Get Well Soon, Mordeth13, His Accident + "Are You Happy With Who You Are?"

Sad news today. M13, a youtube vlogger who I used to follow when I was in high school got in a motorcycle accident. It was a while ago, actually, but I've been so out of the loop. Both his legs were broken and his hands are pretty messed up; seemingly bad enough to never be able to use his clutch hand again (for those of you who don't ride, the clutch on a motorcycle is usually a lever that's operated by your left hand).

He's a Canadian dude who was from Alberta (I think) who's now an expat in Taiwan. He started off by putting a camera in his helmet and just pressing record. I remember seeing a video of his when I was an angsty 16 year old titled "are you happy with who you are?" and it hit me really hard at the time.

The gyst of it was that you know you're happy with who you are when you can be alone. Because when you're alone, that's when you have all that time to look inwardly, reflect, and think about who you are as a person (and whether or not how you turned out is acceptable to you). When you need other people to distract you from you, it might be a sign that something needs to change.

I no longer watch his videos, but I'll always be grateful for the entertainment that his videos provided at one point in my life. Riding motorcycles is still one of my biggest passions, and having followed someone talking about interesting things while having a first-person view of what it's like to be on a bike was the final push in me deciding to save up and actually get one. Hell, I even had some videos at one point and wanted to get into Vlogging, myself. But I suppose that's a story for another time.

Thanks M13, and I hope you get well soon.

Here's the story of his crash + donation page: http://www.gofundme.com/hsuk58

Here's the video that I was talking about earlier:


- Alvin

Margaret Mitchell's The Fucking Truth

"I was never one to patiently pick up broken fragments and them together again and tell myself that the mended whole was as good as new. What is broken is broken -- and I'd rather remember it as it was at its best than mend it and see the broken places as long as I lived."
- Margaret Mitchell

Life's pretty good right now. I read this quote earlier on today and spent the good portion of my day thinking about it (even through my shift at work). Whenever people ask me about my past relationships, I always say that they were all good while they lasted.

It sort of catches people off guard because it sounds pessimistic, but it has nothing to do with expecting an end-life; but it has everything to do with knowing it might have one. I try to enjoy things for what they are, as they are; but I know that it's sometimes easier said than done.

"Beautiful things don't ask for attention" - James Thurber

When I was learning how to freedive, my teacher recommended visualizing a place to keep me distracted so that I could stay underwater longer. I've never told anyone this, but this view is what I used. I would focus on little details of this picture as I could imagine any segment of this picture and find it beautiful. When I got close to giving up and going up for air, I'd zoom out and it would buy me a little more time.

 Before I knew it, I'd be under for minutes at a time and eventually, I stopped using it as a crutch because it distracted me from appreciating everything that I was seeing underwater.

As of late, I've been trying to figure out why I didn't like this specific chick. On paper, she was pretty great, had a lot going for her, and happened to be easy on the eyes. But for some reason, I didn't like her as much as she liked me. I think I've finally realized that it's because beautiful things don't ask for attention. She was gorgeous, and she knew it. But she wanted everyone else to know it in front of her.

Spare Some Time

I arrived in Cambodia a little under a week ago and my first stop was a town called Koh Kong. It was a mellow day since I was a little tired from being on busses all day trying to cross the border from Thailand into Cambodia.

I rented a bicycle and was going around town trying to find some toner (lol first world problems). I parked my bicycle outside and came outside to a kid playing with my back wheel.

I started moving the bike so I could head back to my guesthouse, but he nearly started crying.

I realized that I had nowhere to be and no one to meet...so I decided to stay until he got bored of it.
Every now and then, I'd hit the brakes and he couldn't understand why the wheel would stop spinning/wouldn't move.

Anyway, I see a lot of beautiful shit when I'm out here, but some of my coolest experiences have been little moments like this.

 Maybe I'm just easily amused. But so was the kid; and I think we could all learn a lot from them.

 

A Simple Life =/= A Poor Life

Dated September 7, 2013:

In case anyone's been wondering what I've been up to, I've been in The Philippines for the past 2 months. Cultural enrichment, finding my roots (LOL), yada yada, all that good stuff. But mostly to see some nice shit.

The title is something that I've been thinking of for a while since I've gotten here, but I guess I didn't develop the idea fully until I talked about it with some people that I met. I was in a town called Batad, which is only reachable by foot (from the closest road, it's about 400 steps down, and a 30 minute-1 hour hike to get to the village).

