3 Minutes of Heat

After a hiphop class, a young lady went up to the Chereographer [CG] and asked her "Do you think I'm suitable for hiphop?" CG was quizzled momentarily and furrowed her eyebrows.

CG: "Why do you think you're not suitable for hiphop?"
Lady: "Because I can't seem to get the steps."

CG: "But you've only been trying out classes for about 3 months!"
Lady: "What kind of dance do you think I'm suitable for?"

CG: "......"
Lady: "How long do you think I need to learn hiphop before I can become a teacher?"

CG: "????......................"

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Me: "Hey, havent seen you around the studio for a while."
Duck: "Nah, not planning to go back."

Me: "?? What happened? Everything Ok?"
Duck: "Yeah, everything's fine. I just lost interest that's all."

Me: "Huh? But you've been with us for only about a year!"
Duck: "Aiyah... lazy to wake up on Sundays mah.."

Me: "....................."

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Hiphop is the current rave now that is true but with the massive marketing of something as a commercial product what you would get as response is a massive wave of 'short-term' interested learners who are more curious than genuinely interested.

However, commercially-interested people do not tend to have long-term interests in a commercial product. Take for example, music. Let's start with the basics. Oldies and classical music would have longer beats than pop or modern ballads. The beats have been compressed from 6 or even some with 8 beats to just 4 beats for almost every song now. The playtime of songs have also been reduced from 8-10 minutes to just 3-4 minutes. This subconciously constitutes a shorter attention span and thus when people grow up being infused continously with such culture their attention span does not remain constant for long before it starts to wander.

With a shorter attention span usually results in impatience, to what level it varies with a individual's character. Upbringing and family background does affect to some level and the character development through the personal encounters are paramount to the final outcome.

This means to say, if a child has been brought up with classical music and mind concentration games as childhood the possibility of the child cultivating a patient character is higher than in comparson to a child who has continously strived only for academic excellence while playing fast-paced sports, listening to techno soundtracks and being constantly on the move i.e. not having a fixed home to go to. Some children go to the grandmother's house every 1-2 days thus there is no fixed focus for the child on where to decide after they finish school.

Perhaps some would bring the classic example of PC games or gaming devices like X Box and PlayStation 2 [PS2] which declares,"My son played with his X Box for like 8 hours! Do you not call that concentration?" I would not deny that to play on a gaming console for 8 hours straight requires massive amounts of concentration but to be more precise I'm talking about character skills not gaming skills. That is addiction, obsession not patience. Take the X Box away and put the child under a puzzle game then monitor if he/she can show just as much focus on solving the puzzle than compared to playing X Box. Put the child sitting down waiting for a bus for 20 minutes and see if he/she does not grumble/complain and make hell of a fuss.

Over the past 19 months that I have trained with about 4 different studios for dance [mainly just hiphop and jazz] I have observed different groups of people come and go. In comparison, jazz still commands a more regular group than hiphop. The music that is played perhaps gave a certain level of influence as well. To dance Jazz well you must be flexible, for certain body movements requires display of strength with ease which must go hand-in-hand with flexible muscles. All the more important for Guy Jazz dancers as their movements must combine strength with grace.

Hiphop can be considered as 'short bursts of energy' and more on 'feel' therefore it does not place as heavy an emphasis on techniques as compared to ballet or jazz. However one fundamental principle stands - to dance well you must practise a lot. Dance like most sports is not really about talent but endless hours of hard work, sweat and practises. Talent only reduces the amount of effort you need to make it work well but it does not mean you can "dance well" in within a short period even with talent. When I'm talking about short period I'm talking about 1-2 years, I still do not consider myself a dancer despite the intensive training and practises I subject myself to because the fact is - I'm still not good enough.

I was appalled though when I heard the young lady conversing with CG, the stark immaturity of her thoughts only fuelled my conviction that there're probably thousands of people out there who "following the trend" wants to be "in with the crowd" but perhaps less than half of the people can appreciate the dance for what it really signifies. And I am not ashamed to say hiphop's history is just as significant in evolving the dance into what it today alongside with Tap, Lindy Hop, Salsa, Jazz and even Ballet.

To be able to freestyle to a complete music track would be something I achieve for someday, irregardless of whether it is hiphop or jazz. But as compared to my "seniors" who have been dancing for almost 10 years - I have a long way to go.

Meanwhile, to people who are interested to know about dance in general. It is perfectly normal to be interested due to curiosity. But have patience, for dance amongst other things, requires a huge amount of focus. Not to mention passion, before you can fully embark on a continous path of self-improvement.

"A Dance without attitude is a puppet without strings."

Do you have that 'attitude' of determination? Of passion? Of a need to establish your own style?

Hiphop

Right, to you guys who had been asking me about what I know about hiphop here's the summary I promised -


History of Hiphop

Hip Hop in the beginning started out as a form of expression which was a reaction to economic, social and political conditions. In the mid 70's almost all of the people participating and even going to the early parties were Black and Puerto Rican meaning 'Black'. The first break dancers were all Black and Puerto Rican. Zulu Nation was all Black and Puerto Rican.

