Sunday, September 30, 2007

This is no time for technicalities!

Thursday, September 27, 2007

what's so civil about war anyway?

I am sure everyone knows about the recent 100,000 people uprising against the military junta in Myanmar in the recent weeks, even days. The protest, led my Buddhist monks, have seen the riot police sent in, firing random warning shots into the huge crowd of protesters at downtown Yangon. This has left at least 4 monks dead, and many more injured. Also, monasteries have been raided and at least 1oo monks arrested, with evidence showing that they have been badly beaten. Sacred Buddhist relics have been destroyed by rubber bullets fired in the monasteries. Also, there is a dusk to dawn curfew in Myanmar, with gatherings of more than 5 people not allowed.

link

What is really disturbing is not the fact that this uprising has happened. In fact, the military government has been ruling the country with an iron fist. Thus, it was inevitable that they should lose popularity, respect and support of the people. What is disturbing is the ruthless methods they employ in order to keep hold of power. What they are doing now is basically the infringement of human rights!

Firstly, the killing of the monks were uncalled for. The monks were unarmed and were taking part in a peaceful march to protest against the governments actions, including the house arrest of Aung San Suu Kyii. The support they gathered along the way was huge, but they pleaded with the people not to join them. By killing the monks, arresting them, and even destroying their homes and sacred items, the military government is blatantly showing disrespect to a religion. Furthermore, by acting with violence, the government will lose even more support.

History students will be familiar with a similar event in the past. The Tsar of Russia had faced similar circumstances, fired at a crowd of peaceful protesters, who still had the utmost respect of the Tsar. Once the first bullet was fired, all that was out of the window.

History exists, as a collective memory, to let us learn lessons from the past. However, humans never seem to learn. Whatever important lessons that history gives us are ultimately forgotten when greed and temptation comes into play. It seems to be human nature to want to gain more for oneself, even at the expense of others. This, right now seems to be the case in Myanmar. If this carries on, the need for a collective memory is questioned. If people never learn, why bother remembering? The memory would only serve as a painful reminder to what has happened, and perhaps a prophetic message of what will happen. Perhaps it only seems prophetic because the civil wars and power struggles happen for almost the same reason all the time.

Perhaps, it is not that people never learn. Perhaps they choose not to act on what they learn because the temptation and greed for the benefits of power gets the upper hand on rationality. This includes money. The world today is very materialistic. As Zixiang has put it

Money makes the world go round. Money also makes the world go wrong.

I think he has a point there.

On the other hand, from the military governments point of view, they have already gone too far. It is too late for them to take a step back. After all their actions, the loss of power would lead to them being tried as political criminals, perhaps even leading to death sentences. Thus, the struggle to keep hold of power is for survival, rather than benefits. One has to remember however, that they have landed themselves in such a situation.

In such a case, where neither side can gain without first losing, there is only one possible outcome. Violence will be used by both sides in order to take hold of power, and a civil war will occur. Death tolls will increase, as do people's misery. The economy will suffer. And only then will foreigners find it absolutely necessary to intervene. Even if the military junta is deposed, another question begs to be answered. Who will be the next leaders of the country? The resolution of the conflict seems far away. But take a look into one's history or social studies books. It might just be there. This incident may be what our children study for social studies 15-20 years later.

justin.

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

something interesting to think about.

From an article in The New Paper

To teachers: When an essay seems to have incoherent and wrong use of words, could it be that it is the totally correct use of words and expression for incoherent and wrong ideas.

inspiration finds people in funny ways.

Before proceeding, I would like to say that this was a pen and paper entry written immediately after the incident. It's funny that I usually get my inspiration from school. A place where I half enjoy going to. True enough, I have enjoyed a barren spell in my brain for the past few weeks of examinations and breaks where I had the mental capability of a 4 year old. Yet the moment I step into school, I get hit in the head with inspiration.

Today, inspiration finds me in the form of an old man in white shorts, head full of grey hair. He is smiling, but the smile is not kind. It feels like a half lusty half leering smile. He beckons me and asks me to get my hair cut. During school hours.

Inspiration flows.

I come back to school, in the final 3 weeks, ready to forget all the shit we have given each other in the past 2 years. However, any bad feelings I have decided to dump out of the window was sent back through my mailbox. Inside there was a letter. It is illegal to throw things out of the window. Especially something as dangerous as bad feelings. Someone might get hurt.

But the school doesn't want to forget. It has a way of making people remember why they didn't like it in the 1st place. Please do not get the wrong idea. I do not hate the school, nor most teachers, nor my friends in the school. Just a certain type of people who remind me of my criminal offences. I am punished.

I am feeling how I'm feeling now not because I had to get my hair cut. I was going to have it cut anyway. However, some decide that the "punishment" for having long hair is missing lessons. Which makes having long hair more of a reward doesn't it? (On hindsight, it was even better because I was not the only one. It was like an enforced ponning of school without need of MC.)

We will not allow you to learn. Not in the final stretch, the final days to the big exam. They think they are depriving me a lesson but I learn other lessons along the way.

People always say that school is but a practice for the outside world. We are nurtured, cared for and given 2nd chances for our mistakes. Sometimes. But I have to agree. 2nd chances are given to those who fail examinations, though they might think otherwise. They just repeat the same year again. When mistakes are made, punishments are meted out to deter it from happening again. School teaches. But by fear. People study because the idea of not having a future is planted into their heads. People cut their hair etc not because they want to but because they fear getting caught. School always gives 2nd chances but sometimes people would prefer to choose otherwise.

As what I have written above proves, school is my place for inspiration. I will half miss it when I graduate in 3 weeks time. And I realise it is Tuesday. I have a Tuesday inspiration after reading Tuesdays with Morrie. Maybe I'm a Tuesday person as well. Maybe not. Maybe I need a teacher like Morrie Schwartz. Maybe I do have them. But they definitely do not come in the form of a white-haired, smiling old man.

justin.

