Here's why economics matters. To me at least, it's not so much the pursuit of a perfect system in which the world can run its resources, because I doubt that there can ever be such a thing, but it's the fact that economics shapes reality because it concerns every layperson. It's the reality of who's getting what part of the pie and how is that part of the pie attained. Am I going to work for it? Am I going to receive it through welfare? Is it going to be taken from me? These questions are going to be answered by the form of politics that my country employs.
Economics, and what kind of economy a tribe, a kingdom or a state is going to have, is the driving force and the legitimacy behind power and politics. Politics is power, because it refers to governance and the legal use of force, and power can only be gained when one controls resources.
The history of man is peppered with battles that have been waged for the attainment of resources. Modern history has seen us shift the basis of power from a physical one to one of economic ideology. The fight between the Democrats and Republicans is essentially due to the difference in economic management - more socialist (and left-wing) or more conservative (and right wing)? The cold war was a battle between capitalism and communism. Americans are dissatisfied with Obama because of the inadequate validity of his economic agenda which have turned out to be rather expensive, ineffective and socialist, which is disappointing in today's world where we are still trying to move on from the Keynesian era of full employment as the goal. Politicians are battling it out every election day to promise better economic packages because this is what matters to the people most - how much less will you be taxed?
Politics exists because power drives the world. Power is about the ability to gain control over people. The control of people is gained through the manipulation of the economy, because people depend on resources.
That's why economics is important, because if everyone knew to some degree the impact that the economy of our state has on our lives, then we would know how to revolt, how to vote and how to decide what kind of country we want to have and live in. We would know the extent of our rights and how to differentiate between a government that is serving us well and a government that is just pulling political bull. We would know if we would rather live in a competitive society or one that redistributes wealth. We would look at the ideologies expounded by our leaders with more enlightened eyes. We would know where on earth we're going.
Wednesday, 26 August 2009
"You cannot legislate the poor into freedom by legislating the wealthy out of freedom. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from
somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."
- Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931 - 2005
somebody else. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that my dear friend, is about the end of any nation. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it."
- Dr. Adrian Rogers, 1931 - 2005
Tuesday, 25 August 2009
Step Aside Kotler
Every marketing guru will tell tales about how to use SWOT analysis, name a product or pitch a service to do good marketing but nobody ever pinpoints the true reality of marketing so here goes.
Marketing is all about manipulating the supply and demand curve in your favour. As long as prices can be raised without demand falling, that's marketing at work and profitability coming in. And there are tons of ways to exploit the psychology of consumers in order to keep both demand and prices high. It all boils down to who is the most creative, scheming and manipulative bugger there is out there to discover these supply-demand mechanism loopholes.
Marketing is all about manipulating the supply and demand curve in your favour. As long as prices can be raised without demand falling, that's marketing at work and profitability coming in. And there are tons of ways to exploit the psychology of consumers in order to keep both demand and prices high. It all boils down to who is the most creative, scheming and manipulative bugger there is out there to discover these supply-demand mechanism loopholes.
Monday, 24 August 2009
Holla!
For anyone who cares about local politics, believes that it is important, and/or took interest in the recent parliamentary uproar, read these in order:
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/08/nmp-viswa-sadasivan-let-us-take-a-chance-on-our-people-on-ourselves/
http://nmpviswasadasivanmaidenspeech.blogspot.com/2009/08/nmp-viswa-sadasivans-maiden-speech-in.html
http://leewatch.info/2009/08/20/govt-accountable-in-actions-has-worked-towards-non-discrimination/
Let's get on the radar.
http://theonlinecitizen.com/2009/08/nmp-viswa-sadasivan-let-us-take-a-chance-on-our-people-on-ourselves/
http://nmpviswasadasivanmaidenspeech.blogspot.com/2009/08/nmp-viswa-sadasivans-maiden-speech-in.html
http://leewatch.info/2009/08/20/govt-accountable-in-actions-has-worked-towards-non-discrimination/
Let's get on the radar.
Friday, 21 August 2009
The Playing Field Dynamic Of Love
If there was ever an ideal kind of relationship, I would reckon it is one that thrives on ideas (and wants), not needs, with both parties in it of enough egotism and self-esteem to be self-interested but not selfish, and spared from the chains of emotional dependence.
In psychology, there are two types of relationships that work - the secure-secure relationship and the anxious/ambivalent-avoidant relationship. For the uninitiated, secure people are those who are trusting, socially comfortable and form typically healthy relationships with people, be they friends, significant others or kin. Anxious/ambivalent and avoidant people are people who have trusting issues. Anxious/ambivalent people manifest it by being neurotic, clingy and possessive because they are afraid to lose those they finally dare to allow into their lives. Avoidant people manifest the difficulty to trust by being anti-social, reclusive and introverted, keeping to themselves most of the time.
Anxious/ambivalent-avoidant relationships often comprise of the female taking on the emotional possessive role and the male taking on the avoidant, silent role, and it works because these are socially accepted gender roles. It also works because both parties are a good fit when they can provide what each other needs. The anxious/ambivalent person thrives on the uncertainty and ambiguity of the avoidant person's reclusiveness, while the avoidant person thrives on the possessiveness and persistence of the anxious/ambivalent partner.
