The frog and the scorpion

Once upon a time,
there was a scorpion which came to a river.
It wanted to cross the river to reach the other side of the bank.
But the scorpion was very afraid of water as it could not swim.

Just as the scorpion was about to give up its endeavour,
a frog surfaced from the river and landed nimbly on a leaf floating on the river.
"Good day to you my friend. Do you want to cross this river?"
The frog asked.

"Yes, I want to cross to the other side where they say there's food aplenty. But I can't swim. I'll never be able to make it across alive." THe scorpin replied dejectedly.

"Well, I can ferry you to the other side," The frog offered. " But, I'm afraid of the sting on your tail. Grandmother has warned me about how poisonous the stings of your likes are."

"Don't worry," The scorpion assured the frog. "I promise I won't hurt you if you give me a ride across the river."

"Promise?" The frog asked meekly.

" Yes, I promise. If I sting you during the ride, we'll both drown, won't we? Why would I want that to happen?" The scorpion replied.

Thus, an agreement was reached between the frog and the scorpion. The scorpion eased itself onto the frog's back and steadied itself. " Ready?" The frog asked. " Yes, I'm ready." The scorpion replied.

The pair entered the water slowly and the ride of their lifetime soon began.

The journey was smooth initially. Suddenly, the water currents became more rapid and the pair was swept along with it. " Oh no! Oh no! I'm going to die! I haven't even got a wife yet. Oh no oh no!" The scorpion shrieked hysterically. " Relax, this happens all the time. We'll make it across. Fret not." Before the frog could finish its sentence, the scorpion sunk its deadly sting into the frog's back instinctively.

"Why did you do that for?" The frog asked weakly. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to do it..." the scorpion trailed off.

As the pair went down slowly under the waters, the last they ever saw was the other end of the river bank. So near, yet so far.

---The End---

I heard about this story from one of my greatest buddy.
The moral of the story?

Just as a leopard will never change its spots, we often do what we are most accustomed to, despite knowing very well what is in store for us.
Even if millions of promises are made,
all of them will prove to be empty.

The only way to change...is from within.
When the determination to do so takes root in our hearts,
no matter how strong the currents outside maybe,
we will never get shaken.

This is, my promise to you.

Cookie Cutter

Ever heard about the "cookie cutter" theory?
Dough that are moulded by the cookie cutter would all turn out exactly the same way, with the same number of sharp edges and angles. It's almost impossible to tell one from the other.

Similarly, this theory is used to describe the phenomenon of overly conforming to the trends and standards of the society. It has a negative connotation, of course. If there were 100 cookies, and 99 of them turned out perfect, probably only the remaining unperfect cookie might be able to escape its fate of being eaten. In this way, wouldn't this little cookie be saved by its flaw?

However, it does appears that the notion of "unique-ness" and "individuality" have been over-glorified and exemplified nowadays. So much so that many find that they have to fight against the conventional ideas in order to stand out. But doesn't this constant process of self-evolution to "shine among the masses" constitutes a trend in itself? Besides, most but not all of the times, there are reasons why the majority stick fast to their ideas. Ideas don't appear nor vanish out of the blue, they take years to develop and take root in people's hearts. If not for mistakes made, obstacles encountered and lessons learnt, these ideas would not have been born.

Make a change, not for the sake of doing so, but because you believe in it.

Summer vs Winter

When I was in secondary school, we were all made to attend etiqutte courses These lessons range from having to walk in a straight line in heels with your head held high to learning how to pick up something you dropped in the most elegant manner.

In one of the lessons, our instructor was on the topic of choosing the suitable colours for our make-up and clothes for each and every unique individual. According to her, it seems that Asian skin colours are divided into two groups---summer or winter. If your skin have a tanned, bronze, gold, orange or yellow tinge, then you would most probably fall under the "summer" category. Colour suitable for "summery" people include earth tones like brown, olive green to even yellow, orange and red hues. On the other hand, if you are fair or have petals-pink skin, then you would be categorised as "winter". "Winter" people would look their best in pastel tones like pink, purple and blue.

