Mencius on Human Nature （孟子谈人性）

Mencius said, ''Everyone has a heart that is sensitive to the sufferings of others. The great kings of the past had this sort of sensitive heart and thus adopted compassionate policies. Bringing order to the realm is as easy as moving an object in your palm when you have a sensitive heart and put into practice compassionate policies. Let me give an example of what I mean when I say everyone has a heart that is sensitive to the sufferings of others. Anyone today who suddenly saw a baby about to fall into a well would feel alarmed and concerned. It would not be because he wanted to improve his relations with the child's parents, nor because he wanted a good reputation among his friends and neighbors, nor because he disliked hearing the child cry. From this it follows that anyone who lacks feelings of commiseration, shame, and courtesy or a sense of right and wrong is not a human being. From the feeling of commiseration benevolence grows; from the feeling of shame righteousness grows; from the feeling of courtesy ritual grows; from a sense of right and wrong wisdom grows. People have these four germs, just as they have four limbs For someone with these four potentials to claim incompetence is to cripple himself; to say his ruler is incapable of them is to cripple his ruler. Those who know how to develop the four potentials within themselves will take off like a fire or burst forth like a spring. Those who can fully develop them can protect the entire land while those unable to develop them cannot even take care of their parents.

Gaozi said, ' 'Human nature is like whirling water. When an outlet is opened to the east, it flows east; when an outlet is opened to the west, it flows west. Human nature is no more inclined to good or bad nor water is inclined to east or west'. Mencius responded, Water, it is true, is not inclined to either east or west, but does it have no preference for high or low? Goodness is to human nature like flowing downward is to water. There are no people who are not good and no water that does not flow downward. Still, water if splashed can go higher than your head; if forced, it can be brought up a hill. This isn't the nature of water; it is the specific circumstances. Although people can be made to go bad, their natures are not changed

From Patricia Ebrey, Chinese Civilization : A Sourcebook, 2d ed. (New York: Free Press, 1993), pp. 22-24

To eat at La Vela, you need 60K.

To celebrate end of stone works yesterday, La Vela Restaurant at Keppel Club was chosen as the location to solemnize the occasion. It serves authentic Mediterranean dishes in a fine dinning setting that is actually quite good. The starters were ok and the most of the main course are up to standard. My main course was the lamb at medium-rare. I love my meat to be a bit juicy and fresh. Overall, it is a good experience which as expected from exclusivity. The service was all right and the ambience quite relaxing. If I ever have a girlfriend, it is one of those places, I wouldn’t mind splurging at.

In case you are wondering, the membership is 60K per annum with 12K for transfer fee. And yes, it is rather inaccessible without transport. What else do u expect from Keppel Club ?

Luckily someone offered to drive me home. Hee hee… Reached home around 2300hrs.

Here is a quote that is applicable on business meals for you to chew on :

Bear in mind that you should conduct yourself in life as at a feast. - Epictetus (55 AD - 135 AD)

Musing while having mouth ulcers (MU)

Yes. Its back again. How? I dunno. Why? I also dunno. Till when? I also dunno.

There are many believes as to the cause of this age-old aliment. Most Chinese parents would contribute it to “heatiness” and the insufficient consumption of water. The doctors would contribute it to worsening of abrasions in the mouth caused by injury or the common biting on one’s own month linings. Western remedies usually consist of antibiotics to cure the inflammation and application creams to lessen / numb the pain. Eastern cure usually prescribe some herbal powder that aids the healing of the ulcer or herbs to lessen the “heatiness”.

The book of Old wives’ cures even suggested rubbing salt to the accursed ulcer to make it heal faster (but bring about pain and numbness to the area for a short while). Modern medicine later concludes that while gurgling mildly-salted water helps to clear away the bacteria in your mouth that causes the inflammation thus helping the healing process, rubbing salt to the ulcers just worsen the inflammation.

Just like the flu which will most likely stay with us till the next century, MU will also be here to stay. Although some people are less affected than others, there is no prevention and then there is likely no straight cure.

Beside the inconveniences in eating, talking, kissing and sex, it also tends to make one more irritable unconsciously. One tends to smile less too as the muscles involved might set off the pain.

