對酒當歌，人生幾何

Dear Fellow Malaysians, DO NOT GIVE UP.

2013-05-06T03:45:00.001+08:00

Dear Fellow Malaysians,

DO NOT GIVE UP.

I am pleading with you, do not give up. Do not give up on democracy. Do not give up on hope. And most importantly, do not give up on our country.

Because if you do, you are doing exactly what Najis wants you to do, then we have really lost.

I believe that many of you, like myself, is filled with anger, sadness, disbelief and deep frustration. For today, our election has been hijacked, our country has been robbed and the future of our next generation has been denied.

Not by Bangla voters, not by voters who had been bought over and not by SPR. Sure, they have a part to play in all these, but the culprit is Najis, and we shall never forget this.

Don't get me wrong, I am not saying that democracy equals to a win by the opposition parties. But what we must maintain and uphold, is the rights and importance of the clean election of the rakyat, by the rakyat, for the rakyat.

“Remember, remember the fifth of May, of election treason and plot. I know of no reason why the election treason should ever be forgot.”

I know that many of you, just like myself, will be thinking that, what is point of an election anymore, if the votes of the people is not one that matters? What is the point in making the trip back to our hometowns purposely in order to cast our votes, when it is not even sacred? Will we ever be able to see a clean election, without phantom voters and power outage? Or for many who are might be going overseas, to think that is there still any hope left in this country? Or for those who are already overseas, to be thinking what is the point of coming back to this country?

Personal questions aside, the bigger questions that might be lingering in our minds are probably, will Anwar really retire after this? Who will be leading the Pakatan Rakyat? Will we be able to gain such a strong UBAH and UNDI momentum next time round? Will the three parties still be able to form a strong alliance next time round, when most of their senior leaders could be too old to lead another battle? How many more 5 years does Malaysia have? With MCA losing terribly, who will be BN's new lap dog? Will BN be more racist towards the Chinese? What if Muhyiddin takes over as PM?

My first reaction is, democracy is dead. This country is hopeless. Why bother to vote. We can never change. They will always find some dirty methods to ensure that they can stay in power. No difference la. I'm sure many of you can relate to this.

But almost immediately, in the back of my mind, I can visualise the smiling face of Najis, secretly laughing at us all, and saying that, what's the point of you voting, I will still win and be my PM, and continue spreading my 1Kotor campaign. He is probably thinking that, if we are all disheartened and discouraged to vote and to bother anymore, then his power is secured. He will think that he can do whatever he wants and there will be no checks and balances to control him. That he will not be answerable to his crimes when he retires, and he can continue buying huge diamond rings and endless number of designer bags for his Botox wife.

DO NOT GIVE HIM THAT SATISFACTION.

Pushing aside our emotional reaction for a while and just reflect for a moment, and you will realise that the country IS changing, and we still have hope.

If I told you 10 years ago, that DAP will be willing to use PAS's logo for a GE, you would call me crazy.

If I told you 10 years ago, that Malays, Chinese and Indians will no longer see UMNO, MCA and MIC as representing their respective racial group, that we would reject racial politics, and we could call ourselves as Malaysians first, race comes second, you would probably not believe me.

If I told you 10 years ago, that people would fly back from all over the world to cast 1 vote, and voter turn out ratio will be highest of all time and reached 80%, you would think that it doesn't mean anything.

If I told you 10 years ago, that Lim Guan Eng will be the most loved Chief Minister in the whole of Malaysia, you would have touched my forehead and checked for fever symptoms.

If I told you 10 years ago, that people would stand in front of riot police for their righteous cause, and Malays would shield Chinese from tear gas, you would have straight away checked me into a mental hospital.

Yet, looking back at everything that has happened since 308 of 2008, I am sure that you could feel that there is a big change in the society of Malaysia. Then, who are we to say that we will not see the change that we wanted to see, in the next 10 years to come?

Kudos to everyone who came back and showed up to vote. Your vote counts, and YOU HAVE TO BELIEVE IT. It is only by making sure that everyone comes back to vote, that we can avoid seeing BN winning more seats despite winning less votes. We need every single vote from the rural areas and Sarawak.

I am sure you could feel that people care more about politics now, or more rightly put it as, care more about the state of our country in the future. It is only with such a change in the sentiments, that we can affect more people around us to care more, including those who are politically apathy and ignorant.

Think about all those who volunteered to be PACABA, who contributed in many ways of ensuring a cleaner election. Have no doubt, that if without all these volunteers, the election will be dirtier.

Think about the role of social media and citizen journalism, that has cause more well-spread awareness and concern among fellow citizens about what is happenning in other parts of our country, including BERSIH and LYNAS, despite the various effort by BN-controlled mainstream media to deny us the news.

Therefore, I beg you all, fellow Malaysians, don't lose hope as of yet, and please don't think that we will never see the change that we wanted to. If anything, this election should not cause us to lose hope in our country, but to tell ourselves that there is more to be done.

GE13 is not Ini Kalilah, but maybe Lain Kalilah? Don't forget that we ain't even the ones fighting the real war out there. If we give up now, how could we ever face our fellow men and those who stood for us?

Think about Anwar, Lim Kit Siang, Nik Aziz, Lim Guan Eng, V. Sivakumar, Nizar, Wan Azizah, Hadi Awang, Arul and all the family members and supporters who stood behind them through highs and lows.

If they never give up after facing so much obstacles and threats, who are we to be throwing our hands in the air and say, it ain't my business anymore?

This is a test to us all. A test in our faith in democracy and our country. Some will falter and some will fall, and forever be gone. But some will remain and become even stronger.

If we give up now, then we have conceded when the real battle has barely begun.

If we give up now, who will fight for the future of our next generation? Who will remember the death of Teo Beng Hock? Who will bother about money politics and power outage? Who will care to voice out our opinions and concerns?

I believe that we can still win, even when we are playing by their rules. Their dirty rules.

The change has already occured, whether you see it or not. Slowly, but undeniably. Have faith. Such mad hope, but there it is.

I wonder if you all remember a line from Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon, spoken by Seymour Simmons (John Turturro): "Years from now, they're gonna ask us: where were you when they took over the planet? And we'll say: we just stood by and watched..."

Well, if you give up, you are just like a bystander watching aliens taking over Earth, and if you're looking for the guilty, you need only look into a mirror.

Why am I writing this? I just hope that even after you went to bed disappointed yesterday midnight, when you wake up this morning, you would find that the sun still rises, and the world still has something positive to offer you in this brand new day.

I hope to tell you that the country doesn't end at GE13. The world doesn't stop spinning after GE13, even though it feels very much like it. Democracy didn't die in GE13, it just hasn't begun living in Malaysia.

We have doubts and we have fear, but conviction and courage is never about the lack of doubts and fear, but it is about overcoming them.

It is ok and perfectly normal to be disappointed, but it is weak to be defeated by the first obstacle. What doesn't kill us makes us stronger.

Therefore, I urge you all, not to give up and lose hope in our country. Don't be disheartened, and please believe that there is more things we can do, besides changing our facebook photo to a black display pic.

I hope that when BERSIH 4.0 comes, we will all contribute and join in whatever ways we can.

I hope that come GE14, those who can volunteer to be a PACABA, please continue to provide your services. Don't think that it doesn't make a difference.

