It's Valentine's again, and in school lots of people have been running around giving out presents which includes chocolates to lollipops. Some even fret; because they do not have enough gifts for the number of people he/she wants to give. Even though I have benefited from this by gaining some lollipops, I can't but question why people do that.

First and foremost, isn't Valentine's for lovers to express their love for each others, as I quote from Wikipedia? Going by that definition, there is absolutely no reason for anybody to give anyone anything. It seems that it is just a 'tradition' which no one can explain why, that people gives presents even to their normal friends. If you dispute this, please give me an explanation.

I believe people do this inexplicable act because a lot of others are doing it. So it is just a blind copying of what others are doing, 'following the trend', without actually analysing the deeper meaning behind.

For my CCA, we decided to give both seniors and juniors chocolates and lollipops this year. But if you ask any one of us, I believe we do not have an actual answer as to why this was done. All we can say is that, people do it in other CCAs, so we are doing it. This is an example of copying. To find out why there was such a 'tradition', we have to find out the first group of people who did this.

Maybe they were a couple who just became together and were trying to spread the joy to others? Or maybe there was this fellow who was interested in some guy, but didn't want others to know that; so she (I used 'she' because I haven't seen a 'he' giving out Valentine's gift) gave to everyone? We will never know why...

So if you blindly give presents to others without thinking why, it has actually no meaning to it; it is just a normal day with abnormal actions. Similarly, it would be the same if you gave things to any other day. You can do it on a Friday, and wish people 'Happy Friday' or on Monday, 'Good luck for the rest of the week'. It may sound crazy, but think about you giving others presents on Valentine's; it is the same. Who knows, because of your action, this might be ingrained in future generations, and people pass notes and letters on these days!

While I don't understand why people give presents to their friends, I can accept couples exchanging gifts with each other or someone giving a gift to someone him or her admires. But I too question why people do this; I accept it only because it is a tradition. I don't see the reason why people spend money on this day when it is no different from others. If you want your the other half to be happy, be sure to please them everyday! (Just like Mother's day, Father's day, Teacher's day and many others)

So, in conclusion from the above (other then the last paragraph), Valentine's day has actually lost its meaning!

Namefulless
140210

Seriously, times fly. One month and ten days have just silently crept passed by me without me noticing it. And it scares me with a “BOO!” when I came here a week or so ago. Shivers went down the spine....

Okay, that was way way exaggerated. I was just trying to 'practice' my composition. Apparently, I think it's not good enough, and so it shouldn't be used in narrative writing. Anyway, I should end my not so introductory introduction. But before you read on, take a deep breath and promise not to scold me. Everything written is my opinion, and brought out just to let people think. (Actually almost everything written here is my opinion.)

Contrary to what it might seem to be on the title, I am not trying to show you how you can actually get friends by using money. What I want to say today is to point out that there are circumstances when using money actually build friendship, even when you do not meant it to be.
But actually, I think that the argument is weak, and I am just bringing it out so that I have something to post and also to hopefully, let you ponder upon it.

Firstly, friendship can be actually 'bought' through treats to one another. Let me show it to you in a story. So there were this group of people who had the same feathers (bird of the feathers flock together) and they were eating in a fast food restaurant at a particular day. Let's say there were four people there, Mark, John, James and Charles. (Apologies to feminist who wants equal representation of males and females.) So maybe, John, James and Charles asked Peter to help them buy the food. In their mind, they know they were going to pay Peter back. But Peter, being somebody to cares more about his money, asked them to contribute some money first, before he will go to buy the food.

Now, we shall pause over here and think. What would you reaction be, if you met somebody like this? Would you think that he's a stingy fellow and get not so happy with him? Would you? (Asking a rhetorical question here, as what the guidelines for persuasive writing says) You might also think that Peter is being calculative and does not trust you in paying him back.

“Three, two, one, action!” The story now continues and it's another brand new day. (太阳公公起床了……) and once again this four guys are at the fast food restaurant again. (Sooner or later, they will have their arteries blocked due to excess fat taken in from fast food. But that's not the point now.) They didn't want history to repeat itself again, and so John and James asked Charles to buy the food for them while Charles also happily volunteered to do so. So off Charles went and came back with lots of food. Just as John and James were taking out their wallets intending to pay Charles, (Peter expected Charles to treat him) he told them that he was treating them and they didn't have to pay any money.

