Enjoy =D
1/30/10
I feel disapointed with myself
Hmm, sorry about this "emo" post, but i just felt that i had to share it. Many things have happened which demoralised me. There were roles that i worked hard to achieve just simply slip off my hands to others for reasons i just don;t understand, there are people who i care for feeling down and all i can do is just say "you'll be fine". I just want to make an impact in my life and help others, but sometimes i can only do the least. Efforts wasted, helplessness, yeah that's how i feel. To my friends, i know i may seem very cheerful and charismatic in school (not that I'm not), but there are just some things that are better left kept inside. It's okay, i guess the only thing i can do now is strive for the best and try and show others help others as much as i can and that i really do care. You may be confused....but this is how it is....
It's just hard to understand....
1/24/10
Love is beautiful
I just want to share this very meaningful photo, showing how someone's love can go a long way in life...I was very touched by this picture and it really made me think of some personal stuff...enjoy=D feel free to share with me what this picture means to you! 
1/22/10
A Singaporean
I found this interesting video on the net and I thought I shared it with you guys! This video shows a typical Singaporean lifestyle and attitude. Immediately, you would think of 'complaining' habits or the infamous 'kiasu-ism'. Yes, of course this video points this out, but....it has a very interesting ending which will indeed make you feel proud to be a Singaporean!
1/21/10
15th Humanities Seminar Series Report
On the 18th of January, I attended the 15th Humanities Seminar Series 2010 which was themed “ The Role Of Literature In An Age of Turbulence” The Speaker was Dr Kirpal Singh who is an accomplished professor, currently working as an Associate Professor of English Literature and Creative Thinking in the School of Social Sciences of Singapore Management University (SMU).
Introduction
To give you a better idea of what this topic is about, I would like to post a few questions. How large a role can literature play in this chaotic world? What is the significance of literature in our lives and how does it affect our society? Looking at the topic itself, we can derive a few things. Literature spontaneously incites a role in our world and it is not passive. It is not just a subject we take in school, but it has an influence in our chaotic world. Literature can come in many forms, such as stories, biographies, memoirs and poems. It expresses thoughts and imaginations, allowing us to think and experience. (*more detailed elaboration will be shown below) Then, we look at the word turbulence, an interruption of a steady state which expresses confusion and when things go wrong. Now, when we look at turbulence, anxiety would be a sustaining emotion which is associated with it. This is because there is uncertainty of what is going to happen next. People are unsure of the chain of events which may or may not occur in times of turbulence and thus, anxiety leaks. The ambiguity in literature allows it to be interpreted in many different ways and thus, gives many other complex meanings to the word turbulence in different opinions.
1st Benefit Of literature – Risk Taking
Now, I’ll be moving on to the main gist of this topic, which would be the five benefits of literature and how it relates to this age of turbulence. Firstly, literature helps us when it comes to risk taking. In this age of turbulence, there will be many times where we will have to take risks. Thus, literature allows us to be surer of the direction we are heading by expressing other’s feelings in different situation which enables us to have a deeper understanding.
2nd Benefit of Literature- Experiencing
Secondly, literature allows us to experience things that we may never experience and allows us to be in places where we are not present at. This plays a vital role in this age of turbulence by allowing us to prevent ordeals. When we experience negative emotions in literature such as horror, pain and agony, we will want to prevent such things from happening to ourselves or others as we would understand what it feels like. In contrast, literature also plays a role in allowing us to maintain beauty in our world. Positive emotions such as happiness, love and hope would in a way inspire us to conserve beauty.
3rd Benefit of Literature - Thinking
Closely related to this is the next benefit of literature, which is allowing us to think! In times of turbulence, decision making and knowing how to respond is very important. In times of turbulence, we should always ask ourselves, do we respond to the issue in an animal-like manner, or do we be sensitive about the issue? Being able to be sensitive is what makes us human. Through thinking in literature, we would be able to learn how to make the right decisions and also to be sensitive towards issues/ being more humane. This would allow us to cope with turbulences and not lose our calm. Quote: “I shall do so, but I must also feel it like a man” (Mcduff in Shakespeare’s Macbeth.)
Relating Back To Anxiety
Relating back to anxiety being a sustaining emotion during turbulence, we can now point out the role literature plays and the impact of it through experiencing and thinking. Literature allows us to experience and understand the strong anxiety of the people and thus allowing us to be prepared for uncertainties in the future. It also reminds us to be able to act rationally and sensitively towards turbulences.
4th Benefit of Literature - Imagine
Next, the fourth benefit literature would be allowing us to imagine. Ages of turbulences often enhances imaginations and thus sparking many masterpieces of literature. One example would be Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. The period of the Civil Rights Movement inspired the author to write this book which very much talks about a time of discrimination and prejudice amongst the American society. Ironic as it seems, ages of turbulences in this case actually benefits us as it would give us inspiration to express our own feelings through literature and touch the hearts others with our work.
5th Benefit of Literature - Articulation
Finally and most importantly, literature allows us to articulate. Through literature, we would be able to make connections of all the thing literature allows us to do and how it helps us to cope with turbulences.
Summary
In a nutshell, literature in times of turbulences gives us a sense of self-assurance and also enables us to understand others, whether in terms of culture, character or emotions. At the same time, it also allows us to know a country’s psychic response to turbulences. As you can see, literature indeed has an impact in our lives and our world and has a very crucial role in an age of turbulence.
1/16/10
Japanese Toys!!!
Well, I will start off introducing about inventions with something more interesting and fun! This is none other than the Japanese toys. Japan is one of the leading companies in the world when it comes to manufacturing of toys. Take a look around! Most of the cool toys are from Japan. Most of you should have played or have seen others play some of the more popular Japanese toys . Some examples are the Tamiya car, Beyblade, Crushgears, Digivice... Brings back fond memories? Well now I will show 3 interesting Japanese toys which I have found online!
1st: Japanese Wall-Climbing Laser Controlled toy cars
Not your ordinary toy cars, this one can climb walls like a spider! This car makes use of a reverse suction fan, which allows the car to stick to any surface. It is also laser controlled, thus it does not require the cable which most toy cars have in their design. This make the car more slick and the design of the cars also represents a spider. Hmm, a question from me to you readers out there. Do you think that this type of technology will be useful for spy equipment in the future?
2nd: Face Bank
Hoho! Now this is an interesting piggy bank. This toy uses a object-sensitive sensor to figure out the different coins and actually "eats" the money. Now if you are confused, this face bank actually chews and swallows the coin into it and even burps when it goes in! It is interesting and fun, especially when you are bored. I think it really makes you want to save more money to put in more coins for the fun of it! Some call it freaky, some call it weird, but I personally think it is unique in it's own way and very creative
3rd: Air Guitar
This is my personal favourite, the Japanese air guitar invention! Now I bet some of you when listening to rock music like to pretend that you and are strumming a guitar. Well, now you don"t have to pretend no longer, because with this cool toy, you get the real air guitar experience! This gadget has 10 songs, and can also be connected to an MP3 or speaker system, which make it more flexible when it come to using it. It's almost like you are actually playing a real guitar, with chords and everything. This toy became so popular in Japan that they actually held a competition for it! Wow!
Well this sums up today"s post, I hoped you like the 3 toys that I showed you. There are just so much more to see when it comes to Japanese toys! Well, i guess all we can say is that the Japanese are true geniuses!
If you are interested in Japanese toys and want to see more, you can visit this site http://www.strapya-world.com/categories/2331.html
1/14/10
First Post!
Cheers ~
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