But there is something good to come out of having MU, at least personally. Whenever I have ulcers, it tends to lead me to consider 3 things :

1. Health and mortality

Besides eating too well, I tend to neglect my own health. The sudden occurrences and pain from MU reminds me that life and pain are transitional, which in principal is akin to getting urban diseases like cancer and other health problems, albeit trivial in comparison. One can be breathing one second now and not later, nevertheless having good health will make your life easier.

2. Humility and being more understanding of people with foul mood.

As one gets immune to life in general, one common outlet of frustration is to start growing negative and to blame others for everything and anything. This will lead to haughtiness and eventually egotism. The pain resulting from MU can serve to remind us that we are no different from anyone else. In spite of the outward appearance and sex, all human beings want to achieve the same things life. (i.e being happy) and can get MU too.

In the same vein, everyone also get grouchy, whiny, unreasonable and MU at some point in time. Although it is wrong to be negative to people due to having a bad time / day, it is understandable as this is a common channel to vent frustration. Just like MU that pops out of the sudden, it is just transitional. Reacting negatively to a negative person is not a show of good EQ. While doing this is probably the easy way out, the better way is to let them be or react to them in a poker face manner without trying to be negative or positive. Swinging it either both ways will only serve to either irritate or let the other party carry a grudge in the future (some people can be petty)

3. Smiling

Only when the simple act of smiling causes one pain, do one not take for granted the act of smiling.

Murphy's Law

Did not wake up on time today. was late for work. Before i know it, Murphy's Law went into action. The printer went nuts, my ink from my pen wouldn't flow, and some tree branch fell in front of me when i was sneaking out to buy breakfast. Must be one of those days.

Met up with a JC friend at JP at 2000hrs yesterday. Got treated to dinner even though i was dreadfully late but bought some Mr. Bean Soya drinks to return the gesture. Too crowded in JP, so we drove to NTU for some quiet place to catch up (canteen B). Apparently she had signed up for a graduate degree in Maths at SIM. Seems like the government's call for upgrading is working.

2230hrs. Drove her back home and took to the PIE, AYE and then ECP to reach East Coast Park. Met another group of friends at East Coast Park Coffee Bean. Got a local rocker performance cum charity event. Too much cars at 2300hrs but luckily found parking at a handicap slot. (Yeah, i know... i'm prepared to get struck by thunder these days when playing golf. )

Interesting topic today. My Prison-Scholar friend was telling us about his attachment at the new Changi Prision and the things that goes on inside. Can't disclose all that he said here, but the caning part was something different.

0135hrs. Reached home after send a near-by friend back first. Being a Air-traffic contoller is a stressful thing.

Overall, i'm the only private sector representative last night. The remaining 5 are in government services. ha ha...

Now reading my notes for CMFAS module 6 as my bosses are not around. Still a bit sleepy though. Hopefully, the rest of the day wouldn't give me much problem.

The Moon cannot be stolen

A Zen Master lived the simplest kind of life in a little hut at the foot of a mountain. One evening, while he was away, a thief sneaked into the hut only to find there was nothing in it to steal. The Zen Master returned and found him. "You have come a long way to visit me," he told the prowler, "and you should not return empty handed. Please take my clothes as a gift." The thief was bewildered, but he took the clothes and ran away. The Master sat naked, watching the moon. "Poor fellow," he mused, " I wish I could give him this beautiful moon."

百善以孝为先

Had dinner with a friend last night. Was thinking of crashing out at her site office to do some reading. Then she reminded me to spend more time at home with my parents instead of being outside. Personally would prefer to spend time with her but the Chinese saying “ 百善以孝为先” came into my mind. In the end, I parted ways with her and went home to watch TV with my parents.

The topic for discussion is "百善以孝为先"

First? The reason for this is because once you are born, you are already indebted to your parents. The genetic materials from both parents and the 9 months of child bearing are owned by you to your parents. Although technically speaking, you have no choice in the matter. Even if you do regret coming into existent, it is too late. The first 2 persons that you have to repay first are your parents. Lovers, best friends, even pets are secondary.

In the online Wikipedia encyclopedia, besides the definition of 孝, the later half was the following :

“孝 for Confucius was, however, not blind loyalty to one's parents. Above the norm of 孝 were the norms of 仁 (benevolence) and 仪 (righteousness). For Confucius and Mencius, 孝 was in fact foremost a display of rén and should ideally be applied in one's dealings with all elders, thus making it a general norm of intergenerational relations. In reality, however, 孝 was usually reserved for one's own parents and grandparents and was often elevated above the notions of 仁 and 仪.”

