching and eating. I advocate the phrase we live to eat, just for your info. That way, you would be able to get the similar happiness too. So hear me all! Buy my books and you will start feeling happy. So YOU can BUY happiness from me!!! I will feel happy too when i know i helped you all.

*smiles delightedly*

Dependence is another form of weakness

2008-08-26T23:52:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's true. Don't doubt your eyes.

Mufasa once told Simba that 'We are all part of the Great Circle of Life.' Personally, i don't really buy that nonsense. After all, how much can you believe from a couple of talking lions?

Despite that fact (on the talking lions), people still persist in thinking that we need to be dependent on each other as 'We are all part of the Great Circle of Life'. And that would bring us onto a stage of inter-dependence AND that would make us better off, due to those 'reaching a balance' and all theory. But, have any of you thought of this point that depending on each other would make us weak?

After all, When we are all in a group, we keep pushing whatever responsibility we have to one another (ok, maybe just those that has nothing to do with us). Like who should clear up that mess on the corridor etc. And in the end, sadly, we suffer cause we are dependent on others.

Not forgetting the fact that other parties could end up disappointing us with their helplessness too. Won't we get hurt?

Indeed, yet another school of thought claims that we should be dependent on each other. Interdependency would help to maximise whatever given resources we have. We can have Pareto Optimality in the economy. Doesn't this bring us to the argument for globalisation?

But i beseech you all, listen to me! That is all a conspiracy by the higher echalons of society! They want us to remain weak so we could be controlled easily. By taking down the head of the chain, the domino effect would take place. We would all fall down to our knees hurt.

So, don't be dependent on others! Be independent, for dependence is just another form of weakness!

Farewells

2008-07-13T07:23:00.000-07:00

Ah, as the old saying goes 'All banquets has to end some day'.

Yes, how true that wise old adage is. Just recently, i attended an extremely prestigious farewell party thrown for all the seniors in this huge organization. We call it CO in short. Yes, it was a wonderful party that aimed to bid those dear hardworking seniors goodbye. And (surprisingly) i was made to give a speech. However, due to my shy and not forgetting quiet personality, i was flabbergasted.

Anyway, the journey that everyone had made was eventful, if not more eventful and colorful. If i were given a chance, i would liken it to a ten course chinese dinner meal.

No, i ain't greedy for food! Its just appropriate that i linked it that way.

At every beginning of a ten course dinner, a cold dish has to be served. And likewise, in the beginning, the atmosphere was slightly cold as the CO was in the midst of preparation. Preparation for an epic battle that would leave its mark in the passage of time as well as the history of our CO.

However, it only whetted my appetite for greater involvement in that organization. That was probably the purpose of the cold dish. To learn to get use to the taste of the food. (And thank the heavens it was in a small portion)

And after that legendary epic battle that could only be compared to that of the Lord of The Ring, the sharks fin was served. The warm and soupy soup was only capable of warming the hearts of everyone, as we celebrated our victory with utmost enthusiasm. And we begin the preparation another miracle. A performance that won the race against time. Yes, it was only in that time that everyone was united as one, hearts that beat as one (duh, everyone's heart was pumping adrenaline like crazy during the battle).

As the other courses was served, the servings got larger and larger. The flavors got thicker and thicker, akin to the experiences i obtained. It was beyond satisfaction. The marvelous combination of sweet, sour, bitter and spicy was perfect. We undergone the periods of intense stress too.

Finally, we reached the apex of our course. The highlight of the day, the heart and soul of the entire course. At that time, it was my turn to head for war. And preparation was too spicy for me. Beads of perspiration consumed me as i slogged through that period. I was mellowed into someone different, someone who could more or less brace the harshness of reality, someone who finally had a greater endurance towards stress as the threshold begin to shift. Yet, upon the end of that particular dish, an indescribable feeling swept me completely. I was momentarily in seventh heaven (not literally, of course). A plethora of emotions just overwhelmed me.

That was the eight dish of on the menu.

