"Learn to be Independent"

When I went to one of Gwun Yiu's relative's places for Chinese New Year, the relative told me something that I think exemplifies the male ideal in Singapore.

"Learn to be Independent."

Independence is easy. You just have to have nobody to depend on!

I think to really actually begin socialization, one should be independent first. Otherwise, socialization does not really bring its results, and that is mutual understanding of each other (instead of having a shoulder to cry on or someone to lean against).

Independence is completely different from isolationism.

Project firefly essay

Identify the major players that determine US foreign policy. Who are directly or indirectly controlled by the US president?

What are the goals of the US foreign policy?
1) Security
2) Economic

Can you think of examples of US foreign policy priorities that are eternal?
In what ways could an election campaign alter how a foreign policy matter is framed or debated?
Are there any significant events that might happen in 2012 in the United States or elsewhere that could influence the US presidential election?

Can Man and Woman be Purely Friends?

THE CHAT:

And the main topic of the whole time was whether men and women can be purely friends?!

Eugene Wong
I argued that friendship just had many levels.
and expressions.
Samuel Poon
walking in the rain => pretty tough
was your band of friends just guys?
Eugene Wong
no, 2 guys and 1 gal. (I feel weird calling a female 5 years older than I am a girl)
Samuel Poon
outcome ? [;)]
Eugene Wong
She stubbornly insists it is possible. I personally think this sort of platonic attraction is really difficult for MEN and WOMEN.
The other guy got bored and started playing with his many camera lens.
Samuel Poon
lol
i understand the difficulty
i dont' think it's impossible
though
Eugene Wong
The thing is, our definition of friends are different
Samuel Poon
gay people probably wont have much problems
i wont have problems with my sister
then it's a bit out of your scope
Eugene Wong
Of course. It was about heterosexuals and previously strangers.
I think women use their idea of friendship with other women when friends with men, and same with men.
And then they expect it to work.
And are surprised when it doesn't, because we think differently and there can be attraction.
I surprised myself even, when I personally said "Why would a man and a woman want to be just friends if they really have so much interests and values in common, that brings them together? Is it so terrible to not be purely friends?, or is it not better to be more than just friends?"
Samuel Poon
they could already have a spouse
Eugene Wong
but that doesn't mean they are purely friends, at least they may not see each other as just that.
Of course, that's where things can clash, but that's what some people inevitably run into.
And if all fails, you could always "pretend" to be just friends, as some people pretend to like each other

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The definition of friends is really different from one to another.
The nature of the relationship is viewed from 3 perspectives - the 2 people involved each have their own and sometimes different views of the relationship. the outsider's view is the third.
A person in this friendship may be attracted to the other but the other person may not be attracted, yet A person may believe self to be attractive to the other.

The person who is unattracted to the other and also does not feel that the other is attracted to him/her will see that it is a friendship. The other combinations (eg. attracted to / is attractive to) are not friendships.

A friendship, among all other things, means different things to different people, and the difference is not necessarily communicated.

Wikipedia's SOPA/PIPA is working!

I saw 4 people in the library today who, apparently, had no idea what SOPA/PIPA were, and were visibly shocked to find wikipedia had blacked itself out. Most proceeded to check it out.

In response to " Hong Kong City-State "

Liberty and free-market capitalism is a global issue. Hong Kong isn't the only place where these are heavily and increasingly contested, with far reaching consequences for us and future generations.

There are mutual benefits for both, except that Hong Kong has never been independent politically in the first place. Nothing has changed. Hong Kong has always had outsiders controlling it. Before it was Chinese, then British, then now Chinese again. And HK people have always been a flexible and adaptive bunch. That was the only constant. The others always changed.

When HK people in HK cease to be flexible and highly adaptive (because they weren't thinking that way, or it wasn't allowed), it isn't the Hong Kong we know it to be anymore. People who are will move elsewhere or be changed. They would immigrate, as people did back in 1996/1997, to better places.

The values of Hong Kong that makes it as it is, is the hard-working ethic and the flexibility and adaptibility that makes free-market capitalism and freedom intuitive to us and compatible to our way of life. When these are no longer the political intuitions, it won't matter how autonomous Hong Kong is.

Hong Kong is one tip of a big melting iceberg.

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How was integration defined in the book?

A few things I found out about myself during exchange (so far)...

A few things I found out about myself during exchange so far...

1) When I am sleeping less than 9 hours, I am not talkative. There are more awkward pauses. Sleeping more than 9 hours, I can chat up business students, and those people I find a bit boring normally.

2) I like my computer more when I sleep late.

3) Running late at night seems to make me sleep better.

4) There exists females who make extremely challenging running partners. They want to chit-chat while running at a 10km/h pace for 2++ hours at 0100. I guess with males, female companionship (or "motivation") makes every feat possible. (And I didn't know that before. It just came out of nowhere. She made me do at least 24km every night for 4 nights in a row and wants to do half-marathon back in HK.)

5) Singaporean food is an acquired taste. I hated durian at first, but after having durian ice-cream a few times, I was ready for the real thing. It's great when you don't try to smell it.

6) Laksa looked weird before I tried it. I find now that I like Chilly Laksa so much I have to have at least a bowl of Laksa noodles everyday. I leave no food left behind.

7) I caught myself self-talking in Singlish, but it does not show up at all when I actually speak. I wonder how that works.

more to come!

Exchange Life 1

"Life is so chur here" "There are so many uncertainties ahead"

This is a common thought for many HK exchange students. There is always that free day in which somebody has to put forward ideas of what to do for the day.

Without that leader, HK students spend big amounts of time hea-ing in cafes and have dinner after 8pm (late by Singaporean standards, where people will eat as early as 5 if they get out of school or work.

Thankfully, Gwun Yiu is in Singapore and knows his way well around here. He knows great places to eat so we don't have to half-fill our stomachs with Food Court canteen food. He gets a bit annoyed when we insist on the nearest food-court because we don't want to queue up.

I have discovered that some people here on exchange have existential problems and don't really know why they're here. "Why did I come to exchange?" they ask. I guess we're answering that right now being here. It is not an answer most of us know fully yet, but I guess we liked the direction exchange would bring us.
So, the solution, I guess is to do what we value - the expression of values.

And to do that we are finding out our values first. Clarifying values.

To be continued, part 2...

Big and Small

Throughout history, the big turns have always been driven by a small but determined minority, who, by choice and intellect, felt they wanted something else.

The minority leads, the majority follows.

Note that being a minority still means being in connection with everyone. It doesn't mean isolation. It means leadership.

"International Lounge"

There's this noisy room in NTU with a starbucks and several TVs with different channels on.
When you look at them, most of it is commercials.
BBC and CNN talk about the exact same thing is pretty much the same way.
"Iran scientist Killed"... "New Hampshire Primary"... Expert telling you the obvious in suits.
NatGeo is talking about how much drugs are coming through Miami

No one is really watching.
And The best thing to watch seems to be about making induction cookers.