Death served Fresh

The other day I was watching the cooking channel and they were talking about prawns: How to handle it, how to serve it, how to cook it, down to how to eat it.

The only thing I got off from the show is that; prawns are best served fresh.

Does it ever make you wonder to why death taste so good when its fresh?

Reprisal against Superior

Colleagues. Today the boss has installed CCTV to our cubicle. He won't stop until he caught our wrongdoings. He didn't come here to leave us without work and fear, and struggle arguments. He'll be trying to achieve his selfish objective.

Our boss thinks that he knows too much enough to instill fear to the common workers in this company. He thinks that our weakness pushed us into silence. And should he think this for real?

I'll tell you, colleagues. He don't know about our unbreakable bonds - our friendship, brotherhood and fraternity. He just cannot imagine the power of our mind. He's not aware enough of our skills and experience. He thinks that we would surrender easily under his shout.

No, my colleagues! Whatever would happen, we shall stay on our ground. We will give our Boss nothing, but complains and problems. Remaining by one strong force, we will pressure the boss.

But we need to stand united. In this office hour, which will check our perseverance and willpower. Through this time, we are as one. As one mighty workforce. As one mightiest workforce. That so be the proper motivation and way of acting. We cannot fail our integrity.
So be it, Colleagues! On your canteen seats!

---

Its amazing how something great still sounds great when used on another context. I didn't exactly come up with the writing above. I copied it from excerpts of Warhammer and changed it to an office-related theme.

---

Here is the original excerpt:
'Brothers. Today the enemy has unlocked the lock to our door. He won't stop until he'll defeat us. He didn't come here to leave us without blood and pain, and struggle defeat. He'll be trying to achieve his selfish objective.
Our enemy thinks that he knows much enough to repel the Ultramarines from this planet. He thinks that our weakness pushed us into defence. And what he should thinks for real?
I'll tell you, Brothers. He don't know about our glorious past - our expansions, honour and unity. He just cannot imagine the power of our Chaplain. He's not aware enough of our skills and experience. He think that we would surrender easily under his shout.
No, my Brothers! Whatever would happen, we shall stay on our ground. We will give our enemy nothing, but bolter and chainsword. Remaining by one strong force, we'll crush the enemy. But we need to stand united. In this dark hour, which'll check our faith and strength. Through this time, we are as one. As one mighty legion. As one mightiest legion. That so be the proper motivation and way of acting. We cannot fail the Chapter!
So be it, Brothers! On your battle stations!'
---- Space Marines - To Me, Brothers! ----

Corruption is in my blood

“The more corrupt the state, the more laws.”
----Publius Cornelius Tacitus quotes ----

Tradition and Culture, is it possible to abolish tradition and culture knowing the society have practiced it for eons?
For instance: Wedding Ring, Chinese New Year Ang Pao, Christmas Presents, Sunday Church Service, Respect the Elder. These practices were established long before you first drew your first breath. Other than rebels & fanatics, Hardly anyone would refrain you from practicing such traditions. After all, trouble is all they are looking for if they forbid you to practice practices which is so deeply fused in your life.

Ever wonder what happens if the government decides to ban Church Service? Naturally some people won't be happy about it and they would very possibly cause a huge drama. Even if the government insist on the ban, do you think people would just stop Church Service all together? No, they would probably do in the dark, in secrecy, close to the public view.

Now, try to imagine this. A society where bribery and corruption are commonly practiced. What happens if the government decides to crack down bribery? In a society where bribes are considered as gesture of goodwill, Could you break this culture that is so deeply ingrained and carefully preserved in the society?

I don't know about that, nor I have extensive knowledge on the dark world of corruption. But from what I gathered, a certain level of corruption is essential to maintain the working structure of a society. The way I see it, no current government system can totally wipe out corruption from a society. The most a government can do is to CONTROL corruption. After all, each of us has to protect our own interest by hook or by crook. If we do not, who else would do it for us?

Corruption. I do not think ill nor do I feel good about it.
What do you think about it?

Why the Grim Reaper work alone

"You can be a king or a street sweeper, but everybody dances with the Grim Reaper"
---- Robert Alton Harris ----

Ever wonder who makes the worst HR personnel? Its not the lazy, its not the incompetent, and it is definitely not those who rejected your job application. It is the grim reaper.

This is how I would imagine an interview between a human and a grim reaper.

"Morning Sir!"

"Living Flesh, have a sit. Your name is Kif yes? That is a rare name. Tell me more about it"

"Nah, it is just a made up name. I mean, I'm pretty sure you have interviewed millions of Aarons, Jamies, and Mary. I want to be different from other candidates and so I registered myself as Kif."

"Interesting! So tell me, what experience do you have with death?"

"Erm...not much. I mean, I graduated from Law. Unlike doctors engineers and false prophet, I don't get many oppurtunity to kill. The closest experience I have with death are a couple generation of dead ancesters"

"Thats ok. This is a niche business, We don't expect new hires to have experience, though suicide bombers will be given priority. Anyway, what your thought on mass genocide?"

"Erm.... I'm willing to get my hands dirty if there are promotions"

"Good. You are hired. Come on, let me give you a tour to Hell"


That is one scary conversation. I'd also imagine that it will no easy task to talk to an emotionless skull. Even if the scary skeletal structure doesn't scare you, perhaps the dark robe and the scythe will.

But I gotta warn you, never never ever shake the grim reaper's hand when you do get the job offer. Imagine an employee comes in for a job interview when they get the job, they shake the grim reaper's hand. There goes the new employee, well done human resources!

Speaking of the grim reaper, Would you want to have his job when you grow up?

Save something. Don't use unless its necessary

"Save a tree. Don't print this e-mail unless it's really necessary."
---- Anonymous ----

They are like dumb blonds, you see them everywhere. In emails, papers, next to xerox machine & printers. They are like parasites clinging on to every document.

Question is: How much paper can the world save from this? How many trees can you save?

Trees grow! It is a waste of space if we don't chop them down. We can never plant new trees if we don't chop down the old trees. And if we can't plant new trees, we get less paper. With all these restriction, the world will be short of millionaire tycoons who is in the destructive business of environment. Its a lose-lose situation.

Even if the tree argument is flawed, we have a thing called 'recycled paper'. I don't see how I can save any trees if all I'm using are recycled papers.