All's well goes well if you fall under the "summer" group and preferred earth tones over pastel tones. But what if you were "summery", yet your favourite colour is say, purple? Should you compromise your likes and adopt other colours which suit your skin colour the most? Since you were born with your unique skin colour, isn't it better if you stick to the tones that were "fated" for you since birth? Should you try to "convince" yourself that you actually prefer earth tones over pastel?

Similarly, if you were good at something, let's say math. You top your math class in every test without having to put in much effort. The chances that your favourite subject is math would be very high. Naturally, self-motivation arising from the good grades, coupled with the acknowledgement from your peers for your capability, would make you feel very comfortable with math. But what if one day you failed a math exam? Would the disappointment turn you against math? Would you still be able to declare that math is still your favourite subject?

If the answer is no, unfortunately, math was never your passion right from the beginning. True interest and love for something transcends material credits. Even if you were confronted with obstacles aplenty, your raw passion would fuel you on. Simply because there is no other way, no other things that you can want to do more than this. This is it. And you know it.

Likewise, even if you fall under the "summer" group, and you deck yourself in purple from head to toe, you can still be the most beautiful person on the world. For daring to follow your true passion and dreams, for simply believing in yourself, miracles can happen. Who knows? Maybe you are the one who turned summer into winter.

Study = Fail!!!

This scribbling on the bench on the 9th row,counting from in front in LT 26, caught my eyes today. To whoever the anonymous genius who came up with this formula, I can't promise you'll get a Nobel Award for it, but the least I can do is to award you with the Model Student Award of the Year. It encompasses the spirit that ALL students should possess if they want to scrape through two decades of studying and leave with a sane mind.

Here it goes:

Studying = No Fail
No studying = Fail
Studying + No studying = No Fail + Fail
Studying ( 1 + No) = Fail ( 1 + No)
Hence, cancelling ( 1 + No) on both sides,
STUDYING = FAIL!!!

Well I don't think this formula is trying to brainwash us into not preparing for exams. Rather, do your best in the time available to you to understand and revise, but be mentally prepared that the grades you get may not be proportional to the amount of effort you put in. So, let's not stress ourselves unduly with the numbers.
It's not like you'll get to live to 80 if you get 80 marks for a test. If it is so, I would have left this world long ago before the age of 5. As it is,I'm still around to write this blog.

Time is equal

For all the students out there, you should all had the experience of some teachers or tutors or lecturers who cancelled the lecture suddenly, at the last moment or posted some notes online at the eleventh hour, or worse, cancel the lesson without informing us.
I just want to let all the educators, and even all those holding THE HIGHER POSITIONS people out there realise that, TIME is the only universal currency which is equally available and measured in the same units ALL over the world. Unless you are living on some other planets whose rotation and revolution speed is affected by the varying gravitational pull. Yes that 24 hours a day would be equally precious to all of us. May you be a farmer, a celebrity, a business man or a house wife, one hour equals 60 minutes is an indisputable fact.

Then why do some prestigious educators feel that their 5 minutes to inform students before hand is worth much more than the average 2-3 hours of travel time of few hundreds students?

Oh, I get it. Sorry I wasn't really paying attention in class when you were going through the concept entailing the fact that 1 minute of a professor is worth 100 times that of mine, a pathetic student struggling to get by with 3-4 hours of sleep and mountains of tests, reports, assignments and exams. It's my fault. I mean, it must be mine right? I mean, it couldn't be yours right? Someone who can come up with endless pages long formulas and inventions and new discoveries MUST be flawless. Right?

It's ok, it's fine with me, just waste my time doing all these mundane chores and expect me to pass this module with flying colours.

Let me show you, how I will fail with drowning colours.

Idol Dramas!!!

( Photo from Full House http://english.tour2korea.com/02Culture/TVMiniseries/full.asp?konum=1&kosm=m2_6)

While I'm on the topic of idol dramas, here's some basic characteristics of idol dramas that I have observed.

