Dear baby lizard,
I know you're hopelessly in love with either 1. my Doritos (a yucky taco flavour), 2. my beautiful human self, or 3. the heat from my laptop. You might also feel attracted to the pile of notes on my table, but I think that's highly unlikely. You're not silverfish after all, and silverfish are probably the only creatures who might like my very boring notes.
However, please stop trying to sneak up on me/my Doritos/my laptop. It freaks me out a bit, because as much as I think baby lizard feet are terribly cute, I don't fancy the thought of accidentally squashing you or munching a mouthful of Doritos-flavoured lizard. It's a really bad time now, you know. I have to hand in the first draft of my dissertation by 5pm tomorrow, and I'm only at 5000 words. So if you come any closer to me, I swear I'll scream and wake my daddy up so he can get rid of you. Be good! And no tail-dropping please!
Regards,
Elaine
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
Break from thesis
Ok, I'll just take a small small break here. *swears to self she won't take anymore 4hr naps (like this afternoon) or watch 3hrs of tv (like this evening)*
I can't help comparing this thesis experience with my previous thesis experience. I'm actually much more relaxed this time. (though I'd better not jump to conclusions till tomorrow)
Perhaps it's because of yet another raise in stress threshold.
Perhaps it's because this time I Actually Consulted My Thesis Supervisor And He Knows What I'm Going To Write About. (at least in general)
Perhaps it's because I no longer feel as if I owe it to the whole world to do well.
Perhaps it's because they make us hand in a first draft before the final deadline.
Anywayz. The last time I spent about 5 days doing the really relevant research, and about 2.5days writing. This time I've hardly done any research, but I'm making up for it by starting to write 3 days before the deadline. So hopefully it should work out fine. (I'm now at 1350/10000 words, and the bloody thesis is due this Thurs. Well, at least the 1st draft.)
*yawnz* darn I'm sleepy. Too bloody relaxed... Help! I'm in such deep shit!
Ok ok that's it. I should go back to work. (I wasted another hour slacking! Can you believe that?)
I can't help comparing this thesis experience with my previous thesis experience. I'm actually much more relaxed this time. (though I'd better not jump to conclusions till tomorrow)
Perhaps it's because of yet another raise in stress threshold.
Perhaps it's because this time I Actually Consulted My Thesis Supervisor And He Knows What I'm Going To Write About. (at least in general)
Perhaps it's because I no longer feel as if I owe it to the whole world to do well.
Perhaps it's because they make us hand in a first draft before the final deadline.
Anywayz. The last time I spent about 5 days doing the really relevant research, and about 2.5days writing. This time I've hardly done any research, but I'm making up for it by starting to write 3 days before the deadline. So hopefully it should work out fine. (I'm now at 1350/10000 words, and the bloody thesis is due this Thurs. Well, at least the 1st draft.)
*yawnz* darn I'm sleepy. Too bloody relaxed... Help! I'm in such deep shit!
Ok ok that's it. I should go back to work. (I wasted another hour slacking! Can you believe that?)
Monday, March 05, 2007
Faces of Italy
One of my favourite photo blogs:
Faces of Italy
and so on. If you want to see the faces behind these dreams, click on above link. :)
Faces of Italy
This is Vespucci.
Vespucci’s dream is to find his son and tell him important things. He twists his head quickly at me with a lost and quizzical look, and then he returns to a thoughtful gaze.
Vespucci is currently homeless and cannot remember where his son is
This is Skye.Skye’s dream, she says with a stalwart demeanor, is to be a successful dermatologist.
Skye is currently modeling in Milan during summer break from medical school.
and so on. If you want to see the faces behind these dreams, click on above link. :)
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Nora, The Piano-Playing Cat (www.ravenswingstudio.com)
This cat has more talent in its tail than I would have in my entire life! (How else did it make it so big?)
Friday, March 02, 2007
History and History
Abe Rejects Japan’s Files on War Sex
TOKYO, March 1 — Prime Minister Shinzo Abe denied Thursday that Japan’s military had forced foreign women into sexual slavery during World War II, contradicting the Japanese government’s longtime official position.
Oops. I can't imagine many people being happy about that.
Now I have to write my dissertation by next Thurs.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Current Music Obsession: The Red Violin
I'm re-listening to The Red Violin soundtrack, and my brain short-circuited again. I spent most of last night feverishly reading reviews of the film and soundtrack, the obvious thing to do when I have a paper this Friday.
