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 37 1940

Articles from Sui Generis

Stand Up, Speak Out 2007-10-12 02:50:00 Facts: More than 800 million people go to bed hungry every day. Over 1 billion people live on less than $1 a day with nearly half the world's population (2.8 billion) living on less than $2 a day.You can do something about it today. It's not that hard for you to make an impact. All it takes is 3 simple steps. 1) Go to the official site for more information on the campaign, and to find an event near you. 2) Follow the campaign on Twitter. 3) Blog about the campaign to raise awareness and get others involved.Thanks to Chris Brogan for bringing this to my attention. For more information on what you can do, check out http://www.whurley.com/blog/2007/10/stand-up-speak-.htmlLike my blog? Make a donation. For more information, click here. ...

Richard Branson at TED 2007-10-11 11:21:00 Richard Branson is a name you probably all know. Here's a 30 minute video of Chris Anderson interviewing him. A great insight into the life of a remarkable person. There's so much he says there that spoke to me. The confidence in himself is obvious (not in the least when he tells Chris Anderson that he "wouldn't disagree" with being called a genius). The passion for what he does is obvious. The importance he places in people and relationship is really obvious. I could go on and on. All things that I believe in a lot and have blogged about a lot (as have many others). Watch the video, and be inspired.Like my blog? Make a donation. For more information, click here. ...

Necessity or Enjoyment? 2007-10-11 10:49:00 It is commonly said that humans are one of the only species of animals to engage in sex for pleasure. I'm not going to go into a debate about whether this is true, and for the purpose of this post - to make a point - I'm going to assume that it is.I think it's an interesting thing to note. Yes, even for us, sexual intercourse does serve the same purpose of stopping our species' from becoming extinct, but how many people actually think that when they are engaging in it? I don't have experience in the area, but I believe the answer is none (or at least close to none). And that's one thing that sets us apart from the other animals - other than opposable thumbs, etc. What they do out of necessity we do for pleasure.Would it be too far to go to link that fact to humans' higher intelligence? Either way, I think most of you (if you've read this blog before) would know where I'm going with this. Even our main biological purpose (reproducing so as to not get extinct) is something that ...

Traffic Lights 2007-10-10 10:52:00 Traffic lights turn red sometimes. And when they turn red, we have to stop. If we carry on when there's a red light, it could lead to an accident. We all know the light will soon turn green again, and that it's much better to wait for it to turn green.We sometimes have to face traffic lights in life as well. There are times when the best thing to do is just to stop, to do nothing. Tiny Gigantic tells us in the post "The importance of unstructured time" that 'sometimes the only way to do really good work is to stop “working”, and to stop thinking about whatever it is you call work.'In almost everything you do, there are some times that you just need to stop and hold back. And almost all the time, the light will turn green again. We need to learn to wait for the right time to move forward. If you don't heed the "red light", moving forward can be catastrophic.What "red lights" are you facing today? What are you doing that you might be better off holding back?Like my blog? Make a ...

Jigsaw Puzzles 2007-10-09 10:05:00 I'm sure all of us have some experiences with jigsaw puzzles.A jigsaw wouldn't be much fun if all the pieces were the same. In jigsaws, most of the pieces (if not all) are different. When you try to fit the pieces in together, we don't try to make all the pieces the same. We look for the right place, where the piece compliments those around.The same goes for life, and society. We always hear about people wanting to "fit in" and such. Most of the time, they say they can't fit in because they're too different, and thus are attempting to be more like those around them. They wish they weren't so different. But just like a piece of a jigsaw, fitting in in society is not about being the same as everyone. It's about finding the right place for yourself, where even though you are different, you compliment those around you. It's about finding a place where you can connect with people, even people who are completely different.That's where the fun and challenge of a jigsaw comes from. Fr ...

The Miserable 21st Century 2007-10-08 11:16:00 Yes, technology is much more advanced today. Yes, we have so much available to us. But yet, there is a case for this century being a very miserable one.Cracked.com gives us 7 reasons why the 21st Century is making you miserable. It's all about relationships. With the "global communication" tools available, many of us have less closer friends, and are a lot lonelier. We are physical creatures, and the internet, as good as it is, can't fully replace the physical interactions we need. It's a problem many of us know about, but yet, it's something that few people overcome.As much as I think it's good to meet people and connect with people through the internet, we need to merge those connections with real life, physical ones. Online connections are so much more meaningful when they are brought to the personal, physical realm (which is why I'm incorporating things like the Jajah widget for you to call me). And real life friends are even more important and irreplaceable. I myself stand t ...

Call Me With Jajah 2007-10-08 10:52:00 I have recently gotten a Jajah account and button for my blog. So you, my readers, can call me. If you have a Jajah account, the call is free. Even if you aren't a member, you can call me for a very low rate.This is just one other way I'm trying to connect with my readers. I don't really know how well Jajah will work, but just thought I'd give it a shot. You can call using the above button, or the one in the sidebar on the left. My phone is with my almost 24/7, so feel free to give me a call anytime, even if it's just for a chat. It's always a pleasure to hear from my readers.Also, if you haven't already seen it, I have recently (finally) signed up with Twitter. My 3 latest Tweets are displayed on the sidebar. I'll be using it to post my thoughts, and various interesting reads I find, or questions that I think about. Just small nuggets to get you thinking. If you like what you see, why don't you follow me on twitter.Like my blog? Make a donation. For more information, click he ...