1) There is a main couple ( Girl A and Guy A)
2) Right at the start of the show, there will be a girl romantically linked with Guy A, which we shall label as Girl B.
3) Guy A and Girl A's realtionship will start to blossom as well, commonly through endless conflicts or through some I-drop-my-book-u-help-me-pick-up-our-eyes-met-n-sizzled scenes.
4) As the show proceeds, Guy B will enter the scene and woo Girl A.
5) Guy A will start giving Girl B the cold shoulder after realising that Girl A is the one and only for him.
6) The stock market now is that Girl A is super popular, with two guys after her( must be two guys, no more no less, this is the magical no.). Girl B is the kind of stocks that everyone wants to drop to prevent incurring of further losses.
7) Girl B, to win back her love, will evolve overnight from meek dove to scheming witch.
8) She will hunt down Guy B( who will be the one who's losing out in the relay) and either coerce or spite or seduce or con him into forming an alliance with her.
(Normally, underhand methods are employed such as letting Guy B catch Girl A and Guy A acting intimately. Witch and wizard will be hiding around some bend or corner typically.)
9) So, Mission Break-them-up will be launched in full force and misunderstandings will lead to cracks in Girl and Guy A's relationship. Caution to all viewers:The weather is always unusually calm before a storm. In other words, sicky sweet lines and mush and fluff may THREATEN YOUR WELL-BEING.
10) Mission goes extremely well and a major fight erupts. Girl A will tell Guy A, " It's ok if everyone don't believe me as long as you do." Typically, Guy A will be tempted to believe her but in a fit of spite, would say the otherwise OR he would just keep his piece and the Girl A runs off in a burst of tears. Fans will exclaim, " Oh my, so sad so poor thing."
11) Guy B will become soft-hearted when he sees his beloved Girl A heartbroken after the big fight. Guy B will be the one lending his shoulder to Girl A, and there will be the sad puupy look in his eyes when he was partly responsible , and all the girls in front of the tv will go, " Awww...choose Guy B! Choose Guy B!"
12) Guy B will either initiate his withdrawal from the alliance with the witch or
expose the witch and her evil scheme. (Note: at this point, fans will normally want to wring off the witch's neck themselves and knock some sense into Guy A, who will be so bewitched by the witch his IQ drops to zero)
13) All's well goes well and Girl A will end up with Guy A after some apologizing here and there, more goosebumps, and some tactics to con young girls.

Note: Girl A is normally very cheerful, doesn't do well at school, is rather clumsy, sticks fast to her principles, and is brave enough to speak up for herself or others.
Guy A is usually Ice Prince, someone who is shy and doesn't know how to expresses his love, can be very sensitive, and a big jerk during quarrels.It is an advantage for Guy A to come from an influential family.
Girl B is normally prim and proper, meek and gentle, and comes from a well-to-do family.
Guy B is normally opposite of Guy A, more flamboyant, loud, bolder sense of fashion and expresses his thoughts clearly.

Variations may occur, such as Guy A's mother preferring Girl B over Girl A and such, but they are pretty much the same.
Yes, this is the power of idol dramas over us.
We love them even though they are all the same.
Why you ask?
Maybe because it was programmed into our genes to desire for love and to be loved.

Dreams of a Dove

http://english.tour2korea.com/02Culture/TVMiniseries/goong.asp?konum=1&kosm=m2_6

The poem below is taken from the Korean drama Princess Hours (Gong).
Love the poem alot, maybe because it describes my feelings so adequately at this point of time in my life. Enjoy.

Dreams of a Dove

My feet can't leave the ground
Im afraid
To fly to the sky
Im so used to the ground
But i have wings don't I?

LOVE!!!

The LOVE structure by Robert Indiana is one of the most amazing piece of art born from my point of view.