Don't mind me. I know its a flawed argument, but i couldn't refrain myself from mockery. I just had to make fun of trees, papers and the environment because its fun. But seriously kids, take my advice: "Save a tree. Don't print anything unless it's really necessary"

Which comes to my next point: The way I see it, this is just a start. I would anticipate similiar lines like these to appear more often in the future.

"Save the fossil. Do not use plastic bag unless it's really necessary"
"Save your time. Do not read this line unless it's really necessary"
"Save the economy. Do not save money unless it's really necessary"
"Save your effort. Do not wake up unless it's really necessary"
"Save humanity. Do not piss people off unless it's really necessary"
"Save Africa. Do not eat unless it's really necessary"

What other witty lines can you think of?

True or False? Money is the root of all Evil

"One injustice starts a thousand riots. One law stops a thousand crimes."
---- Lawbringer Creed, Lawbringer ----

The first thing that came to my mind when I read the quote above was: "Gosh, This is so true."
The second thing that came to my mind was: "Money is the root of all evil."

I may have puzzled your quizzical mind to why I thought of MONEY out of the sudden. After all, what connection does riots and law have with money? Some may even perceive me as an immature materialistic kid since money is the cause of all material things.

Really, money was what I was thinking as the quote sinks into my mind. Allow me to explain why:

"One injustice starts a thousand riots. One law stops a thousand crimes." Ever heard of the butterfly effect? A flap of a butterfly's wing causing a tornado in the other side of the world. In order words, one small little action may cause an occurrence of another unrelated event.

Just reading the words 'Riots' & 'Crimes' made me ponder about all evilness in general. I guess you can say that one negative word evokes another. I mean, look at those three words, Riot Crime & Evil, they are like sticks and glue, always together. Place the side by side and most would assume that they are triplets.

I am a man who is very much interested in the concept of bribery. When you mention words like 'Law' and 'Injustice', especially in one single sentence, bribery comes to mind. And like most bribery cases, money is one big factor.

Next comes the "One starts a thousand" concept. It suggest that you could trace similiar multiple events to one particular cause, the root of the tree. Combine this idea with the Evil and Money, what do you get?
"Money is the root of all evil"

So here I am fed with the quote: "Money is the root of all evil". And what do I do with it?
I Ponder....
Pause here and predict what kind of mind-blowing ideas I have to write below before you read any further. If you are any close to what I was thinking, you are GOOD!

*Think and see if you are thinking the same thing as I was*
*Ready to move on?*

Anyways "Money is the root all evil". I thought to myself, man, this quote is so damn vague. I mean, whoever came up with that quote "money is the root of all evil" is a damn freaking good. In my opinion, I think its a both a false and a true statement.

Wealth, the creation of money is not evil.
Greed, the selfish pursuit for money can possibly be classified as evil.
Destruction, to destroy the concept of money is definitely evil.

Money makes the world go round. Money is the root of all evil. Combine those two, you end up with this statement: "Evil makes the world go round", which is a total bullshit.

Money makes people happy. It is an essential thing to obtain in this modern age. With no money, you live in misery. I am aware that this doesn't apply to everyone, but i am pretty sure it applies to most people living in this era. Money is essential for survival. It is essential for a comfortable lifestyle. It an important ingredient to the pursuit of the legendary myth called HAPPINESS.

*Sudden Pause*
You know what, I take back on all the things I wrote. Happiness is a myth. Besides, who ever said you can't be happy and evil at the same time? Money is the indeed the root to all evil

(Note: If you are regular reader of my blog, I'm pretty sure that you are well aware that I'm out of blogging material. So, what better way to blog is there than to write out my thought process?")

Check out my other money-related post, Fireproof money

So what do you think? True or False?
"Money is the root to all evil"

Move along, Nothing to read over here

Anyone would assume that a great genius would heaps of mind-blowing ideas to share after a long disappearance act. After all, a genius wouldn't know how to spend his time other than exploring many of the mysterious thought provoking ideas.

As much as I would like to be that genius, I'm afraid to say that I no genus.....at least not now. I have no new ideas to share with you guys. Actually, what I'm trying to say is that, I won't have anything much to blog about. Scary thing is that this might last for a long time, perhaps maybe permanently.

I used to have great ideas back then when I was a blog-addict. Whenever I start to type, I couldn't stop composing. I would just go on and on and on until the keyboard breaks. I used to be GOOD!

I guess times have change. I've passed my prime, I've lost my writing touch. Now, I can't compose an article anymore. I couldn't even get pass the first paragraph. In fact, I couldn't even write a proper opening sentence. This article is an exception because this article alone took me 5days to write.

Sigh, there goes my career as a writer. How disappointing... Oh well, I guess I was never meant to the be one to revolutionize the world with words alone. Curse you, Fate!

Oh well, as how my friends console me "Think positive". I did, and I'm glad I that I can even compose this article.

Purple Rose

Other than a digital image, I have never receive, send, nor seen a real purple rose before. So there is no reason for me to think of a Purple Rose. But for some reason, my mind thinks of Purple Rose from time to time.

Sometimes the image of a Purple Rose is so strong in my mind that it is all that I'm thinking of. On rare occassion, the Purple Rose stuck to my mind so much so that I couldn't think of any other thing despite all effort to distract my mind. Power, Sex, Money, Temptation, Dreams, Ambition, nothing can get rid of this image. It is as if I'm a war orphan constantly haunted by the image of fire, ash and mutilated bodies. except the image haunting me is a potrait of a Purple Rose.

With it being annoying, naturally I had to break it down to small little pieces and find out why is this image apparent in my mind.
Purple rose = Purple + Rose
Purple = Colour of mystery
Rose = Flora; a flower usually used to symbolise love or a human connection

If those were my initial thoughts, then it is very likely that I'm subconciously drawn to anything that is related to a mysterious human connetion. A mysterious love perhaps. Mysterious Love.... Crush... Obsession... Infatuation... Those were the that strikes my mind when I think of the word 'Mysterious Love'.

Love...
Crush...
Obsession...
Infatuation...

These words mean little if an image of a person is absent. If I could only attach these emotions to a figure, a person, then perhaps I can finally solve the mysterious image of the Purple Rose. So, attach it to a person is what I did. I desperately went back at all the years I've lived. Starting from my career life to my uni life, on to my college life, even way back to my school days as my mind drifted to search for the girl whom I can attach these emotions to.

Remembering the past, I do remember an occurance when a girl mentioned that her favourite flower is purple rose. If I could just remember who that was. If I could, then perhaps I finally lift this curse out of my life. In spite of being a curse, I was rather hoping this turns out to be a blessing.

