《还是会寂寞》——陈绮贞Lyrics courtesy of www.inkui.com.
早已忘了想你的滋味是什么
因为每分每秒都被你占据在心中
你的一举一动牵扯在我生活的隙缝
谁能告诉我离开你的我会有多自由
也曾想过躲进别人温暖的怀中
可是这么一来就一点意义也没有
我的高尚情操一直不断提醒着我
离开你的我不论过多久 还是会寂寞
别对我小心翼翼 别让我看轻你
跟着我 勇敢的走下去
别劝我回心转意 这不是廉价的爱情
看着我 对我说着爱我
Thursday, November 19, 2009
还是会寂寞
I like the riff on this piece, very catchy:
Technical Aspect of NaNoWriMo 2009
Now that I have completed the main task of NaNoWriMo to hit 50k words (up to now, I even have a 2k word buffer), I suppose it might be interesting to talk a little about the set up that I used to work on the novel this month.
For starters, I used vim as my workhorse text editor. I kept a running skeleton/outline of my story thus far, including cast, locations and other relevant information in a file aptly known as idea. It was a very basic set up using a semi-hierarchy system, without any other plugins or things that provided better outlining support. As for the actual novel, I ran two different tools, vim when I was working on Edythe-EEE, and Q10, a minimalistic full screen text editor with live word count and word count target setting, and a clock when I was working on Elyse. I made some modifications for vim on Edythe-EEE though; I remapped j and k to gj and gk respectively, and made sure to unset the textwidth variable. The cumulation of these changes made vim much easier to use to edit ``single-line paragraphs'', since the gj and gk commands allow screen-based movements across the line, instead of just skipping lines (and thus paragraphs!).
I also had a LaTeX source file set up which included the various text files that comprise my chapters. The LaTeX file was set up for A5 paper and would be the means in which I would be typesetting my text. I could have done everything in one file, but the tagging from LaTeX would interfere with the word count, and that it would start to get very unwieldy when all the text of the novel were in one place: the huge quantities of text just makes things unnecessary fatiguing. These were supplemented by a simple bash script that ran pdflatex and wc to get the PDF file of the novel and the word count of the text respectively.
To top everything up, all the files were version controlled using subversion on a space that I had on Assembla, which made synchronising between Edythe-EEE and Elyse an easy task to do.
Maybe I will talk about my inspiration for this piece of writing some other time.
For starters, I used vim as my workhorse text editor. I kept a running skeleton/outline of my story thus far, including cast, locations and other relevant information in a file aptly known as idea. It was a very basic set up using a semi-hierarchy system, without any other plugins or things that provided better outlining support. As for the actual novel, I ran two different tools, vim when I was working on Edythe-EEE, and Q10, a minimalistic full screen text editor with live word count and word count target setting, and a clock when I was working on Elyse. I made some modifications for vim on Edythe-EEE though; I remapped j and k to gj and gk respectively, and made sure to unset the textwidth variable. The cumulation of these changes made vim much easier to use to edit ``single-line paragraphs'', since the gj and gk commands allow screen-based movements across the line, instead of just skipping lines (and thus paragraphs!).
I also had a LaTeX source file set up which included the various text files that comprise my chapters. The LaTeX file was set up for A5 paper and would be the means in which I would be typesetting my text. I could have done everything in one file, but the tagging from LaTeX would interfere with the word count, and that it would start to get very unwieldy when all the text of the novel were in one place: the huge quantities of text just makes things unnecessary fatiguing. These were supplemented by a simple bash script that ran pdflatex and wc to get the PDF file of the novel and the word count of the text respectively.
To top everything up, all the files were version controlled using subversion on a space that I had on Assembla, which made synchronising between Edythe-EEE and Elyse an easy task to do.
Maybe I will talk about my inspiration for this piece of writing some other time.
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
I Has 50,019 Words!