 

I got to wake up to this for a couple of days and It's probably been one of my favourite places so far in The Philippines (which is saying a lot as I'm writing from the infamous Boracay beach right now). I hiked all day and bumped into another Canadian named Shannon while looking for food and after she asked me about my funny-looking toe shoes, we  got into a pretty interesting discussion about Philippines. I was able to offer a little more insight because I'm often treated like a local/can speak the language but happened to grow up abroad.

 Anyway, Shannon and I got to talking and we both agreed that peoples sometimes [mistakenly] equate a simple life with one of poverty. We see kids with dirty feet and ripped clothes, and we automatically assume that they're in need. But I think we forget to ask: "but by whose standards?"

Instead of seeing underprivileged people, I see communities that are happier with less things. Their clothes have holes because they don't need to throw away a functional everyday shirt due to a rip or two. In fact, many of them have nicer ones to use when there's an occassion. Money goes to more important things because there's less to go around and a rip in a shirt is less important than something like food.

 Don't get me wrong; I'm not rationalizing, I'm not claiming that it isn't a significantly poorer country in general, and I'm definitely not claiming that this is always the case. I'm just saying that sometimes we need to check our privileges and remember that our standard of life can sometimes be higher - with the emphasis on our.

 As silly as it sounds, "nicer" isn't always better.

 Anyway, I hope that you're all well. My visa expires on Christmas, so I have to start thinking about what my next country's gonna be soon. If you'd like to see my write-up on my 2-week motorcycle tour in Luzon, you can click here

- Alvin

Gold Medals

"A gold medal is a wonderful thing, but if you're not enough without the
medal, you'll never be enough with it." - Cool Runnings

What Screws Us Up Most in Life is The Picture in Our Head of How It's Supposed to Be

It's been a particularly contemplative week for me, and I think I saw this picture again just in time.

I've been having a lot of interesting conversations as of late. With one friend, I was discussing whether or not seeing everything as a blessing/positive thing gives us a skewed image of reality. On one hand, you're last stressed about things that happen...but on the other hand, you might be setting yourself up to take things less seriously. After all, some lessons are meant to kick your ass and make you feel like shit. Besides "everything happens for a reason", right? And sometimes the reason is simply that you're a dumbass who made a stupid choice.

But I digress! A wise DJ that I once knew asked me whether I'd rather be happy or right. To this day, I'm still trying to figure that out. But I find that as time goes on, I'm increasingly leaning towards the former.

- Alvin

p.s. I've been thinking a lot about happiness, and seeing as how my birthday is usually the most contemplative day of the year for me, maybe I'll save it for that. But if my past behaviour is an accurate predictor of future behaviour, I don't blame you for choosing not to hold your breath.

"Be ready when opportunity comes. 'Luck' is the time when preparation and opportunity meet."

- Roy D. Chapin Jr.

Unrealistic Goals Are Easier to Achieve

I was reading the 4-hour work week the other day, and I came across something that blew my mind - the author said that the most unrealistic goals are easier to achieve.


At first, I thought it was a crock of shit. But then I started thinking about it...and it's actually a good point. 


Why are entry-level jobs the hardest to get into? Why do cute girls get approached more than dimes? 


It's actually quite simple: competition's fiercest for mediocre goals because everyone's trying to be realistic. 


Aim high and genuinely want it, 'cause it's good to dream a little every now and then. See you at the top.


Peace,


- knowledge

Aim High

"Women who seek to be equal with men lack ambition" - Timothy Leary

Science Reveals How Not to Spill Your Coffee When Walking

*Thanks to Krysztof for sharing the link on fb*


You guys gotta read this article: http://news.yahoo.com/science-reveals-not-spill-coffee-walking-190011389.html


(read first before continuing)


LOL, amirite?


I've taken the liberty of breaking down the main points of the article:
"Common Sense Reveals How Not to Spill Your Coffee When Walking"
1) don't walk fast 2) make sure the coffee doesn't spill 3) don't do anything that would make the coffee spill 4) use a cup that makes the coffee less likely to spill


When people ask me what I do for a living, I tell them I solve first world problems (like it's no big deal)


- knowledge

Once The Game is Over, The King & The Pawn Go Back in The Same Box

Once the game is over, the king & the pawn go back in the same box - Italian Proverb

The Only Morality In a Cruel World is Chance

"The only morality in a cruel world is chance" - Two Face,from The Dark knight. 

