Back and Then Again – 4 months in the making

It has been a long time since I last wrote anything at all...

It was months ago when I last logged an entry, but of all time, why start now?

Let’s just say writing is therapeutic for me and above all else, it is of utmost importance that I keep my communication skills intact. Now that I am on holiday and finally have the time to indulge in some authoring, I should make good use of time.

As a start, perhaps I should just introduce this blog again and all of its contents, after all, my blog is non-personal as much as it is personal. We live in a world of paradoxes and this is but one of them. Whatever I write here are definitely my own work and opinion but against the trend of other blogs, readers will barely find any traces of my life here of all places. I write to express. So what I mean by this blog being ‘non-personal as much as it is personal’ is this; whatever is covered in this blog will relate to my psychological existence more than the physical experience. There is no clear line which separates the two, especially since both the mind and body are linked and what I think would have to be caused by a physical experience before I even think about it, but just to reiterate, I am more concerned about expressing what is on my mind more than simply recounting the incident.

After five months I guess it is best to recollect and introspect whatever happened in this period of time. Aside from my fantastic albeit short trip to Perth, my life these past five months revolves around National University of Singapore (NUS).

Up until now, I have finished my first semester of a new phase in life and I guess I am still struggling to cope, making adjustments here and there. Here is the list of the adjustments that I have had to make:
1. Getting used to calling a 9 metre-square room my house.
2. Getting used to the bell-curve system in tabulating results.
3. Getting used to my new found freedom (the freedom to be an asshole or an angel).
4. Getting used to what it really means to be an engineer and of all cases, a chemical engineer in NUS.

Of all these adjustments, the one that I am concerned with are the last two. Freedom has always been a confusing word which is yet another paradox of this world. If we champion freedom that much, one can only wonder why there are laws at all. That though, is not my concern for now, for all I care, I actually believe the world would be better off in a chaotic system. It would be quite interesting to see people fight among themselves using the word ‘freedom’. Back to my UNI experience though, freedom is truly something that is new and I am still exploring its boundaries, putting one paw forward but always wary and vigilant, because a fall here would be costly, more than I can afford.

The best thing about UNI for me is the many windows of opportunities that it offers. If there is any one thing that you want to learn other than your academic pursuits, UNI is the best place to do it. The various clubs that you can join is something. While you will be spoilt for choices, there is no denying that at least one of these clubs will attract your interest and provide a chance to learn something new, whether it is a skill or knowledge.

UNI for me is the last bastion before I have to discard all my childish innocence and behaviours in exchange for a solemn demeanour taken by working adults. Thus, it is an experience that is worth savouring. Test new stuff, do all sorts of stuff. Be an asshole, throw your books aside and let the devil in you manifest. Considering that there are no discipline masters around and you are accountable for your own actions, UNI is the best time to skip classes and let yourself enjoy being ‘above’ the law for once.

UNI is the last place where you can experience and experiment with new stuff and of all places, UNI is definitely not a place for you to study. As much as a degree matters, frankly speaking it is just a slip of paper. If your life is all about books and dollars, sure go ahead and study your life away. It is your choice after all. For those who believe that life is more than about earning big bucks, that life is about having a goal, that life is worth enjoying outside work, UNI is a place for you to have fun. At this juncture though, I guess I have to state that considering that there is a spectrum of people of all walks of life from the nerds to the bastards in UNI, while you can play hard, you have to study hard as well to earn your keep in this institution.

Thus far, I am still trying to throw my books aside, but still, competition is tough in chemical engineering I guess so while I still can enjoy life in my first year, I should try to be as much of an asshole as possible before the chance runs out and before I know, I am out of UNI, expelled into the working world.

Being in a competitive course is something that I have never really thought about. Even my choice of course was random and uninformed and at best, I can only say that I chose chemical engineering because I can. I guess that is the most difficult thing for me in UNI – balancing my time. Considering that I am an ‘engineer’ I should be more interested in scientific stuff. To the contrary though, I realise that the module I like best is the Arts language module French 1.

Now that I am inside though, there is no getting out. There is no point aiming to be the best because I have no intention to further my academic pursuits. I am more concerned about adding value to my life in terms of the skills that I can learn. After little thought but decisively supportive of what I want, I have decided that I would just hit the minimum grade allowable and have fun outside my studies.

Entering UNI has changed the way I think, especially about the structure of your life in the future. While a year ago I thought that everybody would graduate and end up working one way or another, now I believe that there are better things to do than work your way to your death. You have a life, make good use of it and do something special instead of taking the same old route taken by everyone else. After all isn’t variety is the spice of life?
Find a meaning in what you do and most of all enjoy it.

