My Soul Planet

Immersive Effects: Communication and Second Life

2010-12-16T07:55:00.002+08:00

“I think the human race has squandered its gift, and I think this country has squandered its promise, for the sake of cell phones and Jet Skis.” said George Carlin, an American social critic, who seemed to be experiencing frustration over a modern world that emphasised the adoption of advanced technological products in people's lives. He found some comfort not to blindly commit himself into a social life he did not want by declaring his detachment from the humanity realm.He explained his methods in his book, “Last Words” confessing that, although he knew he was still human, he would not identify himself with his species any longer-Not that he had abandoned his humanity, he just put it in a place that allowed his art to function free of entanglements(Carlin, Hendra, 2009, pg285).”

The way George Carlin appeared to have found his “home” to live his personal life, would it be the same manner in which people nowadays who make media their second life? How real the “life” would be in that sense? Before that, is there such a thing as “real life” anymore? Well, George Carlin gave a statement of “When you're born, you get a ticket to the freak show”(George Carlin Quote) has clearly indicated his antagonistic view that we are living in a fake world-a place he did not want to reside. Perhaps there is no “real life” anymore! Cultural theorists such as Umberto Eco believes that the reality that we are in is a "falsehood" which we enjoy in "fullness". Therefore, to attain the real thing, it must fabricate the absolute fake (Eco, pg8) because reality is just a fantasy (Eco, pg15). Eco explains that it is not the authenticity of a piece it counts but the amazing information it conveys that can improve the reality (Eco, pg15).

According to Ken Wilber, in the reality that we are in, we have come to the awareness that there are problems inherent in its own organisation and we have run up against our own limitations for a resolution. He explains that this is because the modern is struggling to give way to the postmodern and the the solution of this problem is perhaps the creation of a new one (Wilber, 1996, pg68). For that, Darren Tofts in his “the World Will Be Tiön”, displays that postmodenism deflects the idea of an absolute reality in favour of high fidelity facsimiles, suggesting that the movement from analogue to digital media is a vital event in the diminution of reality's a priori status (Tolfs, pg2). Probably, virtual world may take care of the safety for us to expose what we are missing so that we can begin to accept ourselves as what we really are (Turkle, 1995, pg 263).

For an example, imagine a man with a fattened nose, protruding tongue, upward slanting eyes, who, at birth, inherited Down Syndrome. What would his social life be? Activities like hanging out with friends, catching out some great movies in the cinema, engaging in a relationship and etc-all seem impracticable, at least to a certain sense, for this man to “really” take joy in. Thus, he chooses to involve himself in a virtual world, a genre of online community in the form of computer-based simulated environment where users can interact with each other (Bishop, 2009). Why would he do that? Perhaps, the moving factors he engages in virtual world is that he craves for “some changes” in a new environment which are hard to achieve in real life.

The Ecological Cognition Framework (ECF) developed by Bishop (2007a; 2007c) indicates five binary opposition forces that are “activated” when a change occurs in a person’s environment. They are: (1)social-antisocial, (2)creative-destructive, (3)order-chaos, (4)vengeance-forgiveness, and (5)existential-thanatotic. These are what that people are experiencing when online, things that provide stimuli and create impetuses for people to go online.To elaborate them, firstly, one may be extremely social when online, participating himself a lot perhaps in the forum discussions. Secondly, the new environment may have driven him to be more creative to solve problems and create contents. Also, being online may enable him to create an order in his life, where he carries out actions such as organising bookmarks and rearranging pages. Subsequently, perhaps he loves unleashing his vengeance by being aggressive online, conducting activities like flaming and posting negative feedback on other community members. The existential force would allow someone to exist in a different form such as being a dragon-slaying warrior in the virtual space of an online fantasy role-playing game. Undeniably, the emergence of identity fraud may also be the outcome of these factors where people would abuse them to commit crimes. Identity Fraud means the fraudulent use of an individual's identifying information to commit crimes, unlawfully establish credit accounts, secure loans, or enter into contracts. Identity fraud occurs when a criminal uses personal information, such as a Social Security Number or credit card account number, to steal financial resources (What is Identity Fraud?).

When many things are impossible in the real world, virtual world opens the gate to enable people out there in engaging activities that are very different from their everyday face-to-face interactions and experiences. Hence, more and more people are spending exorbitant amounts of time online as a normal part of everyday life: playing games, shopping, maintaining friendships via instant messenger and email, getting news, etc (Lee, Hoadley, 2006). To prove it, over 80% of the nation's teenagers go online -and many of them can scarcely remember what the world was like when people were not always connected (Pew Internet, 2005). Over 43% spend more than an hour per day online, and the majority of teens (57%) also prefer the Internet to the telephone (Brignall & Valley, 2005).

According to Turkle (1995), although the line of demarcation between reality and virtuality is increasingly blurred, people are comfortable with substituting representations of the reality for the real. And this is the problem-It is as though the overlap between real and virtual effectively causes no practical reasons to separate the two. In this case, it is essential to note the difference between immersion(representation) and interactivity(communication) to to rethink textuality, literary theory and the cognitive processing of texts in the light of the new modes of artistic world(so that in a way or two will assist us in the construction for a real, or otherwise better life virtually, hopefully).

Marie-Laure Ryan (1994) explains that immersion “depends on the vividness of the display where its factors are closely related to the devices that lead to realism in representation”. She points out that immersion has a need to project a three-dimensional picture, an effect where Steuer (81) marks as “depth of information”, which is a function of a resolution display(For example: the amount of data encoded in the transmission channel). Apart from that, the "breadth of information" proposed also by Steuer unravels immersion as "the number of sensory dimensions simultaneously presented." To elaborate, breadth of information is achieved through the collaboration of multiple media: image, sound, olfactory sign as well as though the use of technical devices allowing tactile sensations (81). On the other hand, Marie-Laure Ryan describes interactivity as “the power of the user to modify the environment”. Also, she indicates an important point that:

“When navigating the virtual world, we have to note that moving the sensors and enjoying freedom of movement do not in themselves ensure an interactive relation between a user and an environment: the user could derive his entire satisfaction from the exploration of the surrounding domain. He would be actively involved in the virtual world, but his actions would bear no lasting consequences.” (Ryan, 1994)

Thus, in a truly interactive system, two way communication has to be the virtual world must respond to to the user's actions. Importantly, when it comes to computer-generated virtual reality, we have to understand that there is nothing intrinsically incompatible between immersion and interactivity (Ryan ,1994). Just like in real life that the greater our freedom to act, the deeper our bond to the environment and hence, the more interactive a virtual world, the more immersive the experience(Ryan, 1994). Immersion and interactivity do not stand in conflict-or at least not necessarily. Immersion may offer an occasional threat to interactivity, but the converse does not hold. To illustrate the “threat”, following McLuhan, Steuer suggests that the vividness of a virtual world may "decrease a subject's ability to mindfully interact with it in real time" (Steuer, pg90). If a computer-generated environment is so rich in "fictional truths" that its exploration offers great rewards, why would the user bother to work on it?

In fact, there is a good reason for virtual reality to combine these 2 types of experiences. To explain, in the real world, we act with the body by pointing at things, manipulating them, and working on them with tools, using them as an instrument of exploration by walking around the world and moving the sensors. In virtual reality, we interact with a world that is experienced as existing autonomously because this world is accessible to many senses, particularly to the sense of touch. The bodily participation of the user in virtual reality can be termed world-creative in the same sense that performing actions in the real world can be said to create reality (Ryan, 1994). This occurs through the mediation of the body. "Our body is our interface," claims William Brickemp in a VR manifesto (quoted in Pimentel and Texeira, 1993, pg160). Therefore, the authenticity of virtual reality can be brought to a higher level of validity by reconciling immersion and interactivity because we are able to feel a greater sense of presence. The question to ponder now is whether engrossing ourselves into it bring more harm than good or the other way around?

Joshua Clover, in his “Edge of Construct” depicts digital immersion can be “bad”, that it becomes hard to discern one's true identity, resulting one to experience “an endless confusion of insides and outsides” (2004, pg28). In this case, Clover is suggesting a possible outcome of identity crisis, which in the philosophical sense has a great deal with the body-mind problems. Before asserting that the virtual reality is a place where one's identity belongs, we must accept that in the psychical real world, textual creation is also a creation ex nihilo that excludes the creator from the creation-a purely mental event where people do not belong to the world of their fictions! If a mind may conceive a world from the outside, a body always experiences it from the inside (Ryan 1994). As a relation involving the body, the interactivity of virtual reality immerses the user in a world already in place; as a process involving the mind, it turns the user's relation to this world into a creative membership. Therefore, rather than performing a creation through a diegetic (i.e. descriptive) use of language, we should take believe that the most immersive forms of textual interactivity are those in which the user's contributions where a dialogic and live interaction with other members in the community exist. In this case, perhaps virtual reality is the perfect reality to live out a true life (Ryan 1994).

A good instance of virtual reality is Second Life-a sophisticated, online 3D digital world that is populated by customisable onscreen characters called avatars who represent individual members (What is Second Life?). They perform routines like what we do in the physical world: meeting, interacting, playing, building, dating, and etc. Since buying and selling are possible in Second Life, this have caught the imagination of the Internet's heaviest hitters, who see it as the possible future of online commerce (What is Second Life?). Some insights about Second Life Economies:

“our users create, merchandise, and sell virtual goods as part of the largest user-generated 3D virtual goods economy in the world. By any measure - number of items, transactions, dollar value, revenues earned - Second Life is the leader. In 2009, Second Life Residents earned more than twice that amount - US$55 million- while the total size of the Second Life economy grew 65% to US$567 million.” (Linden, 2010)

Lastly, can we fall in love with avatars? Yes in future but not now. One of the reasons is because not all current users in the virtual world embrace the reality. Their attitude towards virtual avatars is comparable to Warner's discussion of 'the principle of negativity (Warner, 1990, pg42): “the process by which when one enters the public is to erase one’s private self (and rendering ethos, the persona of the speaker/writer, irrelevant) and assume a public mantle of anonymity so as to evoke a purely public figuration by which ‘arguments, not persons, are judged”. People participate in the online world partly to erase or replace one's real world embodiment and embodied statues features of race, class, gender, and etc. People are not putting their “real selves” into it- They negate their actual identities and posit new virtual personas. Avatar to them is what Boellstorff would call it as a “techne” that helps constitute the gap between private and public identity.When this happens, the avatar inherits all of the dualisms that afflict all performing objects and it may be perceived either as living people or as lifeless dolls (Manning, 2009).

In conclusion, there are problems inherent in the reality that we are in today. These problems emerge perhaps as a result of how we are slowly embracing postmodernism attitude in our lives. Inconsistency in our physical world becomes apparent and this blurs our vision to regard our reality as “real”. The new creation of virtual reality allows us to experience the “realness” as never before. Thus, more and more people seek it as an alternative to physical world. For we are the new generation of users who try making media our second life, we still cannot solve the “confusion” of the separation of physical word and virtual world-the line between these two is still blur. This portrays why some of us experience identity crisis. At this moment, we are not yet capable to fully “live real” in virtual world. Loving an avatar is hence not possible in the meantime. However, virtual world itself would manifest and continue to grow in maturity. Sooner in future, virtual world will become more prominent and useful in all ways. Perhaps it will be the reality for us to live a real life. Hence, when things are still in the mists, we may regard virtual world from another angle-perhaps not as a place for to seek our for “realness” but “a space for growth”. As Turkle (1995) says:

“Virtuality need not be a prison. It can be the raft, the ladder, the transitional space, the moratorium, that is discarded after reaching greater freedom. We don't have to reject life on the screen, but we don't have to treat it as an alternative life either. We can use it as a space for growth ... Like the anthropologist returning home from a foreign culture, the voyager in virtuality can return to a real world better equipped to understand its artifices. (Turkle, 1995, p. 263)”

(Word count: 2189)

Citation:

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Bishop, J. (2007c) ‘Increasing participation in online communities: a framework for human-computer interaction’, Computers in Human Behavior, Vol. 23, pp.1881–1893.

Bishop, J. (2009) ‘Enhancing the understanding of genres of web-based communities: the role of the ecological cognition framework’, Int. J. Web Based Communities, Vol. 5, No. 1, pp.4–17.

Bishop, J. (2005) ‘The role of mediating artefacts in the design of persuasive e-learning systems’, Proceedings of the Internet Technology & Applications 2005 Conference, Wrexham: North East Wales Institute of Higher Education.

Carlin, G&Hendra,T (2009) Last Words. Viewed 5th November 2010,http://books.google.com.au/books?id=pCP2VfWmEYwC&printsec=frontcover&dq=last+words&hl=en&ei=iLTlTM3MIsueca-oreQK&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CDEQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q&f=false

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Linden. T (2010) 2009 End of Year Second Life Economy Wrap up (including Q4 Economy in Detail), Viewed: 5th November 2010 , http://blogs.secondlife.com/community/features/blog/2010/01/19/2009-end-of-year-second-life-economy-wrap-up-including-q4-economy-in-detail

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Pimentel, Ken, and Kevin Texeira. Virtual Reality: Through the New Looking-Glass. Intel/Windcrest McGraw Hill, 1993.

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Telepresence." Journal of Communications 42.4 (1992): 73-93

Steuer, Jonathan. "Defining Virtual Reality: Dimensions DeterminingTelepresence." Journal of Communications 42.4

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Paradox of our time...

2010-11-12T23:35:00.000+08:00

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings but shorter tempers, wider Freeways ,but narrower viewpoints. We spend more, but have less, we buy more, but enjoy less. We have bigger houses and smaller families, more conveniences, but less time. We have more degrees but less sense, more knowledge, but less judgment, more experts, yet more problems, more medicine, but less wellness.

We drink too much, smoke too much, spend too recklessly, laugh too little, drive too fast, get too angry, stay up too late, get up too tired, read too little, watch TV too much, and pray too seldom.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values. We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.

We've learned how to make a living, but not a life. We've added years to life not life to years. We've been all the way to the moon and back, but have trouble crossing the street to meet a new neighbour. We conquered outer space but not inner space. We've done larger things, but not better things.

We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul. We've conquered the atom, but not our prejudice. We write more, but learn less. We plan more, but accomplish less. We've learned to rush, but not to wait. We build more computers to hold more information, to produce more copies than ever, but we communicate less and less.

These are the times of fast foods and slow digestion, big men and small character, steep profits and shallow relationships. These are the days of two incomes but more divorce, fancier houses, but broken homes. These are days of quick trips, disposable diapers, throwaway morality, one night stands, overweight bodies, and pills that do everything from cheer, to quiet, to kill. It is a time when there is much in the showroom window and nothing in the stockroom. A time when technology can bring this letter to you, and a time when you can choose either to share this insight, or to just hit delete...

(From the mind of George Carlin)

Case of a Creator Being a Failure

2010-07-12T22:05:00.001+08:00

In the outcome of my design, the production of interesting results (an effort for reaching supercivilization) has curiously set me off to connect with my creations. Undergone the conversion into 3 dimension, I took a trip to the world I created just to interact with the creatures in their own "sense". By the way, I am the Creator of all things.

My experiencing moments on Earth made me realise that my Divine plan has been, after all, a major failure (In a sense when I relate it with what I initially constructed this world for). Indeed, look at my work: War, Disease, Death, Destruction, Hunger, Filth, Poverty, Torture, Crime, Corruption, and the Ice Capades. Something is definitely wrong. This is not good work.

Humanity seeks truth from all directions including (but not limited to) areas in philosophy, science and religions. It was funny, seriously, studying at how they would act just to defend their beliefs.

The sword of God, the blood of the lamb. Vengeance is mine, onward Religious soldiers. Millions of dead people. Ha! For thousands of years all the bloodiest and most brutal wars have been based on religious hatred-Hindus, Muslims, Christians, Jews, all taking turns killing one another. The reason… They claim all because I said so?!

Why would I want to get such effect out of inflicting pain to them? I did not benefit from it. Besides, when their existence was almost entirely pointless in the first place, they should understand there were neither evolutionary benefit to them, nor their dependants and species, in their desires to accomplish things and improve themselves. It is just a big waste of their effort.

Outcome like this, I need to admit that, somehow, it was part of my factor that resulted such a thing. I'm not
all-powerful, all-perfect, all-knowing and all-wise. I did not expect things would turn out to be like this. It was embarrassing. What a shame. Just to make myself feel good, It was rather amusing that my imperfections fabricated some spectacular features.

For example, religions regarded me differently. Christianity viewed me as the God who set up the special list of ten things called "The 10 commandments" which I require people to abide to. In addition, they made me a fictional book called the Bible and it has been the number one selling books of all time.

Gosh! This is hilarious. I am truly astonished by their creativity. They claimed I created them in my image and likeness; however, from my observations, it was evidently that they crafted me in their own images and likeness! The one I love the most was that they said I exist in all 3 forms-The Holy Trinity.