I'm not particularly impressed by the film, but the soundtrack... *smoke rises from fried brain*
It's an original score! And a very good one at that! Joshua Bell played it! It's beeeeoooootifffuuuuullllll!
It's really a bad idea to be listening to the soundtrack now, because I can't concentrate on anything else (read: revision for the paper). And the regular fits I get while listening to the soundtrack make me very tired... It's tiring to remain ecstatic for hours on end. Talk about blowing my mind.
I need something brainless... M-Pop, here I come!
I'm not particularly impressed by the film, but the soundtrack... *smoke rises from fried brain*
It's an original score! And a very good one at that! Joshua Bell played it! It's beeeeoooootifffuuuuullllll!
It's really a bad idea to be listening to the soundtrack now, because I can't concentrate on anything else (read: revision for the paper). And the regular fits I get while listening to the soundtrack make me very tired... It's tiring to remain ecstatic for hours on end. Talk about blowing my mind.
I need something brainless... M-Pop, here I come!
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Don't shoot me for my taste
Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love)
Written by: Cole Porter
With Shirley MacLaine
Arranged By: Nelson Riddle
From the Show: Paris (1928)
Label: Capitol Records
Recorded: September 22, 1959
----------------------------------------
Why even in France the best upper sets do it, Lithuanians and Letts do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love
In old Japan, all the Japs do it, up in Lapland little Laps do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love
The Deutch in old Amsterdam do it, not to mention the Fins
Folks in Siam do it - think of Siamese twins
In shallow shoals English souls do it, goldfish in the privacy of bowls do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love
The chimpanzees in the zoos do it, some courageous kangaroos do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love
I'm sure giraffes on the sly do it, even eagles as they fly do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love
Electric eels I might add do it, though it shocks `em I know
Why ask if shad do it - garcon de "shad roe"
The world admits bears in pits do it, even Pekingeses at the Ritz do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love
The royal set sans regret did it, and they considered it fun
Marie Antoinette did it - with or without Napoleon
Parliament pleasure bent did it, mam'selles every time they're short of rent did it
Let's do it, let's fall in love
Never think today's songs are more sexed up than songs written 80yrs ago.
But I like this Cole Porter song, even though it's so politically incorrect. At least it's fun and cheeky, and it makes me laugh. Songs nowadays never make anyone laugh. I particularly like the electric eels line.
Written by: Cole Porter
With Shirley MacLaine
Arranged By: Nelson Riddle
From the Show: Paris (1928)
Label: Capitol Records
Recorded: September 22, 1959
----------------------------------------
Why even in France the best upper sets do it, Lithuanians and Letts do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love
In old Japan, all the Japs do it, up in Lapland little Laps do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love
The Deutch in old Amsterdam do it, not to mention the Fins
Folks in Siam do it - think of Siamese twins
In shallow shoals English souls do it, goldfish in the privacy of bowls do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love
The chimpanzees in the zoos do it, some courageous kangaroos do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love
I'm sure giraffes on the sly do it, even eagles as they fly do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love
Electric eels I might add do it, though it shocks `em I know
Why ask if shad do it - garcon de "shad roe"
The world admits bears in pits do it, even Pekingeses at the Ritz do it
Let's do it, let's fall in love
The royal set sans regret did it, and they considered it fun
Marie Antoinette did it - with or without Napoleon
Parliament pleasure bent did it, mam'selles every time they're short of rent did it
Let's do it, let's fall in love
Never think today's songs are more sexed up than songs written 80yrs ago.
But I like this Cole Porter song, even though it's so politically incorrect. At least it's fun and cheeky, and it makes me laugh. Songs nowadays never make anyone laugh. I particularly like the electric eels line.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
jay - tui hou
Anyone wants to know why I love making fun of Jay? Check out his 'hooligan' behaviour in this MV. Hilarious stuff.
Friday, February 23, 2007
First paper over!
I used to like exams because they meant relatively little work (compared to writing essays).
Now I hate exams because it's too little work and too much of a disaster. (I know it's personal choice. Let me whine.)
I read 3 articles from 3 chapters about 3 different countries.
I had 10 chapters in this course. Each chapter consists of about 7 compulsory readings, including books. This means that if I had studied the whole module, I'd have 70 readings, out of which I read 3.
Of course no one studies the whole module for exams. Let's do it this way:
I have to answer 2 questions during the exam. I know that each question will mean I need to refer to 2 countries. That makes a minimum of 2 countries (because I can repeat the countries for the 2 questions) and a maximum of 4 countries.
