In the past few weeks staying in my new student flat, I've noticed that two of the three new residents in the corridor have baked something on the first or second day after moving in. Of course, I did the same too.
It's not difficult to explain why I suppose. For some reason, when you move into a completely new environment where everything and everyone is unfamiliar (and not always so keen to get to know you off the bat in this case), you kinda feel the need to bring something familiar into the picture. Something that allows you to set up a bit of your comfort zone in your new surroundings.
The other resident who didn't bake something happened to know the existing people in the corridor quite well already. So I guess there was no "need" to.
It seems like a logical theory.
Should I be worried that I've been baking so much lately?
Or then again, maybe it's just something I like to do anyway...
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Is the human mind half full or half empty?
So why is it that our natural progression in life often means that we have to become more cynical as we age?
Adults always regard young people as being "naive", that they don't know how the "real world" works. But who determined that the "real world" should be crappy and horrible, full of all things that make people fundamentally unhappy anyway?
Why can't it be that we grow up thinking that the world is going to be horrible, but then realize as we grow older that it's really a wonderful place to be and this is due to the general kindness of the human spirit? That the "real world" is really frickin' amazing with sunshine, ponies, rainbows and all that? It just doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you think about it.
For one thing, how many genuinely evil people do we meet in our life?
I, for one, have not met anyone who has intentionally attempted to harm others just for the sake of doing something evil. Most of the time, we just tend to do harm to others as a consequence of our inner insecurities or due to our drive for healthy competition gone wrong. As far as I know, I've never met anyone who constantly schemes to hurt someone else either physically or mentally, just because.
People who actually do so are most often insane, something of which in other words rules them out of having any real intention of causing harm for evil's sake.
So does that mean that we live in a world full of crazies? And does the craziness of other wear off on us and hence makes us crazy ourselves?
Is that the real reason why we think that our natural progression in life means that we have to become more cynical as we age, that the thought is essentially a product of our insane mind?
So by deduction the solution to the problem, in order to break this hegemony of illogical cynicism, is to be more optimistic and to trust in the human spirit and kindness of others.
At once - the reactive thought that comes after reading the former statement is that it's too difficult and too naive.
But, well, at least maybe it's a lot less crazy.
Adults always regard young people as being "naive", that they don't know how the "real world" works. But who determined that the "real world" should be crappy and horrible, full of all things that make people fundamentally unhappy anyway?
Why can't it be that we grow up thinking that the world is going to be horrible, but then realize as we grow older that it's really a wonderful place to be and this is due to the general kindness of the human spirit? That the "real world" is really frickin' amazing with sunshine, ponies, rainbows and all that? It just doesn't make a whole lot of sense if you think about it.
For one thing, how many genuinely evil people do we meet in our life?
I, for one, have not met anyone who has intentionally attempted to harm others just for the sake of doing something evil. Most of the time, we just tend to do harm to others as a consequence of our inner insecurities or due to our drive for healthy competition gone wrong. As far as I know, I've never met anyone who constantly schemes to hurt someone else either physically or mentally, just because.
People who actually do so are most often insane, something of which in other words rules them out of having any real intention of causing harm for evil's sake.
So does that mean that we live in a world full of crazies? And does the craziness of other wear off on us and hence makes us crazy ourselves?
Is that the real reason why we think that our natural progression in life means that we have to become more cynical as we age, that the thought is essentially a product of our insane mind?
So by deduction the solution to the problem, in order to break this hegemony of illogical cynicism, is to be more optimistic and to trust in the human spirit and kindness of others.
At once - the reactive thought that comes after reading the former statement is that it's too difficult and too naive.
But, well, at least maybe it's a lot less crazy.
Full of sh*t...
So while taking a call of nature at the office, a thought suddenly popped into my head - who's responsible for urinal and toilet design?
By this I don't mean the aesthetic aspects of how they look but rather the functional properties necessary to build a good toilet/urinal.
