Time beyond time

Time 时钟 時間 Zeit temps...

So many terms to describe the one thing that has been known to us since the prehistoric age, time.  Men are slaves to time; beasts are at the mercy of time; success is determined by time; time is always of the essence.  No matter what we do, time will always be there to bind us and move us towards our destruction.  Even the most successful person in the world is nothing more than a bacterium in the face of time.  So, the only thing we can do is to struggle within the time frame allocated to us and make the most of it.  Other than that, demise abounds.  That being said, how can we escape the clutches of time?  Simple, we master time itself!  I believe a lot of you have watched sci-fi movies whereby time machines were made to alter the designation of time.  But the message in between the lines is, control time itself.  When one can successfully control time, one will be able to become the master of life and death.  Fast forwarding an event, going back in time or even halting the flow of time itself will no longer be a fantasy but a reality.

However, the day a person can do that, that person will become God.  In the Christian's creed, no human can come close to God.  So I challenge you young minds now, become God and overturn any doctrine that you were exposed to!

A good animation

Alas, a good animation, so hard to come across and yet, when you do, it ends so abruptly as it has come.  Once again, the season of new animations has arrived, this time bringing with it heaps of novelties and inspirations that may leave you in awe.  However, as we are all well aware of, not all animations are good and worthwhile to watch.  So, the major question is, how do you identify a good animation?

Well, this is a very subjective question and everyone has their own criteria for determining whether an animation is good or not.  Personally, I like animations that have a story to tell.  It doesn't have to be action packed or thrilling, a good story will automatically capture the viewer's attention as well as deliver something that the viewers will not forget.  Furthermore, a good animation, by virtue, must have good and intricately drawn sketches.  Colourations must be awesome too!  If not, why bother calling it an animation.

Finally, since I am a guy, the girls in the animations must be cute!!  However, the definition of cute has been changing for quite some time now in the animation world.  Before the 21st century, girls with big eyes were considered cute, but towards the 21st, the demand for anime girls increases, more realistic looking anime girls were introduced into the spectrum and has been like that since.

 In short, a good animation comprises different standards but at the end of the day, you will set your own standards for a good animation.  I will leave you with my favourite animation up till this day.

Decisions

Do you believe in fate?  More often than not, we will come across a situation whereby we need to make a decision and usually, this decision will directly affect the later steps we take.  Thus, I urge you all to think things through before giving an answer.  You have to always bear in mind that life is a one way road, there's no U-turn.  If, somehow, you screw up, what should you do?  You proceed and make sure that the next decision you make is not as shitty as the previous.  Life will find a way.

It's about what you can, not what you can't.

Today, I had a little chat with a very intelligent man.  We were having some idle chit chat when suddenly he brought up the new iOS6 which improved the overall usability of apple products that support the platform.  It happened in an instant!  What was supposed to be an idle chat between two best of buds quickly became a debate about humans' dispositions.  I argued that due to certain environmental constraints, humans, albeit being equipped with all the necessary resources, will not be able to shine and cast away the shell of oppression.  However, this intelligent man argued that blaming one's impotence on the environment is a lame excuse.  He proceeded to saying this, "It's not about what you can't do, it's about what you can.  Throughout civilizations, empires rose and fell.  Particular individuals shone and paved the way for a brighter tomorrow.  Is it because they were born in such an environment that they were able to succeed?  NO!  It was because they had the determination and conviction to become better!"

He talked about how Steve Jobs went to India to learn Zen and Buddhist's teaching when he was retrenched from apple.  He did not lose hope, he persevered and by doing what he could do, seizing every available opportunity and experimenting, he was able to come out on top and beat his competitors.  "Gates wanted everyone to use Windows; Jobs envisaged homes with their own personal computers."  Due to this, the world changed.  When I heard his points, I was perplexed.  Who is this person I am talking to?  Just a few weeks back, he still sounded like me, an immature kid who didn't know the reach of his arm but within a few trials, he has grown to become such a wonderful person!

After we talked, we talked some more about how we were faring with our current lives and what we had planned for the future.  When we parted, the words he said kept reverberate in my head, "It's not about what you can't do, it's about what you can."  That's goddamn right!

"You are what you choose to be!"

The Calming Breeze

Shudder...Shudder...
It doesn't matter,
Winter is fading,
The winds are changing.

Outside my house,
Not a squeak of a mouse.
Wonder if I was doused,
Whilst fumbling on my couch.

I can see the light
of the morning blinding my sight.
It feels so nostalgic
and I can't help thinking it's magic.

Spring is here.

The calming wind,
The blossoming buds.
The warm feeling that permeates
into my soul and whispers
in my ears:
"Lift up your head
and move forward"

What is Teaching?

More often that not, people perceive teaching as the teacher does the talking and the students listen.  This has been the definition of teaching since ancient times and until this very day, some society still perceive it as so.  However, a great lecturer once told me, "Teaching is learning.  You learn what the students have to teach you."  When I first heard this, I was also confused since I am one of those "orthodox" person and listening to this simply left me baffled.  I mean, what could the students possibly teach you that you don't know right?

Fast forward to today when I was teaching, I finally understood what my lecturer meant.  Students are constantly learning something new, not just from the teacher but also from their interactions with their surrounding.  What teachers teach to them is technical knowledge from books that abides by the social norms but what students teach teachers is the knowledge about how to respond to a human being.  Students are all living beings and the teacher's everyday behaviour will be observed by the students and they will react accordingly.  For example, if you are constantly happy in class and you always use a soft voice to teach them, they will infer that as you are a friendly person and they can get to know you without any fear.  This also applies otherwise.  Hence, after years of teaching, a teacher will swiftly advance to becoming a professional psychiatrist.

So, what is teaching?  Teaching is learning and what you learn will ultimately shape what you teach and what you can become.  Cheers.

The Start of A New Day

When things take a turn for the worse and you feel like you do not want to wake up tomorrow, let me tell you something, bygone be bygone.  A new days will always come, and in that new day, there will always be new sensations to experience.  So, whenever you are feeling frustrated or lethargic, just calm down and think and understand that, no matter how bad things may seem, a new day will always come.