Of the 10 chapters I have to study, 6 of them are country studies. This means that 4 of them are theoretical chapters.
I know that each question will make reference to at least one theoretical concept in any one of these 4 theoretical chapters.
Assuming I'm an average risk-taker who wants to make sure she can do at least 2 questions, I'd spot about 3 countries and half the theory chapters. That makes 5x7 = 35 readings.
I read 3 out of 35 readings. I'm taking about 11 times more risk than the average risk-taker.
This is what happened during the exam:
I referred to 4 countries altogether, dregging my memory for a handful of facts (relevant or not, I don't know) about each. Out of these 4 countries, I didn't study 1 of them at all. I didn't study 2 countries in relation to the question I was answering. Therefore, really, I could only analyse one country properly - and then, given I only read 1 article about that country, I don't think 'properly' is the appropriate term - which is equal to slightly less than half a question, which is equal to slightly less than 12.5% of my grade.
I didn't know any theory.
(oh shit, I just remembered I forgot to define my terms.)
Too little work done for exams. I hate exams. My stress threshold is too high until too late. At least the essays make me stay up all night.
I apologise to all who had to bear with my whining on MSN.
...................................................................
In other news, LSB has become extraordinarily corny, possibly because of thesis fever. (those of you who know how corny he usually is should be properly shocked now.)
Now I hate exams because it's too little work and too much of a disaster. (I know it's personal choice. Let me whine.)
I read 3 articles from 3 chapters about 3 different countries.
I had 10 chapters in this course. Each chapter consists of about 7 compulsory readings, including books. This means that if I had studied the whole module, I'd have 70 readings, out of which I read 3.
Of course no one studies the whole module for exams. Let's do it this way:
I have to answer 2 questions during the exam. I know that each question will mean I need to refer to 2 countries. That makes a minimum of 2 countries (because I can repeat the countries for the 2 questions) and a maximum of 4 countries.
Of the 10 chapters I have to study, 6 of them are country studies. This means that 4 of them are theoretical chapters.
I know that each question will make reference to at least one theoretical concept in any one of these 4 theoretical chapters.
Assuming I'm an average risk-taker who wants to make sure she can do at least 2 questions, I'd spot about 3 countries and half the theory chapters. That makes 5x7 = 35 readings.
I read 3 out of 35 readings. I'm taking about 11 times more risk than the average risk-taker.
This is what happened during the exam:
I referred to 4 countries altogether, dregging my memory for a handful of facts (relevant or not, I don't know) about each. Out of these 4 countries, I didn't study 1 of them at all. I didn't study 2 countries in relation to the question I was answering. Therefore, really, I could only analyse one country properly - and then, given I only read 1 article about that country, I don't think 'properly' is the appropriate term - which is equal to slightly less than half a question, which is equal to slightly less than 12.5% of my grade.
I didn't know any theory.
(oh shit, I just remembered I forgot to define my terms.)
Too little work done for exams. I hate exams. My stress threshold is too high until too late. At least the essays make me stay up all night.
I apologise to all who had to bear with my whining on MSN.
...................................................................
In other news, LSB has become extraordinarily corny, possibly because of thesis fever. (those of you who know how corny he usually is should be properly shocked now.)
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Cargo Cults
Cargo Cults
Must... Not... Laugh... Must... Respect... Differences... Must... Respect... Their... Culture...
You have no idea how difficult this is for me. This world is such a strange place.
BUT (and this is a very significant 'but') this BBC write-up smacks of The Gods Must Be Crazy in that the humour glosses over very serious issues - marginalisation, poverty, discrimination. The article also plays up stereotypes of 'ignorant natives' who are superstitious, technologically incompetent and therefore very very different from the 'rational white man'. Look at how the one personality given much coverage, Yali, is portrayed as a shrewd, opportunistic (but still ignorant and backward and therefore 'ridicule-worthy') petty cult leader (petty in the sense that he falls into the 'authoritarian leader of small region who does not pose a real threat and therefore can be treated with amused tolerance' category).
And the article co-opts the reader into this 'white man cult' too. Note how they assume that readers have a general understanding of what "a book which showed a succession from monkeys into humans" is about, and that readers know that Rome is not in Australia. Of course these assumptions are probably not too far off (we should never take things for granted though), but the way everything is phrased just makes the article into an 'insider joke', which quite naturally makes these islanders ridiculous outsiders to be laughed at.
