Pluto and the Quest for Truth 12/25/2006 04:37:00 PM

The exclusion of Pluto from the category of planet might not be as controversial as Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. Doubtful it would bring as much influence as Newton’s Mechanics or Heisenberg’s Uncertainty Principle. However, reaction against the decision is pretty sound, whether from inside or outside the scientific community. Some claims it “the scientific blunder of the century”, “Pluto should be put where it was”, “a blasphemy to the discoverer”, etc.

Scientists make new discoveries and come up with new explanations on a regular basis. Most of them don’t even close to invite untoward reaction like Pluto exclusion does. Perhaps, it’s because accepting new ways to do or understand something is not that hard, when it only concerns on “worldly” affairs like most of them are.

However, when it comes to something colossal and beyond us like planets, things become more difficult to comprehend. I mean, how can you say that this big round thingy that floating in outer space is a planet and the next day suddenly you declare it a planet no more? THAT is difficult to comprehend. I wonder, did people show similar reaction when scientists excluded fungi from the plant kingdom and decided to give them a place of their own?

But probably, the most disturbing thing is the fact that those astronomers actually made a vote to resolve upon the subject. Imagine that. Now, the cold harsh truth.

Scientific community, just like any other communities, operates on social contract. If the majority accepts slavery, then slavery is tolerated. If the majority thinks the earth is flat, then it’s flat. Get my point?

We all love to picture scientists as intelligent, neutral, and logical people who based their opinion on facts instead of emotional considerations. Unfortunately, they’re just as human as we are. There’s an interesting story about it.

Have you ever heard the term “continental drift”? It’s a wide-known idea nowadays; that the continents are, instead of being rigid bodies, indeed moving. The first person who made a comprehensive suggestion about the idea was German meteorologist Alfred Lother Wegener in 1915. The theory has been scientifically proven right in the 1960’s and since then, has been widely accepted.

However, Wegener’s idea on continental drift (the phenomenon was yet to be called “continental drift” back then) was rejected vehemently. Geologist everywhere thought the idea was absurd--no person with the right mind could come up with such ridiculous idea like that. Of course, there’s the problem that Wegener was a meteorologist and the geologists were quite offended by the fact that an outsider like him dared to cross to their domain. So much for the objectivity!

The fact is, scientific truth is not the ultimate truth. Considering our limited knowledge of the world, no wonder we always make mistakes every now and then. What we always keep in mind is that science is capable of providing a more thorough understanding of the world, but never the true nature of the world itself.

The wisest words I’ve ever heard upon the matter is: Even though the way people perceive reality has changed, the reality itself remains the same. If there’s such thing as reality, but that’s another deal. It means, even if Pluto isn’t considered a planet anymore--Pluto remains as Pluto. The big spherical thingy that floats (not float, actually; but the technical explanation would be too much to mention here) in the outer space.

Author’s Note: Gah, finally! After a month and so I’ve managed to finish this. As usual, critics are welcomed and flames.... Well, if you flame me, it means that you’re just not articulate enough to give constructive criticism. Ciao!

Sorry, Sorry, Sorry 12/10/2006 08:16:00 PM

I've been posting nothing for like, what, a month? Sorry for that. Of course, nobody would care anyway if I updated or not except for myself; but still, I feel like I have to apologize for not updating, at least to myself.

I WILL update this blog next week. That's a promise. Alright?

The Man with Many Faces 10/30/2006 04:30:00 PM

As a fiction freak, there are two types of character that I dislike in general: the super perfect and pure evil characters. Fortunately, no good writer ever portrays such character in their stories (those who did, didn’t have a good story to begin with and therefore isn’t worth to read anyway). Considering the fact, I should’ve been suspicious when encountering the super perfect Syaoran in Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle (his bratty self from Card Captor Sakura was nowhere to be found). There must’ve been something “wrong” with the guy, which (un)surprisingly was the case; but it’s not to be mentioned here.

In terms of enjoyment of reading, super perfect and pure evil characters are boring; which is why I don’t like them. A character who laughs manically as he destroys anything for no particular reason throughout the story is so annoying that you want him to be got rid of as soon as possible. On the contrary, the perfect guy who smiles all the way as he saves a damsel in distress (or whoever it might be) makes you want to puke that you want the story to end immediately.

Personal sentiment aside, there’s a reason why those type of characters are so unappealing. I’ve realized some time ago that it’s always the story which I can relate to that I like best. The same rationale is applied to any characters found in them. There’s no such thing as super perfect or pure evil person. A person would always have some flaws in him, no matter how good he is; and if a person is “bad”, there must’ve been something that led him to become the way he is.

Super perfect and pure evil characters are unrealistic (not unrealistic per se; but it would be too complicated to discuss it here) and it’s difficult to relate them with real life characters (because they didn’t exist in real life); that’s why I dislike them.

Human is too complex to be categorized into two distinctive classification of good and evil. Someone might do things we perceive as “evil” or “bad”, but it doesn’t automatically make them a bad person. What is undoubtedly evil is the deed, not the person himself.

My psychology teacher once said that everyone has many faces and masks. Encountering different circumstances, we wear different masks. Along with the different masks, come different “personalities” to wear. To make it simple, consider this. Would you act differently or the same in front of your family and your long-time crush? The answer most likely be no, I’m sure. In front of your long-time crush, you’d probably act all nice and sweet, and very cautious not to show any of the qualities which you bear in mind as flaws. I don’t think that kind of awareness is present when you’re among family members or close friends, though.

In the end of the day, probably none of us is (purely) good or evil. Indeed, it’s not just those who have split personalities that have many faces. We all are.

(The Lack of) Separation Anxiety 10/14/2006 11:12:00 AM

As the title suggests, this piece shares somewhat similar theme with my previous post. How uncreative I am! However, since it’s the only thing that constantly hung over my head these days--it just has to suffice. For now.

In the aftermath of our class gathering two days ago, a friend of mine pointed out the sadness she felt when contemplating about our togetherness due to the fact that we’ll soon no longer be together; because we’re about to go separate ways. Normal response anyone would show under the circumstances.

Here’s the “funny” part. I don’t even feel remotely sad about either remembering the past, or separating.

It’s probably because I’ll still be around (campus) until the end of the year. With that in mind, it’s very likely that I (subconsciously) don’t consider myself being separated from my friends at all. You know, because the campus is a physical representation of many fond memories (and because some of my friends will still be spending some time in the campus as well).

On the other hand, I’ve been away from them (most of them, at least) for the last year; maybe not physically, but mentally and emotionally. So, being physically distant shouldn’t be a big of a deal because it will only be an extension of what has been.

Plus the realization that separation (and its’ consequences) is inevitable makes it useless brood over it anyway.

Of course, there’s also the possibility that the above explanations are total crap and I’m just a cold-hearted person to begin with. You decide.

Drifted Apart 10/02/2006 01:32:00 PM

Some time ago, I “met” an old friend from junior high on the net. She was one of just a few friends that I had, so it was great to finally find her after seven years of separation. Soon after the encounter, we planned a chat on Yahoo!Messenger to catch up with each other. This friend of mine was a kind and considerate person who always mingled with everyone, including a teenage reject like myself, but we hadn’t been THAT close to begin with. Despite that, we could always find a thing or two to talk about most of the time. So, when I realized that the “connection” we once had was gone the time we finally chatted, I couldn’t help feeling sad. I realized that we’d been drifted apart and I knew she realized it too.