I hope that we will continue to spread the message of democracy and people's power. That those who can teach the elderly how to access internet continue to do so, and introduce them to Malaysiakini and Oriental daily, to help them distinguish between news and fiction.

I hope that we would all continue to ask those who did not vote, or did not register as a voter, to vote in the next election.

I hope that those who have seem the world outside Malaysia, will come home and tell your friends and relatives, that MALAYSIA DESERVES BETTER.

So please share and spread the message, encourage one another, and tell each other that we are not alone in this battle for a brighter future. Please hold on to the belief, that one day in the near future, that rakyat will be the true owner of the country.

"The revolution has yet to succeed, comrades there is still work to be done" - Sun Yat Sen.

20130506 0340

······

Photo taken at Dataran Merdeka, KL. Do not forget the Malaysian spirit.

大選心情筆記 · 投票日前第二天（2013年5月3日）

2013-05-05T12:53:00.000+08:00

大選心情筆記 · 投票日前第二天（2013年5月3日）

用圖說來描繪我的心情～

就在納吉大廣告牌的旁邊聽演講。誰理他啊，白痴！

這位Fairuz Azhan仁兄講話不錯，有潛質啊！

李文材醫生，我們務邊區的國會議席候選人～

蘇建祥，怡保東區國會議席候選人，接過林吉祥的位置打這場仗。吉祥大叔，祝你如意！

無止境的人潮。。本想走到底看看有多少人。。但我走到連台都看不到了，還沒看到人潮的尾端。

德彬丁宜州議席候選人黃文標：國陣知道我們這裡會很多人，所以在roundabout上面種了很多樹，不讓你們站，但是我們還是一樣很多人！！

兵如港州議席候選人李存孝：我們聽到你們的聲音！

歇口氣看李存孝演講的黃文標。

超人！V. Sivakumar！

桂和區州議席候選人黃家和～

趙明福妹妹趙麗蘭。趙明福，我們沒有忘記你！

全民挺明福！！

······

五月五，換政府；五月六，新政府。
改朝換代，告別腐敗！

大選心情筆記 · 投票日前第三天（2013年5月2日）

2013-05-05T02:43:00.000+08:00

大選心情筆記 · 投票日前第三天（2013年5月2日）

“這次的大選，雖然讓我們久等了，但我覺得，這個等待是值得的，讓更多人可以見識到國陣的真面目。讓我們換掉這個貪污腐敗毫無底線的政府，還人民一個更好的明天！”

　　早上醒來，換上一件黃衣準備和姐姐出去吃早晨。姐姐說：“咦，你還有黃衣啊？”

　　是的，我黃衣不少，綠色和紅色也有，一路穿到投票日。

　　一開始聽到有報館同事從新加坡外派到馬來西亞採訪大選新聞，心中還是相當羨慕的。他們從4月18日起，趕在提名日之前就去到他們採訪的地點，接近三個禮拜的時間，一路呆到大選後的兩三天。

　　別人和我說，你回家就回家啦，你羨慕幹嘛，要工作很辛苦的你知道嗎？我知道，但其實我不介意。畢竟這一次能夠參與這次大選的報導，也是一輩子難以遇到、千載難逢的機會吧。

　　不過，轉個念頭想想，其實不用工作也是挺好的。至少我可以有更多的時間陪陪家人。最重要的是，我可以毫不顧忌地穿上我的信念，更不必趕場去採訪國陣空無一人的萬人宴，更可以不用為了趕稿提早離開群眾大會，可以聽演講聽到半夜。

　　本屆大選千呼萬喚始出來，從去年初到今年，大家都久等了。

　　不過，我突然間覺得，要是大選在去年舉行，整個局勢會大大不一樣，納吉贏得大選的勝算其實比目前高多了。

　　真的多謝貪污腐敗政府的這位窩囊廢首相的智障智囊團，讓我們的大選拖到不能再拖了，而在這一年來發生了一連串的事件，讓國陣更接近了滅亡。

　　試想想，在過去一年，淨選盟、綠色聚會事件升級；養牛事件、《星洲日報》的"轉型"、治安的惡化、對第一夫人的厭惡等等的，在這一年內，都為納吉與國陣減分。

　　最為關鍵的是，社交媒體的作用與影響力在過去一年已大大地提高，這一點，想畢是國陣所料不及的。

　　這次大選，國陣佔了地利，因為各種嚴重不公平的選區劃分，導致他們還會穩贏不少鄉村選區；但天時與人和的天平，都不可避免地越來越傾向了民聯。（傾斜的天平，不只是國陣有！）

　　因此，這次的大選，雖然讓我們久等了，但我覺得，這個等待是值得的，讓更多人可以見識到國陣的真面目。讓我們換掉這個貪污腐敗毫無底線的政府，還人民一個更好的明天！

大選心情筆記 · 投票日前第四天（2013年5月1日）

2013-05-03T17:39:00.000+08:00

大選心情筆記 · 投票日前第四天（2013年5月1日）

“穿上了黃色的Bersihkan Malaysia／Ubah衣服，剛好被兩個錫克人看到，其中一個握緊拳頭向我示意，以堅定的聲音地向我說：Ubah！我也同樣地以緊握的拳頭回應。”

　　看到鋪天蓋地的各種競選旗幟、海報、布條，立刻就可以感受到，是的，我回到馬來西亞了。尤其是那些車頭照格式的藍色海報，給人的視覺衝擊，若不是身臨其境是難以感受到的。

　　為什麼我要記下我的心情呢？因為我堅信，這是我們國家面對的一個關鍵的分水嶺，是邁入一個更好的明天，抑或是難以重見天日，真的是且看今朝了。希望多年後，可以看到自己的這些心情，故記下此刻所想。

　　晚上出門時，穿上了黃色的Bersihkan Malaysia／Ubah衣服。停車後走下來，剛好被兩個錫克人看到，其中一個握緊拳頭向我示意，以堅定的聲音地向我說：Ubah！我也同樣地以緊握的拳頭回應，一切盡在不言中。這才是真正的一個馬來西亞精神吧？

　　在茶餐室吃晚餐時，突然間有人拍我的肩膀，還以為遇到熟人了，回首一望，是位大叔。他說：“靚仔，你件衫邊度買嘎？”“不好意思啊uncle，限量版的，已經賣完了。。”

　　去聽了“民主歌聲喚明天”的演唱會。以一個臨時組成的樂團來說，整體還算不錯，也非常感激他們願意自掏腰包，不收費地全國進行表現，呼籲大家出來投票。不過，還是有一些小建議：
- 選擇 Coldplay 的 Yellow 倒是挺有創意的。。
- 大家知道歌手經常會在副歌的部分將麥克風對著觀眾，然後叫觀眾一起合唱嗎？選擇唱Beyond的《海闊天空》、許冠傑的《浪子心聲》時這麼做，當然可以帶起現場氣氛；但是竟然選擇在唱蕭煌奇的《你是我的眼》的時候這麼做，當然全場冷場啦，uncle和auntie們沒有看星光大道，不懂這首歌，沒辦法幫你唱這首歌的ok。。
- 請不要問“怡保人，你們會聽廣東話嗎？”拜託啦，我不會去問檳城人會不會聽福建話對不對？
- 各位主唱都不錯，但是和音的部分有點缺乏配合哦。。
- 後面那位鍵盤手姑娘歌聲不錯，可惜只有一小段，眉清目秀，為什麼要安排她一直躲在後面？如果不是有屏幕根本就看不到她。。反觀擋著她的那位吉他手，建議你還是彈吉他吧，玩音樂不一定要唱歌的。。

