I like my job, as a librarian. It gives me time and space of my own to do the things I want to do. The work is good, much better than a teacher. Yet, I'm so lost with what to do with my free time. So much so that I'm starting to feel the void and emptiness everytime I come home from work. So much so that I'm lossing sleep and feeling down. I need to engage in some enriching social activity out of work, but what is it I want?

Genre: Non-Fiction, Conduct of life
Title: The importance of living
Author: Lin, Yutang, 1895-1976.
Publisher: Singapore : Cultured Lotus, 2001.

Call number: English 128 LIN
Available at most libraries

Book review:

Witty and humourous, Lin Yutang managed to entertain and yet at the same time, shared great insights to the way of life. Don’t let the title fool you into thinking that it’s a book that involves deep thought and written in the abstract philosophical prose of ancient Chinese classics. Very much on the other end of the road, Lin combined anecdote, parables, stories and jokes to make the most serious matters into light-hearted ones. The importance of life is readable to anyone from all walks of life. Daoism and Confucianism shape Lin’s views, but Lin is mostly a Daoist. He preaches the Chinese Daoist way of life of idleness and humour as the highest ideal of life, successfully reflecting on what happiness should be and how to really enjoy life. Lin wants us to appreciate simplicity and he actually talked in details on very ordinary stuffs like the best way to drink tea, on lying on a bed, on sitting on a chair or even how and what to eat.

He gives such a real representation of life that anyone can identify with and marvel at the way he brings across certain issues. Lin likes to write fictions short stories, many a times extremely ridiculous and nonsensical. Be reminded that though many stories draws from a touchy religious context, Lin does not go overboard and that we ought to seriously give it a pinch of salt. In the story, Adam and Eve lived together. But one day Adam just got so sick of Eve nagging at him that he went to God and asked God to take Eve away. So Adam grew lonely without Eve to the extent that he could not bear it any longer and went to God, asking for Eve back. This cycle took place so many times that eventually God got so sick that he washed his hands off the whole matter, with Adam and Eve stuck together forever! Lin does it again; this potential comedy central stand-up comedian gave such a realistic account of human desire of company and freedom at the same time. This particular story leaves the deepest impression, and oh……… how so much of it that I can identify with it!

Lin is a contemporary equivalent of Zhuangzhi, one of the ancient Chinese great thinkers who shaped Daoism. For those who have no idea of who Zhuangzhi is, do read Lin’s works. Lin writes as if he was Zhuangzhi, the style and humour, the way they look at worldly matters. I can’t help to suspect if he was Zhuangzhi himself, only to be writing in English instead of Chinese. Lin’s writing is pleasant to read and easy to follow, and exceptionally funny. He frees us from our own entrapping mind muddled and dull with unimportant matters of power, fame and wealth. Lin wants us to liberate ourselves, to free our souls from the pursuit of world riches. To nourish the spirit and mind by embracing simplicity and treat matters less seriously. Never had I laughed and smiled so much when I read. Reading this book is simply relaxing and soothing. It teaches us that the world is already a beautiful place and be appreciate of what we have. It is a must-read for Singaporeans who always complained of a stressful life.

The importance of life is a good book that presents to readers a practical, applicable and accurate world of Chinese Daoism through Lin’s eyes. With my deepest reverence to comment on a writer who has influenced me so much, Lin is inevitably one of the greatest writers of the century.

Someone posted me a question. Why have examinations? How it came about? Who invented the examinations? I did General history of China in NUS and worked right up from my knowledge. What I knew was the the purpose of the imperial civil service exam is a way to select suitable candidates for vacancies in the bureacracy. What I didn't noe was that the invention of written exams can be attributed to China. Kudos to Confucianism that now we have to have exams in NUS and other institutions. It seems that the West was influenced by China to introduce exams as well.





"The Chinese examination system is the earliest written examinations. China is the first country that uses such a system to pick eligible candidate for officialdom. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica (11th and 14th ed.), “the oldest known system of examinations in history is that used in China for the selection of officers for the public service(c. 1115B.C.), and the periodic tests which they undergo after entry (c. 2200B.C.)” It was said that exams had its place already during the Zhou Dynasty (1100BC). Government officials in office and candidates for appointment were examined. During the powerful reign of the Han dynasty (221B.C. to 220A.D), there were measures taken to standardize the informal past practice of examination into a concise and orderly structured system.

During this period of time there is no found record of the existence of a formal examination system in civilizations of Greece, Rome, Egypt, Persia, Mesopotamia and Assyria.