It’s always sad when you have to separate from friends after so many things you’ve been together. But the realization that things will be different the next time you meet again is more heartbreaking. Each and every one of us will walk different paths in life. We’ll meet new people, encounter various experiences, put forth new priorities in life; in short, everyone changes.

Call me gloomy, but I’m only being rational here. That time with my friend just one of many examples, showing the inevitability of our drifting apart from those we once considered as friends. The next time you meet again, you may not find the same “connection” as it was. Despite that, it’s worthy to keep in mind that all the moments you’d shared with them were real (God, I sounded like Kinomoto Touya, didn’t I?). And the memory of those moments my friend; it sure is priceless.

Celebration of What? 9/15/2006 04:48:00 PM

I was born on September 12, 1983. Looking at the calendar, last Tuesday was supposed to be my 23rd birthday. When I was a kid, I considered birthday as the perfect time to ask some treats from my parents. Birthday was an acceptable excuse behind my wanting to be spoiled with presents and nice foods. Birthday, for me, has never been an important occasion when everybody is supposed to shower me with their attention. Doesn’t mean that I won’t accept birthday gifts if they’re shoved in front of my face, though ^_~.

But what so damn important about birthday anyway? Or any other form of anniversary and commemorative date for that matter? Actually, the date is insubstantial; the event is. For example, Americans celebrate their Independence Day every 4th of July. What are they celebrating: 4th of July or their independence from Britain? The (blatantly obvious) answer is the latter, of course. It’s far more practical to define a particular date of independence rather than saying, “Let’s celebrate our Independence Day every midsummer”.

The same rationale applied to birthday celebration. Why do you think people make such a fuss about 17th birthday? It’s simply because the age of seventeen marks one’s legal responsibilities (and rights) in the eyes of the law. You get your ID, are allowed to have a driver’s license, could do anything you wish without needing your parents consent, etc. On the other hand, people will be more reluctant to celebrate their birthday when they get older because it only reminds them that their time is ticking and less time left in the world (Oprah would’ve probably disagreed with that notion ^_^).

That’s why it’s laughable to see people get excited over New Year celebration. Are they excited because they get to change their old almanac with a new one? People celebrate New Year just for the sake of it, regardless the fact that it has no substance whatsoever.

One could claim that New Year is the perfect time to evaluate his past deeds and make new target which one wants to achieve in the near future (the infamous “New Year’s Resolution”, which is made to be broken most of the times). But if that’s just the case of making personal improvements, why wait until the earth evolves the sun one more time? Surely, the concept of “New Year” has been overly exaggerated. For all I know, we could’ve possibly celebrated New Year any other time in the year if only Pope Gregory (was it?) had another say on it.

Dreams Do Come True 8/18/2006 06:35:00 AM

It’s been a month since my last installment. I’m truly sorry for the delay. It’s just school work has been taking all my time and energy. Even right now, I’m supposed to be working on my final project report instead of writing this. But heck, I really need to write down something contemplative after a month of absence. So let’s just get on with the show, shall we?

Wish. It’s a topic which is very familiar to all CLAMP fans (obviously, I’m one of them) out there. After all, “wish” seems to be a prominent theme in many of their works. Kamui ‘s wish to bring the old Fuuma back (or so he thought), Kohaku’s wish to live happily with its(!) beloved, Clow’s wish to become not the greatest wizard in the world, Watanuki’s wish to get rid of his spirit attracting ability, the list goes on and on. Wish is something that I’m often taking into consideration one of these days. Not just because of my obsession for CLAMP stories, but given the state I’m in, it’s really inevitable.

Comprehensive test is coming later this month and if I pass it (amen for that), I’ll be graduated on November. At this point, I can’t help thinking about the past AND the future: thinking about my childhood dreams and the choices that need to be made in the near future. And I realize, what I’m doing now has nothing to do with my past hopes/dreams/wishes.

How many movies, books, and songs which bring the topic of “fulfilling your wishes” or “following your dreams”? There are tons of them. It never gets rusty though, because most people decide to do exactly the opposite. We wish for the impossible when we were kids. Of course, it was not impossible back then, but it seems to be impossible now when we’re already grown up.

That’s why most people seem to know what they don’t want to do but have no clue whatsoever about what they want to do. It’s because they choose to forget their past wishes instead of making them come true. As a consequence, they just drift through life and let it takes them wherever it might be going. Or as one of my friends brutally said, those people are lost and they don’t even realize it.

Realizing your real wish is such a great gift. But if you don’t have the guts to make it come true, it’s meaningless. It certainly is the harder part of the two. For example, if I want to make my wish come true, which is to know more about people’s life all around the world at past and present times, I must choose a path completely different from what I was prepared to at college. I must work harder to catch up my lack of qualifications, I must convince my parents, I must try to show my point to people who doesn’t understand, et cetera. It’s certainly a more difficult choice compared to working in a pharmaceutical business like everybody else.

It’s the silly wishes that make the world goes round, though. Could you imagine how it would be today if men had never wished to find a more practical approach to fulfill their needs instead of the usual hunting and gathering? Had never wished to fly in the sky? People don’t get anywhere by following common views and way of life just for the sake of it, that’s for sure. I don’t expect to make that much of an impact for humanity, just making out something out of my own life. By reaching out for my wish.

Follow the Sight 7/23/2006 08:10:00 PM

Earthquake hit my country again today. That’s the third time in a week. It also marked a series of earthquake which started in 2004; two of them were also followed by tsunami. There’s a concern amongst the people that it might not be the last one: a bigger and more disastrous earthquake are possibly on its’ way. What do people do to confirm (or refute, although people seem to be more thrilled if it’s proven right rather than wrong) their concern then? Surprise, surprise, they consult the psychic.

Despite being in a modern era, professional psychics always manage to attract costumers. In fact, a lot of their costumers are well-educated; the type of people that you would least expected to believe in anything remotely “paranormal”. Trust the psychic to give you all sorts of advice: health, romance, financial, career, you name it!

But what it is that makes all the hocus-pocus so appealing? Why do people turn to them in times of needs?

Thinking logically makes it easier for us to understand how nature works. Through this understanding, we’ll be able to “exploit” nature to make our daily activities easier and more comfortable. However, being logical and believing scientific truth all the time is hardly a choice for most people. Logic and science are alien compared to the traditional practices that had run for generations. These practices might not be logical (or “socially acceptable”, for that matter), but they’re more “down to earth” and less “cocky”.

As much as I hate to point fingers, it’s quite obvious that the intellectuals are the ones who are mostly responsible for this sentiment. There’s a pretty good example of that statement. Instead of trying to make his/her patient understand about their illness, a doctor is keener on spitting out all medical terms he can muster. Of course, the best response one could expect from the patient is confusion. The point is, not many intellectual bother to transfer their knowledge with a “language” which would be comprehensible for the public. As a result, science and stuff become more alien and slightly scary for most people.

Considering that humans have the tendency to ignore things alien and scary, no wonder people ignore the Meteorology and Geophysics Agency’s statement that earthquake is unpredictable. On the contrary, they choose to trust the psychic’s premonition of incoming earthquake and even spread text messages to let people know about it. Ah, well!

