Unheard Voices

If I had the chance to advocate, sponsor or organise any human development programme, it would be one that encourages creative writing in the lowest dregs of society.

The unheard of are those we desperately need to hear from.

Music: theory and all

I'm back into music again. It's been heaven-knows-how-many years, but a certain piece at last year's Winter Concert got me hooked, and I've been determined to learn it ever since. Regular trips to the piano room were the first step.

It's been frustrating. Stiffness: tick. Lack of control: tick. Patchy memory of music theory: tick. Worst of all: no sheet music. All my books are at home, and it's been such a long time that I couldn't even pull off a piece without peeking at the first few bars first!

So how did I get by those first few months? If you've ever tried "picking up" a skill after a substantial amount of time, you'll know that muscle memory is your friend. That, and playing by ear. Legend has it that some people can never see the sheets and learn a piece entirely by ear...now that's talent. The best I've ever done is transcribe the melody of songs, then figure out what key they're written in and throw in some chords for good measure.

Legend also has it that people can be technically perfect at everything they attempt, but not know how to improvise. This whole "improvising" thing is darn mysterious isn't it. And alluring. I have an early memory of my first piano teacher improvising - it just took my breath away (it still does). Well that's one more thing on the wishlist I guess. But now I've got the sheets, that can wait.

I can read music without problem, but sight-singing is a whole different matter. Apparently I have zero perfect pitch, which is quite bizarre considering my tonal native language and years of musical training. Relative pitch on the other hand, is definitely my cup of tea: give me a starting note, any note, and I will transpose whole songs on the fly. It comes so naturally that I can't even practise choir parts without playing out the first few notes on the piano. Because of this lack of perfect pitch and a limited vocal range, I transpose nearly everything I sing and find it really hard to sing with standard accompaniments. Hence my disinterest in karaoke.

Afterthought: getting back into music does not mean taking the old route. I don't care if my arpeggios are unbalanced, Czerny and Hanon can go stuff themselves.

How to embed Google Maps in Google Sites

This may seem very obvious, but anyone who's been there knows that copying and pasting the HTML code does not work. The official gadget doesn't work either - you need an API key for that. In fact, I spent a good 1.5 hours wading knee deep in iframes and parameters before realising that the crux of the problem was superfluous ampersand codes. Ah the irony of it all. Being the kindly soul I am, I'm obliged to write up this tutorial in case anyone is tearing their hair out over this matter. Not that I've done so, mind you. (Close though.)

Right. Chop chop.

1. In the Google map you want to embed, click on "link" (in the top right corner), then copy the contents of the box labelled "Paste HTML to embed in website".

2. Paste the chunk of code into Notepad or some other text editor, and locate the URL that comes after "src=". Discard the rest. Then do a search (Ctrl+f) for "amp;", and remove every single instance of "amp;" in the code.

3. In the Google Sites page editor, click on "Insert" > "More" > "Add gadget by URL". Here's the URL:
http://hosting.gmodules.com/ig/gadgets/file/108621208120033273647/my_gadgets_gs.xml

(Updated 21.7.09. The old link from philippe.chappuis.googlepages.com doesn't work anymore)

4. Once you click "Add" the setup panel should come up. Grab the modified code from step 2 and paste it into the "File" field. Adjust settings as needed, click "OK", and voilà - there you have it!

All we're doing here is employing a gadget that does the work of an iframe. (The gadget in question comes from [this page].) But for some stupid reason the iframe codes given out by Google Maps have ampersand codes in place of "&" which renders them quite useless. Ampersand codes are used in HTML to make sure symbols display properly - beats me why they would turn up here.

More on ampersand codes:

HTML Ampersand Character Codes

Slightly tangential - a useful list of parameters I came across earlier:

Google Map Parameters

More than just dreams

I'm currently in the process of sorting out my stew of problems, which means a lot of aimless probing, trying to make sense of it all. It just so happens that I've stumbled across a likely culprit for a good number of issues.