According to the widely used calendar, I was in the year 2010. While exploring this epic failed world that I made, somehow I was invited for an interview after some people discovered that I was one of the members of the Holy Trinity. Though Jesus Christ is not my name, I felt pleasurable with this identity as a guest in the Late Show with David Letterman. Cool! It was the time for a gag!

(Initial "DL" for David Letterman)

DL    : Ladies and Gentleman, we are privileged to have with us a man known all
     over the world as the prince of peace- Jesus Christ. How are you Jesus?

I     : Fine, thanks and let me say, it's great to be back.

DL     : Can you tell us, after all this time, why you came back?

I     : Mostly nostalgia. Yea… I'm here also to basically clarify some issues.

DL     : (confused) Eh, what do you mean?

I     : Most of the things from the Bible which you are reading now are just
     invented tales. Some are true but most are just false stories.

DL     : Tell me about the miracles you have performed.

I     : (giggling) Well, not counting the loaves and the fishes, I have done a total of
     107 miracles...

DL     : Why don't you count the loaves and the fishes?

I     : Well, technically, that one wasn't a miracle.

DL     : It wasn't?!

I     : Yeap, it turned out a lot of people were putting them back. Didn't like them.
     Actually not all those miracles were pure miracles anyway.

DL     : Are you saying that all the miracles you have performed weren't miracles at all?
     What were they then?

I     : Sort of. Well, some of them were parlour tricks, optical illusions, mass hypnosis.
     We had hallucinations, even acupressure. That was how I cured most of the
     blind guys- acupressure.

DL     : How about the one where you turned the water into wine?

I     : Err…I couldn't recall about the water and wine thing. However, I did remember
     turning apple juice into milk on one occasion.

DL     : What do you think about Christianity?

I     : Well, I'm a little embarrassed by it. Uh, if I had to do it over again, I think I
     would start one of them Eastern religions like Buddha did.

DL     : (shocked) You wouldn't want to be a Christian?

I     : No. I would never want to be a member of any group whose symbol is a man
     nailed onto two pieces of wood. Especially if it's me!

By this time, incalculable phone calls jammed up the customer service hotlines of the TV station. Inevitably, the show triggered an uproar and offended the public. Many religious people got insulted and demanded viciously the station to stop airing the show. They thought this was some kind of ludicrous joke and apparently it did not provide them with a great deal of entertainment. The concern was brought to the awareness of the host.

DL     : I'm sorry sir. Are you really God? It seems that people out there are having a
     dispute over your identity. Seriously, this does not help in your credibility. So if
     you're just here to fool around……

I     : WHAT?!!!

I     : (Splashhhh….)

(To conclude, the creature (human races) still shared a common ignorance to the precision of why I positioned them for. Being merely the manipulated variables, they were lost as a species, of which I initially presumed them to be able to generate some innovative findings for my experiment. It seemed that the problem still revolved around the exaggerated reality of meaningless illusions which they experience in their conscious sphere. The key for them to unlock the next dimension appear to be impossible, at least for the time being, looking at the estimation at the present rate of their spirituality consumption. Hence, hypothesis rejected…)

How does Freaks explore the notion of subversives bodies?

2010-07-12T22:04:00.000+08:00

In 1932, film director, Tod Browning had produced a breath-taking film entitled "Freaks". Commissioned by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc (MGM), "Freaks" is a straightforward horror film which gives an unprecedented idea into the world of the side show. By featuring a large cast of genuine freak show artistes, the film gathers a reputation as a perverse masterpiece and has been read as a commentary on the studio system that treats all its talent like sideshow performers, as trashy exploitation, as a poignant fairy tale, as a grim morality play. Indeed, a film as such has shocked the audience with affect of nausea, so much so that not only its own studio withdrew it, the film also was banned outright in Britain and other countries, languishing in vaults for more than thirty years until it was premiered anew in 1962. Judging from this impact, it is interesting to investigate why the production of "Freaks" which fetches a great deal in the exploitation of handicaps for a profit would occur in the first place, considering that there was this Motion Production Code in position to govern the content of the film. How does Freaks explore the notion of subversive bodies and why was this possible in the pre-code period?

Therefore, in this essay, I attempt to discuss the Pre-code Hollywood era. Next, questioning the nature of the film "Freaks", I describe how "Freaks was able to subvert an established film regulation in order to portray the possibility of its existence in that period.

First and foremost, the "Pre-Code Hollywood era" refers to a roughly 5 years period in film history, beginning with the widespread adoption of sound in 1929 and ending on July 1, 1934, with the inauguration of the Production Code Administration and a policy of rigid censorship (Lasalle 2005). The reason why it is called "Pre-code" is because during the period, there was, in fact, an existence of a Production Code-a code of ethics and practices which sought to determine what the studio could portray on screen (Lasalle 2005). Matthew Bernstein, in his book, Controlling Hollywood: censorship and regulation in the studio era (1999 pg 88) details 3 functions of this production code which are: (1) To mediate points of social conflict between the industry trade association between industry and various external regulatory agencies, (2) To institute censorship to stave off the passage of regulatory legislation and (3) help producers avoid interference by state agencies in the distribution and exhibition of features. In short, the code basically contained a set of "General Principles" and a list of "Particular Applications".

Such a code was adopted by the Board of Directors of the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, Inc. (MPPDA) in March 1930 where its administrators relied heavily on their knowledge of the practices of the various national, state and municipal censor boards in developing the detailed operation of the code (Maltby 2003). However, in an effort to function the code's administration of censorship at the level of representation, the production code was just blithely ignored and received much less attention for a variety of reasons (LaSalle 2005). In asking why a film like "Freaks" could explore the notion of subversive bodies to exist in the pre-code Hollywood period, we begin to investigate some of the reasons.

Firstly, because the production code itself was based upon a list of guidelines, "the "Don'ts and Becarefuls of 1927" that was derived of an analysis made by censor board (which was made up of members from the Women's and Protestant groups as according to Garth Jowett's "The democratic Art" in 1976) over a period of several years (Jacobs 1991), the agreements that underlay the code have often been blamed for Hollywood's lack of realism (Maltby 2003). To explain this, the impracticability of the code can be seen here when instead of attempting to improve the quality of the film, the code has the interest only in the concern for the widespread conviction that children would be "coached" in sophisticated, violent, or antisocial behaviour through their attendance at motion picture (Maltby 2003). Indeed, narrow, unenlightened and self-interest motive behind the effort in the construction of this code did not impress the public. The public did not like

Secondly, fingers could also be pointed to the governments for their political timidity. To illustrate this, being in authority, the government could easily enforce the code's censorship guidelines; however, pressure was constantly and invisibly exerted throughout the production process (Bernstein, 1999, pg 96). That is, an explanation of the rhetoric manifestation or "work" of censorship involves not an examination of specific cases but a conception of the industry as the site of a discursive logic.

This possibly was due to the need to compromise for 2 main purposes: (1) for economic advantage and, (2) to serve the industry's political interest (Bernstein, 1999, pg 88). In elaboration, firstly, for the economic benefit, because foreign revenue consistently accounted for about 35% of Hollywood's gross income (Bernstein, 1999, pg 116), the domination of the market of the world would, at least, depend on the external profit they could get from other countries. Secondly, for the industry's political intention, this was a strategy as a defence against external treat (Hays, 1955, pg 343). In producing the film, not only the governments would want to persuade the domestic audience that its product were neither morally nor economically damaging, they also wanted to convince foreign censors and trade representatives that its outage was culturally inoffensive and ideologically neutral (Ellwood and Krows, 1994). In short, the integration of foreign and domestic matters was a necessary logical step toward greater bureaucratic efficiency (Wilson, 1928).

Debating about economic, we must not forget that the introduction of the Code was at the time when the Great Depression intervened the country. Major studio companies had learned by then that in order to seek income, the trade negotiations could not be divorced from the issue of motion picture content (Bernstein 1999, pg 121). For survival sake, they had to continue producing films because they understand that the advertising power of the movies was widely recognised to being able to stimulate consumer demand besides giving them a privileged standing within the institutions of capitalist enterprise as fashion leaders and trendsetters (Eckert, 1978).
Subsequently, what they eventually did was to integrate self-regulation as part of their film production under their system (Bernstein, 1999, pg 99). Self-regulation was a function of the interplay between the film industry and a loose coalition of reform groups and state regulatory agencies whereby the industry censors (such as reflecting changes of narrative and requesting revisions in scripts) generally in consultation only with writers, directors, and producers. In elaboration, in the production of "Freaks", not only MPPDA was the one who had opinions, MGM executives also made a fuss about Browning's film especially in the selection casting choices (Klein, 2009) However, neither MPPDA's complaints nor those of studio members could stop the head of MGM, Irving Thalberg, who fascinated a lot of Browning's work, from completing the film. The determination of Thalberg not to comply with others' conflicting suggestions proved how much he loved regulating the film in this own way.

Therefore, how this being carried out was through a use of indirect modes of representation (Bernstein, 199, pg 94). In this case, in the production of a film, what would be done was that the directors would seek to "reduce" ambiguity wherever possible and to negotiate how explicit films could be. This could be accomplished with 3 methods: (1) From images as in a construction of blatantly scenes or sequences, (2) From language as in the treatment of dialogue and (3) From sound as in the usage of music to imply the intended meaning. In short, the studio just strove to find some ways of suggestion of what that could not be directly filmed even though the outcome of this was that industry makes films which do not clarify the explanatory status and utility of the idea of the industry in the analysis of films (Bernstein, 199, pg 94).

According to the code from MPPDA, adultery and illicit sex could not be shown explicitly or come along with a number of related actions such as seduction and money changing hands (Bernstein, 1999, pg97).In "Freaks", there are a number of deviant sex scenes such as Cleopatra's salacious dropping of her cloak to tempt the midget Hans, a kiss given to one Siamese twin that's clearly felt by the other, a lustful look from hermaphrodite Josephine at Hercules that triggers a brutal punch in the face (Vieira, 1993).To exemplify the indirect modes of representation in investigating how it explores the notion of subversive bodies, Tod Browning, maintained time-word melodramatic convention to portray the entire action. In a construction of blatantly scenes and sequences through the use images, Browning made sure the scene was not too erotic or too suggestive-when it was about to cross the line, the film was cut into another scene. To encourage the elision or effacement of sensitive subjects, Browning did a great job in allowing the audiences a relatively free rein to impose his or her desires upon the partially completed or displaced images on the screen. In this case, explicit sex events was not shown on screen and offensive ideas survived though it came at the price of an instability of meaning (Bernstein, 199, pg 94)

However, a large part of the film "Freaks" has deliberately crossed the line, subverting the film regulation. In the MPPDA archive, there are 2 codes which state:

"there should be no dialogue or scenes indicating that all , or a majority of the members of
any professional group , are unethical, immoral, given to the criminal activities and the like"
and

"where a given member of any profession is to be a heavy or unsympathetic character, this
should be off-set showing upright members of the same profession condemning the
unethical acts or conduct of the heavy or unsympathetic character"

In explanation, Tod Browning , in this case, has literally and directly emphasized the clear mode of unethical and immoral representation in "Freaks". The film depicted the ordinary characters, Cleopatra and Hercules, to be the ones who were wicked. For example, in the wedding banquette scene, Browning had both of them engaged evidently in some immoral activities. In the treatment of dialogue, utterances such as "You dirty slimy freaks, FREAKS, FREAKS!!!" and "Must Mama take you horsy back ride?" could be heard. As of the image wise, we could notice a midget, Hans, being lifted up and passed around to be toyed like a baby. Apparently, Browning had the intention to display the great humiliation helplessly taken by the freak.

Inevitably, "Freaks" abounds extensively with subversions of conventional morality, emphasising particularly on physical deformity by simultaneously titillating and terrorizing audiences with tableaux of a subculture populated by the physically "abnormal" (Vieira, 1993). The marketing strategy for it was rather demoralizing: Instead of clueing the potential audience in that the film was going to be sympathetic, to show malformed human beings in a more positive light, they came up film title like "FREAKS" and with such gems as "Can a full grown woman truly love a MIDGET?" and "We'll Make Her One of Us!' (Lorefice, 2002).

Perhaps Robert Sklar was correct when in his book, Movie-Made America: A Cultural History of American Movies, that he mentioned:

"Hollywood's movie-makers perpetrated one of the most remarkable challenges to
traditional values in the history of mass commercial entertainment. The movies called into
question sexual propriety, social decorum and the institutions of law and order."

To conclude, "Freaks" explored the notion of subversive bodies by means of its film representations that exploited the disables'' physical differences as a method and for horrifying the primarily able-bodied audience under the self-regulating production system that enabled the film to exist in the Pre-Code era. Pre-code might be a time of an unfiltered expression of how people felt about life whereby true voice without the countervailing influence of censorship was possible; we may need to know that though "Freaks" might have successfully assaulted and horrified the contemporary audiences, who were accustomed to the conventions of the freak show, it was possible also that the disabled actors were shot for a quaint tale of love and revenge. Perhaps Browning was not an exploiter after all. Perhaps he was just making his film for the wrong audience.

Bibliography

Characterization of Newspapers Editors , Reporters and Publishers in Motion Picture," Reel 12, MPPDA Achieve

Eckert, Charles (1978), "the Carol Lombard in Macy's Window

Ellwood, David W and Krows, Robert , (1994)"Hollywood in EuropeL Experience of a Cultural Hemogomy" Amsterdam VU University Press, pg 68-93

Hays, Will, (1955), "Momoirs, pg 343, New York Doubleday

Jacobs, lea, (1991)" The Wages of Sin: Censorship and Fallen women Film, 1928-1942, University of Wisconsis Pressm Madison, Chp 5

Jowett, Garth, Film, (1976), "The democratic Art", Little Brown, Boston

Klein, Amanda (2009) , Teaching Tod Browning's FREAKS, Viewed 3rd June 2010, http://judgmentalobserver.wordpress.com/2009/09/13/teaching-tod-brownings-freaks/
Lasalle, Mick (2005), Pre-Code Hollywood, Viewed 3rd June 2010, http://www.greencine.com/static/primers/precode.jsp

Lorefice, Mike, (2002), "Freaks", Viewed 3rd June 2010, http://www.metalasylum.com/ragingbull/movies/freaks.html

Maltby, Richard (2003), More Sinned Against than Sinning: The Fabrications of "Pre-Code Cinema", Viewed 2nd June 2010, http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/03/29/pre_code_cinema.html

Norden, Martin F. The Cinema of Isolation: A History of Physical Disability in the Movies. New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 1994

Vieira, Mark A, (1993), Todd Browning's Freak: Production notes and analysis, Viewed 4th June 2010, http://www.brightlightsfilm.com/32/32freaks.php

Robert Sklar, Movie-Made America: A Cultural History of American Movies, Random House, New York, 1975, p. 175

Wilson, John, V, memo to Carl Milliken, November 23, 1928, California Pffice File, Reel 4 MPPDA Archive

What is Hyperreality?

2010-07-12T21:51:00.001+08:00

"What is real? When is it real? Why is it real? How real is it?" Questions as such demand how we ascend the world to the field that governs it. We have explored reality from a mental, rational and industrial view-a modern sense perception. To explain, one scientific example is the Newton's theory which states that there is an objective reality where the world which we see exists regardless of our own existence (What is reality?). However, as time passes by, in the reality that we are in, we have come to the awareness that there are problems inherent in its own organization and we have run up against our own limitations for a resolution- the modern is struggling to give way to the postmodern (Wilber pg 68). Therefore, the solution of this problem, according to Ken Wilber, is perhaps the creation of a new one (pg 68).

The introduction of Hyperrealism is one of the major symptoms of postmodern culture. Asked what is Hyperreality, it is interesting to study some of the notable theorists like Umberto Eco, Jean Baudrillard, Daniel Boorstin and Shawn Parry-Giles who can provide meaningful definitions to it. Umberto Eco, in his "Travels in Hyperreality, says: "The American imagination demands the real thing and, to attain it, must fabricate the absolute fake" (Eco 8). Here he regards Hyperreality as an authentic fake. Almost similarly, Jean Baudrilliad in his "The Precession of Simulacra", he states that Hyperreality is as "The generation by models of a real without origins or reality: a hyperreal" (Baudrillard 2). In here he basically explains Hyperreality as being the simulation of something which never really existed. Now that we have identified 2 definitions of Hyperreality, we shall proceed the discussion a little more in depth with the significance of it, some interesting examples of it, the consequences of it as well as looking into some of the arguments derived from it.