So I should stop laughing. Now!
Belief in cargo reflects long-standing beliefs in Melanesian cultures. The exchange of goods and objects of wealth are a fundamental way in which communities and social relationships are maintained. Through generous giving, individuals gain power. The 'big man' is the one who has the most to give, who is followed by his community and may even become a local prophet. This focus on wealth was linked to a belief that the ancestors continue to have influence over a community long after their death. Melanesians believe that ancestors speak to them in dreams, providing instructions for 'proper living' and foresight of the future. They further believe that their ancestors will one day come back to life, bearing unimaginable wealth and secure the long-term future of their community.
...
They [European missionaries] found the natives highly resistant, however; they were not content with hymns and stories, and wanted to know why the white men were hiding the secret of cargo from them. The missionaries were being stingy big men, and stinginess was number one on the list of bad qualities for a big man to have.
...
Tribal councils were held, and the people of Madang decided that the cargo was not created by the Europeans, who were not actually ancestors. The actual ancestors made cargo far away, but the Europeans kept it from getting to the natives. Maybe if they learned the Europeans' rituals they could learn the secrets of cargo and convince their ancestors to send cargo to them instead. Thus, without any warning that the missionaries could understand, the natives began converting to Christianity in droves. Under the guidance of their tribal leaders, they willingly adapted Christian behaviour and clothing, and became models of Christian obedience.
...
While in Brisbane, Yali made another startling discovery: the Australians kept hundreds of animals in the Brisbane Zoo, which they carefully fed and tended. He also noticed the large number of dogs and cats kept as pets in homes. It wasn't until a conference in Port Moresby5 that he was able to solve this puzzling behaviour. The solution came when he witnessed a book which showed a succession from monkeys into humans. It became clear the depth to which the missionaries had lied: they had claimed Adam and Eve were men's ancestors when they clearly believed that their ancestors were animals who needed to be treated with respect. It was obvious the missionaries had made up such lies in order to hide this truth from the New Guineans, who had held such beliefs before their arrival. Upon returning home, Yali was convinced by the prophet Gurek that the Queensland Museum was actually Rome, that the gods had been taken captive there, and that in order to lure them back the natives had to stop their foolish acceptance of the lies of Christianity.
Must... Not... Laugh... Must... Respect... Differences... Must... Respect... Their... Culture...
You have no idea how difficult this is for me. This world is such a strange place.
BUT (and this is a very significant 'but') this BBC write-up smacks of The Gods Must Be Crazy in that the humour glosses over very serious issues - marginalisation, poverty, discrimination. The article also plays up stereotypes of 'ignorant natives' who are superstitious, technologically incompetent and therefore very very different from the 'rational white man'. Look at how the one personality given much coverage, Yali, is portrayed as a shrewd, opportunistic (but still ignorant and backward and therefore 'ridicule-worthy') petty cult leader (petty in the sense that he falls into the 'authoritarian leader of small region who does not pose a real threat and therefore can be treated with amused tolerance' category).
And the article co-opts the reader into this 'white man cult' too. Note how they assume that readers have a general understanding of what "a book which showed a succession from monkeys into humans" is about, and that readers know that Rome is not in Australia. Of course these assumptions are probably not too far off (we should never take things for granted though), but the way everything is phrased just makes the article into an 'insider joke', which quite naturally makes these islanders ridiculous outsiders to be laughed at.
So I should stop laughing. Now!
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Flowers for Valentine's
After 2.5 years of begging and whining and complaining, LSB finally grudgingly presented me with a pink rose. (When I got home I took about 70 pictures of the rose. I have been that deprived.)
Walking home about midnight on Valentine's, I pluck a few bruised petals off the rose, and think about love, romance and all things silly.
Halfway home, I pass by a Chinese funeral, with the unmistakeable white, lighted tent and people seated around tables chatting and laughing. The sharp sweet scent of chrysanthemum and jasmine is now overpowering, and all too familiar. There is a forlorn line of yellow and white flower wreaths outside the tent. It feels as if they're Valentine's bouquets that have arrived too late.
"Apparently the mingled thread in the web of their life was so curiously twisted together that there could be no joy without a sorrow coming close upon it."
- George Eliot, The Mill on the Floss
I walk past the tent. The pretty pink petals, now warm and crushed in the palm of my hand, still smell soft and delicate and reassuring.
