Of Blue-Skinned People and Some Results

Today the college mailed back my results for the first semester exam. Meaning that my parents got to it before I did. Not to brag, but I did good. =) I'm happy I got a good result in Physics, especially since I've developed a newfound interest in it recently.

Today I went to watch Avatar with Lina, Josephine, Imran and Ji Su. Good movie. I loved the graphics and James Cameron's imagination. It's so vivid, and you can really see that he played out his creation with the improved CGI of today.

Synopsis: Jake Sully, a retired US Marine, is sent to a moon called Pandora for a mission where his consciousness is transferred to a blue-skinned body--his avatar. His mission is to collect info in the Na'vi people who live there so that huamns can destroy the forest area and mine the rare mineral needed to solve Earth's Energy crisis.

The Pandora Cameron has created is a forest area, with huge trees for villages that spiral upwards. Large pterodactyl-like creatures serve as living aircraft and mountains float in air, suspended and free from gravity.

The natives are very in tune with nature. Neytiri, one of the main characters, talks about this 'web of energy' that all living creatures have. They only 'borrow' energy as long as they are alive. When you die, you give that energy back.

I couldn't help but think that this is a pretty useful interpretation of death. It certainly made me feel better about it. You are just kind of recycled energy anyway.

The natives also link with their horses and flying dinosaurs by means of connecting their hair to the tiny hairs on the animals. There is this 'bond' between them.

Oh and the interesting part was that their trees have many many things like connected neurons between them. These are like the neurone cells we find in our brains. Only that the tree has like much more, so it serves as a living database. Memories or 'consciousness' of dead people are stored in electrochemical form in the tree.

So you aren't really dead if this is true. There is a sort of afterlife, where people exist in a non-physical form.

So when the natives link with the tree, they can access all memory banks. Very cool. And it just might be possible, maybe in another time, or maybe this needs another planet for life to evolve like this.

I think overall the director was alsotrying to spread a "keep the Earth green" message, because we only really have one to live on for now. I agree.

Starting today, I'll take a moment to feel grateful whenever I blog. Today, I will say thank you to James Cameron for making an insightful and entertaining movie.

Living Life Logically--Day 30

Today is the last day of my 30-day trial of living logically. This is the day on which I decide to either continue living in this way, or not to.

So would I contiune to live logically?

Of course! For as long as I live. =)

These past 30 days have been a great experience for me, and I have learnt a lot about the basis of logic and the line between logic and emotion.

One of my original goals was to get rid of irrational fear, such as fear of noises in the dark, fear of what other people say, and fear of being responsibility and getting things done. I thought, it wouldn't be logical to be afraid of something that you don't even want to approach.

Another goal was to control my emotions and prevent them from taking over me totally. This proved to be quite successful as well, and I am better at dealing with emotions such as frustration and anger. When I usually felt bad, I would ask myself: "Is it logical to waste energy on feeling this way? Or would you rather learn what you have to and get over it?"

This logical lifestyle helped me to get over general laziness as well. Instead of wasting my time hour by hour, now at least I waste it minute by minute. =) I'm still practicing waking up early, like 4.30 am, to get things done. And so far, it's good. I have indeed, cleared up more free time for myself.

There was a little dilemma along the way, which was me wondering whether to be a physicist or study medicine. I've decided--its' medicine, because I think that if I get really good at it, I get to be in touch with people, and then contribute more directly to the advancement of the human race. It's a big hope, but I think it's more logical to be hopeful than pessimistic, since we live in the present, not the future. At the least, you can make your present moment a great one.

Oh, and I saw the Twitter account of a doctor working in the International Space Station which is orbiting around Earth. One day, I would like to be a space doctor too, working in space, floating around in the cosmos. Like Bones from Star Trek! Now this hope, I know, is achievable.

Speaking of Twitter, I used it a LOT during the last 30 days, and I found so many inspirational quotes from very motivating people, who all found me on Twitter by chance. They all share the common belief that how our reality is, is how we want to create it. In other words, your thoughts can actually create things. I do believe in this because there are scientists who actually research such things, for example those from the Institute Of Noetic Sciences (from Dan Brown's book, but it's a real institution). Their findings point to the fact that our thoughts can indeed change things.

Moreover, I experienced a new sense of calm during my logic trial. By not succumbing to destructive emotions, I could actually see bad things as something to learn from, not something designed to stop me. After all, life is a learning process, all of it.

Besides negative emotions, I did actually dissect some positive ones, such as celebrity crushes. I've arrived at the conclusion that part of any crush happens because we feel that we see something in the other person that corresponds to us. For example, I'm always very inspired by the way actors and actresses act on screen, and how they play different emotions and roles so well. There is something about this skill and confidence that I myself wish I had more of (I'm not a very confident person sometimes).

In short, I believe all crushes have this element of admiration that we feel for the other person, something that seems, to me, to be a way of saying we are all connected some way, by consciousness. (See living life logically day 4)

So what's next, you ask? Well, this is only the beginning; I may start a series of new trials with logic, such as using it to improve socially, or using it to ask deeper questions such as "Why are we here?"

But now, I'll probably just take a break for a week or so before starting the next trial.

To anyone who read any part of my blog, thank you for your time. I hope I have inspired you to live a bit more logically. If I haven't, thank you for getting to know my thoughts anyway. ;D

Living Life Logically--Day 29

Wow! It's the 29th day of my logical self-trial. I'll post my verdict on it tomorrow. haha. Keep you waiting.

Well, the college's Scarefest was good. =) Sugee and gang really worked their butts off making the haunted house. Which was a blast, by the way. Appropriately spooky and authentic. Especially that creepy background noise she managed to download... They really had fun. All in all, great!

I went as the female Spock, by the way. It felt so good to be so logical. Really. I felt very 'in the zone', and all I did besides helping out was to feel so happy that the Scarefest was going quite well. I'll just put up a photo here:

From the left: Imran (he was the mad scientist) Esther, (the one dressed as a witch) Isabelle (She did the lighting and sounds for the house) and well, that's me on the very right. Oh, and the bloodstained mannequin which was subject to much molestation.

Speaking of Halloween, I'll talk about brains now. My grandma has Alzheimer's dementia, and while not in the worst stage yet, she has moments where she can't remember who we are or what day it is or what she just did.

It's sad, really. I still wonder why this disease is so common, and as of now there is no fixed cure, only drugs that can stall the progress of the disease. I think I want to read up more on this disease, and I saw some interesting brain books in the bookstore as well, including "My Stroke of Luck" and "Brain Rules".

"My Stroke of Luck" is about the victim of a stroke to the left brain, who is forced to use her right brain instead. The left brain is the logical, analytical side, while the right brain is creative and intuitive. By focusing using her right brain, the author found a whole new sense of inner peace and ascceptance that her left brain wouldn't allow otherwise.

"Brain Rules" talks about how the brain works, how we are programmed for lifelong learning, and how to use your own brain to your best advantage. I plan to buy either both or just one of these books sometime in the future, they seem really interesting. And they seem to give logic a whole new meaning--for me, I think it has to involve emotions, but the only thing is, don't let the emotions overtake you.

Sorry Spock, I don't think cutting out your emotions totally is right. :D

Living Life Logically--Day 27

It has now occurred to me that I may not have made some very logical chocies concerning my time management skills, and my activities.

I mean, Japanese class every Thursday night for 2 hours?

Violin practice every day for the exam.

Applications to universities that must be finished by the early half of next year.

On top of it all, A-levels.

Don't get me wrong--I'm not complaining too much about it. But it is getting a little overwhelming right now. That's why I'm blogging about it--in order to get it out of my system. With all the projects and stuff, ergh.

Not to mention weekends are for 'family time' and stuff so I have to squeeze even more out of my weekdays.