Indonesia (watching STARDUT, a variant of MAMAMIA)
28/12/07

The Science of The SECRET

One is an elaborately designed book with an elegant imprint of a wax seal printed on the cover, giving an impression of sacredness. The other is a simple book with a plain cover bearing the title of the book as well as the author’s name against a background of solid gold pieces with a small image of gold coins stacked on top of each other at the bottom right corner.

After a long wait, I’ve finally finished reading both books since I first bought them almost 4 months ago. Anyway, the titles are The Secret and The Science of Getting Rich. Naturally though, this self-help category is not my kind of book but well I chanced upon an offer 4 months ago, selling these 2 books as a bundle and based on my friend’s recommendation and what I gathered going around in the news back then, the books are worth my money. To be exact though, the first time I bought the ‘bundle’, I’ve never heard of the latter. The Secret literally overshadowed its counterpart I guess and all my focus was initially riveted to the more elaborate book. Even until a week ago before I started reading The Science of Getting Rich, all my attention was still entrenched with The Secret.

Just this evening after I finished The Science of Getting Rich, a word floated to the surface of my consciousness and unexpectedly, the word is ‘plagiarism’. Considering that I first read The Secret before The Science of Getting Rich, I might have been affected by the new information still fresh in my head and thus, it is more than possible that I coin theories that are only slightly similar as synonymous and one. At this point, I am quite aware that whatever I’ve written is vague at best and you are wondering which author is copying who. Now, I’ll add in a piece of information – the author of The Science of Getting Rich, Wallace D. Wattles died almost a century ago.

If he was still alive, it would be more than tempting to assume that Wallace would have sued Rhonda Brynes. Then again though, I would concede to the fact that while their contents are by far and large similar, their methods of expressing their ideas are more suited to their respective eras. The Secret wouldn’t fit in Wallace’s era as much as Wallace’s masterpiece is no longer attractive in our milieu. In fact, Wallace’s book has an obvious and uncovered deference to Jesus or the presence of a God. The Secret though is a watered down version. You will still get the feeling that the author is trying to preach religion but Rhonda is aware that there are people like the atheists as well and minimal reference to God is made. The best part of it all is that she is aware that God is relative to everyone. Even an atheist can have a God called Reason.

As for the contents, both books pretty much contain the same basic principles that are perhaps decorated with different examples. What is different between the two is the relevance with which the books are written. While one is more concerned with amassing riches, the other is more all-rounded, encompassing the different aspects of life such as health, relationships, jobs.

So what exactly is the content? In my own words, against the ‘Like Theory’ of the two books, I will call it – be positively positive. And as I would say, ‘I am not a pessimist, just an opportunist. Not an optimist, but a pragmatist’. No matter what the situation, life still goes on. Have a goal in life, have faith in yourself and everything else will take care of itself.

Having a goal is important because it is like the captain of the ship. Your goal sets the next destination of your ship, it determines what you are going to do. A goal though need not be too complicated or long-term. A simple short-term goal will suffice. A house is not built overnight; it is built over months, years with phases being completed one after another, slowly but surely. You can only do what you can today, not in the past or in the future. You might plan for the future, but what if the future never comes? Do with your best what you do today to build a better tomorrow, instead of doing what you do today to fit into the future that you dream for it might not manifest itself.

Have faith in yourself, because your potential is endless. If you have tried your best and the outcome is far worse than your expectation, can you really call that your best? Your best is not a quantity, it is a window of endless possibilities. Your best is being the best.

All in all though, the ideas provided by both books are useful for everyone. However, neither book should be strictly taken as a guide to life for each person will eventually have to find his/her own way. Sure ideas are there for you to learn and adopt, but you are a character of your own. Choose only principles which are aligned with your nature. Do not try to mould a new you trying to fit 100% with the book because there really is no one panacea. There is no one-size fits all approach. Take the two authors featured here as an example. They used the same principles but each expressed them slightly different from each other. You can have the same theory of life but interpretations will vary widely from one person to another.

The two books are worth the money but only if they are read and compared with. Only through comparison can you understand the different perspectives that people have over the similar theory. In fact, it would be best to read other books of the topic by other authors to compare their different perspectives. Then again, there is no point to be obsessed over a simple theory. The best thing that you can do for yourself, is to know what is best for yourself. Right?


Indonesia, watching MAMAMIA
27/12/07