　　聽了過半的演唱會後，趕場到火箭的兵如港總部聽演講。。前前後後在兩個場地聽了黃文標（Tebing Tinggi州議席候選人）、李存孝（Pasir Pinji州議席候選人）、陳家興（Simpang Pulai州議席候選人）等人的演講，其實說真的，對於我們這些心中已經知道要投給誰的人，並已經聽過民聯不少演講的我而言，他們的政治綱領，所代表的、所宣揚的，倒不是我想要去出席的主因。出席這些演講都是為了支持他們而已。

　　在兵如港那裡看到了國陣湯華昌的選舉木板，呼籲大家“選人不選黨”。。我想請問的是，所以湯兄言下之意，選黨的話，就不應該選國陣了對吧？你也知道啊？

　　而且完整的四句標語：“選人不選黨，好的服務兵如港，服務兵如港，我們要投湯華昌”。。。我的天啊！這是什麼華語啊？這是新詩嗎？看到我眼睛都痛到流淚。。我小學的時候造句所用的華語都比這好多了。。還自稱代表華社！哦不好意思，自稱代表華社的是馬華，這位湯兄正急著撇清關係呢，所以他不代表華社，競選團隊華語爛，也無所謂啦～！

　　李存孝和陳家興今年都只是三十歲吧？突然間很羨慕他們的勇敢和果斷，敢於背負著這個重擔，在這個骯髒的國家裡出來當一個公眾人物，讓自己這輩子都活在流氓的靶心當中。自己和他們相差五歲，卻似乎離自己年輕時想要參政的夢想漸行漸遠。

　　看著台上的人一個個輪流發言，突然間很羨慕我的學弟鄭傳毅可以上台幫忙組選。不止是他，而是在這一次的大選中，各個積極參與的人；而我，只是一個看客而已。

　　我們居住在外國的人回來投票，真的只是拉一泡屎就走了嗎？心中立誓，我總有一天會回來的，雖然不參政，但也會以自己的方式為國家做出貢獻。看到各個同在國外的朋友，大部分都仍然心系家園，多少還是很欣慰。

　　我相信，我們這一代出國工作的年輕人，和上一代人還是比較不一樣了，我們對這個國家比較敢於期望他會改變，還是有前途的；而不是對他絕望到一走不回頭。我是真的這麼希望，希望這個希望並不會是奢望。

　　文章雜七雜八，正如這次的大選。五月五，一切答案即將揭曉。

生命的脆弱 · Say Goodbye

2013-04-07T02:47:00.000+08:00

“或許，真正讓人感到傷痛的，不是生命的流逝，而是未曾好好地道別。”

生命是很脆弱的。

喝著一瓶新開的波爾多紅酒，我的腦子中還在消化近四個小時前收到的消息——《聯合早報》上司財經組主任白士德先生已經仙逝了。

對我來說，這真的非常突然。雖然他去年曾被驗出體內有癌細胞，但後來隨著他化療、回來上班後，身體也看起來正逐漸恢復，我也不曾真地正面詢問他的近況如何，只是祝他早日康復。最近他拿了兩個禮拜的MC，本來也沒有特別去想有什麼大不了，還以為是一些小並發症狀，誰知就這樣復發，離我們而去。

說實在的，我和士德的認識並不至於說很深，兩人的交際也只限於工作上的聯繫。進入報館1年零7個月，期間由於他病魔纏身，真正共事的日子並不會超過一年。我們對於彼此的私人生活、家庭背景，可說是沒有什麼特別的了解。

因此，打開文檔想要開始打字時，卻發現腦海中除了對生命的脆弱多了更多感觸外，文章似乎也不知何從下筆。畢竟，若想追憶他在工作崗位上的傑出表現，相信有更多同事比我有資格得多了。但若想談他的個人，我卻又不甚了解。

有同事曾經和我說，士德在政治組的時候，對政治新聞的記性是一流的，多年的經驗更是讓他對國家政策瞭如指掌，任何新政策、新預算案推出時，和往年哪裡不同，馬上就可以點出。

不過，就在這不到兩年的接觸中，他還是讓我留下很多深刻的印象，也讓我學習到很多事。畢竟，他是我人生中第一份工作的第一個老闆，從我面試、到入行、到成長的這些經歷，都少不了他的身影。

士德對我的栽培和關照，我是清楚感受到的。我在加入報館之前，完全沒有採訪的經驗，從來沒有當過實習記者；在加入報館後，士德會經常跟我聊，談談他對我的期望，對我的文章感到滿意和可以改進的地方。

在不久前，他還恭喜我今年升職了，表示肯定我的進步，還說對我新一年的工作有了更高的要求。這一切都歷歷在目，恍如昨日。

在轉到財經組之後的不久，他卻突然開始不斷咳嗽，之後被診斷出有癌細胞後，去年大半年也休假養病。在回來後的這半年，一切卻似乎有所好轉，頭髮、聲音、步伐，都逐漸地變得更正常了，他也全面從新投入工作，我也沒有想到，他會走得這麼突然。

家母在我17歲那年謝世了。士德的突然離世，多少也讓我想起我的母親，喚起回憶深處的痛。這麼相似的情節。生活方式和身體都很健康的一個人，突然毫無預兆地就得了癌症。在經歷了化療和其他治療過程後，似乎情況有所改善，一切貌似即將回到正常的時候，卻平地一聲雷式地突然復發，就這樣撒手歸西。

我現在一邊寫著這篇文章，一邊在聽著許冠傑和張國榮合唱的《沉默是金》，心中不免對生命多了很多感觸。前幾天還在一直不斷地聽哥哥的多首名曲，緬懷他的離去。

友人安慰我，別太傷心了。我的答復是，我的心情，是震驚和感觸占得更多。

覺得最近似乎和死亡相關的新聞特別多。

4月5日也是Kurt Cobain自殺19週年的日子，也讓我翻出我的那張20週年版的《Nevermind》專輯，感嘆一下，一代才子像流星般短暫且燦爛的人生，在聲名大噪的三年內就吞槍自盡。

專輯中的《Something in The Way》雖然不是Nirvana的代表作，但其中Kurt聲音中所帶出的傷感，卻在我腦海中揮之不去，單是聽到他的聲音，腦海中就浮現他眼中那深邃的憂傷。

我喜歡的著名影評人Roger Ebert也在4月4日過世了，在經歷了與癌症抗爭11年後，最終給世人留下比電影更深刻的人生。

今年才25歲的我，但也已經有兩個曾經的同班同學，分別因為遇到劫匪與白血病而陸續離世，更確確實實讓我們感嘆英年早逝、人生的多變與無常。

人生就是這樣充滿著無奈。有的人想活下去，但卻沒辦法；有的人可以活下去，卻無奈地選擇了斷。這算是什麼道理呢？我不懂。

或許，不斷地接受死亡的發生，到接受死亡，本就是人生成長的一個過程。盜用《Life of Pi》裡的一句話：

“I suppose in the end, the whole of life becomes an act of letting go, but what always hurts the most is not taking a moment to say goodbye. "

