the grass is not always greener on the other side?

I read this article http://www.mggpillai.com/article.php3?sid=2110 on M.G.G. Pillai's website; I felt that it sort of sums up the general 'sentiments' about certain things which happened back in Malaysia for the past few months and to a certain extent, for the past few years even.

I must fairly admit that most of the time, I will do my best to refrain from openly expressing my views and opinions regarding such matters. However, recent events especially the one which concerns Dr. Terence Gomez, a social scientist based at the Universiti Malaya truly strikes a chord in me.

I share the puzzlement of the general public at the blunt refusal of the UM administrators to approve his requests for an unpaid leave in order for him to take up a post at the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development in Geneva based on the reason that they still need him at the university.

Of course, the university still needs his services but personally I do not think he has the intention of abadoning his post at UM. Besides, a great honor was bestowed upon him when he was offered the post in Geneva which only serves as a testament to his standings in the academic arena, putting him in the limelight; a limelight which eventually would be equally shared by Universiti Malaya.

And now, he has no other choice but to resign if he wishes to take up the post in Geneva.

I am truly disgusted by the whole issue; especially at how academicians are being denied opportunities to 'spread their wings' (if I may use the word) by buerocratic haggling and plain shortsightedness. If such things could happen to a credible and respected scholar, what about the other professors who are just starting to think about their research?

More importantly, what signals are we sending to our undergraduates - either local or overseas - about their prospects for advacement in the academia when they have completed their studies? What impact does this issue have on the goverment's efforts to curb the brain drain from Malaysia? How does one intends to move forward when all the paths are blocked?

The way that the issue had unravelled itself so far deeply troubles me since in Malaysia, the social sciences belongs more or less to the same group as the other physical sciences i.e. chemistry, physics and biology in terms of public attention it received and the general perception towards it; all of these subjects are not mainstream courses, or to put it stereotypically, it does not have any commercial value and it will 'not put food on the table for you' if I may coined that phrase. If this could happen to a social scientist like Dr. Terence Gomez, it may possibly happen to aspiring chemists, physicists, biologist and mathematicians.

In short, his fate will somehow give a clue to MY fate; De nobis fabula narratur.

We often say that 'Hujan emas di negeri orang, hujan batu di negeri sendiri; lebih baik hujan batu di negeri sendiri.' But when does the 'hujan batu' worth pursuing and at what costs?

if only they have air conditioning inside the library....

As absent-minded as this might sound, I delighted to say that I didn't wear shoes when I went to the library today; instead, I finally decided it was time for me to start wearing slippers...

The weather was particularly warm today with temperatures reaching almost 30 degrees. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starting to feel like I'm back in Malaysia; walking around in slippers, not having to put a jacket on, wearing single layered clothing (well, actually it's still double layered for me; still feeling a little odd when wearing only a single layer.... a kind of feeling more or less like you're naked).

I must admit that it took some time for me to adjust to the warm weather; I guess it's quite a shock stepping out of the library only to find out that the temperature outside is much warmer than it is inside (like in Malaysia?) especially since it have always been the other around for the past few months.

When I complained to Patrick about the particularly warm weather, he sarcastically asked whether I am Norwegian or Malaysian.

Well, I guess as long Europe is not hit with another heat wave like the past few years, I will manage the weather; though I think here in London, it feels more like you're battling with the weather rather than coping with it...

c3po: his moment to shine

I thought I should post this excerpt from an documentary available on the Star Wars website; it was by Anthony Daniels which played C3PO in all six movies (the only actor to have done so):

"One thing that has kept me going.... is a tremendous affection for a character (C3PO) who is.... just benign, delightful, weird.... sad, lonely... I think we'd all be glad to know."

I could not have put it better myself...

the saga is now complete...

I went to watch the last installment of the Star Wars saga last Saturday; the Revenge of the Sith. My personal verdict: it was an emotionally satisfying movie.

As the movie draws to an end, you are offered brief glimpses of the things that will set the stage for the events that will occur in the next three episodes which forms the original trilogy; there is a certain kind of satisfaction one derives from seeing how all the pieces of the puzzle fits together.

Frankly, I find that the movie was rather sad and depressing; one of the most moving parts of the movie was when the Jedi were murdered; the look of puzzlement mixed with fear on their faces as the clone troopers turned their guns towards them. The score for that particular scene only perfectly captures the helplessness of the Jedi and the despair which accompanies the scene. It was a truly moving scene which had left a deep impact in me long after the movie ends; I guess its a measure of the movie's emotional depth which it posseses that allows it to trigger such responses.

As I sit here listening to the movie's soundtrack, I felt that most of the musical pieces in the new movie were not really meant to stand out on its own; rather it felt that John Williams had crafted the score to serve as a 'bridge' between the prequels and the original trilogy and ocassionally hinting some of the popular themes from the original trilogy. It was heartwarming to hear Luke's Theme, Leia’s Theme and The Force Theme played at the end of the movie; it gives a dignified sense of closure to the movie besides reminding us that this movie is not one of despair and tragedy, rather it is also a story of hope, a NEW hope....