Purple Rose, If I could just remember who that was~~~~
.
.

Happiness v1

[Welcome back guys. I know I haven't been active in the blogosphere lately. Worse, I don't even know if I'll stay active in the blogosphere. Anyways, there is this article I've drafted exactly a year ago which I would love to publish it someday. Perhaps today is the day.]

Happiness is a very subjective issue. From what I observed, there are 2 general method of being happy

Method no.1
1) You see something I want. This thing will be able to make me happy as long as i have it.
When i have it, it gives me a sense of achievement, a sense of satisfaction & happiness.
Most people find happiness through this way.
In short, in your current state, you want something better.

Method no.2
2) I come across a sad story, or an experience of others that is far worse than what I'm experiencing now. (eg:Homeless people). It made me rethink of the things i take for granted and it makes me appreciate stuff more.
Though finding happiness through this way is very uncommon, but I think this way is more powerful method than method1.
You'll be contented knowing that you are far better of as compared to other people.
In short, in your current situation, you realize that you are in a far better position compared to most people.

If we take a scale of a ruler
0----5----10
10 being the highest happiness gauge and 0 being the lowest happiness.

We are at 5. If we get to 10, it gives us a sense of achievement. We feel happy.
We are at 5. If we get to know that there are people who are in 0, it makes us content that we have more than enough.

Inactive by lightning strike

Do you realize if it weren't for Edison we'd be watching TV by candlelight?
---- Al Boliska ----

My blog has been inactive for almost a month. Here is a list of things I could point my finger at:
- Mighty Thunderstorm
- Frail Modems
- Inferior Computer
- Lousy Service Centers

If you haven't got the hint, 3 modems and 2 desktop and my own personal laptop got smite by the MIGHT himself - THUNDERSTORM. Its a pity that my family doesn't believe in this primitive technology known as 'lightning arrestor'. Even after so many damage and after much persuasion, my family is only willing to allow ONE lightning arrestor to be in my living quarters.

It is not that they have a grudge against lightning arrestors. They are, however, biased against all things technological. Some may call it descrimination, but I prefer term: PREFERENCE. If possible, my family would prefer to move away from the chaotic world there are no loud surround speakers, UV emitting screens, cancer causing handphones, and the foul smell of burnt circuit logics. No, their perfect home can be described as a heaven with ample oxygen producing greens, a place where birds chirp with the stars brightly sparkles above their heads, and cooling breeze gently passing over the skin.

Well...you could argue saying that it is TECHNOLOGY that provides us light in the dark, cure in sickness, music when there are none, easy access to clean water, stomach satisfying instant food and graphics that stimulates pleasure. But to my family, the only good thing they claim that technology has brought them is ASTRO, malaysia's cable TV. Everything else technology-related is vile and evil.

My father has this cool quote hanging on the walls of his trophy room "Why do we have to submit ourselves to the belly of a clothing when we can be kings of the world?" I do not know where he got that from, but I think its a pretty cool quote. That just proves how much my family detest the material world which ultimately came from technology.

I could go on and spread more lies on how my family hated technology, but I had to stop just here mainly because they are lies. Everything written here is a lie. Well....everything except the fact that 1 laptop, 2 desktops and 3 modems got fried by lightning within 4 weeks. Which explains to why I haven't been blogging for a month.

Sigh...... Lightning...... Curse You!

Assuming everything here is a lie and nothing is the truth, why do you think I was inactive for so long?

Earth Hour 2009

"Hypocrites are those who pledge full loyalty to Earth Hour by leaving a blog comment at that precise hour"
---- 3POINT8 ----

Earth Hour 2009, the event at which people show their love to Mother Earth by switching off their household lights for an hour from 8.30pm till 9.30pm on Saturday, 28 March 2009.

This all started in Sydney and made such an impact that it has grown globally. We all know that reducing energy consumption reduces the amount of carbon put into the atmosphere. Therefore, it makes sense that every person who participates does make some difference! [Source]
Last year I joined Earth Hour 2008 by turning off whatever lights switches I can find. At that time, I was all alone in my room for an hour, so the only switch I managed to turn off: is my room's light switch.

Then I figured, this is a mighty good idea. Imagine how much electricity can be saved if a light bulb was turned off for an hour. You know how dream works, the more you indulge in it, the bigger it becomes. It wasn't long until my mind drifted to imagine how nice it would be if everyone supported this cause.

This year, I intend to join Earth Hour 2009. But this year, I'm going for the extra mile. Instead of just turning off my lights, I intend to turn off all my household appliance. Then I figured, I can do more than just this. If i am able to turn off my stuff, I should be able to lend a helping hand and assist less able people to do the same thing. So, this year, I'm switching off my neighbour's power supply for an hour whether they like or not.

I then came to realise that if a common citizen like me can do this much, a powerhouse like the government can do even more. So, I was thinking, what's gonna happen if suddenly the government decides to announce its full support to Earth Hour by switching off all major electricity generator in its country? That would be so cool! (OR distorted, depending on how you see it)

To those who are showing their support in Earth Hour 2009: remember it is only a painless hour. You can resume your daily habit of screwing up the planet until Earth Hour 2010 when you can do your bit for the environment again.

Either that, or you can use candles, lighter, fireworks (that is what Sydney used last year. Source) during Earth Hour and waste other valuable resource. So as long as you cutting down on your electricity consumption, I guess you can proudly say that you are pledging your support to Earth Hour.

On a more serious note, Earth Hour is designed for supporters to turn off non-essential lights. Its purpose is to battle climate change. Other than turning non-essential lights, can you think of any other actions you can do to show your support?
(Remember, I am monitoring my blogger-comment time-stamp. If I see anyone commenting during Earth Hour in my blog...........I will do nothing. Its not like I can do anything to you, yes?)

*Note: Do not attempt to go on a frenzy rampage to turn off light switches that is not yours to control.

Blogger United Blog Review: 3POINT8

"A bad review is like baking a cake with all the best ingredients and having someone sit on it."

---- Danielle Steel ----

Peer reviews are important as it is an indication to how well we are doing as compared to our peers. But whether is it a good indication is a debatable topic. I stumbled across this website which explores three myths about scientific peer review:
1) Scientists have always used peer review
2) Peer review is reliable
3) Peer review is the way we determine what’s right and wrong in science
Then again, this is no scientific review as my blog has recently been reviewed by Kelle. Check it out here at 3POINT8 BU Blog Review.