A totally logical person would probably make timetables everyday and follow it. I know I'll kill myself trying to follow a nice fixed timetable, so I've just shrunken it to reminder lists and a list of important dates to keep track of. Not very detailed, but it works. =)

Oh. And sleep. I need to sleep, so that the brain can actually rest. (Unless it's producing freaky time-travel dreams).

Living Life Logically--Day 25

Um...it's day 25 of the living life logically challenge--going to end quite soon. But up till then, let's just go along for the ride. ;D

This Friday is the college's Halloween scarefest, I was thinking of going either as a pirate or the female Spock. But most likely the female Spock. However, pointy ears are hard to find in Malaysia, and my craft-making skills are brrflppt. Most probably I'll pin my hair so my ears look like they're pointy and sticking out or something. It's time to improvise. ;)

I have been warned that I risk social suicide if I go as the female Spock. Come to think of it, I'm not even sure whether there are many Star Trek fans in school apart from me, Sugeeta and Jinn. Oh well. The main thing is for me to have fun, eh. Shouldn't care too much about what other people think.

Here I must remind myself again that the purpose of living life logically is to remove irrational fear, and one of the irrational fears is fear of what other people would say. As long as I'm cool with it, it shouldn't matter.

Living Life Logically--Day 22

I have nothing much to blog about today, except that Joo Yun came over and we studied together because there's a lotta darn things to study. I think it was a good idea because we actually managed to concentrate on our work...if I were studying alone today I probably would've ended up watching some random series or movie on the computer instead.

So now, I can waste my time without worrying too much about it. =)

I think A-levels can turn you into a homebody. But I don't really mind. My hobbies are pretty much one-person affairs such as reading, blogging, drawing and playing music.

But I'm sure you don't want to just read about my day. So today I'll just blog about people's hobbies and interests, including my own.

As you probably already know, I enjoy watching Sci-Fi, (Spock! Star Trek! Big Bang Theory! The Fifth Element!) and also reading sci-fi novels. (Dune, Zima Blue, Artemis Fowl is to some extent quite sci-fi-ish).

And you may wonder how I can like sci-fi, especially if you don't like it, or if you don't understand it. Well, I sometimes also wonder how some people can like shopping and totally commit themselves to it, following all the trends and such.

To put it basically, sci-fi is some sort of escapism for me; the shows I watch and the books I read are like places where I let my imagination run along with the story, and forget about the outside world for a while.

I also like the hope that sci-fi offers: a glimpse at how our human race may advance, or triumph, and cross new boundaries, and also at the same time, understand ourselves better. I actually enjoy reading books on modern physics because it's so weird and so arcane, yet, it seems, we might actually be on the way to understanding the very nature of the Universe and reality itself.

It might seem like a very big hope to you, but it's certainly a hope that I enjoy indulging in.

Another thing is, what do you enjoy? What hobbies do you fill up your spare time with? I guess it's unrealistic to expect everyone to share the same hobbies and tastes because the world is a great big spinning blob of rock and metal, and there are so many different things you can take an interest in.

Hobbies are great things because they are like creative outlets for people to express themselves, whether it's by playing piano or critically reviewing a book or playing sports or having a Grey's Anatomy marathon. It's so great to actually say, "I made that." or "I think that this is..." because your hobbies and interests feel natural to you.

My hobbies and interests somehow make me feel...connected, not just to people who share my interests, but to the things I'm interested in as well, along with everything else. And I feel just so very happy when I think about that.

It all started with a Big Bang, and everything we like and everything we are came from that. It just makes me feel so...peaceful, and now getting to know different people seems more like getting to a different part of the big picture, a different piece of the puzzle, even if the different pieces aren't the same as you, or even if they don't think and act like you. Yeah, even if they downright clash with you.

I'm feeling quite postitive as I wrap up this post. And that is good.

Living Life Logically--Day 21

Haven't blogged for two days...

Anyways, I've just finished reading Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol. Good book. Good twists. But I think it wasn't much of a thriller, rather it was more like a way to spread a message to the public.

What message was it huh?

Basically he's trying to say: God lies within the human him/herself. We all have untapped potential just waiting to be used in the right way.

Some evidence offered by the book includes the scientist Katherine Solomon talking about the brain scans of meditating yogis, which show that the brain's pineal gland produces a wax-like secretion which actually repairs and heals cells. I'm not too sure about this, gotta do some reading on it. The book thinks that this may be why yogis can live so long.

I've also heard about gamma-waves emitted by the brain in a highly meditative state.

But I fully support the idea of there being unlimited potential in the human mind, and that our thoughts can affect things. Supposedly, the book says our thoughts have mass. And like anything that has mass, it exerts a certain gravity. So if many people share the same thoughts, i.e. mass worship, mass prayer, or even just thinking happy thoughts, it could actually change an aspect of our physical reality.

I've had some success with my own thoughts and intentions too.

I've had pretty positive expereinces with Twitter. I joined initially to stalk famous people, but at the same time, I wanted to find positive people, ones who actually cared about changing reality.

I didn't know who these people would be, but after a few tweets, some random positive people actually started following me. And more and more came. More positive people are adding me to their list. And all I had to do was to be confident and think positively that I would achieve my goal.

I even thought more about reading the news and knowing what's going on in the world. And an account which provides regular news updates started following me too.

So keep an open mind...and try out the power of intention.

Living Life Logically--Day 18

I'm sorry to all readers who have been following my posts so far, lately it's all about me rambling on and on about choosing medicine or astrophysics as a career...

Anyways, attended a Michigan State University talk today; found out more info about the U.S. university system; I quite like the fact that everyone needs to learn a bit of science and arts in the first two years of undergraduate study.

Today, we had our bio presentations on infectious diseases. My group did AIDS, and even though we were a bit fast, I thought we were ok. Not too bad. I sat in with Lina and Josephine on BS6's presentations as well, the other class was good. We only managed to watch until Izzie and gang's presentation, but still, fascinating.

When I watched all those presentations, I felt a twinge of sadness when I saw the videos of all the victims of diseases, especially those who cannot be cured even though the disease is treatable, as they live in poverty.

I guess, medicine offers something up-close and personal, as I would interact with many many human beings, as opposed to astrophysics. To me, somehow, interacting with many people seems part of any job I would like to have.

I find people interesting. I find their views interesting, even those who believe in things I wouldn't. Yes, even sick people are interesting.

I think I am an optimist; besides all the sick twisted criminals and crazy people in the world, I feel that we can advance, and we can indeed put aside our differences and world towards that advancement.

In fact, I believe that once we learn to unify ourselves properly as a race and civilisation, then only can we proceed to the very big stuff like space travel and intergalactic visits at speeds previously unimaginable. Who knows, we may actually find life and civilisation beyond Earth.

This sounds a lot like Star Trek, huh? But think about it: if we unify ourselves, we are a force of 6 billion with many different talents, and all of that can be extracted for use. And if we use our technology and konowledge properly, then we can certainly tackle bigger things like venturing out into space, and understanding more about the nature of this bizarre but wonderful Universe we happen to find ourselves in.

As a human race, we aren't very advanced as a whole yet. If we were, there would be no separation of less and more economically developed countries, and no cases where people who are too poor to afford treatment...I've also read a bit about the U.S.A's healthcare reform, and it just seems so tangled at the moment.

Well, I just got to thinking, I'd get to make a more direct contribution to the human race in the field of medicine. My dad gave me some inspiration too; he said, "It will be a wonderful time when technology has eliminated the need for surgery. And it will be even better if a surgeon pioneers the surgery-less technique."

I haven't made a fixed decision yet, but I figure I could always study medicine and then study the physics on the side. This option seems to work best with me, and it feels the best to me; well, it wasn't made on a logical basis, but more of an intuitive basis. But logically, I get the best of both worlds this way. =D

Living Life Logically--Day 17

Quickie blog.

I talked to teachers and career guidance counsellors at the college today; they said they'd help me find out more, but I would have to do my own homework and research too, on astrophysics and careers in astronomy.

