My Rules

Rather than give it some fancy name like "manifesto" or "personal axioms", I prefer sweet and simple (for now).  Here goes:

 

- No rule is unbreakable (this rule included...try wrapping your head around that one, ;P) without reason.

- KISS: Keep It Sweet & Simple.

   - Everything should be as simple as it is, but not simpler. -- Einstein

- Do no harm.

   - do no harm -- Hippocrates

- Never stop improving.

- Question everything.

   - "Doubt everything that you take on...That is very important...Information is information, after all...open your eyes, clear out your ears, and look & listen to the world...use your own brain...after you've doubted everything, there is a possibility of something real to believe in...to believe in something, doubt everything." -- Cowboy Bebop unreleased episode

 

More to come as I remember them...

Don't forget to wear sunscreen (Key's to Life)

A few years back (hmmm, about 5 years, actually -- half a decade...) there was a song called "Everybody's Free to Wear Sunscreen" by Baz Luhrman.  You can look up the lyrics on your own.  But the first part of it goes like this:

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Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis or reliable then my own meandering experience.  I will dispense this advice....now.

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Good advice.  Now I want to do the same, but just for a specific subject: keys to life.

I find there are two three:

• balance
• timing
• context/perspective

I won't go too deep into explanation, as it can get very verbose, and it's really not that hard to understand if you give it a little thought.  If you can control and/or perfect these in your life, the world can be your oyster.

And now a few secondaries:

• ambition
• perseverance
• resolve
• conviction

Yes there's some overlap here.  The secondaries aren't fully baked.  Will update when I get to 'em

The beauty of rain

There was some pretty heavy rainfall tonight in Toronto.  Just a couple of observations I came up with due to it:

 

1.  Tonight was the second time this year, where I explicitly witnessed a sort of border between an area with no rainfall, and an area with a lot, and having no choice but to drive straight through it.  It's quite an experience, from being sunny (or just dry, as in tonight, when the sun had already set while I was driving home), you see in front of you a haze that you're not too sure about.  Then the raindrops are seen more clearly, then the sound of a shower get louder and louder, until you're fully engulfed in the rain, where the wipers can't wash the rain off the windshield fast enough and there's nothing you can do to get rid of the sound of the rain bombing down upon your car.  What beauty!

 

2.  The view at my place rocks!  Not only do I hear and see all the rain as well compared to when I'm in the car, but the big windows let me see practically every lightning bolt on the west side of Don Mills -- all the way to Etobicoke/Mississauga/Brampton!  I wish I had something that could take some pictures that would do the lightning bolts some justice.  As a side note, has anyone ever seen ORANGE lightning bolts outside of a lab?  I can now say that I have!

 

Dan

Memory Lane - China Observations

I used to have a personal website, where I had a section for my thoughts and opinions.  The website's gone, but I still have some of the writings.  So thought I'd put them here and give my current take on whatever I was talking about: in this case, it's my trip to China.

 

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Interesting Observations (May '03)

 

Watermelon
   With the food in China, you'd think their national fruit was watermelon! There was watermelon for breakfast, watermelon for lunch, watermelon for dinner, watermelon on the street markets, watermelon in the supermarkets, watermelon everywhere! But funny thing is that the watermelons in China were no where near as sweet as the ones in Canada. Conversely, however, the watermelons in China are no where near as genetically modified as the ones in Canada. =)

 

Stigma of Chinese Food
   I think this is the biggest thing that I'll remember about my trip. All my life, I have heard of the stigma of how the chinese eat dog and other crap like that. Before, I wouldn't really say much about it, because even though I admittedly found it a big disgusting, there really isn't much of a difference between eating a cow and eating a dog. But after going to China, I have a better apprectiation of the stigma. The people of China are poor. There are some that aren't too poor, and some that are more poor than others. But for the most part, the majority of China's population is poor. And so I found it very despicable of me, to criticise or have an opinion on people who eat dog, when I have never been in there shoes. And conversely, I have a better idea of how I should respond the next time I hear someone talking about the chinese eating dog.

