Little Travel Regrets

Japan.

Mistakes.

I once bought a pack of matcha noodles, a big pack of curry and a hamburger steak, intent on cooking them all. Half way through my noodle slurping while watch anime, I became full and put the thing in the freezer.

2 things happened.

1. The freezer smelt of curry and green tea mixed together.
2. I started regretting it, but couldn't bring myself to finish it off.
3. My buddies wouldn't help me finish it and became annoyed at

So I just left it for room service.

Lesson:
None taken. All is good. It's a good feeling to be cleaned up after, once in a while.

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Sh*t is always more expensive in touristy areas.

Virtually all local souvenir shops love to rip off people and Japan is no exception.

I once saw this thermometer keychain for 380yen. I bought it in a frenzy of great excitement, only to see an identical one elsewhere for a hundred yen less.

Lesson:

Control yourself! Patience pays.

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For a few nights, I stayed at a hotel that was all very, very nice, except for the fact that it had a shared bathroom, where all the naked men showered together. And in the far end of this bathroom was a bathtub, which no one was using. (There were no single bathrooms. )

I wanted to use it, but couldn't bring myself to. Till next time in Japan, I guess...

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I wish I got up earlier everyday. Japan is one place that gets up normally at around 7am. Museums, temples, castles generally open at 9 and unless I get there at 9, I'm wasting time.

So get up at 7 and everything will be fine.

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Haha! That's it for now. Regret is how we learn to make things better.

Thought of the Day #23: Contradiction

All contradictions exist in the model or the language of the model.
In nature, there are no contradictions.

Thought of the Day #23: BitCoin

"When you put money in the bank, you relinquish control of your money. When you use Bitcoin/alternative currency, you still own your money."

Thought of the Day #22: "Our lives are not our own"

Sometimes, the most distant memories can float up from the depths of the subconscious.

Our lives are not our own. 

From womb to tomb, we are bound to others. Past and present. 

And by each crime and every kindness, we birth our future.

Cloud Atlas (2012)

Interpretation

Take it easy. 

Self-ownership is ultimately an illusion, albeit one that works well. 

Thought of the Day #21: Peeple and The Circle

http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/oct/01/peeple-review-people-the-user-review-app-you-didnt-dare-ask-for

This is a concept I'd like to see. In fact, I thought about building this myself. If they solve the problems that come their way (eg. legal, marketing, media), they can do pretty well.

It's going to be one hell of a social experiment. And there will be no opting-out.

As the article says, "She said Peeple would be launched in November “unless we change major features” – meaning you have at least one month to get into everyone’s good books."


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Which is a lot like this book, called "The Circle", by Dave Eggers.

I first came across this book in the subway. I was minding my own business when my eye was caught tall, blond, young, reading woman was leaning against a glass panel reading, reading this book. As you know, it's not all that often you see people reading paperback novels on the train. I caught a glimpse of the bookcover and looked it up.

The Circle is about = a young woman who works at this Facebook/Twitter/Google/Apple/Microsoft-like corporation, as she discovers the true aims of its owners.  As the story unfolds, we are told that the goal of the Circle is to model everyone's lives - everything they eat, think, say, do. Nothing escapes them.  Eventually, she is assimilated into the machine and becomes its leading evangelist.

This is not an original story. As always, Futurama was there first.

Thoughts of the Day #20: Philosophy and Psychology

These are my definitions and may differ from any textbooks.

Philosophy are the struggles and attempts at reconciling the differences between the models we build with language and minds, with reality. It's about getting our heads around these perceived problems.

Eg.
Zeno's Paradox. What's wrong with the argument and conclusion?
What's justice?
What's morality?
Problems of Knowledge. How do we know? What does it mean to know?

Parts of Psychology observes and explain our struggles with reality, with accepting reality, and how we can stop struggling.

Eg.
Paradoxes (eg. Zeno's Paradox): What is it about the language used to describe/analyze the problem that may cause this to arise? Why do we find it difficult to get our heads around this?

Counter-intuitive probability (eg. Monty Hall Problem): Why do many of us find it difficult to shake off the "equal probability" intuition?

Justice, Morality, Ethical: Why do we need this? What do we consider reality? What results when we don't have this? Why are some people injust or immoral or unethical?

Theories of Intelligence
Phobias
"Mental Illnesses"
Trauma: What, why and how does trauma affect one's behavior, perception?
Psychotherapy.
Neuropsychology. Psychological processes/behavior in terms of brain function.