Geographical location and facilities are big influences, so the U.S.A or U.K. would seem like the best places to go. Australia is alright, but facilities wise it's not like what the U.S. would have.

I've also checked out job and employment statistics (U.S.), and I must ask myself if I'm really willing to commit to academia and a life of research instead of an industry, like medicine.

The option of me just learning and reading up on physics and astronomy on the side while pursuing a career in medicine seems the most sensible choice still.

If I think about this any more, I'll go crazy. Best to just focus on A-levels for the time being, and wait for my thoughts to calm down.

Living Life Logically--Day 16

The last two or three days have been a bit...emotional for me.

It's mainly about the decision to study medicine, or to become an astrophysicist. Or more specifically, cosmology with all the dark matter and all that.

See, I just found out that career opportunities are quite limited. And the pay isn't great, but if you're doing what you love then it shouldn't matter.

And you have to be good at computers...and I'm not that into computer science. But mainly, it's maths and physics, and I like both subjects a lot.

For a girl from Malaysia, where could I work? People would say NASA of USA has the best technology; but what about other countries? I have to find out more before I decide to plunge totally into astrophysics.

What disturbs me is that I became interested in stars and galaxies and space and sci-fi and life in outer space before I ever found biology and chemistry and life on Earth interesting.

Most people would say follow your heart and do what you love. I'm inclined to do so, but then again my parents are quite pro-enter the medical field. My mother has hinted to me though that she'll support whatever I decide to do. =)

It's like some mid-life crisis, only I'm not even middle-aged yet.

The other disturbing thing is that when I was young (6-8 yrs) I was really interested in space; then I forgot about it from then on until late last year or so. And then this year I read some stuff about quantum physics combined with some astrophysics. And boom. Interest rekindled. Is this some kind of prompt to ask me to decide wisely, before I enter univesity and it's too late to turn back?

Or is my sudden rekindled interest in physics merely a passing fancy?

I also find images of outer space and planets and nebulae very beautiful, compared to people's organs and X-rays and CT scans.

I really need to talk to other people to find things out; that's the logical side of me talking. The logical side also says to consider income and supporting myself.

Hmm. The logical and intuitive sides of me are both urging me to actually discover what I really want to do with my life.

Even though this is quite unsettling for me, I place my trust in myself, and I'm sure the answer will be clear after a while.

After all, it's only logical to do what you love for this lifetime, and make the most out of it.

Living Life Logically--Day 15

Today's post is about logic and a decision.

So last night, I bought some random sci-fi from MPH and I found myself feeling very excited as I stared at the spaceship on the cover.

Spaceships make me happy. And excited. And I feel that at last, there may be some hope for mankind.

No, it didn't happen after watching Star Trek. I've always been interested in space and whatever else there is out there since I was young. Star Trek just happened to bring that interest back. =)

I'm not sure if this is permanent or not, but I find my interest in Physics growing beyond that of Biology. I still like Bio, just not as much as I used to. I'm guessing that the sudden interest came after I read some stuff on string theory and quantum physics and relativity...

It's all very fascinating to me. I especially like the fact that modern physics is so far out from what we call 'logic' and 'common sense', but yet it is true. It's been proven, to some extent at least. An example was the photon polarisation experiment which proved that something is measurable only because we INTEND to measure it.

Well, now I'm not sure whether to pursue a career in physics or medicine. It's always been medicine, but now I hesitate, because the idea of being a physicist is quite...tempting. I'm particularly interested in modern physics with all its sub-atomic particles and such.

I like the fact that modern physics is coming closer to looking at consciousness, and how our thoughts can affect physical matter. It's the whole Law of Attraction at work, and I'm excited at what physics can actually prove.

Hmm. And the Large Hadron Collider at CERN may actually be suffering from time travel consequences. Google "time travel LHC".

It's an exciting time to be alive.

I was thinking about this problem last night before I fell asleep and I had the weirdest dream after that.

My whole family went to a cinema and we were planning to watch Superman or some film like that, can't remember. Then, suddenly, the screen went dark and I saw planets coming onto it and...

...the film turned out to be Star Trek. And not only that, a whole new storyline that was just too random and weird. (let's just say it involved Kirk and Spock hanging out by a river with drunk people) Then I woke up, and felt like I didn't sleep at all! Like I was moving from the dream world into the real one, smooth transition, no sleep in between.

Geez, I don't know whether my obsession with spaceships and aliens is finally manifesting itself, or whether it's a sign that I carry on with physics instead of medicine.

What would I do, logically?

Well, I've listed some upsides and downsides.

Physicist upside:
1)I get to wonder about atoms and string theory and consciousness and time travel all the time.

2)It's so very exciting to me.

3)I get to do maths, which I like.

4)I feel that I want to understand more about the fundamental nature of reality.

Downsides:
1)There's a LOT of math involved. I don't know for sure if I want to touch that.

2)I don't get to be around as many people as I would if I studied medicine. And I find people interesting.

Medicine upside:
1) I get to improve people's quality of life.

2) I get to meet a lot of different people, which I like. Even if most of them will be sick.

3) In a mechanical sort of way, the human body is interesting.

4) I still get to wonder about consciousness and the brain.

Downside:
1)It just doesn't seem as interesting as physics now. I like schizophrenic atoms more.

Well, I guess the best answer I can give now is to still pursue medicine, while at the same time, I can always read up on the physics on my own. After all, the math IS a lot, and I just like to understand the concepts.

Well, I don't really want an either/or option. I'm looking for a way to combine both my interests, and I think that is the best way to go about it.

What do you guys think?

Living Life Logically--Day 13

Today's my birthday. Hit the sweet 16 mark. Got some very thoughtful gifts today (thanks guys for the delicious fruit cake, and the poster of Zachary Quinto, Eric Dane and Jonathan Rhys Meyers and the spongy gooey choc cake from my family, and the cutest cow plushie on Earth from my cousin.

Thank you friends and family--you guys are so meaningful.

Since I haven't blogged yesterday, I will blog today. Today's post is about logic and fame.

So I have done some logical dissection thing on our celebrity crushes. (Living Life Logically day 3) Wouldn't it be great to meet someone you really respect and admire? And not only just in a (oh my god he's like so hot) kind of way. It goes for liking what they're good at, and their skills.



Well, I want to meet the 3 guys mentioned above in the 1st para. But I wouldn't just spaz and be hyper if I do (at least I hope not!) I don't know, guess I'd just like to have a good conversation instead of random hyperness eh. Y'know, tell them how much of a positive impact they've had on my life and all that (I get happy just watching TV shows and movies) and I'm a fan of your work and how can you act in so many different roles and blah.

Hey, I'd even like to meet Einstein (if he were still around) and Stephen Hawking and famous people in the sciences. (I get happy just reading about science too). Listen to them talk about non-locality and spacetime and black holes and wormholes and stuff like that.

I've actually even thought of becoming famous, just to see what it's like to have hordes of fans expressing their adulation.

Hey, but fame does come at a price. I mean, just look at them tabloid magazines. There's just no preserving your privacy sometimes. I wonder how celebrities and what not feel about it.

So if I do become famous, I don't want to be very famous and stuff; it'll be the end of any private life, I think. Hmm. I think, for the record, I want to be famous for some contribution to science. Yeap, I think being famous for the performing arts has pretty much beeen covered already. ;D Maybe I'll be semi-famous. Famous within my community or area which I live in, I think. Yeah. That seems better.

I want to talk a bit about the Law of Attraction. My friend Esther is a big believer of it. If you hold a thought long enough in your head, it will manifest. I believe in it too, because it has worked for me.

So Esther asked me: "Why don't you just manifest meeting all these people that you want to meet?"

Good question. However, sometimes I always think that famous people are too far away from me. Well, I guess it's time to change all of that. Article about Anton Zeilinger and quantum physics in SEED magazine: http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/the_reality_tests/ aims to prove that we do indeed create the world we live in, just by thinking it.