And as we head to the nine and ten, the dishes starts getting lighter. Almost as if signaling the removal of the heavy burden that we had to carry. As the taste began to get lighter, it brought a totally different feeling towards me. Things got sweeter and sweeter as the deserts came. And before long, we reached the end of our journey. The end of the ten course dinner.

Somehow, there was this taste that lingered. It was bitter sweet. Bitter simply because everything came to an end all too soon, cause i don't want a full stop to happen now. Sweet because we made it through together. Yeah, bittersweet. Thats how things are now and the future, but reminiscing back would only bring back the flavors and experiences that i once enjoyed. In the end, that piece of memory would be treasured and bring back the joy, tears and laughter.

Oh so bittersweet, oh so heavenly, oh so remarkable...

The value of relationships

2008-06-01T00:56:00.000-07:00

I was nibbling on my scrumptious breakfast that signified the start of my day and suddenly, at the speed of light, a thought struck me and i began reflecting. It was all within a nanosecond and i pondered upon the value of something each and every individual has: relationships (Don't be dumb! i meant it as kinships, friendships etc.)

So, how do you measure the value of a relationship? What is it measured in? Is it in monetary terms? Ah, stunning question, isn't it?

As a discerning GP student, i am inclined to the rational thought that relationships shouldn't be measured in monetary terms as relationships with people are utmost sacred. Yes, you may not understand what i just typed, but anyway, lets move on.

In this current age and generation, people have began to place a monetary value on almost everything. From your kidneys to your heart, from your food to your home. Almost everything is being treated as a mere commodity that would undergo the mundane process of trading. Isn't this wrong? Isn't this just plain wrong?

What happened to the good old times where people lived together in a kampong and were a big family? Everyone there forged a relationship that was hard to break. Little things were counted in dollars and cents. When there was food, neighbors would automatically call you there to eat. When there were trouble, people would stand together united to face any outside enemies. It was all based on the word: feeling. They treated each one as their family, where words like 'mine' or 'yours' never existed.

Yes, the word feeling means a lot. Do you charge your parents/siblings and money for a bread you bought? Would you split the cost to the exact value for every single thing? Would you offer to treat them? Thats because of your feelings towards them. You feel the most towards them.

I guess people are always treating the people within their circle the best before moving outwards. Only when others are accepted in to the circle will their relationships be then based on feelings and not in dollars and cents where even the smallest item has to be counted.

Its a really disheartening fact.. Shouldn't scenarios such as

'You look really thirsty, here is a drink!'

'I passed by the donut(food) shop and decided to buy you one.'

be happening? Shouldn't we automatically express such actions or the feeling of care towards one another? Seriously, the phrase "it's the thought that counts" doesn't show much sincerity. Its only words, words and more words.

Oh well, that's ideally speaking of course. It seems that expecting such an action would serve no purpose other than to give false hope and to suffer great disappointment.

The Next Chapter

2008-05-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

Life is like a story. Whatever we encounter, whatever we go through, it would be recorded down as a chapter in that splendid story.

And currently, i am reaching the conclusion of a chapter, a chapter that consist of a start, a climax and a grand finale, and a whole bunch of mixed emotions.

As the days draw closer and closer, it seems that the inevitable conclusion is here. Things must come to an end and people often find the start of a journey the hardest. However, on the other hand i believe that its upon reaching the destination that's the hardest. The burning desire that runs on a limited amount of passion can stop dead in a sec. The weariness of threading into the unknown. The challenges encountered and the spirit and valor we summoned to overcome them. Doesn't all these sum up to be the most treasured memories of that journey?

And before any of you readers start shouting 'Nonsense!', 'I can't believe that i am reading this.' or even 'I just attained enlightenment from this!', just read this to the end.

Yeah. Don't any of you remember the times you mugged really hard for your test and in the end scoring excellent results? Wasn't the feeling great? Wasn't it all worth it in the end? (Well, the emotions may vary SLIGHTLY for those who still failed) So its rather to those who obtained positive results from the gruesome tasks they face. Cheer up if you ain't there. You will all reach there someday. I guess.

