Awesome Skill



I have taken to badminton again after a long time. This video is truly inspiring.

Book Review: Metamorphosis By Frank Kafka

In physics one would say, " You dont have to be an Einstein to figure that out." In literature, they say, " You don't have to a Kafka to figure that out."

I picked this book up from the library after someone recommended it to me. Its a very thin paperback, of about 70 odd pages. For a book so highly acclaimed it is really an easy read.

In this 70 pages, Kafka illustrates sharply, how some parents shrug off their responsibilty over their children, hiding behind their right to filial piety. These parents also have a tendency to believe that they own their children and that their children are really a insurance policy to cover their old age. In Singapore, everyone works hard, regardless of age. There are of course those with children though, who secretly covet an early retirement. Agreed, retirement is justified if one has worked hard enough or has amassed enough wealth to sustain their lifestyles or their children's hopes for a good future perhaps via a good education. This book however shows, the stark reality of some youth who find themselves with no support from their parents who start giving excuses about some physical ailment, at the slightest hint of their child showing signs of employability. To these youth, education becomes something you have to 'lucky' to get. They are told instead to go and work, after secondary school or a little after. I heard a shocking story of a girl who has now finished her degree. Her mother-the woman we are all told to revere deeply, due to the fact that she carried us in her womb for 10 months, told her to stop studying after secondary school. She was told to work and not bother with school, or go to school but pay all the fees herself. I do not understand these parents. It is alright for the poor to get married, but why have children when you cannot afford it? One should not expect his offspring to be bound by his limitations or desires or ablities or lack of abilities.

There is a thin line between respect for parents and utter subservience to them. In this book, after the elder son is debilitated, he loses all acceptance in his family. His sister though, is viewed with fresh interest, due to her 'young nubile body', and her marriageable age. Her marriage would mean that they are supported by their their in laws.

I don't understand parents who are lazy to work hard for the family's future. You want to be lazy and it affects no one but yourself, thats fine. But the moment you make a commitment to a family, a wife and children thereafter, you lose the right to consider your own preferences. You have to ensure the survivability of your children and do your utmost to ensure their potential does not go to waste. Children are not your insurance policy, they are not farm animals you rear to provide for you when you decide to call it quits. They take care of you not out of obligation but out of love for you.

Anyhow, this book is a good read. If you are interested, there are copies in most libraries.

2 Shrines and a Fun Night Out..

Marsiling Crescent, in old Woodlands, is the home of a roadside Hindu shrine side by side with a Chinese holy shrine. I went in search of these shrines with a few friends after one of them got excited after reading a newspaper article on it.We met up only at around 9pm and we had absolutely no idea where Marsiling Crescent was, though my friends stay in the Woodlands/Admiralty region.After dinner, we started our exploration trip on foot.

The trip started with a busride to the Old Woodlands interchange/ theater. I felt like I was back in the 80s. This place looks very different from all the modern housing estates and even the heartlands of Yishun and Ang Mo Kio. We went to the old Woodlands Theater, which is now an empty building, locked up with big grilled gates. Even a backdoor was nailed with plywood to prevent entry. A friend claimed that there were rumours that this building was an illegal red light district. But how I saw it, there was really no way into the building. We left the place wondering why the building was still dilapidated without any new occupants.

The next place worth mentioning was this street named something like "Admiralty West Street". This street was in the corner of a housing estate with apparently only 1 room units, the flats looked nothing like 1 room units from the outside; they were newly painted and looked just like a flat from Sengkang. When we were on this street, there was a long narrow road. Beside the road, on the right was dense vegetation and on the left was a waterbody. This water body which really didn look all that massive, was the only thing between us and Johor Bahru. We could see all the buildings in Johor and the causeway leading to Johor so clearly. There was a coast guard patrol though circling the waters, not that we were contemplating swimming across. We saw monkeys on the side of the vegetation and we were almost chased by wild dogs when we were exiting.

We asked a Taxi Driver where Marsiling Crescent was, and he told us he had no idea and when asked where the road we were on led to, he shrugged stating plainly that the road led to just some old factories. Just as we were exiting this road, we stumbled upon a signpost identifying the road we were on as Marsiling Crescent. The Taxi driver's answer about this road was thoroughly appalling. Fancy standing on Yishun Street 16 and swearing you dont know where Yishun Street 16 is!Not to mention being a Taxi Driver.

Finally we knew we had reached, when we smelled incense in the night air. The indians call it " sam bu ra ni". We crossed over to the other side of the road where the shrines were. We were greeted by this Indian man in probably his late 30s, who told us to remove our footwear and go closer to the shrine, which we did promptly at his compulsion.He went on to tell us about the deities.That they were very prompt in answering prayers. My friend seemed more in tune with the Chinese deities than Hindu ones even being Indian, offering josssticks to the Chinese deities. The Hindu Shrine had a great many statues, with Amman taking the centre. The were some pictures of Indian gods as well. I saw a rather big statue of Vinayagar, the elephant god, a size which we usually see in temples rather than roadside shrines. Beside the main Hindu Shrine, there were 2 other mini-shrines, one for Nagamma( snake goddess) and one for Muneeswaran. The Chinese Shrine had a even larger multitude of deities and there was soft buddist chanting being played.