Of course, it would be quite far-fetched to say that if we don't think about the Moon, it doesn't exist. But...it might be proven one day. ;D

But on a small microscopic scale, Mr. Zeilinger and team have tried to measure the polarisation of light particles (photons). Now I don't exactly know what that is, but the point is that they were trying to measure something which defined a photon.

So people generally think that the polarisation exists before we take something to measure it, so it is already there. It's just like how we think our world already exists without us thinking about it.

But the experiment showed that the polarisations truly didn't exist before being measured. In other words, the polarisations only exist because we tried to measure them. if we didn't try to measure them, we wouldn't have polarisations to measure. I guess you could say our thoughts of measuring them create the polarisations.

So now he is trying to prove the same result with larger objects such as mirrors. I'm not exactly sure what he plans to do, but it's the start of a new way of looking at things for me.

So can I really use the Law of Attraction to manifest meeting famous people? Well, Mr. Zeilinger's experiment has given me hope. To put it logically, if the mind really affects our world, then by thinking negatively I would only send out negative results. Hence, a positive mind would send out positive results. So, wouldn't it be better for me to send out positive thoughts?

Well, sorry for the long post. Had a lot to talk about. I'll post more on the Law of Attraction (LoA) tomorrow, and other things.

Living Life Logically--Day 11

Today's post will be on logic and the supernatural.

My friend Lina says that all her logical friends seem to see things in black and white. They don't allow for exceptions or flexibility. Now, to me, doing that seems illogical. I admit that logic isn't always infallible; being too logical restricts your opinions and options.

Last night, I had a little discussion with my cousin Ee about the supernatural. Our other cousin, J, used to work at a TV production company. They sent her out on weird assignments like filming ghosts and other ethereal things.

So J said that she has actually seen some of these supernatural beings. They usually reside in 'kampung' or rural areas. J was a camerawoman, and was filming a group of people when one of them had his eyes turn red and he went crazy, just chasing people around. And she caught it all on camera.

When a close relative of yours tells you this sort of thing, there really is no reason for them to lie. So, I quite believe J. Even my mother has told me that she has seen my deceased grandmother's spirit. So, I don't think it is logical to totally disapprove of ghosts and things.

J stayed at a nice 5-star hotel during an assignment once. Suddenly, at 12 am, the TV which she'd left on kept going on and off. She had two phones and they kept flicking on and off simultaneously. Logically, she would have run out of the door, right? But she was so freaked out she couldn't move. Would be the same for me too if I were the one.

So she did the next best logical thing--contact Ee's mum by phone, even though it kept going on and off. Eventually she reached Ee's mum, who told her to repeat a Buddhist chant to herself. Religion, as she sees it, is just to give you strength when you need it, no need to be too fanatical about it.

So J repeated it over and over, and it made her clamer. eventually she gained courage and rushed out of the door to the receptionist. She learnt that they had got her room number wrong, but the records were lost and they didn't know who gave her the wrong key. "No-one's supposed to get your room," they said.

As I see it, all this sort of spirits and stuff are like pools of energy. According to what I hear from my family, they attack you when you are in low spirits, or in general negative and gloomy. My belief is that when you are in that sort of state of despair, your energy seems to match theirs, so they affect you more. When you are positive, you are on a different energy level, so they don't affect you at all.

I did blog about consciousness once (see Living Life Logically Day 4). It wouldn't be too far to say that spirits and all may just be yet another different representation of consciousness. It just seems logical to think about them this way. What about you?

Living Life Logically--Day 9

Today, logic was put to the test. A nice, big test.

I find it really funny that when I tried to live logically, somehow my sentences got "cut"--I spoke only the basics of the sentence, and sounded quite emotionless. Instead of "Oh My God that movie was like, the greatest thing since sliced bread!" I said ,"Fascinating movie. Food for thought."

I started laughing when my sisters told me to cut it out, talking that way. I just have to THINK that way, I guess.

Anyway, my parents gave a me the "you are growing up so you'd better be more responsible" talk. Apparently I don't help out enough, I don't keep track of my money properly, and I don't consider timing and circumstances when I ask for favours from them.

To consider it logically, this means I'm going to have to start being more helpful around the house if I want to make a nice, good impact on them. Oh well, another challenge to overcome. =)

Well, today my father got really angry due to various reasons, among which involved him fetching me to the other side of town last night at 8.00pm (so he couldn't rest) and also him fetching me to Japanese class today (so he had to put up with lunchtime jams).

I think the poor guy is stressed, from work and all. No, I do not intend to sound patronising, but I really think that is the reason. He worries too much. About what? I think, practically everything, about the house, about me, about my sister, about his job, well, even about himself.

I'm aware that this is rather personal, so I don't know why I'm typing it here. But perhaps it does help me to think about it in a clearer way. Why do most adults I know look stressed? Or maybe it just happens to be in my family's genes. =P

I haven't found a logical answer to why adults around me look stressed, but I think I've figured out how to minimise their stress. I guess, I just have to lay low, and avoid saying anything incendiary. And also at the same time, just keep a positive mindset, and just concentrate on doing what I'm supposed to do (studently stuff, house help, etc...)

I figure that if adults don't have to worry about me, they'll have less on their plates, at the least.

But this much I know: I definitely don't want to look and be so worried by the time I reach adult-money-making-hood. I just don't think it's logical to be so worried.

Living Life Logically--Day 7

I feel quite good about my logical progress so far, after a week. Even though there were times of annoyance, at myself and other people, I'm comforted by the fact that some logical assurance was enough to make me see things another way. Yes, even though it sometimes took hours or a day to come to terms with the logic.

I'm going to give an example: Waking my sister up after her nap. It's practically impossible. She'll sleep on and on for two hours even though she has told you to wake her up after 15 mins. Normally when I try to wake her I'll shake her roughly or something, maybe poke her hard if I need to.

This time, I tried talking logically to annoy her. It worked. I said stuff like, "Well, you have a test tomorrow and it would be unwise to continue napping." and also "You should eat something for energy."

Well, she got annoyed and woke up, not forgetting to curse me as I walked out of the room. I usually respond with a simliar curse. To take it logically, she's just grumpy because her nap's been interrupted, so I tried ignoring her for a bit. And sure enough, 15 mins later she's all smiles.

It may seem like a lame example, but I'm afraid I don't have a better one. :D

I'm also testing out a theory: sleeping early and waking up even earlier. I figured that since I'd have to be at college by 8.30 for five days per week and have to get up early (about 6-ish), I'd try to wake up earlier (4.30am) and do stuff. Like unfinished homework. Or the revision for chemistry (with Ms. Nor you have to be on your toes, aye.)

...So at night I'd sleep at 9.00 or 9.30 instead of the usual 11.00 or 12.00. And I could find plenty of time to do things like watch movies and learn how to cook by the time I came back home. It's quite logical to me, because I get distracted at night easily (by numerous things) and I don't get much done. Solution: do stuff in the morning.

So...anyone heard of the Big Bang Theory TV series? It's a sitcom about these two physicists, Leonard and Sheldon, who live across from Penny, a stereotypical pretty "dumb blonde". Actually, Leonard and Sheldon are the typical geeks/nerds you come across, with their social circle of Myspace friends, and TV marathons of Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek.

...The TV marathons part sounds like what I would do. =P

So imagine two smart guys and a simple girl. result: Funny! I've only watched the pilot episode so far but I already like it. Leonard and Sheldon talk about serious science all the time, like string theory and quantum physics and events and causality, but they still manage to inject humour into it. And they're so logical but awkward, which makes it all the more entertaining.

Signing off, people. Have a great weekend.

Living Life Logically--Day 6

Today's post will be on logic and reading the news.

Critical thinking skills is one of the subjects I take at school, and having good general knowledge is quite a big advantage. I admit that my level of general knowledge is not satisfactory; therefore I am now aiming to read the news on the BBC website everyday.