Sadly to say reaching the end of a journey is part and parcel of life. No one loves to say goodbye to the people they met, the instruments played, the times spent together whether if its with the lifeless entities or the blazing human crowd. But let's face the music, this is Life. Hellos and Goodbyes are so ever present, they coexist in perfect unison. When there is a Hello, there is bound to be a Goodbye. It may not happen spontaneously, but it will surely happen. And once again, a gentle reminder: That's life.

Life itself is full of beginnings as well as endings and the beginnings signify the dawn of a chapter while the endings signify the dusk of a chapter. However, as harsh as this seems, don't feel sad for reaching an end as the end of a chapter merely represents the start of a new one in the ever continuous journey called life.

Its just an endless walk without a destination

Winning and Losing

2008-03-01T04:08:00.000-08:00

Battles has been fought for centuries, whether the purpose of these battles were for love, wealth, glory, national sovereignty, differences in ideologies or even merely for the sake of a battle, there is bound to be a winner and a loser. However, the definition of a winner and a loser is often blurred and murky. What makes a winner? What makes a loser? Who will be there to decide and who are the panel of judges?

Sad to say, battles are never ending. Whenever a battle is won, an even more challenging battle comes. Neither can it be declined nor can it be stopped. There is absolutely no choice, from the beginning to the end. This is simply because we are alive. Yes, life itself is a never-ending battle that we have to continuously face. Trapped in a vicious cycle, we have to go on. Those who give up shall in no time be eliminated. And in this much anticipated battle, victors as well as those losers will appear.

Some people believe that they can go against this never-ending battle and break free. Ah, such foolishness. Have they forgotten they are fighting just another battle? What nonsense of breaking free from a life of battle. So i say if we can't break free from this game of life, then why not play it intelligently? Who knows, we may even get lucky and become a victor.

As stated previously, a victor and a winner has no clear definition as it is our mindset that determines them. Opinions differ from every individual remember?

Here is an example, if you have been dared by a friend to quit eating for 3 days. Will you accept the dare? Let's say you proudly accepted the challenge since you find it a breeze. You managed to live through that horrible nightmare and tell your story. Maybe your friends would begin worshiping the ground you walked on, but as a result, you became weak and start suffering gastric. Are you a 'winner' or a 'loser' after going through that battle? Now that's something that you should ponder about.

So as life goes on, all kinds of challenges and situations will face us and you will need to tackle them wisely. So start striving to be a winner! But remember, you end up as a loser as well. So either way, you are just another loser in life.

Dammit, that really sucks.

Stress: A Time Bomb

2008-02-24T03:33:00.000-08:00

Ever felt that you are being boxed up by invisible barriers? Ever felt that you are running short of breath while you aren't doing anything physically strenuous? If you did, then chances are you are feeling STRESSED.

After painstakingly researching on this thing called 'stress' online, i came across a fantastic website that describes it all. Feel free to look at it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stress_%28medicine%29

So it is said that stress can occur if reality fails to meet our expectations. This is probably a defense mechanism our body has. Imagine taking an exam with utmost confidence after studying for days, weeks or even months (for the nerds). This confidence builds a tower of expectation on succeeding. However, after flipping through the paper, to one's greatest horror, the paper was too difficult to be done. As reality and expectations clashes beyond your wildest dreams, stress will be experienced.

The disparity between reality and expectations is too wide. So the body will will respond through various channels and means. For example, a panic attack where rapid deep breaths are taken and intense anxiety develops. That's not all, to those whose gap has been too wide to reach, they can suffer a nervous breakdown or even contemplate suicide! *gasp*

But explaining the negative effects to the very detail would require mountainous effort and time. So now you think that stress is bad right? Hold on, hold on. If you think that stress is only bad, then you are committing a serious error called hasty generalization.

Stress too has its fine points. Stress can help to motivate us to start doing work. Stress can also help us to increase productivity as well as increase our efficacy. Stress can give us the power to propel us to a new threshold. Overall, it speeds up the 'Process' part in doing work. But the cons far outweigh the pros.

