- Ralph Waldo Emerson
I thought this an excellent description of what I'd always thought about friendship, the true kinds at least. What a delicate balance it is.
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Friendship requires that rare mean betwixt likeness and unlikeness that piques each with the presence of power and of consent in the other party. Let me alone to the end of the world, rather than that my friend should overstep, by a word or a look, his real sympathy. I am equally balked by antagonism and by compliance. Let him not cease an instant to be himself. The only joy I have in his being mine, is that the not mine is mine. I hate, where I looked for a manly furtherance, or at least a manly resistance, to find a mush of concession. Better be a nettle in the side of your friend than his echo. The condition which high friendship demands is ability to do without it. That high office requires great and sublime parts. There must be very two, before there can be very one. Let it be an alliance of two large, formidable natures, mutually beheld, mutually feared, before yet they recognize the deep identity which, beneath these disparities, unites them.
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Raya celebration meets Gangnam style -- hilarious! Malaysians do seem to have much more fun celebrating hari raya.
Manipulation Level 5000!!!!
I've been bugging my sister to watch Gaksital (even bribing her with free sushi meals). Susi, if you're reading this, here's a relatively non-spoiler-heavy clip to whet your appetite.
It shows one of many instances where Kang To exercises his awesome manipulation skills and uses his villain disguise to save the girl. Kang To is known to all Joseon as a terrible traitor who serves the Japanese Imperial Government but at the same time, he's the Gaksital who fights for the rights of Koreans. Could there really be a more intriguing disguise??? It's really just awesome to watch how he plays the villain-hero persona at the same time. Joo Won should get an Oscar.
Here he warns the girl that she and her freedom-fighter-daddy are in danger of being caught by the police while all the time pretending that he's the baddie who's always right on her tail. Also, funny bits by the rest of the cast!
The following clips are SPOILER-filled but are here because they are my favourite parts of all of the drama so far, I think. It's the episode that really made me clutch my cheeks and think, "HOW IS THIS DRAMA SO AMAZING."
----------
Manipulation Level 5000!!!!
I've been bugging my sister to watch Gaksital (even bribing her with free sushi meals). Susi, if you're reading this, here's a relatively non-spoiler-heavy clip to whet your appetite.
It shows one of many instances where Kang To exercises his awesome manipulation skills and uses his villain disguise to save the girl. Kang To is known to all Joseon as a terrible traitor who serves the Japanese Imperial Government but at the same time, he's the Gaksital who fights for the rights of Koreans. Could there really be a more intriguing disguise??? It's really just awesome to watch how he plays the villain-hero persona at the same time. Joo Won should get an Oscar.
Here he warns the girl that she and her freedom-fighter-daddy are in danger of being caught by the police while all the time pretending that he's the baddie who's always right on her tail. Also, funny bits by the rest of the cast!
It's so nail-bitingly exciting every week I'm like this @.@, so please, people, get a clue.
The following clips are SPOILER-filled but are here because they are my favourite parts of all of the drama so far, I think. It's the episode that really made me clutch my cheeks and think, "HOW IS THIS DRAMA SO AMAZING."
My old live-blogging comments when watching these parts:
Kang To is GENIUS. He uses his old bastard persona as an EXCELLENT DISGUISE. And makes Shunji totally second guess himself in the best way possible. KANG TO YOU ARE GENIUS AND THE MOST TORTURED HERO EVER.
He's the one in handcuffs and then screams for Goiso and Goiso comes skidding in, only to realize that Kang To in handcuffs, not his boss Shunji, was the one who shouted for him and he was all WHAT THE FFFF. HAHAHAHA.
KANG TO IS BEYOND AWESOME. WILL HE BECOME MY FAVOURITE K-HERO EVER?????? He totally takes charge -- he makes me believe in the whole just DO IT CONFIDENTLY AND EVERYONE WILL BELIEVE YOU'RE RIGHT.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Selamat Hari Raya!