When a relationship sustains itself through needs more than desires, I would doubt its synergy. It is like Maslow's hierarchy of needs - if you're still grappling with the basal necessities of food and water, you will never get to the higher levels of satisfaction.
That's where a healthy dose of self-esteem and egotism comes in. It is unfair to say that everyone should be like secure people, because secure people don't happen overnight, and people are who they are because of their life experiences. But the reality of the situation is that secure people, with their healthy doses of self-esteem, have enough pride in them for them to believe that they deserve a certain level of return when they invest in a relationship.
What then happens in a secure-secure relationship, where both parties behave in this seemingly economic, self interested way, is that they know what they're worth. At this point, there may be those who say that this just seems heartless, results in people being non-committal and leaves room for people to dump their loved ones in the presence of better alternatives. But instead of looking at it so negatively (which also only happens because people who criticize this are probably anxious, neurotic and afraid of loss), the result is that both parties actually know their value because they have made it into each other's lives, and this is strongly reaffirming of each person's self worth. I made it into your life, and you made it into mine, and this is the strongest endorsement of your quality to me and my quality to yours.
Once needs can be put aside because they are thus fulfilled, there is so much else to look forward to and achieve together. When you don't spend half or more of your time worrying about losing someone, you're trading your emotional chains for freedom. That is why egotism works, and is good. If you know what you're worth, there's always a safety catch that stops you from being too suckered into liking somebody. If he or she falls short of your expectations, can't make up their mind or does other silly things, then your pride will tell you that you're just wasting your time and you deserve better than settling down with this.
The desire to trade up always happens whether you're a secure person or not. But by the time people in anxious/ambivalent-avoidant relationships realize they feel too jaded and yet too comfortable where they are, it gets harder to understand the reality of their predicament. So if one person starts to feel shortchanged by his/her situation, the result is often a fling with someone else, in order to trade up (even just for a moment) and to satisfy unfulfilled desires that echo in hearts that have lost their fires.
In the end, it's the synergy that becomes the indicator. At the heart of it all, are you looking forward to meeting your loved one to create and discuss ideas, or are you just looking forward to meeting your loved one because you're afraid he/she might leave you?
Whether self-esteem breeds the ability to believe that one always has options (so that one is never at the losing end), or one's options gives him/her confidence and hence self-esteem, a little bit of self belief and egotism always goes a long way. At the end of it all, always remember what you're worth and don't sell yourself short. What can you offer to the person you're gonna chain up anyway, if you're not completely happy?
In psychology, there are two types of relationships that work - the secure-secure relationship and the anxious/ambivalent-avoidant relationship. For the uninitiated, secure people are those who are trusting, socially comfortable and form typically healthy relationships with people, be they friends, significant others or kin. Anxious/ambivalent and avoidant people are people who have trusting issues. Anxious/ambivalent people manifest it by being neurotic, clingy and possessive because they are afraid to lose those they finally dare to allow into their lives. Avoidant people manifest the difficulty to trust by being anti-social, reclusive and introverted, keeping to themselves most of the time.
Anxious/ambivalent-avoidant relationships often comprise of the female taking on the emotional possessive role and the male taking on the avoidant, silent role, and it works because these are socially accepted gender roles. It also works because both parties are a good fit when they can provide what each other needs. The anxious/ambivalent person thrives on the uncertainty and ambiguity of the avoidant person's reclusiveness, while the avoidant person thrives on the possessiveness and persistence of the anxious/ambivalent partner.
When a relationship sustains itself through needs more than desires, I would doubt its synergy. It is like Maslow's hierarchy of needs - if you're still grappling with the basal necessities of food and water, you will never get to the higher levels of satisfaction.
That's where a healthy dose of self-esteem and egotism comes in. It is unfair to say that everyone should be like secure people, because secure people don't happen overnight, and people are who they are because of their life experiences. But the reality of the situation is that secure people, with their healthy doses of self-esteem, have enough pride in them for them to believe that they deserve a certain level of return when they invest in a relationship.
What then happens in a secure-secure relationship, where both parties behave in this seemingly economic, self interested way, is that they know what they're worth. At this point, there may be those who say that this just seems heartless, results in people being non-committal and leaves room for people to dump their loved ones in the presence of better alternatives. But instead of looking at it so negatively (which also only happens because people who criticize this are probably anxious, neurotic and afraid of loss), the result is that both parties actually know their value because they have made it into each other's lives, and this is strongly reaffirming of each person's self worth. I made it into your life, and you made it into mine, and this is the strongest endorsement of your quality to me and my quality to yours.
Once needs can be put aside because they are thus fulfilled, there is so much else to look forward to and achieve together. When you don't spend half or more of your time worrying about losing someone, you're trading your emotional chains for freedom. That is why egotism works, and is good. If you know what you're worth, there's always a safety catch that stops you from being too suckered into liking somebody. If he or she falls short of your expectations, can't make up their mind or does other silly things, then your pride will tell you that you're just wasting your time and you deserve better than settling down with this.