Development of examinations in the West is very late compared to China. There were no formal systems of examination in Greece and Rome, nor in the Cathedral and Monastery schools till the year 1215, which is the earliest date given for western examinations. This kind of examination was mainly oral examinations, where candidates spoke and express their answer verbally. Written exams started only in the 18th century in the West.

The examination system in China plays a very important role in the Chinese society. The civil service examination system developed gradually over the years. It is through the success at the examination that the Chinese scholars gained official posts in the government that gave them power, fame and wealth.

The examinations were based on Confucian classics and nothing else. Other fields are not subjects of study for the Chinese Scholars. Confucianism stressed the cultivation of morality. For two thousand years, there had not been any changes to the focus of the exams. Scholars study for one purpose in mind, to pass government examinations in order to earn an official appointment in the government. The examination system is the only way of entering into politics. The Chinese people also regarded scholars highly with respect.

On the other hand, this system of examination serves a purpose to the government. It proved to be a cultural unity tool. Scholars preparing for the exams studied the same books, memorized the same Confucian teaching, and as a result adapted the same set of traditions and cultural values. It formed the base of the preservation of the Chinese culture of Confucianism. This is one of the underlying reasons why the China civilization could survive so many years as one of the oldest civilization in the world."

Sources:
JSTOR

I love this database. I used it in NUS, now I'm using it for my work also. Almost can find anything.

This is my first book review, as a librarian. If I have made you interested in the book, I have succeeded in my objective. Hahaha.


Genre: Fiction- Fairy Tales (AYP)
Title: The happy prince and other stories
Author: Wilde, Oscar, 1854-1900
Series Title: Penguin popular classics
Publisher: Middlesex: Penguin Books Ltd, 1994
Notes: “Complete and unabridged”--cover

Call number: English WIL

Review:

Think that you are too old for fairy tales? You may have heard of the story of the happy prince when you were young but why deny yourself of a chance to read this wonderful tale again? Take a break from the world of reality that is stifling our mind of fantasy. Immerse yourself in the stories told by Wilde, as his provocative tales evokes your wildest imagination. The happy prince is an extremely powerful piece of writing by Wilde, which is compelling to read. Through Wilde’s painted imaginary world and vivid description, the emotional response provoked within each piece of writing not only touches the reader, but also infused within it, an underlying message of wisdom and morality. This version of Wilde’s writings is more suitable for older age groups rather than children, owing to the complexity of the story plot development of certain tales and the old English style of writing being used. It may not be that comprehensible for young children. It is the circulated simplified version of Wilde’s fairy tales that are more reader-friendly and popular among kids. Have forbearance that happy endings are not always found in Wilde’s fairy tales.

This Penguin Classics comprises of a number of short stories. “The Happy Prince” is the best tale out of the collection. The Happy Prince, a statue adorned with riches, witnessed the sufferings of poverty and hunger. Filled with compassion and love, he chose to give away the pieces of jewels and gold on him, through the help of a swallow, to the needy. The citizens of the town, ignorant of the happy prince’s noble acts, chose to remove him and melt down the ugly statue that is deprived of its former beauty.

In “The nightingale and the rose”, the nightingale gave up its life for the greater good of love. A young man was helplessly in love with a young maiden but she would only go out with him if he present to her a red rose, which could not be found during the time of the year. The nightingale overheard this and went out on its own to search for the red rose. The price, was high, the rose could only be grown using its own blood!

The young prince, from “the young king”, had strange dreams on the night before the coronation about the sufferings of his people. He refused to put on his robe and crown as he realized that these adornments came at the inextricably unjust price of his people’s blood and sweat. Despite the scorns and bitter remarks from his assembly of knights and even disapproval from the bishop, the young prince humbly put on plain tunic and cloak as his robe, a shepherd’s staff as his scepter and wild briar as his crown. Would the people of the state come to accept this young prince with the raiment of a beggar as the rightful king?

“The fisherman and the soul” is an imaginative tale of a young man who chose to give up his soul, his shadow, in order to live with a mermaid that he loved. In this mystic and magical tale, the man’s abandoned shadow picked up a personality and life of its own, as it travels around the world to gather riches and treasures to tempt his owner into accepting it back. Would the man be able to remain steadfast to his love and resist this temptation?

This collection of short stories is certainly worth reading, despite its old English writing. Unlike thick novels, little time is needed to finish the book. It is a good catch for you if you can’t afford much time to read. Of course, if you don’t find a particular story appealing, you can skip it, but I wouldn’t think you could bear to do so.