..................................................................................................
I didn't have a very good tutorial on Friday, perhaps because I was feeling lethargic and bored. Perhaps I was too harsh in my feedback to the group presenting because after the tutorial, they sent a representative to explain that they really had put in a lot of work, and they faced time constraints during the presentation, so would I please take that into account.
Argh.
It's always been a fault of mine, even when I was working in the Centre. It's all too easy for me (especially when I'm not thinking properly) to ramble on, picking out all the faults in the essay/presentation. And then I look up, and I see the wee lil' lambs on the verge of tears, convinced that they're going to fail their assignment. So much for EQ.
..................................................................................................
In other news, Kenneth Rufo from Ghost in the Wire, one of my favourite blogs, has been here! *jumps around excitedly* Hi there hi there! *waves* Many many many thanks for the songs! Very bluesy indeed! And I'm still insecure about posting any part of my dissertation anywhere... *cries* It just seems so very half-baked...
And did I mention I love his blog? Even though I don't understand what he's saying half the time?
(Those of you who were there when I was squealing and screaming over getting a comment from "Kenneth Rufo! From Ghost in the Wire! Can you believe it!?", you're not supposed to tell anyone.)
I couldn't seem to post a comment on his blog, so I hope he gets to see this! *jumps around excitedly some more*
..................................................................................................
And Happy Lunar New Year to all! *muackzes to all my darlings*
Walking home about midnight on Valentine's, I pluck a few bruised petals off the rose, and think about love, romance and all things silly.
Halfway home, I pass by a Chinese funeral, with the unmistakeable white, lighted tent and people seated around tables chatting and laughing. The sharp sweet scent of chrysanthemum and jasmine is now overpowering, and all too familiar. There is a forlorn line of yellow and white flower wreaths outside the tent. It feels as if they're Valentine's bouquets that have arrived too late.
"Apparently the mingled thread in the web of their life was so curiously twisted together that there could be no joy without a sorrow coming close upon it."
- George Eliot, The Mill on the Floss
I walk past the tent. The pretty pink petals, now warm and crushed in the palm of my hand, still smell soft and delicate and reassuring.
..................................................................................................
I didn't have a very good tutorial on Friday, perhaps because I was feeling lethargic and bored. Perhaps I was too harsh in my feedback to the group presenting because after the tutorial, they sent a representative to explain that they really had put in a lot of work, and they faced time constraints during the presentation, so would I please take that into account.
Argh.
It's always been a fault of mine, even when I was working in the Centre. It's all too easy for me (especially when I'm not thinking properly) to ramble on, picking out all the faults in the essay/presentation. And then I look up, and I see the wee lil' lambs on the verge of tears, convinced that they're going to fail their assignment. So much for EQ.
..................................................................................................
In other news, Kenneth Rufo from Ghost in the Wire, one of my favourite blogs, has been here! *jumps around excitedly* Hi there hi there! *waves* Many many many thanks for the songs! Very bluesy indeed! And I'm still insecure about posting any part of my dissertation anywhere... *cries* It just seems so very half-baked...
And did I mention I love his blog? Even though I don't understand what he's saying half the time?
(Those of you who were there when I was squealing and screaming over getting a comment from "Kenneth Rufo! From Ghost in the Wire! Can you believe it!?", you're not supposed to tell anyone.)
I couldn't seem to post a comment on his blog, so I hope he gets to see this! *jumps around excitedly some more*
..................................................................................................
And Happy Lunar New Year to all! *muackzes to all my darlings*
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Mood Indigo
I just realised my last 3 post titles ended with 'woes'. Amazing how cheery my life can be, oui? *makes slow and slippery descent into melodrama*
I'm now the proud owner of Robert Jervis' The Logic of Images in International Relations for SGD39.00 just because I took a detour in school today to avoid the rain. Which, all things considered, is a very good buy. But I've read it (very carefully) before, and it's probably going to sit untouched on my shelf till the end of time anyway. Along with every other book I've bought on impulse. (I also bought a book on the politics of culture and theatre in Singapore) I'm way too prone to big impulsive purchases these days.
I bought Corrine Bailey Rae's CD, which is really quite good.
I also bought (and watched!) Gershwin's Porgy and Bess! I watched it in Coffee Bean, where I was supposed to do some substantial work, but oh well. It's a really sad smooshy opera, and watching it for the first time spoilt my day (or what was left of my day at the end of the 3hrs). Sad movies do that to me.