The desire to trade up always happens whether you're a secure person or not. But by the time people in anxious/ambivalent-avoidant relationships realize they feel too jaded and yet too comfortable where they are, it gets harder to understand the reality of their predicament. So if one person starts to feel shortchanged by his/her situation, the result is often a fling with someone else, in order to trade up (even just for a moment) and to satisfy unfulfilled desires that echo in hearts that have lost their fires.
In the end, it's the synergy that becomes the indicator. At the heart of it all, are you looking forward to meeting your loved one to create and discuss ideas, or are you just looking forward to meeting your loved one because you're afraid he/she might leave you?
Whether self-esteem breeds the ability to believe that one always has options (so that one is never at the losing end), or one's options gives him/her confidence and hence self-esteem, a little bit of self belief and egotism always goes a long way. At the end of it all, always remember what you're worth and don't sell yourself short. What can you offer to the person you're gonna chain up anyway, if you're not completely happy?
Thursday, 20 August 2009
Tuesday, 18 August 2009
But Something Makes Me Carry On
It's difficult to understand
Why I always wanna fly
I do it for the drugs
I do it just to feel alive
I do it for the love
That I get from the bottom of a bottle
Why I always wanna fly
I do it for the drugs
I do it just to feel alive
I do it for the love
That I get from the bottom of a bottle
Thursday, 6 August 2009
Man Who Walk Through Airport Door Sideways Is Going Bangkok
The reports are not conclusive yet, but it is estimated that a thousand punctual people were decimated by this morning's train fault.
Two more days and I'm fucking off from and hopefully never going back to Boon Lay.
"Are you happy your internship is ending?"
"I'm damn happy that I won't have to come to Boon Lay anymore. I hate Boon Lay. It is damn smelly. And the phone reception is shit."
"Hahaha. It's like Bangkok right."
"What the hell? Bangkok is infinitely better than Boon Lay."
Two more days and I'm fucking off from and hopefully never going back to Boon Lay.
"Are you happy your internship is ending?"
"I'm damn happy that I won't have to come to Boon Lay anymore. I hate Boon Lay. It is damn smelly. And the phone reception is shit."
"Hahaha. It's like Bangkok right."
"What the hell? Bangkok is infinitely better than Boon Lay."
Wednesday, 5 August 2009
Sunday, 26 July 2009
My Job Sucks Because
A job only ever sucks because of people. I don't think you can genuinely hate a job enough because it's stupid or too glamourous or whatever lame reason anyone can think of, because there are always trade offs. You get a fun job, you get paid less. You get a high-paying job, you better slog it out to get there and/or stay there. Jobs generally even out in terms of pros and cons.
It might seem like I'm just pulling out another one of the things from my people-loathing repertoire, but I really think that if anything ever tips the balance about how bad a job can be, it's the people.
No one can make a job you're doing suck more than the people you have to work with to get your work done (I'm talking about bosses and colleagues, not customers here. Customers are part of the work, and as I will explain later, are to be bravely dealt with). And nothing can make you feel like your job is crappy as much as people around you can. We're all wired to count our blessings or we're all doomed to depression, so we're very well capable of deluding ourselves that our jobs are perfect. So what gives? People around telling you your job is shit or making your job shit, that's what.
So, as I was telling a colleague of mine, if you're quitting your job because of the people, or because of one boss who can't wipe his ass cleanly enough so you'll have to help him too, it's not a spoilt or prissy thing to do. To quit a job because of the work might very well be ungrounded, floaty and wussy because it means you can't take the work you've set out to do, and if the work didn't turn out the way you wanted it to, why wasn't a more informed decision made before you decided to do take it up? That's the gay part of quitting. But leaving because you can't put up with stupid people - now that's more like it.
Oh, you hate your job? There's a support group for that. It's called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar.
- Drew Carey
It might seem like I'm just pulling out another one of the things from my people-loathing repertoire, but I really think that if anything ever tips the balance about how bad a job can be, it's the people.
No one can make a job you're doing suck more than the people you have to work with to get your work done (I'm talking about bosses and colleagues, not customers here. Customers are part of the work, and as I will explain later, are to be bravely dealt with). And nothing can make you feel like your job is crappy as much as people around you can. We're all wired to count our blessings or we're all doomed to depression, so we're very well capable of deluding ourselves that our jobs are perfect. So what gives? People around telling you your job is shit or making your job shit, that's what.
So, as I was telling a colleague of mine, if you're quitting your job because of the people, or because of one boss who can't wipe his ass cleanly enough so you'll have to help him too, it's not a spoilt or prissy thing to do. To quit a job because of the work might very well be ungrounded, floaty and wussy because it means you can't take the work you've set out to do, and if the work didn't turn out the way you wanted it to, why wasn't a more informed decision made before you decided to do take it up? That's the gay part of quitting. But leaving because you can't put up with stupid people - now that's more like it.
Oh, you hate your job? There's a support group for that. It's called EVERYBODY, and they meet at the bar.