I had two full days of celebrations, and then put a close to all of it for myself because of upcoming deadlines. I stayed in school late yesterday lest I came home to guests and couldn't get any sort of work done. It's been feeling like a never-ending marathon with Ramadhan and then the thesis and the cases and the learning issues. Exhausting is an understatement.
Raya was the same-old fun stuff (is that an oxymoron?); plus people once again asking when I'm going to be married. Dearies, if it was as easy as ticking a checkbox for you, I would do it just so you'd get off my back. I've been wondering what the threshold age is before they start realising maybe it's not quite so polite to be implying how terrible it is to be single in front of a single woman. All I can say is, thank God I am so much more self-possessed now than I was when I was younger.
Besides, I have never had reason to believe otherwise:
O Allah, when I lose hope because my plans have come to nothing,
Help me remember that Your Love is always greater than my disappointments,
and Your Plans for my life are better than my dreams.
I had two full days of celebrations, and then put a close to all of it for myself because of upcoming deadlines. I stayed in school late yesterday lest I came home to guests and couldn't get any sort of work done. It's been feeling like a never-ending marathon with Ramadhan and then the thesis and the cases and the learning issues. Exhausting is an understatement.
Raya was the same-old fun stuff (is that an oxymoron?); plus people once again asking when I'm going to be married. Dearies, if it was as easy as ticking a checkbox for you, I would do it just so you'd get off my back. I've been wondering what the threshold age is before they start realising maybe it's not quite so polite to be implying how terrible it is to be single in front of a single woman. All I can say is, thank God I am so much more self-possessed now than I was when I was younger.
Besides, I have never had reason to believe otherwise:
O Allah, when I lose hope because my plans have come to nothing,
Help me remember that Your Love is always greater than my disappointments,
and Your Plans for my life are better than my dreams.
Saturday, August 18, 2012
No, not now = Yes, but not yet
Have I mentioned how much I love PBL (i.e. Problem-Based Learning)? I may have alluded to it, or implied that it was fun. But I have to say it clearly: it is the safest, most enjoyable, and most conducive learning environment I have ever had the privilege to be part of.
Essentially, what we do is, a group of 10 of us, sit around a table and discuss a case. There is stimulus information (e.g. worksheets with details about a client) provided by the faculty and each session is usually accompanied by an external supervisor who stands by the periphery to watch and just kinda steers us back if we're veering a bit too off course. As a rule, they aren't supposed to talk much at all. Ultimately, on a given morning, we students kind of figure it out for ourselves. They throw problems at us, and then say, "Here, figure it out!"
I think it may come across as an exaggeration to say that the whole process is fun, but how else can I say it? We come up with ideas, share it with each other, respectfully criticize each other, occasionally laugh at our cluelessness and dig up information together. It is awesome. I wish every school experience I had based itself on PBL. It empowers the individual, encourages independence in learning and builds cooperation and collaboration amongst peers.
Ah, peers. An appropriate disclaimer here would be the fact that I think I have exceptional classmates who are all awesome and supportive and fun. And that, I suppose, is one of the major factors for fulfilling PBL sessions. It might not work with young students or persons with no desire for teamwork. When everybody treats everyone else with respect, or better yet, like a friend, it can only create a relaxed atmosphere. Honestly, our sessions can get so funny at times.
Today, we discussed whether we should allow a boy with ASD to join a CC robotics group: after nitpicking each other's arguments, we came up with two answers which we laughed over, because it was essentially the same thing -- "No, not now" and "Yes, but not yet". Ah well, it's not so funny now, but it was funny as frak to me this morning.
We only have four weeks left and all of this will come to an end -- it saddens me. I want my classmates now to be my future colleagues, can?
And how is it that 30 nights have passed by without my feeling like I've done anything? I feel weepy tonight.
