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Okay, I shall be honest. The title isn't the literal meaning of this post. It was just that within this week, it has made me question my own survival: to be in a popular group, to be in a 'emotional and down' group or to be in a 'self-happy' group.And fortunately, I have came to a decision! However, I shall describe my thoughts during the search for that answer...I always thought that humanity was questionable. We are always confused... Our emotions deter with what is happening around us - it has never ever really settled! We switch in order to accommodate to our surroundings with respect to our personalities. However, there is always a factor that somehow plays that significant role - that factor, is friendship. This week has been bittersweet. During the weekend, I have probably experienced the pinnacle of life with a few of my friends where we have been out till late for both days (which was really exciting, cause I hardly have this kind of opportunity) and yet on the other hand, at school I haven't been enjoying what I have had hoped. It had been emotionally demanding, but perhaps I have lived through it. However, what was running through my head was that, "I was perhaps going to experience something worse next time." which was horrid! To have the best of life and the worse in just a month... has left me utterly speechless as it has continually tugged me to question what life would I like to live. Many probably have come to this crossroad before and many probably would have been hesitant, since it would be a decision of a lifetime. And now it has been my turn. I have experienced both the good and the bad, the best and the worst (hopefully) on the face of friendship and life. To be able to fit in was difficult since being extrovert has been tough. It requires confidence and a somewhat funny bone, both of which, I have found hard to bring... It was not something I was born naturally with and something that takes years to master. In my journey to master it, I have attempted to learn the art of communication and the way to portray a good impression, but yet, I have not been able to apply. As what teachers have always said in lessons "Application of knowledge is the most important", and it has been true on this social plane. Hence, this brings me back to the question: "What kind of life do I want to lead?" Definitely it would not be a roller coaster type (although I have found it most exciting, but I feel that living in this kind of world lacks control and stability), however, I would settle for it if all my other options has been cancelled out.... But are they? Seriously speaking... living life IS hard. It's hard to follow what persona we are living up to, the character we are playing and most of all our own personalities. In addition, we have to make ourselves satisfied with what we do! *Gosh... the little time and the many things to think about!!*Being rudely interrupted, the question demands an answer again:" What are you going to do?" So what AM I going to do? It is indeed my life and I would love very much to pursue that popular and late night lifestyle... but could I keep up with the other things I have to be bothered about? No. I simply couldn't juggle things like others can, but there is something I can do - to improvise. Although I have to sacrifice the all-time fun, but I guess I could settle for second best. I could be that 'emo' guy, but yet that 'sort of fun' person too... Which finally brings me down to a final answer: To be myself. I would be the happiest when I could have the freedom of choice, where I could just act normally... And hopefully I am able to keep that normal person up eh? If not, I am in serious trouble!! xDD
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Surprisingly, its only my 30th post. Interesting, eh? Hahas!!
So states the old proverb "The poor man seeks for food, the rich man for appetite." Indeed, we can see that food is just merely something to keep us alive, however, to enjoy food is of a different level.
We usually look at food without that curiousity. Then again, why would we look at food with interest? It does not really change much. However, when we do, we realise we obtain a higher level of understanding to that mere meal.
Food can obviously be classified into several different types such as chinese, japanese, malay and etc. However, they all have something in common, something that perhaps even I, don't really pay attention to. That is the sense of smell. No matter what food, it emits that sort of smell that is an addition to the enjoyment. The taste obviously steals the 'limelight', but smell makes what we eat even more special. Take for example, stir fried vegetables. Do we not realise if they were fresh, they emit this fantastic earthly aroma, that sort of 'sweetens' what we take in. Or for a more direct approach, we could look at cakes. Cakes come in all sorts of shapes and sizes, but what makes a cake outstanding, is of course the X factor, to be sensually pleasing. Such as having an oven-baked apple pie. The fragrance that forms strands of ribbons in the air is so suprisingly rich. When we breathe it in, we can even smell the spices that has been mixed with the apples. We might even be able to take in a sniff of the caramel that was boiled with the apples which creates this layer of intoxicating sweetness, making it unbelievably addictive.