Personal Development List: My Additions 2007-10-08 09:15:00 I mentioned last month that I was added to Priscilla Palmer's Personal Development List.Been thinking about it, and I just thought I should contribute to it. So here's 3 blogs that aren't there yet (or maybe they are and my eyesight is failing me), but which I think you should read. And which I think deserve to be on the list.Life, Goal, Action - A really good blog that encourages you to achieve the extraordinary.Kevin Carroll Katalyst Blog - Kevin is a great believer in the power of play (at least I think so, based on his blog). Read his blog, and hopefully you'll start believing too.Tiny Gigantic - Unique insights on a wide variety of things. A fun read, that will definitely get you thinking.Check them out. Subscribe to them, and think about what they write.Like my blog? Make a donation. For more information, click here. ...

ON Blog 2007-10-08 05:49:00 I'm happy to announce that this blog, Sui Generis, has been awarded the Outstanding New Blog award by OrbitNow. It's the first award I've gotten, and the badge is displayed on the sidebar as well.Here is a full list of recognized ON Blogs:About Every Little Thing by Lis Abundance Journal by Belle Wong (Toronto, Ontario) Angela Maiers by Angela Maiers Attitude, Ultimate Power by Mel Kaye C is for Corrie by Corrie Haffly Confident Writing by Joanna Young Continuum Wellness by Catherine Creatorship by Barbara Sliter Employer Ease by Carl Lingen Get Fresh Minds by Katie Konrath How To Be An Original by Lodewijk van den Broek Innovating to Win by Jim Todhunter Lead Quietly by Don Frederiksen Litemind by Luciano Passuello Moment on Monday by Art Dinkin My Beautiful Chaos by April Groves Rooms of My Heart by Trinity Runners Lounge by Amy Hunold-Van Gundy and Tom Green Sui Generis by Derrick Kwa Tamara by Tamara Dull The Happy Burro by Joe Raasch The Road Map by Ron Bland ThoughtSparks by P ...

Dwight Yorke - Reinventing Yourself 2007-10-07 10:04:00 Just watched the Arsenal-Sunderland match, and something came to mind. One of the Sunderland players who stood out was Dwight Yorke. I'm not a big fan of the player, but still, there's something we can learn from him.First, a little history about Dwight Yorke. He's a former Treble winner with Manchester United, and was an essential part of that team. He made his name as a striker. At his peak, he was one of the most lethal goal scorers in England, scoring 47 goals in 95 games for United, and 73 in 232 appearances for Aston Villa before that.But today, for Sunderland, he's playing as a holding midfielder. For non-soccer fans, that means he's a defensive midfielder, playing just in front of the defense. That's a big change. From playing up front as a striker, to playing in front of the defense as a holding midfielder. Yet, he performed tremendously well, and was crucial in Sunderland's performance today.He's 35 now, and he wouldn't really have succeeded at this level as a strike ...

Sea of Pink 2007-10-07 09:26:00 CBC reports about two Nova Scotia students who stood up up for a bullied student. The unnamed student was bullied on for wearing pink on his first day. The two students heard about it and started a campaign they called a "sea of pink", asking fellow students to wear pink in support.A great example of what a couple of students are capable of. If you believe in something, stand up for it and support it. If a couple of students can make a difference like that, so can you.What can you stand up for today?Like my blog? Make a donation. For more information, click here. ...

Thanks to Sarah Deutsch 2007-10-05 12:35:00 I want to take the chance to thank Sarah Deutsch, from the Drama Farm.I've mentioned her quite a few times before, but I want to thank her for her donation. She was the first to donate to my blog. It might not have been a big donation (I won't mention the exact amount), but it was a very awesome gesture. She herself is collecting funds for the Drama Farm, and yet she took the time (and money) out to donate to my blog. It's a gesture that I really appreciate.So, to Sarah, thanks! =). And for the rest of you, you should check out the Drama Farm. I suggest you guys support it in any way you can. I think it's a great organization, and by an even greater person.Like my blog? Make a donation. For more information, click here. ...

Relativity 2007-10-05 09:39:00 Karl Moore has an interesting take on the Theory of Relativity.Yes, I know all the physicists are probably cringing now. But, I think it's an important thing we should take note of. There are 2 applications of this.The first thing is what Karl mentioned. To be open to other people's views.Secondly, sometimes others might not understand what you're doing. Don't let it affect your actions. Go with what you believe. One effect of relativity is time dilation, "the increase in the time between two events as measured by an observer who is outside of the reference frame in which the events take place" (definition from About.com). If you're not moving, you won't see progress around you as easily. Sometimes to see progress, to be visionary, you need to take a step forward. It's recursive, in my opinion. The more you're moving forward, the more you'll be able to see progress, the faster you'll move.Take that step forward today. You'll start seeing things in a different light. You'll ...

Full Lectures on Video 2007-10-04 10:31:00 CNet News reports that UC Berkeley has announced that it will post full video lectures on YouTube. They are apparently the first university to do it, and full credit to them. I think it's a really good move, to make education available to the masses.They currently have over 300 hours of videos, and will continue expanding the selection. The videos can be found at youtube.com/ucberkeley. I recommend you check it out. I definitely will.Like my blog? Make a donation. For more information, click here. ...

Propose via LCD 2007-10-04 09:57:00 Crave: The Gadget Blog tells us about Euricase. It's basically an engagement ring box with a LCD screen inside, that can show your personal message, among other things.While it's an intriguing use of technology, I think the question has to be asked - has technology really made society THAT impersonal that even a proposal is done through a message on a LCD screen?Like my blog? Make a donation. For more information, click here. ...