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The Age of Information vs The Age of Candour
2007-05-16 00:22:00
Every era throughout the period of history has been designated by a single qualification that has summarized the quest and preoccupation of the social, political and economic engineers of the time. Thus we had the Renaissance, the Dark Ages, the Enlightenment and so on and so forth.Eventually when you and I will be compost for the soil, Man will look back on the lives we led and understand our quests and preoccupations, basically our fixations, with more certainty than we do now. He will then be in a better position to ascertain what name our era really deserves. My curiosity to know what will be his observations has led me on a few speculations.It is said that we are living in the Age of information. Indeed. Whenever I have an epiphany and wish to clear surrounding doubts about my theories and beliefs, I simply google just about whatever I want and yes, at that crucial moment when I hear my computer buzzing as the data is processed, I really do feel information- agedness in my b...
More About: Information , Form , Format , The A

Utilitarianism, an eyewash
2007-05-15 20:23:00
Utilitarianism, as a political/economic/social system will never flourish - not because of the practical impossibility of devising a "felcific calculus", but because "reason" is only a fraction of the individual.Reason is all about wanting what is reasonable and profitable, both conceptualized according to what Man calls Virtue.But human beings, with their inherent desire to "differ" or to be unique from everyone else, will constantly defy reason. They will want to Want, not to Reason.When everything will be discovered about man, and a little table will be drawn to ascertain with exactitude what Man really wants, don't think the world will come to an end. Man, with all the fiery temper of the world, will fling that table aside and form a movement with millions of eager followers who will wish to assert their Independent wanting. They will want to exercise their right to act as they wish.Utilitarianism is just a stuck up formula equating nearer good with wanting and greater good wi...
More About: Wash

L'âme maudite
2007-05-13 15:33:00
Une âme agitée et susceptibleEst sur le point d'être endormie à jamais.Qui saura? Qui s'inquiètera?"Ce ne serait qu'une en moins."Qu'importe l'intensité de sa luminositéQu'importe le potentiel de son éclat.Dès alors, elle sera déifiée de sa tombe,Par les versets des poètes et des mendiants.Ce qui restera sur terre, ne sera qu'une seule pierreSculptée et gâchée selon la conception de l'homme.Puis les poètes et les mendiants seront applaudis;L'homme pleurera de cette perte en profitant du génie;Les vermines se régaleront.Et l'âme?"Quelle âme?Ce ne serait qu'une en moins."...Qu'une en moins.

The eagle and the serpent
2007-05-08 16:12:00
Most people cannot cope with the delicate balance required for pride and wisdom to be in equal proportions.It needs a Man only of a superior nature to do so.If I have more pride than wisdom, I would be arrogant.If I have more wisdom than pride, I would be so humble as to let others trample over me.Either way, both would portend my "down-going".
More About: Philosophy , Nietzsche , Eagle

La feuille morte de l'automne
2007-05-07 19:29:00
Je suis la feuille morte de l'automne-Détachée à jamais de la tige qu'était mon fier support,L'impuissant zéphyr me caresse et me réconforteMais il me transporte au hasard comme un être perdu...Moi, je ne suis rien; je n'ai ni destin, ni espoir;Mais seul, le fardeau de mon existence.Le vent souffle et je heurte un chêne.Il ne reste plus rien désormais-La puissance de cet arbre est l'ultime humiliation.Il n'y avait ni frôlement, ni grincement.Quelle honte! Ni frôlement, ni grincement...Ni frôlement.Ni grincement.C'est pas fini:Voilà la robe blanche de l'hiver!O quel mensonge!Maudits soient l'encre de Baudelaire et le clavier de Bethoven!
More About: Mort

L?enfant et l?oiseau
2007-05-07 17:50:00
Tu étais l?oiseau. J?étais l?enfant.Tu étais l?oiseau sûr, habile qui par son ascensionSurvolerait la déchéance des êtres humainsMoi, j?étais l?enfant qui voulait tout voir, tout savoirEt même naïvement t?accompagner malgré mon handicap.Mais tu étais là, tout près de moi,M?observant sans crainte, sachant que je ne te ferais aucun mal.Je caressais tes ailesEn ressentant cette force, certes, mais quelle vulnerabilité!Et là, tu t?es éloigné de moi peu à peu.Tout cela pour mieux prendre ton élan et atteindre le ciel.Je voulais t?admirer, mais j'ai dû me retourner.J?avais aussi un parcours à faire. Seul.Sur terre.Sans toi.