The man who had greeted us, began to tell us that this temple was in Senoko for many years before it moved to its current location in Marsiling. He told us that he was the caretaker of the shrine and that he worked at the Shell company nearby during the day. He asked that we inform all our friends about the shrine and informed us that the Shrine was open to donations of any sort. I noticed a small plastic container, the kind which you would use to store biscuits on the alter, with some notes inside. Even saris and such offerings were welcome, he said.

I left the place wondering 2 things? 1. Why arent they playing Hindu worship songs in the background, would it not increase the religious fervour?2. The caretaker must be really pious, since he looked nothing like an Aiyar, an appointed priest. Frankly, he looked the sort who some Indians in Singapore would call a 'old timer' or gangster.This was suggested by my friend actually. So I guess we can never tell the religiousity of a person by looking at his appearance?

That was a fun night out though. If you want to pay this shrine a visit, you may take bus service 903 from woodlands interchange and get down somewhere in Marsiling, near a coffeeshop. You should recognise the place, it looks really old. Perhaps the bus driver could inform when you reach Marsiling Crescent. I can't, I reached there on foot.

Where did the Money Go?!

Three men went on a business trip and booked a hotel room to stay for the night.
After paying $30 for the room, they proceeded upstairs to rest. Thereafter, the hotel headquarters called and ordered the rates to be adjusted to $25. The hotel manager then gave the bellhop $5 and asked him to return the money to the guests.
The bellhop thought that since $5 couldn’t be divided among three persons, he decided to keep $2 for himself and split the remaining $3 among the three guests. In end effect, the three men paid $27 for the room and the bellhop kept $2 for himself. This totals up to only $29, where is the missing $1?!

The Last Meal, "I will leave this for tommorow..."

You wake up at 6.30 am. You bathe and get ready. You meet them at 7am outside your door. You sit down before them at 7.06 am. You die at 7.16 am. This was the last day of Ted Bundy, who was sentenced to the electric chair for serial killing and rape.

When we usually get up in the morning, even the most unmotivated of us would feel at least a bit of anticipation about the new day. What the day would hold, what you could look forward to, how to get through the events you dreaded, etc. Can you imagine waking at 6am, fully knowing waking up that early in the morning, had absolutely no benefit to you, that your heartbeat had to be abruptly halted in a few minutes?It is then when the new day means nothing to you, when you leave everyone behind to continue with their life journeys, while you are forced to leave yours.

Death row prisoners are usually given a last meal a day or two before they are executed. The contents of this meal are entirely determined by the prisoner, and the authorities do their best to fulfil his wishes. There has been word though that suggests that sometimes the prisoners do not get what exactly they had ordered, instead they are made to make do with cheaper or more accessible alternatives.

I had always assumed that the last meal was just a nice gesture to the prisoner who was about to die.It was when I had gone to the Biennale, that I realised there was alot of significance attached to this procedure. Firstly it was to make the prisoner accept his fate, and agree that it was indeed his last meal he was eating and secondly it was to ensure that he does not haunt those who were directly or indirectly responsible for his execution after his death. It was a form of coercing the prisoner to submit to the status quo and not grieve or cry out that he was wronged. There have been prisoners who have not accepted this meal. Ted Bundy was one of them.

Another rather disturbing account of a prisoner and his last meal was about this mentally challenged prisoner being treated to his last meal. He ate everything but left the ice-cream alone. When the guards asked him why he wasnt touching his cream, he replied, "Oh I am leaving it for tomorrow", like a sheep waiting to be slaughtered, totally oblivious of its impending doom.

There have been inferences to the Last Supper from the Bible regarding the last meal for prisoners about to be executed. Actually, the last supper was a festive meal, taken on the passover day, a Jewish Festival, it was only entitled last supper after Jesus was crucified the next day. Besides only Jesus knew when he was about to be taken; the meal was not administered to him as a last meal. What I mean to say is, Jesus did not accept any blame of any sort and therefore did not take that meal as his 'last' meal which was 'granted' to him. He was in fact blameless and the accusations brought against him were groundless. He was crucified without even a fair trial.

Which brings me to Saddam Hussein. He has just been sentenced to death after a public trial. Do you think he would accept his last meal? Would he even be given his last meal?

Machiavelli

You Are Somewhat Machiavellian

You're not going to mow over everyone to get ahead... But you're also powerful enough to make things happen for yourself. You understand how the world works, even when it's an ugly place. You just don't get ugly yourself - unless you have to!

X-MEN

You Are Cyclops

Dedicated and responsible, you will always remain loyal to your cause. You are a commanding leader - after all, you can kill someone just by looking at them. Power: force beams from your eyes