或許，真正讓人感到傷痛的，不是生命的流逝，而是未曾好好地道別。

繼續淺酌著我的干紅，伴我寫下這篇不倫不類的悼念文章，獻給已仙逝的老闆與朋友們。謝謝你們曾經的相伴。南無阿彌陀佛。祝你們一路走好。

2013年04月07日 0240

我們沒有校訓

2012-01-07T23:28:00.003+08:00

如果說，一個號稱歷史長達一百多年的大學沒有校訓的話，你會相信嗎？

我本來也是不信的，但是新加坡國立大學就是這麼活生生的一個例子。

有一次和國大辯論隊的同學們到中國打友誼賽兼旅遊的時候，到了當地其中一個大學，主持人在台上介紹作為來賓的我們，說新國大多好多好云云，其中還提到了我們的校訓是“xxxx”。

當時我和台下的隊友的第一個反應是互相對望了一眼，然後小聲地說一聲，“我們有校訓咩？”

現實就是這樣，我們沒有校訓，我們也似乎從來沒有在意我們沒有校訓這回事。

但是停下來想一想，一個歷史這麼悠久的大學怎麼可能沒有校訓呢？如果我說在歐美國家哪個古老的名牌大學沒有校訓的話，你會相信嗎？聽起來太荒謬了吧？

順便在這裡談一談國大的歷史吧。

1905年，海峽殖民地及馬來亞聯邦州政府醫學學校（Straits Settlements and Federated Malay States Government Medical School）成立，後來改名為愛德華七世醫學院（King Edward VII Medical School）。國大的歷史也是從1905年開始算起。

1928年，萊佛士學院（Raffles College）成立。

1949年，這兩間學院合併為馬來亞大學。

1955年，南洋大學成立。

1962年，馬來亞大學新加坡校區改名為新加坡大學。

1980年，新加坡大學與南洋大學合併為新加坡國立大學，也就是今天的NUS。

這一路走來，其中的歷史大部分學生其實都不知道。今天很多學生都不知道國大本為馬大分校；也沒聽說過南大被合併的故事，甚至會以為此南大即為彼南大，個中歷史緣由也不敢在此贅述。

不過，個人總覺得這都是和國大似乎缺乏一種“身份認同”（identity），其中沒有校訓就是很關鍵的一點。

馬大的校訓“Ilmu Punca Kemajuan”，譯為中文就是“知識乃成功之本”；南大的校訓是“自強不息，力求上進”，怎麼到了國大就沒有校訓了呢？

在寫本文之前，為了證實國大沒有校訓，我上網努力搜索了好久，也沒有找到；甚至在百度知道看到以前有人和我問過一樣的問題，得到的答案是國大沒有校訓，只有願景。

國大的網站寫的是國大有的“vision”，就是“A leading global university centred in Asia, influencing the future”，我姑且譯為“一所以亞洲為中心，影響著未來的國際領先大學”。

好吧，我不知道有多少國大生會看到這個願景然後有一種身份認同或是自豪感。如果你有的話，不好意思，那是我失敬了。

前些天看到港大慶祝一百週年的音樂視頻，找了港大校友許冠傑作曲，林夕作詞，謝安琪等人唱了一首歌，慶祝港大一百校慶，“明德格物”一直在唱，看了我都覺得港大真的令人嚮往。

只是很突然的，有時也會希望我身邊可以看到更多的文化人和知識分子。

國大最近幾年還新創了一個新的概念，前校長特別喜歡用鮭魚（三文魚）的例子，說鮭魚都會回到它們出生的地方繁殖產卵，希望畢業生也會多多回饋母校。最近學校建築和周邊產品都多了很多以鮭魚為主題的設計。

但我每次聽到這個故事的時候，我總是想到的是，鮭魚回到出生地產卵後就會死去，這點幹嘛忽略掉呢？對不起，那麼我寧願不要做這個鮭魚。

開開玩笑，各位看官別當真，有機會還是應該多多回饋母校的。

只不過，就覺得沒有校訓，不懂校史，這個學校總是感覺缺乏一種歷史的底蘊、那古老的韻味和那種讓人很自豪地說我們成立了多少年的感覺。那些畢業自歷史悠久中學的人，就應該可以明白我想表達的意思。

所以國大生，下次要是有人問起，我們的校訓是什麼的時候，請你們回答說：

對不起，我們沒有校訓。

明年复明年

2012-01-05T23:39:00.003+08:00

新的一年又來了，如常地看到很多人都為新的一年立下了新願景、目標和願望；但我似乎沒看到多少人在反省、回顧與比較去年的目標的。

最近看到一個台灣報章報導台灣選舉新聞，其中有一則談起馬英九，說他在執政三年多的任期內，僅完成了他自己政見的43.9％。

這個數據是通過羅列馬英九在前次競選時所提的政見中，比對其成功達成的事項；而報導認為馬英九任期已過了五分之四，政見完成率卻連一半也不到，可見他的政績單不及格。

姑且不論這個數據的算法是否科學，也不去探討一個政治人物可以達成政見的43.9％，到底是“僅能”還是“竟然能”，或是這個報章是否傾向蔡英文。

這則報導也讓我想到周圍朋友的新年願望和目標，要是大家也把去年的目標和願望羅列出來，在這份成績單上，到底又有多少人能夠及格呢？當然，這個目標必須是很實際的，最好是可以量化的，這樣也比較容易衡量和比較。

若是在一個個目標旁邊，打勾的是佔大多數，那麼恭喜你，你達到了大部分的目標，今年也請你繼續努力加油，維持這份得來不易的“及格成績單”。

然而，倘若你的一個個目標旁邊都是打叉或是問號（你竟然不記得你去年定下的目標？！）的話，那麼或許你是時候順著這份清單，一條條地去反省了。

到底是目標立得太高了嗎？太多了？還是自己沒有去堅持？還是目標立得太籠統了，說得容易，做起來很難呢？

我不及格，我反省了，所以這篇文章才會出現。

以古為鏡，可以知興替，此言誠然不假。只有在比較過後，才知道自己失敗在哪裡，曾向自己許下了多少不能兌現的逾期空頭支票。誇張者甚至乎可以從多年的目標在新的一年裡又重新循環使用，在新的一年裡又只陶醉在那新氣象裡，說出心中豪語壯志，過去的事又何必再管他呢？

伊索寓言裡面有一個關於螞蟻與蚱蜢的寓言，蚱蜢因為在冬天來臨前只顧著玩耍與享樂，沒有儲存食物，最後在冬天餓死了；但我覺得這只蚱蜢要是僥倖冬天沒餓死的話，說不定明年也會繼續玩樂，這次冬天也許就沒這麼好運氣了。

不要明年复明年，明年何其多了。說不定，我們真的沒有明年了。

祝大家新年快樂。

Google translate blunder AGAIN~

2011-08-09T22:08:00.002+08:00

I am sure most Malaysians who are active in Facebook has seen this one.. Google translate's been having some bug.. But I just checked just now, and it has been fixed..

Well, I was actually more curious than just "copy" n "paste" like everyone else on Facebook.. So I checked and realised there was a bug that changed all the countries' names to translate into "Malaysia".. I wonder which smart guy did that.... Great bug...

