A couple of minutes ago, I was having a friendly argument with Yee Leong over who is wrong. The party who started the war or the part who responded to the aggressor and continued the war? Obviously, since he took to the defense of the aggressors, naturally, I took the to the defense of the party who responded to the attack. But before I continue, this argument is not just limited to war scenarios but also to everyday scenarios in which we often hear the phrase, "But mommy. he started it first!"
Yee Leong stated that by virtue of pulling the trigger, the other person is in the wrong. Because he started it. And it is simple as that. No problem with that. But just for arguements sake I asked him what about the people who continue it? Doesn't true wisdom come from having the ability to have discretion? In other words, isn't the person who continued the fight the one to be blamed for the prolongation of the fight? Afterall it does take two hands to clap. One hand alone will never produce any sound. Well, these are the two extremes.
But, from a spectators point of view, it all depends on the situation. Will continuing a fight stop the fight or will it only land in a stalemate? So, In my opinion, the person who started the fight isn't always in the one who is most wrong.
Friday, September 7, 2007
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
The Trainee
A couple of years ago, when I was thirteen years old, form one to be exact, I remember having a trainee teacher teaching our class history. And I have forgotten her name. But the purpose of her teaching us history was because she was supposed to go through somewhat of an internship for trainee teachers who wanted to carve their path into full time teachers. Therefore, to do that, she had to replace our usual history teacher, Ms. Geraldine for quite a few months. And to be honest, most of us were glad because, we all so agonisingly hated the extremely strict and unfriendly character of Ms. Geraldine. So, throughout our entire stint with this new trainee teacher, most of us never complained much because, she hardly taught, there were no notes to be written down and even if she did teach, it was very little.
But then, after the months had gone by, it was time for her evaluation. How the evaluation was to take place is that a senior representative from either the college or the ministry of education, I can't remember which one, would come to our class and watch her teach us all history. So, when the day finally came, we could all tell that she looked a wee bit nervous. But, just like any other student who wishes to pass an exam, she had already devised a plan to butter up her examiner. What she did to butter the examiner up was this. Earlier that day, she had informed our class monitor that she would evaluated later in the evening. So, what she needed us all to do was to remain very quiet while she was to teach us history. Se said that throughout the entire evaluation she didn't want anybody making noise or to ask any questions even if we students didn't understand anything. According to her she didn't want to look like she didn't employ effective teaching methods by having a student stand up and and her a question. We all agreed to do it. Including me. But it had taken some persuasion to get me to agree in the end. Make sense so far?
So, finally, the time of evaluation came. When both teacher and examiner walked into our classroom, we dutifully took our places, something which we wouldn't normally do. Then, after everyone had greeted the teacher, she began to teach. And so far, everything was going according to plan. Until, suddenly, Crackct! "Cikgu, apakah itu Dakwah?" *jeng jeng jeng* (sorry Rachel, I couldn't find any other sound) anyways, *Jeng Jeng Jeng* a student actually broke the pact of silence, stood up and much to the dismay of the trainee teacher, asked her a question. And with a look of disbelief and with a look of "I Told You Not To Ask Me Any Questions!" blurted out an unintelligible answer, smiled and then had that student sit down. And yes, that idiot of a student was none other that me! I was elated because I was extremely happy that I managed to supposedly screw up her evaluation. Something which I had wanted to do anyways. After the class, that trainee teacher gave me "the look"
But now, as silly as it may seem, this scenario actually poses one very huge question. If indeed higher marks are awarded to teachers who keep their class quiet, isn't our education system producing students who do not exercise their capability to think critically? What I mean is that not asking questions can have two implications. The first is that you understand it the second, you don't understand or you were merely feeding the information into your head without thinking about the validity of the information. So, is this a good thing for the education system? Of course not. What use is a person who can only memorize but never understand?
But then, after the months had gone by, it was time for her evaluation. How the evaluation was to take place is that a senior representative from either the college or the ministry of education, I can't remember which one, would come to our class and watch her teach us all history. So, when the day finally came, we could all tell that she looked a wee bit nervous. But, just like any other student who wishes to pass an exam, she had already devised a plan to butter up her examiner. What she did to butter the examiner up was this. Earlier that day, she had informed our class monitor that she would evaluated later in the evening. So, what she needed us all to do was to remain very quiet while she was to teach us history. Se said that throughout the entire evaluation she didn't want anybody making noise or to ask any questions even if we students didn't understand anything. According to her she didn't want to look like she didn't employ effective teaching methods by having a student stand up and and her a question. We all agreed to do it. Including me. But it had taken some persuasion to get me to agree in the end. Make sense so far?