AND I bought Maria Callas' Hamburg concerts of 1959 and 1962! (big impulsive purchases anyone?) And being the philistine that I am, what really struck me was how much a difference make-up makes. Her make-up for the 1959 concert was HORRIBLE. She looked about 70. In contrast, she looked gorgeous in 1962. And much younger.
I had violin lesson this (or rather, yesterday) morning, and my exam piece was stuck in my head the whole day. How irritating is that. Especially since I still can't quite grasp the freaking music. It's like a little itch that won't stop itching, and won't allow itself to be scratched... *trails off into incoherence*
I'm in a bluesy mood now, but I don't have enough music for this mood. Shoots.
Hmmm. I need after-midnight music. More specifically, I need music for the closing minutes at the bar, when cigarettes and empty glasses are being cleared, and chairs are being put up, and the whole place suddenly smells of detergent.
I can't believe I don't have Sinatra's "One for my baby". And I can't believe I don't have any Billie Holiday. There is a big empty hole in my life that is waiting to be filled. My life is not complete!
Please don't let me forget how broke I am.
I'm now the proud owner of Robert Jervis' The Logic of Images in International Relations for SGD39.00 just because I took a detour in school today to avoid the rain. Which, all things considered, is a very good buy. But I've read it (very carefully) before, and it's probably going to sit untouched on my shelf till the end of time anyway. Along with every other book I've bought on impulse. (I also bought a book on the politics of culture and theatre in Singapore) I'm way too prone to big impulsive purchases these days.
I bought Corrine Bailey Rae's CD, which is really quite good.
I also bought (and watched!) Gershwin's Porgy and Bess! I watched it in Coffee Bean, where I was supposed to do some substantial work, but oh well. It's a really sad smooshy opera, and watching it for the first time spoilt my day (or what was left of my day at the end of the 3hrs). Sad movies do that to me.
AND I bought Maria Callas' Hamburg concerts of 1959 and 1962! (big impulsive purchases anyone?) And being the philistine that I am, what really struck me was how much a difference make-up makes. Her make-up for the 1959 concert was HORRIBLE. She looked about 70. In contrast, she looked gorgeous in 1962. And much younger.
I had violin lesson this (or rather, yesterday) morning, and my exam piece was stuck in my head the whole day. How irritating is that. Especially since I still can't quite grasp the freaking music. It's like a little itch that won't stop itching, and won't allow itself to be scratched... *trails off into incoherence*
I'm in a bluesy mood now, but I don't have enough music for this mood. Shoots.
Hmmm. I need after-midnight music. More specifically, I need music for the closing minutes at the bar, when cigarettes and empty glasses are being cleared, and chairs are being put up, and the whole place suddenly smells of detergent.
I can't believe I don't have Sinatra's "One for my baby". And I can't believe I don't have any Billie Holiday. There is a big empty hole in my life that is waiting to be filled. My life is not complete!
Please don't let me forget how broke I am.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Humour woes
JR: (blahs)... in the Q&A session feel free to express yourself... but speak, don't sing.
*deathly silence*
JR: Never mind....
*a few nervous chuckles in the background*
Is it me? Tell me it's not just me.
...
I was watching some crappy movie on AXN (AXN's full of crappy stuff. That's why I watch it.) where they had Russians running around in some snowy place (Siberia?) trying to catch some American spies.
Nothing new, except a comment made by one of the 'Russians', presumably in Russian.
The subtitles (in old-movie white font) read: "Stalin's butt, he tricked us!"
Stalin's butt. Stalin's butt, he tricked us. Hahaha that's the funniest thing I've heard in a long long time. This time it's not just me right?
*deathly silence*
JR: Never mind....
*a few nervous chuckles in the background*
Is it me? Tell me it's not just me.
...
I was watching some crappy movie on AXN (AXN's full of crappy stuff. That's why I watch it.) where they had Russians running around in some snowy place (Siberia?) trying to catch some American spies.
Nothing new, except a comment made by one of the 'Russians', presumably in Russian.
The subtitles (in old-movie white font) read: "Stalin's butt, he tricked us!"
Stalin's butt. Stalin's butt, he tricked us. Hahaha that's the funniest thing I've heard in a long long time. This time it's not just me right?
Monday, February 05, 2007
Dissertation woes
A very uncharacteristic email that I sent off a few minutes ago:
That just about says it all.