The birth of Hyperreality came into light slowly as we gradually seek stimulated stimuli to replace our world with a copy one. The explanation for such behaviour, Umberto Eco mentions that it is for the reason to "…illustrate the revivalist awareness of the period when they were built" (Eco pg 28) and "because history will not be imitated. It has to be made." (Eco pg 28). Basically, Eco wants to point out that real world and possible has been undermined (Eco pg 14) and hence, to attain something, it must fabricate the absolute fake (Eco pg 8) because reality is just a fantasy (Eco pg 15). In short, Eco believes that the reality that we are in is a "falsehood" which we enjoy in "fullness". To him, "hyperreality," or the world of "the Absolute Fake," what counts, however, is not the authenticity of a piece but the amazing information it conveys (Eco pg 15)- somehow this suggests the imitations are aimed to improve the reality, bringing the picture of "Hyperreality" to be considered upon as something encouraging and positive.

Jean Baudrillard explains Hyperreality as "reality by proxy". According to him, the world is being constructed more "real" than real, and where those inhabiting it are "obsessed" with timelessness, perfection, and objectification of the self and so, they take someone else's version of reality on board as their own. Authenticity has been replaced by copy where reality is replaced by a substitute and hence, nothing is "real," though those engaged in the illusion are incapable of seeing it. (Bauldrillard). It seems to him that we are living in a Hyperreality of a culture of deception. Why? To elaborate, for Bauldrillard, one key factor for the creation of Hyperreality is the sign of exchange value which has reliance with consumerism. Thus, when it comes to the frame of "Consumerisms", the confusing simulations for what they imitate, may, in this case, be regarded as a problematic issue. This is because they can indicate something about the owners in the context of a social system and there would then be many emerging consequences due to it. (Bauldrillard). For example, Hyperreality tricks the consciousness into detaching from any real emotional engagement, instead opting for artificial simulation and endless reproductions of fundamentally empty appearance (Bauldrillard). In Bauldrillard concepts of Hyperreality, it seems that his provocative aphorism bends towards a more negative side.

Overall, both Eco and Bauldrillard have portrayed that Hyperreality indicates the age of simulation we belong, particularly on how it helps in the creation of a human world today (The age of simulation). We are using science and technology to gain power over the world and to create fictional substitute "worlds" in which we have complete control. Various examples of how science and technology are allowing us to reshape the world so it conforms to our desires are being depicted in the essays from Eco and Bauldrillard.

For a good example to illustrate, Eco, in his essay who plays the role of both social critic and tour guide, takes the reader across an American landscape that he says is being re-created in the image of fake history, fake art, fake nature and fake cities (Travelling through Hyperreality with Umberto Eco) and gives an account of his visit to Disneyland and Disney World where he relates how these places can tell us that technology can provide us with more than nature does. In comparison to Disney, a hyperreality place in which everything is brighter, larger and more entertaining than in everyday life, reality can be disappointing. In explanation, when he travels the artificial river in Disneyland, he sees animatronic imitations of animals. But, on a trip down the real Mississippi, the river fails to reveal its alligators. One may never even get a good look at any crocodiles on the cruise, but the crocodiles at Disney World are always cooperative. (Hyperreality: The authentic fake). In addition to that, when Eco mentions "…their interior is always a disguised supermarket, where you buy obsessively, believing that you are still playing", this easily shows us that the creating a hyperreality world indeed has something to do with what Bauldrilaard has suggested: The existence of Hyperreality is for commercialising and consumerism purpose. In short, the Disney world supplies us with two trends that define the age: the desire to escape the constraints of life through the new magic wand of technology and the desire to pretend that we have done so in invented worlds of simulation (Disney word: Cities of Simulation as Postmodern Utopias) at the cost of us being the passive consumers-a new twist for the same old tricks of capitalism

Next, to understand what hyperreality is, it is crucial to understand the consequences of it. The pervasive use of deceptive simulations to manipulate large numbers of people in the contemporary culture of deconstruction of reality that we are in, according to Utopian philosopher, Herbert Marcuse, is used to satisfy true or false needs, making possible exploitation and escape, or a breakthrough into a new kind of society, based on the right to live fully (Faustian Society). The example of Disney world alone reveals the way technology can promote narcissistic personality traits in those who use it (Disney World: Cities of Simulation as Postmodern Utopias). It is dangerous for it might cause humanity to regress, allowing it to lose itself in an environment of automation, simulation and reassuring intellectual illusions (Disney World: Cities of Simulation as Postmodern Utopias). If the world we live now is exactly like Disney world, we will surely be drawn into fields of engagement in which nothing is at stake. Not only we would stand at a remove from things; to act decisively when the stakes are not real and when there is no danger that we will make a true mistake, we would also be encouraged to encounter other people only through mediations such as computer images, voices, and so on. Interacting with fictional characters in place of people, we are protected from intimacy or the judgment of others (Stoller 1985). Behind the facade of daring exploits and journeys, we will be in a reality in which we always play it safe (Stoller 1985). Simulation, the ultimate imitation of life, therefore, becomes a wall that stands between us and the true experience of life (Stoller 1985).

In conclusion, as the relevancy of hyperreality in our lives is becoming more important from time to time, not only we need to understand that hyperreality brings about both positive and negative consequences, we should also not to forget that the importance of hyperreality ultimately still lies in the achievements of it. As Eco has pointed out a positive outcome that Hyperreality is aimed at improving the conditions of our reality, we may appreciate hyperreality from this angle that it is part of the larger story of humanity's genuine effort to master its surroundings and turn it into a more human world that is designed around our needs and desires (The Mastery of Life). To enhance the reality might be to indulge ourselves in new period of history of building a new journey of civilization (Faustian society). All our creations including the simulations we bring about are the things which can consciously create a society and culture that expresses the fullness of life. Hence, hyperreality from this sense is good but if we recognise the dark side of it, we then out to efficiently adapt it for good, bringing the fantasy to life.

(1564 words)

Biography:

Eco, U., "Travels in Hyperreality", London, Picador, 1986.

Baudrillard, J-L., from "The Precession of Simulacra", Simulations, New York, Semiotext[e],
1983, 1-13

"Baudrillard", <http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Baudrillard>

Disney World: Cities of Simulation as Postmodern Utopias,
http://www.transparencynow.com/disney2.htm

Faustian Society, viewed May 4^th 2010, <http://www.transparencynow.com/faustian.htm>

Hyperreality, viewed May 4^th 2010,
    <http://www.knowledgerush.com/kr/encyclopedia/Hyperreality>

Stoller, Robert, "A culture based on Fantasy and Acting out", Observing the Erotic
    Imagination (New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 1985) pp. 58-61.

The Age of Simulation, viewed May 3^rd, <http://www.transparencynow.com/tablesim.htm>

The Mastery of Life, viewed May 3^rd 2010, <http://www.transparencynow.com/mastery.htm>

Disney Distorted Mirror, viewed May3rd 2010,
    <http://www.transparencynow.com/Disney/distable1.htm>

What is Hyperreality?, viewed May 3^rd, <http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-hyperreality.htm>

Traveling Through Hyperreality With Umberto Eco?,
    <http://www.transparencynow.com/eco.htm>

Hyperreality: The Authentic Fake?, viewed May 5^th 2010,
    <http://mediacrit.wetpaint.com/page/Hyperreality:+The+Authentic+Fake>

What should I do when facing environmental issues?

2010-07-12T21:46:00.001+08:00

Inevitably, similar environmental issues as above have surfaced throughout human history and in answering the above question, one would normally consent with the principle of environmentalism- upholding a practice in protecting natural resources and ecosystems. However, if I were to do something when facing the above predicament, I would resort to the method on which I would lead my good life. In this case, I would just make clear to those oblivious people within my reach, informing them that going green to save the planet is just an effort of waste and there is no point doing it. I believe I have the responsibility to "enlighten" to those who still believe that environmentalism is a correct thing to deal with the problem. I always ask this question: Why when facing environmental problems, we have to conceit and think that somehow we are a threat that we are going to put in jeopardy to this Earth when the fact is that there is nothing wrong with the Earth? The Earth has been here for a very long time and has gone through many major disasters and it will heal itself after a while. The Earth is a self-correcting system. Therefore, when it comes to the notion of "environmentalism", saving the environment is not really saving the environment; perhaps it is saving the humanity, saving ourselves?

Matt Ridley and Bobbi S. Low began (1993) their essay "Can Selfishness Save the Environment" with:

    Conventional wisdom has it that the way to avert global ecological disaster is
    to persuade people to change their selfish habits for the common good.
    A more sensible approach would be to tap a boundless and renewable resource:
    the human propensity for thinking mainly of short term self-interest

The keyword "selfish habits" and "short term self-interest" are the notions that speak forth the intention behind all our efforts in trying to be environmental. In this essay, my main objective is to prove that environmentalism is another arrogant egotistical attempt by human beings- a selfish act! To do it, I am going to portray how humanity conscience towards environmental movement has been twisted along the history. Then I shall explain why preservation or conservation are not of altruistic reasons but for selfish reasons. I will also provide details for why people seem not to recognize the reflection of their own values in conservation movement. Everything here in order to show the role for environmental ethics has not been properly understood in relation to the relevant epistemology, philosophy of science and especially decision theory.

First, we begin from investigating the history for the concern the environmental case. In 1886, Ernst Haeckel (1966) gave the concept of an economy of nature with the name "Ecology", meaning "chaotic free-for-all" but the subsequent arcadian and romantic intellectual counter currents to eighteenth-century rationalism and mechanism had given the proto-ecological notion of natural economy a more integrative and holistic cast-Ecology as it eventually emerged as a distinct discipline of natural history was shaped by a complex of governing metaphors derived from these traditions (Callicott, 1989, pg105). Then, the modern environmental movement, which was a reaction to industrialization, came to light to advocate the sustainable management of resources, and the protection and restoration of the natural environment through changes in public policy and individual behaviour (Fleming and Bethany, 2006)

More recently, the changing centrality of the axiological problem for environmental ethics has then been reiterated to this stage where Tom Regan, in his essay "Intrinsic Value, Quantum Theory and Environmental Ethics" (Callicott, 1989, pg 157) says:

"The development of what can properly be called an environmental ethic requires that we postulate inherent value in nature." Otherwise, a putative environmental ethic would collapse into a "management ethic," an ethical for the "use of the environmental", not an ethic the beneficiary of which is the environment per se"

Regan does not detail much about what the "inherent value in nature" is but Rolston in "Humans Valuing the Natural Environment" (Rolston, 1988, pg1-23), has shown us that the importance of environmental ethics can be valued from these 14 types of different values: (1)life-support, (2)economic, (3)recreational, (4)scientific, (5)aesthetic, (6)genetic-diversity, (7)historical, (8)cultural-symbolization, (9)character-building, (10)diversity-unity, (11)spontaneity and (12)stability, (13)dialectic, (14)life and religious. () According to Regan, inherent value must be objective and independent of any valuing consciousness; however, we mostly ground the inherent value very often only in human being. Thus, this displays how self-interest in us can prove how selfish we are.

In illustration, when applying these values in the modern materialistic world today, we notice environmental affairs tend to bend towards certain value. Mainly, it is for economical reasons. Valuing economic for environmental purpose, this is where when business interrupt the ecosystem to assert its corporate self-interest at the expense of the biosystemic as a whole (Rolston, 1988 pg303). This is accurate as many cases of social responsibility dealing with environmental affairs, actions to "legislate" morality" are seen, at least in minimum essential or common-denominator areas. Apparently, the outcome of this has come to light where management ethic for the commons can be seen– about soil, air, water, pollution, environmental quality, the ozone layer, mutagens, wildlife, endangered species, future generations. For example, in Australia, we have a mass social movement willingly supported by millions of citizens that challenges the most powerful interests in society like The Landcare movement, The anti-litter movement, the green movement, Anti-nuclear movement and others (Hutton and Connors, 1999 and McLeod 1995).

All such movements are examples of a phenomenon throughout the history of mankind that we have been fighting over what to do with public domains, how much to reserve as commons and how much to pass into private ownership. Undeniably, every movement wants to create its environmental policy to provide an ethic for the commons but the problem has yet been solved especially in the trusting of which policy can be helpful to make the world a better and greener place. However, we do know something-ethics is enforced and written into law and therefore be mandatory.

Next, the part when it comes to the ethical considerations in relation to human efforts to conserve the natural environment, we need to understand a few things which people have failed to notice. First, we need understand that no such thing as policy exists in nature. Policy arises when human corporately and deliberately confront their environment (Rolston, 1988, pg 246). The environment is crucially a "commons," that is, a public good. To elaborate on this, the nature does not have the environmental policy; it just appeared in the decade of the 1960s when there was a major ecological revolution-a revolution in consciousness concerning our outlook toward other species and the need to protect the integrity of wild ecosystem. This was when the ecology movement started to rise. One contributing factor that "fired up" this revolution was perhaps the industrial revolution gave rise to modern environmental pollution as it is generally understood today.

As far as valuing economic is the reason to be concerned, we have to put it to our mind that government and big business firms are, strictly speaking, not moral agents at all. They are as instruments of the persons within them they can do large amounts of right and wrong to us from their "invented" policies. (Rolston, 1988, pg 248). We have to be cautions on this because we might end up with them in the same position if we follow what they ask us to do. In addition to that, in regards to the environmental policies they introduce to us, we need to be aware that they are in a way related to capitalism. Hence, we have to recognise that the forces of capitalism may shape us into developing a selfish self for the entire community, a community with an environment which would cultivate selfishness to the residing people. When environmental ethics is rooted into what that regulates humanity, it may be a portrayal of the true colors of Marxism in humanity that we are living a capitalist way of environmental consciousness- we have been made selfish in a world that introduces us the necessity for competing for an environmental conscious life. The consequences from this kind of practical outlook by government and business are large influence in our lives. One of the most important consequences is that we become oblivious to the fact that "environmentalism" is not quite the concern for the protection of the environment but "saving of the humanity".

"Saving the humanity" seems to be one of the reasons Richard Routley has shown to us in his paper entitled "Is There a Need for a New, an Environmental, Ethic?" which was published in 1973. Routley regards the environmental ethic in the western culture as "normal Western ethics" in which he claims it in effect, only instrumental, not intrinsic, value for nonhuman natural entities and nature as a whole (Callicott, 1989, pg 159). Routley intuitively depicts the universal assumption of an axiology in which only people are intrinsically valuable in ethics when good comes first to them and everything else a bad last. Routley calls it as "Basic (human) chauvinism" He demonstrates various examples including actions that mess up the environment and natural things. One of them is the "vanishing species" example in which he shows us that there are situations they would do nothing morally wrong even for the case of extirpating species. Routley shows that all these engagements of environmental degrading activities, permissible actions that rebound on the environment are still narrowly circumscribed.

Now, when extirpating a species can be morally correct in certain cases, it seems that we are now experiencing the difficulties in drawing the line to separate the correct from the wrong. Environmentalism in this case, becomes subjective. Probably, the condition now is that environmentalists are finding hard to judge the right from the wrong when facing environmental problems. Therefore, instead of really "protecting the environment", they become obsessed in saving what wildness remains, just to guarantee that we do not make irrersible mistake (Leopold 1970, pg 190). Apart from that, they support environmental regulation consistent with profitability and the expansion of global capitalism such as resource conservation for long-run profitability and profit-oriented regulation or abolition of pollution-they are typically allied with national and international interest

George Carlin, a social critic, commented his point of view regarding the issue of environment at Madison Square Gardens, New York, live on air as well as to the 6,500 people who were there. Basically, Carlin mentioned that human beings are very self-important and selfish. He stated there is no point saving the planet when we cannot save ourselves yet. Also, Carlin believed that there is nothing wrong in the planet but there is something wrong with the people. (Connor 1997)

    "The planet has been through a lot worse than us. Been through all kinds of things
    worse than us. Been through earthquakes, volcanoes, plate tectonics, continental drift,
    solar flares, sun spots, magnetic storms, the magnetic reversal of the poles...hundreds
    of thousands of years of bombardment by comets and asteroids and meteors,
    worlwide floods, tidal waves, worldwide fires, erosion, cosmic rays, recurring ice
    ages...And we think some plastic bags, and some aluminum cans are going to make a
    difference? The planet...the planet...the planet isn't going anywhere. WE
    ARE!"(George Carlin-The Planet is Fine)

Derek Parfit, an Oxford philosopher, ended his book "Reason and Persons" with a note somehow similar to the idea of Carlin. He wrote: "The Earth will remain inhabitable for at least another billion years. Civilization began only a few thousand years ago. If we do not destroy mankind, these few thousands year may be only a tiny fraction of the whole civilized human history…" (1984, pg 454)

On the basis of these reflections what conclusions may be reached? I have argued that how we value environmental ethic has shown us that we failed to recognize the reflection in the environmental ethics. I have depicted the situation in which we are now experiencing ourselves being constantly torn between the drive to advance our self interest and the "real" ethics. Both ethic and self-interest seem to be in conflict and mixed up together. The role for environmental ethics has not been properly understood in relation to the relevant epistemology, philosophy of science and especially decision theory. Therefore, it is vital that when it comes to questions dealing with ethical issues, we need to know are we in the right track to see the right picture and provide the right answer. In the modern world today, when asked about what to do in regards to an environmental question, I believe we need to ask ourselves are we valuing it mainly for our self-interest because if it is, we then are oblivious to that entire ethical understanding for we are experiencing a failure in looking the picture genuinely.