Glory Seekers 7/15/2006 10:01:00 AM

During the World Cup (which has just ended six days ago), I noticed the existence of seasonal football supporters. These people weren’t even remotely interested in football, but out of nowhere they suddenly showed their huge interest towards the sport. Huge is the imperative here.

They declared their undying admiration towards a certain team, usually the high-profiled team with famous names in it, while in reality they didn’t actually affiliate themselves with any of them. By the time that team lost, they picked another team to support. In the end, it’s the winner that they had supported all along.

There are a lot of names attributed to this kind of people. Glory seekers, glory hunters, plastics; you name it! None of them are flattering, though.

On a more general notion, glory seekers are the people who constantly feel the need to be hip and cool. The always keep their eyes on what’s “in” and what’s not. They consider not following the latest on-goings as a sin.

I know I shouldn’t waste my precious time despising them. Besides, if they want to be a bunch of glory seekers, it’s their right to do so. But I just can’t.

I suspect that these people do what they do out of their insecurity. They think that they have to be like anybody else to get accepted. Or probably they do it because their life is so boring they have to seek excitement somewhere out of their life.

I guess there are a lot of other reasons why these glory seekers do what they do. Nevertheless, I’m sure any of them would be as equally as pitiful. Seeing their miserable existence, can I bring myself to sympathize with them? Well, not really. They still bug me to no end. Ha!

Adrenaline Rush 7/03/2006 07:07:00 AM

I couldn’t sleep at all after watching the England-Portugal match (which ended at one in the morning in my country). One hell of a game, I must say. Rooney’s sent-off (another stupid mistake made by an England player at the World Cup), England played extremely well with only ten men (France 1998 second round revisited), the penalty miss (pointing out the fact that the English were incapable to shoot a penalty even if their life depended on it; the only England player that succeeded on it was the Canadian born Hargreaves); it was very intense. And I didn’t even support England (I supported Gary Neville, the Manchester United skipper; mind you, there’s a substantial difference here). It’s difficult to relax when your body was still pumping adrenaline; the inevitable side-effect of watching the football game.

But now, let’s begin with physiological overview (I know, it’s boring; but this is my blog, right?!).

When confronted with stress condition due to either physical or emotional activities, the body needs to be alert. Sometimes, it even needs to perform feats of unusual strength. As a consequence of this stimulus (stress condition), the body produces and releases more chemicals called adrenaline to the system. Adrenaline stimulates various physiological responses inside the body: increased heart-rate, faster and deeper breathing, increased blood sugar level, etc. Of course, watching a football match can be considered to be a “stressful condition” for some people (^_~). Given the physiological changes, no wonder I couldn’t sleep.

There’s nothing wrong with it, though. Being on adrenaline rush was actually quite good. I became more aware of the surroundings, not to mention more concentration. It’s like being on higher state of consciousness (or whatever you’d like to call it). You probably think that I’m over-exaggerating here, but that’s exactly how it felt. To think that I was only a mere football spectator, watching at home. Could you imagine how it must’ve felt for the footballers themselves? And for the people who performed death-defying acts like Evil Knievel and such?

Honestly, I’d never really been impressed by death-defying stunts. I used to think that they only did it for the sake of their ego, to get more attention. In short, total stupidity; considering what at stake here, one’s life, was way too priceless. But now I (sort of) understand why they did such things. The adrenaline rush; it was probably too good to miss.

Hmm, I should probably try the approach whenever I’m not in the mood to do anything. Watching football to get myself all excited. Nifty!

Author’s Note: As you know, this piece is begun with reference to football. Again. Please bear with me.... By the way, this piece contains some material taken from “Principles of Anatomy and Physiology” by Tortora and Anagnostakos. No copyright infringement intended.

When Heroes Become Villains and Villains Become Heroes 7/01/2006 09:23:00 AM

Ever care to check out the History books and wonder why it’s awfully similar to children’s bedtime stories? In children stories, good guys always win and bad guys always lose; such as the case in past events depicted in a scientific discipline called History. Not that I question the validity of methods used to gather historical information; there’s nothing wrong with them. The problem is, history is written by winner(s). Obviously, it gives them the prerogative to write anything they want. Or at least rephrase the account to fit their agenda.

So, don’t be surprised if yesterday’s hero suddenly turns into today’s villain and vice versa. That sort of thing did happen, when a regime fell and their successor felt the need to make certain “adjustment” to point out their better qualities compared to the old regime. Most of the time, the authority didn’t even have to make any justification about his rightness, because the people had already changed their view concerning the matter. Just look at Hitler. One day he was the national hero and the next day he was damned by the whole nation. Hitler was a villain for killing (or ordering to kill) a lot of innocent people and causing havoc all over Europe. But considering what he did for his people, gave them the sense of confidence and pride after suffering the agonizing defeat of WW I---no wonder the Germans saw him as hero.

Don’t be surprised either to see someone that you perceive as villain is considered hero by others. I read some time ago that the Koreans were extremely mad at Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi for visiting Yasukuni Shrine. The shrine was built to honor the memory of the Japanese soldiers died during the Second World War. The soldiers who didn’t deserve any respect whatsoever considering what they did during the war, according to the Koreans (and people from other Asian countries who were under Japan’s aggression during WW II). Actually, the sentiments of both parties are understandable. Japan military administration in Asia did many upsetting deeds during WW II, from compelling the locals to hard labor to forcing women to satisfy their lust. On the other hand, the Japanese must’ve been very proud of their army for protecting the country and sharing their ideals all across East Asia.

No matter how much it seems to be oversimplified at times, History is in fact very complex. Because humans are such complicated beings, it’s expectable to have everything about their life equally as complicated. And in real life, nobody is truly evil or truly good. Good guys and bad guys couldn’t easily be defined just like in the children stories. All heroes have their flaws, just like all villains have the good in them.

Even though History is prone to manipulation and multi-interpretation, it doesn’t mean that History is not important. We could learn a lot by ruminating over the past. By learning from the past, hopefully we would be able to follow the ideal of our predecessor and at the same time, prevent us from doing the same mistake as they did. What must be underlined here is that History set examples, not moral values. History gives means of evaluation, not judgment.

The truth is, there’s no such thing as “Hero” and “Villain”. Only real people, living their life, merely doing their job. Point blank.

Moments of Sleep Deprivation 6/21/2006 11:21:00 AM

God, I’m sleepy. It’s been like this for the last four days, thanks to the World Cup. Okay, it’s all my fault. After all, I was the one who decided to stay up all night and watch the 2 am game anyway (it’s GMT + 7 hours, here in my country). Being sleep deprived is not lovely, I’ll tell you! Feeling sleepy all day long, having your brain too lazy to think about anything…. Doesn’t mean that I’ll stop watching the game, though. I just need some compensation (in other words, more time to sleep). That's all.

It's not the only time football match makes me sleep deprived. Some of those moments of sleep deprivation really worth it, though. Like the time Manchester United won the Champions League in 1999 (I know, that was ages ago; but I can never stop talking about it ^_^). I ended up yawning all day at school, but heck, who cares when I got lovely images of the players holding and kissing (eww....) the cup.

Anyway, there are other not-so-interesting ways to get sleep deprived than watching football matches. School stuff, for example. There were times when I hadn't finished reviewing materials for exams, which meant extra work the night prior to the exam. Or the times when I got Lab Report to hand out the next day, while I hadn't worked on a single thing about it until the day before the due date. I know, I'm not exactly the paragon of student's dedication.