There were many white deejays but they were mainly spinning disco. One of the main reasons why whites were not really introduced to the culture was due to social tension. In the Soundview and South Bronx section of the Bronx where early Hip Hop took birth, one did not venture North of Zerega Avenue. That was the dividing line. It was near Castle Hill projects. To do so was to ask for major trouble. You didn't venture into places like Throgs Neck, Pelham Bay, Country Club Road, certain parts of Riverdale [West Bronx] and Van Cortland Park, and certain parts of Moshulu Parkway. Except for the mostly Black and Puerto Rican housing projects found in those areas there was no Hip Hop going on. There was no intermingling of the races.

Back in the late '70s hardly any young people owned or drove cars. First the driving age in New York City was 18 and having a car was more of a liability then a convenience. That meant public transportation was the way to go. You probably won't see a white kid was getting on a train going through Harlem into the notorious crime ridden South bronx, getting off late at night and walking to one of the housing projects to attend a block party or a Hiphop Gig at a Community Center.


Evolution of Hiphop

Nowadays, the majority of people who create hiphop see it as a business and a tool for getting out the ghetto. The new concept being advocated to youths is - If you act 'ill' or foul enough or play up your oppression and pathological conditions you may find yourself being purchased by zealous white kids who like to live vicariously through your songs.

Follow the formula and these youths may find themselves reviewed in white owned hiphop magazines and shown on white owned video shows and played by white DJs on hip hop radio shows across the country.

Whites didn't get into Hiphop until around 1980 or 1981 when groups like Afrika Bambaataa started performing at clubs like The Roxy. The whites who did get down were from the punk rock community. These were kids who were expressing themselves musically as a way to be seen and heard. There was that similarity between them and the early Hip Hoppers.

These punk rockers were the ones who were most open to this new form of Black expression. They were marginalized by mainstream society like their African American counterparts. Now if we really want to take all this a step further we can look at the impact that London had on American punk rockers. If we do go and check things out we will find that much of Punk Rock's cultural and musical expressions are rooted in the Black/African expression of the people who lived in London.

In other words, I can speak French, write French, have my own slang, cook French delicacies but in the end of the day I would not consider myself French or attempt to insert myself into the French History. So when I mean I'm dancing hiphop doesn't have to mean I have to act 'ill' or consider myself as a'Hiphopper' but I'm basically expressing a lot of respect for the culture. Think about the Brazilian Capoeira, their martial arts was incorporated with dance moves to disguise the fact that they were secretly training from their oppressor's knowledge. But over the years it became institutionalised with their culture and their way of expressing their freedom. Similarly hiphop is actually the pioneer's way of expressing their injustice and how their culture was evolved from the streets - not as a form of propanganda in encouraging youths to commit crime and be seen as 'bad' so that they can be considered as 'hiphop' culture.


Elements of Hiphop

The main elements of Hiphop are mainly Breakin' [Break-dancing], Emceein [Rap], Graf Artists [Hiphop Graffiti] and Turntabling [DJ Mixing]. The above elements listed are found under Ol' Skool. New Skool [or so it is called] has evolved slightly for Breakin' being called simply listed as "Dance" because it is no longer just Breakdancing but it involved Dance Funk [mixture of Jazz & Hiphop elements also which I'm doin now], Lock & Poppin and the traditional Breakdancing. However a light difference between Ol' Skool Funk and New Skool Dance Funk is traditional funk emphaises mainly on the floorwork and techniques and the 'Feel' while Dance Funk emphasises much more in terms of turns, flips, floorwork, chereography, techniques and of course still 'Feel' as well. You can try to spot the difference for example by looking at Ol' Skool whose main emphasis is on the shoulders while Dance Funk is attempting to co-ordinate all different body movements within one rhythm.


References -



For Ol Skool, the best movie to watch would be Flashdance. Take note of their dance for the song "Manhunt" as those moves are classically Ol' Skool. For Dance Funk is of course the recent hot movies "Honey" and "You Got Served" where their moves have undergone modification from Usher, Janet Jackson and Michael Jackson as well. While we still see some Ol' Skool scenes from both movies, chereography on the whole has been brought to a new level in terms of style and techniques.


*Whew*

I hope this post has been detailed enough yet without making it sound too long-winded. Till then, I'll seeya guys around.

Marriage

I was walking out of the train and approaching the EZ-Link exit when this lady stepped in front of me. I was still pretty ok with that until she froze right before the exit with her card already in her hand and frozen in mid-air, making me wonder if she had just suffered some paralysis problem.

She was engrossed at looking at the man beside her.

He was having difficulty getting his card out from his pocket and she was simply engrossed in watching him having difficulty. No help offered, just staring away like it's come entertaining freak show. Not to mention she's standing right before the EZ-Link exit effectively blocking everyone else from going past with her blob size body.

And I was patient enough to permit her to finish watching her freak show which didn't take too long[thank god] for someone behind him offered to hold his heavy luggage bag while he freed both his hands to fish for his card.

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Just another story I have encountered.

