Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Sunday, January 29, 2006
soft culture
My cousin and nephew are visiting from the UK, and this morning my childhood rattan rocking horse suddenly materialised in the living room. I have not seen that horse in 2 decades and in the course of moving house 3 times, I am amazed that it is still around. It got me thinking.
I was brought up with a "waste not, want not" mentality. My school textbooks were handed down to my sibling, and all my homework and notes were stored away. I'll bet my mother can still produce my primary school math file if you ask her. So likewise, my drawers became filled with stationery, little trinkets and my cupboards and shelves filled with paper.
All that changed when I went to the U.S. There were four of us staying in an apartment with two singles and a double, so in the middle of the year we would all swap room so everyone got a semester in a single room. I am generally quite a tidy person, so I was quite amazed that my messy roommate effected his move in a much lesser time than I did. But then the reason became apparent - he just had much less stuff because at the end of the previous years he would get rid of everything - notes, homework, textbooks.
It wasn't easy, but I soon adopted his mindset, and took my first steps in the modern consumer society. I got rid of all my lecture notes and work - if I ever needed anything again I could just print it from the soft copy. Soon this extended into clothes, household items and especially those useless souvenirs people always seem to give on birthdays or after travels, because 'it is the thought that counts'. After all, they are all replaceable, because money is the ultimate soft copy. And I just don't like to deal with all this unecessary stuff. When I get my own place, I intend to keep it small and minimalist, and throw everything else away.
Occasionally I battle feelings of guilt, especially because my parents have not been enlightened (or corrupted) with this new mindset. At home, it is very difficult to throw away perfectly good clothes simply because I don't wear them anymore, and I need the space for new ones. There are items in my house older than I am - my father's geometry set that he has kept since secondary school, some of the furniture and many of the books. The house is filled to overflowing with my family's accumulated stuff. But will it ever be useful again, or is it just taking up space and gathering dust?
I guess I'll see whether my little cousin actually likes the antique rocking horse, and decide if such things have lasting value.
I was brought up with a "waste not, want not" mentality. My school textbooks were handed down to my sibling, and all my homework and notes were stored away. I'll bet my mother can still produce my primary school math file if you ask her. So likewise, my drawers became filled with stationery, little trinkets and my cupboards and shelves filled with paper.
All that changed when I went to the U.S. There were four of us staying in an apartment with two singles and a double, so in the middle of the year we would all swap room so everyone got a semester in a single room. I am generally quite a tidy person, so I was quite amazed that my messy roommate effected his move in a much lesser time than I did. But then the reason became apparent - he just had much less stuff because at the end of the previous years he would get rid of everything - notes, homework, textbooks.
It wasn't easy, but I soon adopted his mindset, and took my first steps in the modern consumer society. I got rid of all my lecture notes and work - if I ever needed anything again I could just print it from the soft copy. Soon this extended into clothes, household items and especially those useless souvenirs people always seem to give on birthdays or after travels, because 'it is the thought that counts'. After all, they are all replaceable, because money is the ultimate soft copy. And I just don't like to deal with all this unecessary stuff. When I get my own place, I intend to keep it small and minimalist, and throw everything else away.
Occasionally I battle feelings of guilt, especially because my parents have not been enlightened (or corrupted) with this new mindset. At home, it is very difficult to throw away perfectly good clothes simply because I don't wear them anymore, and I need the space for new ones. There are items in my house older than I am - my father's geometry set that he has kept since secondary school, some of the furniture and many of the books. The house is filled to overflowing with my family's accumulated stuff. But will it ever be useful again, or is it just taking up space and gathering dust?
I guess I'll see whether my little cousin actually likes the antique rocking horse, and decide if such things have lasting value.
Friday, January 27, 2006
perfect scam
Listening to the radio just now, I heard the perfect scam by the Perfect 10 98.7FM.
It went like this, "We have 70th anniversary clocks to giveaway! (whoopee) If your IC number comtains the numbers 9, 8 or 7, one of these clocks is yours! So sms 'Dan', your name and your NRIC number to XXXX. Oh, and we only have 2 clocks. And oh, each sms will cost you 30 cents."