Did I mention I suffer from procrastination, sleep problems and occasional depression (residue of two especially intensive outbreaks)? Well there's another thing that figures in this whole mess - dreams.

Dreams, not nightmares. Dreams so substantial and vivid that it's as if you're living an alternative life. Dreams in which you encounter new experiences, solve complicated problems, and gain memories related to earlier dreams. Dreams that operate on a plane of their own, with their own logic and physics and geography. If I saw a pink umbrella with polka dots on sale, I could make a mental note of it, then relocate it in another dream, some other time - it might still be there, or they might have changed their stock to green striped ones.

Never have I met anyone else in the same situation - but that's probably because people don't usually talk about this kind of stuff. The parallel worlds in The Lives of Christopher Chant (by Diana Wynne Jones) come close, though I obviously don't find sand in my bed after a trek through dream dunes!

The thing is, very few everyday experiences make it into my dreams. This does not necessarily make them unpleasant, only highly different, so much that it makes the transition from one state of mind to another very difficult. I guess this partially explains my reluctance to fall asleep or wake up.

Well I should be off now, to monitor velociraptor behaviour perhaps. Or plan the counterattack at dawn. Or observe the next hourglass storm. You never know ;)

Love

To me,

          LOVE ≈ TRUST.

In definite terms. Which explains a lot. (Hello folks!)

Not sure if this is normal, or am I just too sad??

Early Morning Madness

For some strange reason I woke abruptly at 2am this morning (perhaps it was the fact that I forced myself asleep at 9:40pm??) and had this undeniable urge to write up a shorthand system for recording origami directions. What the??!! (FYI the REM stuff had nothing whatsoever to do with origami)

Even more astounding is the fact that I did exactly that, instead of revising for the GEO101 exam or trying to get back to sleep! Pure MADNESS!!!

So, 7 pages of notes, 3 hours of scratching, 2 test models, and a gazillion versions of code later, I actually came up with a shorthand system that does the job. Fancy that. Not that I'm going to type it all out now, with exams coming up tomorrow...but here are the finished codes for the two models I worked on:

Traditional Crane
>BB. X180 [3-4] Y180 @ IR(3, Y120) @ IR(pp, Y30) MF-lv1!X90 @< Talking Frog (picked randomly from a book)
>PD. (3,1) (2-3,1) FP-DH2 (1-1,pp) D2 FL-D2 SQ-pl (3,1) Y180 (2-3-4):df1 a1a2-DV2 RF-a3-[1-2,3] FL-lv1-(1,2)@!#:df2 MF-[3,5]!Y90 ly2-(df2,df1)<

Oh. And the result of all this madness was that I totally blew my newly established circadian rhythm and slept in til 2pm. Bummer :(

The ULTIMATE Cure For Procrastination

Regarding procrastination self help articles: the people who preach time management and reward mechanisms and whatnot clearly don't get the amazing medical condition that is procrastination. Procrastinators are not dumb (and in all probability way smarter than your average bloke). They know exactly what they should and shouldn't be doing. They have probably researched the underlying psychology so thoroughly that a book length essay on the subject would be a no-brainer. And yet they procrastinate. It's mind-numbingly impossible but it's true.

Therefore I present the ULTIMATE cure for procrastination, sans frills - listen up now -

The key to ending procrastination is simply to press Alt+F4 then "Enter" on your keyboard, in rapid succession.

Alt+F4 then "Enter". Keep doing it. That's it. No strings attached. If it doesn't work then nothing else will, and you can go back to shuffling through that vicious cycle all over again :)


Pssst...you know you're a procrastinator when your subconscious spits out [stuff like this] XD

Insomnia, The Beast

Impossible to tame, dangerous to handle.

It lurks in the darkest corners of your mind, unobtrusive and good-natured, that is, until the lights go out.