On my wedding day, I carried my wife in my arms. She was then plump and shy. I was a strong and happy bridegroom. This was the scene of ten years ago. We had a kid, I went into business and tried to make more money. When the assets were steadily increasing, the affections between us seemed to ebb. She was a civil servant. Every morning we left home together and got home almost at the same time. Our marriage life seemed to be enviably happy.

Dew came into my life. My heart was immersed in her strong love. Dew said, "You are the kind of man who draws girls' attention. Her words suddenly reminded me of my wife. When we were just married, my wife said, "Men like you, once successful, will be very attractive to girls." Thinking of this, I became somewhat hesitant. I knew I had betrayed my wife. But I couldn't help doing so.

At that moment, the idea of divorce became clearer in my mind although it used to be something impossible to me. However, I found it difficult to tell my wife about it. No matter how mildly I mention it, she would be deeply hurt. She was a good wife. Every evening she was busy preparing dinner while I would sit in front of the TV. But as I lounged before the TV, I would be visualizing Dew's body.

One day I said to her in a joking way, "Suppose we divorce, what will you do?" She stared at me for a few seconds speechless. Apparently she believed that 'divorce' was something too far away from her. I knew I could not hesitate any more.

When my wife served the last dish, I held her hand and said,"I've got something to tell you." She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes. Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking.

"I want a divorce." I said calmly

She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, "Why?". I avoided her eyes. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, "You are not a man!" and fled into the room sobbing.

That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping softly. I know she wants to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer, because my heart had gone to Dew.

I drafted a divorce agreement which states that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company. She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. I felt a pain in my heart. The woman who had been living ten years with me would become a stranger soon. But I could not take back what I had said. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer.

A late night, I came back home after entertaining my clients. I saw her writing something at the table. I fell asleep fast. When I woke up, I found that she had brought up her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but I was supposed to give her one month's time before divorce, and in the month's time we must live as normal life as possible.

Her reason was simple: our son would finish his summer vacation a month later and she didn't want him to see our marriage broken.

Then asked me,"Do you still remember how I entered our bridal room on the wedding day?" This question suddenly brought back all those wonderful memories to me. I nodded and said, "I remember. I carried you in my arms."

She continued, "So, I have a requirement. From now to the end of this month, you must carry me out from the bedroom to the door every morning."

I accepted with a smile. I knew she missed those sweet days and wished to end her marriage with a romantic form. I told Dew about my wife's divorce conditions. She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. "No matter what tricks she does, she has to face the result of divorce," she said scornfully. Her words more or less made me feel uncomfortable.

My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since almost 4 years ago. We even treated each other as a stranger. So when I carried her out for the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, "Daddy is holding mummy in his arms." His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly, "Let us start from today, don't tell our son." I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside the door. She went to wait for bus, I drove to office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. We were so close that I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this intimate woman carefully for a long time. I found she was not young any more. There were some fine wrinkles on her face.

On the third day, she whispered to me, "The outside garden is being demolished. Be careful when you pass there." On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I seemed to feel that we were still an intimate couple and I was holding my bride in my arms. The visualization of Dew became less distinct.

On the fifth and sixth day, she kept reminding me some things such as where she put the ironed shirts & I should be careful while cooking etc. I nodded. The sense of intimacy was even stronger. I didn't tell Dew about this. I felt it was easier to carry her. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger. I said to her, "It seems not difficult to carry you now."

She was picking her dresses. I was waiting to carry her out. She tried quite a few but could not find a suitable one. I smiled but I suddenly realized that it was because she was thinner that I could carry her more easily, not because I was stronger. I knew she had buried all the bitterness in her heart. Again, I felt a sense of pain. Subconsciously I reached out a hand to touch her head.

Our son came in at the moment. "Dad, it's time to carry mum out." He said. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had been an essential part of his life. She gestured our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face because I was afraid I would change my mind at the last minute. I held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly, as if we came back to our wedding day. But her much lighter weight made me sad.

On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. She said, "Actually I hope you will hold me in your arms until we are old." I held her tightly and said, "Both you and I didn't notice that our life was lack of such intimacy." I into the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my decision.

I arrived at Dew's apartment. Dew opened the door. I said to her, "Sorry, Dew, I won't divorce. I'm serious." She looked at me, astonished. The she touched my forehead. "You have no fever." She said. I moved her hand off my head. "Sorry, Dew. I can only say sorry to you, I won't divorce. I wanted a divorce not because we didn't love each other any more. Now I understand that since I carried her into the home, she gave birth to our child, I am supposed to hold her until I am old. So I have to say sorry to you."

Dew seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door. I walked downstairs and drove to the office. When I passed the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet for my wife which was her favorite. The salesgirl asked me to write the greeting words on the card. I smiled and wrote, "I'll carry you out every morning until we are old."



Perhaps my parents can take a lesson or two from this story.

New Layout [Again]

I have decided to change my layout to one of simple nature. Had a conversation with a friend last Sunday and I was questioning myself why do people like to complicate matters. Is it in people's nature to over-think & over-question? Being critical is good for it brings out fresh perspectives that would complete the missing piece in the overall picture. However, it gets out of control when people cannot understand the whole picture when it is presented to them and start to assume that there are missing pieces when there's none. They delve deeper and deeper attempting to looking for a missing piece.

