孔乙己

Before anyone asks “What on earth does the title mean?” I’ll do a quick explanation.

The title (pronounced Kong Yi Ji) is a character from a novel written by the great Chinese novelist Lu Xun (鲁迅).

And before I move on to talk about the topic related to this character, here’s the story in gist:

Kong was a scholar who repeatedly failed the Imperial Exams in China. In addition to his failed academic career, he’s also poor, for he’s never held a job for long.

But despite his failure and poverty, he still feels self-important as a scholar. He continues to wear his chang shan (长衫), the standard dress for the literati at that time, even though it’s torn and dirty.

And because of his poverty, he has resorted to stealing books from others to get money for wine.

He buys his wine from a tavern that he frequents, but every time he’s there, the people in the tavern, from the boss to the customers, even the young assistant, who’s the narrator in the novel, makes fun of him.

They say things like: “You’ve gone stealing again!” “How come you can’t even get a Xiu Cai! (秀才, the lowest level in the Imperial Exams)”

Kong will then get moralistic, quoting all the Confucian classics, much to the laughter of the people in the tavern.

He could have settled for a job writing and reading letters for the illiterate folk in the town, but again, owing to his self-importance as a “scholar”, he didn’t.

Eventually, he didn’t come to the tavern for days. Everyone was initially curious, but soon after, life simply went on without him.

The last time he came to the tavern, he was crawling. Turns out, he was caught stealing from Ding juren (举人, the second level in the Imperial Exams), who got his henchmen to beat him up, till his legs broke. But despite his sorry state, he received no sympathies, and after drinking his wine, he crawled out of the tavern, never to return.

What are the lessons from the story?

First, whether Kong deserved any sympathies.

He does, if you consider the sorry state he ended up in. stealing is wrong, but being beaten to that state is way too much. It exposes the inequality of society, and the injustice that people in power inflict over the weak in society.

But nevertheless, he has himself to blame for his predicament. His self-importance as a “scholar”, albeit a failed one, his refusal to settle for a decent, respectable job, and his irrelevance, quoting Confucian classics while living in the modern world, creates the situation where he cannot be accepted by society.

In addition, “morals” and so-called “principles” are mere excuses for the failure to improve and reflect on his predicament.

Actually, though the story is set in the 20th century, many things remain relevant to our times. In any society in any time, there’s always a Kong Yi Ji, who’s always bullied and ridiculed, who’s unwilling to face failure, who’s unwilling to change and improve, who’s unwilling to adapt to changing times, and who is so insignificant, life for everyone else goes on, with or without him.

You'll never know when Retribution will COME

Do you think there's such a thing as retribution? In today's ST, I was quite upset with the report regarding the elderly being preyed on by a plump con-woman in her 40s or 50s. She posed as a welfare worker who knocked on their doors and invited herself to clean their homes. The part that disgusted me the most was that she preyed on those who lived alone and on a shoe string budget. One of the victims survives on the $360 he gets from public assistance every month! That sorry excuse of humanity (aka the con-woman) stole his $100 angpow, which he could have used to buy other daily necessities or treat himself to a better meal.

The elderly are frail and dependent on other people in society to take care of them. The last thing they need is someone to take advantage of their dependence. They have lived for so long and contributed much to society, they have experienced all the joys and crap that life has to offer. So treating them in such a manner, is just plain disgusting and reflects badly on one's morals. I hope that woman gets her just desserts; I trust karma to come around chewing her ass. Speaking of karma/retribution, have you guys watched the movie "Hard Candy"?

Its a pretty disturbing movie about a pedophile, Jeff, getting his just desserts. He meets up with this girl called Hayley that he chatted up with online. They engage in some flirtation and they go to his home to listen to his Goldfrappe concert recordings. Hayley mixes them some screwdrivers and before Jeff knows it, he passes out. When he wakes up, he finds himself bound to a wheeled computer chair, and Hayley reveals that she's not the 14year old girl that she said she was. She begins to interrogate him about his involvement with the murder and rape of Donna Mauer. Jeff denies it all and distract Hayley whilst he tried to get his gun. Unfortunately, Hayley predicted this move and quickly asphyxiate Jeff with plastic wrap into unconsciousness.