Let's pause here once again, and think about Charles' actions. Would you appreciate what Charles had done, and like him more for doing so? Thou Charles might not have been so 'scheming', to gain liking from others by treating others, it is true that by treating the others, they will like him. So even if Charles sincerely wanted to treat the others, he has been actually using money to 'buy' friendships, albeit unknowingly.

(Is it time I end my post? It seems long enough already...TOO long, actually)

But, I still have another supporting point, though in some sense it's quite similar to the one above.

So secondly, it is possible to buy friendship through the use of presents (And to get the present, one has to buy it. Therefore, from the root, one is using money to buy friendship)
Let's say Betty, Karen and Susan (feminists, here I come!) are good friends who spend their days together. As long as one sees one of them, one can be sure that the other two are in a ten metres radius.

Anyway, it's Betty's birthday and both Karen and Susan are excited as if it's their birthday. Both have prepared presents for Betty, but it's totally different for the two. Karen being more careful with her money (same as Peter) decides not to buy anything, but to 'use her sincerity' to touch Betty. Susan, being more generous bought something, while writing a letter to Betty too.
I am not trying to say that Betty is materialistic, but who do you think Betty will prefer more when she receives both friend's presents? There is a higher possibility that Betty appreciate Susan's presents more, because Karen went through the extra mile to buy a present. Even if Betty prefers Karen's at that point of time, memories will fail her in time to come, and she will forget about what Karen has done. But for Susan, Betty will still keep a piece of memory of Susan in time to come. Therefore, once again, Susan has used money to buy friendship, though she never meant it to be.

Now, I'm going to change the story. The three girls are not very good friends, but they are on talking terms. Karen just said “Happy Birthday” and all was it, while Susan went to buy something (which is of quite a low value as she isn't close with Betty). Now, how long will Betty remember Karen's “Happy Birthday” and how long will she keep Susan's present? Obviously, Susan's present will be kept for a longer period of time than her remembering Karen's wish. So when Betty looks back, she will remember how 'good' a friend Susan was, and not Karen. Thus, though unintentionally, Susan has used money to buy friendship.

With this, I have come to an end of this post. So what do you think of the statement that 'Friendship is bought with money?” Do ponder about it.

See you sometime I don't know when. :D

220110
Namefulless

How long has it been? I don't know. Hahha. Because, I'm typing at Open Office word document, and didn't bother to check out. Hahha

Okay, so today is another post about... not my life, but something that I thought of, because of some 'incidents' (sounds negative, but it isn't).

Not to long ago, I went to Times bookshop, not to check what book to buy with the $50 Times voucher in mind, but to find 'Animal Farm'. (Actually, I still went to look around for suitable books). Horrors of horror, the thin 'Animal Farm' actually cost $25 (that's the cheapest; there were other editions which cost $28 or so). Okay, an exaggeration, there no 'horrors of horror'; I actually knew the price beforehand – I had checked it on the internet.

Although I had bought books way above $25 before, no way was I going to buy that book; its' too thin, meaning that there's no economical sense in buying it. So I toyed with the idea of applying for Times membership card, since there was a 10% discount on things bought if you were a member. I got the pamphlet, and looked at the cost - $10 for a year, $15 for two.

But even with a 10% discount, I would only save $2.50, while spending another $10 at least. With this in mind, I left the store without buying anything, but bringing the pamphlet home and still pondering whether to apply for membership.

After some thoughts, I realised that it's not worth it for me to apply for membership. I would have to spend either $100 per year, or $75 per year, depending whether I applied for a one-year or two-year membership. As to why is this case, I will explain the 'formula' later.

At the same time, I also have a Popular card, and I've concluded that it's worth it. Hahha...

Okay, so the 'formula' is:

If the membership fee is $10 for one year and discount is 10%, it means that the 10% needs to be equivalent to $10. Why is this so? Let me show you the sums.

Let's say you buy a book which cost $45. With the 10% discount, you would have paid $40.50. Now, that might be a saving, you might think. But remember, you paid $10 at beforehand for the membership! So, if you bought that one and only book that year, you would have paid $40.50 + $10 = $50.50, instead of $45 if you were not a member.