But, of course apart from this food has this wonderful texture that cannot be beaten. As what we know, most good food depends highly on its texture which tends to be smooth. For instance, such smoothness can be tasted from beacurd. The soft curd which tends to be quite as smooth as silk makes eating it a pleasure. In addition, combined with the sugar syrup, which fuses with it so brillaintly, makes it a wonderful breakfast or a snack. Another example is from chocolate! Usually what we claim as good chocolates tend to be smooth, or rather in a simple term, 'melts in our mouths'. Indeed, when the great blend of the earthy bitterness of the cocoa powder and the sweetness of sugar unifies with each other by chocolatiers, they become a whole new world as compared to their raw materials which are of the extremes. Having said that, smooth chocolate which melts naturally and explodes its flavour in our mouth, tends to be the ultimate indulgence (as some would claim). It can hardly be denied, can it?
Nonetheless, the presentation! Presenting has always been a tough job, especially when it has to draw in the customers, since it has to bring out the best in foods. To bring out the best in food can of course make it a different experience. Take for instance food dawned in green light would never be nice, since it is hardly pleasing to the eye. Green has always been 'alienated', thus having food that is green, would hardly attract people to taste it. Or perhaps when food is served with a special sauce that has been sprinkled across the plate, dosen't that intrigue you?
Hence, food is definitely something to be 'analysed' and enjoyed. The essence of it is just unbelievable. The unification of different materials could shock many. To be able to understand gastronomy, indeed takes a lot of effort, but to enjoy it probably dosen't take much effort. When we really do manage to take this to another level, perhaps we would discover more in food than just observing it on the surface (:
Friday, May 1, 2009
Have you ever wondered why the hometown of people are so important? I just realised why.As we continue moving on, walking on a path which we believed so much in, we continue to create new circles. New circles of friends, new circles of favourite places, restaurants or even bars. With everything that constantly change, we always find ourselves having to adapt to the changes. Our lives never really settle down all the way. But one thing that perhaps never change is our birthplace. Now, this is where it all changes. Having been brought up in a city where its all so familiar is one that we cannot part with. We know the area like the back of our hand, our school, our home, our neighbours. Everything seems to fall into place. The area stays, it never changes even as we progress, or at least it seems so. Nothing much does really happens. For instance, bukit batok would always be here, same as New Jersey in the United States. The place just seems laid back enough, an area where we can catch up with the pace. It seems just right.But once we have to move on, those strings and ties we have held on so dearly for so long, would all have to be broken. We have to continue to adapt to change. But is it all worth it? We question. But yet, we do not have control over our better judgement. We have to move on, in order to progress. We can never ever give up on something that has been part of our lives for so long. Its far too emotional. As we pack, we start to reminiscence on the good times. Our tears start to roll down, we start to move slower, our limbs are reluctant. But nonetheless, we continue with weakened muscles. Hence when we continue to a new area, we never seem to blend in as easily as where we were born. It all seems too new, like a new planet, a new world. However, being humans we shall continue, we have to, in order to make progress. Thus I shall to. Getting teary-eyed, I know I have no choice, but to move on, still holding on to the past, keeping the strings intact, but yet embracing the future.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
As quoted by Joseph Priestlev "The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate." It has indeed be proven. With our services like our instant messaging service being able to reach out to the millions, we are demanded to face the ironic truth - we have lost the art of communicating authentically.
The genuine method of communication is so vital to us as human beings as it allows us to further understand our fellow species. Living things around the globe have their own language and so do we. We can claim that we are the most advanced yet, in the eyes of communications, we are so far-behind, or at least most of us are. Being on such easy mediums to transfer our speech, have become handicapped, deprived our natural way of communication.
Perhaps we have become too dependent on such advancement that it has bitten back indirectly. Thinking back, I have been over-relient as well, to the extent that I will shiver when I do oral presentations, due to the low confidence level. However, as important as communication play in our daily lives, we are obliged towards trusting that they are not the most essential role in our lives. That is because communication can only take us this far. Take for instance, air currents. Communcation are like air currents, gently but swiftly pushing the world forward, but technology are like robots which push the world much much faster. The contrast is extreme, but without the air currents, the world would be much much harder to push.