When he next gets up, he finds himself on a steel table with an ice pack over his nuts, listening to Hayley calmly informing him that he will be castrated for the good of humanity, so he could never prey on another innocent kid again. She sets up a video tripod aiming at his exposed genetilia and linked it to his kitchen TV, so that he can watch himself being castrated (is this evil of what). This is the castration scene: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMXed9Nvjfo Unfortunately, I can't embed it. Guys, you might get a litte uncomfortable especially when you hear the sound of Jeff''s testicles going into the garbage disposal (for those of you who don't know what it is, its a grinder that most Americans have in their sinks to chop up their rubbish into small bits) after she's done with the castration.

If you watch the full movie, you'll learn that he wasn't really castrated. She just used a clothes peg to clip his testicles to give him the sensation of pain and played a medical video of a castration op. Lord knows where she got the testicles that she dumped into the garbage disposal unit.

You can read more here

The moral of this movie is- you don't know where or when revenge will come nor what form it will take. Ultimately, restribution came in the form of Hayley who convinced Jeff to commit suicide using a combination of guilt and stress.

This is the trailer:

Holy Crap! I can't believe my eyes

I always found it wierd how people can find the image of Jesus, Mary and even MJ in the most unlikely places. Is it psychological? Merely us trying to make sense of a pattern? Or is it pareidolia at work? Or is it a true paranormal occurance? Or is just blind faith? Here are a few stories:

Jesus on a frying pan
Juan Patrano, who lives in Prairie Lea, Texas was washing his dishes one night when he suddenly saw the face of Jesus staring up at him. He wrapped the pan in plastic and hung it on the wall, never to be used again. Juan says he's a "religious man" so the likeness has a personal, deep meaning to him. Not that religious, however, that he isn't considering selling the pan on Ebay for the obscene amount of money this stuff has brought in lately. It's more blessed to get a lot of money than it is to be personally hand picked to receive the image of Our Lord on your frying pan.
Taken from: http://www.anomalies-unlimited.com/Religion/Jesuspan.html

Virgin Mary on Sandwich
A Florida woman put the sandwich up for sale, saying it has brought her great luck since she found it 10 years ago.

She described how she came across the mysterious morsel.

"I made this sandwich 10 years ago. When I took a bite out of it, I saw a face looking up at me - it was Virgin Mary starring (sic) back at me. I was in total shock," she explained.

Mrs Duyser has since kept the toastie surrounded by cotton wool, in a plastic container on a stand.

She says a decade on from its conception, it has not shown any sign of mould or crumbling - which she considers "a miracle".

Taken from: BBC News

Virgin Mary appearing on Tree Stump


The supposed vision surprised locals who have come in their hundreds to pray and light candles in the grounds of Holy Mary Parish church.

While some believe the willow should be preserved and covered in glass, others think the believers are just barking up the wrong tree.

Noel White, Rathkeale Community Council Graveyard Committee chairman, said workmen sprucing up the church land saw the image when they cut the tree.

"One of the lads said look, our Blessed Lady in the tree," Mr White said.

"One of the other lads looked over and actually knelt down and blessed himself, he got such a shock.

"It was the perfect shape of the figure of Our Lady holding the baby."

Candles and rosary beads have been draped over the stump by prayerful locals with up to 700 holding a candlelight vigil last night and into the early hours of the morning.
Taken from: The Telegraph


Jesus appearing on Cider Bottle
Michael Cartwright discovered the face of Jesus on his bottle of cider
"When I saw it I got goose pimples," 35-year-old Mr Cartwright said yesterday. "I have no doubt it is the face of Jesus. You can even see his beard and hair."
Mr Cartwright, a taxi driver from Darlington, noticed the extraordinary image while drinking with a group of friends at his local, the Tanners Hall.
"As the barmaid removed the cap to the cider I suddenly realised what was staring back at me," he added.
One of Mr Cartwright's friends took a photograph. It was only the following morning that he realised how clear the image was. But by then it was too late to retrieve the bottle.
"It ended up getting collected by a barmaid when no one was paying attention and thrown away," said Mr Cartwright.
Taken from: The Daily Mail


Jesus on a Tortilla
Mario Rubio is rolling a burrito when she notices skillet burns on the tortilla resembling the mournful face of Jesus Christ. Shortly thereafter, 8,000 curious pilgrims trek to the Rubios' small stucco house in rural New Mexico to view the sacred icon. Mrs. Rubio leaves her house unlocked so that visitors may freely enter and examine the tortilla.
Taken from: http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/electronic-publications/stay-free/5/jesus.htm






Jesus on Chopped Wood
A gasoline log splitter cut through a piece of wood, leaving behind an image of Jesus’ face. Wolfe said the machine was making all kinds of noises as it was working its way through the wood. It got to the point where it was going to get bogged down when it finally split the log.