Essentially, what we do is, a group of 10 of us, sit around a table and discuss a case. There is stimulus information (e.g. worksheets with details about a client) provided by the faculty and each session is usually accompanied by an external supervisor who stands by the periphery to watch and just kinda steers us back if we're veering a bit too off course. As a rule, they aren't supposed to talk much at all. Ultimately, on a given morning, we students kind of figure it out for ourselves. They throw problems at us, and then say, "Here, figure it out!"
I think it may come across as an exaggeration to say that the whole process is fun, but how else can I say it? We come up with ideas, share it with each other, respectfully criticize each other, occasionally laugh at our cluelessness and dig up information together. It is awesome. I wish every school experience I had based itself on PBL. It empowers the individual, encourages independence in learning and builds cooperation and collaboration amongst peers.
Ah, peers. An appropriate disclaimer here would be the fact that I think I have exceptional classmates who are all awesome and supportive and fun. And that, I suppose, is one of the major factors for fulfilling PBL sessions. It might not work with young students or persons with no desire for teamwork. When everybody treats everyone else with respect, or better yet, like a friend, it can only create a relaxed atmosphere. Honestly, our sessions can get so funny at times.
Today, we discussed whether we should allow a boy with ASD to join a CC robotics group: after nitpicking each other's arguments, we came up with two answers which we laughed over, because it was essentially the same thing -- "No, not now" and "Yes, but not yet". Ah well, it's not so funny now, but it was funny as frak to me this morning.
We only have four weeks left and all of this will come to an end -- it saddens me. I want my classmates now to be my future colleagues, can?
And how is it that 30 nights have passed by without my feeling like I've done anything? I feel weepy tonight.
Monday, August 13, 2012
ASD is such a fascinating condition. Only slightly more than a year ago, I had some reservations about working with these children; they're aloof, distant and very difficult. (During my first placement, I was on eggshells every time I saw this ASD kid; he looked ready to burst into tears at the slightest provocation!) Less worrisome to work with the other kids, right? Children with Down's for instance, are so warm and adorable, and hug you for no reason.
But now, I feel quite the opposite. I'd be quite psyched to be assigned an ASD kid! Yes, I do think ASD is still something complex and difficult, but my gosh, so interesting.
This morning, a guest lecturer told us of a 7-year-old boy who, in the space of about 15 minutes and while his mum chatted to the therapist, filled an entire whiteboard (a'la John Nash in Beautiful Mind) with the anatomy of the brain, accompanied with chemical equations and scientific labels. His favourite hobby was to read the Encyclopedia Britannica.
This brilliant boy however declared, "I don't need any friends, I don't need my family, I don't need anybody." And then later said, "The person who invented friendship must have been very intelligent." Underlining the fact, that really, the social world is something incomprehensible to their intellect.
Sheldon Cooper is so real, y'all. And so is Mr Spock, perhaps, haha.
But now, I feel quite the opposite. I'd be quite psyched to be assigned an ASD kid! Yes, I do think ASD is still something complex and difficult, but my gosh, so interesting.
This morning, a guest lecturer told us of a 7-year-old boy who, in the space of about 15 minutes and while his mum chatted to the therapist, filled an entire whiteboard (a'la John Nash in Beautiful Mind) with the anatomy of the brain, accompanied with chemical equations and scientific labels. His favourite hobby was to read the Encyclopedia Britannica.
This brilliant boy however declared, "I don't need any friends, I don't need my family, I don't need anybody." And then later said, "The person who invented friendship must have been very intelligent." Underlining the fact, that really, the social world is something incomprehensible to their intellect.
Sheldon Cooper is so real, y'all. And so is Mr Spock, perhaps, haha.
Sunday, August 12, 2012
oops, I've fallen for another drama
Apparently, I don't learn.
Been quietly following the Kdrama, Gaksital. I have no coherent words as to how awesome it is. It's about 8 episodes to the end now and it still hasn't disappointed, and has delivered one awesome episode after another.