 

Skin Complexion
   To those ignorami who think that chinese people only have white to yellow skin complexion should go to China. Spending just 5 minutes in PR China, and they'll see a huge spectrum of skin complexions -- almost from black to white.

 

Car Widths
   If anyone has ever seen a Suzuki Sidekick, and has noticed how narrow that vehicle is, they will have a very good idea of how wide cars are in China. Although, I guess it makes sense: there are more than a billion people in China, if everyone was driving cars as wide as the ones in North America....well, you'd get chaos. Unless you're quite wealthy, you'll never be able to afford a car that looks better than a '92 Corolla, and is wider than a Suzuki Sidekick.

 

Traffic
   Speaking of chaos, you already have it in a lot of it in China, especially in the major cities. I even dare to say that the traffic in Hong Kong is better than the traffic in some chinese cities. Nobody really has the right of way on the streets: not pedestrians, not bicyclists, and not motorized vehicles. Also, a red light doesn't mean stop; it means slowly inch out onto the street until you can make a left or right turn without getting rammed into. Amazingly, I only saw ONE traffic accident while in China. After going to China, it's hard for me to imagine how there can be a stigma about chinese drivers being slow...

 

Brakes and Suspensions
   The breaks on some of the buses are so screechy, that scratching a chalkboard with nails would seem like a 5-star vacation. Before I went to China, I always thought that all cars would have a suspension system. While sitting in the buses, my butt spent more time in the air, than on the bus seat. If chinese vehicles actually had suspension systems, you wouldn't know it from sitting in them.

 

Humidity
   If Canadians want to know how hot it can get in China, they should wait for the month of July, park their car under the sun, take the keys out, close all the windows, and sit in there for about an hour. Then they'll know how hot it can get in China.

 

Pollution
   The emissions from motor vehicles in China are terrible. I seriously think the chinese are getting stiffed in the air quality department, at least in the cities. Avoid city walking if at all possible, if not, make sure you have a tissue or something to cover your mouth and nose.

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The trip was back in '02.  Six years is a long time, especially in China years, so I'm sure a lot as changed, with many things still being exactly the same...

Memory Lane - Agnostic Atheism

I used to have a personal website, where I had a section for my thoughts and opinions.  The website's gone, but I still have some of the writings.  So thought I'd put them here and give my current take on whatever I was talking about: in this case, it's Agnosticism.

 

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Why I'm an Agnostic Atheist (May '03)

 

Because there are times when I believe in the existence of a higher power, and there are times when I don't.

According to others, that reasoning would probably constitute the definition of agnosticism, since if you believe in the existence of a higher power some of the time, then that means you don't disbelieve in the existence of a higher power all of the time, and therefore, you're not an atheist, but only an agnosticist (is that correct? "agnosticist"?).

 

I would agree with such a person if it wasn't for my belief that one should not make claims unless they have substantial proof to back it up. In the case of the existence of a higher power, I don't have any. All I have is an inkling, a feeling, that something more exists that is beyond our current objective understanding of the universe, and that's not enough for me. It might be enough for some people -- on smaller matters, it's might even be enough for me -- but for large matters such as religion (or lack thereof), it's not for me.

 

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Not much has changed since then.  The belief is pretty much still the same.  I would only add two things: 1. I would definitely say that I'm non-religious.  2. I rarely think about this anymore.  Whether you're Christian or Buddhist or Muslim or Jewish or Hindu or nothing at all, as long as you have a good heart and a kind nature, that's all that really matters.

Memory Lane - Christianity

I used to have a personal website, where I had a section for my thoughts and opinions.  The website's gone, but I still have some of the writings.  So thought I'd put them here and give my current take on whatever I was talking about: in this case, it's Christianity.

 

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Why I'm not Christian (May '03)

Let me make this clear from the very top -- my purpose of this rant is not to bash Christianity. Like almost everything in this world, there is a good and bad side. IMHO (I hope you weren't expecting a completely formal essay, here), the only reason why people (including me) say something is exclusively good or bad, is only because they're too shallow to see the entire picture.