So, finally, the time of evaluation came. When both teacher and examiner walked into our classroom, we dutifully took our places, something which we wouldn't normally do. Then, after everyone had greeted the teacher, she began to teach. And so far, everything was going according to plan. Until, suddenly, Crackct! "Cikgu, apakah itu Dakwah?" *jeng jeng jeng* (sorry Rachel, I couldn't find any other sound) anyways, *Jeng Jeng Jeng* a student actually broke the pact of silence, stood up and much to the dismay of the trainee teacher, asked her a question. And with a look of disbelief and with a look of "I Told You Not To Ask Me Any Questions!" blurted out an unintelligible answer, smiled and then had that student sit down. And yes, that idiot of a student was none other that me! I was elated because I was extremely happy that I managed to supposedly screw up her evaluation. Something which I had wanted to do anyways. After the class, that trainee teacher gave me "the look"
But now, as silly as it may seem, this scenario actually poses one very huge question. If indeed higher marks are awarded to teachers who keep their class quiet, isn't our education system producing students who do not exercise their capability to think critically? What I mean is that not asking questions can have two implications. The first is that you understand it the second, you don't understand or you were merely feeding the information into your head without thinking about the validity of the information. So, is this a good thing for the education system? Of course not. What use is a person who can only memorize but never understand?
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
The Lady In Black Veils (Updated)
It was a bright and sunny day. The clouds were rather sporadic. Cars were whizzing by. Students from the nearby colleges were walking down the five foot alleys. Some were chatting, some were pacing themselves out to get somewhere, a bunch of them were smoking as well. It was business as usual for everybody. And at the side of the road, there was this lady. In her hands, there were two plastic bags. One bright red and the other, green. She had just returned from shopping at the nearby market. Well, this lady, she, wanted to cross the road to get to the bus stop. A road which was wide enough to fit two cars. But as simple as this task might seem, she could not do it. You see, this lady was not a young lady but rather a frail old woman. She was blind on both eyes and had to rely on her walking stick and her ears to help her to walk. And to make matters worse, she had to carry two heavy plastic bags as well as to rush home to feed her ailing niece with the medicine which she had just purchased at the pharmacy. This made her life a whole lot harder and a whole lot more dangerous. Because, every time she tried to cross the road, cars would simply zoom by her, not willing to stop and spare a moment at this old lady. Once, she had almost gotten to the middle of the street but she was forced back to the side of the road by an angry motorist who started honing at her while bombarding her with all kinds of unpleasant words without any regard for this old lady's feelings. Though she couldn't see his face, she could vividly imagine the anger on that motorist's face. At this point, she was heartbroken . And even though many people witnessed this event, no one, no one stepped forward o help this poor old lady. Everybody merely watched the drama and then walked away. Was it her fault that she couldn't walk fast? Was it her fault that she is blind? Was it her fault that she is a frail old lady who had to rush home to care for her sick niece? Was she accountable for all these things? This was not the first time which she had been treated like this. Even in the market, traders took advantage of her disability to cheat her of her money, commuters never making way for her to sit in the bus, insolent young kids made fun of her and mothers telling their kids what they would become if they didn't eat their vegetables. It was all too much for her to bear. But yet, she soldiered on with a brave heart. Upon thinking of this, she became so sad that she had started to sob silently. Tears came trickling down her aging cheeks. She wasn't sad because she couldn't cross the road or that no one would help her to do it, but she was sad because she knew that the longer she took to cross the road, the longer her niece would suffer from her fever. Her niece of only 6.
Then, when all hope seemed lost, suddenly, she was gently tapped on the shoulders by a young college student. He offered her a handkerchief and some kind words to calm the old lady down. Then, upon doing that, he walked up to the middle of the street and raised his arm towards the oncoming motorists, signalling them to stop. His friend on the other hand helped the old lady to walk across the street. He didn't rush her, but instead, she took her step by step across the road. And no matter how loud the protests of the impatient motorists, the young college boy never wavered, he continued to stand in the middle of the road until his friend had safely walked the old lady to safety.