Nevertheless, the worst two weeks full of sleep deprivation happened four years ago. At that time, I was attending the initiation to become a member of a student's organization. Overall, it's a very useful program. The main objective was to prepare freshmen to enter varsity life. It gave you a more insight look at the world of Medicine (FYI, I'm studying Pharmacy at college), it gave you the opportunity to develop your potential, etc. But the method was quite horrendous. In order to make it easier for us to receive whatever doctrines or ideas transferred by our senior, we were made to be exhausted, mentally and physically. We were required to be prepared at seven in the morning each day, and were not dismissed until, at least, midnight. With that kind of condition, there's not much time left to rest. The result was: extreme tiredness (and sleep deprivation) and (nearly) total submission. The latter was, of course, the thing expected by our dear old senior. What a pity! Honestly, I'm sure most of them didn't realize that they're applying brain-washing methods to us.

I apologize if I have bored you. Sleep deprivation makes me too lazy to think about anything else. I'll write something that has more quality in it, next time. Promise!

Lost in Translation 6/13/2006 07:49:00 AM

Lost in translation. I heard the term for the first time from the movie directed by Sofia Coppola (I hope I spell her name right). I fell in love with the term right away because I find it very applicable.

Speaking of which, what does “lost in translation” actually mean? Regardless of the broad use of it in connotative sense, knowing the real meaning is a necessity (because we wouldn’t want to use it out of context, would we?). Therefore, I would use some sort of illustration in an attempt to explain the literal meaning of “lost in translation”, before delving on the “lost in translation” state.

As you all know, language is the verbal representation of culture. Since culture is a set of ideas that gives pattern to human behavior, you would expect language to represent those ideas as well. You could tell what is important and what’s not in a certain culture when you look at the words, terms, and expressions in its language (the language which is used in that particular cultural group). One example is the availability of a specific term that refers to seniority in a family. The term is available in Eastern languages, while Western languages are lacking it. Japanese, for example, has the term onii-san and onee-san that refer to older brother and sister, respectively. Interestingly, there’s also similar term in other Eastern languages (Indonesia, Malay, Mandarin, Korean, etc). On the other hand, there’s no such term in English (and other Western languages, as far as I know). It needs additional word to explain relative position in a family (big brother, older sister, etc). It implies that even though seniority is not an important issue in Western culture, seniority does matter in Eastern culture.

Because different languages represent different basic ideas, it’s not always easy to transfer ideas from one language to another. Translation is undoubtedly, a difficult task to perform. So, there’s always the chance that you’re not transferring the whole ideas as intended in its real language when you’re translating it to another language. Some points are, inevitably, lost in translation.

In a more general notion, “lost in translation” is used to point up any failure to communicate due to differences in principles. The movie, for example (which I haven’t managed to watch; feel free to point out any mistakes that I might’ve made concerning the movie). Regardless of its setting (Tokyo), it’s not the gap between American and Japanese that became the main theme of the movie. Instead, it’s the feeling of alienation that became central. The main character(s) of the movie felt that way because they had different things in mind, compared to their surroundings (in the case of Scarlett Johanssen’s character, it’s her own husband that she failed to connect with).

Why does “lost in translation” suddenly catch my attention? Well, that’s because I myself feel very much that way these days. It doesn’t make me feel alienated though, at least not in the physical sense. When I’m around my friends, I’m still able to talk about many things with them, connecting myself to them. Nevertheless, my view has changed dramatically in the past two years and I realize; it makes me different in thoughts from most of my friends (and most people, for that matter). The path they’re going to choose after finishing school, their main concern, the way they see things---they’re all substantially different from mine.

I understand perfectly why they see things the way they do, because I was no different from them, until recently. But once I started to think differently from them, it’s like talking with a different language. Most people just don’t get my point. As long as they use their own perspective to interpret my choices, some things will always be lost in translation.

Of course, I couldn’t force people to see things my way, could I? I’ll just have to explain my side of the story as best as possible. If that still doesn’t work, let it be. After all, being true to yourself and having your thoughts lost in translation is better than doing what people told you to do and being lost in the waves of the crowded world.

The Steward and the Witch 6/12/2006 09:28:00 AM

WARNING! The following piece contains unsubstantial rambling. Read it and you’re at your own risk. Don’t go around and flame me for writing such a lame piece (I know that already, thank you very much).

Have you ever heard of word-association? You know, the game where someone says a certain word and then the others are expected to response it by saying the first word that come up in their mind after hearing that particular word (when someone said “Fire,” I would say the first word that came up to me: “Hot”, and so on). We have to response every word as quickly as possible and that makes it hard for us to think about the answer, which is why the game is said to be useful in revealing one’s hidden thoughts. For example, there’s a chance that one would say the name of his/her secret crush when the word “Love” is spurt out.

Besides its sharpness, human mind also works in mysterious ways. It could hide the unwanted thoughts beneath the surface, yet still give them room to manifest themselves. One impulse could trigger a chain reaction inside the mind; one thing reminds us on another, and another, and another. Speaking about sub-consciousness and chain reaction inside the mind, strange occurrences happened to me recently.

As you probably know, the FIFA World Cup causes such a fuss all over the world. Even in my country, which didn’t qualify because we obviously wasn’t good enough (it’s hard to believe that my country was actually the first Asian country that participated in the World Cup), the World Cup was greeted with full enthusiasm. Responsive to this condition, the country’s leading newspaper even has a special World Cup section.

Last Saturday, the World Cup section put the pictures of twenty-three Argentina players plus their coach on its front page. Naturally, I looked for Gabriel Heinze amongst them because Heinze plays (very impressively) for Manchester United and I support United. Of course, his picture was there and the first thing that crossed my mind was this: “If Faramir of Gondor had existed, he would have looked exactly like Heinze”. See how my mind made the association there?

But that wasn’t the end of the story. You see, Faramir has always been my favorite character in Lord of the Rings. His character was the archetype of the perfect gentleman: strong, smart, perceptive, courageous, tall, handsome.... I startled at that notion. “Did I just think that Faramir was handsome?” my mind said. “That means, at the same time I was implying that Gabriel Heinze was handsome as well. Oh My God!” I analyzed.

You must forgive me for being extremely shocked at that notion. The only (and last) time I ever considered a United player good-looking was when I saw a pure and innocent twenty year old boy named David Beckham (^_~). By the time I started appreciating United for their performance as a team (and Becks started to do all the weird stuff with his hair), Becks wasn’t looked that cute anymore.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the only weird thought that was triggered by football-related stuff. Another one crossed my mind yesterday when I was watching Trinidad & Tobago played against Sweden. Even though I supported Trinidad & Tobago, because I love underdogs, I didn’t really expect them to be able to do much against Sweden. After all, Sweden is the better team amongst the two. On paper, at least. On the second half however, with Trinidad & Tobago ended up with only ten men, Sweden still couldn’t manage to score any goal. For a brief second, something very weird and unthinkable crossed my mind: “I wonder if the Trinidad team had some sort of witch to back them up. Considering that they’re Caribbean, they must’ve had a strong root...,” and at that, I stopped.

I’ve always considered myself a rational person. Mind you, if I had said about it in front of someone on an attempt to joke, it’s understandable. But I was alone at the moment and the possibility of supernatural intervention was something that I thought seriously. It’s obvious that Sweden owed their failure to their hasty approach in front of the goal, T & T’s back four’s good performance, and Shaka Hislop’s composure to secure his goal. So, what on earth made me think about something really ridiculous like witchcraft?