Greetings and salutations and all forms of well wishes from me! I am half-back from NaNoWriMo, having hit the 50k barrier today. As of now, my word count stands at 50,019 words, and to be honest, I'm not quite down with the story yet---there's still a bunch of things to tie up and conclude.
What does this mean?
I am continuing to write the story despite ``winning'' NaNoWriMo in the conventional sense. The aim this time, of course, is to end the story, and so we'll see how far that goes.
Meanwhile, I think I deserve a drink for a job well done.
What does this mean?
I am continuing to write the story despite ``winning'' NaNoWriMo in the conventional sense. The aim this time, of course, is to end the story, and so we'll see how far that goes.
Meanwhile, I think I deserve a drink for a job well done.
Monday, November 16, 2009
I Love the Whole World and All Its Messed Up Folks
In reference to this:
I Love xkcd from NoamR on Vimeo.
Sunday, November 15, 2009
First Slack from NaNoWriMo
M3h. I'm a bad person---I took a day off from NaNoWriMo yesterday to work on my personal statement, which still needs to be reworked. Grr...
Some times I wish I were smarter. Or dead... one of those two.
Just means I don't have to deal with the messes of life. Or something like that.
Crash out time.
Some times I wish I were smarter. Or dead... one of those two.
Just means I don't have to deal with the messes of life. Or something like that.
Crash out time.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
More Mumblings...
Things must always be... complicated. Or so it seems. I really don't know. I'm running out of words, having used up nearly 2,000 of them each day for NaNoWriMo. To date, I have reached about 34,014 words, and am fast on my way to the next big milestone before the 50,000---the 35,000 mark. It's a psychological thing; things seem to look really far and impossible until at least half the distance (be it by count or time or anything for that matter) has occurred, and then the magic barrier of three-quarters is reached, everything suddenly seems to be tractable, and even pleasurable at times.
Anyway, I have gone all off-tangent again, such a common occurrence. Right, things are always complicated in my world, it seems. It is as though it has been ordained in the heavens that whatever I do must be plagued with all kinds of nasties, so that the eventual outcome will always be tainted by a bittersweet flavour.
Anyway, I have gone all off-tangent again, such a common occurrence. Right, things are always complicated in my world, it seems. It is as though it has been ordained in the heavens that whatever I do must be plagued with all kinds of nasties, so that the eventual outcome will always be tainted by a bittersweet flavour.
Monday, November 09, 2009
Mulling
Well, I'm still alive and well, I suppose, considering that I have not really said much here for quite a while. It has been quite a ride for the last few days in this month of November, suffice to say, there is a lot to be done, and I hope that I can catch up with everything eventually without killing myself out or tiring myself to the point that I cannot do anything productive.
I think I might be slipping into a mild depression of sorts, if cycles are of any indication. At the very least, I am still in good company, with family and a few remaining friends around to quietly support me. Sometimes I just like throwing in the towel and giving up on everything, but then some survival instinct kicks in and I can't just quit quite so, and I end up being a fighter all over again. Such is my life, I suppose.
I wonder sometimes if the path of the ronin is indeed the one that I am destined to walk. It seems that each time I start to look at the people around me, I find that they are drifting further and further away, making things just a little more sad and depressing. The great pillars of support that I used to have can be seen as basically being non-existent---I'm not sure if I can just survive based on myself alone without these support.
*sighs*
Life is so complicated; sometimes I envy those who decided to take matters into their own hands and just end it---at least they end based on their own terms and conditions, unbeholden to the other people that are around them. Perhaps that's why I keep feeling sorry for myself, since I never seem to have the guts necessary to make a break from the past and to go on my own vision of my future. Or maybe my values are strong enough to disallow me to just cut loose and run from life, since responsibilities weigh me down and making me unable to just make a break for it in the most irresponsible manner.
Maybe I will post more in the near future about what is troubling me; or maybe not. Who really knows?