Then, upon, reaching the other side of the street, the old lady was reduced to tears. She wanted to thank these two young souls but she couldn't because she was overwhelmed by her emotions. These two young souls immediately comforted the old lady, wiping away her tears while showering her with kind words. Many of the friends of these two young college students passed all kinds of unkind remarks to them because they helped this old lady. An act which was considered "un cool". But despite the name calling, they still gave their undivided attention to this old lady. The old lady was extremely happy. She was overwhelmed by kindness which she had just received from the two souls who had helped her. Then, once this old lady had stopped crying, the boy asked her where she had wanted to go. The old lady then told him where she had wanted to return to her house to take care of her ailing daughter. And without hesitation, upon realizing how scarce the buses were and the urgency of the situation, the girl offered to drive the old lady to her home. At first, the old lady refused, but she was kindly persuaded into accepting the offer.
The next day, in the news headlines, "The Body Of Old Lady Found Sprawled In Kitchen"
In the report, the journalist stated that according to police, along with the body of the old lady, investigators found the body of a young girl in one of the bedrooms , who was later identified from personal documents as her niece. The young girl had been stabbed repeatedly with what investigators believed to be a knife. There were no signs of forced entry, neither were there signs of a struggle, robbery or sexual assault. Eye witnesses related to investigators that earlier that morning, the old lady. was seen alighting from a red car. And according to them, two male teenagers, were seen helping the old lady into her house. They then heard a loud crash followed by a long period of silence. A few minutes later, they saw the teenagers driving off in the red car. But the odd thing was, a few minutes later, through an open window, a neighbour saw a lady in black veils walking slowly down the staircase into the living room. At that time, none of them thought anything about that unusual occurrence. The police have since mounted a manhunt for the two teenage suspects. The names of the deceased have been withheld pending notification of their respective families. The question is, who did it and why?
Then, when all hope seemed lost, suddenly, she was gently tapped on the shoulders by a young college student. He offered her a handkerchief and some kind words to calm the old lady down. Then, upon doing that, he walked up to the middle of the street and raised his arm towards the oncoming motorists, signalling them to stop. His friend on the other hand helped the old lady to walk across the street. He didn't rush her, but instead, she took her step by step across the road. And no matter how loud the protests of the impatient motorists, the young college boy never wavered, he continued to stand in the middle of the road until his friend had safely walked the old lady to safety.
Then, upon, reaching the other side of the street, the old lady was reduced to tears. She wanted to thank these two young souls but she couldn't because she was overwhelmed by her emotions. These two young souls immediately comforted the old lady, wiping away her tears while showering her with kind words. Many of the friends of these two young college students passed all kinds of unkind remarks to them because they helped this old lady. An act which was considered "un cool". But despite the name calling, they still gave their undivided attention to this old lady. The old lady was extremely happy. She was overwhelmed by kindness which she had just received from the two souls who had helped her. Then, once this old lady had stopped crying, the boy asked her where she had wanted to go. The old lady then told him where she had wanted to return to her house to take care of her ailing daughter. And without hesitation, upon realizing how scarce the buses were and the urgency of the situation, the girl offered to drive the old lady to her home. At first, the old lady refused, but she was kindly persuaded into accepting the offer.
The next day, in the news headlines, "The Body Of Old Lady Found Sprawled In Kitchen"
In the report, the journalist stated that according to police, along with the body of the old lady, investigators found the body of a young girl in one of the bedrooms , who was later identified from personal documents as her niece. The young girl had been stabbed repeatedly with what investigators believed to be a knife. There were no signs of forced entry, neither were there signs of a struggle, robbery or sexual assault. Eye witnesses related to investigators that earlier that morning, the old lady. was seen alighting from a red car. And according to them, two male teenagers, were seen helping the old lady into her house. They then heard a loud crash followed by a long period of silence. A few minutes later, they saw the teenagers driving off in the red car. But the odd thing was, a few minutes later, through an open window, a neighbour saw a lady in black veils walking slowly down the staircase into the living room. At that time, none of them thought anything about that unusual occurrence. The police have since mounted a manhunt for the two teenage suspects. The names of the deceased have been withheld pending notification of their respective families. The question is, who did it and why?
Monday, September 3, 2007
Common Sense
It is said that common sense is a tool in which everybody, young or old, big or small should poses. But surprisingly, even though this has been drilled into everybodys head by every possible means and methods, common sense is no longer common. In fact, this situation has indeed lead to deduce that common sense is only granted to a privileged few. The elite few, as I would love to call these privileged few.
This is because, reasoning with very good points of argument just doesn't work most of the time and very often people who reason very well over an issue or a dispute are ostracized by society. They will then be branded with extremely unkind words.Therefore making it seem that intelligence is no longer valued. A more universal thought is preferred instead.