In point form, my blog has the following:
1) Mighty unique super niche URL
2) Lightning loading speed
3) Awesome beginning quotes
4) Thought provoking end questions
5) Updated timely
6) Catered for lazy people
7) Facts and information in its ultimate truth
8) Nice ogling Google pictures

Ok, so maybe those are not the exact words used by Kelle, but still, that is how you should interpret it because my blog is just that awesome. I deserve a million subscriber for this. (In blogger's terms: I deserve a freaking medal or 20 for this.)
You can increase my subscriber count by registering your email to my blog subsciption. [Click here to subcribe]

Do check out Kelle's blog @ http://www.kellemah.co.cc
[Btw, she is a big fan of The Sims 2. Could she be looking into starting a family? Perhaps she might interest you. Drop by her blog and get to know her.]

My heartwarm thanks to Kelle for reviewing my blog.

A review may be an indication to how well you are doing. How often do you like your work to be reviewed?

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[Top Comment by Tekkaus]
Now that really leave a lot to be thought of. =)

Internet-less Adult

"But I guess the adult world Calls forth. Time to pay the bills, And write out our wills--- The adult life is the end of living."
---- Thanatos ----

Hey guys. Forgive me for the lack of 'ass-kicking' super owning witty post that has been eluding this blog for some time. This is because there has been a major change in my life recently. I've degraded myself recently into a life filled with nothing but work related career. With this, I can now officially call myself a full grown adult.

Its amazing how adult life looks different when you are not in one yet. When I came out of the university I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted pay checks. If a kid were to ask me how it is like being an adult, I could tell them that its unpleasant life filled with routine, responsibility, commitment, debts, bills, pills, and sometimes it doesn't come with internet connection.

Anyway, the point of this post is to say that I have limited access to the internet (hence the perfect excuse for the lack of update) and I'm blaming it all on work life.
=D

Have you ever used work as an excuse to something that clearly isn't related to work?

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[Top Comment by Julian]
Sometimes, I guess - to avoid having to go to some social event I don't want to. nd I agree with kruel74! Before you know it, a few years will have shot by and you will wonder how you ever could have complained about long boring school holidays :)

I Hear Dead Voices

“Many people hear voices when no-one is there. Some of them are called mad and are shut up on rooms where they stare at the walls all day. Others are called writers and they do pretty much the same thing.”
---- Meg Chittenden ----

Sounds that were never there, I hear them. Welcome to the first stage of psychosis.
Often times, I hear noises that doesn't appear to bother anyone. I hear loud bangs, car horns, people shouting and shrew noises lasting no more than a second, the type of noise that gives the impression that you are in grave danger, much similiar to the feeling of a bullet coming your way after a loud bang.

This happens to me mostly at night. Its annoying because it wakes me up at the precise moment I was about to enter sleep mode. Whenever that happens, adrenaline rushes and I transient into bullet time. Sigh, there goes my slumber sleep.

Odd thing is, no seemed to be bothered by it whenever that loud noise occurs. It is as if I am the only one being affected by it. It is as if I'm the only one hearing noises. That got me thinking, are these noises imaginary?

Sometimes I ask around when it happens during the day, but the response I get are mostly negative which led me to the conclusion that I am the ONLY one who hears stuff. Most of the time, I don't ask cause it'd makes me look paranoid and insecure.

There are times when I convince myself that this isn't that bad since it hasn't gone to the stage whereby I'm picking up voices and whispers. Then again, hearing imaginary noises is freaky. I suspect that I'm an slowly going into a state of psychosis.

Let me ask this question just to be sure that I'm not the only one:
Has it happened to you when you hear noises that no one hears?

---

[Top Comment by Cometh]
I dont hear em... I see em... .Jeng Jeng Jeng

Opposing Comments

Heard of the pro & con analysis?
Its the type of analysis framework used to assess supporting and opposing statement to matter being discussed. We all use the pro & con analysis when faced with decision making moments as it is used to explore the positives and the negatives of an issue.

Funny thing is, most people are incapable of using this method to assess our own beliefs. Your beliefs are absolute: Friends are good, crimes are bad, Happiness is positive and depression is negative. Has it ever occurred to you that friends could be a bad thing, crimes are good, Happiness is a negative thing and depression could be a positive thing?

Though I'm not good at it, but I'm trying learn to see things in the extremes of both negative and positive. Lets use my previous post as an example. The birthday death post, where I attempt to relate birthday with death.

Allow me to point out the positives and negatives in the post:
Positives:
1) As we age, we grow wiser
2) Free Presents
3) The highly anticipated 'Make a Wish' moment.
4) A human life last generally longer than a material thing

Negatives:
1) Heavy emphasis on death.
2) Birthday wish do not come true after a certain age.
3) A material thing generally expire faster than a human life

The real reason to that post is to practice my ability to give a a negative event a good image or in this case, a positive event (birthday) a bad image (death). If you take the time to think about this post, you generally have a rough idea on whether you are a positive or a negative person depending whether your main focus was on free gifts or death. If however you did not take the time to think about this, then its natural to think negatively because the main focus of the article was on death.
Anyways I received two extreme comments from an anonymous commenter and curryegg:

Anonymous:
I feel sorry for you. Of all the wonderful things in the world, u chose to be oblivious of it and what u have here are all cynical and hardly sarcastic posts.
No wits or watsoever, coz wat i see is tat ur struggling for a special topic and try to spice it up a little to make it look like something special. The way u've done it so far? Being cynical and running into dead-ends every single time, as if tunnel vision is wat u got.
Not tat i'm a hater or anything, but seriously dude, u gotta keep ur mind open and view things differently.

Curryegg:
Good post kif and I can see your 'equation'. You got your points. It is good to remind others that we are getting nearer to our deathbed during each year birthday. It will remind us to appreciate life, people around us and enjoy the remaining days with something beneficial.
As like what you have mentioned, we shall see birthday in another perspective which at the end will give another positive thought. That's what I believe as well.. So, shall I wish you... a Happy Death Day, kif?


Here are some contradicting points
Anonymous: Tunnel vision is wat u got. U gotta keep your mind open and view things differently.
Curryegg: As like what you have mentioned, we shall see birthday in another perspective.