So what if “孝” conflicts with “己” or any other atirbutes like 忠 or 仪? Stories of such are common, i.e Liang Zhu（梁祝）, Xu Shu (徐庶) or even Young and Dangerous. Blind loyalties do not serve any purpose as everyone are fallible at some points in time.

The important thing for anyone, when they are confused, is to ask themselves this : “in the bottom line, who am I and what did I set out to accomplish here ?”. If they can answer this question honestly to themselves, most of the above mentioned conflicts can be resolved. No matter how painful the decision personally or otherwise, one have to do what one have to do.

To quote from a korean comic that i read yesterday :

千万不要迷之自己.
只要你的信念根深蒂固，
真理自然会照亮大地。

Temptations and the lack of money

Been wanting to get myself a MP3 player for sometime. Was looking either at Zen Micro (5G), Zen Nesson (5G) or Ipod (20G). As a matter of fact, there are quite a few mundane things that I want to get, which includes a new 3G handphone, a new computer (to replace my 6 year set), some new clothes (only bought one sports jacket in May this year) and one casual black leather belt.

But as always, the inhibiting factor is money. It is not that I do not have the money. Rather, I can foresee future high expenses in the next 4 months if I change my employment, which is why I have to maintain my savings. Unexpected domestic expenses may pop up suddenly too. Guess I have to restrain my expenses further. Its just too bad that my current job do not allow time to take up another part-time job.

Just have to take this as a form of training for self-discipline / restrain.

It is natural to be envious of those with higher spending power, which is usually worsened if you know that they still have plenty to spare after spending. One usually console oneself by thinking that there are those who are not as fortunate around. But then, this thinking doesn’t really help to solve the problem.

Got the offer letter from Philip Capital. Going to sign it and return to them today. Now, my road to “better financial situation but tougher life” strategy hinges on 2 things. First thing is to pass both Module 1 & 6 of the CMFAS at IBF. The 2nd thing is to cough up 30K for the security deposit. Studying for exam is doable but the money??? Approach banks for personal loans? Not sure to play this out yet.

Thinking about it now serves no purpose. One thing at a time… got to study and pass the 2 papers first.

Is that so ? (refer to my very first entry in this blog on 4th June. ) haha…

Man on the Moon

Was up last night watching the movie "Man on the Moon" on Channel 5 at midnight. The synopsis of the movie was simply - The story of the life of Andy Kaufman, the eccentric comedian who was best known as the mechanic Latka in the sitcom 'Taxi'.

I grew up watching the comedy "Taxi" but never knew that Latka was such an iconic figure back in US during the 70/80's. If this biography is actually as close as to the real deal, i guess it is my huge loss to have never see some of his works during his era and experience the magic in which he casted on his audience. His life was not just a series of big elaborate setups, it is an work of art. Even if it is quite tragically funny in the end, he examplified his extraordinariness as a performer, actor, comedian, genius.

Jim Carey, of course, played Andy with such depth that one can't help getting caught up in the story, even though one might not have known much about Latka and his life. This movie, which was made after the Truman Show, is a testimonial to the depth of Carey's acting skills. This movie will down in my memory as one of Carey's best performance. Sadly, i had never caught this film when it was screened locally. Credit must also be give to the director, Milos Forman, without whom, the whole movie might have turned out as a diseaster.

Looking back at the great shows that i have missed, i am more than resolved never give miss another gem again. I have never get to catch the movie "Millions" which was screened past few months ago, which till today, i still felt pissed with. Must get a friend who is not only a movie bluff and is actually adventurous enough to give unknown/unpublicized flims a try. Sadly, such a person is not available at the moment. sigh....


"Hello, my name is Andy and this is my poster "


Andy Kaufman (1949-1984)

You can find out more about Andy Kaufman at this website : http://andykaufman.jvlnet.com/

Pacman & gang are 25 !

A tribute to the game that is still resides in my handphone

Space invasion

The truth is that our space are being invaded everyday. I know because I am also one of these space invaders.