I think I might be slipping into a mild depression of sorts, if cycles are of any indication. At the very least, I am still in good company, with family and a few remaining friends around to quietly support me. Sometimes I just like throwing in the towel and giving up on everything, but then some survival instinct kicks in and I can't just quit quite so, and I end up being a fighter all over again. Such is my life, I suppose.
I wonder sometimes if the path of the ronin is indeed the one that I am destined to walk. It seems that each time I start to look at the people around me, I find that they are drifting further and further away, making things just a little more sad and depressing. The great pillars of support that I used to have can be seen as basically being non-existent---I'm not sure if I can just survive based on myself alone without these support.
*sighs*
Life is so complicated; sometimes I envy those who decided to take matters into their own hands and just end it---at least they end based on their own terms and conditions, unbeholden to the other people that are around them. Perhaps that's why I keep feeling sorry for myself, since I never seem to have the guts necessary to make a break from the past and to go on my own vision of my future. Or maybe my values are strong enough to disallow me to just cut loose and run from life, since responsibilities weigh me down and making me unable to just make a break for it in the most irresponsible manner.
Maybe I will post more in the near future about what is troubling me; or maybe not. Who really knows?
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
NaNoWriMo 2009!
NaNoWriMo 2009 in progress... I'm currently writing my butt off, in addition to doing all the graduate school applications.
If you are interested in keeping track of my word count progress, you can track it here.
If you are interested in keeping track of my word count progress, you can track it here.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
What a Painful Awakening... You Used to be My Everything...
This song is fairly meaningful too, about awakening to what could have been a wrong love. Strangely related huh?
《领悟》------辛晓琪Lyrics courtesy of www.inkui.com.
我以为我会哭 但是我没有
我只是怔怔望着你的脚步
给你我最的祝福
这何尝不是一种领悟 让我把自己看清楚
虽然那无爱的痛苦 将日夜夜 在我灵魂最深处
我以为我会报复 但是我没有
当我看到我深爱过的男人
竟然 像孩子一样无助
这何尝不是一种领悟 让你把自己看清楚
被爱是奢侈的幸福 可惜你 从来不在乎
啊!一段感情就此结束
啊!一颗心眼看要荒芜
我们的爱若是错误 愿你我没有白白受苦
若曾真心真意付出 就应该满足
啊!多么痛的领悟 你曾是我的全部
只是我回首来时路的 每一步 都走的好孤独
啊!多么痛的领悟 你曾是我的全部
只愿你挣脱情的枷锁 爱的束缚 任意追逐
别再为爱受苦
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Time, Changer Of Seasons...
This is one very meaningful song---I remembered the song when I was listening to some remixes that I had on hand.
Somewhere In The World------Boney MLyrics courtesy of www.lyricsfreak.com.
Time, changer of seasons, time will see another flower growing.
Climb over the mountains, there you'll find warm winds blowing.
Somewhere in the world, there is peace of mind.
Somewhere in the world, that's what I must find.
Somewhere in the world, there's a place for me in this world.
I cannot believe it, everywhere I see lonely faces.
Why have we no answers, just some more empty places?
Somewhere in the world, there is peace of mind.
Somewhere in the world, that's what I must find.
Somewhere in the world, there's a place for me in this world.
Time, changer of seasons, time will see another flower growing.
Climb over the mountains, there you'll find warm winds blowing.
Somewhere in the world, there is peace of mind.
Somewhere in the world, that's what I must find.
Somewhere in the world, there's a place for me in this world.
Somewhere in the world, there is peace of mind.
Somewhere in the world, that's what I must find.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
GRE is Coming Again (Urgh)
So the last few entries were rather cryptic in many senses, and here's why: I think that I am stressed out by the fact that I am taking the GRE [again] this Friday and have been looking for diversions to keep myself from worrying too much about things. That said, this song was one that I have been searching around for a long time, simply because of the clear female vocals and the rather catchy lyrics, which upon further analysis, will reveal that it has more meaning than just wanting to write a song.
