[[How has been]]

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

[[]]

So many things I wanna say!

Identity: Why can someone be defined by their hairstyle? Their tattoo? Their appearance? Is that not sad. With a scissors someone can just snip off their being. Their core that they hold themselves too.

In other news, I have made up my choice of university course. I thank God for helping me make this choice. It was an annoying task that was really really painful. Now that that has been set, it opens a cascade of things that have been previously held up and now, are required to be done. (look at my use of commas to denote pauses in my narrating! Not the point of commas, but still.)

Ah the relief from having the decision made.

I really, really need to start allotting time to

Edit: Ok just posting this, I cant remember what I need to start allotting time to, perhaps God or something important. This is probably a few months old.

[[I wrote this at]]*|9:30 PM|

[[]]

Today I learnt about bitcoin. Then I dug around, and explored different facets of it. Especially the whole philosophy behind it. I am interested in philosophy after all, or at least, I claim to be.

Edit: That was some days ago. maybe even weeks. I am clearing backlog.

But yes, I think it is fascinating at how governments are able to print money with impunity. If the government prints 20% of the money supply is (in layman and overly simplified terms), essentially causing a 20% inflation, all else being equal (you take goods to money ratio for the country). A 20% inflation reduces the value of the money one holds by 1/6 because now it can only buy 5/6 of what it used to be able to. That is roughly 16.6% reduction in the value of money one holds.

Which would, in essence, be the same as taxing everyone 16.6% of their money they are holding. (money only, not assets, if I am correct, I might be wrong.) This is as the 20% money they printed would be first spent by them before entering circulation, same as taxing 16.6% and spending.

Yet if the government levied a 16.6% tax they will be voted out the next day or forcibly evicted by riots. Yet the effect is the same.

I propose that the government has to be accountable to it's citizens for the inflation rate due to increase in money supply. And it be noted each year that it is some sort of indirect taxation. Essentially it should be declared. Best part is that it taxes everyone that holds that dollar and not just it's citizens. So a country that has its money held worldwide is able to tax the whole freaking world.

We should stop seeing money in absolute terms. For it is not absolute. Money only has value insofar as it can buy goods. The value of money, while it is there, is very low I would think.

[[I wrote this at]]*|9:24 PM|

[[whats with this obsession over happiness?]]

Why has it become the golden yardstick that everyone (ok, maybe not everyone, most people?) measures themselves by?

What has become of the yardsticks of bygone times? Examples include: Family name, clan honor, leaving good descendants, dying a honorable death, protecting the country, making a name for themselves, being a productive member of society.

Happiness is such a fluff idea. For one, it is usually the idea of personal happiness. That is where you get all the do what makes you happy. For something that seems so intuitive, it has many assumptions that ought to be looked at seriously.

While I give (I give to you, perhaps, not I give) that happiness is better than unhappiness, but why should it be overall?

What is happiness? Happiness is just a feeling. Some kind of emotional response towards some stimuli. Yes it feels nice and all, but since when has feeling become the ultimate aim. In fact, I would say that it is illogical to have a feeling as an ultimate aim eh, for feelings are by nature irrational.

When one says he seeks fame, money, or reputation, people normally are quick to conclude that it is self-centered and probably not the best aim due to various reasons. But when one says he seeks happiness, everyone takes it as a perfectly rational aim.

But happiness is inherently selfish. To do what makes you happy is to not do what makes other people happy. To do what makes you happy is to not do what you should be doing (unless of course, that makes you happy) in the best interests of society. To do what makes you happy makes you arguably more self serving than either fame, money or reputation seekers.

Well, then it boils down to what makes you happy yes? If you contend that what is right makes you happy (regardless of how you judge right to be... ack, i dont like the variability in 'right' but we will leave it as such for this), and therefore aiming for happiness is also doing right then I would ask why not just do what is right. To say you do what makes you happy means that happiness is prioritised over everything else.

Ok, so if not happiness to aim for then what? Maybe what is right, then how would you define right? It cannot be floaty for sure, if right is what you want to do then it would be same as the whole happiness eh.

[[I wrote this at]]*|9:09 PM|

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

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Recently I looked at the list of modules, decided to finally start doing some thinking about my university life. Some filling in of the details. And I guess I was reminded of why I choose to study in FASS over the more socially popular courses.
Many modules look so interesting. Man, I wish I could stay in university forever just learning. I think most people have gotten it wrong. University really is about learning. It is not getting a qualification. We shall see how it goes eh.
If only a degree does not have as much practical use. And indeed it does not have much practical use unless you are an engineer or doctor or lawyer or dentist or architect. Perceived use?