There are two things that i should not forget. And there they are.

Our Mission: "The National Library Board's mission is to expand the learning capacity of the nation so as to enhance national competitiveness and to promote a gracious society. "

In the next five years: "We aim to bring the world's knowledge to Singapore to create a positive social and economic impact."

I am GLJ (Great Librarian Javier)

A lot of briefing on the first day of work. I know my schedule and i'm starting to feel the workload already. It's gonna be very busy from now on, as I will be having extending out activities to the public, meetings, workshops, appraisals, moving from one library to another. Though my base is CCK, i will be going to different libraries in the west to work on projects. Now, I'm given the privilege to observe from the side-line and learn as much as I can. I'm gonna take over the duties of the current Librarian at the end of the month as she's relocating to another library as her base library.

No matter how daunting it looks, I am GLJ! 25 yr old! Nice to meet you.

I heard this from a Buddhist play. The song was nice, the music touched my heart, the lyrics were comforting. But I could not replicate the exact words, try as I might. I used my own words, but this is the message delivered across.

"You may be having a bad time now. You are suffering and the pain is unbearable, but this will all soon pass. The suffering is not permanent, it will soon go away, like happiness, it will soon go away. This is all impermanent. Nothing stays forever. No matter how painful it is now, it will leave you. The pain, as soon as you realise, is in the past. All you have to do, is to let go, let go of everything. Then you will not feel the pain anymore. "

Shit.

A monk once said this to the audience, "Life is filled with problems. Everyone has problems. It just that we face different problems. Monks have monk problems. Students have student problems. Married guys have marriage problems. Single guys have single guy problems. Life's filled with shit! And u carry that stinking shit around u. What do u do with that shit? Sometimes it just drop on u, from the sky, or from nowhere. Sometimes, other people throw their shit at u. What can we do about it? I suggest that u turn that shit into a fertiliser and used it in ur garden to grow plants. And hey, all that shit is not so bad after all."

I couldn't have said it better myself.

The month had past and it was a good break from any form of work. Probably I'm a little nervous about tml or due to the wu long tea i drank in the afternoon, I'm not ready to hit my bed and get unconscious for 7hrs. A little lack of sleep is not gonna do me much harm anyway. My entire month of sufficient sleep can easily offset the sleep debt. What the hell did I do for the month? It seems to crept pass silently before I came to realisation. No work is good. it relaxing. No work is bad too. No money. No income. Cannot do a lot of things. So I find solace in the comfort of my own house and do lots of reading. I think I achieved the most, counting by the number of books I completed. All chim books. I didn't retain much of what I read. Nvm.... that's me. Stephen Hawking's "A brief history of time" claims to be readable by avergae layman but I do have problems with comphrension of the bizzare phenomenal microscopic world. Not much better with the macro world of black holes and stars. About black holes, I only remember one line..... "Black holes are not so black afterall". It leaves the deepest impression on me because I always thought that black holes cannot be seen. That's y they are called black holes. It turns out that this "black" hole emit some kind of radiation and can be detected after all. Physics has become so complex and technical that only the expert can apprehend. A outsider of the field like me can only scratch my head and ponder about what I just read. Not that it's much of a help.

Next, I'm proud to proclaim that I finally read my first Buddhist sutra. A translated english version of "Lotus Sutra" by Burton Watson. My parents are Buddhist, so naturally I'm a Buddhist too. I know a little about the teachings and central ideas of Buddhism and I habour thoughts of verifying my knowledge through a sutra. I had big findings from the book. But, sad to say, all this are more to an academic point of view, it's easy to talk about stuffs, and say that u understand something, but it is totally different in terms of carrying out what you think is correct.

This story illustrates my point. A zen story goes like this. An old man asked a monk what is the way of living. The monk replied, "Do good deeds. Avoid evil deeds." The old man laughed and said, "Even a 7 yr old kid noes this!" The monk replied," But how many people can actually do this? "

At the end of the day, The lotus Sutra talks nothing about the Lotus Sutra. Perplexed? The reality and truth is not to be spoken, but felt and understood. Lotus Sutra, 28 chapters in all, talks bout circumstances where the Sutra should be spoken and benefits of the Sutra but never mention what the sutra preaches. It's like a book where there is only the preface but no true content. Its written in a poetic form, depicts a imagined scene where Buddha was speaking to all sorts of creatures, not just the human, but also non-human. If u asked me whether I have understood the Sutra, yes and no. I understood the words. But I did not capture the true wisdom of it. Afterall, the sutra, as it claims, is the gateway to attaining Buddhahood. Any normal layman will be confused, perplexed and troubled by it. I'm a normal layman. But I'm conclusive about the central theme of emptiness in Buddhism. I spotted the parallel doctrines with that Of Daoism, in which likewise, calls for the elimnation of distinctions. Distinctions are implied when words are used. So to rid of distinctions, one must rid of words. So the truth cannot be represented by words because distinctions do not exist in truth.