“You would never dream something like this is going to happen,” he said.

Wolfe was cutting the wood with his friend and his friend’s son. When the image appeared, his friend told him it looked like Jesus.
Taken from: Star Beacon


Michael Jackson on Car Bonnet
It appeared to show that the 'King of Pop' had made a swift ascent to the heavens after his death.

Father of two Gary Sloggett, 43, had taken some photographs of his Rover 200 with the intention of submitting them to a car sales magazine.

But when he uploaded the snaps onto his computer he was shocked to see Michael Jackson who had died just 13 hours earlier - staring back at him.

'It's quite extraordinary,' said Gary, of Stafford. 'The obvious explanation is that it seems to be some sort of cloud formation that just happened at the time.'

'But I've shown the picture to quite a few people and without prompting they all say: 'That's Jacko.'

Taken from: The Telegraph

Obsessive Compulsive Disorder

After the big debate over what is OCD last night, I've decided to do a post on what is OCD.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder: A psychiatric disorder characterized by obsessive thoughts and compulsive actions, such as cleaning, checking, counting, or hoarding. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), one of the anxiety disorders, is a potentially disabling condition that can persist throughout a person's life. The individual who suffers from OCD becomes trapped in a pattern of repetitive thoughts and behaviors that are senseless and distressing but extremely difficult to overcome. OCD occurs in a spectrum from mild to severe, but if severe and left untreated, can destroy a person's capacity to function at work, at school, or even in the home.

The obsessions are unwanted ideas or impulses that repeatedly well up in the mind of the person with OCD. Persistent fears that harm may come to self or a loved one, an unreasonable concern with becoming contaminated, or an excessive need to do things correctly or perfectly, are common. Again and again, the individual experiences a disturbing thought, such as, "My hands may be contaminated--I must wash them"; "I may have left the gas on"; or "I am going to injure my child." These thoughts are intrusive, unpleasant, and produce a high degree of anxiety. Sometimes the obsessions are of a violent or a sexual nature, or concern illness.

In response to their obsessions, most people with OCD resort to repetitive behaviors called compulsions. The most common of these are washing and checking. Other compulsive behaviors include counting (often while performing another compulsive action such as hand washing), repeating, hoarding, and endlessly rearranging objects in an effort to keep them in precise alignment with each other. Mental problems, such as mentally repeating phrases, listmaking, or checking are also common. These behaviors generally are intended to ward off harm to the person with OCD or others. Some people with OCD have regimented rituals while others have rituals that are complex and changing. Performing rituals may give the person with OCD some relief from anxiety, but it is only temporary.

Taken from: medterms.com


This is an interesting documentry that showcases two cases of OCD. One is a girl who MUST check if her doors are locked, and the other girl who must check if everything is switched off. Unlike what "somebody" said last night, the difference between OCD and careful people lies in the compulsive nature.

It is possible that a flight engineer is obsessed with perfection, but he is not compulsive. As mentioned earlier, compulsive would mean that the person just has to do something over and over again. Having an obsession with a clean and neat table, may not make you an OCD. Most people with OCD have rituals to follow, they get VERY upset and emotionally distraught when the ritual is disrupted. For example, if the only sink in the house breaks down for a hand-washing OCD, she may plunge into panic and depression. In severe cases, suicide is even possible.


This isn't the most accurate OCD video ever, but I would like you to focus on the ritualistic aspects of his OCD. Ignore the neat geek phenomenon. He does everything in sets of three, and when the key broke. He just panicked, he was distraught over the broken key.

OCD is a very common disorder, but most people have it in mild levels. Please do not confuse it with pet peeves. For me, I must have a clean floor and I will obsessively check if the taps are closed before I can go to bed. It normally worsens when I'm stressed. I can get up 4 to 5 times a night to check if the tap is fully closed. I would get up in the middle of the night to clean my room floor if the little voice told me it wasn't clean enough. Thankfully, I got over it. I can control the compulsions now.

Interesting Rules!

I just came across this news article and shucks, I couldn't stop laughing... It is about all the various laws from countries around the world that tourists should be aware of. So I researched a little more and compiled a list of all the wierd rules from the world that are pretty much not taken seriously today.