This invasion happens usually when one is waiting or when one has nothing on hand. Space Invaders like digesting reading materials the most. Newspapers are part of their usual stables as it can be found commonly in the morning, while magazines and tabloids are desserts to these fellows. Silently scrutinizing either from the corners of their eyes or over the shoulders of their preys, they hope that no one catches in the act because any confrontation is usually painfully embarrassing. Eavesdropping is also part of their arsenal in this invasion, especially causal conversations and gossips that may have nothing to do with them. Mirroring the USA who are monitoring the WWW 24/7, they hope to pick up some random information that might be useful or relevant.

Space invaders can be found easily around us, taking the guise of “concerned” neighbour, co-workers, friends, family, corporations, government. Space invaders will usually claim this as “concern” and “care”. But then only time can tell.

What are their motivations? Just natural busy-body instincts or plain boredom that couples with ill-manners? What about those professional ones who are out to cause mayhem with their unproven gossips and imaginative exaggeration? Can they be prevented and controlled? No one can say for sure.

Potential victims usually do not bother as they are either engrossed in their own world or potential space invaders themselves. But the finger should not point to the victims, as the onus is actually on the invaders. Traditionally safeguard like manners should have been enough to plug this plague of ill manners. But sadly, this had been neglected by the society at large following the decline of mores and civic-mindedness. This might be just a minor transgression in the modern society. It is actually a symptom of poor self-discipline and disrespect for others around us. The bedrock for a gracious society is respect. If this value can be inculcated from young, there may be still hope for the future.

But for others like me who are already too late to change, self-discipline is the only out, provided that one wants to change. But given the modern attitude, most will just turn a blind eye and continue to be a space invader.

Guess i should just relax and let things run its course…


Space Invader

Its your life.

Ha. My youngest brother came back home from Vietnam. Think he has been enjoying himself looking after the workers and the vegetables over there. Slightly more fit, more tan, and with long brown hair. Haha… looks like next Ah Du. Have to admit, he has inherited all the aesthetic genes available in my family. Glad that he sounds the same as before. Hopefully his endeavor and experience in Vietnam will deal him a better fortunate than what he had on this red dot.

Was quite bored and decided to read last Sunday’s new paper today. The cover story was on sex predators who specifically sought out underage girls online. Got an issue with this kind of things. What the Fxxx! It offends something inside me whenever I read about pedophiles and especially those that take advantage of those are vulnerable. Some things are just plain wrong. Seriously speaking, I am generally in agreement with the passing of law to punish convicted pedophiles that are caught overseas. Regardless of whether the law is unenforceable or otherwise, such clear signal must be initiated to show our stand on this unspeakable act and to remind our citizens that pedophilic activities are not condoned on earth (at least for the 21st century).

All mores change with time. Donkey years ago, it might be “contemporary” or even “fashionable” to have young virgins / wives and probably most women then did not have much choice. But even so, it is never correct to take advantage of the less advantaged / minors and, worst still to force anyone to do things against their wishes. For this, I’m glad that to be living in the 21st century. Otherwise I might have turned out to be one of those righteous pugilists who were destined to die young fighting against injustice or a crooked merchant amassing tons of money with many wives (hopefully not underage ones, even though at this era, I might be one of those “unenlightened one”).

Back to the point. Although the law here covers the issue of underage sex quite comprehensively, human issues like education seems to be neglected by many. Maybe its also a sign of decaying mores and de-sensitivity / commercialization towards sexual images but, imho, our young needs to be taught about sex and dignity to others and oneself in an open and above board manner. If these two concepts can be fully imparted and understood by our young, hopefully they would be wiser to make their own informed choices. Still, in this age of instant gratification, many youths and even adults would probably give up their dignity to take short cuts out of their situation by deluding themselves as having “no choice”. (never underestimate the power of self-delusion – American beauty)

On the other hand, to stop a pedophile is akin to trying to stop a lion from eating meat or trying to “educate” a gay person to be straight. All we can do is to educate those who are by choice pedophilic (i.e people who think having safe with minors are safer or young virgins are better etc). I am generally not convinced that pedophilic tendencies are intrinsic but there is no proof against and otherwise so far. So for those have natural pedophilic tendencies, we can only hope that they are in the minority and they are educated enough to control their urges and know that this sort of behavior is not tolerable in contemporary times. It is not easy and foolproof but this is what we have at the moment.