Dear Prof,
I've just submitted my paper on ASEAN and international society, and I'm afraid it's not very pretty. I'm truly apologetic, largely because the preceding sentence is a gross understatement. Unfortunately, the entire dissertation project has also degenerated into similar ugliness. I am trying very hard to give some structure to my ideas, but I can't seem to get past the theoretical chapter. Would you be able to make it for consultation this Wed or Fri afternoon? Thank you.
Regards,
Elaine
That just about says it all.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Essay woes
I just spent 7 hrs playing a repetitive, brainless online game. 7hrs! This from a person who deleted minesweeper from her computer because she just used to sit there and play for hours without realizing. So that's not too surprising. I hate online games.
Oh my precious 7 hrs... *groan* I really really really needed those 7hrs for my essay. I'm going to die, and there's no essay god I can pray to, so I'm definitely going to essay hell... *buries face in hands* Why? Why do I do this to myself?
And to my dearest LSB, in response to the question you asked over MSN (I didn't answer because I was busy playing my all important game. I didn't even eat dinner today!), we'll probably have to spend it doing work... *poor poor us*
Oh my precious 7 hrs... *groan* I really really really needed those 7hrs for my essay. I'm going to die, and there's no essay god I can pray to, so I'm definitely going to essay hell... *buries face in hands* Why? Why do I do this to myself?
And to my dearest LSB, in response to the question you asked over MSN (I didn't answer because I was busy playing my all important game. I didn't even eat dinner today!), we'll probably have to spend it doing work... *poor poor us*
Friday, February 02, 2007
News and Persuasion
Putin 'not running away' from Russia
"In my day, I did judo, not athletics. I'm not planning to run away anywhere."
This irritated me, largely because it was an inept, unsophisticated attempt to make the argument that Putin does not intend to leave Russian politics. I might not disagree with the conclusion, but presenting a half-ass reason like "Putin used 'we' instead of 'they'" is silly. If you want to say something like that, there's plenty of ammunition you can muster from Russia's history, Putin's history, whatever. Trying to end the article on an ominous/fortune-telling note just sounds clumsy. It's as if all readers are supposed to gasp collectively at Putin's tendency to use 'we' instead of 'they'. It's not like he promised the return of Communist Russia or anything. Please. There're many much more intelligent ways in which you can conclude.
The Discovery/National Geographic programmes that (always!) end in a similar 'and-dark-clouds-loom' fashion never fail to irritate me.
Oh the intoxicating pleasure I get from telling people what to think.
"In my day, I did judo, not athletics. I'm not planning to run away anywhere."
Listing Russia's achievements, Mr Putin also admitted its shortcomings.
"We still have a lot to do in the social sphere," he admitted in his opening remarks.
The "we" intriguingly suggested that if he no longer remained a member of the team, he would still be close to it - whether the game was athletics, judo, or running Russia.
This irritated me, largely because it was an inept, unsophisticated attempt to make the argument that Putin does not intend to leave Russian politics. I might not disagree with the conclusion, but presenting a half-ass reason like "Putin used 'we' instead of 'they'" is silly. If you want to say something like that, there's plenty of ammunition you can muster from Russia's history, Putin's history, whatever. Trying to end the article on an ominous/fortune-telling note just sounds clumsy. It's as if all readers are supposed to gasp collectively at Putin's tendency to use 'we' instead of 'they'. It's not like he promised the return of Communist Russia or anything. Please. There're many much more intelligent ways in which you can conclude.
The Discovery/National Geographic programmes that (always!) end in a similar 'and-dark-clouds-loom' fashion never fail to irritate me.
Oh the intoxicating pleasure I get from telling people what to think.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
The Milgram Experiment
Obeying and Resisting Malevolent Orders
Would you obey orders to hurt an innocent individual-even when the authority issuing them has no coercive means to enforce his or her commands? On the basis of one of the 20th century's most important and controversial pieces of research, chances are that you would. In the early 1960s, Yale social psychologist Stanley Milgram, PhD, conducted an experiment whose purpose was supposedly to study the effects of punishment on learning. The experimenter told the subject that his job was to teach a learner in an adjacent room to memorize a list of word-pairs, and every time the learner made an error, the teacher-subject was to punish the learner by giving him increasingly severe shocks by pressing levers on a shock machine. There were 30 levers whose shock values ranged from a low of 15 volts to the maximum of 450 volts. (In actuality, no electric shock was involved. The "learner" was an actor who only pretended receiving them, but the subject did not know this.) Despite the learner's increasingly pitiful screams and pleas to stop, a majority of subjects (over 60%) obeyed the experimenter's commands to continue and ended up giving the maximum "shock" of 450 volts.