Second, people these days just don't put enough thought into whatever they do these days. Many still believe that as long as an action is convenient for them, it has to be what is best for everyone around them. And that is why, even with the availability of very good education standards, we still see so many people performing the most ridiculous of actions while causing all sorts of problems for everyone around them. The best part is, when these people are confronted, they will tell you off instead. Pure genius.
This is because, reasoning with very good points of argument just doesn't work most of the time and very often people who reason very well over an issue or a dispute are ostracized by society. They will then be branded with extremely unkind words.Therefore making it seem that intelligence is no longer valued. A more universal thought is preferred instead.
Second, people these days just don't put enough thought into whatever they do these days. Many still believe that as long as an action is convenient for them, it has to be what is best for everyone around them. And that is why, even with the availability of very good education standards, we still see so many people performing the most ridiculous of actions while causing all sorts of problems for everyone around them. The best part is, when these people are confronted, they will tell you off instead. Pure genius.
Sunday, September 2, 2007
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Tag
Seven things to be done before my death.
1. Own a Lamborghini.
2. Learn to fly a Fighter Jet
3. Own a villa in the Swiss Alps
4. Go on extreme adventures
5. Raise a loving family
6. To give people hope
7. Stop Global Warming
Seven things I will NOT do even if it kills me.
1. Stop learning.
2. Smoking.
3. Drugs.
4. Stop giving hope.
5. To try too hard to please everyone.
6. Womanize.
7. Relieve someone of their rights
Seven things I do when I'm away from the public.
1. Pretend to be a rock star.
2. Pretend I'm driving a Lamborghini.
3. Talk to myself
4. Debate with myself.
5. Sing.
6. Blog.
7. Think.
Seven favourite sentences/quotes.
1. "The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his"
2. "Patriots often talk about dying for their country, but never killing for their country"
3. "I think therefore I am"
4. "To be is to be perceived.
5. "Give me a fish and I shall eat for a day, teach me to fish and I will eat for a lifetime."
6. "Before curiosity killed the cat, it skilled the cat"
7. "All the world's a stage and all the men and women are merely actors"
Seven favourite songs from all time.
1. Dead Or Alive - Bon Jovi
2. Cowboys From Hell - Pantera
3. For Whom The Bell Tolls - Metallica
4. Rythm Divine - Enrique Iglesias
5. My Sacrifice - Creed
6. Country Roads - John Denver
7. Slither - Velvet Revolver
Seven things I'll make you wish you didn't do if you did.
1. Renege on your words
2. Become an enemy
3. Harass the disabled or the unfortunate
4. Become a sexist / racist/
5. Trade global peace and security for personal gains.
6. Destroy nature and its wonderful creatures for personal gains.
7. Do away with human rights
TAGS:
Anybody
1. Own a Lamborghini.
2. Learn to fly a Fighter Jet
3. Own a villa in the Swiss Alps
4. Go on extreme adventures
5. Raise a loving family
6. To give people hope
7. Stop Global Warming
Seven things I will NOT do even if it kills me.
1. Stop learning.
2. Smoking.
3. Drugs.
4. Stop giving hope.
5. To try too hard to please everyone.
6. Womanize.
7. Relieve someone of their rights
Seven things I do when I'm away from the public.
1. Pretend to be a rock star.
2. Pretend I'm driving a Lamborghini.
3. Talk to myself
4. Debate with myself.
5. Sing.
6. Blog.
7. Think.
Seven favourite sentences/quotes.
1. "The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his"
2. "Patriots often talk about dying for their country, but never killing for their country"
3. "I think therefore I am"
4. "To be is to be perceived.
5. "Give me a fish and I shall eat for a day, teach me to fish and I will eat for a lifetime."
6. "Before curiosity killed the cat, it skilled the cat"
7. "All the world's a stage and all the men and women are merely actors"
Seven favourite songs from all time.
1. Dead Or Alive - Bon Jovi
2. Cowboys From Hell - Pantera
3. For Whom The Bell Tolls - Metallica
4. Rythm Divine - Enrique Iglesias
5. My Sacrifice - Creed
6. Country Roads - John Denver
7. Slither - Velvet Revolver
Seven things I'll make you wish you didn't do if you did.
1. Renege on your words
2. Become an enemy
3. Harass the disabled or the unfortunate
4. Become a sexist / racist/
5. Trade global peace and security for personal gains.
6. Destroy nature and its wonderful creatures for personal gains.
7. Do away with human rights
TAGS:
Anybody
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