In general again, my emphasis on making informed choices between willing parties. Laws against sex with minors and against pedophiles are just a blanket way to safeguard minors from being abused by predators. It takes 2 hands to clap, provided both hands are willing and not misguided. An example in point would be prostitution. Although we should try to educate, discourage and eliminate this issue, we have no right to hinder willingly parities who want to use sex and their bodies as a bargaining chip in life. Prostitution exists in many forms in our lives especially among couples, at work etc.

Ultimately, it is your own life, you have to make your own decisions and suffer the consequences if any. Just that for those who cannot make their own informed decisions, safeguards must be put in place by the Society to prevent others from taking advantage of other's vulnerability.

Rueda 2 Lesson 1

Seriously, factors like poor short term memory, poor limbs coordination and lack of practise combine to make one a lousy dancer. Which is of course what is happening to me in my Rueda class. Seriously cannot make it. Got to put in more practise time which unfortuantely is not possible as, for now, i do not know any of my classmate yet. A fool in making, i say.

Got to persevere, must at least be proficient in Rueda.

Thinking back, i sucked big time when i started first my salsa lesson which continued all the way to Beginner 2 lessons. Now, although i'm still not quite happy with my "lead" but at least now i can still dance in public with quiet confidence. Still have a lot to polish up of course.

I guess it is human nature to feel like a loser when everyone else is doing better you even though others took the same amount of time or even less time to master the same thing. And then most people would imagining that the others are either laughing at him or look down on him.

All this "loser" feeling is due to one's ego to either want to compete / show off / impress those around you. Of course, I'm still a long way off to finding Tao but i'll work at it. Although i may be a bit of a smart ass, i can never be a genius. So my only solution to all this is to put in lots of hard work and persevere. It might never work out well in the end, but at least i'll enjoy this "journey of self-discovery" and try to strengthen my mind against all the ridicule directed at me, perceived or otherwise, or the shame from my inner demons.

Going to meet some old secondary school friends at JP now. So here's something to think about : why do anyone need to be validated, either by the society or by oneself. you are just you. the idea of worth shouldn't be there in the first place.

Imperfection of perfection

Nature's Beauty

A priest was in charge of the garden within a famous Zen temple. He had been given the job because he loved the flowers, shrubs, and trees. Next to the temple there was another, smaller temple where there lived a very old Zen master.
One day, when the priest was expecting some special guests, he took extra care in tending to the garden. He pulled the weeds, trimmed the shrubs, combed the moss, and spent a long time meticulously raking up and carefully arranging all the dry autumn leaves.
As he worked, the old master watched him with interest from across the wall that separated the temples. When he had finished, the priest stood back to admire his work. "Isn't it beautiful," he called out to the old master. "Yes," replied the old man, "but there is something missing. Help me over this wall and I'll put it right for you." After hesitating, the priest lifted the old fellow over and set him down. Slowly, the master walked to the tree near the center of the garden, grabbed it by the trunk, and shook it. Leaves showered down all over the garden. "There," said the old man, "you can put me back now."

The banquet that must end some day

Got an email from one of my University friend informing us formally that she will be flying off to London to look for a new job in July.

Originally as part of the KOKO gang and uni-mate for 3 years, and being one of the few prodigy that i know, she was kind, sweet and sometimes accomodating to my werid antics. Stubborn most of the times but cannot take stress. Musically talented (esp with the piano) and yet athletic. Confirmed Couch-potato and irritatingly a lazy bum sometimes. Religious and heavily involved with her Church activities (yap, i 've been to her Church)

Wouldn't exactly say that i will miss her so-so much as we had grown apart since due to work and other commitments but she will forever reside somewhere in my heart as one of my better university friends. I have no doubts that she will survive out there. Only hope that when we do meet in the future, it will not be awkward like "strangers-who-used-to be-friends" type of situation.

To digress a bit, most of my friends are stepping off to face new environments outside Singapore. But sad to say, my opportunities are limited at this moment. And if i think i had performed as well as i think during today's interview with the stockbroking firm, my chances of having an overseas stint will as cold as absolute zero and especially less so if i do well as a remisier.

Sigh.... Always got this idea that in the not so far future, i can afford myself a piano and can engage her as my piano teacher. Alas another sign that i may not be fated to play the piano in my life time.

Well. The banquet must end some day but at least i'm glad that we had the chance to eat at the same table once.

Good Luck !