The incidents revealed two hidden thoughts in my mind. One, despite my appreciation of one’s ability, I still judge someone by his looks (especially if that particular someone happens to be good-looking). Two, apparently I’m not as rational as I thought I was. Damn!

The Muse 6/02/2006 08:10:00 AM

“Where you did get the idea?”. That question seems to pop up every time an interview with famous writers, musicians, or whatever, is held. I may not be a writer (to self-proclaim myself as one would be an overstatement), but as a person who enjoys occasional writing, I know that ideas can be found literally anywhere and anytime. So, it can be rather difficult to find the precise answer to that question.

I never really have problems with finding ideas. There are a lot of things to write about; you can never run out of stock. The only problem is, of course, how to put the ideas into paper. Most of the times, I know exactly how to begin and end an essay or story (although I never write any of my stories; I just keep them in my head). The difficulty always lies in the process of getting the essay (or story) from its’ beginning to its’ end.

Apparently, it’s a classic writer’s problem. I came into various lines from writers, stating that they know how a certain story would end but they’re still thinking how they would bring it to an end. In the case of essay writing, making sure that I’ve mentioned all the important things (without blabbing too much ;>) in order to show my point to the reader is the biggest challenge.

Whenever I came to a deadlock, the solution was quite simple. I would try to find books or any other sources related to the topic which I was trying to write about. Another approach was leaving the subject temporarily and starting on another one (like I said, there are always lots of things to contemplate about). Nevertheless, the most practiced approach in encountering a deadlock, in my case, would be: sit back, relax, and forget the whole idea. That is, until I had some spare time, like when I was on my way to school, when I was on a queue in a cinema, when I was impatiently waiting for a friend, etc. Mind you, the best inspiration often came in the most unexpected time. Ah, the beauty of divine intervention!

By the way, I think writing an essay is far easier than writing a fictional story. It takes a whole lot of imagination, as well as logic, to write such things. Fictional stories need the perfect combination of both things, imagination and logic, which is quite difficult to formulate. For me, it’s either logic with the lack of imagination or wild imagination that doesn’t make sense at all (“sigh”). So, I understand how hard it must be to write fictional stories and for that, I greatly admire them, fiction writers.

Well, I just hope that Ms. Rowling doesn’t have trouble finding her muse so that she’ll be able to finish the 7^th Harry Potter book as soon as possible. Cheers!

Manipulating the Mind 5/25/2006 10:18:00 AM

Humans are such strange creatures. I mean, humans have the sharpest minds amongst all the creatures that walk the earth. And yet, they’re so easily manipulated.

Check out this picture.

Which line is longer? If you use no other means besides your eyesight to figure out which line is longer, it’s only natural to conclude that the lower line is longer. However, if you get yourself a ruler and measure them, you’ll find out that neither is longer. Both lines are equal in length. It shows just how easily tricked our senses (or rather, our minds) are. It’s not necessarily bad, though. Magicians (nowadays they’re called illusionists, mentalists, or whatever) are masters of manipulation, but nobody ever sue them or anything. We, the audience, enjoy their tricks. We even crave for more of them. The real danger doesn’t come from (somewhat) submitting ourselves to manipulation. Not realizing that we’re being manipulated is

Over the years, science had successfully revealed the physiological process of thinking. Stimuli from external or internal environment are transmitted by electrical current to the central nervous system, which produce certain responses. Human mind is considered as a very advanced CPU, nothing more. The psychological aspect of human mind however, cannot be revealed with such a mechanistic approach. They’re more complex and more difficult to comprehend. Unfortunately, mind manipulation through psychological approach is a more common practice, which makes it more difficult for us to detect and avoid.

Remember nice old Adolf Hitler? This guy was certainly one hell of a great mind manipulator. When I say “mind manipulator”, don’t think about all sorts of weird stuff like brainwashing or anything like that. Hitler was simply very good at reading people. He knew exactly how to mesmerize people with his words. It’s not WHAT he said that’s important, HOW he said it that mattered. I read somewhere that Hitler’s speeches didn’t contain much essence apart of the continuous rhetorical exclamations about how good the Germans (Aryans) were and how inferior everybody else was compared to them. You know; the kind of speech that would make you either die of boredom or snort because of lacking of logic. But thanks to Hitler’s expertise, he managed to convince the people with the supposed-to-be meaningless speeches. Nifty, eh?

Even to this day, mind manipulation is still practiced. Not just for political purposes such as the case in the past, but also for economical benefits of the manipulator.

How many women have been manipulated into buying certain beauty products simply because a celebrity appeared on the commercial? Of course, the celebrity looked good with it, but it didn’t certainly mean that everyone would look as good as her when they used the same product. Marketing experts would say that it’s a part of their “strategic plan”; which was basically just another way of saying “shrewd way of tricking people in to buying our stuff”.

How many people have been allured by the fake reality of so called reality shows? Honestly, mate. Would you be your real self when you’re fully aware that there were dozens of cameras capturing your actions?

Humans have the sharpest minds amongst all the creatures that walk the earth. Then, how come humans are easily manipulated? I don’t know for sure the answer to that question. I do know though, that there’s only one way to save ourselves (or at least minimalize the possibility) from mind manipulation. Constant vigilance!

Author’s Note: Thanks to Yenny for the info. They’re very helpful! :>

First Thing's First 5/18/2006 08:32:00 AM

It was the 2006 FA Cup quarter-final and Manchester United played against Liverpool. Entering the second half of the match, United had already been 1-0 down. As time went by, I was becoming more anxious and more impatient, seeing that United hadn’t managed to produce the equalizing goal. The hope remained, though. And then, BAM!, Alan Smith fell with a very awkward position, dislocated his ankle, and broke his foot. Sounded scary, eh? United ended up losing the match.

The next day, as I was visiting a United discussion forum, I was prepared to see serial moaning from everyone. But apparently, instead of moaning and whining about the loss, people were more concern about Smith’s injury. Lots of people were wishing him good luck and hoping for a speedy recovery for him. It was very impressing, in my opinion.

What was so impressing about it? Because, in a competitive world where end result seem to be the only thing that matters, it’s good to see that football fans still value something other than merely a matter of winning (or losing). Passion, dedication, and determination—things that Smith had showed (for some people, it’s debatable; but I have my faith in him) ever since he moved to United—seem to be more important. The extent of his injury might have something to do with all the sympathy, but I doubt it if people would be just as sympathetic when the one injured was a player who showed less of those characteristics.

Now, what’s with Smithy’s injury and the aftermath, you might ask. Nothing much, except that it showed me that sometimes desperate measures are needed in order to realize what the most valuable, the most important thing is. Desperate measures which are unpleasant, to be exact. It took a badly injured player to appreciate his dedication, it took a war to value life’s worth, it took betrayal to respect loyalty, and so on. In other words, you often don’t know what you’ve got (or rather, how important it is) until it’s gone.

Of course, everyone has different agenda. Something that’s important to me can be entirely meaningless to others. Regardless of our different agenda, we have our conscience to guide us. If doing certain thing makes you uneasy, it’s definitely not important enough to begin with. If you’ve given your energy and dedication fully over something but you still feel there’s something missing, it might not be as important as you think. Some people have lost their conscience though. For these people, identifying what’s important and what’s not would probably be impossible. I could only feel sorry for them.

