Does the human species suffer from low self esteem? And a bit of philosophy.

I am rather accustomed to seeing degrading statements made about the human species, by.... none other than us humans.


Several of these are made by notable people, like Albert Einstein; and not so notable people, like me (Yes, me. And here I am talking about why we shouldn't do it)


We humans, as a species are simply remarkable. Its my believe that we are - by far - the most successful species ever walk the Earth. Think about it, sure the dinosaurs ruled the Earth for 160 million years, but they were still they weren't really a successful species were they, I mean - They were born, they lived, then they died.


Humans on the other hand, have literally changed the face of this world. Think about it, the scale of what we as a species have accomplished is near epic proportions. From some naked, hairy man-ape like thing from the plains of Africa, we have become this. We have harnessed nature itself. What is there to fault ourselves for. Sure, I admit that our selfish attempts to increase our quality of life is jeopardizing the environment, but this about what we have done. The amount of time we have been around ( a few hundred thousand years to a few million ) is near negligible when compared to the estimated 3.8 billion years of life on Earth. 


One of the ways for you to get a reality check on the success of the human civilisation - albeit a small one - is to flip through a university prospectus.In fact, I got the idea for this post, from reading a university prospectus. The one I read was the Prospectus 2011 for the University of York. 


We came up with all these, and all in like 5000 - 10 000 years. Archaeology, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Philosophy, Art, Music, Mathematics, Languages ( and thousand of unique ones too ) Psychology..... the lot.


None of this existed. Yes, Sciences did exist, but not in the form that we conceptualize them today. They were abstract. Dihydrogen monoxide (aka water) could have easily been "Bunga Zinga Mumba". Okay, apart from the comedy the point I am trying to drive is that whilst cells, chemicals and gravity have always (FINE!!!, almost always existed) they were defined by us. 1+1 = 2 -> by definition. Think about it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Similarly, our disciplines, be it physics or philosophy are also in the mind. My yellow could be your blue. But it could be that we accept it as green. 


Lets say that the first person to define the colour green saw it as green. Then I came along and now I see that colour. To me its "green" but if the first man had saw it. It would have been his "yellow." If you are not getting this. Don't panic. Its okay. Move on. My world is not yours. So it is perfectly fine.


See the awesomeness (Yes! I am well aware of the fact that the word does not exist) of humans. We have managed to create a perfectly flawed world. Note here that I do not say "flawless" as that would be an absence of flaw i.e. perfect. But we are not striving for perfection here, are we? We are striving for perfect flaws. There is no such thing as conventional current. Electricity is the flow of electrons from the negative terminal to the positive terminal. Still, we vastly use conventional current for all types of calculations. It is flaw that works, it is a perfect flaw, but a flaw nevertheless.


This is a universe that thrives on chaos. It makes no sense to be flawless. Instead strive for perfect flaws. It is okay to be wrong. Sometimes being wrong is right. 


What is a metre. What is a length. Think about it fellas. A metre is a metre because we want it to be a metre. If we do not want a metre to be a metre the metre ceases to exist. That is the power of humankind. Now if a  cow wants a pile of rocks to become grass... Tough luck, rock is going to be rock. Sure! we can swap the meanings of "grass" and "rock" on every existing dicitionary. But a rock is a rock and grass is grass. Cows cannot live off rocks. 


It is mankind's ability to give meaning to the world around it that makes it so remarkable. We shape the world and by induction, the universe. Your thoughts create.


So be thankful that you are human, you are one of the greatest creations ever.




Look, I am seventeen. I have only been here for a short time. And this is what I think now. But as I grow as a person, I may change. Because that is inevitable. Change is powerful and ubiquitous. Five years later, my views, opinions and beliefs might have completely changed. That is okay. 


And if you O'reader have differing views or opinion. That is perfectly okay. Being unique is your birthright.


Joy be with you,
Bhalaji

Just a post.

It has been yet another week in school and things are progressing fast. Its almost halfway into the month of way.

I have been learning a lot of new things lately. Especially in Mathematics. I learnt about complex number and the mathematics involved in them. I have to admit, it is a very interesting topic.

Again, I blog. This time with a bit of nostalgia

Finally, the time millions of you have been waiting for, I am blogging! Isn't that simply wonderful eh?

Wait! what, you have not been anticipating a post, well then shame on you for not.

