My reply: Happiness is, simply, deciding to be happy.

While it may sound like I’m more answering the question of “how to be happy”, I am in fact answering the question. Happiness is many things and take many different forms to different people, but perhaps the single unifying thing among these various forms of happiness is that the subject decides that it is happiness.

Thus, happiness is a decision, a choice you make, that you are happy.

Rereading old posts, (and assuming that they were actually written by me, cos they don’t sound like it) I think I have changed a lot in the short span of two years. And through these changes, I think I can vaguely recall happiness at many points in time. While not forgetting to be thankful for my generally happy life so far, I have realised that the one common thing between all these instances of joy was simply this: I found myself in a situation, and I decided to be happy about it.

Whether it was coming home late after a great night with best buds, a really solid training session, becoming a councillor, going for a run in the rain… I always had the thought (sometimes subconscious) that it was a very happy situation to be in, and then I was happy.

So make your choice, be happy. (Or maybe I’m just too overdosed on sugar and endorphins)

1) It’s really good that the strong and credible teams fielded by the opposition have managed to shove the PAP out of its comfort zone, and the latter has had to come up with new ways of reaching out to the public (e.g. televised forum, online discussion between PM and the people) and even to review some of its policy failures. If this were an econs essay, I’d say that this is a classic example of credible competition promoting innovation and weeding out inefficient methods.

The relevance of this? It has compelled the PAP to reach out more to the grassroots and listen more closely to the people. This keeps their policies grounded in improving the welfare of all Singaporeans, and equally. While it is impressive how Singapore is able to sustain real growth while developed economies all over the world are faltering, and be able to rebound back out of the recession so quickly, the widening rich-poor divide has become an issue of increasing importance. I fear that the significance of this (polarisation of society, sentiments of unfairness, human suffering amongst the poor) may have been neglected, but the GE has helped to bring it back to the forefront of the debate.

While the objective of attracting talents is a generally enlightened one, immigration policies may have been far too slack in the past few years, with PRs granted too easily to people of dubious “talent”. This election has also helped to bring up the issue on balancing the attraction of foreign talent and the natural competition and social antipathy of an influx of immigrants.

What the PAP really should do is to listen more intensely to the needs of the people, and to craft its policies with that in mind. Otherwise, it risks going up an ivory tower and an increasing disjointment between policies and meeting the actual needs of Singaporeans.

2) Change brings with it an equal measure of risk and opportunity. In fact, Singapore herself has been exploiting such opportunities due to the rapidly changing face of the modern world in order to thrive.

The possible loss of our foreign minister, while disheartening to some, is one such Change. We could potentially lose a familiar face to the global community, where Minister Yeo has made many personal connections and with whom he has established a camaderie with. This could hinder foreign affairs for the next five years, as other FMs may not be as willing to talk to newcomer. This could seriously set back Singapore’s progress in foreign affairs, esp while we are in the midst of building new and stronger ties with emerging BRIC economies and working towards a more integrated ASEAN.

However, there is also a chance that a new man on the job could bring new perspectives and competencies to this, so we should not consign ourselves to gloom and despair. All I can say is: wait and see. Is it time for PAP to bear consequences and repent? Or is it time for Aljunied to repent for dooming Singapore?

3) Many people are talking about how opposition-held GRCs are going to suffer consequences for their actions, and so PAP sucks blah blah blah. I think it’s quite BS – if as an MP you don’t have the ability and the will to fight for the well-being of your constituency, then obviously the PAP candidate deserves the seat more.

It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, and so what if you really want to do good for the people, if you just lack the capability? Sometimes, self-serving entrepreneurs create more benefits for society than do-good NGOs, and the result is always more important in the real world. So in short: if an opposition-led constituency suffers alot because of “corruption” and whatnot, it means that their opposition MP lacks either ability or will to fight for the constituency’s welfare, and hence he/she does not deserve that seat more than a PAP candidate who can make things better.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/may/02/osama-bin-laden-dead-obama

Which is exciting, until you calm down a bit and ask “so what?”

For an organisation as large and extensive as Al Qaeda, the death of its head honcho should be no big deal. Al Qaeda has spawned many many cells and offshoots from Yemen to Pakistan, with regional leaders and whatnot, so the disruption to its operations should be minimal. In fact, it is probable that Osama has been playing a small role in the day-to-day operations of this terrorist group, what with being on the run from US forces and whatnot. There is a clear successor to Osama so the possibility of infighting is also low. That said, this is likely to have little impact on Al Qaeda’s operational capabilities.