So anyway, let me start of with what I find good about Christianity. For the most part, the underlying themes of the religion is very noble: love thy neighbour, love thy mother and father, treat others as you would want to be treated, etc., etc.

Now for what I find at fault with Christianity. I think one of the biggest problems with Christianity is that it's too ambiguous. Because of the ambiguity, different interpretations of the scripture in it's "Book" have been made, and preached. As a result, no one can really say what Christianity is, because different groups have different definitions, and so who is to say which is "the true word of God"??? This severely cripples Christianity from truly being a legitimate religion, because without definition, you have no substance. More to follow.

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Well, roughly 5 years later, finally following up with more, :).  Not much has changed in this regard -- I'm still not Christian, and don't see myself being one any time soon.

 

Lately, however, I've been exposed to sources that are a bit less tolerant of Christianity than me: the Zeitgeist movie, evolutionists (e.g. Richard Dawkins), etc. which has me leaning a bit towards sentiments like "y'know, you really shouldn't be Christian (because of this reason or that reason)".  But mostly, I'm still indifferent, so long as people have a good heart, I could care less about their religious beliefs.

Memory Lane - Golf

I used to have a personal website, where I had a section for my thoughts and opinions.  The website's gone, but I still have some of the writings.  So thought I'd put them here and give my current take on whatever I was talking about: in this case, it's golf.

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Why Golf isn't a Sport  (May '03)

   Interestingly enough, the definition of a sport is much more detailed than most people think. That's why sport channels show things like spelling bees (and to a lesser extent, dog shows or horse back riding/racing) -- because one of the components of a sport is the strategy required and the psychological stress that one is put through. That is why chess is considered a sport; same goes for darts, or billiards, or golf.

   So yes, golf is a sport in the same way that chess, darts, or billiards are sports as well. However, a game where the professional "athletes" have other people carry their golf bags, and ride around in over-sized go-karts rather than walk that short distance from one hole to the next, is definitely not in the same league as truly physically, as well as pscyhologically, stressing sports such as basketball, tennis, hockey, badminton, etc., etc. Even marathon walking is more of a sport in that respect, than golf. The only reason why golf is so popular in our media (other than Mr. Woods) as compared to the other sports that lack the physical component of a sport, is because golf is a popular past-time among the quasi-omnipotent, middle-aged businessman, who want to still believe that they're still athletes. The people who control the media (also mostly quasi-omnipotent, middle-aged businessmen), pick up on this, and start sending out the message, "hey, fellow out-of-shape businessmen, don't bother taking up an actual sport, you can still be 'young, and athletic' by playing golf..." with their media vessels. Being in the businessman's nature to take the route most effortless, he chooses golf over a sport that would actually get them in better shape. And then the snowball starts to roll: tournaments, golf memberships, golf equipment, merchandise -- money, money, money. It's all about the all-mighty dollar. Why do you think golf is such an expensive sport? If it were popular among the poor, do you think a single golf club would charge as much as they do? Although, if it were popular among the poor, the concept of golf "clubs" would be non-existent.

   Am I saying that the only people that play golf are quasi-omnipotent, middle-aged, white collar workers? Definitely not. What I am saying is that without them, golf would not be where it is today.

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Haha, it sure seemed like I was picking up some steam near the end of the second paragraph, :)

My general belief that golf is a sport in the same league as pool or darts, hasn't changed: the actual game, compared to other sports, is not very physically demanding.  But it can be fun, challenging, and rewarding -- just like all other sports.  I personally enjoy going to the driving range, it provides a good vessel for stress relief.

I also stick by my guns about the demographic that has boosted the game to the level of popularity it's at.  But I also concede that a lot of it's popularity (roughly in the past decade) has also be due to a younger generation, who have had younger golf stars to look up to.

So what am I saying?  Basically that my thoughts about golf have been roughly the same, what's changed is that I've realized that there are bigger issues to direct my sense of injustice towards.