My Favourite Comic Book Writer-Artist: Frank Miller

2011-07-05T21:53:00.009+08:00

I really fell in love with Frank Miller's work recently. Not that I have never read his stuff before, maybe because I was too young to understand and appreciate a lot of it. So much depth, so much content, and yet so much space left for wonder and thoughts that linger after you finish reading them. I'm telling you, his work is really unlike the "normal" typical superhero comics that we are familiar with, a.k.a some guy got powers - decides to make a difference - beats a bad guy - makes the world a better place - goes home with the girl, that kind of comics.

No, his work has so much more complexity to it, that his take on certain characters and message that he implies often arose controversies, like his writing of "The Dark Knight Strikes Again" and "All Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder". His comics often has a "darker side", dealing with deeper political and social issues, which is possibly why it really attracts adult audience and not just simple minded kids. I mean if you read some (if not most) comic books on the market, you probably can flip through the book in a matter of minutes, quick browse at the cheesy content and the photoshop-coloured pictures that all look so similar. Fast-food type of stuff.

Frank Miller's stories? A totally different story. He is the type of comic book writer that will make you think you are really reading mainstream literature. Serious literature. The suspense in the story line, the dialogues, the building up of the characters, the depth in the background story, the not-so-happy endings etc. Great stories that will leave you thinking, not just waiting for the next issue.

Move on about his drawing, his drawing style is so distinctively different from other artists that I can spot his work right among other artists' artwork. I think he is really good with lines and shadows, which is great for black and white comics, or just with simpler colours. Not those photoshop stuff you see everyday. Real art, real drawing. His style also gives a darker feeling to the tone, which suits his story really really well.

I mean think about it, how many good comic book writers these days can draw? Great and good writers like Alan Moore, Jeph Loeb, Geoff Johns, Brian Vaughan, Greg Rucka, Grant Morrison all don't draw their own comic books. Even Stan Lee doesn't draw his own comics. I can only think of Frank Miller and Mike Mignola (Hellboy writer-artist) and maybe a couple few more in this era that can both write and draw very very well. (Lets not include Japanese writers/artists in this discussion.) With all due respect, I am too young to appreciate the works of Jack Kirby and Will Eisner, which is why I said in this era, this unique talent is really really rare.

By the way I really like the movies 300 and Sin City. Did real justice to the original work. Its like watching a story in a story. His comic book is like a movie. His movie is like a comic book.

I think there are two types of people in this world. People who loves Frank Miller's work, or people who have yet to grab a copy of Frank Miller's work. Go grab your copy of Ronin, 300, Sin City, The Dark Knight Returns now! Haha!

His artwork is really breathtaking, which is why I decided to share a few of my favourites here with you.

Taken from 300. Like I said, good with the simple lines and shadows, along with the simple colours, just great stuff.

Cover art for Batman Black and White.

Taken from The Dark Knight Returns. Notice how he draws the shape of the cape without really drawing a cape.
Artwork for Hellboy. Though he never draws for Hellboy, but his gritty style seems to fit with the Hellboy's mood and image very well.

From Sin City. Look at the four faces. Same face, same position, but the different shades of shadow seems to animate the face with a grim expression.

From Sin City as well. This is his typical style in the Sin City series, the art style is dark and strong. So distinctive. It is really amazing how he seems to put so much "motion" in a figure that is preparing to leap out from the dark with such simple lines of black and white.

Oh this is simply my favourite. The silhouette of Marv in the rain. Just a lot of white lines in a black background. The way the rain drops hit his coat makes him look so lonely. Like a warrior heading to his death. Lonely and sad.

Google translate: Tim Drake

2011-07-01T00:30:00.008+08:00

Apparently DC Comics uses Google translate too.. HAHA.. LMAO!! ROFL!!

Tim Drake = 蒂姆公鴨

p.s.: drake [noun] - a male duck

Taken from Red Robin issue 17, published Jan 2011.

Gmail is SMART!!

2011-05-25T15:45:00.002+08:00

I think Google Mail is DAMN SMART!!! This thing really helps.. Stops me from accidentally sending email without actually attaching the files I wanted to send..

Kudos Gmail! Sorry Yahoo! and Hotmail.. I have given up on you guys long ago..

kj picture of the day 04/05/11

2011-05-04T03:46:00.001+08:00

Taken: 03/05/11
Camera: Nokia 5530

Studying at Mc'D NUS for my final finals.. Probably the last time I am gonna study overnight here... Bye bye NUS..

kj picture of the day 03/05/11

2011-05-03T04:04:00.002+08:00

Taken: 12/11/09
Camera: Sony DSC-T2

A simple meal I made for myself.. One of my favourites! Real happy meal.. Life's simple pleasures..

What Democracy Means to Me

2011-05-02T06:13:00.003+08:00

Democracy sucks.

Come on, just admit it. Did anyone of us ever really get anything out of democracy, perhaps except the brief moment of joy when you see the candidate that you liked (hated) won (lost) the election?

Look at Taiwan, before all this mess about Chen Shui Bian, his alleged self-directed shooting act as well as the more recent corruption charges, could you remember why he was voted into power in the first place? Everyone complains about the eight years of Democratic Progressive Party rule, but they were in power in the first place because people were dissatisfied with the KMT. Eight years have passed, and people forgot why they voted out the KMT in the first place, and voted them in again. Now let me ask you, what real change did you think that has been put forward through this 3 presidential elections? I really don't know.

Well I know some of you are probably going to say that Taiwan is still a young and immature democratic society, we should perhaps look at other countries, like the US instead. Since I was a kid, US presidents went from Bush, Clinton, Bush jr. and Obama, or Republican, Democrat, Republican and Democrat. Their policy debates included budget surplus/deficit, military spending, gun control, social security, foreign policy, blah blah blah... Obama says, "Change! Yes, we can!" That's a real catchy slogan man! But what has really been achieved by the system of democracy itself?

The answer is not easy. This is because democracy was never meant to be there to achieve something. Instead, it is there to make sure the other guy doesn't achieve anything, or better known as "checks and balances". It is a system designed to prevent one side having too much power to do whatever they want, at least not without punishment, or facing the fear of being voted out of office on your next term. It is also about the idea that every one will be represented, along with their views and beliefs, even if they are minorities, or more ideally, especially if they are minorities. At least that's the definition on paper.

Don't get me wrong. I did not for an instance said that I am against democracy. It is just maybe that there will never be true democracy in the world. And maybe that's why it sucks. People are just deceived time and time again to believe in some faint hope that seemingly will never come true. You can call me a cynic or a pessimist, but I think most people are too naive or optimistic. I see myself as a realist, just driven by facts and truth.

Why am I writing all this? Its just that with all this heat going on due to the anticipation of the upcoming Singapore and Malaysia elections, I would just like to reflect on what democracy means to me, and maybe you and the society. Just my two cents' worth.

And please, don't even for a second that you think I am a fan of dictators. Even though democracy has its flaws, one would definitely like to live in a democratic country instead of under a dictatorship of the likes of Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Kim, or Castro. "The difference between a democracy and a dictatorship is that in a democracy you vote first and take orders later; in a dictatorship you don't have to waste your time voting", said Charles Bukowski. (I don't really know who this guy is but I really like this quote.)

In a democracy, candidates voted into the government are given the power to rule, but they also face the possibility that this power will be striped by the people when voting comes. This is the real difference between democracy and dictatorship. Now comes my real question. What happens in the 4 to 5 years between the elections?