[[I wrote this at]]*|12:34 AM|

Wednesday, July 9, 2014

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When I have the abundance of time I do not use my time well. I figure, gaming is worse than sleeping, id rather sleep when im in the throes of gaming. But sleeping is not the best I can do. So I figure I ought to get some work done. But then I come back to the computer and feel like gaming again. There is a problem.

[[I wrote this at]]*|2:59 PM|

Sunday, July 6, 2014

[[Is there a higher lifestyle? Like a lifestyle of reading good stuff, thinking .etc?]]

Hi all,

So, is there a higher lifestyle? Can one say a particular set of activities that a person chooses to spend his time pursuing is inferior to another?

I dunno, I always hold that each person is rational. But surely there are things that are better than others? I guess a person that contends that there is no God will have to answer no given that all are rational. For who are you to judge the decisions of another? Who are you to judge his intentions and pursuits? Even the pursuit of nothingness would be an ok activity eh. (oh my, wording)

But once God enters the picture everything changes eh. Once there is something higher than the mere monotony of nobody-gives-a-shit relativity is broken, if there is a universal standard to gauge against, then everything changes eh?

I think in the majority of religions teach that ignorance and sloth is bad. That humans should strive towards something more than nothing. And there are specific things to strive towards. Everything goes back to God eh.

[[I wrote this at]]*|11:57 PM|

Friday, July 4, 2014

[[Decision, decision]]

Note the singular form.

Perhaps a budget should never be created before the plan. How can you plan to budget? It doesn't make sense. It totally shifts the aim from the efficacy of the plan to 'fitting the budget' as primary. Ridiculous.

[[I wrote this at]]*|8:41 AM|

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

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Theres this thing about worship songs that perhaps might have implied some wrong theology. Of course outright heresy shouldnt be condoned but what is the limited with creative license? Or poetic license?

Perhaps we could just sing the psalms. Afterall, the psalms are in the Bible and everything in the Bible is right, right?

[[I wrote this at]]*|10:30 PM|

[[]]

Perhaps psychological problems is due to a lack of meaning?

I myself am no psychologist. So what I say might be utter bullcrap. But I think, the field of psychology in the sense of 'study of the mind' is a worthy endeavour. But I think the whole mental disorder part is kinda dodgy. How do you have a perfect brain anyway? What is the measure of a sane brain? How can a person in depression be considered 'ill' and a person that is just sad not be considered ill? Perhaps there are differences in jargon and like the specifics but look at the broad picture. There are no verifiable symptoms. Very unscientific. Even more unscientific than evolution or creation.

Of course, in Singapore the doubt is cast even further when there are people that can fake mental illnesses, the most notorious of which are those in NS. I dunno, the fact that people can abuse it makes me think there is something wrong, most likely with the NS system and secondly maybe with the whole psychological illness part. Of course this is of no fault of those with 'real' psychological illnesses at all. Just that skeptics question what is hard to be proven. Or shall we exercise faith in such issues as well? Perhaps...

Come now, when will your mind no longer be your mind? Or when can a person be judged to be no longer 'human' in his mind faculty. For a body it is very clear cut, this is one person's body. All actions done by this physical entity or body= action done by this person. So the mind controls the body. Nothing else but the mind. It would be straightforward to put in then that action done by body = action done by person = action instructed by person's mind. But no... there are insanity pleas and all, limited responsibility and so on and so forth. Like ok, alcohol clouds your judgement, but it was your decision to imbibe said alcohol. Anyway, who is to say a drunk you isn't you anymore. Then whoose mind controlled drunk you? None but yours.

Perhaps people only see the flaws that they have. Otherwise how would they recognise it?

Maybe that is why I see jealousy and insecurity...

Ugh, brain not really working.

[[I wrote this at]]*|9:43 PM|

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

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I am still so conflicted. There are still such inane things that I refuse to relinquish.

It is like walking down a countryside path and seeing a beautiful rose by the side. Such an exquisite flower that you are drawn towards yet you are allergic to roses. Perhaps it would be prudent to leave it untouched for others to admire and perhaps, for those without allergies to grow and nurture.

[[I wrote this at]]*|8:28 AM|