The eternal struggle has been clear:
The art of communication vs. modern-day technology.
We really have to make a choice now. However, fortunately for us there are ways out of this dark cave. As much as it seems like an 'either-or' question, there is no doubt we can choose both. Then again, we have to choose both to further our level of communication, or we would still be stuck in history. With the pressurising stress that has been laid on the new generation of humanitiy, there is no doubt all of us have to play our part. This means by doing both sides of communication - the authentic way and the modernised way. We are currently forced to embrace both technology and communication, and so we shall. During face-to-face talking, we shall communicate the genuine way and while being apart from the other person, we can use our virtual medium of instant messaging to help us. Perhaps, then we can experience the full force and master the true art of communication.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Perhaps I have been MIA for too long =.=, but I was searching for some sort of inspiration... However, I manage to make one! =D And here it is:There's a saying by Richard Halloway, "Simplicity, clarity, singleness: these are the attributes that give our lives power and vividness and joy." But is it true? Are humans aiming for this? I would not disagree. The world is changing to be simple. Take for instance, rainbow ice-cream - our childhood delicacy. It was only like simple swirls dawned in different colours, but yet, we are so obsessed with it. Why? It was probably due to its simplicity. The 'simpleness' that has etched our minds for so long. However, as much as we love it, we tend to move on to more (perhaps) sophisticated brands, more complex brands which has more flavours, more added ingredients. Humans are odd and weird creatures. As much as we love to embrace those simple times, where we only had to worry about a single factor, we could never ever bear to leave our technology. Like the ice-cream we could never ever want to keep embracing it, we want the best of both worlds, but it doesn't seem to blend as what we had hoped. Take another example like the eco-homes which almost the world is crazy about. We want to save the earth, but are we willing to move back to those medieval or even the prehistoric? We want to keep our modern technology, yet we want luxury living. Then again, some would ask 'Why would one want to lose whatever we have? To lose what we have earned?' It seems ridiculous to give up everything. Indeed, there is nothing wrong with having the best of both worlds. But isn't it ironic? Then again, we ask ourselves, what are we really looking for in simplicity? Are we trying to shift back to protect our earth? Or are we just going with the flow?Simplicity. Does it offer what we need? It probably doesn't, but what I feel is that it offers an attempt to grasp or to jump back to the good days where we were still smooth shells protected by the nest, where our heaven was so easy to find, where it was so close. I guess it's not wrong to attempt to pursue the simple times. Perhaps, that's what the world is searching for.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
There's a saying that the world is bitter, that no one really takes care of you, and I guess that would be quite true. Sometimes, or perhaps most of the times, being nice bring about hideous consequences, for example, being taken advantage of. We are always be trapped in this kaleidiscope of life where mirrors are dominant features. Mirrors that reflect the good and bad sides of people, making one's emotions flow - be it in a good way or in a bad way.
Being nice have always been what was taught during moral education lessons, which in fact has not exactly paid off. People who are nice usually don't stand out, some being crushed by the scheming nature of others, but if you are lucky and get noticed, rise into immense fame. However, this kind of immediate power has been known to change a person's character, making one cocky or perhaps boastful. Although it is hard to realise the beauty of this truth, many leaders have already fallen into this trap. Yet, if one don't change somehow to accomodate the world, he or she would somehow be thrown back into the oblivion (where its back to square one again).
Of course, being nice has its great effects too for example good inter-relationships and such which perhaps can rise one to fame as well. But most of the people who are nice don't exactly care about what they get in return. Indeed, seeing the happiness on someone else's face is already in fact rewarding.
Yet still, I am locked within the double-edged sword - to be or not to be nice. At times, all of us would have to choose to lend a helping hand or just watch the someone suffer. What confuses me actually regarding this is that, some people who just watch others suffer (be it on a minor level or perhaps a large scale) gets the advantage. The advantage being that he or she can just watch the world go by, yet gets well-liked or perhaps even reap better results (like be at a higher level) that those who choose to care. On the other hand, people who lend their helping hand might not even rise to a great level, but perhaps to a humble position. Yet they usually get taken advantage of being taken for granted that they are there to always help.