Technically, I'm supposed to be at Japanese class now but there's an Elluminate live Chemistry class again tonight. Speaking of the Japanese, my dad just hit me with a piece of news:

"Hey, you'd better watch this documentary. You know what it's about? It's about WWII, when the Japanese raped and killed Korean women and other citizens. Then you'll see what's so damn great about your Japanese. "

To which my mother added (oil to fire) : "Trust me, you won't even like Japan after this."

If you are Japanese and you happen to be reading this far, I apologise.

It's true that they have performed devastating and torturous acts. My great-grandfather was one of those who was snatched away during the war one night, and never returned. Gone. And of course, the rape of Nanjing. The invasion of Manchuria, Malaysia, bombing of Pearl Harbour.

And yet, I like Japan. I will gladly eat Japanese food, watch anime, draw manga-style. I find it interesting, just like how you'd find a different culture interesting. I actually bothered to learn Japanese.

Well, the best I can do to defend myself is to say that my interest in Japan focuses more on their language, culture, and tradition, and is somewhat anthropological, instead of their part in the wars, and the killings.

Wouldn't it be illogical then, if I still say this even though I know what they have done?

The best answer I can come up with is this: I'm optimistic. And I'm thankful, for being born into this time period of the 2000s, instead of right into WWII. Remember, it wasn't just the Japanese; there were the Nazis too. At least today, we are more civilised compared to the people of yesteryear (by my reckoning).

I'm optimistic that overall, we will be better off as a human race then we once were. Still, I acknowledge that there are still many problems in this world of ours, still many things that need to be sorted out. Reading the news gives you a shot of reality, but it certainly doesn't do much for optimism.

I don't know what you think, but I would not want to harbour hate towards Japan. I find it tiring, a waste of energy. Yet I'm not stripping off my emotions; I just don't want to find reasons to hate people anymore. I think that after 6 decades, we should've all learnt a lesson from the war already. What has happened has happened, and the only thing we can change, is NOW. The present.

http://seedmagazine.com/content/article/the_reality_tests/

I'm going to read and read the article on top. I think you should too. We have actually come to an age where science has sped up and raised questions which were formerly unknown, or ignored, or simply not been thought of.

This article explores the concept of past, present and future from a quatum science point of view. Apparently, a team of scientists in Vienna have deduced that our 'past' and 'future' are fluid things, and always change. The only thing that ever 'really' exists is the concept of "Now".

They are implying that we do indeed create the environment we live in, just by thinking about it.

I'll post my thoughts on the article either tomorrow or a few days later. Happy reading. Leave some comments if you will. Is my optimism seemingly in contradiction with my logic?

Living Life Logically--Day 5

Blogging now, because tonight there's an online class hosted by Miss Nor. Chemistry. =)

Well, I had the first great illogical moment in 5 days. Not too bad, holding on for 5 days so far.

It was something like this:

During lunch, my mother rang me and said that she was in the college as she happened to be around the area. And that she'd like to join me for lunch before taking me home.

Now normally I wouldn't have minded, but just so happens that I had to preempt things. The reason being, I was at lunch with friends, and I just felt weird if my mother suddenly happened to step in and join.

I mean, I wouldn't know how to act, or what to say. I felt really awkward. So I told her, and naturally, not-good things happened.

She went all huffy and stuff and sounded really dejected and things like that. It's quite annoying, really, because it made me feel lousy inside. Like I just completed a massacre or something.

Then she said, "YOU created this situation, by saying all that."

And then I was left wondering what was the logic in her sentence. I'm pretty sure most of you wouldn't want your mothers sitting at the same table with you and your friends.

But what if I'd agreed, and not protested? Logically, would anything really devastating befall me? Maybe the worst would be if I'd suffered some embarrassment, but I think by embarrassment standards my mum is not too bad.

The whole point of this logical lifestyle for 30 days was to get over irrational fear. I suppose that includes fear of embarrassment. Heck, if I were seriously logical I would know exactly what to say and act in any situation. I shouldn't have felt weird.

It turned out for the better, though, because the food took ages to arrive so I'd have left anyway by the time my mother came. She's also not familiar with the place so the restaurant directions were confusing to her.

Well, I suppose I made it up to her though, because I ended up submitting some business cases for her anyway when I came home.

Looks like I have to sharpen my logic a bit more.

Living Life Logically--Day 4

Today, we dissected a heart in Bio class. It was...fascinating, though the scalpel was so blunt I was surprised it could cut through anything at all.



Anyway, I thought I'd clear up some confusion about yesterday's blog, because here I received some comments:



Sugeeta: "You mean you see people as male versions of yourself? Woah...And what if you happen to like people with crappy personalities?"



Lina: "So in your blog you said you'd like to marry someone who is exactly like you..."

Kay, I'll try to dissect this logically.



First off, when I mentioned that we can see ourselves in others, it's not like a male version of yourself. Or a female one. The fact is, we usually see others as separate from us. And it tends to make us feel scared or apprehensive of others.



Well, what if we didn't see others as separate? What if we realised that despite the fact that everyone is different and unique from each other, we have that underlying connection that links us?

Now, what is this "underlying connection"?



I was asked today, "Is a heart 'alive' if you take it out and put it in warm salt solution? It still beats; still contracts; is it alive? We humans are considered 'alive', but is the heart 'alive' in the same way we are?"

Logically, I don't think so. A heart is mechanical, while humans like us have emotions, thoughts, and feelings. And maybe someone would say, those thoughts and feelings comes from chemicals in the brain. But if I built a brain and filled it with chemicals, would it be 'alive' like a human?



That is why I think at the base of it all, the 'underlying connection', is consciousness. We are conscious of our existence, and hence we have thoughts, emotions, and feelings. I do think that our organs, and bodies, and such are something like physical containers for the consciousness to express itself.

Hence it would be logical to say that we are all connected by this consciousness.



I wouldn't care if you disagreed with me. I just happen to think that this way of looking at and thinking of people and human relationships seems the most logical to me. I don't get annoyed as often anymore; not even when someone speaks harshly to me, or even disagree with me.



That's because I think the fact that everyone is different contributes to the complexity of this consciousness. If each human being were a container for consciousness to express itself, wouldn't it be more exciting to explore different representations of consciousness? Then humans interacting with other humans would be like consciousness interacting with different parts of itself.

Yes; even crappy parts, even nasty, disgusting, people. I kind of like to think that each purposely difficult or nasty person is either an example of the wrong way to go about life, or an example from which to learn a lesson. Maybe that's why we say 'learn from others' mistakes'. So if you happen to be intrigued by a nasty person, find out why. When a difficult person is interesting to me, logically, I ask myself what I'm trying to get out from this.

Even when they're not interesting, I try to observe them and wonder what makes them behave that way. But I guess the most important thing I've learnt is not to change people, but rather if you change your point of view, they kind of change to fit YOUR view.

Thought of today's blog: Ask yourself what it would be like if you felt linked to everyone. Yes, even those famous people you see in the movies. Relatives you don't like. Your friends, old and new. What will you actually feel? What can you actually learn?

And as logically as possible, I'm still finding out those answers for myself.

And no, Lina, I don't think I'd marry someone exactly like me. ;D

Living Life Logically--Day 3

So this is what Shaun said about actor/actress obsession:

"I think that it's alright to be interested in their movies, but I wouldn't go as far as to dig up gossip or bother with their lives or anything. That's not nice, and it's too obssessed."

To which Jinn pointed out my obsession with Zachary Quinto, as of late. (It used to be Jonathan Rhys Myers)

Yups, this is Zachary Quinto.

And Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
So I got to thinking: why the hell am I obsessed with these people? Why specifically them? And doesn't this also happen in real life? Some people just strike you as more interesting than others. Some you feel an immediate attraction to. Some you don't.
I've found an answer that makes sense to me. It's written by Joe Goldfarb, check out his entry here:http://joegoldfarb.com/awareness/why-we-have-crushes
Basically, it goes back to the fact that we are all connected. Sound New-agey and confusing? Ok. Let's put it in a logical, physics-like method.
The Universe started from the Big Bang. Everything in the universe started from the Big Bang, a single point, infinitely dense, infinitely hot. All of us are part of that Big Bang.
So it's quite logical to say, we're all part of the same whole. We're the same, no matter how different our personalities are. It seems that different personalities are different sides of the same underlying connection.
The article states that as we are all connected, we see ourselves in other people. We see our personalities in them, and we like those points. So we develop, effectively, a crush, an obssession, an admiration.


So I bet you are wondering: What part of myself do I see in Zachary Quinto, huh? And Mr. Meyers, if we're all connected and all that?


My answer is: Well, they are both talented people. They can act. They are versatile. They play different roles. I mean,

I adored Zachary Quinto as Spock from Star Trek. (This is what began the obsession in the first place.)



And he plays Sylar in Heroes. (Never watched the series by the way.)
And now I find he does comedy too: http://theflickcast.com/2009/09/03/zachary-quintos-hostage-a-love-story/
Anyways, I won't spam anymore. The point is, I may not have acting skills, but I am envious of talent. I'm sure all of us would want to develop our talent, whatever that may be. Maybe these people are just like an example of how successful and famous we want to become.
Ok, so what other parts of myself do I see?
To be honest, mainly, it's the success. The skill. I would very much like to achieve that--success and skill.
We all tend to lose ourselves in the characters that actors play, because sometimes they do it so well we cannot distinguish between the personality of the character and the person. Quinto's Spock is a pretty good example.
But hey, I saw logic in Spock. I liked that very much--I liked the fact that you don't have to let your emotions take over, and that logic is useful. And in that, I saw a part of myself I wanted to improve--the logical side, the analytical side.
Good night. =)

Living Life Logically--Day 2

Quickie blog, before I go to bed.

Today was fairly logical. Had violin class, and I just found out that my crappy bow holding was due to my fingers not properly attached to the bow.

Actually my teacher did point it out to me earlier, I was just too spazzed to notice it. Until now.

Had a good conversation with Julia today on MSN...introduced her to the idea of 10 dimensions and parallel universes...check it out for yourselves, it's pretty awesome stuff! Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjsgoXvnStY

I suggest you watch it a few times--it is quite confusing. But cool. It will change the way you look at reality.

Well, and I did watch Season 2 Episode 4 of Star Trek the Original Series today. The very first one, way back in the 1960s. Think I'm a legal Trekkie now...

Basically Kirk, Uhura, Bones and Scotty got transported into an alternate universe where people were evil and killed each other. The alternate Spock had a beard and I laughed so badly just seeing that. He still managed to be logical, though. (And less evil than everyone else.) Alternate Sulu was just...creepy.

Anyways I think that pretty much ties up with the idea of parallel universes in the Youtube video. Go watch Youtube.

Hoping that logic serves me well, and goodnight to all. =)

Living Life Logically--Day 1

Today I woke up late, so I was mildly annoyed that I couldn't finish as many of those painful Powerpoint projects as I wanted to...but at least I finished my article for the college Ed. Board so it's ok.

Logic gives a new perspective on things. It made me want to do things, to write the article, even though I would have been content to be a lazyass. Cos, logically, when I'm done with whatever I needed to do I can then waste my time watching TV shows. Yeah.

I don't know--somehow I feel calmer already. When I lose something, I normally go crazy looking for it. But today I reasoned that I would just waste time and energy, so I'm just going to wait for the lost thing to turn up--it usually does. So overall, I think I'm less likely to explode randomly.

Lol, today was still kind of lazy and nothing much happened overall. Here's hoping for a more interesting day tomorrow.

Living Life Logically

First off: I'm setting a new challenge and goal for myself. I'm going to live logically for 30 days. And I will blog about it everyday, so you guys can see what I'm up to. =)

Now, by logically, I mean rationally, without emotions getting too much in the way. I'm not going to be so logical that I kill all my emotions; rather I do not want emotions to affect me very strongly anymore. Because I'm prone to getting annoyed, disgusted and frustrated at small things. And I want to change that.

A certain guy called Steve Pavlina once wrote, "Observe the emotion, feel the emotion, but don't be the emotion." Or at least that's how I interpret the message. I think what he means is don't get too deeply involved in your emotions.

By being logical I hope to erase most of my irrational fears. For example, the phone started ringing at 5 am in the morning on Tuesday. No one was on the other end. I freaked out, but logically, the phone itself might have a glitch. Logic is a good way to calm things down a bit.

And I'll be logical in dealing with other people too, so I will watch what I say and do. I mean, it wouldn't be logical to piss my mum off after a lecture because I'll say something stupid. I'll try to think it over instead, maybe I did do something incredibly dumb. And if my mum was wrong in judging me, then I could talk to her nicely about it instead of blowing my top.

Well, tomorrow will be Day 1, I'll blog about it.

And no, I'm not doing this because I'm a die-hard Spock fan. Ok, maybe I am. But to tell the truth, I'm doing this because it will be fun to try a new perspective. ^_^

Durrrrrrrr.........

I got a new printer! It big and shiny and prints colour too! Not only that the photocopying in colour is kickass! And I can scan my pics into it too.

I'm so happy.

But to set it up took quite a while...mainly cos i had to organise my room and move things around so the printer could actually fit onto my table -_-

I ended up throwing away a ton of stuff and recycling 500g of paper...

And I still have to do critical thinking skills homework...argumentative essay...urk. But it's ok, cos trying to agrue intelligently is cool. ^_^

And the teachers are having some bio and chem tests next week.

And...haih...I have to plow through this stuff.

On a side note, I watched about 20 mins of the very first episode of the Star Trek original series, out of pure curiousity. Of course, being born into this high-tech area meant that the old episodes looked kinda ah piang, but the series has a certain charm that the movie doens't.

Astrophysics

Okay. Ready for nerd-geek-fest time.

I WANTED TO BE AN ASTROPHYSICIST WHEN I WAS YOUNGER.

As in, study about the sun, the moon, the solar system, the milky way, the nebulas, the Orion, the edge of the Universe. And all the fancy-schmancy physics and spacetime.

And possibly hop onto a rocket and live in space. And meet with aliens and stuff.

After a while, as I grew older, I forgot about that dream. I sunk into normal teenage life.

Then, I watched Star Trek 2009.

It immediately brought back all my childhood obsessions and dreams of flying in darkness and taking pics of Mars and aliens.

I so wanted to be part of a crew of a fancy ship like the USS Enterprise and work for intellectual gain and all that...plus not to mention get to press a lot of cool buttons.

Ah, Spock, Spock, Spock. Zachary Quinto as Mr. Spock definitely rekindled my belief in meeting aliens. SPOCK FANS, UNITE! But so far I only know that Amanda and Julia and me are part of the Spock fanbase that I know.

...And I'm considered a Star Trek n00b anyway 'cos I've never seen any other Star Trek episodes or movies besides the latest one.

I'm wondering if Chris Pine as Captain Kirk has any fanbase. Frankly, I don't know if anyone I know has this weird enthusiasm for space and universe like me...

Star Trek has definitely also rekindled my interest in science fiction. I just went to the bookshop to buy Dune by Frank Herbert. It's quite lengthy, but the back cover says its a masterpiece of science fiction of the 20th century, so I'm hoping for a really good read.

And I just found out one or two more Star Trek sequels are gonnaa be release. In 2011. Yay!

I'm such a geek. But a happy geek at least.

Now to find some rocket fuel for the spaceship.

Interesting Discussion. Please comment as much as you like!

So. I aim to be a person of science.

However I've noticed this lately, and if you've been randomly surfing the net, you may have seen it too.

It's called the Law of Attraction.

This law says that: If you think about a certain thing hard enough and long enough, you'll be able to attract it to you. eg. If I think about a sucky day and actually feel bad about the day, my day WILL be sucky.