I think the true reason Star Wars manage to capture the imagination of so many generations is because - apart from it's operatic grandeur - it does not neglect the personal aspects; it offers us a range of characters which we all could love, adore and feel deeply about. In the end, even though it is supposed to be set 'long, long time ago in a galaxy far far away', I think Star Wars offers a very human story which relates to us here, who are living on a small blue planet in a lost corner of the universe.... in short, it gave us new ways to dream by offering us something out of this world (literally) but at the same time, firmly grounding itself on issues we all could relate to...

Seeing all of it come full circle, it was very fulfilling indeed....thank you very much Star Wars, it has been a wonderful journey....

an evening with james watson

I've had the pleasure of attending a talk at the Dana Centre featuring James Watson, the co-discoverer of the DNA molecule this evening, accompanied by Shan and Song and it was nothing short but a personally enlightening and insightful experience. Among the many issues he spoke about are:

First, claims that current genetic research is prone to hypes (or that the 4 most prominent letters in genetic research now is H-Y-P-E). He argued that the so-called 'hypes' does not imply any act of dishonesty on the part of the scientist, rather he felt that it should be more correctly attributed to inexperience.

Second, regarding the fact that human genes are so similar to that of other animals yet our mental development are strikingly dissimilar to that of animals have led some people to argue that a unique set of genes distinguishes us from animals. He believed that subtle changes in many genes, rather than a singular change in one unique gene is responsible for this.

Third, the current uncontrolled access to research materials on genetics by the public and whether this trend is good for public understanding especially when we need to convince the public on the benefits of new technologies, for instance genetic engineering. He felt that unrestricted access to these materials have somewhat hinders the progress of science and in his own words, has 'diluted' scientific progress by bringing too many parties into the decision-making process. He argued that by doing so, it means that less competent people have equal chances in the decision-making process than the more competent ones, a situation which he finds unacceptable. Futhermore, he recounts that in the old days, the conditions in the scientific arena is "more autocratic, less democratic" and he is not sure that more democracy in the decision-making process in science is more beneficial to the progress of science.

He thinks that scientists should focus more on their work and get it done and over with as quickly as possible so as to produce results and added that there is no better to convince the public than to show them that it works. In short, he believed that the decision-making should be left to the experts and calls for a central figure or some form of scientific leadership to regulate and decide on such decision-making process; he also laments that he could not think of such a figure present now.

On the issue of therapeutic cloning, he argued that it should be supported and slams those who try to block such advances by arguing that 'every life should be cherished'; he felt that the statement have been stretched too far and that nobody deserves to live crippled with a disease when we have the means to diagnose and possibly cure the disease at our disposal. To do so would either mean that we are crazy or evil.

Lastly, he hopes that reproductive cloning would never happen but he felt that it will inevitably occur eventually because he finds the idea of cloning a person 'unsettling' and 'cruel' because the clones will be judged based on its behavior with respect to the original person, something which will put a great emotional burden on the clone and those around him/her. He does not believe that cloning will be able to preserve the traits and characteristics of the original person and adds that he is a firm believer in nurturing.

Personally, I find it refreshing to hear some of these issues being spoken by a real scientist, because at times I do felt that some scientists allow themselves to be bogged down too much by public opinions and political undercurrents which somewhat slows down the rate at which scientific progress could be made.

Listening to him speak, I could sense that he is a true scientist and pragmatist, with a clear idea of what our tasks and responsbilities as scientist should be -even though we might find some of his views objectionable. He believes that we, as scientists should maintain our focus on our research and work as dilligently as possible and allow the results to speak for itself rather than spending too much time trying to convince the public about its significance.

I knew beforehand that he is a rather opiniated person and that his views might at times looked a bit controversial. However, you cannot deny that he is a person with a clear sense of purpose and displays utmost faith and devotion in his work.

And considering the contributions he has made to medical sciences as a result of believing in that, I think we could do well to emulate it.

confessions of a politically-correct person

I believe that a person should take extra care in selecting and using the words to express himself and must also ensure that the words are used in their proper context. And by this, I mean they should strive to do this in their daily conversations and not confine it only to their writing....

But what happens when other people fail to appreciate the subtleties in your choice of words? How do you feel when you take great pains to structure your sentences, to choose the most politically-correct words in your conversations and later find out that other people could not even bother about it? And other people still manage to misunderstand you?

I must fairly admit that many bizzare 'attributes' and 'characteristics' have been attached to me a result of my attempts to be politically-correct in my daily conversations; I have been labeled cold, impersonal, stubborn, difficult and patronizing over what some would view as my 'zealousness' to be precise and politically-correct most of the time.

