Saturday, June 23, 2007
Dennis Yin For The Win!
OH MY EFFING GOODNESS!!!
MY BROTHER'S IN THE SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE GRAND FINALS!!!11!1eleven!cos(0)!
Voting lines are now open until Friday the 29th of June, people! To vote, do either of these:
MY BROTHER'S IN THE SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE GRAND FINALS!!!11!1eleven!cos(0)!
Voting lines are now open until Friday the 29th of June, people! To vote, do either of these:
SMS "2" to 33838, or;
From your land line, dial 13710 and select 2.
Every vote counts! Spam your free SMSes, use your company phone, whatever (heh heh)! And why don't you pop by Dennis's Friendster profile and show him some love (i.e. drop him a comment) at http://www.friendster.com/machman!
And to those who want to go watch the grand finals at Ruums KL, here's what you can do:
And to those who want to go watch the grand finals at Ruums KL, here's what you can do:
- Call or SMS me at 016-NineSixFiveFiveZeroFourFour and tell me that you're interested. Alternatively, leave a comment in this blog post or drop me an email at ly4444(at)gmail(dot)com.
- I may or may not reply you immediately, but most probably (like 99.9% probability) there will be space for you and as many friends as you can bring.
- To use simple Malaysian
EnglandEnglish: Don't be thick skin until you bring 20 friends along but all of them don't vote one. Give face a bit-lah. - In any case, I expect you to tell me the exact number of tickets you need by Wednesday night, latest. This is just so that I know how many people to expect on the day itself. :P
- Also, expect Ruums to be PACKED TO THE BRIM.
- Try to get to Ruums yourself. Below's a map:
I guess that's about it. I'm so proud of my brother~ *Sniff*
Oh, and what are you waiting for? Work those fingers! Start calling/SMSing!
Oh, and what are you waiting for? Work those fingers! Start calling/SMSing!
Zhen was here at 6:01 am,
1 comment(s)
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Intermission No.2, or "Why I don't believe in astrology"
I've got no excuse not to update (besides general laziness) because I finished papers on the 12th and 13th and have twelve days until my final paper, Introductory Macroeconomics, on the 25th. Thus, for lack of a better topic, I've decided to write a long overdue post about a pet peeve of mine: Astrology.
Being a people rooted in culture and the superstitious beliefs that come with it, at least half the Malaysian population take astrology seriously, and probably an additional third are actual, devout followers of the (pseudo-) science. I know, some read the horoscope sections in newspapers just for kicks and others arrange furniture according to Feng Shui positions just because they don't have any better approach to interior decoration, but the aforementioned third of the population take it a bit too far; it doesn't seem sensible to me, at least not at the moment, to go out and buy thousands of ringgit worth of gold-leafed ornaments and crystal balls to put at unseen corners of your house (where the trinkets are on display for the spiders and ants and lizards to see) in the hopes of warding 'poison arrows' or 'bad energy'.
Astrology and its ilk are lucrative businesses. In a world rife with technology, many yearn for the nostalgia of good-ol' fortune telling; hence the multi-million dollar success (or failure, depending on when you look at it) of the American Psychic Friends Network or our homegrown World of Feng Shui by Lillian Too and her daughter, Lillian Three... I mean Jennifer Too. I guess for those who have found science and technology lacking, superstition is their best alternative.
World of Feng Shui conveniently links its advice to pages where you can order the required phoenixes and crystal balls online.
However, I no longer find any reason to refer to astrology except for amusement purposes. There was a time when I was the resident Feng Shui genius of the Yin family (thanks to a series of books lying around the house plus a twelve year-old's curiosity and memory), but that time has long gone. Like most studies based on superstition, belief and faith (religion included), Feng Shui was self-contradictory. In one of the books I read, it said that it's good for some people to place their back doors facing a certain direction, and in another, it said that that certain direction was universally known as the "devil's back door" and hence to be avoided at all costs; both books were written by the same author, and published in the same year to boot.
Western astrology is also riddled with the same problems. But unlike Feng Shui which normally asserts to be correct and incontrovertible, astrology likes to cover all its bases just in case its assertions were wrong. Take this typical Friendster bulletin horoscope, for example:
Outgoing: Most of the time.
Lovable: I think so.
Spontaneous: Definitely.
Not one to mess with: Hmm...
Funny: Am I funny? Yes I am! At least, I'd like to believe that.
Excellent kisser: You'll have to ask my ex-girlfriend about this.
EXTREMELY adorable: You tell me. But I was cute, once. About 15 to 18 years ago.
Loves relationships: Definitely, but I just don't get enough of them.
Addictive: Like Vicodin to Gregory House.
Loud: OF COURSE I'M LOUD! DIDN'T ANYONE TELL YOU?