We will come to the main post.

Well you see today, or rather yesterday, I met up with Swee Yik to see our former tutor, Mr Billy Maya. It was a very brief meeting, around a quarter of an hour or so. We just talked of how our new schools were and how we were coping, then Swee Yik and I just had lunch and talked about old times, (mind you, when   I say old times I mean times less than a year ago) most of us (as in my friends and I) have mainly drifted apart, most of us going to different institutions. Since all of us are at the tertiary level, we are so busy that we barely have time to meet up with each other. Sometimes I really long for the times, when Mitchell and I would fool around at the music room or at some other place, or when my NPCC mates and I had those ever memorable "post training bubble teas." I really miss being a "young teenager"

There is an Indian proverb, translated, it sounds something like.

The greatness of the shade is only know under the strong sun

I guess its true...

I know I this sounds like exactly like what everyone else says when they graduate from secondary school. But you have to realise, that this is how we all feel and the fact is that we all terribly miss each other.

Where in the world would I find another Mitchell or Swee Yik or Joshua or Josephine or Jezebel or Hui Ting or Kai Wen or Nadhirah or Napittha or Shan Leong or Seng Wei or Yan Zhong or See Cheng or Zhun Yi or Firdaus

The last one gave me a whole gamut of troubles, but life in both BV and BVNPCC would not have been the same without him. I'm sure Swee Yik would second me on this statement.

I understand that the English is a bit goofy by you get the point......

The people mentioned above are some of my best mates that I found myself in the glorious four years I spent in Bedok View. They are all originals, forever cannot be replaced (Katy Perry? Anyone?)

I sincerely hope and pray that our friendship remain as strong as ever. I have cried, bled, slept, fought, played, studied, conspired with these people. These are people I will never forget.

I think I am prone to nostalgia attack because this is not the first time I have felt this way.

Right now, as my fingers type away on this keyboard, my eyes are getting slightly blurry. Not because I am getting sleepy but because I am tearing. Childhood and the early teenage years are somethings that we take for granted.  We never appreciate them until they roll by.

I have great friends in my college now. Still, I bet they miss their friends too.

When I looked at the seats of my former classroom, I remembered that once used to be in one of those seats - laughing, cramming, crying, advising and whatever-ing. I even held the key to the classroom. Then again, reality is cruel. I realised I no longer could claim the class as my own, My table was no longer mine, Kai Wen's table was no longer hers and Hui Ting's no longer hers. Who will remember that the three of us sat in the same row. The tables and chairs have new owners now and such it will be with each passing year. In a few years, no one would recognise Nadhirah's scribbles on my table.

The walls will echo new voices and the tress will tower over and watch over new batches of students playfully tossing up rifles in the air.

Younger and fresher blood will seep into the ground when one mistimed a catch. The concrete will, steadfast as ever, be saturated with sweat, pouring from student trying to overcome the protests by their abdominals and biceps, in a battle of mind over matter. The book in the library will, for time to come be flipped by younger and more supple fingers, eyes will run over the words, in amazement, as mine did, some time ago.

New feet will dance on the stage, to new music. And in a few years, everything will be changed. No one will know Bedok View like I knew it.

I really do not know what kind of dignified phrase qualifies at a sign-off phrase to this rather eccentric composition.

Fowards to the future,

Bhalaji

You will still remember some things.

 

One of the best things in my life. NPCC. I thank you for everything.

I’m still here.

This is just a short post to let everyone know that I am still here.

 

Cherrio

Bhalaji

Hey!

I am back to blog after nearly a month and half long hiatus. Anyway, during  this time, I went to India. Visited my relatives and came back to Singapore on the 6^th of January 2011 at 10.55pm (Singapore Time). We (my parents and I ) brought my paternal grandfather with us when we returned. Any the days since then have been rather boring. I am mostly on the internet surfing the net. I must say that I am really bored at home. I do not go out much and just move around within my house and just laze around. I should really start go out more and I should start working out. I need to develop all seven of my intelligences. And I am going to. Recently I have this sudden interest in Mathematics and have this feeling to become the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge. ( I dreamt about it)

And by the way, the word ‘dreamt’ is the only word in the English language to end with the letters ‘mt’.

This post just started the ball rolling.