Back to reality, voters don't get any say on the policies once the elections are over. Once the candidates are voted into power, they are given the right and power to decide for the greater benefit of the people, or so they claim to be. The people couldn't even make sure the politicians will hold on to their promises.

The hope of the people lies in that a democracy also usually means more than one party in the parliament, not-including self-declared democratic socialist countries, which means there will be some form of checks and balances in play. Yet the way I see it, the democracy systems in the world seems to resemble more of an oligarchy, where a small group of people holds all the power, with both elitism and nepotism often in play. Ask yourself, is democracy really fair? Does all the different needs and views of the people from different social groups represented and cared for? I seriously doubt so. Yet perhaps it is as fair as a system can be.

So basically, summarising my chain of thoughts,
1) You can't really change anything by voting. Sorry to break it to you. If you really want to change, be a politician and let others vote you into the system.
2) When the elections are near, the politicians will promise you a lot of things that you will like to hear. (Maybe along with some threats)
3) Once the elections are over, the politicians will have all the power to do all they want.
4) Opposing parties/candidates in the government are the real people with any form of power to affect the decision making process.

So maybe you don't agree with me, but actually consciously or subconsciously, we all know these. We are taught to believe that voting is both a right and a duty, and as such we are to choose as carefully as we might, and then leave it to them. Once they are in power, it is really nothing much we can do.

But that is perhaps the real reason everyone is so hyped up during this pre-election period. Even friends who are genuinely ignorant and disinterested about social issues want to engage in pre-election discussions and share their views, just to be part of this process. This is the only time that the people feel that they are involved, and their views are deemed important. This is the time when the voices of the people can be heard and not ignored. This is the time when the editorial pages and political blog posts are really read and spread around. This is the only time, that the politicians will not seemed so high up and unreachable, and instead will try to act like grassroots and go door to door in order to shake your hands.

The people go to political rallies not to listen to what the candidates have to say, but hoping to hear what they already have in mind, to come out from the mouths of the candidates. They are not there to be enlightened, but to be heard.

This is what democracy is really about. The campaigns. Rallies. Elections. Voting. And the power that comes with it. So enjoy it while it last. Savour whatever glory that you might feel the moment the results are announced. And life moves on.

Democracy sucks. It really does. But after all it is still the best in the world. (Sounds like a sad world eh?)

As Thomas Jefferson once said, "When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty." The way I see it, democracy gives people liberty, once every five years. That's it. But still, its better than none at all. At the end of the day, having that silver lining is perhaps not too bad after all.

kj picture of the day 01/05/11

2011-05-01T22:14:00.003+08:00

Taken: 22/09/08
Camera: Sony DSC-T10

I wondered if anyone noticed this last time.. 3 different names for 1 bus stop.. very confusing if you think you can still take bus 95 to sheares hall.. well at least now they have already changed and standardised it..

kj picture of the day 30/04/11

2011-04-30T23:27:00.002+08:00

Taken: 17/04/11

Camera: Sony DSC-WX5

Running into a brick wall.....

kj picture of the day 25/04/11

2011-04-25T22:54:00.001+08:00

Taken: 25/04/11
Camera: Nokia 5530

I really love black n white photos! haha!

kj picture of the day 20/04/11

2011-04-20T23:42:00.000+08:00

Taken: 18/04/11

Camera: Sony DSC-WX5

Time is running short my friends!!

kj picture of the day 19/04/11

2011-04-19T22:55:00.001+08:00

Taken: 07/01/11

Camera: Sony DSC-WX5

再見了中文系！我會想你的！

kj picture of the day 18/04/11

2011-04-18T23:17:00.004+08:00

Taken: 17/04/11
Camera: Nokia 5530

Can you guys guess where/what this is?
It's NUS McD's wall! I'm lovin it!

kj picture of the day 17/04/11

2011-04-17T20:33:00.012+08:00

As I have decided to post a photo that I like on my blog everyday, I shall begin with this:

Taken: 17/04/11

Camera: Sony DSC-WX5

Empty NUS Mc'D in the middle of the night.. Maybe no one knows that it is open for 24 hours?

Hard Rock Hotel Penang

2011-02-05T13:13:00.006+08:00

Since one of my new year resolutions is to keep my blog alive, I shall start by writing about why Hard Rock Hotel Penang sucks and I wouldn't recommend anyone (sane) to go there.

First of all, the name of the hotel is just plain deceiving. I mean, “Hard Rock”, what would be the first thing that came to your mind? Rock music right? In order to make sure I am not sounding like I am persecuting the hotel unjustly, I searched for the definition of the phrase “hard rock”, which includes garage rock, punk rock, metal etc. with heavy use of electric guitars, bass and drums. (ie. not just any popular music). I myself would think of Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Def Leppard, GnR etc. Then I searched for the theme of this “Hard Rock Cafe” chain, and I realised that it is a “rock and roll” theme, which is different form “hard rock”, which means it is deceiving from the start, if you know some rock and are following my string of thoughts. Alright, lets settle for rock and roll then. Then I started looking for anything associated with this theme, which baffles me.

Yes, there is a lot of guitars around. A huge guitar outside, guitars on display and guitars printed on the cushion cover, on the pillow case, on the blanket etc. Yes, there are some used guitars and clothes by famous musicians on display, as well as portraits of the Beatles (on top of your bed) and Elvis (in your bathroom). But it is going to take much more than some decoration to convince people that this is a rock-themed place. Where is the spirit man? It just ain't there. And whoever that did those decoration had no idea about rock. At all. There was this display near the entrance with portraits of Elvis surrounded by busts of two Beatles on each side. One would have thought the Beatles to be Elvis's band-member if they didn't know better. What is the rationale of that display? I would wonder. Another thing that makes me feel so disappointed to see a huge statue of Michael Jackson sitting outside the hotel's main entrance. Don't get me wrong, I love that guy! But he is the King of Pop. He really got nothing to do with “hard rock” or “rock and roll”. And that is the only statue in the hotel! Its like going to a “Football Hotel” to see a huge statue of Michael Jordan out there. As much as I like MJ (pun intended), I don't see any business of him being there. In other words, if you are a rock fan, you probably don't want to go there. It is meant for people who feels “shyiok” taking photos with famous musicians' guitars or portraits. That's all.

Such a luxurious hotel, you would probably think that even if you are not a rock fan, you can enjoy a good stay in a good hotel right? Nope, it just ain't worth it. The hotel's location is at Batu Ferringhi, which is kind of far from town and it is surrounded by fancy restaurants. So if you are in Penang looking for good signature hawker food like most Malaysians, you are in the wrong area. They do have a clean beach thanks to their effort of cleaning it up, but the sand isn't particularly fine for one to go there on purpose just because of the beach. The beach faces North, which means one can neither see sunrise nor sunset from the beach, which is another minus point if you are there for the beach. They also have a local band which performs live 6 nights a week. Yes, the same band which doesn't sound good at all. Sigh. The television in the room lags like crazy, due to their usage of a very laggy software. There isn't a bathtub in the bathroom, which is another surprise if you think luxurious hotel should have one without doubt. I would give compliments to their showers though, which is really strong and powerful and relaxing, which reminds me of Tune Hotels. (This is really a compliment. Tune Hotels' showers are really good.)

