Thinking Out Loud

Sorry about the heading. Corny, cheesy or corncheesy it may be, I had to to do it. Do we live our lives in our terms even though others might consider them wrong? Should we live our life to make others happy? Or do we let others dictate on how we should live? Should we not care about how others feel and live according to our rules? Many of us won't like it when someone advises us on how to live our lives. We feel our freedom is at risk here. If we were given the options of living well or living in poor conditions, we would definitely choose to live well, won't we? But, if we were given no options, but to live well, I think most of us would be unhappy, wouldn't we? We love options, don't we? Sorry about all the questions; it is still early in the week to find answers to these psuedo-intellectual questions, but I have yet to meet the "one" with the answers, but that's a whole new ballgame. Why all these musings, one may ask. This was just a by-product of wat...

Have you ever seen a movie where you wish the ending was different? Have you ever thought, if I had done it, I would have done it differently? Maybe Ilsa ends up with Rick in someone's version; maybe Neil McCauley does not end up dead at the hands of Lt. Vincent Hanna. It is this sinking feeling that infuses my thoughts each time I listen to "Stan" by Eminem. I wish Stan would treat his doting girlfriend ("your picture on my wall, it reminds me, that it's not so bad") better and stop wishing that he and his idol should "be together". Dido sings a haunting melody and I feel a sense of dread (even though I have listened to the song many times) and the car crash at the end of the third verse brings a melancholic feeling no matter how cheerful I was prior to listening to the song. How far would our obsession with the celebrities take us? Do we really want to worship the celebrities and be like them so much that our identities end up disappearing? What ...

Go to: Part 1 | Part 2 Why should we not ignore religion? We have witnessed an extreme of religious fundamentalism in the September 11 attacks. Why regard the extreme? How about the moderate ones? RD argues that the majority of people who directly influence social policies and political procedures can be regarded as religious moderates who promote religion as a way of life and when this 'way-of-life' contradicts with another, we see incursion or at least unrest. Religion without resilient obstructions thrives and develops into fundamentalism, where humans sacrifice themselves for martyrdom. Martyrdom is mainly made possible by turning impressionable young minds against other religions/beliefs and the most alarming issue raised by RD is the indoctrination of children. One of the traits of human evolution is the children look up to the adults to fashion their lives which becomes dangerous when parents (try to) force their religious ideals onto their children (see Exhibit B: Jesu...

Go to: Part 1 I found an article (in relation to TGD) criticising science with the advent of the atomic bomb. Well, allow me to retort: why was the a-bomb invented in the first place? Where did it start? Did it not start with the bloody crusade of this one guy with a funny moustache who wished to avenge those who killed Jesus? Call me crazy, I'm just clutching at straws here. Science at the hands of humans can be used for good and evil. I have never seen or heard of any instance when rationalists declared war in the name of atheism. Albert Einstein who did not "believe in a personal God" had said "I believe in Spinoza's God who reveals himself in the orderly harmony of what exists, not in a God who concerns himself with the fates and actions of human beings". God as a 'soul' to the universe makes sense to me. It would be reasonable to assign an 'animus' to lifeless entities such as the sky or nature that accompanies humans throughout their li...

'Why should I care' was the general attitude I shared with my friends and peers when it came to religion. "It is pointless" usually put a stop to any theological discussion that cropped up. I believed that God would mind his business and just leave me alone. And then I read "The God Delusion" (TGD) by Richard Dawkins (RD). As the book has been reviewed by many erudite scholars with a greater knowledge on the subject matter, I dare not presume to write one of my own. The following rather are my observations, proverbial lit bulbs to think of a lesser example and the effect the book had on me. First of all, I am of the opinion that instead of placing our trust in a priest or a theological scholar or RD himself, we should use the power of independent thought to find out the existence or non-existence of God. RD has printed his opinions and we may use TGD as a tool to seek out the truth ourselves. For example, as RD has pointed out, this higher power that is God ...