- Drew Carey
Tuesday, 21 July 2009
The Responsibility Of The Stranger/Not-So-Close Friend/Acquaintance
For anyone out there who is, at any time, a stranger, an acquaintance, or a friend who's just not-so-close, which is basically everybody, you have a responsibility. That responsibility is to not give sympathy-seekers any form of sympathy whatsoever.
I must admit that I, in part, do not like to give sympathy for various reasons, the biggest of which is that I feel most insincere doing so. Half the people out there do not deserve sympathy anyway, so why should I give it? The only time someone is deserving of sympathy is when it is not asked for. This rules out providing sympathy to anyone who is a sympathy-seeker.
Giving sympathy to those who want it will only make them desire it more, and especially so from you if you're someone they could get easy sympathy from. People who indulge in seeking sympathy do not seek to change themselves for the better, and in receiving sympathy will only strive to hunt it with an even more ravenous appetite in future. This will simply result in a world that is full of whiners who do not believe in progress and self-improvement to make things better.
Thus, the onus is on you, especially if you're not a girlfriend, boyfriend, next of kin or very close friend (to avoid any unnecessary trouble because of emotional complexities), to not give sympathy where it isn't due. By not giving these people sympathy, you force them to face their own problems and deal with them. If everyone could create the impression that there's no free emotional lunch to ride on, then there wouldn't be the expectation that wallowing in self-pity is a valid way out.
To falter on this responsibility is to endorse the idea that being stagnant is an acceptable place to be. To falter is to allow yourself to think that humans are permissibly pathetic.
I must admit that I, in part, do not like to give sympathy for various reasons, the biggest of which is that I feel most insincere doing so. Half the people out there do not deserve sympathy anyway, so why should I give it? The only time someone is deserving of sympathy is when it is not asked for. This rules out providing sympathy to anyone who is a sympathy-seeker.
Giving sympathy to those who want it will only make them desire it more, and especially so from you if you're someone they could get easy sympathy from. People who indulge in seeking sympathy do not seek to change themselves for the better, and in receiving sympathy will only strive to hunt it with an even more ravenous appetite in future. This will simply result in a world that is full of whiners who do not believe in progress and self-improvement to make things better.
Thus, the onus is on you, especially if you're not a girlfriend, boyfriend, next of kin or very close friend (to avoid any unnecessary trouble because of emotional complexities), to not give sympathy where it isn't due. By not giving these people sympathy, you force them to face their own problems and deal with them. If everyone could create the impression that there's no free emotional lunch to ride on, then there wouldn't be the expectation that wallowing in self-pity is a valid way out.
To falter on this responsibility is to endorse the idea that being stagnant is an acceptable place to be. To falter is to allow yourself to think that humans are permissibly pathetic.
Sunday, 19 July 2009
Choose Thy Poison
I was having a lull period during my soccer tournament which resulted in an interesting discussion with my teammates about Transformers II: Revenge of the Fallen, and at one point the discussion turned towards the two female characters of the show - good ol' Mikaela Banes (Megan Fox) and Decepticon Pretender Alice (Isabel Lucas).
I dunno about you, the reader of this post, but I've always had the assumption that Fox would win hands down hotter compared to Lucas. But I had my doubts today after a sizeable number of my teammates revealed that Lucas was just as hot too, if not hotter.
All Fox fans will go WTF at this point. But that does not discount the fact that they genuinely thought Lucas is a contender to Fox. Sure, she's hot in some way. But surely she can't hold a candle to Fox, right?
After deeper probing, the reason essentially seems to be this. My teammates are generally apathetic personality-type guys, who can't stand the fuss of putting up with women. To such guys, the appeal of Lucas' Alice character is in the fact that she's 'easy'. Fox, with Mikaela on the other hand, posed a much bigger challenge to confront should one consider her as a potential mate. Guys who wouldn't want to have to deal with self-respecting smarter girls would find Alice very attractive.
If this is indeed true, then there might be the possible generalization that such guys will have an inclination towards blondes, as blondes are often subconsciously associated with being 'easy'. Guys who, in real life, prefer girls who have more fight in them would go with Fox.
Here's a little trivia though. The 2-second scene of Alice transforming into a robot took 3 months to complete, and here's why.
Sandwich
The last line for those who find the text too small:
'Well, you better comebackwith a godamn sandwich.'
I'm not a big fan of misogyny but this is the best response compared to the miserably unfunny, downright unwitty comebacks the other two ladies are suggesting.
[Update - 210709]
The picture shows 2 thumbs down for the misogynist and 3 thumbs up for lousy comebacker.
If you do a quick search on Yahoo! Answers for this question, you will find that the best answer comes from misogynist, with 70% of votes garnered in favour.
Saturday, 18 July 2009
What, You Think She's Actually Hot?
Ever thought a colleague or some remote person you've seen around in the office, whom you'd usually rate as a sub-par potential romantic candidate in normal circumstances, was 'interesting'? That's just another way of saying that the person is actually attractive enough to you.