Anonymous: u chose to be oblivious
Curryegg: I can see your 'equation'

Both are good comments, both have their own valid points. Strange thing is, one comment contradicts with the other. Its like saying: "If white is the opposite of black, then I'm looking at a document with black wordings and white background. How is it possible that two opposing entities exist in the same environment?"

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[Top Comment by: SK]
quote: "If white is the opposite of black, then I'm looking at a document with black wordings and white background." Interesting, but an actual fact, rather. How would u be able to view a document of white background, bearing white wording?
So u see, it is in fact the contrast of two very different things that allow us to differentiate and ultimately, form an opinion which, in ur case, good or bad. Now what makes a good or bad nature of things? Well, take ur document analogy for example. Is that the black wording on a white background that allows u to see the wording itself? Or is that the white background with the words "cut-out" that creates the illusion of the wordings existence?
Think of it as the LCD monitor that u r looking at now, u might think that it is actually the black wording itself allows u to see them but in actual fact, it is the white backgroud with the pixels that form words itself being turned off, resulting in a pattern that resembles a black wording on a white background.
Points to be taken? Well, lets not be too judgemental. Rather than emphasizing wat is good and wat is bad, which at often times are only but separated by a fine line, focus on the ability to pin-point the difference between any 2 entity at any given time. Practise that hard enough and u will be able to read the white wordings on a white background.

My Birthday is my Deathday

"The best birthdays of all are those that haven’t arrived yet."
---- Robert Orben ----

Yesterday was the 17th of Feb, my birthday. Indeed, I'm getting old. I can't believe the candles worth more than the cake. Then again, no wise man ever wished to be younger.

Sometimes I wonder why do people celebrate birthdays? What purpose does it serve? Other than the presents and the 'make a wish' moment, birthday is in fact a depressing event. Allow me to explain why:
Birthday is a celebration of life. And why do we celebrate life? This is simply because there is death. Life is never permanent, but death is. Therefore, birthday is a celebration of death.

As humans, it is our nature to compare. As I look at my most recent birthday cake, I can't help it but to compare it with the previous birthday cake I had. Its the same everytime, I get one additional candle every year, which also means that I am that much closer to death. Perhaps birthdays are a polite way of saying: 'Enjoy your year. This might be your last'

Which comes to my next point. Presents - material things that expire faster than your life. Presents are a good way of saying: 'Awww..Don't feel so bad. Here, I have a present for you, a brand new Ipod. Look on the bright side, you get to live longer than this Ipod.'

Other than the presents, there is this other thing to look forward to. The 'Make a wish' moment, a ritual where the birthday kid gets to make a wish just before they blow out the candles. Legend has it that if you blow out all the candles in one breath, your wish will come true someday in the future. Assuming the legend is true, there is no way you can get your wish as you grow older. When you are at my age, its near impossible to blow out all 20+ candles with one breath. Bad news is, it gets harder next year. If you can't blow out all the candles this year, you can safely assume it'll be the same for the rest of your life. In short, no birthday wish will come true after a certain age.

Another point about the 'Make a Wish' moment. You may perceive this as a good thing, but not me. This reminds me of the 'Make a Wish' foundation, a foundation for children with life-threatening medical condition. [Birthday kid = kid with life-threatening medical condition. How depressing]

All in all, It was a depressing day for me. Good news is, you can help alleviate this depressing moment of mine with gifts and presents. Its always good to receive things that expire faster than me (especially things that are expensive).

In conclusion, Birthdays are yearly death reminders.
Have I changed the way you perceive birthdays?

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A shoutout to the following Bloggers who wished me on my birthday. Thanks!
1) Kellaw - He wrote a birthday post for me. Check it out.
2) Curryegg
3) SimonSeow
4) Gina Yap
5) Cathy Chew
6) Pinksterz
7) Venessa Seraphina Abigail
8) Lin MeiYi
9) Evelyn Ng
10) Melissa Wong
11) David Cheong
12) Ruth Tan
13) Alison Cheong
14) Nathalia Luter
15) Kee Man
16) LayPoh
17) Caffery
18) FoonLing
19) Lisa
20) Janaki Gopikrishna
21) kruel74
22) Ahmike
23) Irvine

My next Valentine: Stockholm Syndrome

It's not what you do for me on Valentine's Day that matters but the amount of jealousy it provokes in others
---- Anonymous ----

Tonight is perhaps one of the most romantic nights whole year round. You see, today is Valentine's day. A day when a guy pluck a stalk of rose for the princess of their dreams, and a night where a girl satisfies the dreams of their prince.

Its a good thing that not everyone celebrates Valentine's day. I can't fathom the thought of all 6 billion people celebrating valentine day. I wonder how many roses will be plucked from the soil of the earth. Perhaps sometime in the future, environmentalist would name this day as the 'Rose Sacrificial Day'. I'm sure ALL anti-valentine would support to this idea.

Today is my big day as well. I never knew preparing 44 Roses and a 3.8carat diamond would be such a hassle. Some may be curious to why I prepared 44roses. Don't get me wrong, I do not work in a flower shop neither am I a certified florist. However I did send a rose to all my ex-girlfriend, to serve as reminder of my once presence. Its not the rose that is symbolic, rather the sharp armour piercing thorns. (If you didn't get the joke, I hope the thorns scrap scar their delicate fingers as how they bled my once loving heart.)

But.... But..... The 3.8carat diamond is to my one and only true love. If the diamond has a life of its own, it would have seen my all. My deepest desire, my passion, my persistence, my joy, my pride, my ego, my optimism, my nervousness, my affection, my fear, my shame, my fury, my disappointment, my frustration and my sorrow (in chronological order). And if you read the sequence of emotions again, you would have a rough idea that today is NOT my day. (That is why I'm blogging on a valentine's night instead of having fun.)

I had to sacrifice a couple of electronics before I cool down. Now that I've calm down, I start to think back to what went wrong. I've done all I could: Suave restaurant, the best tuxedo, a professional chauffeur, candlelight table, musicians, and even a 3.8 carat diamond. I even tried to contact Frank Martin as the chauffeur and Joshua Bell as the violinist. Still nothing works. Has women become so materialistic that not even a 3.8carat diamond will cut it?

