name: sin
age: older than I'd like to be
religion: buddhist punk
occupation: full-time sloth


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  • March 2006
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  • Monday, March 10, 2008

    MUCH NEEDED UPDATE!!!

    So I haven't updated in the longest time, but anyway, since blogs are literally a space for QQ-escapism, I'm going to rant, damnit!

    I can't help but feel disillusioned with this business class I am taking. Not that it's hard - but it's stupid.

    Now, that's a strong statement (I can see the business majors raising their fists now) but hear me out.

    I got a 36/40 for the first exam. And this is an upper division BA class (and I am not a business major)... and I studied the morning of the exam. The test wasn't really that easy but I guess that for business majors, it would be, considering they've been exposed to concepts like taxes, tariffs, business & culture, etc... but no. The class average was a C even though the professor "threw out" 6 questions to make the exam out of 34. Which also means I got a 106%. W.T.F.?

    And it's not like the scores were re-examined based on whether you got those 6 questions right or wrong - he just lowered the total. That's just... mind bogggling.

    So yeah, I got more than an A, why am I complaining?

    I just don't deserve it. I barely studied (or learnt anything I didn't already know from reading newspapers). I don't feel like I am using this time in class (yes, I am sitting in it now) productively. $1000 worth of education, my ass?

    sin was obviously very bored at 9:54 AM
    2 comments

    Tuesday, May 15, 2007

    Random Bad News from Malaysia

    The video will speak for itself...


    sin was obviously very bored at 10:51 PM
    0 comments

    Monday, April 23, 2007

    Morality & Why Nice Guys Finish Last

    So like, I try not to get too philosophical on my blog cos I think my readership generally isn't too turned on by it... but heck, it's MY blog and I don't care what my readers like so there.

    So I was in my Behavior Analysis class a couple weeks ago where we talked about how we live in a society where true "nice-ness" isn't really reinforcing - basically, being a "nice guy" is not generally rewarded with what one needs (think financial or even social rewards). In the dog-eat-dog world, competitiveness and an aggressive disposition are what is essential for survival (for males mostly, but this can apply to females when competing for mates, etc). I'm not just looking at this from a Social Darwinian point of view but also from the evolutionary biology point of view that those who can show their strength and have a selfish me-first attitude are more likely o be "successful" in life. Obvious enough when you look at the animal kingdom but in our society, capitalism essentially rewards competitive (merciless?) behavior. So while we preach "goodness", as we grow older, we get less and less rewards for being nice (kind of explains alot of things).

    At the age of 6, praise for being good = very reinforcing.
    At the age of 26, career advancement for being aggressively competitive = more reinforcing.

    You ask what about people who donate to charity and maybe point to people like Bill Gates who has donated his billions - but when you think about it, it's quite like buying social approval and social acceptance through monetary means begotten from cut-throat, monopolistic business strategies. Is that acceptable? Makes you question people's motives, eh?

    So why bother with ethics and morality? It is clear in today that what is encouraged is winner-takes-all. What about the good guys? Why do parents encourage obedience and sharing and all that funky stuff?

    So I tossed around this idea for awhile... All the great philosophers talk about ethics and morality but do we question why? Well, in my opinion, in order for human society to function (I'm referring to whole communities here), there has to be followers and drones willing to give way for the others. We can't all be generals without armies and we can liken the human situation to be quite like bee colonies; the queen (and her king) reproduces and passes on her genes but she has hundreds of worker bees under her who will never reproduce. They just live and die giving their energy and effort, contributing to a larger good by being... slaves.

    Of course, my little theory has to be refined but I guess that's a starting point...

    So anyway, to all you potential parents: the next time you teach your kids to be obedient and share and be good and nice, you might be teaching them to be drones and to feed the engine of corporate greed.

    =D

    sin was obviously very bored at 10:01 AM
    0 comments

    Monday, April 16, 2007

    The Baby Landlord

    If I ever had a kid, this would eb what she'd be like:


    sin was obviously very bored at 6:13 PM
    2 comments

    Tuesday, March 27, 2007

    Creepy.



    Does this guy look like anyone we know...?

    >.>

    <.<

    Oh, and before I forget


    sin was obviously very bored at 12:15 AM
    3 comments

    Friday, March 23, 2007

    The Poll



    sin was obviously very bored at 1:52 PM
    1 comments

    Wednesday, March 14, 2007

    The Malaysian Brain Drain

    Ok, this issue has been on my mind for awhile. Malaysia is facing (or not facing) a huge problem - the brain drain. The talented pool of young citizens are leaving the country to chase their dreams elsewhere, build futures in other nations and carve out opportunities in unfamiliar lands. Not that all these are impossible in Malaysia itself but it's just too hard.