I think it could be an argument, and evidence if proven, in favour of biological processes at work when we think of the science of love. It is hard to think of any other reason why you'd consider a 6/10 person at work fascinating when you could easily find more attractive people on the train.
The reason why we end up making such irrational considerations, especially those who are not already attached, is that we are always seeking for potential mates. Because being in the office poses numerous issues, such as the lack of other potentials as well as the close proximity leading to possibly increased contact with that person, our innate need to seek a mate alters our psychology to convince ourselves that these other office people are potential material even though we typically would not think of them as so.
Because we can have a higher chance of getting to know a colleague or remote office person better compared to the good-looker on the train, a switch gets flicked in the head, inducing us to gain interest and perhaps encourage us to make a move. This could all just be biologically tailored to increase one's chances of getting a mate.
I think it could be an argument, and evidence if proven, in favour of biological processes at work when we think of the science of love. It is hard to think of any other reason why you'd consider a 6/10 person at work fascinating when you could easily find more attractive people on the train.
The reason why we end up making such irrational considerations, especially those who are not already attached, is that we are always seeking for potential mates. Because being in the office poses numerous issues, such as the lack of other potentials as well as the close proximity leading to possibly increased contact with that person, our innate need to seek a mate alters our psychology to convince ourselves that these other office people are potential material even though we typically would not think of them as so.
Because we can have a higher chance of getting to know a colleague or remote office person better compared to the good-looker on the train, a switch gets flicked in the head, inducing us to gain interest and perhaps encourage us to make a move. This could all just be biologically tailored to increase one's chances of getting a mate.
Wednesday, 15 July 2009
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
See, The Months They Don't Matter
it's the days I can't take
when the hours move to minutes
and I'm seconds away
when the hours move to minutes
and I'm seconds away
Flaws
Is the world really a sad place? Are we as humans flawed, sorry beings? I personally don't think so, because I believe human nature isn't a choice, and insofar as the extinction of a species isn't brought about by a conscious choice to self destruct, I wouldn't think of us as any less.
Let's say I know everything about the design of a lab rat - from its psychology to its personality down to its programmed instincts and behaviours. If I were to get a population of lab rats and place them in a setting that has been specially tweaked to ensure that they are all doomed to die, I wouldn't blame them for their demise. Even if I placed them in a random, unbiased situation and their rodent nature causes them to implode as a species just because the conditions so happen to be arranged in a manner that causes them to behave in a way that is detrimental to them, I wouldn't fault them for it. I would only feel that the lab rats are messed up and sorry only if they went against their basic instincts to kill themselves. That leaves them no excuse anymore. Death as a choice and not by chance is unpardonable.
I won't even go so far as to declare whether anyone deserves anything, because in the bigger scheme of things we are entitled to nothing. The lab rats didn't deserve to die even if they finished themselves off in a stupid manner against their will, and neither do they when they 'just so happen' to be designed for doom in a damned setting.
One human's individuality has little bearing on the world at any one moment. Without the movement of a revolution, one or a few men cannot do anything. Human nature only rears its seemingly ugly head when the masses display what they are capable of, or 'what people really are'. Judging that human nature is inherently evil is like saying that ageing is a sin. To judge what we do that ultimately destroys us as wrong is a flawed way of declaring that we are 'just screwed up anyway' in typically glamorous, self-handicapping manner.
Audio Candy:
Papa Roach - Lifeline
Let's say I know everything about the design of a lab rat - from its psychology to its personality down to its programmed instincts and behaviours. If I were to get a population of lab rats and place them in a setting that has been specially tweaked to ensure that they are all doomed to die, I wouldn't blame them for their demise. Even if I placed them in a random, unbiased situation and their rodent nature causes them to implode as a species just because the conditions so happen to be arranged in a manner that causes them to behave in a way that is detrimental to them, I wouldn't fault them for it. I would only feel that the lab rats are messed up and sorry only if they went against their basic instincts to kill themselves. That leaves them no excuse anymore. Death as a choice and not by chance is unpardonable.
I won't even go so far as to declare whether anyone deserves anything, because in the bigger scheme of things we are entitled to nothing. The lab rats didn't deserve to die even if they finished themselves off in a stupid manner against their will, and neither do they when they 'just so happen' to be designed for doom in a damned setting.
One human's individuality has little bearing on the world at any one moment. Without the movement of a revolution, one or a few men cannot do anything. Human nature only rears its seemingly ugly head when the masses display what they are capable of, or 'what people really are'. Judging that human nature is inherently evil is like saying that ageing is a sin. To judge what we do that ultimately destroys us as wrong is a flawed way of declaring that we are 'just screwed up anyway' in typically glamorous, self-handicapping manner.
Audio Candy:
Papa Roach - Lifeline
Monday, 13 July 2009
Because I Am Boliao
If I were to trace back my intellectual development and chronicle it into a timeline, it would look something like this.
pre-secondary school:
art/design
dinosaurs
chaos theory
secondary school:
aliens/conspiracy theories
culture
religion I
literature
consciousness
existentialism
junior college:
mathematics
physics
empiricism
skepticism
army:
metaphysics
religion II
university:
infinity
psychology
politics
economics
ethics
objectivism
Today's scientists have substituted mathematics for experiments, and they wander off through equation after equation, and eventually build a structure which has no relation to reality.