It is a sly creature, with a temper of quicksilver and a wit of gold. Do not expect it to fall for the same snare twice in a row. Plan your moves oh so carefully, or else...suffer its displeasure.

It's WAR, grasshopper, an ongoing WAR. I've fought it for over half a decade, I ought to know...back when I was a young'un...

*Cough cough* Enough melodrama.

Here's a taste of the insomnia remedies I've tried, by rough order of success:

1. Screensaver Method

I devised this one myself: as your conscious mind rages out of control, bring up random, morphing mental images in the background. Make it a point to be completely intuitive and let the images flow freely into one another (ASLs may prefer using sounds). You need to be slightly ditzy beforehand for it to work (not guaranteed).

2. Music

Either it WORKS or it fails spectacularly. I've seen my share of dead batteries.

3. Lavender

Whether it's in tea, soap, shower gel, ointment, or the darned thing itself, I've tried it. Works a treat, but only with copious amounts and in conjunction with at least two other remedies. Shame.

4. Full Body Bind

Not the HP kind, you've been warned. It's just my name for a relaxing technique that involves loosening up your every muscle from tip to toe. Takes quite a while, and may sometimes backfire and leave you perkier than before.

5. Sleep Inducing Exercises

Oh the whole bunch. The "descending/ascending the stairs" one. The "3 sights, 3 sounds, 3 senses - real then imagined" one. The "breathe all funny" one. Can't even remember their names. Takes quite a while, and may sometimes backfire and leave you perkier than before.

6. Reverse Psychology

Keep your eyes open, leave the lights on, read something challenging etc. About as useful as long-term weather forecasts.

7. Proper Psychology

Close your eyes, turn the lights off, do mentally unchallenging tasks...did I mention long-term weather forecasts?

8. Eating Healthy

Nice light meal in the early evening, cup of warm milk before bed. Makes about as much difference as the following.

9. Eating Unhealthy

Pig out on various comfort foods. Makes about as much difference as no. 8.

10. Mantra Chanting

Cold be hand and heart and bone, and cold be sleep under...wow perfect trochaic tetrameter...not.

11. Physical Exercise

If a full day of vigorous tree-chopping fails to put you to sleep, I don't see what can.

12. De-stress

The beauty of nagging thoughts is that they actually nag. You can't just put them down on paper and be done with them. That's the whole point, don't you see?

13. Counting Sheep

My record is around 420. Got fed up and did something else.

14. Drugs

Don't be tempted. It's not worth the drowsiness. Melatonin is easier on the system, but it doesn't have much effect on it either (that's probably just me).

15. Quenching Heart Fires With Kidney Waters

It's a practise found in Traditional Chinese Medicine, and simply means "focus your attention on the acupoint in the middle of your soles". I do have plenty of respect for TCM, but surely this is the biggest pile of *&^%$# if there ever was one.

New Year Resolutions To Actually Keep (For A Change)

• 1. List 3 things-to-do every morning.
  
• 2. List 3 things-gone-well every night.
  
• 3. Reward myself a sticker if 2+ items appear on both lists.

It all stems from my listophilia and knack for not ticking items off...resolutions that spawn resolutions, clever eh?

The "every" part is a major challenge, as I've never kept a diary for longer than two weeks :( I hope List2009 goes well; a fortnight of hands-on practice has deemed it rather likely.

Bog-standard

I was reading a long list of British words when one in particular caught my attention: bog-standard. Whoooosh - a split-second rewind to October 2003 when I was first reading OotP - this is what I came across:

"Well, we thought it was a bog-standard chicken until it started breathing fire."

A vague understanding was instantly formed, namely that the chicken in question was not too out-of-the-ordinary, but perhaps by wizarding standards at best. And one could just hear the scratchings coming from the cardboard box.