So, right. Life. It goes on... once the GRE is done (and hopefully without any other news other than great news!) I will need to kick into high gear for the multitude of things that need settling, including applying to graduate school as well as preparing for the run up for NaNoWriMo. Oh, not to mention, this whole thing called work, which is really two projects masquerading as one.
So busy.
I think I might slowly be driven insane with the stuff I'm doing. They all said that life after CMU is more smooth-sailing and one will feel that the pace of life will slow down, but as far as I am concerned, that is definitely inapplicable here. So many things, so little time---at the very least I am emotionally more controlled now and can thus channel my cerebral powers towards the tasks that require dealing with, as opposed to the crap that I was basically stuck in a few months back.
I keep looking back huh. Even after so long, I still do a lot of retrospection and thinking about the past, ruminating ever so often, and sometimes even lapsing into moments of silent melancholy when I remember the good times that are no longer here. But I suppose that is the normal functioning of a person---no one will remember things that didn't affect them deeply in some way, good or bad. But as someone once told me, a break-up (and everything else for that matter) must be viewed not in a fatalistic manner but with one that provides different values to what has occurred. An example of this is to attach different values to some of the gifts that were exchanged during the relationship (or whatever)---instead of seeing it as a token of love, it is more productive to see it just as a gift from a good friend to another, and to downplay all that emotional baggage thing. But of course, doing more stuff to distract (and allow the venting of) the mind is probably another viable solution.
This place is getting more and more muggy; the humidity is so high that I am practically bathing in my own perspiration. Obviously, this is causing me grief because my rashes have started to appear all over again. Heh. I think that one of the reasons that govern why I don't feel attracted to people here could be that the whole skin rash/allergic reaction just makes me feel inferior, like as though there is some genetic impairment that stands out like a sore thumb. Put it in a Freudian way, I don't feel sexy enough whenever I am back in Singapore---how does one feel sexy/confident if one has rashes all over the bloody place? At least this theory accounts for the fact that I am neither a misogynist nor a misogamist.
It really does take a little effort to cut through all the protective barriers I put between myself and the outside world to know the ``real'' me inside.
That said, I made a pact with myself to stay clear from the whole relationship business for two years, with the intention of using those two years to concentrate on recovering from my self-diagnosed image problems and depression. Not that I am going to shed that geeky exterior, but perhaps it is time to think beyond the geek and wonder about the whole ``reintegration into society'' aspect of things.
Life seems to be made up of skirmishes that lead to high-stake battles which end up in a full-scale total war, only to end up with a bang (or a whimper) at the end of it all, where one leaves as how one was born---naked and alone.
So, right. Life. It goes on... once the GRE is done (and hopefully without any other news other than great news!) I will need to kick into high gear for the multitude of things that need settling, including applying to graduate school as well as preparing for the run up for NaNoWriMo. Oh, not to mention, this whole thing called work, which is really two projects masquerading as one.
So busy.
I think I might slowly be driven insane with the stuff I'm doing. They all said that life after CMU is more smooth-sailing and one will feel that the pace of life will slow down, but as far as I am concerned, that is definitely inapplicable here. So many things, so little time---at the very least I am emotionally more controlled now and can thus channel my cerebral powers towards the tasks that require dealing with, as opposed to the crap that I was basically stuck in a few months back.
I keep looking back huh. Even after so long, I still do a lot of retrospection and thinking about the past, ruminating ever so often, and sometimes even lapsing into moments of silent melancholy when I remember the good times that are no longer here. But I suppose that is the normal functioning of a person---no one will remember things that didn't affect them deeply in some way, good or bad. But as someone once told me, a break-up (and everything else for that matter) must be viewed not in a fatalistic manner but with one that provides different values to what has occurred. An example of this is to attach different values to some of the gifts that were exchanged during the relationship (or whatever)---instead of seeing it as a token of love, it is more productive to see it just as a gift from a good friend to another, and to downplay all that emotional baggage thing. But of course, doing more stuff to distract (and allow the venting of) the mind is probably another viable solution.