To actually save, you need to spend at least $100 or more in a year. Why so?
Let's say you buy a few books that cost $123. With the discount (10%), you would pay $110.70. Plus that $10 you paid for membership fees, your total cost for that year (assuming that you went to that bookstore only once that year) would be $120.70, instead of $123 if you were not a member.

Therefore, before you apply for any membership or privilege card, think!

For Popular, it costs you $5 for a year, so you need to buy at least $50 worth of stuff a year.
For Kinokuniya, it costs you $18.53 a year ($55.60 for 3), so you need to buy at least $185.30 a year.

Any more membership cards you can name? I checked Isetan, but it does not give discounts, I think. (Only some reward points)

111209

*Edit: So the formula is: Membership fees per year / 0.1 = 100% (minimum sum you need to spend)

Hahahaha..... I felt like writing, and so here am I! haha :D What is it going to be like today? Look at the title and infer..... HAHHAHA.... :P

I'm sure you have heard of this phrase 'double-edged sword'; so today it's going to be about pros and cons... (Did I write this before? It sounds familiar.... hahha)

Now, pros can cons about?

"Being contented" - That's the topic today. Or rather, that's the idea behind the topic. (Just crapping here... hahha) Chinese has this phrase "知足常乐" and "知足长乐". No, they are not the same. ( I just realised that too) As for the meaning, please read below, while I continue with writing. :)

In essence, they both talk about the goodness of being contented. But contentment has many aspects, and I'm going specifically into being content about the material goods (money) that one has. This is because I feel that it applies to me.

Firstly, as what the Chinese phrase means above, if one is contented, one will feel happy. He or she will not be jealous about what the others has, and will be happy over what one has. If one gets 'enlightened' further, one will realise that everything is just a want and not a need (看破红尘). This is good because he or she will not get tempted by anything, like for example, smuggling drugs to earn big money.

If one sees everything as a want, he or she will not spend any money on anything else, except for those for survival, he or she will be rich in no time. (Maybe, after a long period of time?) But no matter what, the point is that the person will be rich, even though he or she does not hanker over wealth.

But, there's a down side of being contented with things too. If one is contented with everything and does not buy anything, how will the economy survive? (Economy survives on demand. Without demand, they will die off) And if everyone is contented, how will there be any improvement? Imagine Singapore 50 years ago. If everyone back then was happy about how they lived, I guess we would still be the same as then too, with no changes.

Also, if one is contented with life, there would be no motivation for anything. Take a student for example. If he or she was contented with everything, no matter what carrot his or her parent dangle, he or she would not care less about it. And if the carrot was supposed to motivate the child to do better in studies, wouldn't the child's results remain the same, because he or she can't be bothered about those material goods, and also because he or she is very much contented with the results?

Lastly, one who is contented might see no value in money, even though he or she might have a lot. This is because, since one doesn't see the need of buying things, he or she would not care much about money. Lets look things in another perspective. If one who hankers over material goods, he or she will know how expensive some thing are, and will scrimp and save just to get the stuff he or she wants. Through this, the person will see the value of money and cherish it.

However, if one is contented, he or she will not see the value of money, as he or she doesn't see what money can do. To them, it's just pieces of paper/plastic, nothing much. It would not matter much, even if the money was thrown away, since it's worthless. And that's the dangerous part.

For me, I think I am one of those, and that's why I can just lend money to people. I don't really care about it. If it's lost (ie, the person doesn't return), then so be it. Nothing serious. Is that good or bad? O: I don't know.

So, contentment is a double edged sword, whether it's good or bad, think about it and conclude on your own.

Till then, goodbye.

Namefulless
271109

Ps:
知足长乐: 知道满足就会快乐
知足常乐: 知道满足，满足于已经得到的

New Windows 7: Simplify what you do everyday. Find the right PC for you.

Kinetic Particle Theory.doc

Chemisty notes in MS Word

How many days has it been since October 24? Let me check... Okay, it has been 20 days. Half a month. Maybe I should learn from Channel U; you know the advertisement? “某某现在很忙，忙着什么?” So, mine would be “无名氏现在很忙，忙着什么呢？我阵忙着服装比赛” hahhaa

As someone said, we go to school when it's dark, and reach home in the dark (that is, during normal school days ). During the holidays, my days would most of the time start at 8am in the school and ending at around 6pm.