Lookie here, I fit nine out of ten of the above traits. That's 90% accuracy! Shit, this astrology thing actually works!
Except that I'm a Leo, not a Gemini:
Their Love is one of a kind: Thanks, astrologist dude!
Silly: Yup.
Fun: Yup.
Sweet: If sugar is sweet, I'm bloody Aspartame, and then some.
Have own unique appeal: I am double-jointed, can draw, write, sing, act, exercise now and then, and am somewhat witty (My friend, Benjamin Lee, is wittier than I); do I fit this bill?
Most caring person Ever meet!: Grammatical error notwithstanding, I'm not sure of this either.
However not the kind of person you wanna mess with...: Hey, this sounds like what a Gemini should be!
u might end up crying...: Boo hoo hoo.
Let's see... I fit seven out of nine of the traits a Leo should have; that's about 78%. What the heck? Does that mean I'm more Gemini than Leo?
Seriously, the next time you see these kinds of astrological tests, jump straight to a zodiac sign that's not your own; chances are, you'll find most of the traits fitting you (unless you're something along the lines of a sociopath internet child predator...then go see a shrink). That's what I meant by Western astrology covering all its bases.* Heck, even the words they use are ambiguous on purpose; I mean, everybody have their "own unique appeal" (even if you're a sociopath internet child predator), plus what in the world do they mean by "Not one to mess with"? I also doubt that, 35 years ago, the English language was already butchered to the point that 'you' have been replaced with 'u'.
And, to sum it all up, that's the reason why I don't believe in astrology. Gravity and quantum mechanics always work the same way, day after day, but astrology twists, turns and contradicts itself. I'll stick to real science for now, thank you.
PointlessFact Footnote of the Day:
*Compare this to Feng Shui, which always states that putting any luck-attracting trinkets at the aforementioned "devil's back-door" (the Southwestern direction, incidentally) is the pseudo-scientific equivalent of getting yourself screwed. The contradiction comes when, according to your kua number, the Southwestern direction turns out to be your most auspicious direction; if you put said trinket there, will you be 'activating' the back-door or your auspicious direction?
Being a people rooted in culture and the superstitious beliefs that come with it, at least half the Malaysian population take astrology seriously, and probably an additional third are actual, devout followers of the (pseudo-) science. I know, some read the horoscope sections in newspapers just for kicks and others arrange furniture according to Feng Shui positions just because they don't have any better approach to interior decoration, but the aforementioned third of the population take it a bit too far; it doesn't seem sensible to me, at least not at the moment, to go out and buy thousands of ringgit worth of gold-leafed ornaments and crystal balls to put at unseen corners of your house (where the trinkets are on display for the spiders and ants and lizards to see) in the hopes of warding 'poison arrows' or 'bad energy'.
Astrology and its ilk are lucrative businesses. In a world rife with technology, many yearn for the nostalgia of good-ol' fortune telling; hence the multi-million dollar success (or failure, depending on when you look at it) of the American Psychic Friends Network or our homegrown World of Feng Shui by Lillian Too and her daughter, Lillian Three... I mean Jennifer Too. I guess for those who have found science and technology lacking, superstition is their best alternative.
World of Feng Shui conveniently links its advice to pages where you can order the required phoenixes and crystal balls online.However, I no longer find any reason to refer to astrology except for amusement purposes. There was a time when I was the resident Feng Shui genius of the Yin family (thanks to a series of books lying around the house plus a twelve year-old's curiosity and memory), but that time has long gone. Like most studies based on superstition, belief and faith (religion included), Feng Shui was self-contradictory. In one of the books I read, it said that it's good for some people to place their back doors facing a certain direction, and in another, it said that that certain direction was universally known as the "devil's back door" and hence to be avoided at all costs; both books were written by the same author, and published in the same year to boot.
Western astrology is also riddled with the same problems. But unlike Feng Shui which normally asserts to be correct and incontrovertible, astrology likes to cover all its bases just in case its assertions were wrong. Take this typical Friendster bulletin horoscope, for example:
Below are true descriptions of zodiac signs, with traits from a book written 35 years ago by an astrologist predictions. Read your sign, then forward it on, with your zodiac sign and label on the subject line.Here's the obligatory note (inclusive of grammatical errors) which tells you that the bulletin is totally legit and true; how can it not be, if it was written 35 years ago? Anyway, let's proceed to the interesting part:
GEMINI - The LiarFirst of all, ignore the 16 years of bad luck thing; going by my history, I must have gazillions of years of bad luck by now. Of course, I should also have been killed by undead zombie girls or evil chainsaw-wielding men a long time ago, but I digress. Now, let's see if the above applies to me:
Outgoing. Lovable. Spontaneous. Not one to mess with. Funny. Excellent kisser EXTREMELY adorable. Loves relationships, Addictive. Loud. 16 years of bad luck if you do not repost.