However it also says that if we maintain a positive outlook on life and think of positive events, we will be able to experience these positive events in life.

And apparently it uses the concept of visualisation, that is, forming a picture of what you want in your mind, and also feeling satisfied, content and happy when you think of it. If you keep this up, what you want will be attracted to you.

I'm trying to practice this right now, but keeping up this positive outlook seems to be a bit...exhausting. Maybe its my fault for starving myself of sleep lately (I was playing games all night for a while) but this Law of Attraction thing certainly takes quite some practice.

And sometimes (annoyingly) my brain crushes the idea of getting what I want by giving pictures of what I don't want.

However there is one thing that all of us have to realise, I think:

We are able to and certainly CAN change our life the way to the way we want it to be. By thinking appropriately, remaining positive and putting in some effort, we CAN achieve the life we want.

I'm realising this, however like I said it takes some practice to get used to.

There are some critics who dismiss this Law of Attraction and call it crap. Not to mention they are really sarcastic and cynical too. Ugh. Downright bitter sort of people. I think this is a wrong sort of mindset to dismiss something that you may not fully understand.

I may not be totally convinced by the Law of Attraction, but I am most certainly going to keep an open mind and practice it.

What about you guys, readers? Post your comments on this entry please. I'd like to see many responses.

what am i doing now? read on to find out. XD

O-levels are over, so I'm spending my mornings (and some part of my afternoons) wroking at my mum's office to replace her clerk who has gone on maternity leave. It's ok work , not hard, but goddamn boring. I swear I'd kill myself if this were my permanent job.

I'll be going to Japanese classes later on tonight, hopefully I'll be able to speak the language soon...instead of shouting out random phrases like "Kawaii!" "Sugoi!" and "Itada-kimas!"



Anyways, here's the grand finale of the PIRATE STORY:

Using his command, the Captain was released from the rat-ball. Even if the rest had weapons, the rats converged so tightly that they couldn’t’ move their hands. Somewhere in the midst of grey bodies, Iki heard one of the girls scream.

If only he could fight his way through...the ball had him squinting painfully out of one eye. Teeth dredged his clothes, and he could swear the rodents were laughing evilly in his ears. His body was his only weapon.

Armed with that revelation, Iki bit into one of the rats scurrying near his mouth. He nearly retched from the vile taste, but he set his teeth to work. Soon the rats had cleared around him, and he was able to use brute force to crush anything in his way. He yelled out, “Use your teeth! Bite and injure the rats!”

Miere and Arla couldn’t believe it...again, but they gritted their teeth and exercised their mouths. The rats tasted of sewer-mud and abandoned food, but it worked. It was all clear to them now: they would have to use their bodies and whatever they had on them to survive. So they severed rat necks with the sharp heels of their shoes, and squashed slimy bodies, propelled by the rage of repulsion. Tails were sliced off with a well-planted step. Brain matter of the rats spilled like last night’s jelly gone bad.

With the five of them exterminating, the danger was soon over. As Captain Seth watched his rodent empire crumble to bits, his lamp-eyes dimming, the girls exited the inn in elation, Iki, Mik and Darien sprinting in their wake.

The rats had left them looking like fresh corpses; their clothes nibbled full of holes, hair flying like broken open fans, and numerous mini dents on their limbs. Still they sprinted over battered wood, soft sand and azure waters, and finally reached the ship. Iki jerked the anchor up hurriedly, anxious to get away from the demented Captain.

Mire and Arla expressed their gratitude profusely. They scaled the prow of the shop and perched there, tasting some sweetness in the usually bland wind and riding over deep waters where their dreams and hopes lay reborn in chipped clam-shells.

They were going to open a restaurant. No—a chain, all over the world. They were going to leave their footprints wherever they stepped—no—stomped.

***

Captain Seth untied Henny, all the while noting the damage with a bloodshot roving eye. He felt nothing inside—his hear was still intact but someone had gutted him and burned him with his own gastric acid.

The inn was in shambles. The windowpanes had been broken, crying glass tears. The bomb-hole with planks splayed around it looked like a bad hernia. The ceiling was in danger of shattering altogether. The rat carcasses decorated the place like grotesque ornaments. The few that had lived had turned cannibalistic and were preying on their dead friends.

Henny’s voice broke the veil of destruction like a quick knife to the mind. “You really loved them, didn’t you? Like your own daughters?”

The Captain managed a crooked smile. “I didn’t want them in the kitchen. I knew they would try to get ideas and dash off somewhere to start a business,” he said.

“Whatever you resist persists.” It was true. He loved those girls to a fault. They provided him the chance to actually feel responsible for someone’s life. He didn’t want them to go. So he developed the random suspicious behaviour. This convinced them all the more that they had to go.

“I guess I lack that power—that power to keep someone close to me,” the Captain mused. Maybe he had lost it to that blood-smell, a long time ago, when he sold his soul to a dark sea with an expectant future.

“I’ve only got the inn and you, Henny.”

The sun spread like radiant egg yolk in the sky.

American Idol

So. I've just watched the finale of American Idol with family.

Had a blast listening to old songs.

Kris Allen won! I think maybe Adam Lambert was better for the position of No.1.

But it's ok anyway...he's got a lot of fans already.

Kris is really likeable, not surprised actually if he won. Go Kris!

I think Adam will release a rock album, maybe.

I think I'm inspired to sing now. Kris sings well low; Adam screams, but nicely!

Mah Pirate Storrraaaaayyy!

First of all let me say this: Jonathan Rhys Meyers is like the male version of Angelina Jolie.

Reason being: The lips, people, the really pouty lips!

And also: I saw this pic of Mr. Meyers in one of his earlier movies, donno what movie it was, but he was so pale and feminine, and I swear it looked like he had lipstick on. Like a vampire. Yeah, a better vampire than Mr.Robert Pattinson from the Twilight movie!

Take that, you Twilight fans! (Sorry sorry, don't start hitting me.)


I've got the next part of the PIRATE STORY up:


Suddenly she heard Arla’s cries of protest. Captain Seth had already tied her hands so hard with the rope that it had chafed them. She swung around and released the stone right into his eye. He howled in pain, hopping around agitatedly. Arla cut her rope bonds, but the Captain’s wild flailing with his dagger in hand had resulted in a number of gashes on her legs.

Suddenly a loud explosion resounded as a section of the wall blew apart, leaving a good-sized hole as an escape. Miere could detect Iki’s look of disbelief mixed with personal triumph. More importantly, she noticed the compact grenade bomb he had hurled at the wall. She breathed a silent prayer of thanks.

Captain Seth was alerted. He scrambled over to the broken wall and pulled open a trap door in the floor.

A colony of rats skittered out.

Arla’s mouth fell open in surprise. This escape was being delayed by the most uncanny of forces.

The rats started piling up near the hole, all struggling to rush out. Due to their large numbers, they soon stopper-ed the hole. Only Iki managed to squirm through. Mik and Darien were left standing outside, trying to figure out an effective way to get rid of the rats. They had already used up their one and only grenade.

Having come from a rather pampering family, the girls felt squeamish at the sight of the swarming furry bodies growing rapidly like a proliferating fungus. Nevertheless they decided to try plunging through. It was easier than trying to knock out a 90-kilo sack of fat.

However that was not easy. The rats stank of dank cellars, waste and rust. Not only that, they were positively giant, with pointed teeth that bit the girls’ shoulders and searched for every trace of flesh to sink into. No matter how hard they struggled, the sea of rats was dense, and seemed endless and impenetrable.

With some difficulty they extricated themselves, only to find Iki duelling with the Captain using a broomstick handle. His skills were quite good, and he was able to ward off most of the attacks.

Seeing the ringleader in trouble, the grunts thundered over and formed a tight circle around the girls unawares. Using brute force, they disarmed them. Miere and Arla were thus caught in a trap of sweaty, pulsating pink flesh.