As what they always say: 'If you can't push, pull'. If being overly romantic is at fault, perhaps I should try the opposite next year. I've heard a great deal about the Stockholm Syndrome and I should give that a try. Stockholm syndrome is a psychological response sometimes seen in abducted hostages, in which the hostage shows signs of affection to the hostage-taker.
More Reading on Stockholm Syndrome 1
More Reading on Stockholm Syndrome 2

Come to think about it, this ain't such a bad idea. The next time I'm interested in a new girl, I should really plan well for our next date. Kidnap her, and imprison her for a few weeks until she is emotionally attached to me. Then again, I'm not a rich man. If I do attempt to inflict this Stockholm Syndrome to my next girlfriend, should I get a gun or should I get a bomb?

Back to my usual easy to answer question session:
How did your Valentine Day went?
What would you be doing for your next Valentine Day?

Disclaimer + Note:
1) This article is a joke. Never attempt to kidnap anyone with a gun or a bomb. (Use both for better success rate!)
2) The above statement is another joke.
3) Frank Martin is the main character in the movie 'The Transporter'
4) Joshua Bell, a world renowned violinist who collected only $32 for playing 3.5million incognito. [link]

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[Top Comment by QuirkyLilPrincess]
my valentine's day was spent doing errands with the family.my next valentine's will probably be spent alone again. I give up. If love hurts so much the other 364 days of the year,i don't think 1 day will fix everything.Stockholm syndrome?maybe that will fix me someway somehow.i want a hot kidnapper though.

BloggerUnited

There is truth in sarcasm.
---- Annonymous ----

Behold, the second vlog I've done in my entire life. In this vlog, I'm promoting BloggerUnited, a new social network site for bloggers.

Warning: Sarcasm Included

Allow me to explain each sarcastic material one by one.
1) The reason to why bloggers put up an advert in their blog is because they want to earn millions from blogging. The music 'Gold Spinners' was used because blogging and vlogging can earn you big bucks. Yes, big bucks. Bad news is: there is 99% it won't happen to you.
2) The second reason to why bloggers start up a blog is because they want their opinions to be heard. This is simply because they have no real friends to hear them out. If they have an audience of one, they wouldn't start a blog.
3) Rather than sending personal email to invite friends to their party, Bloggers had announce it in their blog. If they are writing a hatemail directing to their superior, instead of emailing the right person, bloggers had to use pseudonyms and post it up in their blog.
4) Since no bloggers have friends, we bloggers had to resort to social sites to befriend strangers.
5) What happens when you gather a bunch of anti-social creature who crave for attention in a social site? They spam and troll other members, for attention.
6) [Insider joke] In Blogger United, you will be promoted as blogger of the month if you are the highest rated spammer.
7) [Yet another insider joke] If you are new to Blogger United, we have a welcoming team to make you feel comfortable. Once you are a veteran member, the same team will shun you out by picking your personal faults.
8) Towards the end of the video, I was trying to mimic the crazy warehouse sales guy. [apparently i'm need to practise more.]

Then again, Blogger United is a social site where bloggers get to be themselves.
If you are the quiet type, join in and stare at us.
If you are the aggressive type, join in and start a war.
If you are the popular type, join in and share your fame.
If you are the sarcastic type, join in and we can share sarcastic materials.

To sign up a free account with Blogger United, click here.
Check ou my profile in BloggerUnited: BU- 3POINT8
Update: BloggerUnited is giving out FREE merchandise.

What do think of the video?

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[Top Comment by Chewak]
you make it sound so sad and pathetic

Meet 3point8 in Real Life

After your death you will be what you were before your birth.
---- Arthur Schopenhauer ----

If you are into numerology, you would know that the number 13 is associated with bad luck. Well, in the chinese culture the number four signifies death. And if loosely translated into spoken language, the number 14 means 'Sure Die'.

14 is the number of days since my last blog entry. Two weeks is what it takes to.......
Forgive me, I can't seem to continue that sentence. you see, I was about relate death, birth, and the beginning of a new life. And it does seem that I'm having a writer's block now. (Understandable since I haven't been writing for 2 weeks)

---

Anyway, There is an announcement to be made.
I'm BACK in Malaysia. I'll be making a grand appearence in Asia Cafe (located in SS15, Subang Jaya, Malaysia). Do drop by If you wish to meet the mysterious prodigy behind 3point8.

Bring your camera over, I might be bringing a terrorist mask. (I'm still asking around if it is illegal to wear a terrorist mask and walk around freely in the land of msia)
Oh bring a deck of cards too. I'm doing autographs.

Come drop by for 5mins, bring a friend over.



In short:
Venue: Asia Cafe (SS15, Subang Jaya)
Time: Friday (6th feb) 11pm~1am
Who will be there: Me, Sue
Invitation open to everyone. (Bloggers, non-bloggers, parents, teens)
[Mail me to get my phone number if you are planning to come over]

This gathering is gonna be informal, its gonna be disorganized, its gonna be awkward, there will be no games nor plans or watsoever. No invitation, no confirmation, and best of all, no entrance fee. This is just a simple meet-up. If you want to come over, why not drop by for 5mins and say Hi.

Question is: Do you wanna come over?

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[Top Comment by koRnholio]
well haha i am not really a superstitious person. 14? haha i was born on tat date... haha speaking of 13... it reminds me of a joke from mitch hedberg: "13 is an unlucky number. If 13’s unlucky, then so should the letter B be, cuz B looks like a scrunched-together 13. ‘Hello, what is your name?’ ‘Bob.’ ‘Get the hell away!"

[Personal] A career in Malaysia

If I stay, I would have countless opportunities to amass funds great enough to buy a national bank. If I leave, I would have a life.
---- 3point8 ----

Ever had the feeling that when something happens, it is always the closest ones that would receive the news last. When I had a crack in the cranium when I got my head bumped to the bedrock after being swept away by the strong sea current, it was always my direct family that would get the news well after all my friends knew about it. That is why I do not blog about my personal life because I know there are people reading this blog (including my Alaskan distant aunt).

But this post is an exception. This post is about my life biggest decision. Now in this present time, at this very moment, I have to choose between staying and making a living here in Australia, or return to my home country to Malaysia. [For those who had been following my blog and was wondering if I'm an aussie, I'm not. I'm a Malaysian.]

I've been contemplating this for a long time. Based on my observation and the things people say, there are only a few reasons to why I should make a living here in Australia:
1) Nice weather coupled with fresh air and clean water.
2) Better work rights. (No overtime, no Saturday and Sunday work life)
3) Salary here is reasonably well.
4) Socio-economy is well balanced. There isn't much of a gap between the rich and poor.
Indeed, Australia is the perfect place to be living in.