So my NRIC contains one of the numbers and I thought, wow I could really be one of those two lucky winners! I bet all of you would have too.
Lucky I was driving because I thought a bit deeper and realised that wait a sec, what is the chance of not having one of those numbers? The chance of not having one of those digits is (7/10)^7 = 0.0823543. You must be pretty damn unlucky not to have any of those numbers.
I stayed the urge to whip out the phone and send a few smses.
And then I thought a little more. Anyone between the ages of 7 to 36 would have one of those numbers. That covers pretty much everyone who would be stupid enough to send an sms, myself included. Actually, that covers pretty much everyone who might be tuned in to the station.
And each sms is 30 cents. Wow, I wonder how much the clock is worth.
For a while there, they made me feel special.
It went like this, "We have 70th anniversary clocks to giveaway! (whoopee) If your IC number comtains the numbers 9, 8 or 7, one of these clocks is yours! So sms 'Dan', your name and your NRIC number to XXXX. Oh, and we only have 2 clocks. And oh, each sms will cost you 30 cents."
So my NRIC contains one of the numbers and I thought, wow I could really be one of those two lucky winners! I bet all of you would have too.
Lucky I was driving because I thought a bit deeper and realised that wait a sec, what is the chance of not having one of those numbers? The chance of not having one of those digits is (7/10)^7 = 0.0823543. You must be pretty damn unlucky not to have any of those numbers.
I stayed the urge to whip out the phone and send a few smses.
And then I thought a little more. Anyone between the ages of 7 to 36 would have one of those numbers. That covers pretty much everyone who would be stupid enough to send an sms, myself included. Actually, that covers pretty much everyone who might be tuned in to the station.
And each sms is 30 cents. Wow, I wonder how much the clock is worth.
For a while there, they made me feel special.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
an ode to ariel
Been in the car a lot today and listened to a lot of news. A few interesting items caught my ear.
First, there is the million dollar homepage that a teenager dreamt up to fund his college education. He is really making a million dollars! This has to be the best get rich quick scheme ever.
And nerve growth factor gives new meaning to the question "Do you love me?"
But most of all, the news seems to be full of Ariel Sharon. As one commentor put it, he is Israeli politics. I hope someone writes his biography soon because I would definitely read it. He is one of the most fascinating military and political characters of the modern age.
About 5 years ago, when he was still quite fresh in office, I distinctly remember coming across his name while reading a book on Israeli military history. In the years after the 6 Day War, when Israeli forces were having tremendous difficulty coping with guerilla incursion, young Ariel Sharon dropped out of college and led his own team of special forces on precision strike missions that turned the tide of the terrorist war. He went on to become a general, and then Prime Minister. I would really like to know what happened in between.
Because he is clearly a person of high intelligence and a mind of his own. He bucks trends, walks the edge and does things his own way. The unilateral withdrawal from Gaza and leaving Likud are two cases in point - is he going crazy or is this merely a continuation of a lifelong trend? I'd like to know.
It is a pity that he is unlikely to continue his life less ordinary.
First, there is the million dollar homepage that a teenager dreamt up to fund his college education. He is really making a million dollars! This has to be the best get rich quick scheme ever.
And nerve growth factor gives new meaning to the question "Do you love me?"
But most of all, the news seems to be full of Ariel Sharon. As one commentor put it, he is Israeli politics. I hope someone writes his biography soon because I would definitely read it. He is one of the most fascinating military and political characters of the modern age.
About 5 years ago, when he was still quite fresh in office, I distinctly remember coming across his name while reading a book on Israeli military history. In the years after the 6 Day War, when Israeli forces were having tremendous difficulty coping with guerilla incursion, young Ariel Sharon dropped out of college and led his own team of special forces on precision strike missions that turned the tide of the terrorist war. He went on to become a general, and then Prime Minister. I would really like to know what happened in between.
Because he is clearly a person of high intelligence and a mind of his own. He bucks trends, walks the edge and does things his own way. The unilateral withdrawal from Gaza and leaving Likud are two cases in point - is he going crazy or is this merely a continuation of a lifelong trend? I'd like to know.
It is a pity that he is unlikely to continue his life less ordinary.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