So, every time you’re going to do something, please consider this. Is it worth all the effort? Is it important enough? Is it going to make you happy with yourself in the long run? Or is it simply just a total waste of time?

Author’s Note: I know that the Smithy thing isn’t really befitting to the topic of “your most important...” (feel free to fill the blank with anything that you think appropriate). But since I love Manchester United Football Club and have wanted to mention something about United, I decided to insert some United-related stuff here. So, just bear with me....

My Personal Public Speaking Guide 5/12/2006 07:52:00 AM

I always consider myself as an expressive speaker. I use not only my words, but also all kinds of gesture and facial expression to emphasize my point. Nevertheless, I never regard myself highly when it comes to public speaking. The problem doesn’t lie on the crowd, it’s just that my personality seems to be more befitting to an intimate kind of talk instead of the public talk type.

There had been times when my attempts at public speaking produce quite satisfying results. On the other hand, there were other times when I completely humiliate myself by blabbing and stuttering; which was the case on Philosophy of Science class, yesterday. Every time I did that, I always made a mental note that next time I’d be calmer, more composed, and certainly wouldn’t make a fool of myself in front of people. Unfortunately, mental note apparently is inadequate, hence yesterday’s incident. So, I decide to write a little something here: My personal guide to public speaking as an attempt to prevent any embarrassing episode in the future.

Step 1:
Understand the topic
It might sound very obvious, but it’s not as simple as that in practice. Speaking in public without proper understanding of the subject being talked is the first step towards total humiliation. If some things remain unclear, please spend some time to do a little bit of research on the subject prior to the occasion. The most important thing, make sure that I get the main point or in more stylish words: catch the essence. Understanding the subject would also make me more prepared for anything, including tricky questions from the audience. Of course, accidents could happen anytime. Out of nowhere, someone could ask me to deliver a material, unprepared. When that happened, just hope and pray that everything wouldn’t be too humiliating.

Step 2:
Make a mind-map
To transfer ideas to others, a mere understanding isn’t enough. Knowing how to transfer those ideas are just as important. Therefore, list all the things I wish to say and figure out how to tell them. For example, if I’m trying to inform people about pathophysiological aspect of bird-flue, should I make a brief intro about timeline of the disease or should I get on with the disease itself? Things like that. I’m not into practice-speaking, which we try to formulate all the things we’re going to say in words. It’s kind of limiting my creativity and flexibility in transferring the ideas. Besides, my successful performances in the past weren’t relied on practice-speaking prior to the presentation. So, I guess practice-speaking isn’t vital anyway. Just make sure that I know what and how.

Step 3:
Don’t get all smarty
Don’t say anything that I don’t exactly understand. For example, don’t use the word “fundamental” if I don’t know what fundamental means; if I’m not really sure how corona virus influence T-cells in SARS patient, don’t mention it. Don’t say things that too far out of the context just so people would be impressed. I don’t like people who show off, so I expect myself to not show off as well—even if I have the chance to. Besides, being all smarty doesn’t bring any good most of the times, it even got me into a worse situation (like being completely dumbfounded by a certain question concerning something that I’m not really know of, something that I confidently mentioned before).

Step 4:
Control the pace
My definition of a successful presentation involves the implementation of step 1-3. But this one, controlling my speaking pace, has always been a problem. I tend to speak very fast that it takes a fast thinking process as well to comprehend what I’m trying to say. In that sense, I make it difficult for people to easily understand my point. On the other hand, talking too fast also makes it difficult for me to synchronize my thought and my speech. The result: stuttering. Really, that makes me look like a total dork. So, please, just slow down a little.

Step 5:
Sweep the whole audience
Look at them all. Don’t focus my view on to certain imaginary point in front of me. It makes me look as if I am intimidated by the crowd; an impression that I certainly don’t want to give out to people. Hostile crowd would see that as a sign of the speaker’s lack of credibility. After that, they would try their very best to finish me off. Of course, I wouldn’t want that.

Hopefully, I will never ever humiliate myself again in front of people after this. Fingers crossed!

Hidden Meanings 4/28/2006 12:47:00 PM

Some time ago, I accidentally found a book called “The Music and Art of Radiohead” (by now you’d probably notice that I like them :>). From its’ title, you might’ve easily guessed what the book is all about. Just to make it clear, the book is a collection of academic essays about, well, Radiohead’s music and art (lyrics, album cover art, music videos, etc). Regardless of the efforts put out to make the essays (and not to mention the credibility of their writers), the editor was aware that the artists themselves wouldn’t be too thrilled with the project. As he pointed out at the introductory part of the book, Radiohead weren’t too fond of the over-intellectualization of their work.

You can’t blame people for it, though. Trying to look out for something beneath the surface, the hidden meaning, or whatever you’d like to call them, is simply human nature. If that’s not the case, do you think Kurt Cobain (and a whole bunch of others) would commit suicide out of feeling that his life was meaningless?

On the other hand, people always give out their personal beliefs, values, opinions and even character, intentionally or not, when they communicate with others in various media. By putting Voldemort and his death eaters as the “bad guys” (although defining good and bad in Potterverse isn’t exactly that easy) in Harry Potter series, for example, J. K. Rowling showed her disapproval towards racism. I doubt it if she really intended to preach to her readers, though.

So, what’s wrong with looking for meanings over stuff since they’re always there and everywhere? Nothing’s wrong with it, except that sometimes people can become too serious over things. I suppose that’s the reason why Radiohead refused to play “Creep” for about ten years or so, because the fans (and critics) were way too serious about the songs. People hailed it as the teenage reject anthem of the decade, for God’s sake! I mean, Thom Yorke was probably just having a bad day when he wrote the lyrics. That’s all.

And if you think that’s bad enough, check out for people who go too far in analyzing “hidden meanings” behind things: they see something which doesn’t even exist. From the corps of Harry Potter fans, Harry-Hermione shipper (from the word “relationship”, if you’re wondering) is a perfect example. They still insist that there’s something behind Harry and Hermione’s interaction (romantic love, to be exact) even after Rowling stated in one of the interviews that Ron and Hermione were meant to be together (something that should’ve been noticed by anyone who had read all Harry Potter series). Harry-Hermione shipper even slammed Rowling for “abandoning the greatest love story of the century”. Imagine!

The conclusion, it’s okay to dwell over stuff, trying to find their hidden meanings. Most of the times, you could really find something beneath the surface or even get positive lessons from it. Just don’t get too sentimental.

Guess It! 4/20/2006 11:20:00 AM

These lines gives me the creeps I thought I’d share it with you guys.
And before I forget, no copyright infringement intended.

“After years of waiting
Nothing came
And you realized you’re looking in
Looking in the wrong place”

Guess where it comes from! And what do you think it means?

Pure Escapism 4/16/2006 08:46:00 AM

A 21 year old Japanese man died of heart attack after playing an online multiplayer game for ten days, non-stop. Shocking! In the last ten days of his life, this guy didn’t even care to have a meal or drink, answer the nature’s call, not even bother to stretch up a bit. I never play a multiplayer game. So, it’s only natural that I don’t understand the excitement of it. Why people are so keen on playing it 24/7, it’s just beyond my comprehension. On the other hand, I have a guess on why that guy chose to play multiplayer game instead of living the “real” life. Boredom, lack of social contact, the need to prove his worth; you name it. Basically, he probably wanted to escape his life.