This place is getting more and more muggy; the humidity is so high that I am practically bathing in my own perspiration. Obviously, this is causing me grief because my rashes have started to appear all over again. Heh. I think that one of the reasons that govern why I don't feel attracted to people here could be that the whole skin rash/allergic reaction just makes me feel inferior, like as though there is some genetic impairment that stands out like a sore thumb. Put it in a Freudian way, I don't feel sexy enough whenever I am back in Singapore---how does one feel sexy/confident if one has rashes all over the bloody place? At least this theory accounts for the fact that I am neither a misogynist nor a misogamist.
It really does take a little effort to cut through all the protective barriers I put between myself and the outside world to know the ``real'' me inside.
That said, I made a pact with myself to stay clear from the whole relationship business for two years, with the intention of using those two years to concentrate on recovering from my self-diagnosed image problems and depression. Not that I am going to shed that geeky exterior, but perhaps it is time to think beyond the geek and wonder about the whole ``reintegration into society'' aspect of things.
Life seems to be made up of skirmishes that lead to high-stake battles which end up in a full-scale total war, only to end up with a bang (or a whimper) at the end of it all, where one leaves as how one was born---naked and alone.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
等着黑夜轻轻轻轻落下...
I've been searching this one for a very long time, and I have finally found it. Xinyao (新谣) is a really nice genre of easy-listening music.
《让夜轻轻落下》——潘盈Lyrics courtesy www.inkui.com.
等着黑夜轻轻轻轻落下
将你我来覆盖 等着黎明的安排
过去已经过去 未来未必存在
让我们继续相信现在
对你从来不改变 千种柔情说着一种语言
昙花的笑靥 星光的乍现
是我羞涩散乱的思念
你也从来不改变 一种沉默说着千种亏欠
紧紧拥抱我 轻轻放开我
像放开无处安放的依眷
曾经我将无助的爱情
静静枕在你的臂弯里
以为它将为我阻挡风雨
共我面对寂寞的潮汐
可是在你宽阔温暖的胸怀里
总是听到冷冷的叹息
你那不屑说谎的眼睛
始终教我自己回避
也许已经不是爱 只是一种坚持的情怀
也许依然还有爱 也许是慢慢生长的悲哀
等着黑夜轻轻轻轻落下
将你我来覆盖 等着黎明的安排
过去已经过去 未来未必存在
让我们继续相信现在
可是在你宽阔温暖的胸怀里
总是听到冷冷的叹息
你那不屑说谎的眼睛
始终教我自己回避
Monday, October 19, 2009
From the Bottom of My Broken Heart
And this came to mind, back when her songs still sounded nice and made some sense:
``From the Bottom of My Broken Heart''------Britney SpearsLyrics courtesy of www.azlyrics.com.
"Never look back," we said
How was I to know I'd miss you so?
Loneliness up ahead, emptiness behind
Where do I go?
And you didn't hear
All my joy through my tears
All my hopes through my fears
Did you know, still I miss you somehow
[CHORUS:]
From the bottom of my broken heart
There's just a thing or two I'd like you to know
You were my first love, you were my true love
From the first kisses to the very last rose
From the bottom of my broken heart
Even though time may find me somebody new
You were my real love, I never knew love
'Til there was you
From the bottom of my broken heart
"Baby," I said, "please stay.
Give our love a chance for one more day"
We could have worked things out
Taking time is what love's all about
But you put a dart
Through my dreams through my heart
And I'm back where I started again
Never thought it would end
[Repeat CHORUS]
You promised yourself
But to somebody else
And you made it so perfectly clear
Still I wish you were here
[Repeat CHORUS]
"Never look back," we said
How was I to know I'd miss you so?