They start to pick on the picture, saying it lacks a certain colour. Shades ought to be stronger, the lines are not defined enough. How many times have we come across situations where everything is a blur of grey but we still seek to define only black and white & when we are not able to we get frustrated and put the blame on the situation?

Is it an unwillingness to acknowledge their flawed perspective? Or is it simply a strong need to prove that their viewpoint stands despite the glaring difference? Postmodernists [though these people would never exactly label themselves as one] like Micheal Focault & Lyotard would probably say,"It's all subjective." For if you believe that Hitler is a nice guy then he is a nice guy despite all the atrocities he has commmited. Ponder, does a serial whore killer cum loving father of a mentally retarded daughter contradict? And how would we usually base our judgements? Upon what kind of information we receive firsthand? Take for example, Hitler has been portrayed as a Dictator. Someone responsible for horrifying massacres during World War II? Then take note of this - Hitler appealed to the masses for the promise of economic growth. He was against unemployment and he was a vegetarian. Incidentally he also loved animals and he can paint and write music. Take these points into consideration and would he come across as someone totally different from his assumed "bloodthirsty" status?

A recent film called The Motorcycle Diaries portrays a similar cult figure called Ernesto Che Guevara as a social revolutionary who died somewhere in the jungles of Bolivia and never made a penny for himself. Sounds noble a.k.a. Robin Hood? However if one actually read through his diaries he seems to portray anyone who lives in comfort is necessarily cold-hearted, selfish, and unwelcoming, while anyone poor is—ex officio, as it were —generous, selfless and hospitable. He obviously has an agenda against the wealthy probably due to the living conditions of South America, do we judge him then as someone who rebels for the cause of good or for his own personal agenda?

Something more local perhaps - Huang Na [I detest this subject actually] which I flipped the papers and saw an article today talking about Huang Na's father being an illegal immigrant in 1999 and the mother who overstayed her social visa. And how the little girl was left to fend for herself while the mother was in China. Question - What was the purpose of this article? To bring the mother to heaven then condemn her to hell? Why the merciful status in the first place? To receive public consolation then to be stoned by the same public? Does the media now take people's personal lives as journalism jokes?

Critical Views are needed. Not for being critical about people, not to over-think on issues but to simply ensure there are both sides of views covered in any issue. Tip? Always half-believe what you hear or see and expect more to be uncovered. At the same time, delve not into personal bias but on the situation as a whole.

Ken's Birthday

It was a relatively simple affair. Dinner at Esplanade's California Deli followed by round the island photo-tour. I could have sworn we behaved just like tourists, gaping at every big building and wow-ing away. With the exception of attempting to hijack a road sign of valuair along the main road of Supreme Court, the photography session went smoothly and left us all feeling just dead-beat when we reached our final destination - Raffles City.

Now, allow me a short introduction of the main attraction of that evening. Din's main course which was called Surf n' Turf.



Looked just as fine as any French Cuisine.


Been really busy with friends' birthdays [they seem to come all at one shot] and my office will soon be having our 'seasonal peak period' workload. Sigh, 5 months of constant slogging. In between I'll be preparing for my May examinations and dance training possibly performances/competitions as well.

Man of Steel, here I come.

P.S. You guys can check out my photo blog [under Photo Gallery] for updates.

Mad about Frank Sinatra

A confession - I have been 'swooned' [as one of the ladies 'Jelly' from my jazz class has termed my recent state of emotions] by Frank Sinatra. Oh, mind you it has nothing to do with the recent Westlife album - Allow us to be Frank. This is, definitely, an influence from listening to Broadway songs being played whenever I'm in the dance studio. For your information, they have a Lindy Hop Performance Team so most of them are pretty crazy about Broadway music and I must admit that Frank Sinatra has a very very magnetic charm to his voice.

Currently this song - The Way You Look Tonight - has been playing over and over in my head. Again, and again. Yes, I'm swooned.. though I've always been under the impression that only ladies get 'swooned' so...

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Some day, when I'm awfully low,
When the world is cold,
I will feel a glow just thinking of you...
And the way you look tonight.

Yes you're lovely, with your smile so warm
And your cheeks so soft,
There is nothing for me but to love you,
And the way you look tonight.

With each word your tenderness grows,
Tearing my fear apart...
And that laugh that wrinkles your nose,
It touches my foolish heart.

Lovely ... Never, ever change.
Keep that breathless charm.
Won't you please arrange it ?
'Cause I love you ... Just the way you look tonight.

Mm, Mm, Mm, Mm,
Just the way you look to-night.

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Lovely, just... lovely. *Does a little ballroom dance turn witn imaginary partner*

Update - I just checked out the CD Shop [Sembawang Music Centre] underneath my workplace and whaddya know? The Westlife album is sold out!! Within 2 weeks!!

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Frank Sinatra ~ 12 December 1915 till 14 May 1998

*News Trivia* He made an appearance on "Larry King Live" just the day before on 13th May 1998 as himself before he passed away the very next day.


*Sigh* Tapdance Chereographer says she will find his "Greatest Hits Collection Volume 1 & 2" for me, felt like I could just crushed her in a bear hug right there and then.

