Cosmic Truths

As always, reliably, time cures even the sickest of souls, and although I am fully anticipative, I can surprise myself with my own strength and will; and the pointer shifts to the cross without a moment's hesitation and the window vanishes into oblivion with a click laden with conviction.


Watched 10-man Manchester United trash West Ham 4-1. It was painful watching West Ham labourously struggle against a team with fewer players. Ronaldo is just insane, getting his goal tally to 40 in this game. He's a true blue fox in the box without even having to be a permanent fixture as a boxed striker. I swear he probably got so tired scoring with his left foot, right foot, back heel, head etc that he tried to use his dick to score the 2nd goal.

I started a 6hr Scrabble marathon back on the good ol' ISC server when I got home and, over 20-30 games, lost only twice and got my rating all the way up from 700+ to almost 1000. It stands at 929 as of now. It's about time to put myself where I wouldn't be considered underrated.


In one psychology experiment, a man had electrodes wired to his brain and mild currents were discharged to certain areas to trigger movement from him. Interestingly, it seemed that his awareness was entirely post hoc, i.e. he would commit an action and then justify it. For example, when an electrical wave was passed that caused him to bend down, he would say that he was actually bending down so that he could pick up his shoe, not because he felt stupid doing what he did but because he earnestly believed that it was an action he had wanted to do.

This somewhat implies that do we our everyday actions, and then reactively attempt to justify why we do what we do. This means that free will itself (not just awareness) could all simply be a big farce - that we aren't exactly the master of ourselves and our actions. This Plato's Cave, Brain-in-the-Vat derivative is consistent of sorts with the fact that we do have reaction time lags - there is a split second difference between our thinking and movement so they aren't exactly in sync.

This seems to support the scientific school of thought that everything is predestined, and has its roots in the dynamics of quantum physics, along the lines of creationist and Big Bang theory and how its incidence is too coincidental (or minimally probable) to be an accidental occurrence, i.e. there was some form of predestiny assigned to everything by some kind of 'higher power'.

If that 'higher power' were personified, for example, to be a Christian God, then it terribly contradicts with the goodwill virtues of Christianity's idea of free will presented to all persons (the rhetoric that you have a choice to be saved - you will be saved if you want to be saved, blah blah). If we consider this 'higher power' to be a neutral force, then things could be a whole lot less complicated.


When I was at Borders the other day, I recalled a couple of books I'd read halfway the last time I was there (which was Chinese New Year's Eve) so I found them and continued where I left off. Astromony and physics and other collateral subjects have always fascinated me immensely.

It is said that the 'word of God' is in the cosmos. When you consider the story (or theory) of the birth of the Universe and Earth and life as we know it, the indirect work of whatever engineers everything can suddenly seem so clear. The less coincidental, more intended Big Bang aside, we can see how it can be most enticing to think of whoever or whatever made life possible as a man of God-like status by retelling the story of life.

It has been theorized that another heavenly body collided into Earth, causing shattered debris to form the moon which acts as a very important stabilising factor that ensures that the Earth spins at a specific angle. This specific angle enables the Earth to have a consistent climate and environmental stability. When these vital factors are sustainable and a balance is in place, atoms and molecules can then form complex compounds that begin to gain the ability to replicate. Some continue reproducing while others have errors in the copying process. A competition for survival then ensues, as organisms devise and submit blueprints for what they perceive as the ultimate survival plan, program, or machine.

I can almost picture someone, if I were to personify this 'higher power' as a manly person, peering at Earth and thinking, "yes, this is the one," and ordering a asteroid to be flung at it so that a moon can be created to create the motions of the oceans that would breathe life into a barren piece of huge cosmo rock. And maybe he has tried to do that to Mars, but the plan failed for some reason, and all we have on that planet is a small patch of ice.

The uncovering of the many natural mechanisms that are in place that allow things to happen the way they have is like having the secret of anything at all that matters whispered proudly into our keen yet naive ears.

Yes, it is indeed enticing to personify and anthropomorphize simply because we humans are a sentimental lot.


In about 14 hours I will be on a coach to Kuala Lumpur til next Friday, so tschuss for now!


What does this all mean? If it can come to this, then my heart, deadened by the mind, has no part to play, and perhaps we can justifiably say that untrustworthy emotions are the purest of illusions.




Philosophy is a game with objectives and no rules. Mathematics is a game with rules and no objectives.

Audio Candy:
Pensive - Live Fast

Come Down And Waste Away With Me Part II

I've had about 2-3hrs of sleep as I type this (max 4hrs over 2 days, conservative estimate).