Saturday, September 15, 2007

i can't think of a suitable title name.

I'm usually responsible. Whenever anything wrong happens, I'm usually responsible for it.

nope. not funny.

justin.

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Can I have some trouble please?

Basically, by blogging now and having studied for neither maths and Geog which are going to be prelimmed tmr, that's what I'm basically saying.

justin.

Saturday, September 08, 2007

what a dumbass thought to think right now.

I have no bloody idea why I have this idea right now. In fact, all my ideas should be on rocks, rivers, macroeconomic policies and problems, differentiation, integration, normal and binomial distribution, The Handmaid's Tale, Brave New World, probability, Edgar Allen Poe etc. It's nice to think I still have them within a small corner of my brain.

Now this bloody idea I'm having is the after A Levels where I am going to go idea. Without consideration of money, parents permission, nor the lilies of the field. The last thing I've never considered in my life because firstly, I haven't seen lilies in the field before and secondly, I just want to make allusions to seem like an intellectual. In case you guys think its a book. No it's not. It's Darren's nick. Which probably came from a book. Known as the Bible. Which I do not read.

So anyway, I thought of going to England since a long time ago. Firstly to visit Yogi, and also to join forces with other Reds like Kenneth(who by the way considered things I haven't not including the lilies of the field) in Liverpool FC's title march. And to visit places Ronald wants to. Like Hyde Park and Ireland and stuff. Which I also want to go to. And I also want to go to Sebana Cove, which Darren put into my head and also I have considered finances on this cause it's only in our friendly northern neighbours. And also Taiwan, which my mum thinks I should go to. And I don't mind as long as I get to go to England. Which is a very dumb thought to think right now due to more urgent matters like prelims, which I am in the middle of.

I am also in the middle of a wooden chair on my left and a floor on my right. And er below me and on my left as well... Ah oh well.

justin.

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Examination horrors.

This time of the year has reached again. If any of you are smart enough, would have known I meant the examination period. It is after all, in the title. Of course there is the normal things people like to talk about such as not studying, not knowing anything, stress etc. Everyone knows about that and noone wants to hear me whine about those, so I'm not about to.

The horror I would like to bring about is taking a bus. What?! Some of you might exclaim, before proceeding to bash my head in. With a sledgehammer. With spikes on it. So I better explain myself. SEE JAY SEE(to protect the identity of the institution of education I am "educated" in) lies somewhere where I have to take a bus to town in order to change bus to go home. Therefore, my bus tends to be rather crowded on any normal day because students in my school are cool and like to visit busy places where there are shops and cinemas and fast food outlets so they can show off their super cool whatever they want to show off. Or do something normal like have lunch and watch a movie. I just love to generalise. Anyway I digress. During examination period, it is sometimes worsened. Actually only on the last day. Because almost everyone ends at the same time, and everyone wants to visit this magical place for their own reasons, me included, though mine might seem loserish. So the bus tends to be crowded and I have to wait, or rather choose to wait for the 2nd or 3rd bus so that I take a less crowded one. Don't ask why. It's just one of my strange habits, like sitting on the toilet to read newspapers and picking my nose with my toes and - I have said too much.

So, I think it's a nightmare to take a bus filled with people wearing the same clothes as you because.... actually I just don't like it. So I try to avoid it. Maybe it's because I don't feel comfortable looking around and thinking "Hey maybe I've seen that person around in school and maybe he has seen me picking my nose with my toes." Maybe it's because I don't like to be seen as one of the people who goes to town to do their stuff, whatever it might be. Because I'm not. Crowded buses in general is also unpleasant because it's hard to get off at your stop. (For SEE JAY SEE, it's a different case because everyone gets off at the same stop.) And so I have to squeeze and "excuse-me" my way to the door and get off. Then I wake up.

Therefore, in conclusion, Maggi goreng tastes better with egg.

justin.

Monday, September 03, 2007

real life shaolin soccer

Before I embark on this post, I would like to deeply apologise to the picture of the exponent of 螳螂拳(mantis fist) which I have edited in order to suit my post, as well as any person who happens to practise 螳螂拳(noone that I know of anyway).

Anyway, this post is just about this kid from ah bia's favourite school. Whom I saw playing football at Sin Ming today. His method of defending is not unlike as shown:













"No way past me huh?"

YES WAY! It wasn't very effective. The reason I have actually embarked on this post is not to mock the martial art of 螳螂拳 but this kid. The reason I really want to make fun of him is not because he defends like this but because of as shown.














Yes. Why does he shout REF! in a street soccer court? I don't know and I don't think I'll ever find out. Well. That's all I wanted to say. Enjoy your football. Shaolin style.

justin.

Sunday, September 02, 2007

What are women going to come up with next?

Some radical feminists have condemned the practice of men standing to urinate as sexist and politically incorrect; some universities in Germany have removed urinals after protests by feminists.

In Germany, toilet ghosts have been sold for public places and homes because standing while urinating is now viewed by many as too sexist. If a man raises the seat of a regular toilet to urinate, the “toilet ghost” , in a voice that imitates former German chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, enunciates the phrase “Hey, stand peeing is not allowed here and you will be punished with fines, so if you don’t want any trouble, you’d best sit down”.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Urinal#Urinals_regarded_by_some_as_politically_incorrect

Well, if they think that way why don't they bloody well stand up and pee? Fucking feminists.

justin.

Saturday, September 01, 2007

Luis Garcia song.


To the tune of "You Are My Sunshine"

Luis Garcia,
He drinks sangria.
He came from Barca to bring us joy.

He's 5'7 (pronounce 5 foot 7)
He's football heaven,
Please don't take our Luis away.