Is it really? A lecture from one of my courses in bioethical research comes to mind. The short version of this real-life dilemma is that there are a lack of live organ donors in North America, so there's a system set in place to decide who receives the organ. For years, ethicists have been trying to figure out the fairest way to decide who gets to live, and who doesn't.

There are 2 main principles to approach this from: urgency or a first-come-first serve basis. If we choose urgency, then people who have been waiting on the list to live, are left to continue suffering or die (even if they've been waiting longer). If we choose the list, then people who aren't going to die are put ahead of people who are, for the sake of fairness & principle(which is contrary to how our emergency healthcare system works).

So a couple of ethicists have argued that the only morality in a cruel world is chance. But is this just the easy way out? Or is it really the fairest solution?

Peace,

- knowledge

CEO of J.P. Morgan's Reply to a Gold Digger

A reply from CEO of J.P. Morgan to a pretty girl seeking a rich husband

A young and pretty lady posted this on a popular forum:

Title: What should I do to marry a rich guy?

I'm going to be honest of what I'm going to say here.

I'm 25 this year. I'm very pretty, have style and good taste. I wish to marry a guy with $500k annual salary or above.

You might say that I'm greedy, but an annual salary of $1M is considered only as middle class in New York.

My requirement is not high. Is there anyone in this forum who has an income of $500k annual salary? Are you all married?

I wanted to ask: what should I do to marry rich persons like you?

Among those I've dated, the richest is $250k annual income, and it seems that this is my upper limit.

If someone is going to move into high cost residential area on the west of New York City Garden(?), $250k annual income is not enough.

I'm here humbly to ask a few questions:
1) Where do most rich bachelors hang out? (Please list down the names and addresses of bars, restaurant, gym)
2) Which age group should I target?
3) Why most wives of the riches are only average-looking? I've met a few girls who don't have looks and are not interesting, but they are able to marry rich guys.

4) How do you decide who can be your wife, and who can only be your girlfriend? (my target now is to get married)

Ms. Pretty

A philosophical reply from CEO of J.P. Morgan:

Dear Ms. Pretty,
I have read your post with great interest. Guess there are lots of girls out there who have similar questions like yours. Please allow me to analyse your situation as a professional investor.

My annual income is more than $500k, which meets your requirement, so I hope everyone believes that I'm not wasting time here.

From the standpoint of a business person, it is a bad decision to marry you. The answer is very simple, so let me explain.

Put the details aside, what you're trying to do is an exchange of "beauty" and "money" : Person A provides beauty, and Person B pays for it, fair and square.

However, there's a deadly problem here, your beauty will fade, but my money will not be gone without any good reason. The fact is, my income might increase from year to year, but you can't be prettier year after year.

Hence from the viewpoint of economics, I am an appreciation asset, and you are a depreciation asset. It's not just normal depreciation, but exponential depreciation. If that is your only asset, your value will be much worse 10 years later.

By the terms we use in Wall Street, every trading has a position, dating with you is also a "trading position".
If the trade value dropped we will sell it and it is not a good idea to keep it for long term - same goes with the marriage that you wanted. It might be cruel to say this, but in order to make a wiser decision any assets with great depreciation value will be sold or "leased".

Anyone with over $500k annual income is not a fool; we would only date you, but will not marry you. I would advice that you forget looking for any clues to marry a rich guy. And by the way, you could make yourself to become a rich person with $500k annual income.This has better chance than finding a rich fool.

Hope this reply helps.

signed,
J.P. Morgan CEO


--------


Real or not - this shit is truth


- knowledge

Nurturing Creativity

I'd never post a 20 minute video unless it was worth watching in it's entirety.




Also, if you haven't heard of TED Talks, check it out. They're basically amazing lectures and presentations from renowned professors, officials, etc. from around the world.

I wrote a piece about Kony when it was still fresh and it's an interesting angle, but I'm not sure if I want to post it. I hate that this always happens (maybe the video's more relevant than I initially thought).

Peace,

- knowledge

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

"We accept the love we think we deserve."

- Steven Chbosky

Happy New Year

Here's to a good 2012.

Live a little; live a lot.

Peace,

- knowledge

---
On a side note, I'm really considering just posting axioms, idioms, and quotes (both from myself and others). Let me know what you guys think...

