complicated simplicity

It’s been a while since I wrote anything here. I blame work. It kills time really.

I have always advocated lifelong learning. Learning doesn’t stop just because you have left school. Work is also no excuse to stop learning, because you don’t have the time. I believe that work will expand to fill all available time if we do not put a stop to it. That is why it is important for everyone to set time aside for different parts of their lives: Family, Play, Learning, Personal etc.

Last year I resolved to picking up a new sport. I ended up with golf. Everyone thinks that golf is an easy game. How difficult can hitting a ball into the air be? Well, let me tell you, it’s god-damned difficult. It took me 6 weeks to get my swing into shape to hit a golf ball a 100 yards-ish. And I’m still struggling. But at least it’s improving.

How exciting would golf be? I asked myself that same question when I contemplated picking up the sport. The difference between gold and other sports I would say would be the mental component. Many other sports that I have picked up involved a significant physical component initially, while the mental component only mattered more much later on. Golf would be the opposite. I have never played a sport which I sucked so much in at the start. (I have quite a gift for picking up sports, I’m usually quite competent rather quickly, just not good.)

It’s good to learn something significantly new every year. It allows everyone to broaden their horizons and enjoy life a little bit more. Everyone should do it.

This year, I think I’ll pick up Japanese.

Looks like the local XBox-ers got duped. Even though the XBox 360 will have their own version for Final Fantasy XIII in English, looks like it’ll only be available for the NTSC-U/C and not the Singapore version of NTSC-J. XBox games are region locked, so even parallel imported games from America won’t be playable here, unless you have a PI-ed set as well. Sounds like a licensing issue to me.

I almost got the XBox360, but luckily I decided to get the PS3 instead. At least for sure I know I am going to be able to play my FF13.

Read this news on the Digital Life today.

Human interaction is a social contract. How you treat people defines how other may treat you. It is a unseen, unheard, but such a social contract exist. Social contracts exist in societies to regulate human behaviour. Many unseen boundaries, unsaid words and undone actions define our human behaviour. Men and women even have different senses of social contracts.

Having a bad day, a bad week, or a bad period doesn’t give anyone a right to treat someone else badly. Simply because it is a social contract which will return to haunt you in the future. This applies in business. It applied when dealing with family. It applies when deal with humans.

Neither does someone giving you crap give you reason to return the favour. One must understand the circumstances of such originating behaviour and be forgiving. They may not be forgiven, but at least you tried your best to honor your side of the social contract.

This reminded me of a quote from my old housemate,

“You know you don’t have to take crap and feel crap. You just do it anyway, but you know you don’t deserve it. Just because it might make someone’s day better. “

His name is Matt Harding.

And he is my idol. See the number of cities he has visited in year? Getting paid to travel is such a wonderful thing.

Find out more at http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/.

My personal favourite shots…

1. Christmas Island, Australia
2. DMZ, Korea
3. Poria, PNG
4. Tongatapu, Tonga
5. Gurgaon, India
6. Nellis Airspace, Nevada

I feel quite ashamed.

I have been to the Lourve.

From Paris, France

I have been to the Vatican Museums.

From Rome, Italy

I have been to Uffizzi.

From Florence

And many other world renowned museums in the world.

But I have only visited the National Museum of Singapore back home. So this break, I’m planning to make use of the 50% on the 3-day museum pass to hit Peranakan Museum, the Singapore Philatatic Museum,the Asian Civilisations Museum and the Singapore Art Museum from tomorrow over a span of 3 days.