I have now completely confirmed my weakness for tortured heroes (as if it was ever in doubt?). All the K-dramas I consider good and are in my favourites list (i.e. Iljimae, Princess Man, City Hunter and now, Gaksital) involve a hero tortured to the edge of sanity and then becoming a masked vigilante to avenge against a corrupted government. Ah, I'm so predictable. But really, if Kdrama has a talent, it's torturing their characters. Also, the female lead is usually equally awesome and physically involved in the conspiracy in some way.
I actually started live-blogging while watching because it's that good. I was barely able to contain my fan squeeing. Gaksital is not only possibly becoming my favourite K-drama ever, but really one of my favourite heroes of all time, outside the K-drama sphere. I'll probably dedicate a separate post to the reasons for why and how Gaksital wins -- additionally, I will try to be as objective as possible -- when the whole drama wraps up. I have a feeling this might be one of those things I'll physically force on my friends to watch.
In the meantime, enjoy a SPOILER-filled MV of the OTP (of course there's one! a hero always gets one):
I'm really, really, really, hoping that the ending meets the standard of the drama so far.
Been quietly following the Kdrama, Gaksital. I have no coherent words as to how awesome it is. It's about 8 episodes to the end now and it still hasn't disappointed, and has delivered one awesome episode after another.
I have now completely confirmed my weakness for tortured heroes (as if it was ever in doubt?). All the K-dramas I consider good and are in my favourites list (i.e. Iljimae, Princess Man, City Hunter and now, Gaksital) involve a hero tortured to the edge of sanity and then becoming a masked vigilante to avenge against a corrupted government. Ah, I'm so predictable. But really, if Kdrama has a talent, it's torturing their characters. Also, the female lead is usually equally awesome and physically involved in the conspiracy in some way.
I actually started live-blogging while watching because it's that good. I was barely able to contain my fan squeeing. Gaksital is not only possibly becoming my favourite K-drama ever, but really one of my favourite heroes of all time, outside the K-drama sphere. I'll probably dedicate a separate post to the reasons for why and how Gaksital wins -- additionally, I will try to be as objective as possible -- when the whole drama wraps up. I have a feeling this might be one of those things I'll physically force on my friends to watch.
In the meantime, enjoy a SPOILER-filled MV of the OTP (of course there's one! a hero always gets one):
Also, there are gorgeous, gorgeous shots. And people are raving about this incredibly moving scene. Seriously this drama is so nuanced at times, it makes me gasp in awe.
I'm really, really, really, hoping that the ending meets the standard of the drama so far.
Wednesday, August 08, 2012
O Allah! I ask that You give me from Your Presence such mercy that with it You will guide my heart, regulate my affairs, and put order into my disorder. And that You will fill me with perfect faith, and bestow on my outer, good deeds, and You will render my deeds pure and sincere, and inspire me with a suitable way to gain Your Pleasure, and give us friends that will be familiar to me and protect me from all manner of evil.
O Allah! Even though my understanding is limited and my deeds are few, I bring to Your Door my (worldly and otherworldly needs) and ask that You meet them. I am in need of Your Mercy, and I present my state to You.
O Allah! Even though my understanding is limited and my deeds are few, I bring to Your Door my (worldly and otherworldly needs) and ask that You meet them. I am in need of Your Mercy, and I present my state to You.
Monday, August 06, 2012
I think I like these two (i.e. Sungha Jung and Megan Lee) all the more because they're obviously Big Bang fans. Sungha Jung even mentioned on a television interview that he looks up to G-Dragon as a composer/songwriter.
And Monster is really nice! It's quite noisy at first, if you're not into loud jarring music, but underneath that, there's a beautiful, sad melody. Personally, aside from a few of Big Bang's very early songs in their first albums or so, I can't say I find any of their songs boring. Yes, I know - my bias. I've been blinded by love and now lost all objectivity.
Sungha Jung's cover of Monster with Megan Lee:
And the original! (I love TOP's voiceovers, seriously. @.@)
---
Also recently finished a novel called The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly, based on the much-loved Louisa M. Alcott's original Little Women: a descendant of the March sisters discovers letter correspondences between Jo, Meg and Amy in her house attic, and learns about love, life and family.