1. In Milan it is a legal requirement to smile at all times, except during funerals or hospital visits.
2. In Massachusetts, taxi drivers are prohibited from making love in the front seat of the car during their shifts.
3. In Denmark, people are legally obliged to honk the horn and check for small children underneath the car.
4. In Thailand, it is illegal for anyone to leave a building without wearing their pants.
5. In Michigan, anyone planning on bathing in public must have their swim suit inspected by a police officer.
6. In Florida, any unmarried woman who parachutes on a Sunday could be jailed. Singing while wearing a swimming costume is also prohibited.
7. In Portugal it is unlawful to urinate in the sea.
8. In Hong Kong the wife of a husband who commits adultery is legally entitled to kill the mistress in any manner desired, and the husband with just her bare hands.
9. In Switzerland flushing the lavatory after 10pm is illegal.
10. In Canada if you are arrested and then released from prison, it is a legal requirement that the felon is given a handgun with bullets and a horse, so they can ride safely out of the town.

Taken From: The Telegraph

More wierd rules:

1. Alaska - It is illegal to take a picture of a live bear. Better shoot it before getting that scenic shot!
2. Arizona - If a thirsty vagrant comes knocking on your door asking for a glass of water, denying to serve them is a punishable offense.
3. Arkansas - Beating your wife once a month? Go for it! More than once a month and the cuffs come out.
4. Colorado - Your pet goat is not allowed to graze on grass that is on city property. Aww, come on.
5. Connecticut - In Devon, Connecticut, it is illegal to walk backwards after sunset.
6. Delaware - Whispering within 300 feet of a church is considered a crime.
7. Florida - All pregnant pigs must be allowed to roam free, anywhere in the state.
8. Idaho - Fishing while on the back of an elephant is strictly prohibited.
9. Illinois - In Chicago, it is illegal to eat in any building which is currently on fire. Well, duh!
10. Kentucky - Throwing tomatoes at a public speaker is punishable by up to one year in jail.
11. Louisiana - In Jefferson Parish, all garbage fed to hogs must first be cooked, no matter what the garbage contains.
12. Massachusetts - It is illegal to park your donkey in a bath tub. Umm, excuse me, what?

Taken From: Amusing outdated laws

EVEN MORE OUTDATED LAWS

1. It is illegal for a cab in the City of London to carry rabid dogs or corpses.
2. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament.
3. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside
down.
4. In France, it is forbidden to call a pig Napoleon
5. Under the UK’s Tax Avoidance Schemes Regulations 2006, it is illegal not to tell the taxman anything you don’t want him to know, though you don’t have to tell him anything you don’t mind him knowing.
6. In Ohio, it is against state law to get a fish drunk.
7. Royal Navy ships that enter the Port of London must provide a barrel of rum to the Constable of the Tower of London.
8. In the UK, a pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere
she wants – even, if she so requests, in a policeman’s helmet.
9. In Indonesia, the penalty for masturbation is decapitation.
10. In England, all men over the age of 14 must carry out two hours of longbow practice a day.
11. In San Salvador, drunk drivers can be punished by death before a firing
squad.
12. In the UK, a man who feels compelled to urinate in public can do so only if he aims for his rear wheel and keeps his right hand on his vehicle.
13. In Kentucky, it is illegal to carry a concealed weapon more than six-feet long.
14. In Chester, Welshmen are banned from entering the city before sunrise and from staying after sunset.
15. In the city of York, it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow.
16. In Vermont, women must obtain written permission from their husbands to wear false teeth.
17. In London, it is illegal to flag down a taxi if you have the plague.
18. In Bahrain, a male doctor may legally examine a woman’s genitals but is forbidden from looking directly at them during the examination; he may only see their reflection in a mirror.
19. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast is legally the property of the King; the tail, on the other hand, belongs to the Queen - in case she needs the bones for her corset.

Taken from: The world's strangest laws

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder- or isn't it?

There is something wrong with me... Maybe its my assexual nature, I never found either gender good enough to hold my attention for more than 2 minutes. TWO minutes, thats all the time I need to dig out a person's flaws and my bone deep cynicism and distrust of people to kick into gear. Either the person is as interesting an average *bleep* (I'm leaving that part out until I can find something I find less interesting than an average human), or there's a something stuff between that person's teeth, or it could be bad breath, or it could be body odour, too much hair, too little hair, terrible literacy skills or just that set of protruding ears/nose. So what is beauty?

