Sui Generis People in the world today, especially in Singapore, are too willing to settle for fitting in with the status quo and just doing what they are told to do. Here's my thoughts on society, education and life in general; and my views on being significant. Statistics Unique Visitors: Total Unique Visitors: Outgoing: Total Outgoing: 0 0 38 1902

Articles from Sui Generis

Pointless rules 2007-08-31 09:06:00 The Coloradoan reports that an elementary school has banned tag.I think this is really stupid. The "protection" of children has become really absurd. I don't think I need to go into the reasons because well, if you ask me, it's quite obvious why it's a really terrible decision. But if you really don't know, read the comments there.Here's a second example of policy makers who don't think about their actions. NCAA has asked an OU fan to stop his fund-raiser for a college player who was killed in a school shooting.It's amazing (and quite scary) how often the people in power don't think about what they are doing and just blindly follow the rules. How about actually having some intelligent people in power one day? I think society will be much better off if that happens.Both links via Coyote Blog: Mindless Rules Enforcement ...

Life is a Hike 2007-08-31 08:33:00 LifeGoalAction compares life to a hike, and tells us that you can't take everything.clipped from www.lifegoalaction.comOur lives are just like hiking only more complex. Everything that we want to achieve in our lives adds to the load we must carry. There is an endless string of things that we may pursue but one day we have to come to the realisation that we can’t pursue them all. The guy who told you that you could have everything was a lier.Some really good points, which relates back to the value of having focus. If you really want to make a difference, you have to focus on that one thing and go all out for it. You can't try to do it all.I want to build on the hiking analogy, though, and take it a bit further. How many of you, when you go on a hike, don't know where you're going? You don't go on a hike without a map or a compass, and without a planned route. Same goes for life, don't you think? It pays to know where you're going, even if it's just a general idea.Secondly, ...

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer 2007-08-30 13:19:00 Even though I'm an Arsenal fan, I still do want to pay tribute to Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Manchester United striker who has just retired a couple of days ago. What made him so great? A couple of things, if you ask me.Firstly, his attitude. He always played for the team and not for himself. He never sulked or whined to the press when he wasn't in the starting line up. But when he did get the chance to come on, he grabbed the opportunity and made the most of it, thus making his name as a super-sub.That attitude of grabbing whatever opportunity came his way translated itself to the pitch as well. Which is the second thing that made him great. The goalscoring instinct. He knew where the ball was going, and was always quick to react. Who can forget his goal against Bayern Munich in 1999 at the Camp Nou? I'm an Arsenal fan and even I understand and appreciate that goal. It was a goal of pure instinct.Always positioning himself well, being in the right place at the right time, and taking ...

Stopping 2007-08-29 11:42:00 How many of you, if you were the driver of the car on the left, would drive on, accelerating harder? Or would you stop and turn around?I think a lot of you would agree that the latter is the better choice. Once in a while, if you push hard enough and go fast enough, you'll probably be able to break through the wall, but you'll still come out with a dented car. Stopping and turning around would be a better idea.We accept this very willingly when it comes to situations like this. When we're lost, or if we hit a dead end when driving, we stop, and turn around. We don't try to go further in the same direction.Yet we do that when it comes to life. When we hit a brick wall in what we're attempting to do, we often want to try harder/work harder. Sometimes, in the right conditions, opportunities come and you can get through it. But there are times when you need to stop what you're doing and turn around.Trying harder and putting in more effort isn't always the way to get out of a dead en ...

Body Heat: The Next Energy Source 2007-08-29 11:18:00 TechWorld reports that body heat is being touted as a power source.Interesting read, and I think it'll be really cool if/when it really does happen. Seems like "Unleashing the power within you" could well become a literal statement. Human beings are capable of so much (even in the physical), and I can't wait to see what developments come next.There's power within you, literally. ...

Making Exams Easier 2007-08-29 11:08:00 Times reports that UK examiners are being told to make science exams easier.Once again, I think this is an example of how the completely wrong aspect of education is being emphasized. I've never been that big a supporter of exams and all, but supporters of the system always talk about how they are the only way to measure how well a student grasps the concepts taught. Doesn't making the exams easier completely undermine the purpose of the exams then? It places the focus solely on results, and on attaining good results just to look good, instead of what you've actually learned. If you ask me, the educators should instead be focusing on working on the curriculum and/or their teaching methods.Link via Slashdot - New UK Initiative - Make Science Easier ...

Spot a Fake Rolex 2007-08-28 11:38:00 Product Dose gives us tips on how to spot a fake Rolex.I've never owned a Rolex, but it's an interesting read. A lot of the points revolve around precision and the small details. One thing about the article that strikes me. No matter how hard you try to fake something, there are always ways to spot a fake. It's practically impossible to make a fake as good as the original.The same concept goes for our lives. So many times we aspire to be like someone else, a celebrity or a Forbes CEO or even a close and highly respected friend. And while it's good to take inspiration from these people, we shouldn't try to just copy them. No matter what we do, it's almost impossible to truly be like someone else. We'll almost always miss out the small details, and the details are what makes the person.To quote Steve Jobs, "Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life."What about you? Are you trying to live someone else's life? ...

Sparknotes 2007-08-28 11:27:00 Christopher Dawson of ZDNet tells us that SparkNotes isn't the root of all evil.He makes a really good point. But I think that really epitomizes the failure of the formal education system. When everything seems to be based on the results (and with the desire for immediate results in today's world), can you really blame students for plagiarizing SparkNotes? ...

Be Yourself 2007-08-27 11:37:00 Lifehack has a great article about why being yourself matters.If you only read one thing today, I suggest you read this. Really a great argument against conformity.“The opposite of courage in our society is not cowardice…it is conformity.” - Rollo May, Man’s Search for Himself. ...