So when do we experience stress? Do you feel stress playing DOTA? Do you have stress when you are doing what you love best? Sadly the answer is NO. It seems that we experience stress normally in times where results are critical such as work. Therefore, i say in order to avoid stress, quit doing work and anything that you dislike. Remember, having stress is akin to holding a time bomb. It will explode, and the only thing is that no one knows when. *gasp*

Young's Law of Induction

2008-02-15T08:18:00.000-08:00

What exactly is induction? Actually, induction has many different meanings in the modern day English.

Just refer to this website to see the various meanings: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction

And today, i shall be talking Faraday's Law of Induction. Faraday's Law of Induction has stated that the induced electromotive force in a closed loop is directly proportional to the time rate of change of magnetic flux through the loop. Yes, as dumb as it sounds, in layman term, it just means that you can induce an electromagnetic force by changing the magnetic flux. Thats all.

And here comes the wonder of Physics. Using their brilliant and analytical minds, physicists are able to put this theory into PRACTICAL use, at last. They invented the electrical generator etc.

But that's not all! I have my own law too. Its Young's Law of Induction. The concept is about the same, however, it does not specifically lie in the field of Physics. This law can be applied in almost every situation. My law states that by inducing a specific change in your mind, you can induce a subsequent change. Sounds weird? No no no, its pretty much one of the easiest Law you will ever get to hear in this century.

By simply inducing the mind, the mind will react with that particular thought and the position of equilibrium will shift towards that thought and you will achieve your desired results. Yes, it is that simple. Take doing homework for instance, whenever you are facing a pile of homework that resembles a mountain, what comes to your mind?

'Oh no, it's too much! I can't complete them!'

'It's time to measure the height of this mountain!'

'I just don't have the mood to do them...'

If you have any similar thoughts to that, here comes my law of induction to the rescue. Lets say you want the mood to do your homework. Just tell your brain you want the mood. Repeating the thought again and again helps. As your brain receives a change in the impulses, an induction will occur. A surge of the 'doing homework' mood will flow through you like an adrenaline surge. Nothing will deter you from doing your homework anymore. Then slowly but surely, you will find yourself doing your homework in an instant. And there you have it, Young's Law of Induction. Don't be too surprise of the efficiency and usefulness of this law though.

Imagine the possibilities of this law.

Energy Crisis

2008-02-01T04:55:00.001-08:00

What powers your car? Where does your light come from? How is it that you are able to read this? Ahhh... Puzzling isn't it? Well, the answer actually lies in the simple and humble organic compound, Oil. What an amazing compound we discovered. Basically, Oil is used as a fuel to generate electricity in major parts of the world.

However, as simple as it sounds, there is a problem that is slowly surfacing. Oil... is facing a crisis and it ain't any other crisis the world has seen or known. The world is running short of oil and when the price of petroleum oil reached US$100 for the first time ever, like a stone tossed gently into a pond, a ripple effect has occurred.

But fear not my friends, have we all forgotten what oil is? Oil is simply a compound. And oil has three states. Currently, oil is merely in a liquid state, while fats is in the solid state. And do you still not see the link? When people burn oil, energy is produced. So does fats!

Since the dawn of time, everyone has been blessed with a supply of fats in their body to tide them off during adverse periods, but the amount varies with individual. To those who are blessed with a massive supply of fats, they are the ones who can make a difference. They are the ones who will most probably be able to overcome their challenges in the long run and be successful. After all, research has shown that the blessed show a much higher resistance to the cold then the thin as the fats help to prevent heat loss. Furthermore, fats help to cushion impacts made to the critical parts of the body e.g. the heart, the lungs. This could be an alternate answer to why fat people are often portrayed as bullies. Since they have a natural armor that Mother Nature has given.

Yet, news regarding people attempting to remove their fats through exercise, dieting, and even liposuction has been increasing exponentially. Is the value of fats being eroded with falsehood? Has everyone forgotten the fact that fats contain the most energy? Sadly, due to my high metabolism rate, i do not have the potential to store more energy. But i am still trying! So to everyone out there, lets store more fats and eat more food, for one day, the fats will be our greatest weapon against the abyss of the unknown.