The below extract is taken from the following website as it analyses the deep meaningful insights of the little details. I was awed, I think you will be too.
http://www.terraingallery.org/Indiana-Love-KK.htm

In the work itself, by placing these letters on top of each other, Indiana stirs them up: each letter is in a new relation - they all join where they wouldn't have if they were side by side. But they also "get a greater sense of form." The vertical stem of the L and the E are like firm pillars and the horizontal foot of the L and the top of the E are like a bridge spanning the width of the picture, giving the picture an architectural solidity. But there is nothing fixed and rigid about it. You feel it is alive with motion - the picture dances. The diagonals are dramatic. The V leading up to the L and the O make for energy.

The O is resting comfortably on top of the E, against the L and edge of the picture as the other letters form a right angle supporting it.[Detail 2] It is resting - but it also looks like it is ready to roll out of the picture. And the L, while it seems to tenderly support the O, also seems to criticize it. The foot of the L looks like it is giving the O a little kick, setting it in motion. As Mr. Siegel said to me, in love, "We'd to like to feel that we're being encouraged or incited, even."

Spring cleaning

I went to check my email today and I had 183 new mails in my inbox.
A chore that I totally abhor, simply because it's very tedious work, but at the same time I need to check for mails from my beloved friends.
As usual, after procrastinating the chore of clearing my email for so long, it's cluttered with junk mails, spam mails, and many other sorts of I-won-a-million-bucks-in-a-lucky-draw-I-couldn't-have-taken-part-in kind of mails.

It seems that my mind is now as cluttered as my email.
Overwhelmed with tabloid news, myths, and many other superfluous information.

I guess it's time to do some spring cleaning and clear up neccesary worries, so I can focus more on what I really want out of my life. After all, life is writing without an eraser, isn't it?

Time to put thing back in perspective.

Memories

when everything settles down to the bottom
just like how precipate settle to the bottom of the test tube
all the thoughts emotions feelings and troubles
seem two consolidate upon each other

Some memories become compressed
under the weight of the incoming memories
Some of these older memories may be lost in the process
Some of those are important parts of us
special moments in our life when we connected with others

For those who have passed by our lives once upon a time
no matter how important
will not be thought of at all times
And many of their footprints on our heart
will disappear with e storms and winds that we have 2 tide through

Even when we stop walking,
life won't come to a standstill.
Even after Bruce Lee, Marilyn Monroe, Albert Einstein and many others have passed on
The world continued to revolve.

everybody likes to know they are unique in their own special way
and that the world needs them
but sometimes it's good to realise the otherwise truth
so that if someone really remembers and think of you amidst all everything else
that would be much more precious, isn't it?

Optimism brings happiness?!

In the past, happiness meant smiles, laughter, sense of fulfillment or just a general sense of well-being. Now, happiness is used as a marker, not of how satisfied you are with your life, but rather, a symbol of how strong you are mentally to meet all odds with grace.

Happiness now is associated with the ability to adapt to changing conditions, the potential to overcome obstacles without panic, and it is directly responsible for the impression people have of you. How happy you make yourself out to be defines you as a person.

To meet the demands of showing happiness in our lowest moments, optimism was invented to guide people on the way to positive thinking that everything will turn out right eventually, no matter how bleak the situation may seem now.

How many times, when you are down, have you had someone reminding you, “Come on, cheer up man. No big deal, don’t give up. Smile don’t frown.”

How many times have you felt like screaming at these people to stop the constant chanting, even though deep down you know they mean well?

How many times did your frustration grew from big to bigger at your inability to smile in the face of troubles? How many times have you felt empty after making yourself appear optimistic?

If your answer to the above are yes, has it ever occurred to you then that the problem may not lie with you, but rather, the whole concept of optimism and appeared happiness?

To me, optimism is like a helium balloon. Sure, go ahead, inflate it with infinite amounts of happy helium air, make it swell. When the trouble hits you in the face, the odds become a venomous prick and burst your beautiful helium balloon. What happens then? Oh yes, lets just inflate another helium problem. No problem. No problem if you are just another piece of rubber, able to withstand all stretches, compressions and expressions. Things is, we’re humans. After a few pricks in succession, we hurt. We cry. We break.