(2132 words)

Bibliography:

Callicott, Baird (1989), "The Defense of the Land Ethic", State University of New York Press, Albany.

Connor, James O, 1997, Socialism and Ecology, Guilford Press, London

Fleming, James R.; Bethany R. Knorr. "History of the Clean Air Act". American Meteorological Society. http://www.ametsoc.org/sloan/cleanair/. Retrieved 2006-02-14

George Carlin-The Planet is Fine, viewed June 8^th, http://www.icomedytv.com/Comedy-Videos/ID/335/George-Carlin--The-Planet-Is-Fine-Transcript-0739.aspx

Haeckel, Ernst, (1966), "Generelle Morphologie der Organismen, 2 vols, Berlin, Reimer

Hutton, Drew & Connors, Libby (1999), A history of Australian Environmental movement. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, New York

McLeod, Roy (1995). "Resistance to Nuclear Technology: Optimists, Opportunists and Opposition in Australian Nuclear History" in Martin Bauer (ed) Resistance to New Technology, Cambridge University Press, pp. 171-177.

Leopold, Aldo, "the round River," in A Sand County Almanac (New York: Sierra Club/Ballantine Books, 1970), p 190

Parfit, Derek, (1984) Reasons and Persons, Clarendon Press, Oxford, pg 454

Rolston, Holmes (1988). "Environmental Ethics: Environmental Policy: An Ethic of the Commons", Temple University Press,

Ridley, Matt and Low, Bobbi (1993), "Can Selfishness Save The Environment?",viewed 8^th June 2010, http://people.umass.edu/envsc101/e101/selfish.pdf

A case study about a Dementia patient:

2010-07-12T21:37:00.001+08:00

Fed up by those medications and doses of injection, she cannot help but to endure all these that doctors say are good for her. Why? Alzheimer B12 deficiency, to be exact, is the reason for this 82-year-old Chinese lady, who suffers a degree of memory loss. A wistful life she has, considering that she has no children and has a sister who does not care for her. Yet, she is able to function herself-she can drive but not until recently when her condition worsens. Asked who is there to help her? Well, there used to be a maid who took care of her but was fired after the lady got suspicious about the maid stealing things in her house. Fortunately, she has an adopted child who rings her daily, a good friend from Malacca who visits her monthly and a caring neighbour who would occasionally share her some food. Being a dementia patient, her condition deteriorates from time to time and now, she has to force herself into an everyday routine in which she has to perform tasks which seem either too difficult or unfamiliar. For example, after going through an eye operation which has impaired her vision, she has trouble locating her door keys and she would then be frustrated every time when she wants to go out. She does not buy food from outside and her diet turns bad-she is constantly complaining having no appetite. Also, afraid that burglars may break into her house, she sometimes becomes very anxious and would stay up the entire night in front of the main door just to feel safer. Hence, a light sleeper she is. Not only that, she has developed into quite an opinionated, stubborn and hot tempered person who prefers doing things herself and does not like assistance from others. Even the church people dare not pay her a visit anymore! Interestingly, she is not frightened by the entities in her hallucination. She is also a talkative person but sadly her conversations always revolve around the questioning of what mistakes have she done to deserve and suffer all these punishments. It is, indeed, upsetting to see her experiencing every moment of her life as such. Depression, wandering, anxious or agitated behaviours, hallucinations, and false ideas are some of the common behaviours a person with dementia has. In undergoing such a life, it can be painful for the patient. Thus, as care givers, we may help them to attend to the right context of dementia care by understanding why and how certain behaviour is taking place, tracking when the problem occurs and what emotions are involved so that we can provide a better care from a better attention.

What Is Dementia?

2010-07-12T21:36:00.001+08:00

Asked what is Dementia? It brings the meaning of "deprived of mind". Apparently, it is a complex syndrome of brain dysfunction which affects a person's cognitive abilities in areas such as memory, attention, language and problem solving. Persons with dementia become less and less able to function independently in their day-to-day life, at work and in their relationships and become increasingly reliant on help. This means that their dependence on third parties increases and their ability to maintain a level of autonomous functioning decreases.

A good dementia care is perhaps to obtain a valid impression of the overall gravity of dementia by providing individual attention to cognitive decline, functional impairment, "behavioural deficits" and the burden experienced by carers. This can be achieved by providing psychological education to both the carers and the patients. The interaction between the patients and the carers is a potential opportunity in which counselling techniques can be used to help the patients to make sense of their experiences. The knowledge gained from this approach is needed at the very onset of the process to address the emotional as well as the physical needs of both the carers and the patients.

The essence of psychological education ought to be understood by the carers and some of the issues they need to know are (1) What is dementia? (2) Activities on daily living of the patients, (3) Patients' diet, (4) Patients' medication, (5) Home safety, (6) Legal issues and (7) Carers' stress. This is vital as realization of good support and assistance for dementia care would require them to have insight into how dementia persons actually perceive and value their lives.

The Jobada daycare centre would instigate a change to assist the dementia patients in receiving a better and more effective care by means of psychological education. The strategy is that both carers and patients would be psycho-educated (In the education room) during the time while they are waiting for the consultations by their doctors. Rather than carrying out such an activity at the daycare centres, which is unproductive as most formal carers like the family members do not usually turn up to being with the patients over there, we basically decide to bring this operation into the clinics on every Tuesday morning. Following up the case at home by executing this activity at the patients' comfort zones is an extra effort from us to ensure the carers perform their assigned duties effectively. We hope that our objective in helping both the carers and the patients to attend to the right context of dementia care from this line of attack would be more beneficial and fruitful.

Annotated Bibliography and Short Form Essay

2010-07-12T21:14:00.001+08:00

Part One-Annotated Bibliography

The Rhetoric of Image by Roland Barthes

The key ingredients in this reading discuss Barthes' process of defining connotation and denotation in evaluating the signs and signifieds of an image in 3 methods.

Firstly, the 2 types of linguistic message, anchorage and relay, where language and text co-exist to serve as a means of control, directing the readers to an intended idea (Barthes, p. 20) and to advance an intention by revealing meanings obscured within an image (Barthes, p. 20). Secondly, the denoted image which is non coded and iconic, according to Barthes, is actually embedded with codes and meaning (Barthes, p. 22). Thirdly, the connoted image analysed by Barthes portrays an idea that Man's interventions (framing, distance, lighting, focus, speed) supply the connotational meaning (Barthes, p. 20).

Barthes ends with this quote: "The connotators do not fill the whole of the lexia, reading them does not exhaust it" (Barthes, p. 26) and this idea is relevant to an opinion raised by Nick Lacey which revolves around an idea that an image can be ambiguous (Lacey 1998, p. 33). To elaborate, achorage is not only provided by words: the actual choice of image is a factor in determining meaning (Lacey 1998, p. 34). For example, pictures editors have the choice to choose what images they desire to convey the meaning most effectively (Lacey 1998, p. 34).

Hence, there is an oppositional method for reading an image where the emphasis is placed on the association (Lacey 1998, p. 68) which do not have to be rooted in reality (Lacey 1998, p. 74). Therefore, connotations need not to be accurate (Lacey 1998, p. 74) and the rhetoric of the image is subjective-never more than formal relations of elements (Barthes, p.26).

(249words)

Bibliography:

Roland Barthes , (1977) "The Rhetoric of the Image", Image, music, text. New York: Hill and Wang.

Nick Lacey, (1998) 'Introduction to Image Analysis' in Image and Representation: Key Concepts in Media Studies, London: Macmillan

Rethinking the Public Sphere by Nancy Fraser

In this reading, Nancy Fraser tries to criticise Harbemas' 4 major bourgeois conception of public sphere which are: 1) An insignificant view of societal equality for political democracy (Fraser 1990, p. 64) , 2) A stand-alone public sphere is preferred as opposed to multiple (Fraser 1990, p. 64), 3) Public discourse should be independent of private interest (Fraser 1990, p. 73) and 4) A separation of state and civil society is key to a functional public sphere (Fraser 1990, p. 74).

A critical consequence of the elimination of inequalities does benefit the dominant group (Fraser 1990, p. 64). To explain, the empowered social groups tend to develop unequally valued cultural styles, resulting the emergent of informal pressures that marginalize the contributions of members of subordinated groups (Fraser 1990, p. 64). One effect is that various media that constitutes the material support for the circulation of views are privately owned and operated for profit (Fraser 1990, p. 64).

Inevitably, such outcome is well supported also by Joshua Gamson in his writing about the deception by producers: "As long as I have a guest who talks well, looks well, and represents himself well, it doesn't matter whether he's real or not.." (Gamson 1998 p. 73) – a concerning action debating the nature of public sphere. The truth told in lies for the public? According to Herbamas, perhaps it is true that for a rational-critical debate about public issues conducted by private persons willing to let arguments and not statuses determine decision, public opinion is no longer a process of rational discourse but the result of publicity and social engineering in the media (Dahlgren 1991).

Anyhow, the above case may merely be just an entertaining display- a cultural activity which Habermas is criticized for overlooking-interacts with the drawing of social boundaries between public and private. (Gamson 1998 p.244)

(252 words)

Bibliography:

Nancy Fraser, (1990) "Rethinking the Public Sphere: A Contribution to the Critique of Actually Existing Democracy", Social Text, no. 25/26

Gamson, Joshua, (1998) Freaks Talk Back: Tabloid Talk Shows and Sexual Nonconformity

Dahlgreen, Peter and Colin Sparks, eds. 1991. Communication and Citizenship. London: Routled

Part Two-Short Form Essay

"The media to circulate public view usually owned or affiliated to the bourgeois group which in result would create limitation of accessibility for the subordinated groups (Ebiet 2007)" How accurate would this statement be when we bring about the Public Sphere into the picture?

Answering that, it is crucial to define what "Public Sphere" is. Acccording to Habermas, the idea of a public sphere is that of a body of "private persons" assembled to discuss matters of "public concern" or "common interest." This idea acquired force and reality in early modern Europe in the constitution of "bourgeois public spheres" as counterweights to absolutist states (Fraser 1990, p. 58) Over here, the keyword here is the "bourgeois public sphere" and so, to link up with the above statement, the following task is to investigate the implications done so far to the minor groups together in a relation to how media represents the material support for the circulation of the view.

To begin, as a result of the media monopoly, the concentration of media ownership in late capitalist society mushroomed extensively resulting a series of negative outcomes have derived concerning the debate of public sphere such as the charge of public indecency where it is becoming more and more media-visible (Gamson 1998, p. 225). The issue of what can and cannot be spoken about and seen in public ultimately is the issue of who is and is not considered a legitimate member of "the public." (Gamson 1998, p. 225). Perhaps it would be a nightmare for now when Nancy Fraser still believes it is better to accommodate plural participation in contestation for public space, a space which could mean as pertaining to intimate domestic or personal life, including sexual life (Ebiet 2007). The abuse by media has an ongoing cultural war over public spaces that project socially irrelevant material to people's private affairs (Gamson 1998, p. 225). The boundary in private as contested is leisure in public settings. This public spheres comes largely as funny pieces in the midst of culture wars (Gamson 1998, p 173). An instance is the encouragement of publicly visible sex and gender nonconformity.

An example of real life scenario is the Kyle and Jackie O scandal in August 2009 (2day FM Kyle, Jackie O back on air Tuesday). What happened was an underage 14 years old girl being asked about her sexual life over the air! Later that incident, this scandal story was rampant all across all major media reporting (Newspaper for The Age and The Heraldson, Internet for The Punch, ABC, Crikey and News.com and Television for Channel 9… etc).

Now, to relate this to the idea of public sphere, according to Fraser, it would be that the 14 years old girl (The participant) was transformed from a collection of self-seeking, private individuals into a public-spirited collectivity, capable of acting together in the common interest (Fraser 1990, p. 71) On this view, the sense of "publicity" is pertaining to a common good or shared interest and private interests have no proper place in the public sphere (Fraser 1990, p. 71).

In the book entitled The Money Shot by Laura Grindraff, she writes about the "hunting" task of producers: " Once producers have been assigned a show topic, the next step is to find ordinary people to represent it. "(Grinstaff 2002, p 87). Amazingly, this is an act by the bourgeois group conforming to the mass for the "common good". To the subordinated groups, Larry Gross speaks forth the suffering of minority: "They annihilate us. Or deform us, because it serves them well-and because they can." From here, it is clearly seen that in this particular text that the situation is at stake as private-domestic or personal-familial matters are regarded in contradistinction to public matters (Fraser 1998, p. 73)

In conclusion, mass media gives higher priority to profitability under the aegis of commercial interest and this directly limits the accessibility for the subordinated groups whose public spheres are indubitably in the great absence of the concrete form of total whole.

(669words)

Bibliography

Nancy Fraser, (1990) "Rethinking the Public Sphere: A Contribution to the Critique of Actually Existing Democracy", Social Text, no. 25/26

Gamson, Joshua, (1998) Freaks Talk Back: Tabloid Talk Shows and Sexual Nonconformity

GRINDSTAFF, Laura. The Money Shot: Trash, Class, and the Making of TV Talk Shows (Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press, 2002)

Ebiet Kurniawan 2007, "Comment on nancy Frase on Rethinking the Public Sphere" , viewed April 3^rd 2010, < http://ebiet-randomideas.blogspot.com/2007/03/comment-on-nancy-frasers-rethinking.html>

"2day FM Kyle, Jackie O back on air Tuesday", viewed April 3^rd 2010, <http://www.news.com.au/story/0,,25924036-1242,00.html>

why and how certain behaviour is taking place, tracking when the problem occurs and what emotions are involved so that we can provide a better care from a better attention.

Take home test – Miss-En-Scene Analysis CHOPPER

2010-07-12T21:10:00.001+08:00

In analysing what appears in the short clip of the film frame from the movie, CHOPPER, we begin by examining the mise-en-scene of the film. According to Bordwell, David and Kristin Thompson, mise-en-scene is a filming technique for composing the film shot in space and time to emphasize the salient story information with the use of setting, lighting, costume and staging.

From the clip, we are able to observe how costume and make up contribute to some of the specific functions of the film. Firstly, the costumes are stylized, calling to the attention of graphic qualities. (162). In the clip, the costumes are arranged according to their colours and their textures (162). In explanation, the clip depicts a situation whereby Chopper himself sits alone in the centre and being surrounded by other people with similar clothing colour (black colour top) except one female character. Dominated mainly by the contrasting colours of black and white, this condition may attempt to suggest the two different backgrounds of people-characters who wear the dark and informal attire fit in into the category of people of lower-class life; in contrast, the female character who questions Chopper, displays herself in a white formal wear and this evidently exhibits herself as a person from a higher social class, a journalist. Next, the clip also portrays the functionality of costumes as props. For instance, Chopper's tattoos provide a figuratively representation to the public where people may ascertain him as a member of the typical crook underground community. The costumes assist also in the drawing of attention. For example, it is very visible to notice the letters (which are white in colour) when Chopper, who wears dark T-shirt, takes them out from the box. Aside from that, the make-up enhances the appearance of actors on the screen (163). To explain, the journalist who powders and paints her face with cosmetics is presenting herself to the public with a good image- a sign a professional conduct which is essential for her career.

In the case of the lighting, top lighting is primarily exemplified in the scene when Chopper is being interviewed in an open space. The source of the illumination (perhaps the sun), practically eliminates most shadows being cast on the characters-cast shadows on the ground are barely detectable. Nonetheless, attached shadows still exist-Patches of Chopper's face, especially around the eyes, fall into darkness. The brightness in the open scene suggests the event occurs in daytime; however, the overwhelming blue-green scene lighting makes it feel "unnatural". The symbolism of this colour may desire to imply arrogance and cruelty to provoke viewers' emotions (Symbolism of Colour: Using Colour for Meaning). In the following scene where Chopper is behind the bars, low-key lighting is applied here for the creation of stronger contrast in bringing out an effect called chiaroscuro-extremely dark and light regions with the image (168). The key light which provides the dominant illumination (166), comes diagonally from in front of Chopper. The attention is then focused on him in an effort to highlight the important cue of his reaction in his conversation with the journalist.

The mise-en-scene of staging (movement and action) determines how we see the performance from 2 factors: both the staging of the action and the camera's distance from it (174). In the clip, Chopper is seen slightly distant away from the camera. This approach enables viewers to be more comprehensible in the actor playing roles with the visual elements like facial expressions, appearance and especially gestures to be portrayed more vividly (168). In a manner appropriate to Chopper's character's function in the context of the film, the idea is basically to project the image of a strange serial killer, of how he behaves in the calm situation. In addition, when Chopper shows and shares the letters he receives by his"fans" with the journalist, we observe the editing techniques being used to animate the motionless pictures. Asked if the acting is able to be described as "natural", we ought to investigate the narrative causality and genre conventions of the film (171). Because the film, Chopper, pretty much belongs to the crime and biography genres, it is no wonder the stylization of this film emphasizes a lot on the characters trying to define and articulate their feelings.