For your information, some of the songs that I really liked amidst his
tracks include -

The Lady is a Tramp
New York New York
My Way [Definitely a Classic!]
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas [You should really hear him on this track]

and quite a few others as well. So put on your dancing shoes ladies and gentleman, coz Broadway starts tonight[quote - "Broadway by Goo Goo Dolls"].

Paranormal & Pixar

Two films I have watched recently - Shutter and The Incredibles.

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Shutter is a horror flick about a photographer who starts seeing a ghostly face in the pictures he takes for his friends. Upon further investigation, he realises it belongs to a girl whom he knew some years ago. Things begin to get out of hand when his friends around him start dying and he must solve the mystery of this malicious presence before he becomes the next target. I have also provided a link to the official movie website, just click on the picture. It's all in Thai though, but check out some of the pics for a little spook as well.

Ever turned around and sometimes feel that there's someone behind you? Or felt a little brush across the shoulder but there's no wind? This movie's biggest strength is the ability to enable constant creepy feelings rising up your spine. It's the acknowledgement of the presence that has always been around us yet at the same time we're afraid of this acknowledgement.

Many times our fears are more psychological than reality. Sightings and perhaps fleeting images are the most common reportings but actual harm done by these 'beings' remain extremely rare and mostly skeptical. In most reasons uncovered it was more of a case of retribution or karma as they termed it. "You reap what you sow" is the most famous quote used for these explanations.

By my definition, this movie is considered a classic version of a ghost story. There are hardly any bloody or gory scenes, just faded lightings and dark alleyways.

However, these scenes manifest some of our deepest fears. We fear dark alleyways, we fear vampires, we fear spiritual beings in our house and we fear graveyards/cemeteries. In summary, we fear the fact that we are powerless against something we cannot be sure of. Fear of the unknown combined with the knowledge of their power has transformed their status into something which is almost worshipped. Cults have been formed in attempts to harness their 'powers' and articles, websites and even encyclopedias have been published with extensive studies done on their histories.

I can perhaps attribute this fascination in similar capacity to UFOs. We are curious about the unknown and always seek relevant answers or explanations - in scientific terms. Think, the word Ectoplasm in parapsychology refers to the bio-energy given out by living things which makes possible the manifestations of ghosts or psychokinesis. Psychokinesis actually means 'energy of the mind' which also means - It's all in the mind. If you keep thinking you're going to see a ghost then perhaps you might actually see one because these beings are manifestations of the energy given out by our brain, conciously or subconciously. That probably explains why some people claim loudly they do not believe in ghosts but their subconcious is emitting a different kind of 'energy' which is actually asking any ghosts to come and prove to the person that they actually exist. Thus, they come. Or it could be an aggravation of the subconcious which tricks the brain into mistaking certain dark lighting angles as ghostly shadows.

Despite all the research done, many claims still remains debatable for they do not offer actual scientific proof based on experiments or timeline-based recording of actual events happening. Most of the claims were based on deductions from timing of certain events thereby arriving at a conclusion - based on faith, or fear.

Ghosts do exist - But around us? or within us?




The Incredibles is a family feel-good comedy & action-packed animation movie which basically tells the story of a family with superhuman powers but restricted to use them. When the father was kidnapped by a supervillian who's attempting to banish all superheroes, the family gears into action and sets out on a rescue mission that will test all of their powers' limits - and their family kinship. I definitely enjoyed every minute of the show, especially the part when they realised what the baby is capable of.

P.S. I kinda 'modified' all the different wallpapers and came up with this particular image myself using Microsoft Photo Editor. Pretty user-friendly I would say but I'm still trying to get my hands on a 'discounted' version of Adobe Photoshop.

Dances of the Orient

A trip to the Kallang Theatre yesterday evening was a pleasant surprise as I treated to a visual feast of color splendor & impressive acrobatic-style dance techniques. Dancers whirled and twirled to fast-paced traditional chinese music while amazing the audience with their unbelieveable flexibility and grace.

Unfortunately I was not exactly amused by almost 3 complete rows of students behind me giggling and commenting away at the dancers. They were there to support their "teacher" who chereographed the dance. Just curious, what else could a dance chereographer teach at schools? By failing to appreciate the dance performance chereographed by your teacher, are you not delivering a big tight slap to your teacher in the face? And the behaviour they're displaying, such shame brought to the school.

When the teacher appeared after the performance several girls amongst the entire group acutally stood up and screamed. I almost jumped out of my seat in shock. In my mind I was just screaming bloody murder, like literally ripping up the very seat and bludgeoning them with it right away. At least I would salvage some grace for the school who had been shamed with girls coming to a classical dance performance and treating it like some schoolgirl's concert consisting of 5566 or Jolin Tsai.

*huFf*

Ah well, going easy on the heart. I'm positively I almost burst a vein and caused internal bleeding. Could have killed myself.

McDonaldization

A disturbing piece of gossip I have heard recently -

The Security Guards of Mustafa Centre keep a very sharp lookout for shoplifters. Upon caught in the act, they would not bring the guilty to the police immediately. Rather, they would provide an alternative to the shoplifter - Purchase double/triple the value of the product they stole or they would be handed to the police without question.