I'm sure you need someone to think about the physics related to, *ahem*, "movement". What is the falling speed? (Because otherwise you could get a real nasty splash effect.) Does one have to calculate the parabolic function related to the male process of micturation in front of a urinal? (Or is it an intrinsically unsolvable mathematical problem, since they always have that shoot the target/bulls-eye/frog as guidance?)
Then the designer/engineer would have to translate their mathematical calculations into how the toilet/urinal bowl should look. The exact height, width or curvature, etc. I'm sure in the past they thought about what kind of material as well, though these days we all use good ol' incorrodable porcelain (sometimes stainless steel for those trough-style urinals though).
Somehow urinal design tends to be more dynamic than for toilets. A lot of different shapes, sizes, styles and fixture heights. So if anyone wants to pursue further studies in functional toilet design, I suppose urinals are the way to go! More room for experimentation!
Weirdly enough, in Holland, they have these crap bins where there is an elevated plateau where the doo-doo lands and remains until you flush it (as oppossed to the kind where there is direct deposition into the aqueous environment that everyone else in the world uses). A Dutch friend once told me it's because Dutch people used to be concerned about having tapeworms in their bellies so checking your own stool samples for larvae was a means of finding out if you had them. But, with modern standards of sanitation, shouldn't they have stopped obssessing by now!? Why do they still design them this way!?!?
I'm pretty darned sure there must be people out there today who have "toilet physicist" or "toilet engineer" on their business cards (who probably have a hard time explaining what they do at dinner parties). And what a mighty great service those men and women are doing for the rest of society.
They're figuring all this stuff out so we don't have to sit on it to think about it. Instead, we can just read our magazines.
By this I don't mean the aesthetic aspects of how they look but rather the functional properties necessary to build a good toilet/urinal.
I'm sure you need someone to think about the physics related to, *ahem*, "movement". What is the falling speed? (Because otherwise you could get a real nasty splash effect.) Does one have to calculate the parabolic function related to the male process of micturation in front of a urinal? (Or is it an intrinsically unsolvable mathematical problem, since they always have that shoot the target/bulls-eye/frog as guidance?)
Then the designer/engineer would have to translate their mathematical calculations into how the toilet/urinal bowl should look. The exact height, width or curvature, etc. I'm sure in the past they thought about what kind of material as well, though these days we all use good ol' incorrodable porcelain (sometimes stainless steel for those trough-style urinals though).
Somehow urinal design tends to be more dynamic than for toilets. A lot of different shapes, sizes, styles and fixture heights. So if anyone wants to pursue further studies in functional toilet design, I suppose urinals are the way to go! More room for experimentation!
Weirdly enough, in Holland, they have these crap bins where there is an elevated plateau where the doo-doo lands and remains until you flush it (as oppossed to the kind where there is direct deposition into the aqueous environment that everyone else in the world uses). A Dutch friend once told me it's because Dutch people used to be concerned about having tapeworms in their bellies so checking your own stool samples for larvae was a means of finding out if you had them. But, with modern standards of sanitation, shouldn't they have stopped obssessing by now!? Why do they still design them this way!?!?
I'm pretty darned sure there must be people out there today who have "toilet physicist" or "toilet engineer" on their business cards (who probably have a hard time explaining what they do at dinner parties). And what a mighty great service those men and women are doing for the rest of society.
They're figuring all this stuff out so we don't have to sit on it to think about it. Instead, we can just read our magazines.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Must stop listening to Billy Joel...
What am I looking for?
What do I seek?
The river of dreams?
It's divided to creeks!
Can't seem to focus,
On forging ahead,
Thoughts are distracted,
I can't get to bed.
Restless in spirit,
Body and mind.
The long road before me,
Looks daunt and unkind.
Yet stride forward I must.
Keen, driven, despite,
Feet threading gingerly,
My heart full of fright.
What do I seek?
The river of dreams?
It's divided to creeks!
Can't seem to focus,
On forging ahead,
Thoughts are distracted,
I can't get to bed.
Restless in spirit,
Body and mind.
The long road before me,
Looks daunt and unkind.
Yet stride forward I must.
Keen, driven, despite,
Feet threading gingerly,
My heart full of fright.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Doomsayer...
