Archive for the ‘ramblings’ Category

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Does A Man Make A Company?

January 15, 2009

Steve Jobs is temporarily stepping down due to health concerns. I’m sure I’m echoing many others when I wish him a swift and safe return to health. But now it gets interesting, as everyone waits to see how Apple will do without its charistmatic leader.

Obviously investors are concerned, as Apple’s stock took a hit today when the news came out. But this was bound to happen eventually. Contrary to what some might beleive, Jobs isn’t immortal. And Apple will have to do without him eventually. I believe Apple will continue its success with or without Jobs. Sure we’ll miss his colourful personality and eccentric behavior, but I don’t think Apple will stop innovating because Jobs has stopped.

Who knows, maybe this’ll give someone else a chance to shine. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise and investors needn’t worry at all. One thing’s for sure – the next 6 months will be a glimpse at the post-Jobs Apple that will inevitably come.

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Heroes

December 14, 2008

Heroes didn’t leap tall buildings or stop bullets with an out-stretched hand; they didn’t wear boots and capes. They bled, and they bruised, and their superpowers were as simple as listening, or loving. Heroes were ordinary people who knew that even if their own lives were impossibly knotted, they could untangle someone else’s. And maybe that one act could lead someone to rescue you right back. – Jodi Picoult

More updates soon, I promise.

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Afterthought

November 14, 2008

You know that feeling where it kinda hits you as an afterthought? the “ah-ha!” or the “OHHH” moment.

yea, i love that.

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Happyness

November 1, 2008

If you could have anything you wanted, be anywhere in the world, for one perfect moment, no.. one moment that lasted forever, what would you want, where would you go, and who would be there?

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Halloween Masks

October 31, 2008

Life is full of ironies. Tonight we’ll be donning masks and costumes but in fact, we wear masks all the time, figuratively of course. I dare you to find someone that truly is the same person no matter what the situation. That’s not to say we lie. We’re just multifaceted, and reveal certain aspects of ourselves in different situations. I mean, you wouldn’t walk into a job interview and greet the interviewer as if he were your drinking buddy, would you? I suspect that would be a pretty short interview.

It’s just something to think about – who are you really? What are you like when all the others masks are off? And who’s privileged enough to see it?

Happy Halloween!

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It’s Called Sarcasm or Why So Serious?

September 10, 2008

Those of you know that know me, or even just reading my entries, should know that I like to use sarcasm. A lot. No seriously. Yea. Anyway, most people get it after a while, that if I’m being sarcastic, you should treat it as a compliment, because that means I feel comfortable around you. Yet there’s some people that take things way too seriously, and take personal offense to what I say, even if I clearly mean it in jest. Any suggestions on what to do about these people?

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American Theocracy

September 4, 2008

I’ve been pretty busy lately with the semester starting, but I’ve glanced at some of the headlines about McCain’s appointment of Governor Palin as his running mate. Just a few quick comments before I get back to working on my Chinese essay:

1) I feel sorry for the poor sucker who’s going to be the father-to-be/son-in-law of Governor Palin. Maybe he really does love Bristol Palin. That’s great. But whether he ever intended to marry her, he doesn’t really have much choice now with all the media scrutiny and the election on the line.

2) Palin calling the Iraq war a “task that is from God“. WTF is this?? A theocracy?? Didn’t she study history? Apparently not, as it seems like Saladin’s descendants are whooping your Christian asses once again.

3) Another quote: “God’s will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that.” She sounds like those nuts that gathered around the gas stations to pray for the prices to drop.

4) I’ve heard of embellishing the truth, but this is downright deceitful. Shame on you Mike Huckabee. And I thought Christians were supposed to be honest. Oh wait, I suppose politicians are a different breed that can get away with adultery, homosexuality, and corruption. Anyway, here’s the quote, and the facts, taken from the Associated Press:

“FORMER ARKANSAS GOV. MIKE HUCKABEE: Palin “got more votes running for mayor of Wasilla, Alaska than Joe Biden got running for president of the United States.”

THE FACTS: A whopper. Palin got 616 votes in the 1996 mayor’s election, and got 909 in her 1999 re-election race, for a total of 1,525. Biden dropped out of the race after the Iowa caucuses, but he still got 76,165 votes in 23 states and the District of Columbia where he was on the ballot during the 2008 presidential primaries.”

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inspiration lights the fire within

August 16, 2008

So I lied in my last post about not being able to watch the Olympics. It wasn’t a total lie; I really wasn’t interested. Then came the Men’s 4×100 Freestyle Relay with Jason Lezak’s clutch finish to snatch the gold. There’s just something so inexplicably attractive about the indomitable human spirit. It’s absolutely infectious. That being said, I hate how China treats its athletes, putting so much pressure on them in their quest for approval from the world, and in the end, doesn’t seem like the athletes get much recognition for winning (because they were supposed to), yet should they fall.. (think about what would happen if Liu Xiang the hurdler failed). Amidst all the pressure and expectations, is the passion still there?