But then, I must also add that the term 'correct' is subjective and is often frought with controversies; therefore, even though I claim to be, my 'political correctness' may turn out not to be correct after all. However, as far I could recall, not many people, if any, have ever pointed out to me whenever my 'political correctness' is incorrect; rather, they seemed to prefer to diagnose my 'political incorrectness' (if I may invent such phrase) as an inherent flaw in my personality and as growing evidence of my often obnoxious behavior.

At times, I wish I could stop being so concerned about the words I should use and just use them as flagrantly as everybody else. Truth be told, being so uptight about the words you use consumes your mind and taxes your soul. And when somebody chides you for lacking warmth and tact, you keep propping up these weak and lame arguments to defend yourself; arguments which you deeply know is as fragile as a house of cards. Deep down inside, you know life would be easier if you just admit it and let it go.

But if I were to do that, I felt that I would not be myself anymore; as weird as it may sound, I can't help but to try my best to be 'politically correct' all the time.

So, in the end, I should choose whether I should condemned myself to an eternal pursuit of trying to be politically correct and only hope that other people will not misunderstand me OR I should learn to loosen up and allow everybody to truly understand me...

changes ad infinitum....

Some people say that the only constant thing in life is change; several events which happened in the past few weeks have got me thinking about the subject of change in people..... and how it could come about:

Some would be pressed into change by other people or by the turn of events or impending circumstances around them... or the desire for change could genuinely come from within.....

Some would change gradually in a slow series of steps..... and some would make a full U-turn in a short period of time....

Some changes would improve one's standings and esteem in the eyes of other people.... or it might make some people uncomfortable; eventually alienating them....

Some would announce the changes one intends to make to the world.... or one might try to do it as discreetly as possible so as to make it unnoticable to other people...

Some would expect a certain 'reward' for the changes one is willing to make.... and some would change solely due to the desire to better oneself....

Some would perceive change as a destination.... and some would perceive it as a journey with no end in sight....

I think that change often requires you to move outside your comfort zone.... to push and to strain yourself to see how far you could go... it's a necessary agent for self-improvement...

But, I think ultimately... one could either view those changes as a favor to oneself OR one could view it as a favor to others....

me = advocate of spicy foods?

One of my newer peculiarities is my seemingly unabashed use of chili powder in all of my cookings; whether it is just a normal Chinese-style stir fry down to the 'original' Malaysian style hot curry.

Indeed, the trend is so worrying that it is increasingly becoming one of my trademarks among my friends and my seniors. Those who are either brave or foolish enough (hehe...) to eat my dishes would later find themselves gulping down large amounts of water after their meal.... and the worse part is the spicy taste lingers long after initial 'shock' has subsided....

In order to cater those with less 'accommodating' tastebuds, I often took the liberty of cooking two separate versions of my dishes; one which is burning hot and the other rather mild in comparison... apparently, I can't seemed to cook ONE dish which is just perfect, neither too hot nor too mild to everybody's liking.... the taste seemed - if I may use the word - 'quantized' and present itself only in 'discrete' levels of spicyness....

And to top it all off, I find that at times, I could not even stand my own cooking and will find myself instantly clobbering all over the place to get a glass of water...

Talk about having a taste of your own medicine, huh?

the value of knowledge

With the 24/7 opening of the library, one will bound to observe some 'behaviors' among the users of the library; students leaving their books and stationeries on a particular desks in order to 'reserve' them, students bringing their blankets and plush toys to cuddle up with when they are studying....

These are the myriads of behaviors one would expect from students whose daily routine are becoming increasingly interlinked with the library....

Naturally, the librarians are doubling their efforts to keep the library in order and since the library is never practically empty nowadays, their tasks are getting more difficult especially in preserving the comfort level of the students currently in it and ensuring the rights of new incoming students to their own rightful share of the library for instance, in securing a workplace in the library....

The question is:
When does one's action in maintaining one's rights to a workplace deprives other students of their share of a workplace? Is it entirely right to leave your books on the desks on the pretense of reserving the place for your personal use? When is it justified to do that? When is it not?

One incident this morning prompted me to conclude that the librarians might - in their noble intention to make sure that everyone has the right to their own share of the library - have been too zealous in their efforts to 'clean' and 'clear' the library:

One of the guards was walking around the library with a trash bag, scooping up any unattended books, notes and personal belongings left by students thus effectively clearing the desks and tables for the use of others.

The fate that will befall those items are anybody's guess.... but I felt that by doing so, he showed an inherent lack of respect for other people's items.... those items might be taking up precious workspace which are sorely lacking in the library but those items are not toys, knick-knacks or thing-a-bobs... those items are someone's effort, someone's books and notes, someone's accumulation of knowledge.... and I felt that whatever circumstances they might be in, they do not deserve to be treated as 'rudely' as that...

But then, the guard may not be entirely at fault... the owner of those items should know better than to just leave his or her stuffs unattended on the desks for extended periods of time....

In the end, perhaps both parties should be faulted for this...

It is a great irony that in one of the places that often epitomizes one's pursuit for knowledge, items of intellectual value are being mistreated and degraded so openly so often.... maybe the greater irony would be that nobody really cares....