We need to get away from life once in a while. For me, the method is one of the following: reading, listening to certain type of music, watching movies, day-dreaming, browsing the internet. As for the Japanese guy I mention earlier, his means of escape was multiplayer game. And for him, instead of escaping life every once in a while, his time was dominated by the act of escaping. There are two periods in my life when this is also the case for me.

First period was during my days in junior high. I was (and still am, I suppose) this nerdy type of person. You know, the type of girl that no one wants to associate with unless they need your help for homework or the test. I wouldn’t blame anybody but me, though; I have to admit that I took the largest part in creating that image. Needless to say, I practically didn’t have social life. In short, you can say that my life was boring. Of course, with that kind of situation, it’s only normal for me to find a way out. And it’s understandable that I liked being in escape rather than living my boring life.

Second period is today, or to be exact, the past one and a half years. And now, the reason is entirely different from it was in my junior high years. My college years had indeed been very dull. For the last four years, academic duties kept me away from doing anything else besides studying. I didn’t join any student’s organization or club. Actually, I joined one, but it was simply because I felt that I had to. Not because I wanted to. During that time, I didn’t even have the time to dream, to escape; I was too absorbed with school.

I was just fed up with everything that I decided to escape. I’ve spent the past one and a half years escaping by means of reading and watching movies as many as I could, taking classes “unrelated” to my major, hooking myself up to the internet everyday in search of various fun stuff (fanfiction, Harry Potter essays, virtual community, etc). In short, the reason behind my escape this time wasn’t caused by boredom or the lack of social contact (my social life is waaaay better now); it was because I felt trapped. I felt like I had to be content enough with what people thought was good enough; while in fact, I disagreed with that notion. So, I escaped.

When you’re on the run, it’s very difficult to snap yourself back to reality. Everything is so safe and comfortable when you’re escaping. Even writing this (blogging) is basically just another form of escape. In the same time, I hope by doing it, I would be able to confront my feelings, my insecurities; or in other words, keeping in touch with reality.

Everything’s not always in its’ right place. That’s why we all need to escape once in a while. But do remember that we couldn’t run away forever. It’s not easy, but I’ll work on it.

Believing the Unbelievable 4/10/2006 06:09:00 PM

I love “The X-Files”. I really do. Until today, it still haunts me that I missed the last episode. Sleepy-head! Regardless of that, being an X-Files fan doesn’t turn me into an alien freak. In fact, I’m not interested in extra-terrestrial life, not even intrigued by the possibility of it. Honestly, I find it quite unbelievable.

People have their own reasons for not believing in certain things. Sometimes, it’s because the thing just doesn’t make sense to them, because it’s irrational such in the case of medical doctors who disregard the practice of acupuncture. Sometimes, it’s because of a more personal reason, because they simply refuse to believe in it, because it just doesn’t fit into their mind frame. For Roman Catholic of the Middle Ages, the sun being the center of the solar system (people don’t refer to it as solar system at that time though, you know what I mean ;>) was unbelievable simply because the savior of humankind was born on earth, so it was logical (for them) to assume that earth was the center of the universe, instead of the sun. The heliocentric theory was unfitting to their beliefs; therefore they chose not to believe in it.

Of course, everyone has the right to believe or not to believe in something. The problem is, when our disbelief makes us disrespectful toward others. Interestingly, it’s the ones who claimed to be more modern or more educated who often to show that kind of attitude. Some time ago, I checked out Wikipedia to look up information about acupuncture. I found statement regarding the practice of acupuncture from a private watchdog group in the US, the National Council Against Health Fraud. Here is one of it, which I think quite “disturbing”.

“Its’ (acupunctures’) theory and practice are based on primitive and fanciful concepts of health and disease that bear no relationship to present scientific knowledge.” (Reference: Sampson W and others. Acupuncture: The position paper of the National Council Against Health Fraud. Clinical Journal of Pain 7:162-166, 1991.)

The rest of their statement was acceptable, acupuncture is unadvisable because clinical trials has proven it ineffective. It’s understandable. But saying that it’s based on primitive concept, yada, yada, yada... I must admit, I HATE the word “primitive” because it implies a sense of superiority while in fact, no one is more superior than others.

Concerning the issue of the unbelievable, the wisest thing to do, in my opinion, is by applying the principles of safety, efficacy, and quality. If believing in the unbelievable doesn’t endanger you (safety), if it effectively fulfill your expectations (efficacy), and if it even goes beyond your expectations of them (quality); then please do. If receiving acupuncture treatment doesn’t worsen your health condition and even make you feel better, there’s nothing wrong with it.

In response of the same thing, people may react differently, though. You must be extra careful with that. If believing in extra-terrestrial life turns you into a astrophysicist who intensively doing astronomical research, I have no objection to that. But if the belief drives you to join an alien worshipping sect which followers are ready to perform mass suicide anytime soon, I suggest you find yourself a shrink immediately.

In the end, please open up your mind and always remember that even the most unbelievable has a chance to become the believable. If our ancestors were told that we’d be able to fly, they might’ve laughed at the notion. But look how it is now! Or to sum it all up, just remember the wise words of Fox Mulder, “The truth is out there.”

Destiny's Child ? 4/02/2006 07:04:00 PM

What makes a human, human? The answer may vary, depending on the perspective used to answer it. From a religious point of view, the answer might be the ability to distinguish right from wrong. A cultural anthropologist would probably say that it’s our capacity to classify, codify and communicate their experiences symbolically, which makes us different from other living beings. But if you look at it from biological perspective, our genes are the ones responsible for making us human.

Making definition is best left to the experts, but from what I’ve learned in Biochemistry class (;>), gene is defined as the basic unit of heredity. Genes are passed from generation to generation: parents to their children, and so on. Genes control the biochemical process in our body, their roles include producing enzymes that enabled the metabolism to determining our physical appearance such as the color of our eyes. Each species has different genes. That’s why human children looked like human, not like other species.

If destiny had a physical representation, it would probably take in the form as gene. Destiny is often considered as something that has been foreordained. Therefore, you can’t change them. That’s exactly the case for gene. For example, if the gene that controlled the production of insulin was damaged, the person would definitely suffer from diabetes; it can’t be changed.

You’re born with certain genes, inherited from your parents. You can’t change them. Even in the case of genetic engineering. In the case of the diabetic, for example, the damaged gene isn’t modified. Instead, the disease is “cured” by inserting the correct gene inside the body; not by correcting the damaged one. To make long things short, our genes had been determined before we’re born, just like “destiny” that had been foreordained.

Unfortunately, things aren’t as simple as that. It would be very naive to conclude that genes are the only ones responsible for all aspects in our life. Consider the case of someone who had an obesity problem. He happened to have unbalanced diet and never exercised. Would you blame it on his genes? I would surely not.

If something doesn’t work out right, we have nobody to blame but ourselves because our act in the past may bring unpleasant consequences at present. In other words, you get what you give. Thus, the term “free-will” and “free-act”.

Battle of thoughts between the fatalists (those who believe that destiny was foreordained) and their rival (those who believe in “free-will”, please kindly inform me if you know what they’re called :>) has been going on for years, even centuries. No need to worry though, because I don’t intend to join the faction and participate in their debate. Instead, I have a slightly different idea about the topic of human “destiny”.