inferior man VS SUPERIOR WOMAN
2007-04-21 11:47:00
Wednesday, October 18, 2006 A catastrophic encounter. First Superwoman (SW) wonders whether Inferior man (IM) is drawn by her looks or her brains. If it's just by one of these, bad luck for him. If it's only to the former, then it feeds her ego but only for a short while. She gets fed up fast. Appreciation of beauty does not promise exponential increase. Appreciation of brains does ? at least she believes her brains do. Ah! IM seems to show interest in her brains. She can tell that by the way he is really into the discussion and is not giving her the usual shy, affected looks as ballLess men usually give. IM is also not ogling at her ? she is fully wrapped in loose and ugly clothes, covered from head to toe, except for her face. The discussion gets deeper and more convoluted but he still appears collected. More variables are introduced. IM seems to get more and more confident as the talk progresses and he is obviously impressed. Perhaps he is impressed at being impressed finally ...
More About: Woman , Oman , Superior , Peri

From a Former Convict, A Rehabilitated Offender
2007-04-17 23:38:00
The pleasure of sitting around a table with people indulging in mind blowing conversations about philosophy was exhilarating. We demarcated ourselves from those who could only talk about the cars, clothes, movies and music. We were proud of our differences. We were proud that we knew who Friedrich Nietzsche and Karl Marx were and could quote from Thus Spake Zarathustra and Das Capita, giving ourselves the airs of those intellectuals we aspired to be.We were not intellectuals. We were geniuses, despising everything that the common man (whoever he was) accepted dogmatically. Hence we spurned notions of equality, tolerance and all that superficial garb which once clouded our eyes too. We were Big, Bold and Beautiful, racing to surpass everyone, to outdo every living thing in that mad race for glory and triumph. We were invincible.Our motivations only turned out to be Achilles? heels in our lives. Knowledge bred humility at first, then arrogance. We dared to challenge God. Then we dared...
More About: Philosophy , Life , Offender , Bili , Form

Sexual Tensions
2007-04-14 21:10:00
Men and women who generally have no lien of kinship between them and who spend time together are automatically drawn to each other or have contemplated the possibility at some point or the other.One of the biggest lies ever uttered by Man is ?Oh he/she is just a friend?.The exchange of glances is a mating signal issued to the other and should be interpreted as nothing less.The first conversation has the sole purpose of leaving a good impression, whether known consciously or not.Methods of defeating the attention: 1. Leave a bad impression of yourself by acting as a dimwit ( this is different from merely remaining silent which may be interpreted as conveying mysteriousness: it would only motivate the other to get to know you better)2. Blow the other person?s ego by showing you are not impressed by him/herMethods of encouraging the attention:1. Flatter the other person expressly by appearing impressed by his/her conversation 2. Speak to impress, not express
More About: Truth , Fact , Tension , Sexual , Sion

Let's talk about sex...
2007-04-13 01:14:00
?There are always people who are superior to you and others who are inferior? is the idea conveyed to us in the form of so many sayings, proverbs and even short stories. Comparisons will only lead to arrogance or bitterness. Either way, it?s clear they should not be made.Nevertheless we keep on making such distinctions consciously and unconsciously in our everyday life. For me ?low class people? are those who cannot think beyond sex and gossip. Sounds like a peculiar combination doesn?t it?Let?s take sex first: the most hilarious jokes treat issues relating to sex. Once I watched a documentary on what makes something ?funny?. It was explained that the more embarrassing the subject, the greater the likelihood of the purported joke being amusing. Although that explanation seemed sufficient back then, I don?t think it holds water anymore.Who says jokes about sex are more amusing than those about other issues? My own reactions guide me to think that it?s not true.It?s just that, chances...
More About: Society , People , Gossip , Intelligent , Talk

Effusion #4
2007-04-12 17:57:00
I wish lawyers behaved more like judges and not lawyers, during those few moments when they did not have to act in their professional capacity.
More About: Lawyers , Sion