Determinism

One of the reasons why I like this movie so much is because of it's discussion's on Determinism.

Merovingian: ...You see, there is only one constant, one universal, it is the only real truth: causality. Action. Reaction. Cause and effect.

Morpheus: Everything begins with choice.

Merovingian: No. Wrong. Choice is an illusion, created between those with power, and those without. .....  This is the nature of the universe. We struggle against it, we fight to deny it, but it is of course pretense, it is a lie. Beneath our poised appearance, the truth is we are completely out of control. Causality. There is no escape from it, we are forever slaves to it. Our only hope, our only peace is to understand it, to understand the `why.' `Why' is what separates us from them, you from me. `Why' is the only real social power, without it you are powerless.

But does that mean we might as well just stay in bed?  Well no, to reference a reasonably articulate webpage (http://home.lbcc.cc.ca.us/~mlawrence/Splinter_files/Watching%20Matrix.htm):

Ghost’s Compatibilism: While most people tend to think that either free will or causal determinism is true (but not both), Ghost offers a different perspective in the video clips from Enter the Matrix. He says: “You know me Niobe, it’s not a choice, it’s a way of life.” Ghost seems to suggest that his character determines his action. Like the Merovingian, he believes that cannot do otherwise.  But Ghost does not regard this as a restriction upon his freedom. Since he does what he most wants to do, he sees himself as free and causally determined at the same time.

 

For me, It's a mix of Ghost and Merovingian.  "It's not a choice, it's a way of life."  Although I perceive many things to be choices, and I proceed to "make the choice", I wouldn't be surprised to find out that it's all just an illusion.

Quote

Hope, it is the quintessential human delusion, simultaneously the source of your greatest strength, and your greatest weakness.

 

- The Architect (from Matrix: Revolutions)

Quote

...all things excellent are as difficult as they are rare.

 

- Benedict De Spinoza (1632 – 1677)

Personal Quotes: Conviction

Being committed is better than being absolute.  The former is slower when things go planned.  But the latter is slower when things don't.

If a tree falls...

"If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"

I remember someone explaining to me that there are two points to this question, wikipedia shows three (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_a_tree_falls_in_a_forest).  For me, my answer would be a bit more pragmatic.  Yes, it makes a sound because:

 

1.  As stated in that wikipedia page, "Sound as it is mechanically understood will occur, but sound as it is understood by sensation will not occur."  Sensation is highly subjective, hence, give me the mechanical in this case.

 

2.  If it were the case that it doesn't "make a sound", then is the homeless really homeless?  Is the poor really poor?  Is the enemy really non-existent?  The essence of a surprise, is based on actions not being perceived until the moment of surprise.  But if it's the case that no perception equals no existence, then the surprise should never occur (because the steps leading up to the surprise were never perceived).  The integral point is here is causality.  Just because you don't perceive/observe a certain link in the causal chain, doesn't mean that chain doesn't exist, or that you won't ever perceive/observe a link further down that same chain.

Blanket/Quilt Theory

It's easiest to put in point form (as I have with my rough notes on this):

 

- our universe (as we currently understand it) can be thought of as a big, unfinished quilt, continually being knit at the top

- each thread in the blanket represents an individual life; ergo some threads are longer than others, and some threads are interwoven (representing the relationship with other lives in the world) with a lot of other threads (whereas some other threads are interwoven with a very few)

- the blanket should look v-shaped, where the top of the blanket is always expanding (think of time as being the y axis)

- w/ this theory, time travel would not be possible (a la autoinfanticide, or the grandfather paradox), because threads would only be allowed to be woven upwards -- downward weaving would be impossible, since the blanket below has already been woven and cannot be unwoven

   - having said this, interdimensional/parallel-universe type of travel is theoretically possible, were several blankets may be "stacked" up on each other (or pressed side by side)

 

Profound thought

Just thought to use the blog to mark down the stuff that sometimes runs through my head.  This will be probably be the first of many.

"There is nothing either good or bad that thinking does not make so." -- Hamlet