Lastly, there are 2 settings found in the clip: an open space court and in the prison. It is apparent that the former one is an existing locale in which the action is staged-an outdoor spot evident of sunshine, an indication of time setting either in the late morning or afternoon; however, the later one seems to be a constructed setting solely for the shooting purpose-the scene does not display the full size setting of the prison nor provide any clue to the time period. Regarding the atmospheres of these settings (settings that are being guarded and watched over by law enforcement officers), they evoke this "cagey" kind of unpleasant feeling, a negative kind of mood. The prison, cramped and secluded in its looking, that provides limited freedom to whoever is living in the cell, is inevitably not a space for most people- Characters who inhibit here are mainly the guilt-ridden people who defy the law of the country. The outcome of such settings prisoners is that the characters' sense of reality would be shifted (Philip).

In conclusion, putting all 4 elements of mise-en-scene together, in the first scene, there is this circumstance whereby the sudden change of the screen is poorly attuned. The instance is the unexpected display of the various pictures the moment when Chopper talks about the letters-this situation terminates the flow of the motion frame, bringing the viewers off the setting and lost in the space and time. In the second scene, the contradiction happens when the camera is following the movement of the journalist who is leaving the prison but many mise-en-scene elements are focussing on Chopper. For example, the lighting which brightens the cell room to highlights where Chopper is as well as the staging of Chopper's action being shot and displayed in the middle of the screen.

(1013 words)

Biography

Bordwell, David and Kristin Thompson. "The Shot: Mise-en-Scène". Film Art: An Introduction (6^th ed). New York: McGraw Hill, 2001. 156-192.

Symbolism of Colour: Using Colour for Meaning, viewed 22 April 2010,
<http://www.princetonol.com/groups/iad/lessons/middle/color2.htm>

Philip G. Zimbardo, Standford Prison Experiment, viewed 22 April 2010,
<http://www.prisonexp.org/psychology/32>

What contribution did print culture make to the rise of modern science?

2009-11-05T21:55:00.001+08:00

After "Print Culture" came to light basically as a consequence of the invention of printing by Gutenberg (Pankow, 2003), numerous movements have been brought about and impacted by the development of it. Because the birth of modern science was the outcome of this, it is interesting to investigate the new ways of thinking that are associated with the new science. In here, my argument towards the contribution of print culture is that printing creates scepticism as error and inconsistency in text became more and more evident and thus, this has created the problem of knowledge as well as the problem of meaning in the language of thought that we use.

My concern towards this argument evolves when I study the progression of human's history in regards to knowledge development and found out that over the years, the linguistic development, mainly as a result of print culture, has caused chaos in the world of modern science today, particularly in the meaning of everything we perceive from reading. In this essay, I tackle many interesting points in brief to support this argument.

Many times, I ponder myself whether or not that languages are merely a technological advance in expression and communication rather than in thought? This happens every time when I enter the library and being confused by the large quantity of available books on the shelves. There are so many books from so many different authors, giving so many different ideas and thoughts in so many styles just for a single and simple topic. Which book or books should I rely on in order to obtain the real truth within? To answer this, we may look into one of the effects of print culture, the "process of feedback" by Eisenstein, which depicts that before printing, there was no way to make observations public or universally accepted; however after printing, observations were published and feedback was made to the author and within the scientific community. Thus, when information was shared and developed to the betterment of all, this may suggest that it is more dependable that something is more correct when discussions are involved in search of it. Walter Ong mentions in regards to this too when he writes, "Print suggests that words are things far more than writing ever did (Ong, 118). Perhaps the words found in books do provide truthful knowledgeable contents in some sense.

In the development of language thought, printing also creates scepticism, driving thinking people to find the truth through study of the natural world and through evaluations of knowledge (Eisenstein). As readers are able to access a variety of books and make comparisons in detecting errors, they have become distrustful of the old schools of thought and take a fresh look at the scientific evidence. This creates new discoveries and ideas and the growth of scientific thought. The apparent end result is, until data can be compared and recorded, science could not be studied effectively-evidences become the basis in justifying a belief to be a fact. In short, print-culture has achieved the level of sophistication and maturity characterized by a willingness to question old assumptions and open new inquiries (Hudson 2002). We can see this very practice in our modern days whereby many educators are sceptical with the reliability of information, whether or not the materials contain errors and inconsistency in text especially for the non-cited sources of information such as in Wikipedia.

Goldman's theory of knowledge has an aspect of externalism view that the reliability or unreliability of mental operations is essential for a belief to qualify as knowledge. Then again, when information is derived from humans' mental operations, the question is, how reliable is humans' knowledge when humans themselves are constantly making mistakes? In this case for writers, when in failure to notice own mistakes when scripting a book, this leads to my next question of to what extend is the knowledge content found within the books is true?

Even though studying a book provides one significant, even essential, key to unlocking the intellectual progress of informative thought, we should not take for granted the supposed "fixity" of the printed book or its capacity to propagate faithfully the same information (Johns 2000). Why? This is because the information given might be of false knowledge. Tracing back this problem of knowledge, it came about significantly in the era of print culture. In illustration, Eisenstein gives an account of the development of the new printed product which occurred in the Protestant Reformation whereby with the power of the press, Martin Luther's was able to sell his 30 publications more than 30,000 copies within 3 years. Imagine the sudden wide spread of knowledge that had impacted to the people in that period was wrongfully done in a sense that the information was given falsely. This is an issue to be considered seriously as in the new print culture, when the master printer who is responsible in handling the machines, editing and translating texts and marketing the product is making mistakes in his publishing, people who trust the words from the authors are actually absorbing the misguided corrupted information.

When medium is the message (McLuhan), we know there are ramifications that language has the power to shape our sense perceptions; however, it is more crucial to be aware the treat that language does not reflect reality but produces it. According to the thesis of 'linguistic determinism' developed by the American researchers Edward Sapir and Benjamin Lee Whorf, what we take to be the real world is a construction foisted on the individual by the dominant linguistic conventions of society. Therefore, many people are imprisoned in their language and can only think what their languages allow them to think. Viewing at how print culture has done to us, this is a critical problem in the world of modern science as we doubt our capacity to
understand the meaning in the language of thought we use.

In today's society, the proliferation of books does undermine previous ways of thinking. To illustrate this, unlike the primary orality in the olden days, we have moved to the secondary orality where thought and its verbal expression in cultures have been exposed to writing and print(Ong 1988). Hence, most children learn how to read and write at a very early stage, before their other intellectual faculties are fully developed (Chomsky). Any child attempting to bootstrap linguistic ability into a 'Blank state' of a mind would be in trouble, for most spoken, as opposed to written, language is relatively chaotic and ungrammatical (Chomsky). Therefore, I agree with Walter Ong in his book, Orality and Literacy, that without an understanding of oral culture, we cannot understand the significance of print culture. We should sustain our thoughts in oral setting maturely first rather than restructuring ourselves to the world of text straight away. Asked what this ongoing scenario may imply to modern science, it would be inevitable to assert that the world will produce a generation of people who cultivate an unstructured personal and academic development since childhood and this may negatively affect their lives when they turn adulthood. Eventually, they shall discover that for everything they have learned and assumed to be true are, in fact, inaccurate. They may subsequently become suspicious of claims from most things they experience around them and sooner or later, they grow to be sceptical human beings.
There are, however, people who believe that print culture offer some pleasant stance in modern science. In the book 'Information Ages', Hobart and Schiffman give us insights into the constituent parts of the modernist point of view when they discuss the formation of modern numeracy that proposed a new sort of abstract thinking, based on mathematical reasoning that can in some methods reintegrate our knowledge. They also describe Descates' prophecy that because the technique of coordinate analysis and their underlying universal mathematics would provide the means for reintegrating knowledge and wisdom, within 2 or 3 generations, the natural and human sciences would be unified into a single, all embracing philosophical system. Since Descates' death in 1596, 4 centuries has passed and the question on this day of modern science is, how remarkable it is of our knowledge that is being integrated so far since?

My answer to the above question would be that as a result of print culture, masses of ideas, opinions, beliefs, theories and concepts are being generated until all of these have become complicated and confusing. To solve this, the desire for certainty in modern science has become more and more vital. In illustration, we seem to be "locked" inside a world in which human beings love to give nearly everything a definition to provide with its meaning and its order. For example, it is very interesting to look on how Oxford University constantly define new English words in their latest dictionaries. For scholars, for instance, the word "knowledge" can portray two meanings from the mind of a French postmodernist, Jean-Francois Lyotard, who argued that there were two varieties of knowledge: scientific knowledge and narrative knowledge: Narrative knowledge is the kind that underpins social institutions, values and cooperative conventions, and consists of myths and legends and popular beliefs. Such knowledge has obviously retreated in recent times in the face of the abstract, more logical knowledge offered by the science. Is it not amazing we have someone so professional like Jean-Francois Lyotard who is an expert in this field of narrative thought that can enlighten us with his meaning of "language"? At times, I wonder about whether or not this is a blessing or a curse for us as the people in modern science as we are responsible to revise these "definitions" especially doing academic studies.

Another key contribution of print culture to the modern science is the development and bringing together of new occupations and diverse skills (Eisenstein). Writing becomes one of the most profound professions as people can write to earn themselves a living. According to Johns and Ezell, authors are increasingly paid for writing, from the interaction of political, economic to social changes that constitute the climate of literary evolution. An interesting example given by Hudson is that Pope makes a fortune from writing but continues to view it officially as an activity extraneous to who he "really is," a private gentleman of learning and virtue, a friend to other men of learning and virtue.

Print culture also undergoes "Novelization" that coincides with the expansion of the literary marketplace—the emergence of a new kind of prose fiction ,the advent of mock-epic writing, and the creation of more generically hybrid forms of drama (Hammond). This raises a sceptical question in regards to the notion of "print culture" of why is it placed under a network of highly commercialised social-relation condition? Is it because too many people are engaging themselves in the discipline of literature who promote their professional authorship is giving a concern for the constitution of the notion of "print culture"? Over here, I see a problem that print culture is giving us a phenomenon that may be beyond our comprehension. For instance, when reading a fictional novel, how can we imagine ourselves being a superhero who can bend the space, travelling in time literally! For a fact, we understand this is physically impossible but to make it mentally achievable, this gravely challenges our intellectual faculties as we attempt to figure out the non-physical world of text. On account of it, I see this brings a consequence that word complicates our minds and ultimately, it leads us back to the problem of meaning in everything we perceive from reading.

In conclusion, I myself cannot even validate whether or not the above mentioned claims and interpretation are certainly "true" as of, in fact, to support my argument that print culture creates scepticism as error and inconsistency in text became more and more evident and thus, this has created the problem of knowledge as well as the problem of meaning in the language of thought that we use. However, I do trust that for what I explained above, I genuinely believe them at the moment when I wrote them down. In understanding the effects of print culture, many authors have given us their frameworks in their findings to show us the factors that brought us to the present state of written communication. Researching most of them, I still doubt on the reliability of their materials. Perhaps this is indeed what print culture has done to me-A sceptic who doubts everything he sees and reads for he believes everything has error and will not, in any way, show any certainty, who craves in hunger for the truth. I am Jeremy Fu Yong Lee. A great example!

Reference:

Bredelia, L., & Richter, A. (2000). Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. (pp. 522-524)

Clark Andy, Language, embodiment, and the cognitive niche
Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Volume 10, Issue 8, August 2006, Pages 370-374

Ezell,Margaret J. M. Social Authorship and the Advent of Print (Baltimore & London:

Johns Hopkins Univ., 1999).

Hammond, Brean S. Professional Imaginative Writing in England 1670–1740: "Hackney for Bread" (Oxford: Clarendon, 1997).

Hudson, N. (2002). Challenging Eisenstein: Recent Studies in Print Culture. Eighteenth-Century Life, 26(2), 83.

Jean-François Lyotard ,The Postmodern Condition (1979) publ. Manchester University Press, 1984

Johns, Adrian. The Nature of the Book: Print and Knowledge in the Making (Chicago &London: Univ. of Chicago, 2000.

Kidwai, A. (2008, March). Knowledge of Language: Noam Chomsky's Innateness Thesis.

McLuhan, Marshall. Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man. New York:
McGraw Hill, 1964

Pankow, D. (2003). Printing after Gutenberg. Calliope, 13(6)

Walter Ong, W. Orality and Literacy, Routledge, London: Routlege, 1988.

Whorf, B.L (1956) Language, thought, and reality: selected writings of Benjamin Lee Whorf(edited by John B. Carroll). Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Sapir, E, (1963) Seledted writings of Edward Sapir in language, culture and personality (edited by David G. Mandelbaum), Berkeley: University of California Press.

My Culture Identity as a Malaysian Chinese…

2009-09-24T15:47:00.001+08:00

    Malaysia, a country of 2 regions-both the Peninsular Malaysia and Malaysia Borneo, is situated in Southeast Asia. With a population of over 27 million people residing here, Malaysia is one of the unique countries in the globe which has a rich multicultural background as it comprises a number of ethnic groups. Malays form the majority of the population, followed by Chinese, Indians and other indigenous groups. Asked what makes out Malaysia, I would reply that the factors which constitute our Malaysian identity have been constantly re-establishing themselves from time to time. Evidently, history of our past has shown to us that intercultural interactions and adaptations over the years because of immigration, globalization and interracial marriages and other factors have contributed in shaping the Malaysia cultural identity of what we see today. With such dynamic and multiple features, Malaysia indeed has an exclusive cultural identity of its kind and hence, it is interesting to study this very identity and how it helps to structure my individual identity as well.

    Living in a multicultural society, I consider my personal identity as a consequence to it. However, before investigating my identity, it is vital to understand briefly how my country Malaysia's culture is set up. To be honest, because Malaysia has only been an independence nation for a little over 50 years, Malaysians have not progressed to areas of greater ethnic diversity since. The sense of ethnic identity among various groups of people remains so strong that even till now, we still cannot conform totally to each other's traditional cultures practices, beliefs and languages. This results a certain level of ethnocentrism that contributes to Malaysia cultural identity. It is inevitably hard not to experience some level of negative stereotyping, prejudice and even racism amongst the Malaysians. From generations to generations, people in my country are still identifying others on a basis of preference, familiarity and understanding. Thus, after so many years, what we have now in Malaysia are developed and put together to with this notion of "inequality". These include everything from the governance of the country to the education for the people, the economy of the country to the healthcare for the people. Seriously, injustice exists over here from the beginning and to account for that, a simple examination of the Malaysian constitution will speak forth the truth. Such social disparities continue to grow in practice in many areas over time, forming various cultural identifiers that become part of the roots of what constitute a country of Malaysia today.

    As a third-generation Chinese from Malaysia, I became aware of these inequalities after becoming the victim of unjust policies since I reached the age of reason. By interacting with others, I build up my cultural identity by noting the similarities and differences that concern and impact my way of life. My identity development progresses over different stages of my life. First and foremost, I began learning my culturally appropriate beliefs and values as my family, relatives, teachers as well as my religion instilled me with "good ideas", instructing me what to do and what not to do. They had provided me with regulation, supervision and advice on how I ought to carry out my life with proper behaviours and attitude. For quite a while, I cultivated a blurry social roles in my racial, ethnic and gender identities at the outsets. In this period of time, basically, I lived my life in the Malaysia culture which I happily embraced. However, as time passed by, the more that I breathed, the more that I found out that something was not quite alright. A variety of stimulations had resulted me to move on to the next phrase of my life where I began to embark on a journey in search of some honest and truthful identities.

    I come to realize that, over my adolescent years, I had never doubted my identity until I received my education in my alma mater upon completion of my high school. Rather than route learning, the institution where I obtained my higher education triggered me to think out of the box. Till now, I still question about my identity, asking why everything performs in such a way. In illustration, when I analyse the historical events, I am being enlightened that our past makes us who we are today. Then again, suppose the countless mistakes which history has recorded has shaped us into what we have become today, how accurate in terms the messages sent across when we identify ourselves from the various cultural identifiers since the cultural identifiers themselves are profiled from the past and they might be false too! To provide a good example, I would confess from my personal testimonial regarding one of my earliest cultural identifiers-Religion. It never fails to amaze me how people can be very certain about the existence of God. I was once very involved in church activities until I realized that, for me personally, the only good thing about religion is the music it produces. I can be very enthusiastic, closing my eyes and waving my hands while participating in the entire praise and worship session but also can be snoring away when the pastor is giving a sermon. I agree that religion can shape a culture for good but we must understand that religion is also the leading cause for many tragedies and results like these certainly do not belong to the resume of the Supreme Being.