I am better than you...
2007-04-12 11:18:00
Two years ago, sitting at the dining table by Mummy and Papa, with intense pain in my heart and tears welling up my eyes, I muttered: ?Why me? Why me? I am only 22 years old. This doesn?t happen to people so young.? My father turned to me, somewhat reassuringly, somewhat reproachfully saying: ?What do you mean? People have gone through worse than you at your age.?Perhaps Papa stated the obvious. But that?s a fact many people forget ?along the way?.The lesson is that one should never look down upon the experiences of others. We have all been through something or the other and it?s absolutely unreasonable of us to believe that our experiences count for more.Ever watched a tug of war between two or more persons trying to discuss why they are more special than the other because of the ordeals they experienced?I have. It?s pathetic. Our experiences make us ?grow? but the same experiences make people ?grow? differently. At the end of the day I don?t care whether you were the victim of a ...
More About: Philosophy , Life , Meaning , Better , Bett

A true intellectual...
2007-04-12 11:15:00
The deeds of a true intellectual are never questioned. They are admired with the foreknowledge that his every action is preceded by careful thought.Show me one.
More About: Intellectual , True

The meaning of 'power'
2007-04-08 21:53:00
Power is that ecstatic feeling following the utterance of a word, a single word, which shifts the world?s focus on you, in its impatient wait, sincere hope and desperate prayer for salvation.
More About: Power , Meaning

Human Foible#10
2007-04-06 21:48:00
?Pas moi sa, li sa?In other words human foible #10 is how human beings are so apt to transfer any blame laid on them or accusation made against them.
More About: Human , Uman

When the law gets to you...
2007-04-04 19:01:00
You stand by the food stall and ask the hawker with a frowned expression on your face: "You asked me whether I wanted it spicy or normal, right?And he replies: "Yes".You add very sincerely, hoping to get a very serious reply: "But how will I know what you mean exactly by 'spicy' or 'normal'?"
More About: Gets , When , The Law

Tolerant or intolerant??
2007-04-02 16:57:00
?Tolerance?, ?open mindedness? are subjective notions. One is ?tolerant? and ?open minded? to the other as long as the latter conforms to the values of the former. Anything less would make him ?close minded?, ?stuck up? and ?backward?. Therein lies the confusion enveloping the minds of people in this world.Today lecturer, in her position of authority vis a vis us, students, uses an example when answering my question, and tactlessly involves my male classmate and I. The scenario she depicts is highly embarrassing as she makes sexual allusions. The class roars with laughter. I am silent. At the end of the class, the same classmate turns to me and says: ? That was funny, wasn?t it?? I reply casually: ?No I don?t think it was.? He says: Why are you so uptight (meaning ?close minded?)? I say, shrugging my shoulders in a matter-of-factly way: ?That?s just how I am?. He walks away in anger.And I thought of the two of us, he was more forward in expressing his ?open-mindedness?.True toleranc...

What you do not know about us, lawyers...
2007-03-17 07:27:00
Client comes in the lawyer?s office, hoping to be heard out, hoping to be sympathized with, hoping to be told: ?Yes, there has been grave injustice done to you. Don?t worry we will fix it.?Client enters the office, sad-faced. Lawyer mutters quietly to himself: ?Yet another one.?Client opens his heart, relates his story, presenting facts that would normally make anyone exclaim in disapproval of the actions of others. Client hopes that the lawyer will be shocked. Lawyer pretends well. He is used to it by now. Every story on its own sounds shocking. But this is the lawyer?s trade. Every story is nothing but the same recantation of facts intermingled with the same hurt and angry feelings displayed by the victim-client. The lawyer knows that his role is to sympathize with the client. If the lawyer wins: he is good. If he loses, the ?system? is bad. Either way the client will be fleeced.I laugh at the time when I walked into a lawyer?s office once, a few years ago. I also, oblivious to al...
More About: Lawyers , About Us , Know