Mondays determine my rest of the week. The events of the week and their outcomes depend so heavily on Mondays that I become a victim to Monday-bashing, also popularly known as Mondayitis. If I see and talk to no one on the way to work on a Monday, rest assured, it will be a week of birds-singing, dew-dropping, sun-shining, jazz-listening days of wine and roses minus Jack Lemmon and addiction to alcohol. On the contrary, if someone said something as harmless as "good morning" on a Monday, I blow my top and read Nietzsche or Dostoyevsky and blame everything on everyone and think about genocide, a lot. But, as the song goes, I pick myself up, dust myself off and start all over again as I cool down with a Red Bull (yes, it relaxes me; yes I'm weird) on the train which proves to be quite amusing at times. There is a story of how I drank a 473 ml can of Red Bull and fell asleep on the train, but that's a whole other story. I commute to work via train. Most of the days, I am...

It was a mixture of emotions, more of a pleasant contradiction as I realised while reading " The God Delusion " by Richard Dawkins , I had "Thiruvasakam" by Ilaiyaraja playing in the background. The music was providing a beat (in my mind) to the words of Dawkins. I have heard that music brings people closer to God (the unspecified God; who knows what people really believe in) and I could not help but smile. Usually it is either a book or a song blaring from the earphones, but on this particular day I was engrossed in Dawkins's words about the ontological argument and this person sitting next to me proceeded to talk on her phone and as the conversation progressed she became excited and her voice levels grew to an alarming pitch. As Peter Finch said "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!", so I put on my earphones and chose random and what should play but Thiruvasakam (Thamizh hymns written by poet Manikkavasakar about world...

What keeps us going? What is our driving force? I have tried to search for that factor that is the driving force. What is it that drives me? Well, Scotch Whiskey is the driving force of my uncle, and it drives my aunt mad. Whenever I feel the urge to do something, I often wonder what makes me feel that way. Too much Red Bull and coffee or both may cause these drivinisms (or drivinations?) but they may also have side-effects of diarrhoea and insomnia (or both)? People have driving factors ranging from money, stardom to downright lunacy. Not me. I do not have any ambitions. Why should I have any ambitions? What if a Tsunami struck, the day I come up with an ambition? What then? I was about to make plans but the recent Queensland floods have made me a sceptic. Until I get a clear answer, I won't have an ambition. I'm not one of those, who plan everything ahead; well not planning in the long run anyway. I do not know what I will be in 10 or 20 years time. So what does that make me?...

I was never one for the "back-in-the-days" type of discussion. Yet I found myself talking exactly that when a friend came to visit. I find it hard to live in the past even though I often think of "what-if" scenarios; what would have happened that would have changed the course of my life. By way of a "for instance", what if I had won a million dollars in 1996? Is that usual? I believe that everyone, at one point in their lives would have thought of "what if". Is this a sad state of affairs in our lives? Do we always dwell on the fantasies to escape from realities? I do; not always but when the chips are down, but I try and solve the situation, accept the reality and move on. There was a period in my life when I could not move on. Whenever I got into a fix, I would think of all the negative situations I have faced and I would have a very heated internal conversation with the higher powers that be. I felt sorry for myself (I would validate this poin...

I am currently going through a "glass-half-empty" phase of my life. Nothing seems to fit, work or make sense. Today's program is brought to you by the words "whatever" and "I don't care". Let's start with "meh". When coming to terms with the stale state of mind, the cold hands of death do not seem so scary; on the contrary, they are welcome. I have had my share of downs in life, but I have never felt so miserable; not even when my father died. The feeling is to get away, not on a bloody holiday but from this life. These are the moments when I realise that life is not just about surviving; it is about living. Do I want to understand the meaning of my life? The scarier life becomes when, eventful as the journey maybe, unattainable the destination as I sit with my thoughts and I realise that, larger the silence, the longer the day. It is at moments like these, I have been told, that God will speak to you, but as tediousness has evolved i...