Jazz and Babe

Went past "That CD Shop" at Pacific Plaza on Monday. Saw this series of Jazz CDs. Was quite tempted to buy it. And at Great World City today, i saw another outlet at the basement. Went in to browse and the Jazz CDs were recommended by this very pretty assistant, who was also very helpful. Althought i knew i wanted to buy another CD in the series, i went along to sample her recommendations which were quite good.

But in the end, i bought what i wanted in the first place. Can sense a bit of disappointment in the pretty assistant (i think). So i complimented her on her choice and told her i will be coming back again soon to pick up her recommendation. I am serious in getting that CD, but i will admit that i don't mind seeing her again.

Any, the CDs that i will be getting are the following :

1. High Society - Genre
2. High Society - Passion

If you readers do like Jazz music, this whole series is actually not bad. But they are only available in "That CD Shop" which has only 3 outlets at Pacific Plaza, Great World City and Tanglin Mall.

Anyway, this is the MSN avatar i'm using today . Courtesy of Sesame Street. Cheers.

Can a Sage be rich?

#After ten years of apprenticeship, Tenno achieved the rank of Zen teacher. One rainy day, he went to visit the famous master Nan-in. When he walked in, the master greeted him with a question, "Did you leave your wooden clogs and umbrella on the porch?" "Yes," Tenno replied. "Tell me," the master continued, "did you place your umbrella to the left of your shoes, or to the right?"Tenno did not know the answer, and realized that he had not yet attained full awareness. So he became Nan-in's apprentice and studied under him for ten more years.#

After reading the above, i accidentially kicked the leg of my desk. Painful leh. Upon cursing the table, i came to the realisation that i am still far from the Way. One of my main obstacle is still my Ego.

Searched the WWW for a solution to eliminating my ego. and came upon this story of 8 Winds. (Coutesy of Derek Lin at the webpage http://www.taoism.net/enter.htm )

#Su Dongpo was an avid student of Buddhist teachings, and often discussed them with his good friend, the Zen master Foyin. The two lived across the river from one another - Su Dongpo's residence on the north side and Foyin's Gold Mountain Temple on the south side.

One day, Su Dongpo felt inspired and wrote the following poem:

"I bow my head to the heaven within heaven
Hairline rays illuminating the universe
The eight winds cannot move me
Sitting still upon the purple golden lotus"

Impressed by himself, Su Dongpo dispatched a servant to hand-carry this poem to Foyin. He felt certain that his friend would be just as impressed.

When Foyin read the poem, he immediately saw that it was both a tribute to the Buddha and a declaration of spiritual refinement. The "eight winds" in the poem referred to praise, ridicule, honor, disgrace, gain, loss, pleasure and misery - interpersonal forces of the material world that drove and influenced the hearts of men. Su Dongpo was saying that he had attained a higher level of spirituality, where these forces no longer affected him.

Smiling, the Zen master wrote "fart" on the manuscript and had it returned to Su Dongpo.

Su Dongpo had been expecting compliments and a seal of approval, so he was shocked when he saw what the Zen master had written. He hit the roof: "How dare he insult me like this? Why that lousy old monk! He's got a lot of explaining to do!"

Full of indignation, Su Dongpo ordered a boat to ferry him to the other shore as quickly as possible. Once there, he jumped off and charged into the temple. He wanted to find Foyin and demand an apology. He found Foyin's door closed. On the door was a piece of paper, with the following two lines:

"The eight winds cannot move me,
One fart blows me across the river"

This stopped Su Dongpo cold. Foyin had anticipated this hotheaded visit. Su Dongpo's anger suddenly drained away as he understood his friend's meaning. If he really was a man of spiritual refinement, completely unaffected by the eight winds, then how could he be so easily provoked?

With a few strokes of the pen and minimal effort, Foyin showed that Su Dongpo was in fact not as spiritually advanced as he claimed to be. Ashamed but wiser, Su Dongpo departed quietly.

This event proved to be a turning point in Su Dongpo's spiritual development. From that point on, he became a man of humility, and not merely someone who boasted of possessing the virtue.#

The Ego and our Desire are just some of the manifestation of our lost and confused self, especially so in this materialistic world. Neither suppression nor elimination of our desires and ego is the way of the Tao. Trying to earn materialistic gains is a tremendous waste of energy that achieves nothing useful. Noone can gain validity by becoming rich nor do they lose any validity when they are poor.