Reality is not as one percieved but there is more than one reality. Humans can only observe one of it. Shockingly, quantum mechanics spoke of a similar point about a dualism. That an electron can act as a particle, or as a wave. This means that the observer affected the result of the test. Before an observer comes along and look at the electron, it can either behave as a particle, or a wave, but once an observer comes and look at the electron, the electron have to fall into either one of the two states, either a particle, or an wave, depending on the circumstances applied.

It is particularly alluring to me that I would like to draw a link between non-distinction, highligthed in the Dao and Buddhist doctrine and quantum mechanics of dualism, where we can no longer be comfortable to give a definite claim to whether an electron is a particle or an wave. This inevitably leads to a non-distinction micrscopic world, where electrons are ruled and governed by probabilties. No matter how tempting it may be and that quantum mechanics may explain many things, but theories are not permanent conclusive claims. A theory can be disproved, when results differ from predictions. The old theory can make way for a new theory. It may not be a wise idea afterall to say that Zhuangzhi, a man so much ahead of his time, had predicted quantum mechanics.

Valentine's Day Blues

It is the right ambience and you hope that it can be like this forever. The candlelight dinner is perfect not because of the excellent meal, but the person who is sitting opposite of you. Valentine's Day is great if only you have a date. It's the particular day that highlights the day that you are still single. It brings that out even more when u walk on the street and realise that couples look at each other lovingly and ladies holding roses. Valentine's Day is boring for singles and u really feel more sucky than usual. Its just not that day for us. V-Day not the day for us, singletons. It's for couples. So I have no idea how I can pass the day seeing couples enjoying their moments together.

Missing my life


I have been stuck to an awfully boring life before the CNY period. Because of my cough, I'm restricted to numerous activities. I'm rotting at home and it could have been worst if not for CNY. I got to go out and talk like I have never talked before. I miss my social life and I really hope that I could get well really soon. Miss drinking, miss the clubs and alcohol, miss the tea house, miss kbox, miss ECP..... so many things I wanna do!

Acute bronchitis


To claim that I'm allergic to student is an overstatement. I'm prone to coughing, since young. But to be in a position of a teacher, just expose myself to more chances of chronic coughing since I need to project my voice. But as a student, i cough for the slightest reasons, drinking from water-cooler, drinking cold drinks and well, you understand my point. I'm just vulnerable to bacteria infection in my upper respiratory tract, which in short URTI. But infection can spread downwards and you call that bronchitis. I'm currently diagnosed with acute bronchitis but don't let the name mislead you into thinking its something really bad. It is.....annoying and heavy coughing but its not as serious as TB or pneumonia. Just coughing cause by bacteria that may take up to 3 to 4 weeks to recover. Yupz, and my doc prescribed me a damn heavy dose of antibiotic which behave like a nuclear warhead. It wipes out every single thing in path and my poor body is gonna take up serious damage from that. But there is no sign that my cough's getting any better. Acute bronchitis is unpleasant in this sense that you can't expect to see yourself improving even if the bacteria's not there anymore. I suppose the inflammation takes a much longer time to recover. Well, I still hope that I can get better and in time for the CNY festive season. Other wise, I will be sitting in a corner drooling at the goodies but can't have a bite of my own. That will be so tantalising..........

I have went for countless interviews, but I tend to overstated my figures. Anything above 4 is like countless to me. Anyway, yes I have went for countless interviews, to the extent that it is effortless. I used to make preparations and write scripts for my interviews. But the questions do not vary much for the different interviews and I will end up giving most or less the same kind of answer. I went for the NLB interview last week. I went for another one at ASTAR yesterday. All is left for me is to wait for an answer from them. However, out of the 2 options, i am more keen to take up the NLB post. The reason is clear. I am no longer a Science person. I'm a Arts person. I spent my spare time reading great literary works from old novels like "Romance of three kingdoms" to works 鲁迅(Lu Xun) nowadays. I chance upon secondary school texts in schools and I teared when i read the touching essays in the book. It is funny that the emotional sensation has changed. When I was a secondary school student, the chinese textbook left me unfazed. Now, i feel it in those stories. I'm feeling the story, not just simply reading it. I love reading this much. What better way to express my love for Chinese than to be engaged in a profession that allows me to work with books.