Why do the security guards do this? Apparently for every shoplifter who "purchased" the additional value the guards would receive a small amount of commission.

Therefore, the guards are motivated to keep the security tight for they know they would be rewarded directly. Like a direct sales commission. Secondly, the Shopping Centre would bring in more sales as a result and overall profit goes up. Thirdly, the shoplifters would be spared from Criminal Records. Fourthly, security would always be tight and vigilant. Fifthly, the police would not have to be troubled with "minor cases" and be able to concentrate on "bigger cases." Sounds ingenious?

BULLSHIT.

My head was screaming the issue of ethics.

Case Scenario -

Boy: Mum! I shoplifted today and I got caught!
Mum: *Holds hands to mouth in horror* God! What have you done?

Boy: It's ok Mum! I just have to purchase triple the value of the shoplifted product and they let me go scot-free.
Mum: Really? That's convenient! Guess money talks! Har har har!

Is this the message we would want to convey to the younger generation?

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An apology for the lapse in the updatings, just finished a book called "The McDonaldization of Society" by George Ritzer. Pretty heavy on the thought-provoking part so it took me some time to digest.

Peter Kollock, University of California [LA], was quoted as saying "..genuinely succeeds in communicating the sociological imagination.. and would serve as a wonderful catalyst for an extended discussion on rationalization, modernity and a number of related issues."

Very interesting insight on how we should be aware of the changes that are happening around us. This author - in a nutshell - uses the phenomenal success of McDonald's to illustrate on a larger scale what is happening to the younger generation.

Now when we say McDonald's, what do we think of? Fast Food? Convenience? Efficient? Mobility? Culture? Ambience?

He illustrated 4 key points - Efficiency, Calculability, Predictability and the replacement of human with nonhuman technology.

Efficiency - McDonald's staff would be very clear about what to serve you, all at the touch of buttons. Everything is computerised, from the menu sets to the timings of the food cooked and the drinks served. They even have a mini hour-glass to emphasise that. At the same time, the products are simplified. The work process becomes like an assembly line [put the bread, lay the meat, spread the sauce if any, put the top bread and wrap it up. Voila! Big Mac!]. Gasp! Did I mention we have to pour the coffee ourselves and tear the chilli/tomato sauce packets ourselves? Singapore's one of the few countries where we simply leave the trays after we leave but in the other countries people pour away the trash and leave the trays in a orderly fashion fashion after they leave. They were subsequently praised as "cultured people" which of course motivates them to carry on with what they are doing. Guess what? Employees are supposed to do this, they're being paid for it. Oh wait, McDonald's meagre wages is a common topic isn't it? Guess that explains the logic of the unwillingness of the staff and thus the burden falls to us - the customers. Efficiency? Sounds like exploitation - on both the employees and the consumers.

Calculability - Everything at McDonald's is measurable in terms of units, calories, prices and weight. No. of tables, chairs and even the weight of the food you consume. Do you think they're emphasising on health when they announce how many calories there are in their burgers? They're simply putting a tag of measurement on all their products so that there's accountability for each and every single product. Ponder on this, For every change you attempt to make to your set meals, you have to pay extra. If you want mayonnaise you have pay extra. Sooner or later if you want extra chilli or tomato you'll have to pay extra as well. Everything has been calculated to a T.

Predictability - When you think of McDonald's you would probably be able to recite the menu by heart. You would probably know where is the nearest McDonald's to your house and even when you travel overseas you would be sure you can find a McDonald's somewhere within the city. The moment you step in, you can repeat what the counter staff would say to you. But strangely, people go back to certain products because of predictability. The taste is the same, the menu is the same but these people are afraid that if they go to a different eating place they would not be able to 'predict' if they would be getting their money's worth. At least at McDonald's everything sounds reasonable.

Replacement of humans with nonhuman technology - The staff at McDonald's does not have to learn how to cook. They just have to know which buttons to push. Ever wondered how McDonald's was so successful in "re-training" seniors to do the job? That's because there aren't any skills learnt, just button-pushing procedures. In fact, they don't really need humans. Fast forward 10 years down the road and you'd probably have McDonald's ATM Kiosks where you simply push a couple of buttons, deposit your money and voila! Big Mac is served! "Would You like an upsize sir?" Push a button. "Would you like to try our newest McSpicy?" Push a button. Oh yes, you can even use your mobile to key in the respective codes and sms via infrared to the ATM Kiosk and you'll also get your food. And they would still taste the same.


A key issues he's addressing here is the advancement of the rationality in the culture of McDonald's. You can term McDonald's as being like a Bureaucracy. In a Bureaucracy, everything is standardised. Work processes are simplified and then specialised - like a production factory. The customers become standardised and have no complaints because everything is predictable and efficient. Emotions are kept to a minimum whenever necessary. There are rules and regulations and they are observed with strict punishments. Technology is the key factor, not the people.