Would you obey orders to hurt an innocent individual-even when the authority issuing them has no coercive means to enforce his or her commands? On the basis of one of the 20th century's most important and controversial pieces of research, chances are that you would. In the early 1960s, Yale social psychologist Stanley Milgram, PhD, conducted an experiment whose purpose was supposedly to study the effects of punishment on learning. The experimenter told the subject that his job was to teach a learner in an adjacent room to memorize a list of word-pairs, and every time the learner made an error, the teacher-subject was to punish the learner by giving him increasingly severe shocks by pressing levers on a shock machine. There were 30 levers whose shock values ranged from a low of 15 volts to the maximum of 450 volts. (In actuality, no electric shock was involved. The "learner" was an actor who only pretended receiving them, but the subject did not know this.) Despite the learner's increasingly pitiful screams and pleas to stop, a majority of subjects (over 60%) obeyed the experimenter's commands to continue and ended up giving the maximum "shock" of 450 volts.
The Stanford Prison Experiment
The Stanford Prison Experiment: A Simulation Study of the Psychology of Imprisonment
Excerpts from the slide show:
Excerpts from the slide show:
What suspects had done was to answer a local newspaper ad calling for volunteers in a study of the psychological effects of prison life. We wanted to see what the psychological effects were of becoming a prisoner or prison guard. To do this, we decided to set up a simulated prison and then carefully note the effects of this institution on the behavior of all those within its walls.
Our study of prison life began, then, with an average group of healthy, intelligent, middle-class males. These boys were arbitrarily divided into two groups by a flip of the coin. Half were randomly assigned to be guards, the other to be prisoners. It is important to remember that at the beginning of our experiment there were no differences between boys assigned to be a prisoner and boys assigned to be a guard.
...
Most prisoners believed that the subjects selected to be guards were chosen because they were bigger than those who were made prisoners, but actually, there was no difference in the average height of the two groups.
...
As soon as I realized that #819 could hear the chanting, I raced back to the room where I had left him, and what I found was a boy sobbing uncontrollably while in the background his fellow prisoners were yelling that he was a bad prisoner. No longer was the chanting disorganized and full of fun, as it had been on the first day. Now it was marked by utter confomity and compliance, as if a single voice was saying, "#819 is bad."
I suggested we leave, but he refused. Through his tears, he said he could not leave because the others had labeled him a bad prisoner. Even though he was feeling sick, he wanted to go back and prove he was not a bad prisoner.
...
when we ended the hearings by telling prisoners to go back to their cells while we considered their requests, every prisoner obeyed, even though they could have obtained the same result by simply quitting the experiment. Why did they obey? Because they felt powerless to resist. Their sense of reality had shifted, and they no longer perceived their imprisonment as an experiment. In the psychological prison we had created, only the correctional staff had the power to grant paroles.
During the parole hearings we also witnessed an unexpected metamorphosis of our prison consultant as he adopted the role of head of the Parole Board. He literally became the most hated authoritarian official imaginable, so much so that when it was over he felt sick at who he had become -- his own tormentor who had previously rejected his annual parole requests for 16 years when he was a prisoner.
...
Prisoners coped with their feelings of frustration and powerlessness in a variety of ways. At first, some prisoners rebelled or fought with the guards. Four prisoners reacted by breaking down emotionally as a way to escape the situation. One prisoner developed a psychosomatic rash over his entire body when he learned that his parole request had been turned down. Others tried to cope by being good prisoners, doing everything the guards wanted them to do. One of them was even nicknamed "Sarge," because he was so military-like in executing all
commands.
By the end of the study, the prisoners were disintegrated, both as a group and as individuals. There was no longer any group unity; just a bunch of isolated individuals hanging on, much like prisoners of war or hospitalized mental patients. The guards had won total control of the prison, and they commanded the blind obedience of each prisoner.
...
At this point it became clear that we had to end the study. We had created an overwhelmingly powerful situation -- a situation in which prisoners were withdrawing and behaving in pathological ways, and in which some of the guards were behaving sadistically. Even the "good" guards felt helpless to intervene, and none of the guards quit while the study was in progress. Indeed, it should be noted that no guard ever came late for his shift, called in sick, left early, or demanded extra pay for overtime work.
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