    I reflect on my own ethnicity for a new search of identities in life. Apart from the education I receive in university, the media also plays an essential role in developing my identity. For instance, the media has been assisting me in deepening my insight of how other people from dissimilar cultures can interact from one another. I find it interesting to study the conflicts risen when people are living in between each other's cultural identities. All these information can be easily acquired from numerous media sources like the textbooks, newspapers, TV and the internet. Most importantly, the media has profoundly revealed to me a sense of how I should contemplate everything intellectually. To explain, by listening to talk shows on how the successful people carry out their routines, I have come to a philosophical awareness that for everything we do, we need to have a strategy behind it to act in some particular ways.

    On top of that, my personal experience in being a part time professional magician has also influenced my identity. After 8 years conjuring, I have mastered this magical art in which I can manipulate people into believing an illusion to be real by means of sleight-of-hand, misdirection and persuasive suggestions. Hence, my experience in this field proves me that people are, in fact, vulnerable to information where they will be manoeuvred by it if the overall presentation is delivered convincingly promising. In conclusion, being a performer has helped me in my cultural awakening because I can better understand the human thinking machine and this ultimately increases my appreciation towards my own culture when I examine my individual identity.
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    In disclosing a culture which I do not belong to, I would select the Australian culture since I just came over here to further my studies not long ago. In here, my focal point on this culture would just be a basic description on the surface of my understanding of them. To begin, even though I have only been staying in Australia for a good 7 weeks or so, I do not blend myself totally in this very culture that much. I have always thought that my country Malaysia is a melting pot of different cultures until I reached here when I found out that the cultural diversity in Australia was far greater than I imagined. To elaborate, I notice an apparent difference between different ethnic groups of people. They display their cultural identities rather unusually from one another, especially in the cultural elements of religion, social organization and language. For example, on the second day of my arrival in Australia, my aunt brought me to a protestant church as well as to a shopping mall in the suburb of Boxhill in Melbourne. To my surprise, I noticed nearly 90% of everyone attending the service and those people spending their time buying and selling are mostly Asian. It seemed to me these groups of Asian people such as the Chinese-descent from China or Hong Kong and the Vietnamese, they have well established themselves a communication network where they could regulate their norms in their respective social conducts in the custom of the dominant Australian culture. Perhaps this habitual way of how Asian carry out their lives here has, in some way, characterizes the contemporary multiculturalism of Australian culture. Personally, the most negative thing in this culture that I perceive is the culture of binge drinking. Australians become intoxicated by heavy consumption of alcohol and they can still encourage this purposeful style of drinking to cultivate. I find it shocking to observe too many liquor shops around Melbourne streets and certainly feel disturbed when drunkard party animals are behaving notoriously especially in public places in the daylight! Another thing that fascinates me is the art of panhandling in Australia. Unlike the beggars in Malaysia who usually can be identified clearly from the appearance and their techniques on how they demand for money, Australian beggars are less aggressive in panhandling. I came across many incidents when beggars solicited me, asking for some spare change in a very polite manner. Also, when I was in the bus, there were people asking for a free ride but often got rejected even they requested graciously from the bus driver. Inevitably, the above mentioned information is sorely based from my personal encounters while residing in Australia. My intercultural communication in Australia has depicted me with some of the differences in terms of my own culture when I view from the perspective of a typical Malaysian to study the culture of Australia.

    To conclude, my own cultural background is a confusion to me. The history has determined my fate as a Malaysian born Chinese where I could not live my cultural roots as a Chinese-descent properly in my country. Perhaps we should inherit the new culture set by the government by acknowledging the social environment that other cultures are coexisting in between us; But I understand that the differences among the dissimilar cultures never minimizes to a tolerable level after so many years .Therefore, I observe this situation as barrier to successful intercultural interactions as stereotyping, prejudice, racism and ethnocentrism are still in practice in my country, particularly seen by the dominant groups who exercise their power over the subordinate ones mainly in political world where they govern the country with injustice. The question standing in front of me is to what degree can my country transform this negativism to positivism so that all different cultures in my country can function as a whole on an acceptable level? However much I know it is impossible to go back in time to amend the mistakes we did in the past that has determined our future today, I believe there is hope to identify ourselves and recognize who we really are, and with that to accept the unchangeable facts by accepting that we are born and grew up in this country. Therefore, since we share same elements of history, social organization, values, language and even religion in some sense, we should learn to see these things clearer by studying and understand them with a positive frame of mind as much as we can. After all, not only this is important in uniting everyone as a nation of a country, it is crucially significant also in an attempt to establish notable intercultural communication between each others.

Happy Birthday Laopo !

2009-09-07T16:18:00.002+08:00

It is indeed an epoch of my life, returning here with new stuff to share upon. Previously being hectic with significant progressing movements in my life, I found myself restricted to having no added time to slot myself in for blogging. Seriously! I was in short supply of time for my work. Everyone has 24hours a day but I feel I'm given merely just a quarter of it. Time flies. Bringing nothing up to date in this blog, I have failed myself in these past 3 months. Therefore, today is a bloody miracle for me being here to write a blogpost.

I shall write a lengthy blogpost perhaps somewhere at the end of this month to explain my disappearance all these whiles. For now, I will just dedicate this sweet post to my girlfriend who turns 20 today! Happy Birthday to you Laopo! Even though we are physically far from each other now, our hearts will always remain as one. I LOVE YOU.

I'm Sorry

2009-05-05T02:42:00.002+08:00

My absence for the entire April over here definitely had something to associate with my occupied schedules. Many things were needed to be taken care of before I could allocate any extra time to blog. Hey folks! Worry not. My love for "crappy" stuff articles production in this blog is still not fading.

Instead of particularizing every encounter in details of what that had happened in last month, I decided to just mention 2 major happenings in brief:

1) I lost someone - It takes a while, or rather an ample amount of it, I suppose, to have everything back to normal. I will be always waiting for the moment when you greet me hello again.

2) I found someone – (I'm shy to declare in public)

Ladies and Gentlemen, for some random issues to chat about, allow me to explore the inner world of blogging firstly.

My church buddy, Claire, has a rather interesting view towards people who blog. She elucidates it with the word "backstabbing" as the reason for why she abominates in doing such also. She probably thinks people who blog are hypocrites who talk bad at the back. Well, she does not have a blog but I do. This makes me wonder as to why people everywhere are blogging and that includes me as well. Perhaps the most profound thing about us is the appearance we show the world. With today's technology, internet enables us to project an image, be it either an artificial or an honest one, to the people outside. Truly, as our affections and obvious idiosyncrasies are often the things that count most and said the most about us, some of us just love formulating ourselves using with the modern invention of computers and internet and all the applications of it to "change" or "form" another pleasant side of us. We channel the reality into the virtual realism of online games, chat rooms, blog sites and some so called "social networking websites" like Facebook and Friendster. From this, we can agree that our own sense of the inner 'us', by comparison, is likely to be speculative NONSENSE and certainly tends to bear no relation to how we are actually connecting with the world at any real level.

Are bloggers pathetic? Are you? Am I?

Well, my opinions on this area derive from an uncertainty over myself too-I am not speaking from a position of expertise. However, I believe that we're multi-faceted glittering disco balls, bouncing light in all directions. We are different in ourselves in many ways and many times. Life is just like a great bloody disco. Having fun by divesting myself of earthly trappings is how I lead my life now.

I used to be very religious back in the olden days but strangely, I love to challenge my faith lately. Perhaps I have been reading too many stuff over here and there and the ideas I have picked up gradually changed my perception in believing that there's a creator. I am unsure of myself either. I need vision. Help me as I'm still afraid to spend eternally in the burning flames in Hell. (If there's one).

Pen down for me as I'm dead tired. The bed is calling me and I'll catch you guys somewhere next time.

(Looking forward to spending my Wednesday in Singapore…)

This is one of the dudes that turn my life to another side. Rest in peace, my friend.

Cheerz,
Jeremy Fu

Sweet 21

2009-03-26T22:33:00.001+08:00

2002 – My 14^th birthday! I remembered clearly how I enjoyed myself with my friends in a cafe. We filled ourselves with the delicious western food over there and we had this invaluable fun together. I blew off the candles and made a wish. This was the first time I received presents from my friends. I missed the good old days when I skipped the classes for practice performances.

2003 – Blurry. Forgotten... they day was not even committed into my memory.

2004 – PMR year. All entertainments were prohibited. All I could recall was Aunt Nancy gave me RM50! Yea!

2005 – Got scolded by my mum in Landmark mall for being stubborn. Stillness be the entire March 22d. Upon reaching home the next day, I found 2 red packets on my table. That was it. Happy Birthday to me.

2006 – 2^nd day of my 1^st major examination in my SPM year-No television, no hand phone, no outing, no study break...no birthday.

2007 – Where was I? Ya! Parents were outstation and I was mapling the whole day. I had my birthday celebrated in the world of online game-Maple Story.

2008 – Owing to a promise I made to a Nilai counsellor, I came back all the way from JB to Nilai just for a magic show for the Open day during the semester break. I thought it might be a lonely birthday for me but luckily my best friend, Hock Lung, accompanied me throughout the day and night.

2009 – Almost drowning out from the consciousness of what it felt to be surrounded by people for a birthday bash, surprisingly, I experienced it this year. For a fact I could point out, my doleful spree in all these years spending my pathetic March 22^nd was ended. For all those who had made the effort to push out the boat with me, you know who you were. I appreciate your accompaniment your everything deep down from the bottom of my heart. My 21^st birthday marked a new chapter in my life and my catchphrase or motto for this year goes like so: Be Brave For Dreams and Execute The Tactics By Any Means Necessary.

Here I would love to say thank you to Siew Mei for celebrating with me. Your accompaniment meant a lot to me and I treasured every passing second when you were around. It was filled with affection doubtlessly. Thank you for all these sweet moments you gave to me. Ah! I seriously love your drawing especially the one with the moon and stars. Did you remember? Also, the words too! Describing the ecstatic sensation the next morning when I saw them, I couldn't search it from the dictionary but inside my heart. For a time I thought it was real, I hope to be it earnestly too. I had one of the best nights ever with you, uncle Alfred and uncle Lim. Remember to brush teeth ar. = =

To Sharon, thank you for coming out although you were sick. I enjoyed blowing all the balloons with you. It was hell lots of fun seeing my car crowded with air balls of various colours bumping around as I drive. I think now I understand how it feels having all colourful balloons bunching up the room when feeling down. I promise I will blow a big one for you someday. I will not be afraid. Guess what? I'm munching Vochelle right now. Thank you.

Dada treated me a set meal of McDonald. I did not expect but trust me, I was glad.

Thanks Mr. Anonymous for your treat in V&O. Sorry I didn't bring a deck of cards with me that night. Perhaps next time I shall show you and your business clients some miracles?

Bennie Chia is going to get me a lingerie. You dare to give I dare to blog. Too bad we guys could not go KL and I could not witness the failure of you attempting to ALUBA me. Catch me again. Your aura had expired way before the long lost Jurassic period and so, I would not have to beg for your mercy and point myself fingers for your divine forgiveness. Blow me! Hahaha…

Mic if you're reading this, shame on you! What a brother. (Joking)

Also, to those friends who wished me Happy Birthday either through mobile short message service, facebook or friendster and I didn't reply, sorry for I was busy. Especially to those who SMSed me at 12am+- that morning, my inbox was full so I deleted everything for incoming messages.

(I'll update this blog post in near future to display all the birthday presents I got. This is so as I've got another one last major birthday party in my house again this coming weekend with my relatives from Australia, KL, Selangor, Kelantan and Segamat and I might receive some goodies from them. Yawn…I'm not looking forward to it for my house is going to get crowded once more and I'll be asked a list full of boring questions again. I'll be grounded. Anyone wants to come? Everyone is welcome. Food will be delicious for I'm sure they will not be the product of my house's kitchen. Ha! )

Cheerz,
Jeremy Fu

What Happened on March 4th to March 19th

2009-03-24T22:44:00.001+08:00

Disappearing myself for roughly a good 3 weeks, I'm back on track now for some updated news on the stuffs that I've been engaging so far. As I suppose this blog post shall undoubtedly exceed 2000 of "ludicrous" words, I'm keyed up to style it in a lovely order for friendly reading-I'm going to implement a subtopic system in this very post! Yes, you read it. What I'll carry out is I'll categorize every important event into a subtopic each so that it'll be made effortlessly for me to imagine back the most delightful days in my entire life when I read back what I'd written.

Xinxin: Waloweh…Your blog so many words…not interesting der… SO SIENZ..
LeeLee: Aiyo

Well, this place is my soul planet, a location for me to unleash my everything from my personal within. Though it may be boring for some of you in struggling to finish the text, I still believe I enjoy providing rigid details of my life and I do love my work because after all, this is still my blog. Thus, without further bullshit, below are the subtopics:

1) TOEFL Examination
2) Princess Ovinischen's Birthday Celebration
3) Nilai University College
4) BBQ at Desa Kolej Playground
5) J.O.M
6) Friend Forever

1) TOEFL Examination

$170 in USD for a Test Of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL). Let's calculate…USD170 X 3.8?? (unit of US to Malaysia currency exchange rate) = RM650+-. Such a pricey fee for an examination, WOW! For such a vital test that costs a bomb, one should have made all the necessary preparations sufficiently for it but for my case, things were a little unusual. My story goes like so:

For those who know me, I'm the kind of person who loves studying for test in the final moments. Hence, a couple of days before my TOEFL exam, I went to the only 2 pathetic public libraries in my town in search for some TOEFL reference books and guess what? Nothing! The city of Johor Bahru in this "Bolehland" has nothing to offer. NIL! Anyway, this did not piss me off that much as very fortunately, I've got a friend in Sorthern College whom I could go through her for access of the TOEFL iBT reference book.

As my test centre for TOEFL was held in Singapore, I started my journey a day earlier to explore that island. Heck it was fun! That was my first time kissing my country goodbye alone. Singapore rocks! I did enjoy myself over there and I look forward to visiting again. For one thing I still aware, the alluring local foodstuff there is calling me now…I hear it…

Well, on March 14^th I took the test and it wasn't tough for me to answer; however, the complexity of the assessment in the 1^st section of the reading test in some ways made me screw up slightly. The shortage of time was the key factor that induced me to conjecture some of the answers blindly. I believed I did perform pretty fine, nevertheless.

2) Princess Ovinischen's Birthday Celebration

For the most unforgettable birthday party, the ingredients for it were all set. Merely an hour before the clock ticked to 12 in the morning, a group of her close friends gathered behind the President Hall, cracking our brains for ideas to adorn the venue into the most emotive birthday setting ever. With 100 candles and 50 red roses, our eventual decision came to light as we decided to encircle the area with candlelight and a greeting entrance path in front. Within the circle, the number "21" were decorated with candles in display right in the middle. How lovely this could ever be with the additional 50 roses to beautify the birthday table? The night was waiting for the moment and perfection existed nowhere without her. When everything was ready, I called her out. After a few moments, I noticed her. As she walked towards me, her gestures, her smile and her everything were just the same and I've long missed these all since I left Nilai. "Princess", I shouted to her. She reached into me, sobbing on her eyes as I hugged her. I then held her hand and whispered to her, "Close your eyes and hold tight my hand because I'm going to bring you to a place". Just like usual, we walked together until we arrived at the destination. When she opened up her eyes, it was March the 16^th. Immediately, everyone there including Meiyee, Emily, Xiang, Yeemun, Theresa and I sang out loud the familiar birthday song to her. Again, she broke into tears. She wept in joy and we were all happy for we believed we gave her one of the most historical moments in her entire life. Happy Birthday to you Princess Ovinischen.

Some of her best friends could not turn up for her party I didn't understand-Someone like LaiFu who was in KL. What were doing there brother? (Luckily you did make a call to wish her). Someone like Zee who silenced his phone at 11pm. What? You were asleep? Also, some bogus charade so-called "god brother" from the IT department didn't even care to greet her a birthday wish and I doubt he remembered it because he perhaps forgot or worst of all, he wasn't aware that he'd a god sister before. Such a wreak deserves no further elaborations in my blog. To continue, interestingly, Emilia and Azie did come by for a visit despite having tests the following day. Both of them just love New York Cheese from Secret Recipe for the reason. Ha! Dear Azie was being a nosy parker for a moment, gossiping like a granny and Emilia was just imagining perhaps her boy might one day do this kind of birthday event for her. Anyhow, everyone there was pleased for a time like this. How long once more shall we gather under one roof for such a point of moment again? We're blessed to knowing everyone of you.

Subsequent to that birthday cake party, we also had a heavenly time the following evening in MYBOX. We sang to the top of our voices as we enjoyed ourselves to the maximum. My baby princess wore the dress I bought for her. "Gorgeous" was the word for her that night. I hope you like the dress as much as I love it.

3) Nilai University College

After completing my education in Nilai University, this was my second visit back to the campus. All I could say was the college grounds still seemed to be a part of me. I love this place so much because it transformed my life for the better. While studying in private secondary school formulated me to work hard academically, residing in Nilai University College for a year and a half formed me into who I am. I was being exposed to many stuffs I wasn't conscious about.