Equate it down to the IT age and you get people who are getting used to "faceless communications" meaning they use emails, sms, mms, telephone, radio, IRC, MSN and chat forums to communicate themselves. When they are actually facing people they develop a subconcious fear/anger/confusion thus severely undermining their communication skills. They tend to become anti-social because they are not prepared to handle actual face-to-face emtions. Link it the rising number of social problem cases amongst youths and teenagers and you might just see the connection. It is not beneficial that the culture in our children is of a competitive nature which would only enhance their emotional frustrations. Some youths may just enter a chatroom via IRC and starts blasting everyone inside the chatroom but they need not fear any social repercussions or as what the olden days call it - getting your ass whopped. Combine these youths into a group and suddenly all you need is some strong personality to take over as leader and the rest will follow. If the leader advocates ideas of cultured mannerisms and wisdom, thank heavens. Sadly it's always more of the opposite case where violence, attempts to show feats of power and machoism are advocated.

People in control tend to further enhance their status or attempt to further consolidate their power positions. By using their power to enforce their authority, members are recruited via pressure tactics or fear factors. Sounds familiar? Street Corner Gangs. Explain their personality via the reasons above and you would have a vicious cycle of youths who are having problems communicating themselves properly due to pressure from the competitive environment in schools and amongst friends who tend to compare results, lack of available avenues for communicating their frustrations, the feeling of being in control of yourself when in power and there you have it - A youth delinquent.

Be aware of these changes my friends, McDonaldization is infusing into our culture. Rationality can breed irrationality when the rules and regulations becomes an end to the means instead of just being a means to and end.

The Blogging Community

Our dear Mr Brown & Singabloodypore have been mentioned in the Straits Times. For the full article, click here.

Apparently the issue of information and opinions being circulated through the internet has raised some concerns.


An excerpt from Mr Brown

"I think the Government knows that, and has become more transparent as a result. If it does not address the facts directly, the online discussions will decide (on issues) for it,"


Given the fact that we rank 147th for Press Freedom perhaps a new regulation will be imposed for Singaporean Bloggers. Have bandages ready fellow bloggers, chains & iron balls are on their way.

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Friend of mine asked what it's like to keep an online diary. Her first comment was, "Don't you worry that someone out there is reading your personal stuff?"

As Ms Beautifuk have explained before, there is a difference between just an online diary and a blog which attempts to educate and provide alternate perspectives perhaps even critical views. My wish? Not to just provide details of my personal life but more importantly to document things that happened around me which gets me thinking. Besides, you have a choice of what subjects and issues to post on your blog. If you're posting simply personal details with no issues to address then yours is considered a diary.

Certain blogs did give me a good laugh when I did some random browsing but this particular blog owner apparently had a switch of brain positions for the left and right brain. Reason? His blog entries are reversed. I simply cannot fathom why a rational person would torture his readers. Originality? Like a cow attempting to play the guitar.

An excerpt dated 30 Oct goes like this:

Ih!!!!
!!!!citamotua m’I dna wolley si ruoloc etiruovaf ym, mu dna dnuora elpoep evird I dna em wonk t’nod uoy esac ni bac a m’I. gniht gniggolb elohw siht ot wen m’I, Bac Kwards m’I !olleh

that's interesting because the only word I recognise was "Bac Kwards" which would apparently revert into "Sdrawk Cab" which sounds totally absurd.

And I was thinking bad english was the worst that could happen.


"There's no news like bad news" - This quote was taken from the villian who's a media mogul in the Bond Movie "Tomorrow Never Dies". Starred Michelle Yeoh.

Yes indeed, as Ms Beautifuk sums it up. It's Sensational News which catches our attention.

What catches your attention? The news story of a ghastly murder where the press provided gory details of how the killer used a chainsaw to dissect the body parts and cook the flesh and sculpt the bones into pieces of art? Does the movie character Hannibal Lector fascinate you? Oh for Hannibal fans I'm very sure you're pleased by the anticipation of a new book explaining what made Hannibal Lector the man he is. For others who might be interested you can catch the news here.


Does the blog reveal much about the writer's character? If the author chooses to. Does he/she not worry about the backlashes? Why worry if you're only revealing what you know & feel? On the ethical issue yes, it would be a basic form of respect if issues are addressed and no personal attacks are directed.

What about the people who do not reveal anything about themselves on the web? 'Bloggers' were given the inverted commas in the straits times article, such a highlight perhaps draws our attention to the fact that most bloggers prefer to remain anonymous as highlighted in the case of 'Xeno Boy'

Are these people labelled as cowards? Subjective. It's one thing to post your views and not reply them versus posting them & engaging in discussions, clarifications even debates when the replies flood your inbox. If you ever caught a TV series titled "Dark Angel" starring Jessica Alba think "The Voice" which the main male lead is a man who only uses intercepted frequencies to broadcast his views about the evils of his society. The audience are fed with the information, but they cannot clarify their doubts. Hence they are left alone to decide if their intuition would lead to believe the society or to believe this man who's constantly feeding them with information they cannot be sure of. Most of the time, only through actual discussions with constructive comments can the issue be properly addressed.