So, why choose to go back to Malaysia you might ask. I can only think of two reasons:
1) My family is there
2) I'm accustom to the Asian culture.
Even if I combine this two reasons, its not even good enough to outweigh of the first benefit to why I should stay in Australia (nice weather). Then again, I have a difficult time fitting in Austalia. I just want to be go to a place where I belong.

The real reason to why I want to go back to Malaysia is because I want to build my career in a place where I can fit in culturally - either in Malaysia, or Singapore. Though my background is in engineering but it would be ideal if I can get into management consulting or IT consulting because those are the fields that deemed interesting, challenging and its not as repetitive as other profession.

It was difficult for me to get into this job market in Australia because I do not have any relevant experience and Aussies value experience more than they value gold. If I go back to my home country, I just thought that I'd have an advantage considering I graduated from Australia's best engineering university, and that I have close to a year worth of oversea working experience.

Sometimes I still wonder if going back Malaysia is the right decision for me. This thought has been haunting me for a month considering I've already made a lot of bad decisions. I pissed away all my money and I chased off all my friends. I just hope that this decision is not another mistake that I'll regret 38 years down the road. I hope this is my U-turn, my chance to atone for the mistakes I've done.

As of now, I am a job seeker and my priority is to look for a career in Malaysia and Singapore. If you are a headhunter, here is my professional webpage [link] (a copy of my resume is included in that link). Or if you know a headhunter who is seeking for fresh talent, do forward my details to them. Mucho gracias.

Question: How would you advice a fresh graduate who is out in the real world looking to start a career?

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Unrelated Stuff: I know I'm self-advertising. But this is a good thing considering I mustered the courage to blog about my personal life (which is rare for me). Plus I want to leverage my existing power of social network and blogs.

Also, I believed in the concept of a 'mysterious blogger' and I stood to my conviction of not revealing my personal information for years. But today, I think I have revealed more of myself in this single post as compared to all my previous 380post combined.

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[Top Comment by SK]
here's a couple of more reason to come back to malaysia:
3) ur buddies are here (me! me! me!)
4) u can catch up with bloggers and attend blogger events
5) u have more freedom in terms of moving around since u most likely have a car (ok so traffic jam sucks, so wat? ur used to it having born and raised there)
6) u can still find food to eat and things during wee hours, and again u have a car to move around
7) i couldnt agree more with point 1,2,3 by Relax. the here are among the cheapest in the world, and luxury is way below wat it shld cost in other developed countries, and it's just started to pick up!

Most of all, if getting a lot of money and have career progression, u can do tat everywhere else, but wats the point of doing so if u werent enjoying life at the 1st place, right?

Half Cup v2

"Who is 3point8 and why does he want to know about my cup?"
---- 3point8 ----

Do you see the cup as half full or half empty? I once wrote an article about this [link]. A year later, I'm gonna revisit this subject today.

Often times, when this question is being asked, people can expect a reply that revolves around two personalities - either a pessimist or an optimist. As I grow wiser, I realised that there are more than that.

As of now, I came to realise that there are four types of people:
The blind who sees neither the cup nor the water.
The pessimist who sees the cup as half empty.
The optimist who sees the cup as half full.
The smart who sees the cup both half empty and half full.

Think about it, the blind has no idea what the hell is going on. We brand these people ignorant and ill-informed. When things happen to them, i doubt they'll even notice it.

The pessimist knew something was going on. As usual, only bad things happen them and when it does, they break down and ask: "Why me??? Why me??" "Curse you! Why'd you give me a billion dollars and then tax me a million?"

The optimist however rides the wind. Out of 100 events that happened in their life, each of them are a blessing. Cancer is the cure to all their disease, Bankruptcy is the answer to all their financial needs.

The smarts ones.... these are the slicky bastards. The take advantage of the pessimist, optimist and particularly the blind. They see more than just the cup and water. They see the blind, the optimist, the pessimist and other smart ones who are all staring at the cup.

All my life, there are times when I'm blind, there are times when I'm a pessimist and occasionally I'm fortunate to be an optimist. Among the four types of people, I want to be the smart one.

I haven't had the chance to be one yet, so I can't tell you how it feels to be one. But please do share your experience if you ever had the luck to meet such person. If they blogs, do intro their blog to me.

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[Top Comment by Jordan]
I used to be like you too, I see where you're coming from. Skipping in cliche introduction, straight to the point: The cup may be half full, half empty, fake, an illusion, made of glass, the prime attention or every other shit in the world, but the real matter being questioned here is our mind. Our mind is telling us the cup is there, and something needs to be heard by us from within. Our mind controls everything, just shut it off for a moment and suddenly the grass seems greener, the sky larger and the time slower. That's when we start living. It's not about the cup, it's about our mind controlling us.

Leaders with Suicidal Thoughts

"Why kill yourself? Life would do it for you"
---- Anonymous ----

Ever had a feeling that you are one lonely person? Though you have friends, you have families, but for some reason, you couldn't feel any connection with any of them.
It is a fact that every lonely soul out there have difficulties opening up their thoughts. They do seldom talk about their problems because there are 4 internal obstacles that needs to be dealt with:

[1st obstacle] I have so much problem that I need to talk to someone. [2nd obstacle] Problem is I have no one to talk to. I don't think anyone would be interested in talking to person with problems. [3rd obstacle] Besides, even if I have friend to talk to, I don't even what to say. Complaining about my life only makes me seem weak. [4th obstacle] There were times when I found someone who understands me, someone who I can share my problems with. Thing is, whenever I think of my problems, its nothing compared to poverty. it makes all my problems sound so trivial and I feel as they are not worthy enough to be shared.

Therefore, If these lonely people are sharing their woes with you, it means that:
1) They treat you as a friend, a friend who understands.
2) You make them feel at ease cause they feel comfortable sharing their thoughts with you.
3) Their problems are huge that has the potential to cause a significant amount of damage. [If its a minor problem, they wouldn't even share with you in the first place.]

I have a feeling that this type of thinking is a very dangerous one. It encourage self-destruction leading to suicidal thoughts mainly because of 2 reasons:
1) They lack attention
2) They bottle up problems until they burst.

On the other extreme end of looking at this way of thinking, it somehow strikes to me that these people are problem solvers. These people do not whine and complain, instead they do something about it. The only way to eliminate these problems are to solve them. And we all agree that all great leaders are problem solvers, yes?
Which brings me to this state of thinking based upon the reasoning above:
1) Great Leaders have more suicidal thoughts than normal people.
2) Leaders who has no problem winning the heart of people, have less friends than normal people.
3) People who resorted to suicides, are more likely to be a leader had they not pass away.