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Satomi Hakken-Den
Satomi Hakken-Den------John O'BanionLyrics courtesy from spynets.com.
You and I didn't see the evening fly
There was magic in the air
With times enough to spare
Now in hours I have to say goodbye
Well you know I have to go
But still it hurts me so
(*)
I don't want this night to end
Don't say goodbye
Just hold me close my darling
I don't want this night to end
Pretend awhile
And let's forget tomorrow
Feeling blue I can see it in your eyes
But I have got a job to do
Got to see things through
But I will be near even when I am out of sight
Counting seconds till the day
I'm coming home to stay
(Repeat *)
Oh my darling love me tonight
And chase the morning shadow with you heavenly light
I find my strength inside your arms
So love me tonight and keep my heart besides you when you go, oh...
(Repeat *)
Ronin
Loneliness is the path of the ronin.
I ought to learn how to walk that path with dignity and pride.
I ought to learn how to walk that path with dignity and pride.
Friday, October 09, 2009
Ouroboros
Strange how things have gone full circle. Three years ago, I was wondering if I could get into a decent US University, and ended up at Carnegie Mellon. Now, I'm done with university and am looking to get into graduate school, and again am applying to many places.
Three years ago, I was not in love, and now, I still am [not in love].
Three years ago, I felt that I had died, and now, I am still dead.
Three years ago, I started this blog, and now, I am still here, with all the memories from all three years buried within the text of this place.
Three years ago, I was not a human, and now, I still am not a human.
Strange how things have gone full circle. Three years ago, I was wondering if I could get into a decent US University, and ended up at Carnegie Mellon. Now, I'm done with university and am looking to get into graduate school, and again am applying to many places.
Three years ago, I was not in love, and now, I still am [not in love].
Three years ago, I felt that I had died, and now, I am still dead.
Three years ago, I started this blog, and now, I am still here, with all the memories from all three years buried within the text of this place.
Three years ago, I was not a human, and now, I still am not a human.
Strange how things have gone full circle. Three years ago, I was wondering if I could get into a decent US University, and ended up at Carnegie Mellon. Now, I'm done with university and am looking to get into graduate school, and again am applying to many places.
Saturday, October 03, 2009
I'm Making a Note Here---Huge Success!
So, in spite of the embarassing defeat, and against my better judgement, I went for yet another round of drinking at the local pub/club. To my utter surprise, I actually enjoyed it this time round, partially because at all times I was sober and was able to take in the environment as it presented itself.
The crowd was not too shabby, yet not overfull, and the music was especially fine. For obvious reasons I did not imbibe anything heavy alcohol-wise---this means no Graveyard this time round. But it was all in all a good thing, since by not being drunk/wasted, I actually got to observe the surroundings more.
Well, I'm tired now. So I'll just crash out instead of writing. Till next time.
The crowd was not too shabby, yet not overfull, and the music was especially fine. For obvious reasons I did not imbibe anything heavy alcohol-wise---this means no Graveyard this time round. But it was all in all a good thing, since by not being drunk/wasted, I actually got to observe the surroundings more.
Well, I'm tired now. So I'll just crash out instead of writing. Till next time.
Thursday, October 01, 2009
Easy Life
Recently there has been a lot of debates with regards to how the foreign talents are ``eating into'' the livelihoods of the locals to the point that many are expressing indignation and some are starting to show xenophobic behaviour. While I am not saying that the fears of the local populace are unfounded, I would like to remind people that at the end of the day, we ourselves are responsible for how well we do in life, and not the government. Thus, if we choose to establish affirmative actions like quotas or even display ``favouritism'' for the locals, it will tend to defeat the entire premise of meritocracy, the one thing that this country prides itself as being the ultimate leveller.