Fast forward to the present. This is the definition of bog-standard: (UK, somewhat derogatory) ordinary, basic. So there is definitely no wizarding connection. A Google search yields about 349,000 results, and obvious muggle ones at that (as opposed to stuff like "spellotape" and "blast ended skrewts", which yield results in their thousands). And when you try to find out its origins, you find out that everyone else is just as mystified as you are! It seems that this quirky, colourful little phrase just came out of nowhere and latched itself effortlessly onto the public psyche.

Bog-standard, I ask you? Gotta love the British.

What makes a good lecturer?

Lecturers come in all shapes and sizes, but the good ones have one thing in common:

• They speak TO the audience, not AT the audience.

A Whiff Of Yuletide

Thursday night, way past bedtime. "Christmas is approaching" I lay musing, "but what shall we do for a tree?" I had scoured the shops for a decent-looking tabletop tree earlier, to no avail. Then the long-dormant origami master in me stirred, and spit out, "we shall fold one, of course."

I had searched for Christmas tree origami models before. They were disappointing. Either they're flat, vaguely tree-like shapes, or modular structures resembling pagodas more than trees. So I set about devising an alternative method.

Being the strict purist I am, that would mean folding an entire Christmas tree out of a single sheet of paper. Yes I'm bonkers.

But I only realised that after hours of fruitless attempts, during which I worked out a solution to the decimal counter, revised the structure of the solar system clock, invented a 3D board game, to name a few things.

Needless to say I succumbed to pressure and tried modular origami instead X( My final method is based on one of the pagoda thingies plus the "Fortune Teller" fold. Somehow the two unrelated folds came together in a moment of glorious Eureka!!

This is partly due to my curious gift of "space awareness": presented with any simple enough fold or warped continuous structure (e.g. drapery and certain garments), I can mentally reconstruct their original state and folding process. So the whole thing was worked out lying in the dark, with mental images as reference. I resisted the enormous urge to creep out of bed and start folding one straight away, and was determined to do so first thing in the morning.

I woke on Friday feeling distinctively perky, and set about making this promising model. First the theory was tested out on scrap paper, just to get an idea of the proportions. It turned out pretty well! You can see how the finished model retains the elegance of pure origami without resembling a pagoda or using up 250 pieces of paper. The whole thing consists of 17 squares of paper, and holds together entirely by friction (except the topmost cap, which is optional and purely for aesthetic reasons).

Love love love love love it. 'Nuff said.

Next Time

"Next time, oh but next time"
Thus the idle heart flounders,
And the crannies of thought never see the light of day:
Old Time never loses,
Nor the Moirae nor the Muses,
Yet still 'tis the Mind that holds sway -
  It holds sway.

-----------------------------------

I was lying awake in bed in the wee hours of morning when this barged in. As sleep had not yet come and consciousness had exhausted itself out, my mind was a state of utter chaos.

Suddenly the first line came drifting across my plane of thought.

Then a blurred image of the second line floated into view.

Then a hint of the third...

I fumbled for my mobile phone, switched it on and jabbed the shortcut code for "notebook" in record time, all the while coaxing lines out of obscurity. It was like receiving unexpected extraterrestrial signals over wireless: a frantic attempt to record while trying to hold on to the signals!

Anyway I successfully got it down, and in a presentable form needing very little editing on my (conscious mind's) part. One of the very few times I've been able to do so. The "signal" is frequently too weak to capture, save a few phrases or lines. Revelations that occur during the day usually fall under this category because the Conscious is too active and overrides the "critical wavelength". The fragments produced go on my "pending projects list", and with some luck, get worked into a full-blown poem. Otherwise they get labelled Fragmentary and sit in my ditty box forever.

Dreams

Dreams are a way of convincing yourself of the truth.