This was the 2nd time I came back to the college since I finished my education over there. Inevitably, I did miss many of my activities which I used to doing. Being the Ex Vice-President of the Chinese Language Society, my duties were taken over by Takumi Ron. I'm glad that under the leadership of both current Vice-President and President, this society shall continue to prosper as this club enters its 11^th year this year. For you folks out there, do visit our blog over here.

Another active club which I happened to involve is Christian Fellowship (CF). I've got no idea for what reason the venue for our weekly fellowship gathering is now changed to a classroom in Resource Centre. It used to function at the Multipurpose room for the past five six years or more. Well, all thanks to the DSA Manager, Mr. Alfred, CF has a new classroom. Hurray! Hell no! Frankly, this dude is just like a politician who speaks with contents that can be trusted at a 50 percentage rate. Tons of explanations I can provide to verify this undeniable fact but for now, I would love to say something about the new policy he introduced. Look, I was being issued a ticket for a RM50 fine because I'd parked my vehicle at a prohibited bay. This "idea" was put up into practice when I was away, deferring for this semester. I didn't know about it. I was innocent! Almost everyone hates this guy but thinking rationally, this dude really makes a difference in our college since he came over for Mr.Reuben's position. Anyway, I was fortunate enough to being able to capture some of his pictures for some video editing before I left Nilai. The original footages are still with me and the edited version ones are over here and here. Watch them at your own risk. Ha!

Well, the fundamental factor I came to Nilai were to purchase my transcripts as well as applying for my ivory towers outstation. Till now, 99% of the things are done and I'm now shaking my legs for the Universities to send me their offer letters. I hope to enter Swinburne University of Technology for the course of Bachelor of Art in Media and Communication in Australia. The title sounds pro, doesn't it? Ha!

Here I would love to apologize to those friends I didn't have the timeslot for them while I was in Nilai for 4 days. You know who you are, my ADP course mates, my orientation friends, my magic team buddies, my INTI gang, my Care Group brothers and sisters and my lovely lecturers. I swear I'll come to meet up with you before I fly and surely I do keep my words. Unlike a dude whom to me is a so called "brother" who promised me to wear the yellow boxy shirt with the soldiers pants and the cute hairpin on her head for a picture as my birthday present and to enjoy 4am nasi lemak together perhaps at the football field where we used to look at the beautiful sky of stars. Could that person be Emilia Song Kang Hui? You've got time for clubbing, dating, eating and hanging out with friends but had forgotten our contracts? I'm disappointed seriously. I hope to see you in this coming June as I'll be back to KL for the Magic Festival and I might drop by Nilai just for you. Looking forward for a bullcrap talk session, I've many things to share with you. Until then, take care.

In short, I'd fun in Nilai University College as I'd the chance to meet up HuiHui and SanSan. These 2 people are radical in nature. Heck, they're cool! TingTing, we'll go jogging next time ok?

Dear Charmi, you're still the same...wanna see some magic? Ha!

4) BBQ at Desa Kolej Playground

Holy cow! Check our ingredients out: 150 sticks of the infamous otak-otak from Muar, 20+ seasoned chicken wings, a mountain full of mee on the buffet plate, 2 KGs of both prawn and squid balls, ?? packets of hot-dog sausages, ?? corns and potatoes. All these were spiced up with dressings of different kinds: Teriyaki sauce, Honey, Black pepper. Who could disagree more we were not having a BBQ feast when all the food cost us RM250+ ? We totally grilled ourselves to the moon! We enjoyed every single second in this eating session. From purchasing the items in Giant to setting up the fire-pit for BBQ time, every moment we spent was priceless as we indulged ourselves in the manly brotherhood of the basketball gang. Though there was an extra feminine object there, we still felt fine for her existence. After all, cheerleading wasn't bad right? During the foundation of constructing the pit, I hurt myself on the back. An immense pain I was suffering reduced the enjoyment I had for the entire feast blast. I suppose I was going to develop some sort of back pain illness when I age in near future. What a horrible thought!

Just to mention for the sake of those people who are entering the international college, be extremely caution of the Africans. The key reason I put up this up was because I had had countless bad experiences with the negative blacks. For instance, when we were about to pay our items at the payment counters in Giant that day, two dudes from nowhere just cut in our way, believing they're some sort of invincible people I wouldn't care to notice. When I realised my friends did no action, I had this hormone rush and straight away, I shouted to them to get their ass right to the back of us. They're supposed to line up like everyone did in this world. If they were polite enough to ask permission if they were allowed to pay first with provision of good excuses, perhaps I might be happy to even aid them in placing their items on the payment bay. However, they were just so rude beyond my tolerable point. I insisted them to back off their way so ferociously that I almost got fired up for a fight. My friends pulled me back from that happening. For the first time I want to use some indecent words to express my thought in my blog, F*** THEM TO THEIR MOTHERLAND! Of course, I'm not racist judging the method I reacted for this matter, for I observe so far, a large portion of the Negro population belongs to the dark side. Positive ones still exist, though. For example, Musa my African brother! How are you lately?

5) J.O.M

In brief, J.O.M stands for the 3 initial of the names of 3 people. They are Jeremy, Ovinis and Micky. Just like the instant coffee, we are always 3 in 1. Our trinity relationship shall last for a lifetime. Asked where this J.O.M transpired about, the answer has something to do with my birthday of course. Ovinis and Micky (Meiyee) got me to stay for another extra day in Nilai for they had plan to surprise me. As a magician, I of course had cold read them and I knew they were up to something fishy. Yes indeed it was! For the first time, Princess Ovinischen drove us from Nilai to Seremban to celebrate my birthday in advance. We took the old road to avoid the highway for toll fees and to enjoy the nightviews. Frankly, the genuine motive has something to do with the word "food". We were discussing where to have our dinner and eventually, we ended up reaching Seremban Jusco into a place called The Johnny Restaurant. As 3 of us were dressed up in jackets, having a steamboat dinner made us look as if we're in some cold weather foreign country. Of course, we never failed to capture and snapped ourselves with cameras for memories. Later that evening, I received a packet of chocolate, a J.O.M keychain and a piece of Secret Recipe birthday cake from them. I was on cloud nine. On returning back to Nilai, we sang along as we slowly got drunk by the starlight-It was one of the prettiest nights ever. Blessed am I to have such good friends in my life. I love you Ovinis and Micky...

6) Friend Forever

This is going to be an abstract piece of writing...not a creative artwork but a promise from within. Selfish? Me or you? Ignored you for almost 3 months, I underwent a tremendous soulful torment. It hurt for I suffered. Did you realize? Did you feel? I was clueless. When everything came back to normal, you asked me a serious question on the night or morning we spent together. A question I pondered for the truth I couldn't figure out. You looked at me in disappointment. You know if I want, I want more. Perhaps you were being selfish for the thing that I needed but you couldn't provide. Perhaps I was being selfish in return that night for that promise I was reluctant to agree. I know you'll read my blog as you always do. Stretch your imagination for the positive ones. Sometimes I felt a blockage why you just couldn't tell me more. Could it be a trap you see? Till here I've really no idea what I'm typing. I'm basically just pouring out everything my heart says without revealing your identity. Rest assured my dear, I'm a man who keeps the words. That night you left me in despair by the look of your disappointed eyes made me aware something. I was worried. I finally understood a thing...you were hurt too. You cried and so did I... This will never happen again, I suppose. Let time heals the wounds. I...I...will always be your best friend. Good luck

$$$ Opportunity?

2009-03-05T15:27:00.001+08:00

Yesterday was rather unusual-I had this stirring evening together with 3 interesting people. Siew Mei, Alfred, Lim and I were participating ourselves in some sort of friendly Parliamentary debate. Being the only member of the opposition party, I prevailed over the other side by presenting superior "context" which I believed was far more subtle and strategic based on my logical consistency and factual accuracy from my past experience and personal viewpoints. The topic was Denson.

Asked what is Denson? Denson is a local brand of an intelligently made product. To be precise, it is a T-Shaped toothbrush. In order for you guys to understand it better, check out these 2 videos I've found.

Here I would love to evaluate this innovative toothbrush from the aspects of the product itself and the product marketing. As I elaborate them in details, I try to make it brief in explaining my honest thoughts in review for them. Firstly, the benefits of using this T-Shaped toothbrush, as I can see, are as below:

1) Environmental Friendly

The head of the toothbrush is replaceable. Thus, this creates less amount of garbage when everyone uses it.

2) Minimization of gum damage

Proper method of brushing teeth vertically is practiced, enabling us to control the movement and the direction when brushing to avoid gum damage.

3) Efficient teeth cleaning

Stains are effortlessly removed as the brush is designed according to the teeth structure.

Well, pessimistic people might argue that as long as a normal brush can scrub out the dirt from the teeth, it works fine and they are contented. What then should there be a necessary in purchasing a special one? I mean the T-Shaped one? I think the answer is that the genuine benefits can only be obtained in future when people are seriously into it. For the sake of ourselves and the environment, when a hero makes a different for us, we should support it so that the world will experience that difference. The crucial step is we have to move and act now. That is one of the factors inspiration arrives to seek for a change. Yesterday, I got this free T-Shaped toothbrush from Alfred. Tested it, I underwent a newborn method in brushing teeth like never as before. I used to brushing like mad nut whereby my poor little brush moves both horizontally and diagonally across everywhere inside my mouth! Heck I just smell the fun from within but now, I take the initiative for a change. I'm looking forward to witnessing an apparent result.

Next, for the sake of our future, this Denson product proclaims a strategy in changing our lives. You guess it! This is where when business turns out to be and money becomes the bull's eye target. However, I'm in no expert position to say anything related to business even though I'd done some business case studies for I used to attend Business Management and Marketing classes in my University.(Those are just introductory subjects. Ha !) If I'm not mistaken, Alfred (The Boss) is going to make this Denson toothbrush a golden opportunity for a real business in this world of technology. His method is done across the World Wide Web-The Internet. Uncountable business dreams can turn into reality if we apply technology into our industrial model and over here, Alfred introduces his Automation System.

I'm not really sure about this strategy but according to Alfred, its approach has something to do with Binary/Bunary System. I'm unsure what it is but the word "Binary" depicts me an idea of sequential binary divination of each level. Well, most of such businesses
seldom involve sales of real products or services to which a money value might be easily attached. However, in here, these people are not selling some "invalidate" healthcare products but an everyday item that people use daily- toothbrush, a new product that might turn the world upside down with its new modified structure of T-Shaped sculpt. Hence, when one considers whether or not to really participate oneself in that business, this can be another issue for thoughts.

If you can get the message, you see the opportunity. If you do not see it, it harms no me (Quoted by Alfred)

In conclusion for my review, considering this toothbrush has over 100 countries' patent rights currently and Alfred marketing method for Denson is performed though online niche marketing where the target audience are those people who use computers for surfing the net, is it a good line of attack? Well, his team dares to be the first for the unique and they believe they shall succeed. Mark their words.

For more information,

Do check out his temporary website (Chinese) for Denson below. His official one will be out by mid March.
http://www.mydenson.blogspot.com

Also, take a look too at this official website for Denson. (English)
http://www.multiway-toothbrush.com/

Haha. Lastly, I would love to show everyone a picture of me and Siew Mei. This picture was taken the first time we met when I was working and it happened be to be her birthday that evening. Believe it or not, it was also her first time wearing a dress. Holy, Siew Mei, please dress more like this. You are a girl.

My March...

2009-03-03T16:42:00.001+08:00

In this 3^rd lovely month of the year, I've quit my full-time job to allocate some time for me to enjoy things I love doing as well as to wrap up things I'm responsible for. This post will just briefly elaborate my March schedule. Well, it's kind of personal stuff and there's nothing interesting issues to share with you guys here but do explore this blog always for sometimes it just surprises you.

Eight significant matters shall completely occupy my time in this month. They are :
1) Piano
2) Exercise
3) Magic
4) Philosophy Research
5) Speech
6) University Stuff
7) Princess Ovinis' Birthday
8) (Secret)

1) Piano:

Recalling back, I've been playing piano since 1997 when I was just a primary 3 dude. The same piano has been living in my house for a good 12 years and it never fails to make me get sick of it. I admit I'm not talented in playing this majestic instrument but I definitely love expressing myself from it. Doubtlessly, piano sound is just music to my ear. This March I took a challenge from Dada to perfect one of the ABRSM Grade-8 exam piano pieces in a week. For a Grade-7 pianist, it's just a piece of cake for me-I suppose. My fingers are going to get serious and I'm excited.

2) Exercise:

Apart from jogging, I'm keen to embark on my journey of Judo once again. After 3 years of involvement in Yasenshi Dojo Malaysia, YDM (Now it has changed to Sudobudokan), I began my Judo lesson in Form 2 and believe it or not, this one seriously rocks from the rest of other martial arts. Mastering every move to defeat the opponent by throwing and locking is just fantastically amusing. Since graduating from my high school, I never forget the sweet taste of having a Judo lesson and I miss it every time. Now that I've come back to JB, I'll be attending this lesson on the 4^th floor in Citiplaza weekly. Sensei Goh, your favourite student is back.

3) Magic:

This magical art of conjuring is my much-loved hobby job of all. In this month, firstly, I'm going to attempt hypnosis into my act for the initial time. I seriously do not know whether does it suit my style but I'm keyed up for this shot. Then, I'm hoping to organise a magic event in my home city of Johor Bahru in the near future. This event will be different like never as before. I haven't made up my mind to really plan this out. Keep your fingers crossed. Also, I might be present at a magic show in Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) on the 15^th for the comedy magic of Barry and Stuart. Should anyone loves to come for some laughers and miracles, you may book your tickets here.

4) Philosophy Research:

I'm seriously into this Humanities subject for God sake! I enjoy how philosophers express their words and thoughts in their reasoning. Meaningful yet so abstract; unclear yet has comprehensible explanation. Over here, my task for this month is just to deepen myself into the world of seeking the truth and understand the modern philosophers' reasoning-I'm going to finish reading the Philosophy book I bought.

5) Speech

Similar like the Toastmaster club in USA, this public-speaking class I'm attending is entirely functioned in Mandarin-based. The club name sounds a little bit pathetic. It is called "Young Malaysian Movement Public Speaking Class". Check out their website here.

Why am I taking speech class again? Heck I seriously don't know. Perhaps I feel like delivering Chinese Speech because I'm used to speaking in English in front but never have the chance to address it in my mother tongue. The only thing I know is I'm definitely going to push my potential to the max as I brush up my speech delivering techniques again. I'm looking forward to ULTIMATELY BLOW everyone including the lectures away to the end of the world. Frankly, I think I can speak better than some of them. Holy! My ugly ego is shown again. Who cares? This is my blog.

6) University Stuff

On the 14^th of this Month, I'll be taking my TOEFL examination in Singapore. Because of my late registration, I miss out the chance to book a seat for this examination in JB test-centre. Thus, I've to make a journey down to Singapore by myself for that examination. Nevertheless, I'm looking forward to exploring Singapore, travelling in my car around that tiny island for some short holiday fun. Subsequent to that, I'll be busy finalising my Australian and American Universities which I might be furthering my studies in. Applications to my desired ivory towers will be done this month when I pay a visit to my Nilai University College for a couple of days somewhere in the middle of this month. I'm not delaying any longer as my mum nags.

7) Princess Ovinischen's Birthday

We were strangers at first but when fate brought us together, our miracles happened and are still happening. Well, unlike any typical girl, she is special to me for I sense we both share some common beliefs in life. The vital matter that grounds my undying relationship with her is that she once saved me from the abyss. I was no longer myself and out of the blue, her angelic hands from nowhere just pulled me away from the torment. It was just as though a beam of holy light just shone at me, creating a shadow of protective strength and a path of hope for me to move forth in life. Since then, our platonic love grew beyond imagination. We share secrets among ourselves to relieve our inner hurts. She always has this curve on her mouth, a smile that generates happiness. Her laughter flares the atmosphere into a cherry serenity. Who is she? Well, she is inevitably one of my BEST FRIENDS! So unusual is her name that her friends call her Ovinischen. Even special is when me myself call her Princess Ovinis. None can disagree more on how lovely and sweet her name can be. As her birthday is around the corner, I'll be there to celebrate with her because I know if I miss out this opportunity, the next time we meet up for this special occasion in near future might be impossible-I'll be going to USA/AUS and she'd probably furthering her studies in Canada or even migrate there.

Ovinischen : Remember the famous bible quote of John 3:16 then you'll never forget my birthday! Jeremy : Oh...

Made a promise almost 5 months ago, I'm eager to wait for the moment as we wait the clock gradually ticks the time to her 21^st birthday on the 16^th of March. Ovinischen, get ready your digital camera for you and I will be captured in many pictures. Most importantly is that you will be wearing the dress I get for you for your birthday gift. Till then, I'll be missing you. Muaks.