It is definitely a symbolic victory for the US, and would help to greatly boost morale at home or overseas. Some pundits claim that this has essentially secured a re-election for Obama. However, the main issue facing the next Presidential Elections is likely to be more focused on bread-and-butter issues such as a sluggish recovery and high unemployment and national issues such as homosexuality and immigration than this. The excitement from this news is likely to be short-lived. After all, the execution of Saddam Hussein in George Bush’s term played very little part in the 2008 Presidential Elections, and the Republicans definitely did not win a term there.

In the short-term, the US could become more confident in its foreign relations, and be more proactive in trying to accomplish more of its objectives.

Some see this as a crushing blow to the spirits of Al-Qaeda fighters, but it is more likely that they will attempt to avenge their leader with increased terrorist attacks. Anti-American sentiments could rise from those who still see Osama as a national hero against the “Great Satan”. Drawing back again to the case of Saddam Hussein, there was a flurry of attacks and controversy after his execution. In fact, the US Department of State has just issued a travel alert to US citizens abroad to warn them of an increased likelihood of being targeted as a result of rising anti-American sentiments.

The fact that this was made possible by cooperation between the US and Pakistan could be seen as a start to recovering the frigid relationship between the two, especially after the arrest of an American agent and the subsequent refusal by Pakistan for his extradition to the US. However, the allegiance and commitment of the Pakistani ISI still remains unclear and the fact that they helped to get rid of an essentially useless figurehead of a global terrorist network does not say much.

Still, it remains to me that the significance of this event is largely symbolic, because given the interconnected and decentralised state of the world today, no one person is so important that his/her loss in itself would bring about any major impact. However, the reaction of others to such an incident can have severe repercussions, and cannot be ignored. Still, it is likely that any effects (e.g. greater American confidence, rising anti-American sentiments, better US-Pakistan relations) will be short-lived, and the world will go back to business as usual.

i remember a time when i was posting lame comments on every fb comment threads with equally lame friends, each trying to outdo each other. it was hilarious.

i remember a time when i had the motivation to study organic chem till the wee hours of the morning. it was gratifying.

i remember a time when i first went LANning, an experience i’d never had before. it was exhilarating.

i remember a time when i went to chalet with my class, playing and talking through the night without a care in the world. it was cathartic.

i remember a time of new beginnings, when so much laid in wait for me. it was hopeful.

i remember a time when i just became a councilor, and saw a whole new adventure lying ahead of me. it was exciting.

i remember a time of training my guts out without worrying about what would happen later. it was satisfying.

and then came the work, the stress, the grades, the deadlines, the competition, the expectations, the disappointments, the despair, the confusion…

oh! don’t i long for the past!

but no, i cannot go there. for if i do i can never move on ahead. and what about all the new friends, new memories, new experiences, new joys and new loves. they are a beacon to the future, yet now this beacon seems ever dimmer in the darkness of the present.

but i will PERSIST! because i can still see that light, and when i can’t, i will still know that it is there. for the darkest hour is before dawn, they say. so i push on. so i push on.

I think to a certain degree everyone knows that performing arts tend to receive a little less than the ra-ra at match supports for the sports CCAs, due to obvious limitations. The fact that CCAD did something about it, as much as they could, shows their care and dedication.

Very touched, and very impressed. Good work, CCAD-ers!

Here’s the rundown: Gold prices hit record highs of US$1,501-an-ounce, after S&P downgraded America’s debt prompted investors to seek “safe-haven” investments. Silver prices have been rising as well.

Such a trend clearly demonstrates a lack of business confidence in the economy, such that investors become ever more risk-averse and turn to “safe” investments such as gold.

This spells bad news for the economy, because money spent investing in gold is money lost on productive investment (e.g. production methods and R&D). A lack in business confidence also lowers companies’ expected marginal efficiency of investment (MEI), which at prevailing interest rates again reduces the amount of productive investment. This slows down the increase in productive capacity, which prevents much-needed growth in economies recovering from the 2008 financial crisis.

In addition, soaring gold prices cannot be good for the electronics industry, since highly-conductive gold metal is an integral part of much modern electrical circuits. Higher gold prices translate to higher costs of production for electronics, which then translate to higher electronics prices. This is likely to have a limited macroeconomic effect because most daily consumables are not very dependent on electronics. Some, of course, require electronic parts in manufacturing plants, but there is a time lag here because machines only need replacement parts every once in a while.

However, sustained high gold prices (which is expected) combined with the increase in oil prices due to the Mid-East turbulence could affect inflation in the long run. Over the long run, manufacturers (of daily consumables) will need to replace machine parts, and higher electronics costs will mean higher costs of production for these firms, which are eventually passed on to the consumers. This combined with the increased COP due to rising oil prices (another key part of the economy – think all plastic goods) will lead to increased general price levels in the form of cost-push inflation.

Higher costs of production, combined with limited outward expansion of productive capacity, will mean that the AS curve shifts up but not out. The result: lower national output and increasing unemployment, ceteris paribus (including govt intervention to ameliorate the situation).