- Nikola Tesla
Audio Candy:
Cavo - Let It Go
pre-secondary school:
art/design
dinosaurs
chaos theory
secondary school:
aliens/conspiracy theories
culture
religion I
literature
consciousness
existentialism
junior college:
mathematics
physics
empiricism
skepticism
army:
metaphysics
religion II
university:
infinity
psychology
politics
economics
ethics
objectivism
Today's scientists have substituted mathematics for experiments, and they wander off through equation after equation, and eventually build a structure which has no relation to reality.
- Nikola Tesla
Audio Candy:
Cavo - Let It Go
Tuesday, 7 July 2009
Brimful Of Asha
eka sadi asha jena sadi sooka bella nah dinner bonothia ha kimmir kar ke!
There's dancing
Behind movie scenes
Behind the movie scenes
Sadi Rani
She's the one that keeps the dream alive
from the morning
past the evening
to the end of the light
Brimful of Asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of Asha on the 45
Brimful of Asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of Asha on the 45
And dancing
Behind movie scenes
Behind those movie screens
Asha Bhosle
She's the one that keeps the dream alive
from the morning
past the evening
to the end of the light
Brimful of Asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of Asha on the 45
Brimful of Asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of Asha on the 45
And singing
illuminate the main streets
And the cinema aisles
We don't care bout no
Gov'ment warnings,
'bout their promotion of the simple life
And the dams they're building
Brimful of Asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of Asha on the 45
Brimful of Asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of Asha on the 45
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Mine's on the 45
Mohamed Rafi -45
Lata Mangeshkar -45
Solid state radio -45
Ferguson mono -45
Banc Public -45
Jacques Dutronc and the Bolan Boogie, the Heavy
Hitters and the Chichi music
All India Radio-45
Two in ones -45
Argo Records -45
Trojan Records -45
Brimful of Asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of asha on the 45
Brimful of Asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of asha on the 45
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Mine's on the 45
seven seven thousand piece
Orchestra set
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Mine's on the RPM!!
Brimful of Asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of asha on the 45
Brimful of Asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of asha on the 45
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Mine's on the 45
Here's a fantastic explanation of the little known Cornershop song by Splitpeasoup from Kuro5hin (written in 2003):
Cornershop is an East-West fusion pop-rock group. The East part comes from Tjinder Singh, who grew up in England but is of Punjabi origin. Tjinder strongly identifies with his Indian heritage; the group's name itself derives from a play on the stereotype of the Indian/Pakistani street-corner grocery store clerk.
"Brimful of Asha" came out in 1997. With its catchy refrain it became a hit on US radio, as well as in Cornershop's native UK.
To understand the song, one must understand the Indian movie industry. Ever since cinema was introduced to India, most commercial movies have been heavy, sweet, musical productions. The song-and-dance interludes are not incidentals, but staples, and often are what make or break a movie. An American friend of mine was under the impression that singing was a necessary skill for Indian actors and actresses! Actually, the singing is almost always done by background singers. The background singers, of course, are not required to possess charisma or looks, and in fact in early times, care was taken to not expose them in the media, to preserve the romantic association with their voices in the minds of the moviegoing public.
Why is all this so important? Right from the beginning, movies took over the hearts and lives of common Indians in a manner that nothing has done before or since. The happiness, the tragedy, the passionate and tender love, and the conflict are all designed to speak to the melodrama-loving Indian heart. As Hindi grew more popular, Hindi movies took over the whole country. The heart of the Hindi film industry in Bombay, whimsically nicknamed Bollywood, eventually became a force larger than the one it was named after. The songs are no exception, and over the last sixty years or so filmi music, as it is called, has become by far the most popular kind in India.
Two female background singers perhaps distinguish themselves from the rest in sheer prolificness and popularity: Asha Bhonsle and Lata Mangeshkar. The two, as it happens, are sisters, and recently there has been much focus on their professional and sibling rivalry. At any rate, their singing formed the emotional soundtrack of India, as it were, for many years.
That, in essence, is what "Brimful of Asha" is all about.
Here are the lyrics, with notes:
There's dancing behind movie scenes,
Behind those movie screens - saddi rani.
Saddi rani - "our queen", in Punjabi.
She's the one that keeps the dream alive,
From the morning, past the evening, till the end of the light.
Brimful of Asha on the forty-five.
Well, it's a brimful of Asha on the forty-five. (x2)
'Asha' is a pun. It refers to Asha Bhonsle, but the word also means "hope". What does "hope" signify in this context? The movies and songs are in many ways a fantasy of something better than people's own lives. For instance, Indian youth whose overbearing parents would never permit them to marry those they fall in love with may yet indulge themselves in the romances they see onscreen and hear about in these ballads. The "45", for you of the CD player generation, is the 45 revolutions-per-minute record player.