My best female friend-Ovinischen...

8) (Secret)

Ta da..ta..ta..ta.. I'm up to something sweet this month. Your charm is just that lovely. Perhaps I'm faking or maybe I'm just standing on a stage where I'm just a mere actor in Shakespeare's play. However, I still love the story though it might be just a good 2 hours show. In an effort to make them in reality, good luck to me. This is currently my secret for a shy guy like me. Yeah right, as if that so. What? You clever sausage, if you don't understand, try expanding your brain for some imagination. Read, I titled it, it spells S E C R E T.

Cheerz,
Jeremy Fu

Life as if jogging

2009-02-20T14:22:00.001+08:00

Ever wonder how an evening jog may somehow bear a resemblance of life? Well here it is. Being alive for 20 years that much or less, based on my experience, my opinion on what truth really is within living can be narrated with what goes throughout when a person jogs. Below shouts out my idea of life in an illustrated story of a jogging tale- my tale of my truth of what I witness in life.

I jog routinely, basically almost every evening. What I've learnt is that before jogging, our bodies are energized with power to move forward in speed to reach the goal. Isn't this similar to life? When we've decided to accomplish something, everything at the initial is perfect-we have the determination, we have the will, we have the strategy, we have the capability, we have everything in the beginning in order to achieve our target. With a good start off, it seems easy for us to gain a promising result if we follow the strategy accordingly but all I can say is, stop dreaming your fairy tales and wake up to face the obstructive challenges in life that block your path to success.

When jogging, the moment we take the first step forward, the calculation begins. The calculation goes in such a way that we receive our exact payback depending on our efforts we place in the jog. For instance, the more we want to burn the extra fat in our bodies, the more we need to jog. There is nothing as windfall in this story. We'll be given our treat fairly for what we've sacrificed for. Just like life, everything is calculated that accurately. If we work for the things we hanker after very much, we'll get it. No matter what it is, everything is possible if we've what it takes.

Next as we look more deeply into the subject of jogging, we experience a battle between our bodies and mind when we start feeling tired. As the body is pushing to its limit, a message is sent to our brain telling us to end this jog. Look! You're determined to finish a 3kms journey but hardly completing half of it, you're in a position of giving up. The evil voice in our mind utters "You're exhausted I understand...Why not take a break? Have some rest first..." With this suggestibility, it often successfully traps those who're low in the will to complete the race. This type of people I label them in 2 words-Total-Failures. Seriously, I look down on such people in real life when they're so easily collapse especially when they'd made their mind up to reach the target and fail it. Those joggers that love giving up usually supply themselves with excuses like it is hard to overcome the tiredness the body is going through. Likewise, in real life, these people provide the society with tons of unbelievable excuses to defend themselves. Considering that they made an objective ahead and when they fail, what really upsets me more is that people don't admit their imperfection. They think as though they are always right and it is always the external factors that make them go down. From here, it shoots a point that these people are defeated entirely to themselves-they do not pass the test of their mind. When the mind constructs an idea of blockage, they accept it and believe in it. Hence, what really happens up there inside our head may screw us up badly should we're unable to solve it rationally. We have to have a rigid mental preparation and be always well-focused to face the obstacles besides believing the impossible. Impossible? Why not I'm possible?

Another way of looking at how life resembles jogging is when we jog without a firm objective. People sometimes come for jogging just for the sake of doing exercise. They accelerate in speed in the beginning but the constancy is never there. They got tired they rest and when they do, they get lazy to continue. This occurs when people hope to run for a desire distance, say like 3 rounds of an Olympic track; however as soon as the body cannot hold the tiredness because of the accumulation of lactic acid in the bloodstream, they surrender. In life, this is evidently shown when people "hand over" their life destiny to other parties such as those people in authorities or the changing environment. To say it nicely, these people react promptly to the surrounding. To say it unpleasantly, this people often take granted of everything.

Subsequently, another crucial issue about jogging is that you are not always alone. Just like running a marathon, you have companions and when the whistle blows, the battle is on and the companions are your enemies. Yes you may run as fast as you can but the moment you stop moving forward perhaps because you fall down, people overtake you with no mercy. In life, those who are competing do not lend hands to their enemies-they backstab instead. Thus, life is just like jogging, you have to possess a capability to execute and carry out everything by yourselves and cannot afford to slow down. Otherwise, you'll be left behind in other people's shadow. How pity is that...

In a nutshell, the most significant matter I learnt in life can be said like this way: The more you run as you jog, every passing second you suffer as you accumulate the burden. You'll be put into the test from suggestions everywhere asking you to discontinue and should you follow it, sooner or later you'll witness yourselves a failure as you compare with those successors whom you together start the journey with. Therefore, my remedy in brief is :

1) Set your clear strategy for your goal
2) Trust no one but you
3) Win over yourselves

I've found the root of the problems. Asked how to resolve them, to be honest, I'm still searching for the perfect answers for them. Till then, I'll be gradually improving myself in life and I hope you do too. Until here, it is necessary to remind you that everything I write here is solely based on my personal opinion and whether or not am I being stereotyping, you're welcome to be my judge. Thanks for reading.

Cheerz,
Jeremy Fu

My returning interest...

2009-02-18T03:28:00.001+08:00

For those who have subscribed to MagicNZ E-zine, I'm pretty sure you're aware that our constant writer, Paul Romhany has recently published his book-Entertaining on Cruiseship. Exited, I ordered a copy from TheMagicStreet but it seemed that the supplier, Murphy Magic had a shortage for the book and therefore, I'd to remain waiting in anguish. Ewww, I find insufferable to be in this starving position, craving for books to fill my hunger.

Hence, in searching for something to substitute, I went to Harris in Jusco for some books hunt. Firstly, I'm disappointed that for such a BIG BOOKSHOP, the latest book 18^th of True Singapore Ghost Stories by Russell Lee wasn't put on for sale. (I'll get it in Popular then next time.) Even though this series of ghostbooks is so famous across the globe that many people will definitely purchase it upon release, my honest review is that the books have gradually turning from a descriptive style of writing to a boring narrative mode, making the "thrill" of feeling scared very minute. Nevertheless, Russell Lee's still amazing. I'll always support him like I always did since young.

I believe it is true beyond the shadow of doubt that I will only do the things I love doing. In illustration, unable to look for a desirable book, to make my trip worth, I decided to simply purchase a self-motivating book that taught us methods in expanding the ultimate magnitude of love in 90days. Inside it, the meaningful contents consisted of various bible quotes together with some factual stories to support the everyday theme. Lovely, it only cost for a mere RM40+. However, I had this inner voice from within that told me I'd give up reading where the voice sounded so evil it seemed it wanted to bring me away from God's messages. Eventually, I didn't buy it because first, I sensed I did not like it and second, I found myself another much more interesting book which I yearn for.

From the author of Zeno and The Tortoise, Philosophy-The latest answer to the oldest questions by Nicholas Fearn was the book I obtained today. After taking Philosophy subject in Nilai, my passion for this study grew beyond and now, this is my second purchase of such related book. As usual, philosophical ideas arise with questions tackling into the subject of epistemology, metaphysic, ethics, anaesthetic and logic. Because most philosophical books are either pitched so low as to be pointless or so high as to be incomprehensible, what interests me is that how the writer answers and solves the life's most pressing and enduring questions with his personal style. Therefore, I think in the meantime, I'll keep myself sweet and romantic with my new book and I'll constantly update this blog with any remarkable philosophical questions worth of note that can screw your funky mind.

Cheerz,
Jeremy

Unwell moments...

2009-02-10T15:09:00.001+08:00

With an uprising dengue cases in Johor, I've fallen into becoming one of the suffering victims since last Thursday. I could not even recall exactly how many panadols I've swallowed but I could agree that these pain killers did reduce the ache. Who cares the medical researchers claim that some elements of the panadol will stay in our bodies for years as long as I feel fine. Seriously, when you win yourselves a jackpot for this illness, the pain will kill you inside out. Well, after admitted to hospital for countless blood tests as well as consuming around or more than 30 tablets of panadols, today I'm still not ok.

Last Saturday, I had a show in the famous Beijing Restaurant in Taman Sutera. It was a wedding and inside the hall was crowded packed by almost 400 people. With my fever and unwell body, I tried delivering my routines in the best way possible. Table hopping was pretty ok but my stage comedy show was indeed terrible. It turned out badly probably because I was using English language to present my act, considering that the audience consisted of a large population medium-aged Chinese folks. These aunties and uncles seemed so blur with everything I did. Well, I learnt my lesson now though-Chinese weddings are unsuitable for stage comedy act. Perhaps 20 more years later when our English educated generation is dominating the Malaysia, things may have a change. Well, it does not mean that I'm discouraged by it. In fact, I look forward for more new mistakes so that I may learn new things to enhance myself.

Cheerz,
Jeremy Fu

What a day!

2009-02-04T00:07:00.001+08:00

"Feeling cheating death for the first time, I learnt something valuable today." It was 3 quarters pass 9 in the morning. I started my car, speeding it in rush in an attempt to arrive the hospital before 10a.m. At a T-junction, as I stopped the vehicle for the cars opposite my direction to go by, unknowing I felt that perhaps the cars in front may want to turn to their left instead of moving straight. Thus, I made the turn. In that very split moment as I realised the cars were going straight, I was so "high". I was about to get myself mashed in mangled flesh and guess what, I was so damn lucky to miss that few inches for that upcoming vehicle to bang me. My soul hadn't returned to me as I just escaped myself from that tragedy-I was so "high" I was speechless I couldn't be more thankful that now I'm still alive because I don't want to die. I realise the worth of being alive and I've made a decision today…

To continue my e-diary, I'd just love to elaborate how I spent my day today. Arrived at the hospital, I couldn't get myself a parking space and ended up myself spending 30minutes rounding the buildings searching for one. I hate it. Later, I was like a statue, sitting on a chair for another 30 minutes to wait my turn for my check-up. Doctor Tey prescribed me 2 new drugs and I hope the new medicines can alleviate my illness. Again, I had to kill another 1 hour+ while waiting the digital number at the pharmacy department to slowly "illuminate" itself from 8090 to 8140 in order for me to obtain my medicine. Well, it seems that I'm complaining the inefficiency of the public hospital but I'm not. In fact, I'm amazed by the staffs' capabilities in operating the hospital-Surprisingly, the nurses did work hard. I'm pretty sure my Nilai Nursing buddies will be like them in future. Haa…

By the way, coming back here did bring me back some memories of my first patient visit of this hospital. Together with my church buddies, we paid a visit to those who were sick terribly on beds. Hmmm, let me dig out those old pictures. (Oppps... Lifelogger server is currently shut down, I'll post them up here when I edit this post next time)

At 2p.m, I reached back my working place and I started to dislike the job because of some unfriendly creatures dominating the area. Well, I'm pretty sure sooner or later I'll kiss that work goodbye though I'm going to miss some of the great people I know from there. I initially took this job just to free myself from getting emotional hurt as I'll recall the unhappy past when I'm not busy at night. After the incident this morning, I see a clearer picture now. 1) This job isn't for me, I deserve better than that. 2) The feeling won't be forever, I'm letting go. If you're reading this, you know who you are, I'm sorry for saying those stupid things yesterday.

When I've decided to cheer myself up again, something shitty just happened a moment ago as I type this post. Lazy to explain, I'm going to end my post here.

Cheerz,
Jeremy Fu

First Magic Gathering in Johor Bahru

2009-01-29T02:10:00.001+08:00

Many incidents happened in this January of 2009. One of the heartbreaking news has been swallowing me up, making me emo every day but luckily, I'm smart enough to make myself busy with things I love doing.Since I started this blog in late January, in here I'd love to add in a remarkable event which happened before. January 18th 2009 marked the successful day of the first magicians gathering in City Square,Jb. Below is the brief report.

Malaysians follow their rubber time; likewise, some of our magicians over here also practice the same art. Stated out clearly the arrival time should be at around 12.30pm, some lovely dudes turned up almost an hour later. Anyhow, many of us were enduring enough to wait in patience for the event to start rocking when most magicians were there and ready. Later, the venue was changed from McDonald to the Food court owing to fast food area was way too crowded and unsuitable for us to perform in peace! Craving for things to fill the empty stomachs, 蓝色闪电(the organizer from Jbtalks Forum and I went in search for food for our lunch. Both of us quickly swallowed down and finished our food as the performance time began. Every magician was to come out and show us his magic routines. From pasteboard playing cards to coins, and from coins to ropes, a range of daily items became the props for us to use it to perform our great routines in front of all magicians. Everyone was so sporting to perform that some magicians even wanted to perform for us again twice and trice! Thunderous applause was given after each superb effect was done and at the end of the entire routine as a sign of appreciation and encouragement to the magicians.

Two of our members (edwardjb and Bicycle from TheMagicStreet Forum)had to leave early as they had something to take care of and so, we were unable to have them in the group picture of all the attendees who joined the gathering. After snapping the group picture, we proceeded to next agenda-Street Magic. Walking inside one of the most crammed-full shopping malls in JB, we took turns to perform for the laymen. Performing magic to the people attracted many curious onlookers who walked past and slowed their pace for a show. The reactions from the spectators were enormously priceless as most of them were amazed in awe for the miracles we did before their eyes. In a nutshell, we enjoyed ourselves walking inside the entire shopping building, having fun together as we discussed what types of spectators we wanted to approach, what effects we wanted to show, where we would love to perform. Interestingly, we always ended up in places such as beside the restrooms and at the shopping mall entrance for the spot for us to present our magic.

Subsequently, we eventually came back to the area we initially gathered-The food court. Over there, we went into a discussion of a possible upcoming major event which will be held in JB. After a while, it was time to say goodbye for some of the magicians. I myself left for church at 6pm+. What a pleasant day we had!

Perhaps because this was the first time a magic gathering was organized in JB and some of the magicians here did not experience such an event before, I noticed some magicians were a little abnormal as they portrayed their shyness and quietness. Here, I would love to take this golden opportunity to say that magic gathering is a time where we should depict our magic enthusiasm and magic spirit to make them a happening and real. Thus, we should be willingly to open ourselves bravely to be part of the entire team. We are a family under the same roof-we will not judge your negativity out loud but will appreciate your sharing. I truly believe that as time goes when JB magicians get closer in relationship, this problem will fade gradually.

Lastly, I would love to say thank you for all those magicians who made their trips down to attend this gathering, making this event possible. Without you guys, this gathering would not be successful. We look forward to coming for the next gathering!

This is the group picture of the magicians. (Taken and edited by yeahyeah from TheMagicStreet Forum)

A slideshow video of yeahyeah's pictures nicely done by 暗杀魔法师from TheMagicStreet Forum

My 1^st performance video on that day

My 2^nd performance video on that day

Should you're interested to view other magicians' pictures and videos of that day, check it out here.I think you must get yourself a forum account from TheMagicStreet Forum before being able to do so. Thus, register yourselves to enjoy the goodies.

Cheerz,
Jeremy Fu

Who am I? Why am I here?

2009-01-28T17:04:00.001+08:00

Living environment triggers people to revolutionize. From a timid shy dude to someone who loves expressing himself before folks, I've been changing a lot in the past 1 decade. As a perfectionist, I'm being emo today, setting off my blogging journey with a stubborn frame of mind that everything must start from the beginning. Hate to view my blog archive created with a month launch somewhere between the year, I prefer to initiate it in January. It just pleases me. Why am I here? Basically, I'm here to keep details of interesting events and thoughts which crop up in my colourful life besides "fulfilling" a promise I'd made to some people that I shall start blogging. Committed to turn this blog into an amazing e-diary, I'm ready to rock it.

Who am I? This is one of the questions I always love to answer. Inevitably, it feels superb being able to introduce myself to a group of new friends to talk about who am I, what am I, what do I do, etc. Hence, in here I would expose myself in public to briefly tell you who am I. My name is Jeremy Fu Yong Lee, born in Malaysia on the 22nd of March 1988. Now I'm currently 20 years old in age, standing 171cm in height with a body weight of around 62kgs. Nice to meet you.

Subsequently, now I would love to share with you guys about my passions. The four major concerns that build up my life are:
1)Religion
2)Relationship
3)Work
4)Hobbies

The 4 factors above each differently shows a degree of importance at certain period of time in my life. Sometimes, I will extremely focus on my relationship with people and other times, I put forth my hobbies as the main attention of my life. Right now, I'm concentrating pretty much in my work and religion. These 4 aspects depict my life and I guess for me to live happily, I weight them in balance. Yea..

As time goes, you'll understand my 4 aspect of life as I gradually update this blog from time to time, jotting down astonishing issues related to my life. You of course will only figure out who am I, provided that you constantly check out this blog to read the latest cool stuffs I post here. This is my blog, my soul planet. Welcome to my life.

Cheerz,
Jeremy Fu