How To Locate Missing Things

This is the procedure I go through when I can't find something:

1. Pinpoint the time you are 100% sure you last had it.

2. Recall the flow of events & your state of mind from that point onwards.

3. Locate the places where they occurred.

4. Mentally reconstruct your conscious from that point onwards, using the above information.

5. Take note of any probable weak spots.

6. Investigate those weak spots, either logically or by asking around, or by going there bodily and searching the floors:D

It may seem quite daunting but I assure you it isn't because all of that is already in your head, you just have to summon it forth. I resort to the method quite frequently because I'm such a scatterbrain! X(

(Originally an email reply to Arjan)

Dummies Guide To A Fulfilling Life

(a.k.a. my personal Principles of Being)

To lead a fulfilling life, you simply have to understand that

• 1. YOU ARE UNIQUE
• 2. YOU ARE UNIQUE FOR A PURPOSE
• 3. YOU ARE ABLE TO FULFIL THAT PURPOSE
• 4. YOU WILL FULFIL THAT PURPOSE

(Please note that you may not necessarily know what that purpose is - I often use the analogy of "a candle in the dark" - your path will be revealed to you as you follow it.)

Contemplate those words until every single atom in your body nods in belief. You will then begin to see the world in a new light, go on to accomplish the unthinkable and live a life bursting with richness. (But not necessarily "riches"!)

I have lived by them and proven it to be true.

(The above is just my tuppence worth - feel free to take it if you're out of change:])

Going Bananas

Dad says I'm a banana: yellow on the outside, white on the inside.

I say I'm a banana with a worm problem: yellow on the outside, white on the inside, with something yellow and wriggly at the core.

(Worms can be yellow, right?)

(And why am I up at 2am writing such nonsense??)

Beijing 08.08.08: The Good, The Bad, And The Weird

So the opening ceremony's over. I'm going to serve my thoughts - still free of media influence - while they're fresh. Here goes.

THE GOOD

• Choice of Date
I could really nitpick here and say that in northern parts of China people actually prefer the number 6 over 8...nah, three eights is perfect enough.
• Choice of People
No faux pas, no out-of-place celebrities, fewer-than-normal clichés...this event is surprisingly well done considering what they churn out each Chinese New Year. Dai Yuqiang might be the natural choice for the singing, but when you think of it Liu Huan actually suits Sarah Brightman (squeee!!) better in terms of style and stage presence.
• Choice of Themes
Thank the Good Lord they didn't go with the monstrosity of a performance at the 2004 Olympics! I would have died with horror! Instead they stuck to classy themes like "Four Great Inventions" and the Silk Road and Peking Opera. Wise choice, as the Chinese are already branded over with red lanterns and psychedelic floral patterns...The opening drum matrix was especially spectacular, as was the Confucius part, though slightly overdone.
• The Podium
It's a scroll!! What more can I say??
• The Cauldron
I never knew they call that thing a cauldron...anyway, this year's is beautiful, very "Chinese" and brings to mind the Xiangyun relay torch.
• Entrance Order
Probably the most confusing entrance order in Olympic history - but we loved it! Muahahahahaha. Australians must have fallen asleep waiting for their nation's entrance.
• The Much-Abused Picture
Nice trick, letting the athletes do the stamping. I wonder why it wasn't soiled?
• The Lighting
When the lights were suddenly turned off during the drum sequence, I squealed in delight. There were many other instances of lighting setting the mood nicely.
• Giant Footprints
A pleasant surprise. I was wondering why the footprints didn't have toes - technical limits? Then I caught on: we're civilized enough to wear shoes, duh. (But the technical issue was probably true.)
• Choreography
London, you're in serious trouble :D

THE BAD

• Choice of Music
Another Olympic Opening Ceremony come and gone without a memorable piece of music to take home. What a shame. I would've loved to add the song of '08 to the list of Olympic theme songs that I can recall (which currently consists of only Amigos Para Siempre and Hand in Hand). Theme songs aside, I was really disappointed by the lack of recognisable Chinese music - true, there were instances from a wide range of styles, but few classics made it: Huanghe, Liangzhu, etc. A little girl sang Ode to Our Homeland as the national flag entered, and that was all. (Yet it was the most powerful scene of the night; I almost cried)
• Structure of Events
5000 years is a lot of stuff to portray. They got their priorities right, but the progression wasn't as smooth as it could have been.
• Handling of Particular Subjects
The Peking Opera part was quite creative, but I felt it was weak compared to the other subjects. Same for the Silk Road section, it didn't really explain the scope and purpose of the Silk Road.
• Cinematography
Many details were missed: dancers on the canvas, all the historic costumes, the cauldron coming out, Li Ning's facial expression during the final lap...maybe I'm asking too much of the camera crew =)
• Fireworks
Here's an idea: save a couple fireworks, and let people commute to work next morning, no?