So should one just be hermit in some mountain contemplating the Way or can a Sage be rich wihout losing his way? IMHO, yes, a sage can be rich just as a real robber who can follow the way of the Tao (which is another story involving Confucius).

While i'm still accidentially hurt myself now and then, guess i'm can't tell if i'm right.

Nonsensical blubbering

Met up with 2 NS buddies at Bt Gombak coffee shop for late tea at 2315 to 0130hrs. And we came to the topic of blogging :

Why not start to some fake blogs based on some fake identity? Link their blogs together and make it seems as though they are friends. Or start a fake blog on people you do not like. i.e boss (having Athletic foot) , ex-gf (can fart in the tune with Red River Valley), etc etc. One only have to be mindful of any legal implications.

Even better, start a blog faking as NSF LCP that stays in camp, then sign yourself up at http://sg.wholivesnearyou.com/ to look for the girls who lives near you so that you can get to know them through this website.

Why should you bother to do this?

1. Get to know younger girls if you have no such opportunities.
2. As a fake NSF, you have say that you have a low pay i.e $400+ as a LCP and can avoid paying for the other party or friends.
3. You can also fake night-outs on weekdays to meet your girl but can avoid sending her home as “your camp is too far and you have to be back by midnight”. You can make her feel guilty if she cannot meet up with you on your "precious" night-out.
4. If you do not want to see her over weekend, you can also claim “staying-in for exercise” or “kenna confinement”or guard duty.
5. If you feel that she is starting to be unbearble, you can fake a “DB” session by claiming that because she wants to see you most of time, you have committed a “MIA” in order to see her and that you will be in DB for 1 or 2 months. Your classic “ku luo ji”.Or you can use this reason to initiate a break-up.
6. As an afterthought, it would be better to register yourself at http://sg.wholivesnearyou.com/ at a fake address as the website groups you by postal code so that your girl wouldn’t be tempted to disturb you on " weekends" or see you in your neighborhood when u are supposedly serving “DB”.
7. You might have to keep short hair though, NSF mah.
   
   

Well, there are tons of crazy people out there with their crazy blogs, so one more wouldn’t hurt right? probably this posting doesn't make any sense to you but then, its my blog lor. Ha ha.~

And no. My hair is too long for this.

Anyway i will end with this quote from Aristotle : - It is the mark of an educated mind to entertain a thought without accepting it.

Monday Blues

Actually woke up feeling not so bad today.

Then i remembered that i spent most of Sunday sleeping. Realised again that i did not really spend much time at home especially with parents. On assuming 5.5 hrs every night, tentatively out of 168 hrs a week, only 57 hrs or 33.9% of one week was spent at home. And out of the 57 hrs, i have only spoke to my parents for less than 2 hrs a week. So much for my being filial.

My family is neither that type of "close" nor are we expressive with our feelings. Guess somethings in life are usually not spoken out loud. If there is anything to be changed with my family, i would hope that i had a sister so that my mother has someone to bond with. Being the only woman in the family of five surely sucks. Thinking back though, my Father's hair is mostly grey and white although he tries to cover up with black hair dye. Being the main breadwinner is also obviously stressful with 4 mouths to feed then. Guess i should continue to find means to earn more money and, importantly, spend more time with my parents. Hope my interview on Thursday is successful.

Die lah. Now a bit melancholy. Need to get into Gargamel mode. Kill Kill Kill !


Gargamel - Enemy of all cheerful blues

Is That So?

A beautiful girl in the village was pregnant. Her angry parents demanded to know who was the father. At first resistant to confess, the anxious and embarrassed girl finally pointed to Hakuin, the Zen master whom everyone previously revered for living such a pure life. When the outraged parents confronted Hakuin with their daughter's accusation, he simply replied "Is that so?"

When the child was born, the parents brought it to the Hakuin, who now was viewed as a pariah by the whole village. They demanded that he take care of the child since it was his responsibility. "Is that so?" Hakuin said calmly as he accepted the child.

For many months he took very good care of the child until the daughter could no longer withstand the lie she had told. She confessed that the real father was a young man in the village whom she had tried to protect. The parents immediately went to Hakuin to see if he would return the baby. With profuse apologies they explained what had happened. "Is that so?" Hakuin said as he handed them the child.