I enrolled today

Reviving my blog after a hiatus. This is not going to the blog cemetery.

I have a topic to write about now so maybe I can finally be less random. It’s about my grad studies.

I just enrolled in the university less than 12 hours ago. The youthful vibe was so palpable in the compound. After all, I was at the sports and recreation area. I love it – brings back fond memories of my junior college days especially.

Going back to school after so long, I am not very confident. So why am I doing this? I do surprise myself. It’s some kind of impulse that I can’t quite explain. It’s THAT circuit that lights up at the instant of decision.

So I am going for an orientation talk on Friday, meet my sup and select the modules. I have a lot to get up to speed on and I think my case could be a outlier given some rather more different circumstances.

And I need to sort out my formal and informal work front. Several possible permutations. Now which one… generally, decisions should not be made based on fear, like fear of lack. There was a point where I was seriously concerned about my livelihood. O you lacking in faith.

I wonder how this will pan out. Here, I am a spectator and the lead actor, but not necessarily the scriptwriter. Looking back, getting to this stage has been a journey too. The meanders and iterations. This would continue as it is research. It is fun and exciting but a tat scary too. Performance anxiety? That sometimes bugs me. Doubts, they come. But having walked with the Lord for so many years, I have learned a thing or two about keeping these pesky emotions, which have their origins in negative thinking, at bay.

Almost there

I shall forgo some sleep tonight, going against the sister-mantra “美女是睡出来的”. This is to 打铁趁热. (Some things are just better expressed in Chinese.)

So what inspired word do I bring today? Guess what? I am too sleepy after all, so I think I will indeed have my beauty sleep and save the words for another day. It’s 1.05 am after all…

It’s a breeze

Cherubimed – bringing a bit of heaven to earth. How does that sound? 18 Sep is a milestone

19.06.09

And a virtual stone shall be erected for 19.06.09.
@

Dancing with Wolfram

A comment in Russian on my blog! Wow. I don’t get many comments in the first place, not to mention in a language other than English. Translated it using Google translate.

With the technology we have today, we can seriously outsource our brain, or at least certain functions. There’s a cool new search engine wolframalpha. Check it out. So there’s a trend here: computers/machines are getting smarter while we are… Will we reach singularity (a term coined by computer scientist and science fiction writer Vernor Vinge about machines with greater than human intelligence)? Ok, I haven’t read that book yet so I can’t quite comment here. Don’t know what’s the definition of intelligence in his book.

Well, will leave that to another day. Less than more hour to the end of another weekend and I have not done all that I meant to..never seem to have enough time. And there’s this book shop Class as Soulcraft: An inquiry Into the Value of Work by Matthew B. Crawford that looks like an interesting read as well as Thio Li-ann’s Mind the Gap – Contending for Righteousness in an Age of Lawlessness that I am reading now and…and…

Primer on nature

I popped by Indonesia and Malaysia in the last month. I found that papayas, when hung vertically, look more delicious and that pond skaters can do the salsa.

Wolverine in AWARE EGM

The claws came out, I mean X-men Origins: Wolverine . Hugh Jackman is always watchable but the plot just did not connect and there wasn’t a whole lot of novelty to prop it up. There was something rather unconvincing about his hatred for his brother and love for Kayla. It’s not the acting but the progression of events and the narrative.

Now, the claws also came out at AWARE EGM yesterday. It was mighty uncivil from the start with the heckling and jeering. Looks like there is some anger management issue here. (Hey, another similarity with Wolverine.) For a group whose mission is to protect women, especially marginalised women, the attacks on the women on stage were a tat too vehement. I think it was more militant than passionate — as also observed by a running commentary behind me.

A man made a similar comment – a gem this one. He said something about revising the title of the famous tome to ‘Women are from Mars and men are from Venus.” He went on to plead that the women not come and harass me, “I am a man. Don’t harass me.” He was referring to a “cat woman” hissing at him and asking who he was supporting.

Did the women on the stage deserve this kind of treatment? No respect given at all? They couldn’t even respond because of the badgering and had to proceed to the voting. It was very irrational and hysterical, reminds me of one of those crackling generators in Science Centre.

However, when the new guard did eventually have some space to reply to the questions from the floor, they fumbled. Their answers largely could not connect with the audience and their style was too officious. Their fate had already been sealed by then anyway as the votes were already cast and were being counted. But this was a demonstration to me, who has so far watched this filtered through the media and other 3rd parties, of why the new guard is not able to win this.

Well well, Wolverine…misunderstood or just mutant?

mnmnmnmnm

There is mass and there is niche. Today I learned that there is also mass niche.

Wester Easter Or Not…

I don’t usually feel anything special on days like Easter or Christmas or even Good Friday. Maybe because everyday is Christmas, Good Friday and Easter.

We live, move and have our being in Him. He is around us and in us. From Him, through Him and to Him are all things.

We do not need to take steps toward Him, for He has never left us.

thoughts about thoughts about thoughts about…

Have you ever listened in on your own thoughts? Watched those little birds flit about and sometimes a torrent tearing through? It’s a bit of a out-of-body experience. And when you disagree with your thoughts, it gets even more interesting. Our lives are made up of thoughts as thoughts direct our actions so be careful of what birds you allow to nest there.