THE WEIRD

• The Scroll
For about like, the first half hour it seemed so novel and elegant - after that it just gets in the way. Especially with all the irrelevant video clips. What an eyesore.
• The Feitian
Perhaps it was just me, or did those (supposedly beautiful heavenly beings) look like glittery intergalactic locusts?
• The Vanishing Brush Strokes
I was thrilled at the sight of dancers swirling ink onto the giant canvas - there were stylized clouds (xiangyun) among other things - but where did those strokes go? The finished picture shows no sign of them. They were far more prettier than the final hills and sun.
• The Doves
The wing-flapping imitations were pretty lame, but the big question is: did they actually release doves or not?

The Problem With The Bard

Ah the Bard the Bard the Bard. I read his sonnets a while ago, and have to say there's something very unsatisfying about them. Faithful followers are probably going to look daggers at me and screech "How dare you besmirch his hallowed name"etc.etc. Anyway...

Shakespearean sonnets are all very well, but there is something about them that irritates me: they start out magnificent, full of the spark that gives the Bard his reputation, but end fairly low-key. Consider this timeless example:

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?
Thou art more lovely and more temperate

Typical Shakespeare, packing punches into the first couple of lines. Then take another sonnet, in this case my favourite one (and one of the few things I actually like about Shelley):

I met a traveller from an antique land
Who said: "Two vast and trunkless legs of stone...

Which fades in comparison as expected. Six lines along, we get the third quatrain, which by definition should be where the volta lies. The Bard takes a stab at an epic one:

But thy eternal summer shall not fade
Nor lose possession of that fair thou owest;
Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade,
When in eternal lines to time thou growest:
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,
So long lives this and this gives life to thee.

And misses by mere inches. Whereas the other fellow comes up with:

And on the pedestal these words appear:
"My name is Ozymandias, king of kings:
Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair!"
Nothing beside remains: round the decay
Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare,
The lone and level sands stretch far away.

Okay I admit the latter has its volta at the last couplet. But Ozymandias leaves a burning impression of greatness, vanity and passing of ages...few Shakespearean sonnets have endings this powerful. This Chinese saying sums it all up: "Spurred on by first drumroll, tired by second, exhausted by third." (Yiguzuoqi, zai er shuai, san er jie.)

And that is all I have against the Bard.

Altador Cup III - Poll

The Altador Cup is an annual Yooyuball tournament held in Neopia. 16 teams compete against each other for the ultimate prize - the title of AC champion. Previously I couldn't get the hang of Yooyuball and thus didn't really participate in the games. Not anymore this year! Count me as a devoted supporter.

I scored goals, slung slushies, made lots of noise, and - being me - did a poll on the boards. Couldn't resist! It was titled "AC III Preferences Poll", and here are the results:

Total participants: 46

Direction of play:
Left to Right - 26
Right to Left - 21*

Formation:
3+1 - 17*
1+3 - 19
2+2 - 11

Best Yooyu:
Darigan - 2
Faerie - 8
Fire - 40*
Mutant - 0
Normal - 1
Snow - 0

Worst Yooyu:
Darigan - 9
Faerie - 7*
Fire - 0
Mutant - 25
Normal - 1
Snow - 9

*these were my choices.

The stats that I was really after were the left/right preference ones. One bit of regret: forgot to ask whether the participents were normally left handed or right handed....drat...