The buffet breakfast in the morning was totally chaotic, and horrible. There was no one at the counter to check whether you were a guest at the hotel or you just sneaked in for free food. It was totally messed up, as people would just walk in and try to find seats in a over-crowded place. The venue was a open area and smoking was allowed. I could accept separate smoking and non-smoking zones, but the whole area being a smoking area? Dude, you must be kidding me. I thought this is Malaysia we are talking about here. The food wise, is even worse. The choices were few. They have a tray labelled “scrambled eggs” which turns out to be hard-boiled eggs with sambal. The pastry was dry, cold and hard. The fruit juices taste like they are made from concentrates. Their hash browns made me miss Mc'Donalds. You get my point.

All in all, this is a hotel which is well known because of the famous chain of various “Hard Rock Cafe” in the world, but comparing the price and the experience overall, it is just plain not worth it. In other words, if you are going there for the hotel experience, don't go there. If you are going there for the music experience, don't go there. If you are going there for the food experience, don't go there. If you are going there for the beach experience, don't go there. So far the only reasons that I can think of to persuade anyone to go there is that they are a huge fan of branded hotel chains, not a fan of music, don't believe my taste and has tons of money to waste. Well, maybe then you should to go Hard Rock Hotel Penang.

中華盃落幕 (posted on facebook 13/10/2010)

2011-01-01T14:02:00.000+08:00

寫給今年的中華盃隊和告老還鄉的我：

又一年的中華盃落幕了，對我來說已經是我到現場的第四次中華盃了。

一年級的時候，我是隨隊，nus拿季軍；

二年級的時候，我是替補，nus拿季軍；

三年級的時候，我是正選，nus拿冠軍；

四年級的時候，我當陪練，nus拿亞軍。

我以前就說過我大四的時候要當中華盃的領隊的，像是完成我一年一年在中華盃“升級”的身份～哈哈。。而且我也知道過了今年，自己就沒辦法像假假一樣，畢業了踏入社會後，還可以和願意花費這麼大的時間和心思來帶這麼一個隊伍。加上我明白beaste前前後後大比賽很多，也累了，因此，我就毛遂自薦地和beaste說我要帶這個隊伍。但後來，因為假假可以帶，所以就讓他帶了，beaste改而叫我當助選員，並有空回去幫你們。你們有假假當你們的領隊，是你們的運氣，他是一個好領隊，甚至我覺得是一個越來越好的領隊。而我，在當了你們助選員、模擬隊、陪練後，看著你們的成長、凝聚、突破，想起以前的我，讓我心裡有所感觸。因此，雖然真正意義上，你們不是我帶出來的，但對我而言，我一樣是像看著自己的弟弟妹妹長大一樣的欣慰。

先講講我過去幾年中華盃的記憶吧。

一年級的時候，我和小明、何月隨隊去看中華盃，我還記得那時的陣容依辯位是劍聲、明敏、恆順、邵哥，替補是重遠。那時候的中華盃是隊裡不怎麽重視的比賽，根本就沒有人帶，fox不在新加坡，比賽基本上是由三年級的邵哥在帶而已。所以當恆順和我都說你們其實是很幸運的，你們應該明白當年他打比賽所經歷過的無奈和無助。（假假：有這麼誇張嗎？呵呵）半決賽時遇上馬大，馬大隊是黃聰涵她們黃金一代那四個女的，題目是“經濟發展和古蹟維護可不可以並行”，我們無奈地敗下陣來，我記得糾結最多的是到底什麼是“並行”。

二年級的時候，我選上了，但和重遠是替補而已，正選是李昂、杜馨、詩書、小明。領隊是假假。那時候fox回來了，但他也沒有很看重這個比賽，整個準備都是很鬆散，很沒有隊伍的感覺，沒有目標，沒有高昂的士氣。半決賽的時候，看著我們兩個半月前剛菜掉的馬大隊，同樣的秋樺、國興、永建，這次卻士氣高昂，勢如破竹，我只能坐在觀眾席裡無奈地嘆息。那種無助誰人知？

三年級的時候，正是我們幾個的巔峰期，我、小明、海洋，還有三個大二石楠、仲鶴、龐穎，選入了中華盃隊。領隊還是假假。而beaste，也是面對自己掌教後的第一個挑戰。大家士氣高昂，在前幾個星期的煩躁、迷失、磨合後，終於在海洋的提出一個問題後，得到突破。他問：“你們有誰覺得以我們現在的進度下去，可以奪冠的？”我們都沒有人好意思舉手。於是大家打開心胸，我覺得那個有隊伍的感覺就是那時開始的。那天是9月16日，我的生日，所以我記得特別清楚。這件事，還真的要感激一向嬉皮笑臉的海洋，突然很認真的以這個問題突襲大家，讓我們都嚇到了～呵呵。。我們還得到了空前的各方支援。大媽、易傑、重遠、假假幫忙準備；嘉菱、依華、王明、婉怡、俊傑、逸帆當我們的支持團，我至今依然非常感激。比賽的成功，在於大媽和易傑的理論、beaste輪流用替補的戰略、假假和重遠不斷地在模擬賽菜我們。。。。

到了今年，我覺得自己以後沒有機會再像今年這樣，陪一個隊伍去比賽幫忙了。比賽結束後，覺得沒有遺憾是假的，但比較多的是愧疚。我這兩天腦海中就是“強制”這個詞！我覺得“方言”這個點，還不是你們的致命傷，而是他們用“強制”這個詞讓你們的一定變得價值很低，讓你們最重要的優勢都沒了。。。我一直當你們的陪練，甚至早在選拔時，我就一直用這一點攻擊你們，但卻沒有好好告訴你們要如何去反擊應對，這一點，我覺得是我的錯，對不起了。如果你們自由辯裡早點說，我們的一定是一種堅持，不是強制的話，整個感覺就不一樣了。（至少我是這樣想的）我覺得這一點你們場上沒有好好反到，讓他們一直說“剝奪自由選擇權”而沒有應對。

但是，我覺得，就像我在判決出來前和你們說的，我覺得你們就是冠軍，因為你們都打出了超水平的比賽。如果硬要選一場比賽當你們的代表作的話，決賽絕對是最精彩的。你們每個人在自己的位置上，都做到了自己該做的任務，扛住了，還打出多波精彩的高潮，讓觀眾掌聲連連。你們雖以微差落敗，但在觀眾和評委心中，都是那麼地令人印象深刻，那麼地值得嘉賞，那麼多的掌聲都是獻給你們的！

給beaste：

辛苦你了！我只能這麼說。你花這麼多時間和精力準備這麼多比賽，根本就不是osa跟你那種微薄的薪水可以衡量的。經常四處奔波，為了辯論而向老闆請假，真的是難為你了！你是一個好教練，我們都感激你！繼續加油！國辯隊加油！

給假假：

從08世辯，08中華盃，09中華盃，10中華盃，你都是我們的領隊，真的是辛苦你了。你還有約當越好的趨勢哦～呵呵。。還記得當時08年世辯半決賽前大家集體崩潰的時候，你安慰了我；還記得08年中華盃，fox在輸了比賽後發脾氣帶隊離開，你可憐地被丟在南方學院一個人等閉幕儀式；還記得09年中華盃，我們奪冠的時候，你那眼眶裡打轉的淚水。我大學的辯論生涯裡，都離不開你的影子，雖然你離開場外，經常假假地難以接近，但知道你心裡是一個善良的好人，謝謝你啊，職業領隊！哈哈～