A man whom I respected a lot once gave me this analogy - A person with only one arm cannot grow strong. The other arm is needed so they can wrestle with each other and grow stronger in the process. The keypoint is - constructive competition. Are we able to offer views that quotes references and past examples? With related case studies if needed? Constructive debates & criticisms, that's the main point.

What about trouble? Steven from Singabloodypore quoted 'There is a perception that getting involved in politics will get you into trouble,'

I beg to differ. Socio-Political Commentary offers critical views and perceptions on specifically political issues like executions in Singapore, where most issues addressed in blogs would be closely-related to "Social Commentary" which injects bits and pieces of alternate views or perceptions on how we can view the environment around us. Unfortunately there is a very fine line between "Social Commentary" and "Socio-Political Commentary" since Singapore is by large a well-regulated state. Of course for fellow bloggers we can simply choose to blog about personal issues and perhaps hobbies in general, make your blog an information blog which does not offer views and perspectives. Safest bet.

So the choice ultimately rests in our hands - The Blue Pill? Or The Red Pill?

Festive Seasons

With Deepavali & Hari Raya Puasa approaching I took the chance to approach some colleagues and asked them what are the reasons for them fasting / celebrating the season.

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Hari Raya Puasa Fasting -

Fasting is a means of attaining taqwa (piety, being conscious of their God), and taqwa means doing that which their God has enjoined & avoiding that which He has forbidden. It is stated as 1 of the 5 requirements required by Islam.

Reasons behind Fasting -

1. Fasting is a means that makes them appreciate & give thanks for pleasures. For fasting means giving up eating, drinking and intercourse, which are among the greatest pleasures. By giving them up for a short time, they can appreciate their value & thus motivates them to be grateful.


2. Fasting is a means of practising self-control. A term 'haraam' [hope I spelt that correctly] was used to describe the things they must learn to 'avoid' for these things are supposedly harmful. So fasting is like training their resistance to the 'haraam' things.


3. Fasting enables them to control their desires, because when a person is full his desires grow. A theory called Maslow's Hiearchy of Needs coincidentally illustrates that all humans have this Hiearchy of priorities which after satisfying hunger they will move up the hiearchy to desire for more things like Social Status or Material Wants. So by keeping oneself in a state of constant hunger the wants stays at just the bottom level [i.e. you only want food & nothing else].


4. Fasting makes them feel compassion and empathy towards the poor, because when the fasting person tastes the pain of hunger for a while, he remembers those who are in this situation all the time, so he will hasten to do acts of kindness to them and show compassion towards them. So fasting is a means of feeling empathy with the poor.

One thing that struck me was they had a term for their evil, it's called Shaytaan. Very resembling "Satan" dont you think? And according to some verses they even translate into "the evil that flows through the blood of the Son of Adam."

This is something new to me indeed.


5. The fasting person is training him/herself to remember that their God is watching them so by abstaining oneself from desires it's like letting their God see that they want to be like him, abstaining from desires and wants.


6. It enables them to get used to doing a great deal of acts of worship, because the fasting person usually does more acts of worship and thus gets used to that.


Note: I am not mentioning the name of their God for I feel it might not be respectful. Do correct me if any information has been misinterpreted or misunderstood.


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Significance of Deepavali -

Deepavali, or Diwali as it is termed in India, is widely known as the Festival of Lights.

This celebration is supposed to last 4 days.

The first day of the festival Naraka Chaturdasi marks the vanquishing of the demon Naraka by Lord Krishna and his wife Satyabhama.

Apparently Naraka, son of Bhudevi, acquired immense power from a blessing given by Lord Brahma and unleashed a reign of terror in the kingdom of Kamarupa. The celestial beings pleaded with Lord Krishna to save them from his torture.

But Naraka could not be easily killed as he had a boon that he would face death only at the hands of his mother Bhudevi. So, Krishna asks his wife Satyabhama, the reincarnation of Bhudevi, to be his charioteer in the battle with Naraka.

When Krishna feigns unconsciousness after being hit by an arrow of Naraka, Satyabhama takes the bow and aims the arrow at Naraka, killing him instantly.

The slaying of Naraka by Sathyabhama could be interpreted that parents should not hesitate to punish their children when they stray on to the wrong path and that the good of the society should always prevail over one's own personal bonds.



The second day is Amavasya when Lakshmi puja is performed. It is believed that on this day Goddess Lakshmi would be in her benevolent mood and fulfill the wishes of her devotees. One version says that it was on this day that Goddess Lakshmi emerged from Kshira Sagara (Ocean of Milk) when the Gods and demons were churning the sagara (ocean) for nectar (Amrit)



The third day is "Kartika Shudda Padyami." On this day Bali would come out of Pathala Loka and rule Bhuloka as per the boon given by Lord Vishnu. Hence, it is also known as "Bali Padyami".



The fourth day is referred to as "Yama Dvitiya." On this day, sisters invite their brothers to their homes.



The Celebration usually takes form in lighting earthen 'diyas' (lamps), decorating the houses and inviting people to their households for partaking in a sumptuous feast. The lighting of lamps is a way of paying obeisance to god for attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace, valor and fame.

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The friend whom I helped chereographed the dance for his performance has invited me on 14th November for his Hari Raya Celebration.