Studying Pharmacy in college for the last four years, I’ve learned that regardless our fast-growing knowledge in health and medication, a lot of things remain as mysteries. It’s amazing how the cause of many diseases remain unknown. Hypertension, for example. I’ve just found out that ninety percents of hypertension cases are idiopathic, or in other words, have unidentifiable/unknown cause. Someone could be living a healthy life, not doing any “risky business”, but still catch the disease. There’s a good chance to find a hypertension patient with that kind of profile. It basically proves that life isn’t always going as planned, no matter how hard we try. On the other hand, submitting ourselves completely to the hands of "destiny" would be an irresponsible act indeed.

The conclusion is, trying as hard as we can is a must, but we should always realize that the end result doesn’t always correspond to the effort we’ve been working on. We’re all probably just destiny’s children, but the destiny has not been foreordained

In Search of Valuable Goods 3/23/2006 06:27:00 PM

Last Sunday, I watched a National Geographic presentation on TV about diamonds, “Diamonds of War” to be exact. It happened that diamonds were used as commodity to fund war in some African countries, such as Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Democratic Republic of Congo. The program basically contained in-depth investigation about “diamond business”, since it was mined in Sierra Leone to the diamond shops at Antwerp. Aside from the interesting topic and good presentation, there’s one thing that amused me, the words coming from one of the sources. He said, “Why does a piece of pebbles means so much.” And it strikes me. Why? Why does it mean so much? Why are people willing to kill others to get it? Why do people risk their life in search of it? And the main question is: What makes something valuable?

Is it the scarcity? Probably. It happens that for 70 pounds of soil being dug, one could only get one pound of diamonds. It shows that diamonds are difficult to find, which is probably why it’s so valuable. On the other hand, water is very valuable for people living in the desert (or Gunung Kidul, if I want to choose a place nearer from home :>) because water is hard to find there. Or in another case, Asian people who were used to having rice as main course would appreciate how valuable rice was when they stayed for some time in Europe.

Or is it because its’ usefulness? That’s possible. Fossil fuel would be a perfect example. Explorations are performed in all parts of the world, from the depth of the forest to the depth of the sea, in order to find the black gold and its counter part. Since the emergence of Industrial Revolution in the 19^th century, fossil fuel has become the main energy source (actually, it’s the sun; but you know what I’m talking about :>). Motor vehicles, electricity for homes and industries, just name it. The majority of them would collapse without the supply of fossil fuel. In that sense, fossil fuel could be categorized as one of the most valuable commodity.

Or is it the social consensus that tells us whether something is valuable or not? Maybe. Money, for example. Money is simply a piece of printed paper (or coin, yeah, whatever). It’s published by the National Bank. Fine. The government declares that it can be used as a means of exchange. Whatever. The point is, everyone believe that it’s valuable because the authority says so; although it’s only a piece of paper. Money is valuable due to social consensus, because everyone agree that it’s valuable.

To sum it all up, there’s one thing that determines one valuable or not. OUR IDEA ABOUT IT. Where do we get the “idea”? Sometimes, it just comes naturally. But most of the times, we learn from our surrounding (society); we learn what’s valuable and what’s not. Still confused? Imagine yourself as Robinson Crusoe, or Tarzan, or whoever you wish to be; just imagine yourself as someone who lived in a remote place far away from the “modern” world. You lived a simple life, needed nothing more than food, clothing, and shelter. Then, one day you saw a piece of gold for the first time. How would you react? Amazed, maybe. But would you suddenly come to a realization that it’s valuable? I don’t think so. Now you’ll probably get the idea what “idea” is (:>).

It’s ironic how people kill others only for the sake of diamonds (such in the case of “Diamonds of War”) or destroy mother nature in search of some piece of metal (Indonesia, sadly, has been a witness of that occurrence). Seriously, some people need to set their priorities right!

Author’s Note: Thanks to Rizki Chrisnadia and Lucy Indriani for the inspiration. Cheers!

Pop the Question! 3/18/2006 08:06:00 PM

Children. Ah, so pure, innocent, and.... annoying, at times. Annoying when they don’t stop bugging you with various questions, or the same question over and over again. It’s amazing to see them getting very interested about the simplest matter. I remember when one of my brothers was around three, he really liked animal illustrated books and miniatures. He always asked my parents to tell him the name of each animal over and over again. Sometimes, my parents seemed bored of it (even me, a six year-old kid, felt the same way), but he never did.

We were once like that, curious and enthusiastic about everything. As we grow up, the attitude is slowly disappearing, though. For most people, at least. Once amazing and somewhat mysterious world had become too familiar to us that we eventually lost our interest in it. And when our curiosity towards our surroundings is disappearing, the fewer questions are asked about it.

Truthfully, thinking isn’t actually fun. It takes a lot of effort and energy. The more curious one is, more questions are asked. The more questions asked, more thinking is needed. That can be pretty exhausting. Not only that, it often brings unpleasant consequences. And human instinctively always try to avoid the unpleasant, which is why it’s normal for feeling reluctant to think.

I guess most of you are familiar with the expression, “What you know can’t hurt you”. I guess there’s some truth in it. The more we think, the more we know, it’s more difficult for us to feel comfortable because there are so many things to be concerned for. If the amount of people who live in poverty all around the world doesn’t intrigue us, it will be easy for us to live a happy and peaceful life since their poverty has nothing to do with us (or so it seems). On the other hand, if we question the reality, it will certainly make us uneasy at times. If we don’t bother to think about the possibilities after life, we will probably feel fine with our life. People who DO bother to think about the possibilities after life certainly don’t have that privilege. For those who believe in the afterlife, the uncertainty of it is nerve-wracking, will it be better or worse than the state of living? It’s no difference for those who don’t believe it. The belief that there’s nothing after life can make them desperate since it basically implies that their life is meaningless. The logic is, if death is eternal, even hundred years of life means nothing compared to eternity.

Our quality of life is better thanks to people who are brave enough to ask questions and work hard in order to answer it (Philosophy 101, everyone?!). All developments are started by a simple act of asking a question. If there weren’t for people who were “crazy” enough to ask the most fundamental, yet mostly ignored, questions such as what life is, what truth is, what knowledge is, we might not be able to enjoy the comfort of cars, water heaters, television, and other modern devices which can’t be separated from our daily life. We owe them a lot for forming the basics of scientific methods, which brings us this far.

Living in a somewhat “modern” life, it’s more difficult for us to start such revolutionary changes like they did long, long time ago. At the same time, living in “modern” life also consumes our time so much that we often forget to look around and contemplate about anything. Or in other words (borrowing from Blur’s lyrics, no copyright infringement intended), “You’ve been so busy lately that you haven’t found the time to open up your mind and watch the world spinning gently out of time”. We actually have the curiosity, it’s just not channeled in the “right” way. “Right”, in the sense that the curiosity doesn’t make us a better and wiser person. For example, celebrity marriage makes us enthusiastic while we couldn’t care less about our existence.

My point is, we are human beings with reason and logic. That’s what makes us different from other living creatures. With that condition, is it normal if we live like, say, animals---living day by day only by instinct? Is it normal for us not using our reason and logic to see ourselves and the world around us?

René Descartes once said, “I think, therefore I am”. And what is the best way of thinking than asking questions? So, pop the question!