Now's the time

We are currently heading towards THE MOST crucial time of the year for students because it's now when they find that they have to cram 6 months worth of school work into their miserably small brains. It's the time we understand more about ourselve so that we can devise the best way to remember our notes. And this is usually the time when more than half of what was taught finally made sense!

Oh and I forgot to mention that is it also during this important stage when some might find that they just cannot understand the text no matter how many times they read. Then they might be suffering from a learning disability which was not previously diagnosed and can visit a doctor, obtain a medical certificate to prove that they are indeed impaired in some sense and a special paper might be granted. (I believe so)

Recurring dreams - what does it mean?

I had a strange dream last night. I dreamt that I chanced upon two young brothers swimming in the canal while I was running on the bridge one evening. It was a happy sight to see them enjoying themselves near the water. Then I saw them. Baby crocodiles. First there were only two young adult ones, about the height of a 5 year-old and very slender so it seemed like the brothers might be able to get away with them.

The eldest of the two brothers was still swimming in the water, unaware of the danger. At the bank, the younger guy spotted the reptiles and called for his brother to hurry. The big brother sped up but still was not quick enough for the swift crocs. One of the crocodiles got hold of his left arm and dragged him deep into the water where he is no longer visible from the surface.

I was stunned. The younger brother tried to run. This was when all of the crocodiles appear from below the waters. Tonnes of them. Some actually walked on two feet, like humans, when they reached the land. It was a nightmare! But the crocodiles did not attacked the boy. They merely passed him in one fast motion, as if they cant see him at all.

In another dream many nights ago, I dreamt that I was looking into the ocean from a tall building and from where I was, I could see a young boy and his mother swimming in the ocean. A killer whale was swimming close by but seemed relatively harmless. The mother thought it was a great chance for her son to see the whale so she brought him closer. The young guy did not like the idea and was struggling to get free from his mother's hold.

When they were finally close enough to touch, the whale attacked! At first he went for the boy but the boy managed to free himself and swam away. The mother was too stunned to move and when she got her senses back, she too tried to swim away but similar to the dream above, the unfortunate happened and the mother was dragged deep into the ocean by the whale.

I was perspiring when I woke from the eerily similar dreams. In both dreams I was just watching. The sense of helplessness overwhelmed me as I watched the terror unfolds. I wanted to call out but was not sure if that will be of any help as everything happened so fast. In both dreams, the younger human of the two was the first to sense the danger. Perhaps they have that gift because they see the world for what it is and not the make-believed ones which many grown-ups tend to build for themselves. In both dreams, there were people beside me. They could have helped! (If they knew how)


.... And there was no blood. In both dreams there wasnt blood. Its strange when you think about it. Not logical. But then again, since when are dreams logical?

Must we compromise one for another?

With exams looming dangerously near, everyone is going into, what I would term, the stress-mode having the disturb-me-at-your-own-risk look on their faces. Indeed, exams do bring out the worst in some people as this is when the selfishness of the character truely shows. Although its sad to say that, we still move on with our lives, ignoring the degredation of morals and character of the society which is, itself more deserving our regret. Do we have to give up on our morals in order to progress?

Saying that, I do not mean to imply that we should board the next plane to disaster-prone countries to help in relief work or only allow the use of natural gas to power our cars so as to reduce the production of green house gases. These are too extreme. But we can help by donating to the funds which will be used to rebuild the lives of those affected by the disaster and do our bit in recycling what we can everyday.

Ultimately, we MIGHT be able to strike a balance between our moral obligation and economic progession. But before that happens, ignore me while I lament on the sorry state we're currently in.

The kid and the starfish

Let me tell you a story....

As an old bloke walked the beach at dawn he noticed a kid ahead of him picking up starfish and flinging them into the sea. Finally catching up with the young guy, he asked him why he was doing it. The answer was that the stranded starfish would die if left in the morning sun.

"But the beach goes on for miles and there are millions of starfish," counted the old man. "How can your efforts make any difference?"

The kid looked at the starfish in his hand and then threw it to the safety of the waves. " It will make a difference to THIS ONE," he said.

In the pursuit of a far-fetched dream, we are sometimes discouraged by negative thoughts and hence, more often than not, give up before we even try to do anything. But we tend to overlook that every step we take brings us this much closer to realizing our aspirations. So no matter how daunting the task seems, we must FIGHT ON even when desirable results are not as apparent as they should be.

This goes out to those taking their exams. All the best guys and gals:)

A night (with so many names) to remember

I have just returned from a get together barbecue kindly organised by Wei Fen, Chong, Ah man, Joey (the girl one) and Pei Xuan. It was very fun to see some old friends again and always a joy to make new ones. There were amazingly many Japanese people there and I kinna got to know quite a few of them. I'll try to recall some names so that I wont forget. Alright, there was Mia, Justina, Fei, Sirus, Bryan, Chong Soon, Jun, Sam, Joey (the guy one), Jonna, and a hell lot more that I simply cannot remember. And of course not forgetting the usuals, apart from the host that is, Xiao Hui, Christine, Ricky, Andy and Douglas.

The smell of barbecued food still lingers in the air.

Gomen kudasai

I was just looking at some old blog post of a fren and remembered that I didnt treat that person as well as I should for a period of time due to my poor judgement. I was mistaken and I have misjudged you. Gomen ne. I hope you are well.

Copycat!

I have recently completed a biology report on cell energetics and was told most explicitly to cite my references else risking my degree. You see, plagiarism is taken very seriously in my uni and you will get into serious trouble if you take the ideas of others and passed it on as if they were your own. (definition of plagiarism was taken from www.dictionary.com ) I guess it is easy to understand why they have to go through so much trouble to cause misery to the lives of the undergrads by insisting ANY and EVERY reference to be included. You will understand, really, once YOUR ideas are 'stolen' by others.

I am not wealthy with great ideas and they aren't quite as valuable even if I had any but I must admit that I do feel a sense of injustice when I see that my ideas are being passed on without proper acknowledgement. The worst part of all was that the idea was not fully conveyed in the correct way. It was so painful to read sections of what that was originally mine, intertwined with some... (I cant find a word to describe without being offensive)

Please be original. If you need to copy, please take the whole thing or risk making a fool of yourself.