It's lovely domestic and optimistic fluff (and so unlike my normal inclinations for melodrama of epic proportions, it's refreshing). It left me grateful for knowing some awesome women in my life too.
Concord, October 1872
Dearest Bethie,
This is the last time I shall write to you from this home where we all once shared so much laughter and so many dreams, where I grew from a wild girl to a happy woman, where Meg was courted by John, and Amy made her mud pies and fretted about her nose, and you were our angel and still are. Dear, tonight my Professor returned from the West, and tomorrow, all in a day, I am to marry him, and move to Plumfield to start the school!
...
I think I shan't write to you again, Bethie. I'm leaving this home where for so long I have lived so quietly with mother and father and your memory, and going to a different place, to start a busy new life whose activities will leave me little time for writing letters to you. But don't think, dearie, that I've forgotten you or ever will, even for an hour. Death cannot part us, for our love can never die, and nor can my changing home, for I feel your presence always watching over me, and wherever I go, I know you are there. Dear, such an adventure as I am embarking on in my life with Fritz! But please know that, no matter what happens to me from now on, no matter what joys or sorrows befall, no matter where my life takes me, or how many years of it may be given to me to live, I will take you with me, in my heart, always.
With love, dearest Bethie, from
Jo.
And this from the 1994 movie adaptation with the star-studded cast (I don't know why I don't have this movie in DVD already; I should): where Laurie proposed to Jo, only to be horrifyingly friend-zoned. The first time I watched this, I remember thinking, "God, Jo! You can't reject Christian Bale!!!!!" And besides, he's going to be Batman! Except well, even I didn't know that before, haha.
And Monster is really nice! It's quite noisy at first, if you're not into loud jarring music, but underneath that, there's a beautiful, sad melody. Personally, aside from a few of Big Bang's very early songs in their first albums or so, I can't say I find any of their songs boring. Yes, I know - my bias. I've been blinded by love and now lost all objectivity.
Sungha Jung's cover of Monster with Megan Lee:
And the original! (I love TOP's voiceovers, seriously. @.@)
---
Also recently finished a novel called The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly, based on the much-loved Louisa M. Alcott's original Little Women: a descendant of the March sisters discovers letter correspondences between Jo, Meg and Amy in her house attic, and learns about love, life and family.
It's lovely domestic and optimistic fluff (and so unlike my normal inclinations for melodrama of epic proportions, it's refreshing). It left me grateful for knowing some awesome women in my life too.
Concord, October 1872
Dearest Bethie,
This is the last time I shall write to you from this home where we all once shared so much laughter and so many dreams, where I grew from a wild girl to a happy woman, where Meg was courted by John, and Amy made her mud pies and fretted about her nose, and you were our angel and still are. Dear, tonight my Professor returned from the West, and tomorrow, all in a day, I am to marry him, and move to Plumfield to start the school!
...
I think I shan't write to you again, Bethie. I'm leaving this home where for so long I have lived so quietly with mother and father and your memory, and going to a different place, to start a busy new life whose activities will leave me little time for writing letters to you. But don't think, dearie, that I've forgotten you or ever will, even for an hour. Death cannot part us, for our love can never die, and nor can my changing home, for I feel your presence always watching over me, and wherever I go, I know you are there. Dear, such an adventure as I am embarking on in my life with Fritz! But please know that, no matter what happens to me from now on, no matter what joys or sorrows befall, no matter where my life takes me, or how many years of it may be given to me to live, I will take you with me, in my heart, always.
With love, dearest Bethie, from
Jo.
And this from the 1994 movie adaptation with the star-studded cast (I don't know why I don't have this movie in DVD already; I should): where Laurie proposed to Jo, only to be horrifyingly friend-zoned. The first time I watched this, I remember thinking, "God, Jo! You can't reject Christian Bale!!!!!" And besides, he's going to be Batman! Except well, even I didn't know that before, haha.