Sending off Naps

Hello, I am back to blog after a eight day hiatus. Well honestly, I do have a list of topics to blog about, but lets just say that I am a bit lazy to do all that.

So anyway lets get back to what I wanted to blog about. Last Tuesday, the 30th of November. I sent off my friend, Napittha at the airport. She was leaving for her home country, Thailand. That was the first time that I saw off someone at the airport. But anyway this was how the day started. Naps was also the first friend who had the sincerity to personally call me up and tell me that she was leaving the country. It really made me very happy. She could have texted me or could have just told me on Facebook. But she called. Thanks Naps.

Due to my " After O'levels sleep patterns" I regularly go to sleep at four in the morning and wake up at twelve to one in the afternoon. Anyway that certain day. I woke up at around twelve noon. I was making myself coffee when my phone rang. I saw that it was Napittha. I thought it was rather odd, I mean, there was no particular reason, why she would be calling me at the certain point in time. So anyway, I answered the call. It was Napittha. She basically told me that she was leaving for Thailand later in that day. She told me to take care and to not to let anyone take advantage of me and things like that. So here is what she said, more or less.

"Hey Bhalaji, I am leaving for Thailand today. Take care of yourself, and don't let others take advantage of you. Be strong and more independent And stop being so nice to everyone. in that day. She told me to take care and to not to let anyone take advantage of me and things like that. So here is what she said, more or less"

Well, that was not verbatim, but it is close enough. I decided that I should send her off.

So I prepared to go to the airport, she said she would arrive at the airport at around 4.30pm, so I left my house at around 3.45. If did not take me very long to reach the airport. I live quite near it in fact, I reached the airport at around 4.20pm. I called Napittha, and found out she was still on the way to the airport. To kill time, I went of the 'Hudson News' bookshop. I was browsing through some books there and just walking around the store, when I got a call from Napittha, however the person on the phone was Nadhirah. She told me to come to check in row 9 (if my memory serves me correctly)

So yes, I went to the check in row, Napittha, Nadhirah, and Sou Young were there. The first one to notice me was Nadhirah. So it was just hi and all that. Naps had bit of a check in problem. Anyway, after sorting it out (during which Nad was showing me tips and tricks on my iPhone).

Shortly Mayer and Linus arrived ( I had to get Mayer's number from Mitchell). So anyway, after everyone, had arrived, we all went down to McDonald's to chat and have a drink.

But most of us just chatted. Some got meals or drinks but I just chatted with Nad (again mostly about the iPhone) and also helped Nad, Naps and Sou Young take pictures together. After that, we all just headed up to again chat and to take pictures together.

After a short while, Mayer, Linus and the others (I am not so familiar with them). The only ones remaining were, Napittha, Nadhirah, Sou Young, Napittha's Guardian and I.

We asked Naps whether she would be coming back to collect her results in January. She, (to my huge surprise) said maybe. I was like "MAYBE? what maybe, don't you have to be here to get your results."

I don't know really, maybe she can have her results mailed over or something. But they should not matter too much to her. She has already secured a place in The Chulalongkron University, (Yes it is spelt correctly, I made sure of that). I feel really happy for her, (and also a bit jealous, but hey)

So soon after, we all were waiting for Syahirah (I really don't know if I spelt her name correctly) so anyway. She came, eventually, after a long wait. After that it was time for Naps to go into the Terminal to board the plane. After exchanging hugs, and more photos. (Gosh, do girls take a lot of photos). Naps then went into the terminal. After that Sou Young left. And quite to my surprise. Nad started tearing up. Guess she is going to miss Naps a whole lot. Anyway, after that I just went home.

These two(Naps and Nad), were actually quite unexpected friends, Here is why...

You see, now Nad and Naps are like my two homies, but we were not really good friends until like the beginning of this year. I sat beside, Naps and Nad at the beginning of the year. But then, one month into the seating arrangement. I ended up in between them, for reason that I will not say here. So I was like the bridge between those two. And also, I constantly shared my textbooks with them, since well; I was the one who actually bothered to bring the textbooks to class. We had a lot of fun, I covered for Naps when she fell asleep or for NadNad, falling asleep a few times, for Naps however it was on a daily basis.). We also copied homework for each other. And I learnt a bit about filing from those two. Ahh, such great friends.

(You realise I use short forms of my friends names sometimes, I am sorry if I confused you with that.)