But why was I even involved in this in the first place? This has to go back to the start of the year, when the teacher told me that I was going to join the competition. “You going to join the clean and green fashion competition arh. You the only boy, must join” I think it's something like that... hahaha

But, the thing is that, I have no whatsoever interest in fashion. Such a irony.

So what's my job scope? I'm not the designer, so I did not design any costumes. So, what I did was to help the designers with their costumes. So for example, when they needed to paste something, I would paste it for them.

But luckily, most of the time (actually all the time), what I did was quite simple, such as painting and pasting. It was the designers who did the difficult jobs, like painting the stockings and making the necklaces. So, I think that I had quite an easy time. :D Thank God for that.

Progress was quite slow before the holidays, we didn't do much. We really picked up, only during the last week of the term, and the first week of the holidays. Before the school term ended, we would go there after school ended, and stayed there till the teacher had to leave for home to cook. Hahaha

So it was during the last two weeks, that we made the skirts and then touched up others, in preparation for the competition on the 10th and 11th of November. On the first day of the competition, we were in school by 6.30am, and left school for the competition venue at 7.15am.

We were there till 4 plus in the afternoon, when the results came out and as expected, we got into the finals.

Finals was similar to the day before, just that the models wore more accessories and had more elaborate make-ups (this is the art of keeping the best till the last).

As some of you all should know by now, we once again won the first prize, but not without some unhappiness. It seems that the organisers didn't like our school....

Now that it's over right, I actually feel weird. Because, I have been busy for the past few weeks, and had been in school for the whole day... Now, I do not have anything to do! There's the feeling of emptiness, not knowing what to do... What should I do? O: hahhahha

STUPID WEIRDO... hahhah

Gah, I seriously need to learn how to summarise things... haahha

CK, I will research on it soon, and it should be in the next post... hahah

So people, watch out for the next one! Muhahhaha :D

131109
Namefulless

The dust has settled. Okay, shake the computer screen to unsettle the dust. Ah choo! The dust has got into my nose, so stop shaking it. hahah

Now that the dust has really settled, it's time to do some post mortem. Post what mortem? Is it the cutting up of dead bodies and studying them? Of course not... hahaha

Post mortem is an analysis or review of a finished event, or an investigation of a corpse to determine the case of death. In this post, I will be referring to the first meaning. So analysing of what event? I'm sure you can guess; it's your exam results.

What's the purpose of a post mortem?

According to my source, it formalizes the learning of a past experience, identifying what went well and what went wrong during a project; which is preparation of the examinations, in this case. One shouldn't hold a post mortem too early, or too late, because in the former, one might focus more on the later parts on the project, while in the latter, one might forget the details.

So what should be in a post mortem?

Firstly, what went right. Then, what went wrong. Lastly, what can be done to prevent it from happening again. While ending on the “right” might make one feel better at the end, studies have shown that right-first/wrong-last structure is better at eliciting the right information.

For things that went well, one simply needs to list down what he/she thought went well, and record why was it successful. While some things listed “right” might contradict with the “wrong” part thought about later, it's okay.

In things that went wrong, it can be done by simply listing what they went wrong. Think about whether there were any signals or flags that might have warned something could be a problem. This is an important question, as one will be able to keep a lookout during the next project.

Also, wrap up each issue with what could have been done differently to make it more successfully. For each issue, one should think of the following:

• Why was this a problem/what went wrong?
  
• Were there signs that could have warned me?
  
• What should we have done differently?

At things that could have changed for the future, look back at the information collated from the "good" and "bad" issues. "

To record the post mortem, one can write on sheets of paper, and then organizing it into different topics. (Although I don't think there are different topics in our case) One good way to do that is to use different colours for different topics. For example, red could be for negative comments, green for positive, and yellow for things that need to be changed.
With this, you are done with your post mortem. But, one of the biggest trap people always fall into after a post mortem, is to chuck it away and never referring it again.

That's a mistake. One should make use from the recommendations from the post mortem as a "self-check". At various time, it's effective to take out the list of recommendation, and evaluate how you are doing in those areas....

Credits:

http://stackoverflow.com/questions/38066/whats-your-post-mortem-meeting-format

Document I downloaded from the internet