It will be fulfiling to me, through my efforts, that people start to aprreciate Chinese and stop having the wrong attitude towards Chinese. Chinese is not a tool for people to do business in China. That is just superficial. My own experience tells me that the love for the language is nurtured without conscious effort through the exposure to the different aspects of the chinese culture. It comes in a package, and one thing inevitably leads to another. I look forward to the day that I become a librarian.

King of Canto Pop

Sam Hui's holding a concert in Singapore on March. I doubt anyone of my age listens to his songs anymore. He may be an icon of the past but that does not devalue his songs. I find his songs to be nice and funny most of the times. The humour is in his lyrics, listen closely and you might realise how true his words reflect reality, at the same time laugh at how he cleverly pokes fun at the harsh world of cold cash devoid of the human touch of love. i won't want to miss the chance to listen to his songs live. Sam Hui's work is timeless and not something to be dismissed off. I wonder who can appreciate it with me. Hope I can find company, its too miserable to go on my own. Just check out this sistic website about the concert.

http://www.sistic.com.sg/portal/dt?dt.isPortletRequest=true&dt.action=process&dt.provider=PortletWindowProcessChannel&dt.windowProvider.targetPortletChannel=JSPTabContainer/sEventsCalendar/Event&dt.containerName=JSPTabContainer/sEventsCalendar&dt.windowProvider.currentChannelMode=VIEW&dt.window.portletAction=RENDER&contentCode=sam0308

When i'm gone, would anyone feel it? Would anyone knows or discerns the difference? Would anyone wept or maybe cheer? I'm just a speck of dust in this large world. I'm insignificant. What difference would it have made? It will still be the same. Nothing changes. No one felt any difference. It will just move on.....

29th Jan which means 2 more days to 31st Jan. As the date to my last day in school draws closer, I hardly felt anything about it. This can be attributed to my current health condition. Been coughing.... bad cough...felt that my lungs might be coughed out any moment. During my teaching stint, I'm vulnerable to coughing. It comes and goes. I could hardly be spared from the clutches of the bug which is BUGGING me now. No mood for anything. Just want to get well soon. 31st Jan or no 31st Jan, it doesn't matter. It doesn't mean anything to me, even it does spell the end of my teaching career. I just want to get well, that's all I care.

The act of buying something, be it big or small, is spirit-lifting and brings joy. I cannot explain the effects of shopping for me, but i noe just one thing, i feel good. Its like the purchasing power u have and the decisions u make you feel so alive again. U feel like a living person, not Dead, once u shop! And it may not just be shopping for clothes, it can be anything. Shop and save marts give me the same satisfaction that i can get. Its just crazy that i would be so happy when i'm in shop and save, buying food stufs like tidbit, sweets, chocolates. When i touch the packet of potato chips, i feel that this is all to life. Wa ha ha! I think i'm just plain insane!

I hate sales-based jobs....really really dislike sales. I don't buy the idea of convincing someone to get something. I am against the nature of sales. I prefer to provide a service. I like a sales promoter whom i approach instead and ask for recommendations. Then he answers my needs by matching wat i'm looking for and wat the product offers, not push around his goods to me which i dont even need! Still got sales target to meet and commission-based pay. Such unstable incomes that depends on how much u manage to sell at the end of the day. Crazy........"incentives" like that push sales people to desperate states. Explains sales people r so crazy and persistent in getting their stuffs offload to their customer. Wat losers! Come on people, if i need something, i will approach u! if i dont need anything, no matter how much u say, i still won't need it. The only reason i will buy it is to just please u so that u dont harrass me anymore. Stop harrassing me, u fleas..vermins.... pests!

I kind of miss her, now she's not there at her table. It's taken up by someone else. It feels awkward that when i look in the direction of where she used to sit, i see someone else instead. Miss the every morning warm greetings we had for each other... miss the lunch breaks together....miss the stuffs we did together.... it feels so different without her around.

Hairspray Music Video

Another Hairspray song! Good song to listen in the morning before going to work. 93.3 FM used that song too, it's changed to Good Morning, Singapore!