I think it's come to a point of time in our society today that all of us have to at least let go a little. Because if we don't, and I don't suppose I'm the first to think of this, we're inevitably going to head towards something really, really bad.
If you don't have anything, are completely destitute, that's understandable. You need to keep whatever you have in order to survive. But if you think you can't give up a little bit because you won't be able to afford the Benz and have to settle for the Volvo, or would have to give up skiing every twice a month, then I think one should reconsider.
I honestly doubt the majority of people are living hand-to-mouth at the moment (at least in the developed world), but I'm pretty sure everyone seems to think they are because of the crisis.
So it's a completely natural reaction to want to keep the wealth and not let go of it. We tend to be more selfish when times are difficult. So that's essentially the problem, because by hoarding the wealth we are denying those who need it. And when the others have no alternatives, they tend to turn to harder stuff. Crime will increase, civil unrest will occur.
It's already happening as we speak. We are already sliding down a slippery slope, and it's not a pretty picture at the end of the tunnel.
If we don't do something real...I dare not think about what might happen.
If you don't have anything, are completely destitute, that's understandable. You need to keep whatever you have in order to survive. But if you think you can't give up a little bit because you won't be able to afford the Benz and have to settle for the Volvo, or would have to give up skiing every twice a month, then I think one should reconsider.
I honestly doubt the majority of people are living hand-to-mouth at the moment (at least in the developed world), but I'm pretty sure everyone seems to think they are because of the crisis.
So it's a completely natural reaction to want to keep the wealth and not let go of it. We tend to be more selfish when times are difficult. So that's essentially the problem, because by hoarding the wealth we are denying those who need it. And when the others have no alternatives, they tend to turn to harder stuff. Crime will increase, civil unrest will occur.
It's already happening as we speak. We are already sliding down a slippery slope, and it's not a pretty picture at the end of the tunnel.
If we don't do something real...I dare not think about what might happen.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Relearning humility...
Reality has a twisted way of bringing you down to size, reducing you from lofty, ambitious dreamer to one who sulks in the recesses of his own self-contained mind. It isn't a very good feeling, and it's certainly one that you hope to get rid of soon enough.
It's like being on standby for the next flight after missing the one you thought you were supposed to be on. Anxiously brooding over whether there will be a vacant seat to take soon.
You fidget in the uncomfortable seat withhin the cold, faceless terminal building. What you feel can be described as being emotionally constipated. You hate having to be stuck in an environment that thousands of people pass through everyday but never remain longer than they have to in order to get to the next destination. It makes you feel left behind somehow.
The smug look of the passer-by heading off to their next sunny locale elicits an uneasy emotion of envy and ill will. "It's not their fault you're stuck where you are", you try to remind yourself.
The sooner you get on the next plane, the better. You crave for relief from the ennuity, and the simmering sense of general negativity underneath that threatens to encompass you if you don't get a move on.
Even if it might involve multiple stopovers to get to your final destination, hell even if it involves jumping out the plane midway to switch flights, you don't care!
There is only so much the human spirit can take, whether it might have been self-inflicted or by the circumstances that have befallen oneself.
I need a ticket. Fast.
It's like being on standby for the next flight after missing the one you thought you were supposed to be on. Anxiously brooding over whether there will be a vacant seat to take soon.
You fidget in the uncomfortable seat withhin the cold, faceless terminal building. What you feel can be described as being emotionally constipated. You hate having to be stuck in an environment that thousands of people pass through everyday but never remain longer than they have to in order to get to the next destination. It makes you feel left behind somehow.
The smug look of the passer-by heading off to their next sunny locale elicits an uneasy emotion of envy and ill will. "It's not their fault you're stuck where you are", you try to remind yourself.
The sooner you get on the next plane, the better. You crave for relief from the ennuity, and the simmering sense of general negativity underneath that threatens to encompass you if you don't get a move on.
Even if it might involve multiple stopovers to get to your final destination, hell even if it involves jumping out the plane midway to switch flights, you don't care!
There is only so much the human spirit can take, whether it might have been self-inflicted or by the circumstances that have befallen oneself.