    A vast majority of my peers of my age/social/economic status (young adult, middle to upper-middle class) are bent on not returning to Malaysia after they graduate. I'm talking about the future engineers, biochemists, pharmacists, psychologists (ummm, yeah.) and other future professionals that just have no faith in the possibility of building a secure and comfortable life back in their Kampung. It's really disheartening when I look at friends like Adele and Ken Jin and Carolynn, all of whom are extremely intelligent, resourceful and talented... and they're all pretty sure they aren't too keen to slave for their motherland.

    So what's the problem? Malaysia - no natural disasters, good weather, plenty of good food, chock-a-block of mamaks, friends & family, burgeoning economy (therefore, potential for good jobs, etc)... What's not to like about it?

    The answer? Outright discrimination. In-your-face racist policies.

    I'm sorry, but it's really the simplest answer. Let's face it, without Kulit-fication (*kulit = skin) in Malaysia, it doesn't matter how good you are, you're going to have to face the fact that there will be a glass ceiling preventing you from reaching the top. Short of changing your birth certificate and undergoing major plastic surgery and facial reconstruction, you can't really change your race. The government and even some citizens can deny it all they want, but the fact remains that a lot of the young, informed and bright people of this generation think it and if we were truly honest with ourselves, we would realize the sad reality that the best of us are simply disillusioned with the public policies that are essentially there to curb opportunities for us.

    To be honest, I am all for affirmative action to help other races catch up or be on par with the ones excelling on top. Boosting those from the bottom would definitely level the playing field allowing for what would be equal opportunities. But really, when we look at the implementations of policies in Malaysia, sometimes even unspoken socio-cultural ones, what is happening is that the ones at the top are either pushed down or made to feel like they don't belong - so they leave. It's all about putting the idea in your head. Once you start believing that home isn't really home for you... it's easy to make that kind of decision. Do us non-kulitficationed people really feel like we have the remotest possibility of contributing to the country in, say, politics? education? Chinese represent 24% of the population - are there that many in government positions? Which Malaysian university has a non-kulitfied dean or president?

    Even in private enterprise... we all know the 30% shareholder rule. I can't even own my business without being forced to give part of it away (for no other reason than to spread the wealth to those who don't really have to work for it at all) if/when it becomes so successful that it is a public listed company. Is that fair? Seriously. What about the companies 100% owned by a certain race... are they required to "share" a piece of their wealth in the interest of "racial integration"?

    I'm not really here to convince anyone of anything they don't already know or believe. I'm just stating the idea that something must be wrong when a large amount of the cream from our crop of young Malaysians don't share the convictions of our leaders that try to instill the idea that Malaysia is the place to be. Undoubtedly opportunity will always be there for you to find... one can even say you create your own opportunities. If young Malaysians truly believed that they can achieve their dreams and fulfill their potentials (keep in mind, this is an informed and intelligent generation), why would they want to leave?

    From a humanistic psychological point of view, we are driven to fulfil some human desire to serve oneself's interest in achieving goals. I believe that this can be taken into a macro persepective; we also want to achieve common (be it family, community, or national) goals. Fulfilling personal goals doesn't usually have as many external obstacles, it's a matter of self-motivation to get out and do it. But there is a larger social goal that I think is a driving force of patriotism and the human tendency to work for the betterment of each other as a whole. Working for something we believe in does make us feel a part of the larger movement that we belong and contribute.

    So where does Malaysia fit in to this?

    As a Malaysian of the "wrong" race, there is always that notion there that I am not "Malaysian". I am constantly reminded that I am "Cina" despite the fact that my family can trace it's roots in the country for at least the past 120 years or so. I do cherish my cultural heritage, true, but when it makes an impact on which schools I go to and which scholarships I won't get - hell yeah, it matters. Do I feel bitter that I am discriminated against for something which I did not choose for myself? Yes. That in itself, prevents me from truly achieving personal goals. I love my country but if I was going to want to be the Prime Minister... I know that's not going to happen.
    DESPITE the fact that I am a patriot, extremely passionate about the future of the country, a genius planner, etc etc... nope, wrong color - you're out. So yeah, that's a far-fetched personal goal but it illlustrates my point about the glass ceiling. It's invisible but it's there and you can't break through it.

    Larger social goals... where do non-Malays fit in? When was the last time we had a truly multi-racial committee chair, say, the department for public safety? If we wanted, could we truly contribute to the country and have contributions recognized? I see successful Malaysians scorned upon for being succesful - "oh, orang cina... biasa lah." Almost as if it was our very virtue of persistence and hard work was a negative one. Granted, I am not generalizing that EVERYONE says it. But it is expected of us to be successful through no government help - they don't really want to help us but WHY? Are we not part of the community, trying to achieve common goals of making the country better - not just for ourselves but for my Sikh/Malay/Iban/Chinese neighbor?

    So this blatantly racist agenda is working. We are leveling the playing field by rejecting the best and keeping the rest.

    Good luck with that, Malaysia.

    sin was obviously very bored at 10:13 AM
    7 comments

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