“Not so fast, eh!” one of them said, and snickered.

Miere and Arla were defenceless, armed with only their wits. Panic started to erode their senses. How were they supposed to escape? Distantly, they could hear Iki’s spirited fronts as he pitted himself against Captain Seth.

The grunts closed in, attempting to constrict the girls with their bodies. The sweaty stench was suffocating. The girls’ only resources were their bodies, which were no match for the grunts’.

Wait! Suddenly Miere realised that she would have to use the strongest and sharpest part of her body. She swung her elbows backward with force, managing to partially knock the wind out of one of her captors.

Arla caught on quickly, and using her knees, struck at angles into the grunt’s hip repeatedly. He keeled over from the surprise and sudden pain. They kicked the third one up his legs. Instant shock.

While the girls carried on the fight inside, Darien and Mik noticed that the guard had left their post and burst in through the door. Mik instantly ran to make sure that the horizontally expanded ones were properly down. He aimed a few kicks and punches as a test. Darien, swift and silent, attempted to restrain the Captain.

All this extra pressure had Captain Seth going berserk. He yelled, no; tittered, letting out a strange series of squeaks that were unnaturally high for his voice. The rats’ ears started to perk up.

Then they ran across the floor and engulfed everyone. Even the out-of-action grunts. They were all trapped in the hot sticky fur, barely able to move. This did not improve Captain Seth’s image. He had gone from psycho to psycho rat-master. Nevertheless it worked. He had captured Miere and Arla at last.

TO BE CONTINUED...DUM DUM DUM!

I Should Have Been Born in the 16th Century

In between yearbook, practicing maths and burying my nose in the other subject books, I've been entertaining my newest unhealthy obsessions: Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Scarlett Johansson (Did I spell it right?)

The thing I like about Scarlett Johansson is her...eyebrows!

Seriously, I like them. They look really...scuplted! Plus I thought she was really hot as Mary Boleyn in "The Other Boleyn Girl" movie. And I just found out she has a twin brother. I'm quite outdated actually...

Plus I did watch "Vicky Cristina Barcelona", another movie of hers. It was...refreshing. Good movie.

Oh, oh, and Jonathan Rhys Meyers! I like his look; its really interesting. Just watched episode 1 of "The Tudors", the new series about King Henry the VIII and his six wives. Besides the six wives there were a lotta mistresses on the side as well. Jonathan Meyers was acting as King Henry, and I found it weird cos my impression of King Henry is this fat guy who shouts randomly. And Jonathan Meyers sure ain't fat.

And, six wives just isn't enough for one guy is it?

Oh well, I like sixteenth-century movies...wouldn't be surprised if I was some English person in the 16th century in my past life.

PS: I just discovered this movie, "Match Point" starring both Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Scarlett Johannson. It's a bit old (released in 2005), but given my new unhealthy obsessions, I have to watch it now.

Now that I've taken up some cyberspace ranting about this, I can go back to yearbook, practicing maths and burying my nose in the other subject books.

A pirate story continued and love for sulky japanese boys.

After being reminded of Kafka on the Shore, the book by Haruki Murakami, I find myself looking back at it with much interest. I would like to buy the book and read it over again. (The first time I read it I borrowed it) It's the type of book people can't understand in one go; they have to read and reread. Yes. I shall go out and buy the book.

I particularly liked Kafka's sulkiness, rebellious-ness and helplessness all bundled in one. He is one sulky Japanese dude. Oshima in that story was also wonderful. ^_^

Anyways, on to the pirate story:

They couldn’t stay here anymore.

Miere and Arla had decided that. They had also decided that they were going to join Iki and gang and explore the vast expanses of land and sea.

It was late one night, when the darkness dipped to its dimmest point that they decided to quietly leave the inn.

They came into the inn with nothing, and would take nothing with them.

“Going somewhere?” a voice issued from the darkness, sending the girls jumping like a pair of flopping fish dying of dehydration.

The only thought that crossed their minds was, “How did he know?”

The reply came, as if Seth possessed telekinetic powers. “I don’t have my office above the servants’ quarters for nothing, you know.”

There was a moment of stunned silence, as if time had collapsed.

“RUN!” Miere screamed. Arla flew behind her.

In response, Captain Seth yelled, “Out, men!” At that moment three corpulent roughnecks stepped out, previously hidden by the darkness. Before the sisters could make their getaway, they sealed the tree exits: the front door, back door and the windows. The one blocking the windows was so huge that he covered the entire area with his bulk.

Miere hurled herself at the one blocking the door, but his expanded belly was like a giant rubber ball. She bounced back, skidding along the floor. The enormous man let out a grating laugh.

Captain Seth’s grey-green eyes slid along their faces which were now frozen in shock.

Now the question seemed to be: “Where’d you find these guys?”

“I’ve got surprises,” Captain Seth said, grinning. How did he know their questions?

Now the Captain held a length of tough rope between his hands, the prosthetic steel digits standing out in the light of the yellow bulb that had just been switched on. “Light-footed girls like you...” he began.

“...should be tied up!” He pursued them with uncharacteristic speed, his metal leg hitting the floor repeatedly, and sounding like the beating of a war-drum. Startled, Miere and Arla dashed into the only opening available—the kitchen doors. It proved to be not a very smart thing to do—the kitchen was a cul-de-sac, with an entrance but no exit.

The Captain burst in, usual cool demeanour overtaken by a blast of fury. The muscles in this face were pulled into wrinkles, and the candles in his eyes flashed brighter than before. The rope between his hands was stretched taut.

Miere and Arla backed away slowly, inching nearer to the wall. They could smell the lingering odours of the day’s remnants, especially the way smell of burnt lard. It was funny how insignificant details stuck to your mind when you didn’t need them.

Arla’s elbow hit something. Instinctively she groped for the light switch. Another dim bulb flickered on. She saw what she’d knocked over—a set of knives, blades shiny-sharp from rubbing against the grinding stone. She snatched up one with a serrated edge, and brandished it in front of the Captain’s face. Miere followed suit.

Captain Seth allowed a small chuckle to break his livid mask. “Kitchen knives!” he exclaimed. “I’ve got better!” after saying this, he produced a slim, small dagger that dangled from his hand like a lethal extension. The story of his pirate days came flooding back to Arla. Of course he had been good with knives.

Miere swung her knife, meaning to graze the Captain’s shoulder, but of course she was no match. A swift parry quelled her attempt. She didn’t want to hurt the Captain; just hit him so that it would create a diversion. Obviously this was going to be harder than she thought.
Henny came running out at present. Her face turned white. She thrust herself at the Captain.

“No, Captain!” she cried.

“Stay out of this!” Captain Seth blared. Henny retreated, and was almost immediately seized and tied up by the fat grunt by the window.

Miere tried again, twirling the knife and sending it whistling through the air. Captain Seth expertly blocked every one of her slashes. The most she achieved was a scratch on his right hand. She was beginning to become frustrated, and sweat beaded on his brow.

Then Arla swing a heavy pan at his midriff. The Captain doubled over, breath drawn out sharply by the impact. Still gripping the knives, Miere and Arla dashed out to confront the grunts still by the exits.

However these grunts were also armed—with giant slingshots. Stones ranging from small pebbles to larger ones roughly the size of fists were used. The girls knew better than to laugh—cruising at high velocity, those stones could hack someone’s head off.

The grunts launched a volley of flying stones, and the inn looked like a sky peppered with heavy stars. Not nimble enough to dodge every single one, Miere and Arla sustained various bruises and cuts. Soon the hailing became unbearable, and Arla flung the knife at one of the slingshots, it hit home, fortunately, and fell out of the grunt’s hand. Miere darted to pick it up.

One down, two to go. Arla readied her knife, while Miere picked up stray stones and loaded them back into the newly acquired slingshot. She knew that she had to use clever strategy, so she decided to aim for the eyes, even though her targeting was not very accurate.