I always thought the world of muscular perfection in people. The beautiful definitions, sharp edges and alluring network of veins. It looks like a work of art to me. Until I came upon the picture of Madonna looking like this (left), taken from the Telegraph. From that moment, my fantasies came to a screeching halt. I had this compulsive urge to scream the "White HULK!!" (I'm not being racist here, Madonna isn't green... yet)





She has reached a stage of physical perfection that almost every individual muscle is fully defined. Her personal trainer, Anderson, had the guts to say "Madonna will never look her age," she insists. "She doesn't even look half her age – she looks 19." Well, I say Madonna looks like one of the exhibits by Dr van Hagen's body (minus the testicles and penis plus a slightly bigger but rapidly shrinking set of breasts). Would you call that sexy/hot? Personally, its a loud bluidy NO.




Now, lets compare the following pictures:





Do you find these skinny girls hot? Or would you think annorexic guys look hot?? Some people do, but I don't. To me, dating skinny girls are like dating the lalangs (nothing much to grab onto other than their heads) and dating skinny boys are pointless waste of time because they are wimps.


Now lets take a look at the opposite; do you find them hot? Personally, no. But I like them because they have a guts to show off their bodies with pride.

These are just a few examples- so what affects our perception of beauty? Age? Personality? Gender? Size? Race? Just to highlight how beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, take a look at the following videos from the Maury Show called "Opposites Attract". Enjoy!

Size and Age?


Size?




Hot versus Not?


So, in summary, I would say, beauty has no boundaries in the eye of the beholder. So I can say I'm a dysfunctional idiot. wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

The Dark Tower at Buona Vista, Part 2 (Cont.)

Note: If you are reading this for the first time, please refer to The Dark Tower of Buona Vista, and The Dark Tower of Buona Vista, Part 2

Having discussed our education system’s obsession with grades, and the policy failures regarding PW and SS, I now continue my discussion, this time into the final subject, History, and the last issue in my post, the over-valuation of certain subjects.

“What’s wrong with History?” One might ask.

“It’s Boring!” would be the most common reply. But why it is boring? Was it supposed to be boring?

The problem is twofold. First, people misunderstand the subject. Second, there is an issue with the way History is being taught in schools.

The common misunderstandings regarding History is that it is all about memorising, about remembering and regurgitating facts, dates, events, names of peoples and places, and whatnot.

Actually, to memorise and rely on intellectual bulimia is the fast track to failure in studying History (I speak from my experience). History is about facts, but facts are far from the only, nor even the most important aspect of the subject. History is about analysis. It’s about getting the big picture, and understanding why things happen the way they did. Like how WW2 started for example. There is a good deal of background knowledge required, but some things are just commonsensical.

So unless you specialise, in say, military history, there’s no real need to memorise the nitty-gritty details. Even university professors don’t do that. They know enough to teach, but getting to detail still requires them to go to the library or the archives to do their research.

This brings me to my second point, that there is a problem with teaching History.

When I was in JC, I was selected to represent the school in a dialogue session with the Prime Minister. I managed to raise a question, and the question was precisely about the History curriculum. For a multitude of reasons, I did not pursue the question, and had to be content by saying that my JC history teachers would make good examples of what History should be in schools.

So, what is the problem?

I would say there are two points. One, there is too little interaction. JC History for me was about debating. About arguing your case and defending it, while recognising the alternative points and the nuances in each issue. Secondary School History was by contrast, much less exciting. I only remember spending time writing essay after essay after essay, and spending umpteen hours on “source based skills” totally irrelevant for my JC History.

Two, teaching methodologies are too dry. The main, if not the only reason I enjoyed History in Secondary School was my teacher, and the fact that international History was simply more fun.

But to be objective, at least for both secondary school and JC I got to go for overseas field trips. That’s why made History REALLY FUN.


Last but not least, the over-valuation of subjects.

I wouldn’t deny the importance of subjects like law, medicine or engineering; they are truly important occupations.

Besides, sociologically speaking, these occupations, especially law and medicine, given their long periods and high costs of training, have to be compensated. This is the so-called Davis-Moore Thesis in sociology.

What I am against are parents who myopically think that only these occupations are considered successful careers. I’m sure many of you would have heard of stories where a student tells their parents, “I want to major in Theatre Studies”, only to get the reply, “Got job for it meh?”

It is the lack of understanding that led so many students to lead miserable lives in university, at the cost of their freedoms, their grades, and consequently, their dreams.

End of Part 2