I need a ticket. Fast.
Friday, April 10, 2009
Interesting thoughts...
"Great religions, like great ideas of mankind, came either to give moral support and hope when all else seemed lost, or they appeared when laxity or opulence seemeded to have eroded the most elementary rules of a community's ethical norms."
"Before the establishment of such a state of affairs, it is the extremist, the orthodox who holds the reigns, for in agitation, in revolution which stems from a religious cause, there cannot be be any moderation."
"The vast majority of Muslims per se are not basically trying to recreate an Islamic state in the sense in which it could have existed centuries ago; in fact, the desire is to create a state in which, because of religious precepts, they are given, to some extent, a voice in the affairs of the state."
"It was stressed that Islam did not recognize kings and monarchs, and that Islam had given the world a sense of the true essence of the democratic principles.
- Farooq Hassan
"Before the establishment of such a state of affairs, it is the extremist, the orthodox who holds the reigns, for in agitation, in revolution which stems from a religious cause, there cannot be be any moderation."
"The vast majority of Muslims per se are not basically trying to recreate an Islamic state in the sense in which it could have existed centuries ago; in fact, the desire is to create a state in which, because of religious precepts, they are given, to some extent, a voice in the affairs of the state."
"It was stressed that Islam did not recognize kings and monarchs, and that Islam had given the world a sense of the true essence of the democratic principles.
- Farooq Hassan
Writing to clear the mind...
I wanted to write a poem,
But the verses wouldn't rhyme.
I wanted to write a story,
But know I'd end up feeling sorry.
I wanted to write a play,
But couldn't figure out what to say.
I wanted to write an essay,
But my thoughts got very messy.
I wanted to write a song,
But all the lyrics came out wrong.
So I wanted to write you a letter,
But thought I'd save it for someone better.
And I ended up writing nothing,
Except for this lousy proseless thing.
Yet somehow I didn't want to throw it all down the rubbish bin.
Because it captured all the feelings I've been keeping deep within.
But the verses wouldn't rhyme.
I wanted to write a story,
But know I'd end up feeling sorry.
I wanted to write a play,
But couldn't figure out what to say.
I wanted to write an essay,
But my thoughts got very messy.
I wanted to write a song,
But all the lyrics came out wrong.
So I wanted to write you a letter,
But thought I'd save it for someone better.
And I ended up writing nothing,
Except for this lousy proseless thing.
Yet somehow I didn't want to throw it all down the rubbish bin.
Because it captured all the feelings I've been keeping deep within.
If you have to do something, do it well!
Everybody needs some fire in the belly.
But not too much, else you'd need to take some antacids...
But not too much, else you'd need to take some antacids...
Friday, April 3, 2009
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Hope is cheap, change is costly...
We seek peace while waging war,
Live today at expense of tomorrow.
Help the weak to show we're strong,
Search for happiness in people's sorrow.
We live in a worldful of contradictions,
Softened hearts with hardened nerves.
Lofty promises without conviction,
In guise it is for those they serve.
Thus humanity's saving grace,
Will not be in our politician's hands.
It's coming together face to face,
To leave collective footprints in the sand.
The lost wisdom of our forefathers,
We so dearly need relearn,
We know so little of each other,
Yet it's such knowledge that we yearn.
Hence us - the ascending generation,
Who have iPods, Facebook and Twitter,
Need to ask ourselves a question,
Should we let dear Mother Earth wither?
Live today at expense of tomorrow.
Help the weak to show we're strong,
Search for happiness in people's sorrow.
We live in a worldful of contradictions,
Softened hearts with hardened nerves.
Lofty promises without conviction,
In guise it is for those they serve.
Thus humanity's saving grace,
Will not be in our politician's hands.
It's coming together face to face,
To leave collective footprints in the sand.
The lost wisdom of our forefathers,
We so dearly need relearn,
We know so little of each other,
Yet it's such knowledge that we yearn.
Hence us - the ascending generation,
Who have iPods, Facebook and Twitter,
Need to ask ourselves a question,
Should we let dear Mother Earth wither?
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