The optimists may rebut, “Oh you’re just afraid of the higher the expectations, the greater the disappointment.” You know what, Im not afraid to admit Im afraid of disappointment. Im human. But more importantly, why cant all of us just let ourselves go and indulge freely in our emotions. May they be sadness, anger, jealousy, cowardice, feeling of loss, dilemma, can’t we just experience it all? Without trying to artificially exerting self-control on ourselves? Why be afraid to feel these emotions? Will life even be called life if not for all these?

Of course, Im not trying to promote pessimism here but for me, it suffices to know that everything no matter how crappy or exciting, will come and go. Live in the moment and people lets stop making ourselves unhappy trying to be happy.

For all the optimists out there who don’t agree with my point of view, it’s perfectly fine with me. I accept the fact that everyone thinks differently. I love to indulge in criticisms, skepticisms and disagreements.

Im just the kind of person who likes to exercise more muscles frowning then smiling to get rid of the fat pads on my cheeks( which are the last fats to be used for energy storage by your body) This is my own personal optimistic point of view of pessimism.

Vicious cycles and irony

I had a long phone conversation with my dearest buddy zhenjie yesterday.
We were on the topic of cherishing things and not taking them for granted.
Then we realized how hard it was to actually do it consistenly.

Everytime after watching a movie( eg 13 Going Onto 30, The Click, World Trade Center) or reading some novel in which the main character regrets not cherishing his/her loved ones only after sime mishap occurs, I'll be saddened with guilt. I'll make a promise with myself that I'll treat my family and all my friends like it's the last day before apocalypse strikes and tell them how much they mean to me. But after the effect of the movie wears off gradually and I am embroiled once again in the daily battles of life, I get desensitized and starts to take everyone close to me for granted all over again.

Then, when i get around to watching some movie which preaches the same notion, I'll feel even worse than the previous time,upon reminder that I failed to stick to the promise I made earlier on.
As such, a vicious cycle get built up. The same things happen over and over again. The only difference lies in the fact that I get more angry and disappointed at myself each time round.

Is it just me, or is it just typical of humans, or even Singaporeans to feel this way?

It could be because when we were touched during the movie, we as the audience, were moved afer seeing all that the loved ones have done for the lead. In reality, we only see our own hardhips, our own troubles, and we fail to see what others have been consistenly doing for us, without our knowledge. In fact, only those that truly loves us will give unconditionally, without expecting any acknowledgement of their efforts.

The people who loves us most are the ones we treat the worst.

Deep down you know that no matter what you do, the other party will always forgive you. That's what we make use of to vent our frustrations. On the ones who truly care about us. Yet, when we're outside, we flash our fakest smiles at the people who won't give a care about us if we didn't happened to be useful to them.

It's ironic isn't it?

First official entry!!!

A beloved friend of mine suggested I start a official blog where I can organise my writings and ideas in a more focused way. So here it is!!! Thanks lots to JL for the fabulous idea!

In this first official entry, I would like to dedicate it to dear JL and her wonderful music blog at http://huuzinthere.blogspot.com/.

This blog, named "music musings" is a great site to get to know about all that is going on in the music industry. I have to admit that when it comes to music, I am totally clueless. I mean, with some effort I could probably be able to croon to FIR's ( Fairyland in Reality) songs in kbox without shattering the glass. But, I tend to fall asleep or get really restless in a jazz or band concert.( forgive me siok!) Well, at this particular blog, other than the meaningful insights about the differences between Chinese and Western music, the music videoclips featured are absolutely heart-stirring, yes even to a tone deaf person like me. Jacqueline Du Pré is the best!!!

If you are a music lover, the blog sheds light on music from a philosophy major's point of view, which I can assure you, open your minds and hearts. If you are a layman like me, what better place is there to start on some musical cultivation?

As Oliver Wendell Holmes, a highly regarded American poet of the 19th century, said, "Take a music bath once or twice a week for a few seasons, and you will find that it is to the soul what the water-bath is to the body." So do drop by "Music Musings" today. You deserve it.