One more thing about leader, they fear nothing, not even death. So I suppose having multiple suicidal thoughts is an acceptable way of thinking to them.

Which bring us all to this question I've been itching to ask:
Would you allow someone who has a constant stream of multiple suicidal thoughts to lead your country?

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[Top Comment by SK]
Just my 2 cents...I think ppl harbour suicidal thoughts most likely due to the fact that they couldnt solve problems at hand and have to resort to suicide in the hope of ending all problems once and for all. On another note, if they were great problem solvers, they would have over the years gathered enormous amount of confidence of solving any problem that comes along. Therefore i think being a suicide-prone person and an excellent problem solver are 2 mutually exclusive events.

Statistical New Year Resolution

“Making resolutions is a cleansing ritual of self-assessment and repentance that demands personal honesty and, ultimately, reinforces humility. Breaking them is part of the cycle.”
---- Eric Zom ----

A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one Year and out the other. Many people look forward to the New Year for a new start on old habits.

In a way, new year resolutions are for fat people trying to get thin, for blonds trying to be smart. But if you are a believer of fate, we all know it ain't gonna happen. No matter how much you try, you won't achieve it. No matter how many resolution you set, you ain't gonna any of it unless Fate allows it. [So, here is one reason to why you shouldn't believe in fate]

Anyway, this is my blog, and its all about me. Reflecting back on my past year's resolution, I am starting to detect a pattern here:
2001: I will make connections with at least 10 world leaders.
2002: I will socialise with at least 8 local celebrity.
2003: I will befriend 5 popular kid in my area.
2004: I will make small talk to my next door neighbour.
2005: I will say hi to a cashier.
2006: I will make at least one random friend on facebook.
2007: I will talk to a stray cat.
2008: I will try and talk to myself.
2009: I will try and mumble a word.

I admit that I'm not very good at keeping resolutions. In fact, each of my resolution are easier to achieve than the previous year. I've lowered the bar for 8 continuous year and I couldn't even come close to achieving this year's resolution. Then again, do not be quick to judge as I have another 11 more months to go.
I've heard most people contemplate just on their last year's resolution and make a judgment on how well they did based on how many resolutions they achieved. I have yet to see anyone compiling their 10year resolution and talk about it. Think about it, if you compile your 10 year resolution, you might be able to see a pattern. With that pattern, you could roughly tell what are your inner most desire.

Have you ever compiled 10years worth of resolutions? If you see a repeating resolution, it means you know something isn't right.

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[Top Comment by AlphaWhale]
Every summer I resolve to make a new years resolution to cut down the tree outside my window so those crappy birds might not wake me up so abruptly every spring to fall morning. Sure I could cut it down in the summer, but it isn't on my property; and everyone knows that it's easiest to cut down a tree inconspicuously in winter when the neighbors are down south. Usually by New Years I forget: and now it's already too late this time around (they've returned). Past that, I've tried to gain weight. That hasn't worked either. Curse metabolic rates.

SunBurn

"My face burns. It burns so much that I can fry an egg in 38secs."

---- 3point8 ----

This morning when I woke up, my face hurts like hell. It is as if gasoline was burning on my face, the type of burn that gets worse when you pour water on it. There are red black spots all over my face. It was so bad that my roommate thought I was a zombie. He didn't say that out loud, but i know he had that thought judging from his initial reaction to swing a baseball bat towards my face.

That was how my new year went. You see, I stood directly under the hot sun from 11am till 6pm on new year's eve. Anyone would get burned if they were doing the same without sunscreen. Like a slithering snake, I am now shedding skin.

I would gladly post up a picture showing how badly burned I am, then again I wouldn't want to be accountable to the death of my readers. With just a glance, I'm sure anyone would suffer appetite loss for at least 38days. That is assuming all of them survived the initial continuous vomiting.

Speaking of sun burn, I was wondering: could you can get moon burn if you expose yourself to the moon for a long period of time? Ok, maybe moon burn sounds far fetched. But what about cancer? Can you get cancer by exposing yourself to the moon?

Think about about. Most skin cancer are due to overexposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. Rays from the moon are a reflection from the sun, so I'm certain that there is a certain degree of UV from the moon. So, if you expose yourself under the moon long enough, can you get cancer?

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[Top Comment by Tekkaus]
Nah~People won't get cancer by exposing them to moon burn. Its intensity is not that strong enough right? But maybe they'll turn into a werewolf! That's why they are coming out with The Rise of Lycans: Underworld 3. Maybe these people were exposed to too much moon!

2 Reasons to Recap

At this time of the year, everyone has been doing their recap. I came across some interesting recap by bloggers.
Nicolekiss mentioned about her travels.
Curryegg talked about her introvert-self and her blogging fame
popjammerz stressed on the events she had been in.
Akiraceo made a list of bloggers he met.
minibites have her 12recaps each with different themes including relationship, career and food.

It seems like people reflect upon their life mostly at the end of the year (or the beginning of the year). I got curious, hence I'll attempt to reason why recaps are necessary.

[1] The way i see it, recaps are indications for people to judge themselves how well they did in their life, similiar to the concept of a performance review. This indication is particularly important to plan for future goals with the most notable example being new year resolution. It's like statistic, to plan ones future by using past data. [For instance, I've been conquering countries in 2008, I should consider conquering planets instead in 2009.] In short: Depending on how well one did, recaps are essential guidelines to plan for the future.

[2] Recaps serves as a compilation of notable experiences. The memories of a human are flawed. We can possibly remember every single event that happened in our life, thus recaps are useful to filter out unimportant events. The human is like a bookshelf capable only of storing a limited amount of books. Hence recaps are times when we organise our 'bookshelves', and decide which of these memories are worthy to be safeguarded.
I only managed to speculate 2 strong reason to why recaps are essential in a human's life: performance review and to safeguard important memories. Minor reasons include peer pressure and instinct.

If you are living in the year 2009 now, chances are that you have been through a period when you start to recap the things that you've done and the the things that have happened in 2008. Ever wonder why you did a recap?

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[Top Comment By i.r.v.i.n.e]
recap is good. People that think about their previous mistakes and dissatisfaction when New Year approaches. Time to be a better person! There is always a starting point.