I don't know why it happened. I wanted to read a report before I got to work, so while waiting for the train, I decided to give it a try. There was a slight breeze that day, which didn't bother me, but on the contrary was quite refreshing. I was feeling a positive vibe among the people waiting for the train when my mind wandered off after reading few pages (the report was quite tedious) and suddenly, out of nowhere, a disturbing illusion took over me. For some reason, my fingers had gone numb and the papers were yanked out of my hand. I saw the papers flying out on to the road and creating a multiple-vehicle collision that cost many lives. I cannot help but watch, in dismay, as limbs and torsos were scattered all over the freeway and blood rushing forth in a never-ending stream. I started to panic and immediately put the report in the file and the file in my bag and made sure the bag was firmly closed shut. I was not sure if others noticed, but I had started to sweat profusely ...

Gather around, kids. Let me tell you the story of the day I took an umbrella to work. Sounds tedious, doesn't it? Well, let me tell it anyway. Allow me my few idiosyncrasies and I will try to lead a normal life. I was watching the weather report, not because I cared for it but the reporter was too pretty and I couldn't bother to switch channels, and I heard the words 'rain' and 'tomorrow' and for some reason these two words stuck with me, so, the next day I got out of the house with my umbrella. Now, people who know me would know that I never take an umbrella even in torrential rain. I wait for the rain to stop and then go or I would just call in sick. I like rain as I think one day a big rain would come and wash the scum of all the streets. That's right, I am Travis Bickle and De Niro portrayed me before I was born, but, I do not want to get into that surreal contemplation; that's a completely different story. On the train to work, as I was about to sit...

What do you do when people you really like act like assholes? Do you tell them to their face or do you try and drop some hints? I cannot, for the life of me, hint at anything. I do not get or drop hints at all. I have told many people, if you want to say something, just say it. I now find myself in a quandary as I am unable to take my own advice. How do I tread the fine line of friendship and hostility? I probably will say it. A quick rip, blood gushes and someone will faint. Why do you need friends if you can't be straight with them? Tell it like it is and move on. Yes, words do hurt but that is a facet of life. Who said life was fair? You live, you learn, and while you are at it, say something really cheesy, so people won't forget you. Now that I have made up my mind, will someone talk to my friend and tell him he is an asshole? Why do people who are quick to judge others have no patience in finding out the truth? Has truth become a by-product of a fast-food life? I hate it w...

Surprised was I when I realised the train had arrived on time today. Many a time have I heard the frustrating automated voice of Transperth announcing the delays of buses and trains due to extreme weather conditions. The extreme weather conditions, of course, would refer to the slight drizzle which would have lasted for two minutes at the most. So what were the odds of the train arriving on time today after the heavy downpour yesterday all night long? Baffling, it is, as Yoda would say. Segueing into my thoughts as I grow tired of the clichéd feeling of people sitting inside, besides a cosy fire or electrical heater, with a hot beverage watching the rain. Why should you not go outside and enjoy the rain? Life becomes magical for a few moments when my inner cynic dies as I cherish and embrace life. Usually these magical moments do not happen; you will have to create them. But, sometimes nature provides you with the euphoria and if you are able to accept the simple pleasures, then life w...

I have decided to get my life back on track. There have been so much going on in my life that I had become disorganised, to a point where my life can be classified under "shabby". I had stopped catching up with friends and family, prevented myself from any worldly liaisons and I had neglected the blog that I maintained on a regular basis; I had completely shut myself off from the rest of the world. I hope to maintain this blog and I hope that I do not have another Fresh Start in a few years' time. But, I am not going to get rid of my old Blog posts. They may come in handy for one of those I-feel-like-copy-and-paste days. I know, it is a bit of a cheat, but I have heard that rules were meant to be broken. Dear Diary/Journal/Blog Entry, I know my biography so I am not going to bore you with all the details (if I write everything about me on my very first post, then I would have nothing to write about later). An interesting thought or a passing glance is meaningless, unless ...