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For The Love Of Sport

August 12, 2008

Sports are supposed to be something that bring people together. That’s what the Olympics movement is about. And yet, looking at this year’s Games in Beijing, is that really true anymore?

Let’s ignore the current conflict in Georgia as something no one had foreseen. Was it right to award China the Olympics in spite of its human rights violations? And having committed to the Beijing Olympics, was it right to protest the torch relay?

Let’s talk about China’s role in the whole thing. There’s no doubt that their athletic prowess has increased significantly, nor that their booming economic rise will soon catapult them past the American juggernaut. But to me, China’s actions make it seem like a little kid desperately seeking its parents’ approval, “Mommy, daddy, look at me, I’m all grown up now!” Everything has to be just perfect; and they’ll make sure to hammer in just how good they are, and ignore/overlook/censor any mistakes. For example, I find this hilarious: the magazine Xinhua wrote an article about the amount of praise US media lavished upon their opening ceremony, and makes sure to point out how the Chinese audience was warm and polite to every delegation.

Does it even matter? Shouldn’t we just sit back and enjoy, cheering on our favorite athletes? Maybe. Probably. But I can’t seem to bring myself to watch the Olympics this year, and I’ve been trying to figure out why.

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Hello World! or Of Names and Inspiration

June 22, 2008

Hi there!

I’m relatively new to the blogging world, had a Xanga way back in the emo high school days that now sits abandoned. Thought I’d give this a try more as an outlet for myself to jot down those little bits of inspiration you get during the day. Ever get that feeling all of a sudden when a crazy idea enters your head and you suddenly start pondering “what if?” or “why?” Maybe it’s just me, but I get those a lot, usually when I don’t have anything convenient to keep track of it. I can’t tell you how many of those have come and flown by. Maybe I should have named this blog “glimpses of inspiration” instead.

Ah, the name. Let’s get to that shall we. Quite simply, it’s a tribute. It’s a tribute to a lot of things, the most obvious being Iron Man; if you’ve seen the movie you’ll probably be thinking “a-ha!” If you haven’t, well I recommend watching it, even if you’re not into the superhero genre. Back on track, above all, the name itself is a tribute to inspiration and creativity. You see, it came to me courtesy of a friend during a dinner get-together one evening, a few days after we had all watched the movie. And think about what it represents–”i made it in a cave”, referring to [spoiler] Stark’s creativity and audacity to dream big and build his iron man suit “in a cave, with a box of scraps.”

You see, Tony’s the type of person I aspire to be. No, I don’t mean the billionaire playboy (though I suppose it would be kind of nice), but someone who wields such influence, and has such profound power to change the world (despite needing some time in terrorist’s captivity to change his heart, literally and figuratively). In this world today, there are too many people living miserable existences, to whom every new day is a struggle for survival. There are too many people who profit from others’ suffering. Yet worst of all, there are too many people too apathetic to care. To quote the English statesman, Edmund Burke, “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” And right now, we’re seeing this in action, in our society, in our world. I’m afraid that when the reality hits home to people, when it starts impacting their lives directly as it is starting to more and more now (gas prices anyone?), it may be too late.

Maybe I’m a Chicken Little, spouting off about how the sky is falling. Maybe I’ve fallen victim to those damn left wing conspirators people harp about. I don’t know. And that’s exactly the problem. I am a busy-tailed, bright-eyed, impressionable college student, after all. One with no job for the summer thanks to a tanking economy (too little too late, as I’ve stated). And I’ve had it. I’ve had enough. I want change. And before you ask, no, this is not, and will not be a political blog. There may be elements of politics on occasion, but I welcome criticism. I welcome differing views. It’ll let me expand my horizons, force me to rethink my thoughts. And hopefully, I’ll spark that thinking in others as well.

Finally, at least for the summer, I will be doing a lot of reading, and this will be a blog reflecting my reading. Whenever I read partciular interesting or thought-provoking passage, I’ll comment on it. And maybe a few of you will be like-minded readers, reading the same books and we can discuss. Or if you find the thoughts fascinating, by all means, drop me a line.

I apologize for any blunders I might make as I get myself reacquainted with the technology and etiquette of blogging. Please, let me know if I’ve broken any unwritten rules, or if you have suggestions for me. For example, I’m looking at all these options “tags”, “categories”, “excerpt”, “trackbacks”, “comments & pings”, and I’m just thinking what the hell have I gotten myself into..

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