But of course, reality is often different. The theories that are often expounded on egalitarianism are only applicable if all things are equal---clearly all things are not equal. It is a delicate balance between the labour required and the labour supplied; there are few employers who are willing to pay more for a local worker if for less they can hire a foreign worker who is willing to put in more hours. The basis of most businesses is to make a profit, and not to actually provide jobs for people---this is a fundamental thing that many people must learn to comprehend. If we view things from this perspective, then we can see that there is a strong (and stiff!) competition between the locals and the foreigners for the job market.
People are generally pampered these days, with many relying heavily on the multitude of government-led schemes in order to better provide for themselves. I am not insinuating that this is wrong, but this does mean that the newer generation of folks need to learn the meaning of hard work, and to be willing to put in the hard work in order to literally earn one's keep. Already there are many who want the easy way out---just look at the number of ``idol hopefuls'' who throng the auditions for the various reality television programmes which promise a large measure of fame and what is mostly a simple chance towards making good money. Of course, the standard argument here is that many are there for interests sake, and are just auditioning to see if they got lucky, much like why people are still buying lottery tickets when the probability of a payout is ridiculously small. I'm not saying that attending such auditions for celebrity-type events is a bad thing, but I seriously question the intent behind many of these people.
Society is on its way to ruins, that we have known for a while, with the increasingly easy life that the urbanites have grown to adore. Money is plentiful for many people, but almost everyone wants more. All these things are hard to mitigate away, and perhaps it is from all of these affluence will disaster strike us. In many cases, wars come about because one of two extremes exist; either the country is ruinous to the point that the people are no longer happy, and their anger drives them to fight for more rights and material gains, or if the country is too affluent and enjoys so much power and prestige that it involves itself with world politics in order to further strengthen its power and influence in the world domain, with restraint being a non-existent word.
Okay, so I'm bitter about the world today, and bitter at some of the happenings in my country. I could go on, but I don't really want to, seeing as to how all this yelling on top my soapbox is not going to do anything productive by any form of measure. So perhaps another time I will talk about other stuff.
But of course, reality is often different. The theories that are often expounded on egalitarianism are only applicable if all things are equal---clearly all things are not equal. It is a delicate balance between the labour required and the labour supplied; there are few employers who are willing to pay more for a local worker if for less they can hire a foreign worker who is willing to put in more hours. The basis of most businesses is to make a profit, and not to actually provide jobs for people---this is a fundamental thing that many people must learn to comprehend. If we view things from this perspective, then we can see that there is a strong (and stiff!) competition between the locals and the foreigners for the job market.
People are generally pampered these days, with many relying heavily on the multitude of government-led schemes in order to better provide for themselves. I am not insinuating that this is wrong, but this does mean that the newer generation of folks need to learn the meaning of hard work, and to be willing to put in the hard work in order to literally earn one's keep. Already there are many who want the easy way out---just look at the number of ``idol hopefuls'' who throng the auditions for the various reality television programmes which promise a large measure of fame and what is mostly a simple chance towards making good money. Of course, the standard argument here is that many are there for interests sake, and are just auditioning to see if they got lucky, much like why people are still buying lottery tickets when the probability of a payout is ridiculously small. I'm not saying that attending such auditions for celebrity-type events is a bad thing, but I seriously question the intent behind many of these people.
Society is on its way to ruins, that we have known for a while, with the increasingly easy life that the urbanites have grown to adore. Money is plentiful for many people, but almost everyone wants more. All these things are hard to mitigate away, and perhaps it is from all of these affluence will disaster strike us. In many cases, wars come about because one of two extremes exist; either the country is ruinous to the point that the people are no longer happy, and their anger drives them to fight for more rights and material gains, or if the country is too affluent and enjoys so much power and prestige that it involves itself with world politics in order to further strengthen its power and influence in the world domain, with restraint being a non-existent word.
Okay, so I'm bitter about the world today, and bitter at some of the happenings in my country. I could go on, but I don't really want to, seeing as to how all this yelling on top my soapbox is not going to do anything productive by any form of measure. So perhaps another time I will talk about other stuff.
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