Like seriously, what the -!? I still have vivid memories of myself as an OGling ok? Putting things into perspective: Over the brief course of 12 months I have turned from a bright-eyed junior looking up to my OGLs to becoming an OGL myself and having twenty-odd juniors looking to me for what to do. Kind of unsettling really.

But orientation 2011 was truly a memorable and enriching experience. It’s kind of like having a proper opening and closure to this whole thing, so I can compare what I was and am like, and how I’ve grown.

It’s also helped me to gain an added dimension to understanding Roosevelt’s famous line, “Some people are born great, others have greatness thrust upon them.” These past four days have had me understanding what it means to have greatness thrust upon myself. As an OGL, I had to guide my OG and make everyone feel involved, especially those who were shy or quiet. Not exactly an easy or natural thing for someone like me to do. Under normal circumstances I might very well just stick to one group and enjoy myself. But as an OGL, this sense of duty and responsibility really spurred me on to make a tenacious effort to include EVERYONE. It was really the feeling that I, myself, was in charge, and there was no “someone else” to take care of the less pleasant but necessary tasks. In the end, it was still great fun once I’d got everyone talking. However, it was hard for me to persist and start the ball rolling, and it was this duty that kept me going.

In general, I’d say that having “greatness thrust upon (you)” means that by gaining full responsibility for something, you are forced to rise to the occasion to be strong, to be persistent, and to do whatever it takes to make that something succeed. In this proceed, you learn and you grow, bringing yourself one step closer to “greatness”. Of course, this is easily understood through reasoning, but here I was able to learn with my heart what was in my head.

(For those particular about the biology, it probably means I managed to transfer knowledge from my neo cortex to my limbic part of my brain.)

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Also, I can’t help but wonder at how fast the world is progressing. Last year, a short 12 months ago, my OG was all talking to each other over MSN. This year, hardly anyone bothered to ask for each other’s MSN, and we had mass convos on facebook chat and our facebook page. Like, just one year, and the whole mode of communication for a demographic group has changed completely! Too fast, man!

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I’ve also been rereading my former blog posts, and I can really feel that I’ve changed. (For the better or for the worse, I don’t really know.) Like, what I’d have done at this time last year I’d never do so now. And a critical part of my outlook on life and my perception of myself has changed. Some quintessential parts of me are the same, like my character and personality, but the way I see things and the way I make decisions have undergone an overhaul. But it’s still good to look at my past self once in a while, so that despite the all the hectic events in my life I do not lose MYSELF!

Nostalgia. A weird feeling…

I’ve quite forgotten what it’s like to be out in the rain, and what it’s like to run so hard.

It was actually a fit of impulse. Someone said something about walking in the drizzle, I went to watch singing in the rain again on youtube, and voila! There was such a great outburst of energy in me that I just HAD to go out for a run.

Didn’t hurt that it rained either!

The first 800m I just RAN. No holding back, no conserving strength, and man did it feel good. Managed to push through the next 800m. By the third 800 I was going to give already but somehow found the strength to push on. By the last 800m I had to stop and walk for 200m, but the awesome sensation of the rain and the adrenaline kept me going till the end.

In a word, it was great.

And I want to write it all down in case someday I forget the simple pleasures of life.

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Many associate the rain with sadness and melancholy, but to me the rain is a source of joy and liveliness, a wellspring for life, for beauty and for love. Oh, the rain!

Take for example, organic chemistry, a subject which I shall claim some competence in. It was really difficult when I started – I remember taking months to read one chapter on alkanes. However, after I (slowly and painfully) manage to grasp the pattern of thinking in organic chemistry, the following topics just fit into that pattern and learning was so much faster and easier.

Following on this postulate, I guess the greatest hindrance to learning a totally new subject (some would call it a mental block) is the difficulty in adapting one’s brain to function in that new pattern. I would postulate further that it would be easier to adapt the brain to a new pattern that is more similar to the original, which is why some people find it easier to pick up a new subject than others.

What this means, is basically that you cannot pick up a new skill or new field of knowledge without some long and arduous journey to grasp the basic axioms and principles that make up the thought processes of that field – and something more, some set of thought processes that make up what I term here a “pattern of thinking”. This is what I experienced in learning Org Chem last year and economics, and what I am experiencing now in learning wushu.

Of course, it’s much easier to learn the “pattern” when guided by an experienced teacher, compared to groping alone in the dark.

My third and final postulate is that the previous postulates apply to ALL subject matters. Hence, whatever you want to learn, you can never expect to learn it quickly, and progress at the start will be excruciatingly slow. However, once you’ve picked up the “pattern”, it’ll be so much easier to learn newer content and growth will be much faster too.