Paper Marking....

The next idiot who proclaims "You can't mark me down for wrong grammar or spelling! This is a psychology exam, not an English exam!!!" deserves to be shot in the head.

Well, SOBs, if I can't understand what the fuck you are writing, then of course I can mark you down for bad English.

Dammit, you are in college. The least I expect from you is to write in coherent sentences.

Damn. Back to marking...

Old Movie Poster 

Some more fun with headlines...

Battling misconceptions about multi-level-marketing

(From Channel News Asia)

Yeah, they argued that MLM is different from pyramid schemes in the sense that you don't need to pay a membership fee. So hence MLM is not considered a scheme. The go-to analogy will be that pyramid schemes are just like a crappy amusement park where you pay a large entrance fee to get in, and they over-charge for their merchandise or service rendered, and they encourage you to tell others about this amusement park, and if you can bring in other visitors, they will give a a discount on their over-priced merchandise.... MLM is similar in all aspects except you don't need to pay an entrance fee.....

Oh, and to quote one of my friend, MLM is like the new religion for the urbanites.

No wrangle as rival charities share tasks

(From Channel News Asia)


You mean it is the norm for chariteis to slug it out, WWE death match style???

Lab Picture 

Buddha 

How to deconstruct headlines 1

Singaporeans did not join IMF protests as they want to gain from globalisation: NTUC

(From Channel News Asia)

Er... No. We didn't joing IMF protests because we are scared of landing in jail.

Starbucks raises prices of coffee drinks, beans

(From Straitstimes)

Wow, does that mean they are selling a thousand dollars for a cup of coffee now?

Mahathir dismisses Singapore as a "tiny" country

(From Channel News Asia)

So now that he has lost his fight at home, he is trying to pick up a fight elsewhere? With a tinier opponent?

Outside a vegetarian resturant 

Dead Souls 

Napping Cat

猫咪在自己的沉睡里
思考着宇宙所有
无关紧要的
生命

Wood! 

Click!!!

I know it is probably a bit late, but the movie "Click!" by Adam Sandler is much better than I expected.

I went in to watch the movie, half expecting it to be a series of slap-stick and fart jokes, but surprisingly it exudes warmth and tries to preach a simple (if overused) truth to the audience. Not that it is "A Wonderful Life", but the lessons to be learnt from it are probably similar.

I guess most arty-farty people would just say something like, yeah right, tell me something that I don't know, this is just a crass show playing on the cheap emotions of family warmth, the idea that family is more important than work in life, etc etc etc, don't bother me with such crap because it speaks nothing to the immense sufferings of human beings as potrayed by some black-white indie film.

Well, I always thought that just because a film or art-piece is trying to potray something simple doesn't make it less than those shitty-arty-farty stuff that no one understands. Just because something is incomprehensible doesn't mean it is cool. Besides, I thought the movie Click! preach the same lesson through a refreshing way, even though they might have done better if the dichotomy of work versus family is not played out. Life is never a simple dichotomy.

Oh, and Linger by The Cranberries kicks ass.

我们需要外来人才，但请适量引进

(刊登于联合早报2006年9月14日)

自从英超球队切尔西于2003年被俄罗斯富商阿布拉莫维奇收购，这支球队在三年内就成为足坛里的强队。主要原因是阿布拉莫维奇注入了大量资金，将著名的教练穆里尼奥和许多球星挖角到该球队。

　　切尔西在过去两个球季的成功理所当然地造就了许多切尔西球迷。该球会的球衣也变成抢手商品，大概是为了满足人们喜欢与成功事物挂钩的心态，这些球迷巴不得球会再收购多几个球星，好让球队变成梦幻球队。

　 　尽管如此，有许多球迷也对切尔西的作风不齿。他们认为用这种支票簿政策（chequebook policy）只能换来空虚的胜利，并且违反体育精神。这些球迷大概认为前者见风使舵，只会跟风地支持任何获胜的球队，缺乏球迷应有的忠诚。不仅如此，加 盟切尔西的球星也被这些球迷形容为贪财的雇佣兵，剥夺了年轻球员的发展空间。

　　最近，我国通过不同的管道鼓励移民，希望透过吸引外来人才 来刺激本地经济。当然，这也不是什么新政策，而且不只是新加坡实行这样的政策，只不过有关当局近期在不同场合特别强调，所以理所当然成了话题。至于为何强 调此话题，或许可以从李总理的国庆群众大会演讲鼓励本地人要欢迎而不要排斥新移民看出端倪。

　　

空虚的成就

　　

　 　从某个角度来看，这种大量吸引外来人才的政策不禁让我想起了切尔西球队的作风。是的，该政策或许可以确保本地经济保持某种程度的竞争力，也可以确保新加 坡的成功故事继续下去，不过在某种层面上却让人感觉这些只是空虚的成就。尤其是我们从小就被灌输新加坡的成功是建立在先辈们面对重重艰难时却不退缩的精 神，以至可以排除万难而得到成功时，这种类似贪图成功捷径的政策的确让我感到有些匪夷所思。足球迷都知道有魅力的足球比赛并非那种强队轻而易举以大比分获 胜的比赛，而是较弱的球队凭着过人的毅力和巧妙的策略爆冷获胜的比赛。

　　或许，这个比喻对有关当局稍微有些不公平。毕竟现在的新加坡的状 况和当年独立的状况非常不同。我们当时没有什么资格吸引外来人才，只能靠既有的人民打造国家。现在的新加坡已经有某种程度的成就了，或许只能透过吸引外来 人才的政策才能够到达另一个巅峰，要不然只能维持现状。从某种功利的角度，这种想法大概没有错，不过一般本地人在某种个人情绪的层面上应该比较难释怀吧？

在全球化的压力下，或许不吸引外来人才已经是跟不上时代的做法了。毕竟，最后一支完全不靠挖角球星、只靠自己培育出来的年轻球员而赢得欧洲杯的球队是1967年的凯尔特人队。现在欧洲各大联赛的球队没有一队不向其他球队购买球员。

　 　有关当局也没有理由不允许新移民来本地寻找就业机会和刺激咱们的经济。然而，我觉得这应该是在不剥夺任何新加坡人的发展机会的前提下进行。就如同美国和 澳洲的西方社会，如果外来人才要到这些国家工作，必须证明他们不是来取代当地人的工作，而是来接手当地人无法胜任的职务。换句话说，不是毫无条件地引入外 来人才。

　　要不然的话，有关当局从我小时候就努力在我脑子里培育的国家认同感恐怕很难对新政策信服吧。

Windows 

Offended!

People get offended so easily.

So I put two photos of dead animals (a slaughtered pig and a slaughtered goat) that I took while in a marketplace in Penang (Malaysia) a few years back on the doors of my office, and the next thing you know, several people who have offices in the same building emailed me (well, actually they emailed my friend who then passed the message to me) that they found the pictures offensive and hope that I remove them.

Offensive? Don't you eat meat? I don't think I am the only non-vegetarian in this building.

It always occurs to me as strange that people would find the pictures of dead animals disgusting, yet they have no qualms about munching down a medium rare steak. Maybe in societies where we are so many levels removed from the need to prepare your own food, we now find it offensive to think about dead animals. What? Do you think bacon grows on trees?

It is not so much the faux-offendedness that irks me, but the hypocrisy behind this.

Nevertheless, I did removed the photos because I don't want to be confrontational. Next week I will put up photos of animals copulating.