Incidentally, the word 'Asha' is normally pronounced with both 'a's long, as in 'father'. Tjinder, with his British accent, pronounces it like "Asher", touchingly making the song both more and less genuine at the same time. As a result the refrain often gets misheard, sometimes in quite hilarious ways. "Grim poodle basher" is my personal favorite.
And singing
Illuminate the main streets and the cinema aisles.
We don't care about no government warning,
About the promotion of the simple life and the dams they are building.
What is he talking about? The movies and songs are an escape: they are what allow people to forget important concerns, at least for a while. The reference to dams might need a bit of explanation. In India, these often are unnecessarily huge and costly projects that are designed that way with the aim of being points of prestige, and besides, for lining the pockets of politicians and contractors. They displace thousands of people and impact the environment in massive ways. The project currently approved on the Narmada is one present-day example. So these are issues that people should be worried about.
But this escapism is not presented as being bad. The spirit of the song is that movie fantasy is a lovely and comfortable thing.
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow, everybody needs a bosom, (x3)
Isn't that a beautiful line? But the last one's even better:
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow, mine's on the forty-five.
To me, at least, that's poetry.
Mohammed Rafi - forty-five. Lata Mangeshkar - forty-five.
Solid state radio - forty-five. Ferguson Mono - forty-five.
Banc Public - forty-five.
Jacques Dutronc and the Bolan Boogies ...
The Heavy Hitters and the chi-chi music ...
All Indian radio - forty-five. Two in ones - forty-five.
Argo records - forty-five. Trojan records - forty-five.
These are historic icons of filmi and pop music. Rafi and Mangeshkar are other background singers. Solid state radio is self-explanatory. All-India Radio is the one, public radio station that existed all the decades before privatized radio stations and FM came to India. Two-in-ones are radio-cum-casette players. I confess the other references are strange to me.
7-7,000 piece orchestra set,
Huge orchestras are intrinsic to filmi music. Of course 7000 is a little hyperbolic.
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow; mine's on the RPM...
(fadeout)
Why do I find this song so remarkable? Most people, when talking of Indian culture, tend to make statements which fall in two categories. The first consists of glorifications of classical Indian culture, philosophy, tradition, and so forth. The second consists of lamentations about the corruption, poverty, dirt, and how the whole country is going to the dogs.
It is relatively unusual for someone to touch on the spirit of the ornery hard-bitten yet cheerful street-corner Indian, the one who always has to worry about the expenses for next month but yet decides on an impulse to splurge on hot samosas. Cornershop manages to celebrate and showcase this joie de vivre, and to do so with skill and sensitivity, and for this, they deserve to be congratulated.
There's dancing
Behind movie scenes
Behind the movie scenes
Sadi Rani
She's the one that keeps the dream alive
from the morning
past the evening
to the end of the light
Brimful of Asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of Asha on the 45
Brimful of Asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of Asha on the 45
And dancing
Behind movie scenes
Behind those movie screens
Asha Bhosle
She's the one that keeps the dream alive
from the morning
past the evening
to the end of the light
Brimful of Asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of Asha on the 45
Brimful of Asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of Asha on the 45
And singing
illuminate the main streets
And the cinema aisles
We don't care bout no
Gov'ment warnings,
'bout their promotion of the simple life
And the dams they're building
Brimful of Asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of Asha on the 45
Brimful of Asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of Asha on the 45
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Mine's on the 45
Mohamed Rafi -45
Lata Mangeshkar -45
Solid state radio -45
Ferguson mono -45
Banc Public -45
Jacques Dutronc and the Bolan Boogie, the Heavy
Hitters and the Chichi music
All India Radio-45
Two in ones -45
Argo Records -45
Trojan Records -45
Brimful of Asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of asha on the 45
Brimful of Asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of asha on the 45
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Mine's on the 45
seven seven thousand piece
Orchestra set
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Mine's on the RPM!!
Brimful of Asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of asha on the 45
Brimful of Asha on the 45
Well it's a brimful of asha on the 45
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow
Everybody needs a bosom
Mine's on the 45
Here's a fantastic explanation of the little known Cornershop song by Splitpeasoup from Kuro5hin (written in 2003):
Cornershop is an East-West fusion pop-rock group. The East part comes from Tjinder Singh, who grew up in England but is of Punjabi origin. Tjinder strongly identifies with his Indian heritage; the group's name itself derives from a play on the stereotype of the Indian/Pakistani street-corner grocery store clerk.
"Brimful of Asha" came out in 1997. With its catchy refrain it became a hit on US radio, as well as in Cornershop's native UK.
To understand the song, one must understand the Indian movie industry. Ever since cinema was introduced to India, most commercial movies have been heavy, sweet, musical productions. The song-and-dance interludes are not incidentals, but staples, and often are what make or break a movie. An American friend of mine was under the impression that singing was a necessary skill for Indian actors and actresses! Actually, the singing is almost always done by background singers. The background singers, of course, are not required to possess charisma or looks, and in fact in early times, care was taken to not expose them in the media, to preserve the romantic association with their voices in the minds of the moviegoing public.