Outgoing: Most of the time.
Lovable: I think so.
Spontaneous: Definitely.
Not one to mess with: Hmm...
Funny: Am I funny? Yes I am! At least, I'd like to believe that.
Excellent kisser: You'll have to ask my ex-girlfriend about this.
EXTREMELY adorable: You tell me. But I was cute, once. About 15 to 18 years ago.
Loves relationships: Definitely, but I just don't get enough of them.
Addictive: Like Vicodin to Gregory House.
Loud: OF COURSE I'M LOUD! DIDN'T ANYONE TELL YOU?
Lookie here, I fit nine out of ten of the above traits. That's 90% accuracy! Shit, this astrology thing actually works!
Except that I'm a Leo, not a Gemini:
LEO - The Coolest oneNice to everyone they meet: I'm nice to a fault at times, my mom tells me.
Nice to everyone they meet. Their Love is one of a kind. Silly, Fun and sweet. Have own unique appeal. Most caring person Ever meet! however not the kind of person you wanna mess with... u might end up crying... 9 years of bad luck if you do not repost.
Their Love is one of a kind: Thanks, astrologist dude!
Silly: Yup.
Fun: Yup.
Sweet: If sugar is sweet, I'm bloody Aspartame, and then some.
Have own unique appeal: I am double-jointed, can draw, write, sing, act, exercise now and then, and am somewhat witty (My friend, Benjamin Lee, is wittier than I); do I fit this bill?
Most caring person Ever meet!: Grammatical error notwithstanding, I'm not sure of this either.
However not the kind of person you wanna mess with...: Hey, this sounds like what a Gemini should be!
u might end up crying...: Boo hoo hoo.
Let's see... I fit seven out of nine of the traits a Leo should have; that's about 78%. What the heck? Does that mean I'm more Gemini than Leo?
Seriously, the next time you see these kinds of astrological tests, jump straight to a zodiac sign that's not your own; chances are, you'll find most of the traits fitting you (unless you're something along the lines of a sociopath internet child predator...then go see a shrink). That's what I meant by Western astrology covering all its bases.* Heck, even the words they use are ambiguous on purpose; I mean, everybody have their "own unique appeal" (even if you're a sociopath internet child predator), plus what in the world do they mean by "Not one to mess with"? I also doubt that, 35 years ago, the English language was already butchered to the point that 'you' have been replaced with 'u'.
And, to sum it all up, that's the reason why I don't believe in astrology. Gravity and quantum mechanics always work the same way, day after day, but astrology twists, turns and contradicts itself. I'll stick to real science for now, thank you.
Pointless
*Compare this to Feng Shui, which always states that putting any luck-attracting trinkets at the aforementioned "devil's back-door" (the Southwestern direction, incidentally) is the pseudo-scientific equivalent of getting yourself screwed. The contradiction comes when, according to your kua number, the Southwestern direction turns out to be your most auspicious direction; if you put said trinket there, will you be 'activating' the back-door or your auspicious direction?
Zhen was here at 2:40 am,
1 comment(s)
Saturday, June 09, 2007
Intermission
Business Law was on Thursday. I didn't study much on Friday. That leaves me only Saturday, Sunday and Monday to study for my Money & Capital Markets (Finance) and Marketing papers on Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.
Oh, snap! And here I am, taking an intermission. But of course, if not for the current state of events, I wouldn't be like this, and therefore, have not much reason to post this (allow me to indulge in my own geekiness):
From The Concise Oxford Dictionary (1999):
mug2 ● v. (mugged, mugging) (mug something up) Brit. informal learn or study a subject quickly and intensively, especially for an exam.
Like I said, two papers in three days time. There's only one thing left for me to do now:
If you have better ideas besides that above...keep it to yourself. Hah!
On a different note, my brother has now made it to the Top Eight of So You Think You Can Dance! And since this nifty new ('new' as in I just downloaded it) Magic-card-making utility is a godsend that I've been searching for all these years, it is only appropriate that my brother has a card too, heh heh:
Where's the fans?
Oh well, that's enough messing around with the card-making utility for now. If you'd please allow me to apologise profusely for the proliferation of geekiness in this post; I couldn't help it. It's sort of an in-joke to a select few whom I've known since my Magic-playing days (which, from the looks of it, might return... [ominous]Dum dum dummmmm![/ominous]).
Time to go memorise stuff. And don't forget to watch So You Think You Can Dance, 8tv, 9.30pm, Thursdays! And vote! See ya!
Pointless Fact of the Day:
Above is the Apple iTunes End User License Agreement. Now, read the last line in that picture...
Yes folks, Apple actually prohibits you from using their media player software to make weapons of mass destruction. I first heard this from Maddox, and you heard it first from me. Cheers.