給阿雷：

阿雷，除了去年debate trip以外，我好像和你也沒什麼合作過。你從去年的不知所云（哈哈哈哈）到今年的最佳辯手，真的是進步蠻多的。當時候選拔成績公佈，你打電話給我，說雖然名單上說名次不分前後，但根據排法，你應該是只拿第三，不是很理想，問我有什麼可以改善的，當時我就想你真的很認真，很有上進心，很不錯！我本來還擔心，中華盃這個隊伍，沒有明星辯手，沒有真正能扛得住大場面的人，但你證明我錯了。你果斷的肩負起隊裡領導的角色，將自己的水平提升到另外一個層次，成為可以信任的好隊友、在危機時大家會望向你的人。鎖定勝局或力挽狂瀾皆在你，這個最佳辯手，是你應得的。比賽前，我覺得你是我學弟。現在，我覺得你長大了。

給小貓：

小貓，在這6個人裡，我和你應該是最不熟的了吧。本來和你就沒什麼合作，加上你本來外表冷冷的，我也不是很搞懂你的性格啦，所以一向也沒很敢和你說話。。呵呵。。這次比賽，你卻讓我想起去年的我。不是明星辯手，卻是一個表現平穩，讓人信任，覺得心安的隊友。但你還有一樣做得比我好的，你自由辯站得雖然不會特別多，但每次站起來，都會讓人覺得你站得很有用，很關鍵。作為隊裡另一個大三，你的確有做到一個值得讓學弟妹們學習的榜樣。

給煒璋：

你是一個很有火的辯手，可惜的是經驗不足，而且容易緊張。在模擬賽和訓練時，都看得出你的想法和反應不錯，要好好利用。經過這次比賽的磨練，你的進步非常明顯，我給你的目標就是：學會放鬆！克服你的緊張，明年中華盃舞台就是你的了。下次比賽，不要再給我看到有線條的襯衫和段襪子！呵呵。。

給依華：

小妹，你是在這6人裡面，應該算是和我最熟的了吧。。從新生賽開始就帶你，你的成長我一點點地看著。你擔心自己肩負比賽壓力而喪失辯論樂趣，我都理解，希望這次後你能明白，辯論的快樂，若是仔細尋找，其實就在其中。之前你和我說你們沒有隊伍的感覺；但比完賽後，我覺得你們有了。看著你們6個人，變成1個隊，在sakae sushi碰杯共飲時，覺得挺感觸的。你在你這屆的確是很優秀，你這次的表現也顯得你越來越成熟了，明年繼續為nus蟬聯最佳辯手吧！哈哈。。

給奕楠：

奕楠，你進隊前，我們在招新時，就說你想國務院發言人/播報員之類的，哈哈。。你這次的比賽，就表現出你在陳詞方面的優勢：溫文儒雅，翩翩風度。你決賽的稿，寫得不錯，沒贏雖然可惜，但也顯示出你這一方面的天份，若要繼續往一辯方面發展，是可以多多加油的。

給泇境：

泇境，和我也是超熟的。。你成為nus十年來第一個上正賽的新加坡人，是你有值得驕傲的地方的。我雖然經常嘲笑你中英文都爛，但你。。。真的是爛啊！！哈哈。。開玩笑。。你這次比賽，沒有像我們之前談的，你一上場就輸了，所以算是不錯啦。。哈哈。。你還是有一點緊張，寫稿方面還要再加強，除此之外，你還是表現得不錯～

給你們6人：

你們雖敗猶榮。你們從6個人，變成1個隊。你們從小學弟妹，都長大了。你們精彩的表現，贏得現場觀眾的尊敬和如雷的掌聲！

順便提一提馬大。

要知道，馬大的那三個欣盈、威德、勁暉，去年大二的時候也是落敗，一年後重整旗鼓，水平大大提升，你們幾個大二的，不要氣餒，繼續加油。馬大的立論，或許我們不喜歡，但馬大很多值得我們學習的地方，我們還是應該要看到的。馬大的一邊，立論清晰，背稿流暢，從來都不會是花瓶，而且幾年來我看過數場馬大的比賽是他們的一辯後我就覺得比賽可以不用看了，水平之高你們可以想像。馬大的辯手，為了準備比賽，那種盡心盡力的程度，是我們無法想像的。馬大的團隊合作，千呼後應，渾然一體，不是經歷多次的訓練時無法達成的。

好了，廢話到此為止。在這裡長篇大論，是要告訴你們，在我心中，你們就是我的冠軍隊！

告訴我的隊友們，謝謝有你們一路的陪伴！

告訴我唯一的領隊，假假，謝謝你無私的付出，這幾年來就像一個大哥哥一樣看著我們的長大！

告訴我的學長姐們，謝謝你們犧牲自己的時間和精力，來幫我們訓練、準備比賽，讓我們獲益不少！

告訴我的學弟妹們，一個隊伍良好傳統的延續，就在於承上啟下，要感激幫助你們的學長姐們，然後像他們一樣地去幫助你們的學弟妹們！

google 與共產黨

2010-04-03T16:51:00.006+08:00

最近和小明發現了google上很有趣的一件事情。習慣用 google 來搜索東西的諸位看官應該知道，google 的 search bar 里面，是有個 function 提供 search suggestions，當你輸入一些字，停頓兩秒，它就會出現一系列的關聯詞供你搜索。

先來說一下英文的google，當我輸入“communist”一詞時，出現的是很正常很中立的詞，如“communist party”、“communist countries”等。

接下來到 google.sg 的中文版，輸入“共產黨”（簡體），出現的頭兩個關聯詞是“共產黨腐敗”、“共產黨滅亡時間”、第五的是“共產黨下臺”等。。。。。。搞笑吧？我決定自己再試試別的 google 版本。

google.my，出現的和sg的也差不多，只是順序有點變了。。

google.hk，出現的沒有“滅亡”這一個選擇（好和諧！和諧好！），但就多了一個“共產黨黑社會”的選擇，真的是區域性不同啊。。

google.tw，出現的新選擇，還包括了“共產黨篡改歷史”、“共產黨倒臺”等。。

所以說，這個google還挺有意思的，它的search results是怎麼list出10個建議出來的，我不懂，但就覺得挺搞笑的。。

最後，為了博各位看官一笑，請看百度的10個建議～

當大四的好處

2010-03-12T01:23:00.002+08:00

這個學期，因為我完成的學分已經達到120MC（一般一學期是20MC），所以就提早進入了大四生的行列。。。

本來覺得好像沒什麼所謂的，除了因為要開始拿大四的課而感到吃力且在一整個班里都不認識人的感覺，就想算了咯，就這樣撐著吧。。

但最近兩天才發現，原來圖書館允許給大四生的借書的期限和數量都是和大一到大三生不一樣的！！哈哈！

普通大一到大三生可以借20本書，每本2個禮拜，頂多更新兩次，最多就是6個禮拜。。

大四生可以借30本書，每本4個禮拜，也可以更新兩次，就是可以借長達12個禮拜哦～而且是30本咧。。哈哈！

當然自己沒辦法借+看完這麼多本書啦。。但是就覺得很爽。。做研究的時候不用擔心自己借不了這麼多書或者要趕著還咯。。

前天，拿著一個環保袋，裝著10本書，開心地從圖書館走回宿舍，心滿意足中～哈哈，爽啊！