Why Change for Others?

I was watching a show called Community and the main characters are concerned for one of their friends, Abed, because he's a bit unconventional. They worry for him because they find out that some girl might like him (and she's actually attractive). They're afraid that he might not get another shot at a girl like this. They try to change Abed by giving him advice on how to behave, act, and talk. Abed follows their instructions only to have the group realize in the end that they didn't really need to "help" him.

In the end, they find out that he actually never had a problem with girls - that he even pretty much has enough game to get any one that he wants; and he does. He tells them that people try to help him all the time and they get frustrated when he doesn't let them try...so he lets them find out for themselves and he changes for his friends because it matters more to them than it does to him.

"Changing for other people isn't such a big deal when you know who you are and what you really like about yourself." - Abed Nadir, Community

Merry Christmas (With Statistics)

Read this somehwhere:

Is Santa Real?



1) No known species of reindeer can fly. BUT there are 300,000 species of living organisms yet to be classified, and while most of these are insects and germs, this does not COMPLETELY rule out flying reindeer which only Santa has ever seen.

2) There are 2 billion children (persons under 1 in the world. BUT since Santa doesn't (appear) to handle the Muslim, Hindu, Jewish and Buddhist children, that reduces the workload to 15% of the total - 378 million according to Population Reference Bureau. At an average (census) rate of 3.5 children per household, that's 91.8 million homes. One presumes there's at least one good child in each.

3) Santa has 31 hours of Christmas to work with, thanks to the different time zones and the rotation of the earth, assuming he travels east to west (which seems logical). This works out to 822.6 visits per second. This is to say that for each Christian household with good children, Santa has 1/1000th of a second to park, hop out of the sleigh, jump down the chimney, fill the stockings, distribute the remaining presents under the tree, eat whatever snacks have been left, get back up the chimney, get back into the sleigh and move on to the next house. Assuming that each of these 91.8 million stops are evenly distributed around the earth (which, of course, we know to be false but for the purpose of our calculations we will accept), we are now talking about .78 miles per household, a total trip of 75 million miles, not counting stops to do what most of us must do at least once every 31 hours, plus feeding, etc.

This means that Santa's sleigh is moving at 650 miles per second, 3,000 time the speed of sound. For purposes of comparison, the fastest man-made vehicle on earth, the Ulysses space probe, moves at a poky 27.4 miles per second - a conventional reindeer can run, tops, 15 miles per hour.

4) The payload on the sleigh adds another interesting element. Assuming that each child gets nothing more than a medium-sized lego set (2 pounds), the sleigh is carrying 321,300 tons, not counting Santa, who is invariably described as overweight. On land, the conventional reindeer can pull no more than 300 pounds. Even granting the "flying reindeer" (see point #1) could pull TEN TIMES the normal amount, we cannot do the job with eight, or even nine. We need 214,200 reindeer. This increases the payload -not even counting the weight of the sleigh - to 353,430 tons. Again, for comparison - this is four times the weight of the Queen Elizabeth.

5) 353,000 tons travelling at 650 miles per second creates enormous air resistance - this will heat the reindeer up in the same fashion as spacecraft re-entering the earth's atmosphere. The lead pair of reindeer will absorb 14.3 QUINTILLION joules of energy. Per second. Each. In short, they will burst into flame almost instantaneously, exposing the reindeer behind them, and create deafening sonic booms in their wake. The entire reindeer team will be vaporized within 4.26 thousandths of a second. Santa, meanwhile, will be subjected to centrifugal forces 17,500.06 times greater than gravity. A 250-pound Santa (which seems ludicrously slim) would be pinned to the back of his sleigh by 4,315,015 pounds of force. In conclusion - If Santa ever DID deliver presents on Christmas Eve, he's dead now.

Merry Christmas!

Seriously - have a Merry Christmas & all that crap (lol). If you don't celebrate it, then enjoy your day off. And if you don't have the day off, then sorry your life SUCKS. hahaha

Peace,

- knowledge

lmao..How is This a Real Song?

I've included a video with the lyrics so you can follow along. I'm trying to figure out if a religious person should be offended, or if it's actually a legitimate reason to pray for.

"Oh Lord, don't let me cheat on my girlfriend. But Lord, if you can't stop me from cheating, just don't let me get caught (neva eva. Neva eva)". Hahahaha

Good luck with exams, everyone

- knowledge