I hate you
2007-01-28 19:54:00
I hate you
More About: Hate , Hat , Hate You

Human Foible #9
2007-01-19 02:00:00
DissimulationDissimulation: v. hide or disguise one’s thoughts or feelings-Origin ME: from L. dissimulate- dissimulare ‘to conceal’.Well, yes. It is usually women who are associated with this practice. But men do it too, although to a lesser extent than their counterparts.There are certainly benefits in dissimulation: it avoids people from getting hurt – otherwise imagine what it would be like if thoughts were audible…But dissimulation also breeds contempt. Long-term repression of this feeling can be very damaging in relationships of any nature.Sadly in many cases the reasons for dissimulation are based on misunderstandings. Quite often before this error is discovered, relationships would have been ruptured permanently.Others in this series:Human Foible # 1-4Human Foible #5Human Foible #6Human Foible #7 Human Foible #8
More About: Uman

Truisms of Mankind
2007-01-18 23:44:00
In my jurisprudence class today, I taught my 3rd year LLB students that HLA Hart in Chapter 9 of ‘The Concept of Law’ exposes his minimum content of morality: these are the truisms of mankind that he considers meriting importance when formulating a law.This minimum content/core of good sense is as follows:Human vulnerability: Hart contends that every human being is vulnerable and needs to be protected. He sees this aspect as the basis of the canonical law: Thou shall not kill.Approximate equality: Hart says that although it is true that some people are stronger than others, need less sleep or food, it still remains that we all more or less end up needing the same energizers at the end of the day. We are all approximately equal and should be treated as such.Limited Altruism: If we all went about being too selfish we would destroy ourselves. Hart contends that limited altruism is the key to successful co-existence.Limited understanding/strength of will: Hart says that laws are not...
More About: Mankind

When you have just broken up with someone...
2007-01-16 20:28:00
The geological perspective:The most insignificant disturbance can trigger seismic activities resulting in huge cracks in your system.The poetic perspective:Every step you take is taken alone. There are no crutches to give you support if you break a leg; no bridge to get to the other side if you come across a deep ravine; and no rope to pull you out of a deep pit.The scientific perspective:You are no longer the particle in a solid, vibrating within a limited space in a determinate direction. You are the gaseous particle in free motion.The economic perspective:You are no longer the beneficiary of state allowances and privileges. You are exposed to the forces of the free market.The legal perspective:You are under arrest. Everything you say or do can be used against you.
More About: Just , With , When , Have , Broken

The China Price
2007-01-12 04:15:04
Adam Smith: the father of capitalism, a revered personality who shook the world out of an imminent economic depression. Karl Marx: the father of socialism, a hero among rebels who was blessed (or cursed?) with a sharp vision of an impending doom.But as I look around now, I realize that Adam Smith?s laissez faire doctrine has neared the point where the bubble is about to burst. Ironically, Marx predicted it way back in the 19th century: he foresaw that the capitalistic model was very unstable and that it would eventually give in to something more stable, more just.Adam Smith was a genius. We cannot possibly disclaim it. It?s just that his followers became foolish enough to lose sight of the conditions and limitations that were to be respected when applying the theory. The laissez faire doctrine is based simply on the rational that if you take things in your hands and are motivated by let?s say, financial benefits then you will automatically do your best to ?make it work?. In this ve...
More About: China , Rice , Price

Dementia
2007-01-05 10:10:01
You look straight ahead. Always. Constantly.No, normally. Some also look up. For too long.Then s?t happens. You must look down. It?s your moral duty.Then he says don?t. And that?s why you cling on to him like life.But you have forgotten. How to look straight ahead.He teaches you. Now he is indispensable.And then one fine day. He asks you to look down.You don?t understand why. But. Before you get an answer.He compels you. He shoves your stubborn head down. With a painful blow.You bow. Then he regrets.But you will never look. Straight ahead again. Or even up.You suffered. A permanent fracture. You. Will only look down.Your. Gaze. And. His. Gaze. Will. Never. Meet. Again. Even.
More About: Men , Dementia