So, to help or not to help? After being provoked by this question upon numerous encounters, and after some thought, I believe that setting one's priorities would tell us the answer if it is indeed worth it and if we should indeed do it.
Monday, October 20, 2008
I guess its not everyday where one gets to attend a camp that is very luxurious in a way that pampers you to the food that you get. Well, this is one of those camps and to add on, this is the first one that I attended that takes cares of all the details. To top it all off, the Student Leaders that we got were passionate and extremely enthusiastic in teaching us what they know. Thus, the whole vibe of the camp really had me into it. Firstly, there was the rooms that literally blown us off, next, came the explosive speaker followed by the halloween night and lastly the camp finale.Usually, when one attends a camp, he or she would probably not be given great treatment, let alone amazing hotel-like rooms, or even perhaps, beds to sleep in. This camp however was the first that let us sink into the luxury mode. To start off, there was no keys to the apartments. Instead, there was a key-pad to type in our 'password' into the apartment. Moving inside, what greeted us was the warm lighting and goodie bags set perfectly serene on the coffee table (there was one, seriously!!). Next to the table were sofa-beds which were rather soft I must say. At the same time, the floor for my room was bleached white wooden boards, that were extremely smooth. The walls were also free of stains. Further more, when we continued in, we saw the kitchen which had numerous bottled water set at the side on the table at the entrance of the kitchen. Once we entered the rooms, there was also soft unused beds complete with a pillow and blankets and a side-table next to it. There was also a cupboard which was set at the side. After exploring for a while, I was literally blown away, it was a five-star hotel (considering the usual camping standard). The whole contemporary feel in the home was wondrous and the fact it was fully air-conditioned made it even more spectacular to live in. After we had 'checked in', we continued towards the school compound of Ngee Ann Polytechnic for the first workshop. Personally, I have attended a few of workshops that dealt with leadership but never once was there a speaker who really believed in a message and brought it across with such great passion and humor. This would be most understandable, considering that humor would be one of the hardest portion of a speech one could add in, or perhaps come up with it impromptu. However, I guess Candice really changed the standard mindset of people, being able to explore different 'strategies' to reach out to different personalities. Then on the second night, there was the Halloween Party where our SLs dressed up as scary acts like the joker, over-stressed students and stuff. It was really exciting since there were fillers like beauty pageants, and catwalks and things as such. Even the decoration was themed to halloween, creating the feel for example like the tables were decorated even to the MCs who were dressed as a vampire and a witch. Furthermore, even to the detail putting pictures of bloodstains right from the lift towards the dining area. The lights were also off to give the spooky feel, which I felt overall projected the effort from our leaders who did put their heart and soul into the dinner, hoping to give the best experience to us, for that, I felt, was really touching. Finally came the time of goodbye. I shall just quickly skim through the camp finale (not because its bad, but because the real great time lies in the farewells). So the farewells party. It was not what I probably had really in mind and they blew us away again, but this time was with photo cards. Or should I say personally made photo cards? Yes, its true. Our apartment Student Leaders specially designed the cards for us. That is why I said it was so special, so different. And because we had sang a song from our unpresented skit, our seniors cried, making it even more emotional. Cheers also flew and everyone was crying, bonding us somehow emotionally, making the hour past as though it was minutes. It was so fast, so fast, it disappeared. We were quickly rushed and whisked into the bus after that, literally ending the camp abruptly. Some were still crying when we were 'forced' onto the bus... T_T Then we went home after that. It was quite abrupt I must say, however the overall experience was really a grave new exposure to us, or at least to me. The effort that they put in or that single event to the design and feel of luxury for the rooms, really gave us one extreme taste of life I have never really indulge from a camp before. The friendliness of our Student Leaders also topped it up a notch!! Well I guess maybe now its our turn to show what we have learned, or what I have learned... so lets re-create and present the experience again!! (P.S. Sry for the cheesy ending, did not really know what to write, after what I have experienced, it seems hard to create a bombastic ending to top the first few parts!!)