Why is all this so important? Right from the beginning, movies took over the hearts and lives of common Indians in a manner that nothing has done before or since. The happiness, the tragedy, the passionate and tender love, and the conflict are all designed to speak to the melodrama-loving Indian heart. As Hindi grew more popular, Hindi movies took over the whole country. The heart of the Hindi film industry in Bombay, whimsically nicknamed Bollywood, eventually became a force larger than the one it was named after. The songs are no exception, and over the last sixty years or so filmi music, as it is called, has become by far the most popular kind in India.
Two female background singers perhaps distinguish themselves from the rest in sheer prolificness and popularity: Asha Bhonsle and Lata Mangeshkar. The two, as it happens, are sisters, and recently there has been much focus on their professional and sibling rivalry. At any rate, their singing formed the emotional soundtrack of India, as it were, for many years.
That, in essence, is what "Brimful of Asha" is all about.
Here are the lyrics, with notes:
There's dancing behind movie scenes,
Behind those movie screens - saddi rani.
Saddi rani - "our queen", in Punjabi.
She's the one that keeps the dream alive,
From the morning, past the evening, till the end of the light.
Brimful of Asha on the forty-five.
Well, it's a brimful of Asha on the forty-five. (x2)
'Asha' is a pun. It refers to Asha Bhonsle, but the word also means "hope". What does "hope" signify in this context? The movies and songs are in many ways a fantasy of something better than people's own lives. For instance, Indian youth whose overbearing parents would never permit them to marry those they fall in love with may yet indulge themselves in the romances they see onscreen and hear about in these ballads. The "45", for you of the CD player generation, is the 45 revolutions-per-minute record player.
Incidentally, the word 'Asha' is normally pronounced with both 'a's long, as in 'father'. Tjinder, with his British accent, pronounces it like "Asher", touchingly making the song both more and less genuine at the same time. As a result the refrain often gets misheard, sometimes in quite hilarious ways. "Grim poodle basher" is my personal favorite.
And singing
Illuminate the main streets and the cinema aisles.
We don't care about no government warning,
About the promotion of the simple life and the dams they are building.
What is he talking about? The movies and songs are an escape: they are what allow people to forget important concerns, at least for a while. The reference to dams might need a bit of explanation. In India, these often are unnecessarily huge and costly projects that are designed that way with the aim of being points of prestige, and besides, for lining the pockets of politicians and contractors. They displace thousands of people and impact the environment in massive ways. The project currently approved on the Narmada is one present-day example. So these are issues that people should be worried about.
But this escapism is not presented as being bad. The spirit of the song is that movie fantasy is a lovely and comfortable thing.
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow, everybody needs a bosom, (x3)
Isn't that a beautiful line? But the last one's even better:
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow, mine's on the forty-five.
To me, at least, that's poetry.
Mohammed Rafi - forty-five. Lata Mangeshkar - forty-five.
Solid state radio - forty-five. Ferguson Mono - forty-five.
Banc Public - forty-five.
Jacques Dutronc and the Bolan Boogies ...
The Heavy Hitters and the chi-chi music ...
All Indian radio - forty-five. Two in ones - forty-five.
Argo records - forty-five. Trojan records - forty-five.
These are historic icons of filmi and pop music. Rafi and Mangeshkar are other background singers. Solid state radio is self-explanatory. All-India Radio is the one, public radio station that existed all the decades before privatized radio stations and FM came to India. Two-in-ones are radio-cum-casette players. I confess the other references are strange to me.
7-7,000 piece orchestra set,
Huge orchestras are intrinsic to filmi music. Of course 7000 is a little hyperbolic.
Everybody needs a bosom for a pillow; mine's on the RPM...
(fadeout)
Why do I find this song so remarkable? Most people, when talking of Indian culture, tend to make statements which fall in two categories. The first consists of glorifications of classical Indian culture, philosophy, tradition, and so forth. The second consists of lamentations about the corruption, poverty, dirt, and how the whole country is going to the dogs.
It is relatively unusual for someone to touch on the spirit of the ornery hard-bitten yet cheerful street-corner Indian, the one who always has to worry about the expenses for next month but yet decides on an impulse to splurge on hot samosas. Cornershop manages to celebrate and showcase this joie de vivre, and to do so with skill and sensitivity, and for this, they deserve to be congratulated.
Monday, 6 July 2009
Clenching; Stretching For The Recoil
On edge. That's what I am. That's where I am. This is almost the brink, I think. A people oppressed will revolt. Look at Iran. When driven to the smallest of corners, even the tiniest rat will counter-attack, teeth snarling. That's because there's nothing to lose anymore; in sight of a better alternative out there, with the knowledge that there simply can't possibly be anything left to forgo. Give anymore, and the soul gets eroded away. A change beckons, and either you let yourself wither in the doldrums of surrender or snatch at any perceived inch of hope of a revolution.
I wonder how long more I can wait, or how much more I can take, before the snap happens. My arteries of patience are being sapped dry.
I wonder how long more I can wait, or how much more I can take, before the snap happens. My arteries of patience are being sapped dry.
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