Memories
2007-01-04 22:09:02
I cooked Nasi lemak today. Auntie Sue had taught me how to prepare it when I was in my third year studying law in Malaysia in 2003. That year was a painful year for me where I was desperately trying to conceal my deepest sorrows to everyone, including my closest friends there. It was the third and final year of my degree and I just could not allow my sadness to get the better of me.Going over to Auntie Sue?s place once in a while, learning new things like how to get rid of the bitter taste in cucumbers or making tea in a different way were events that filled me up and truly made me happy. I look back on those times with great fondness. When the cooking was done, I?d rush by Uncle Simon?s side and listen to his many complaints about Malaysian politics ? which could be summed up in how only a Malay could really dream of being a prime minister over there. We both obviously enjoyed each other?s company. At times we would all just sit around and watch ?Chitti? ? a popular Tamil tv-series...
More About: Mori , Memories , Memo

Meat of the tongue
2007-01-03 22:08:02
This is my favourite story:Once upon a time there was a king who lived in a beautiful palace far out in the middle of a vast town. The right time came and a beautiful princess was chosen to be his bride.However a few months after their marriage, the king noticed that the once beautiful princess' beauty began fading rapidly. He could not understand the reason behind it. For a while he thought it was because she didn't like the busy life at the palace. He therefore sent her off on a holiday in a faraway castle that belonged to him. The queen only grew unhappier.Physicians and magicians were all summoned to the palace and their advice was sought. Some prescriptions were followed and only showed positive results for a day or two. Others only made matters worse. The queen was put on all sorts of strict diets and that only made her thin and more ugly.One day however, while the king was lost in his sad thoughts about the fate of his wife, a village peasant walked in, and addressed the ki...
More About: Meat , Tongue , Tong

The ensnaring effects of compliments
2006-12-31 04:05:03
Compliments enslave you. The moment someone compliments you, you feel obligated towards the person and try everything to ?keep up the standard?. You therefore lose your discretion to act according to what makes you happy, as opposed to what makes the person paying you the compliment happy.Compliments can also lead to stagnation. The moment you are paid a compliment, you feel you have reached the peak of your efforts towards improvement in that area.
More About: Men , Comp , Ring , Effect , Lime

Enjoy yourself
2006-12-30 16:04:01
Scenario: Man seated rather uncomfortably in an office chair, hunched over a file containing various sheets of printed paper. Finally, after an hour, he looks up and seems relieved that he has finished some work.He leans back against the back rest of the chair and his mind wanders off in thoughts such as whether waking up at 4:30 am everyday with barely 5 hours of sleep is worthwhile for the meager pay that he earns. He starts wondering where these efforts will really lead to but at that moment, the clerk appears out of nowhere, overloaded with various files in his hands and under his arms. He hands over one of them to the Man and conveys the message from the Manager that the work must be done in the next half hour. The man?s face drops in disappointment. This is how the man will spend the whole day: by working and working and never having time to answer to those questions that pop into his mind during those ?breaks?.We spend our existence doing work which we often dislike, just to ...
More About: Enjoy , Yourself , Self , Your

Evil
2006-12-29 04:02:04
Nobody is really ?evil?. Nobody willingly wants to be labeled ?bad? or gain the status of a pariah. The one who does turn into an outcast merely accepts his ostracism and grows accustomed to it because he has no alternative. It?s the nature of man to make the best of what he has otherwise he would indulge in self-destruction and slump into depression.The fact of being ?evil? unveils the simple truth that the individual merely committed a mistake.If he must be condemned then let him be condemned for choosing the ?wrong way?, not out of malice but out of ignorance. He just didn?t realize the extent of badness in the bad.
More About: Evil

The 'wanderer'
2006-12-29 04:02:04
We worry about nitty gritty details like who is holier, whether one should really drink while standing, or whether it?s okay to wear colourful hijaabs. Discovering new people and new places, opening our minds to the controversy of life is the very reason why ?wanderers? are never very religious people ? they are simply fed up of believing that there is such a thing as THE truth, THE answer, THE right way?These ?wanderers? truly grasp the essence of the meaning of ?the controversy of mankind.?People clustered together in a limited environment cannot understand or conceive goodness intertwined with evil in perfect symbiosis. They cling on to the misconception that perfection and imperfection are mutually exclusive options.Rasputin was intriguing to everyone because of this. He was the very emblem of the controversy of mankind ? he could cure through his ?god given powers? and yet he could injure through his outrageous philandering. He was the Yin and the Yang merged into undefined bou...
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