As I reread yesterday's entry, I guess I'm in a comparatively much more coherent mental state. Some stuff didn't make sense hahar. 2-3hrs of sleep can be heaven-sent in relative terms. And the shower facility at SIS seriously kicks ass. SIS really has all the goodies.

Last night's Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal game was t3h b0mb. As much as I hate to say it, time and again, Manchester United are the one class act now that nobody can come even half-close to, and nobody has for quite a long while. But I'm looking forward to what Arsenal's youngsters can deliver in the coming seasons.

In other extremely relevant news (especially because this is my blog), Newcastle drew with Portsmouth. Bleh.

In less important news, I just finished my economics paper. Do not try 2 days of minimal sleep before an exam. Mikaela's struggling with 1 day right now as I type. On the bright side - 1 down, 3 to go!




Like most endeavors, life is seriously over-advertised and under-funded.

Audio Candy:
Paramore - Crushcrushcrush

The Best Time To Relax Is When You Don't Have Time For It

I guess I would've woken up to it sooner or later. But you came along and ironed me out.


Really random crap post.


I'm really dying from this study break not because I'm mugging myself to death but because everyone else is. So the supply of people I can usually count on to do stuff with is at an all-time low that I'm starting to inflate the value of doing non-study stuff (ok econs got a little to me there but nothing wrong with a sense of irony in such crappy times). In SMU, you really can't count on anyone (or most people, if I were to give some huge benefit of doubt) to take the status quo a little less seriously.

Is there really so much to study that it has to expand to maximise every remaining bit of time in one's life? I hardly spend more than 4hrs a day max studying and I've already finished economics.

So I'm starting to count on non-SMU people for my non-academic endeavours, beginning with Ivan tonight for some long-overdue supper. Too bad it's hard to find people who share my principle of the best time to relax being when you don't have time for it.

Saipong couldn't have put it more astutely when he said that SMU openhouses shouldn't be anywhere else but the library, cos that's seriously where all the action is.


Steph asked me to teach her regression the other day, so I just told her that she'd be better off learning it from a turtle or any other inanimate object. Because at least a turtle won't tell her anything, while I'd probably teach her the wrong thing, and 0 > -1 so she should seek help for regression from a turtle instead.


The last 3 great No. 7s of Manchester United have all had 7 letters in their names: Cantona, Beckham and Ronaldo.

If anyone wishes so much as to 'go a little crazy' (so-called only because SMU people would see not studying during study break as a crazy thing to do) and have a good time doing something else other than mug - like supper, catching a movie, hanging out, whatever - during these 2 weeks of study break and exams, I'm as much as completely available.




If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion.

Audio Candy:
Dance Hall Crashers - Cricket

The Big Four

Today was a neutral's dream, with Manchester United 3-0 Liverpool and Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal.

And I've got some MSN conversational gems with Sab and Mikaela.


jose says:
and shit man. today we had arsenal vs chelsea and man u vs liverpool and i watched 1.5 of the games and now i feel like exploding cos im not playing soccer right now.
sab says:
hahahahahahahahahat
sab says:
its still going on right?
jose says:
yeh. and arsenal are losing. ]:
jose says:
arsenal is like my summer fling.
jose says:
when u have a wife like newcastle, it cant be helped.


jose says:
whats the standings now?
javier frickin mascherano says:
man utd 1st, chelsea 2nd, arsenal 3rd, liverpool 4th
javier frickin mascherano says:
the rest blah blah blah
jose says:
wah wah.
jose says:
what the hell.
javier frickin mascherano says:
i think bolton and fulham are at the bottom
jose says:
hahar.
jose says:
what happened to my fling.
jose says:
change fling!
javier frickin mascherano says:
change to united
javier frickin mascherano says:
hahahhahaha
javier frickin mascherano says:
later rachel whack you
jose says:
no lar cannot fling with man utd. thats like sleeping with the devil.
jose says:
im so frickin punny!!!!!!!! ZOMG
javier frickin mascherano says:
(((:
javier frickin mascherano says:
of course you're so punny you're making my sides split


sab says:
i used to have a crush on kewell
sab says:
when he was in liverpool (i think)
sab says:
is he still there?
jose says:
he still is la walau.
sab says:
hahahar~
sab says:
now tht daena is gone i have become a soccer noob like most of my gender.
sab says:
if anyone thinks i sound like a bimbo.. you're not alone. i think so too.


:]




A behaviorist is someone who pulls habits out of rats.

Audio Candy:
Orson - No Tomorrow