Sunday, August 21, 2011

The Law Of Similars

I still recall the day when i was back in MFI, my mechanics lecturer gave us a difficult problem and he asked us to prove it. It was a an excavator which is carrying a certain amount of mass in its arm and we have to prove that it will tumble forward. It shouldn't be too hard if we just apply our knowledge in moment and forces. However, we have too many unknowns making it impossible to get an answer. Unless of course, we see it from a different point of view..

Imagine having two mice. One is white and the other is black. How do you prove that the white mouse is white? You can choose to try your best proving that it is white, or, you can see it all from a different point of view. To prove that it is not black. Sometimes, we encounter this kind of problem in mathematics. Like the one that my lecturer told us to solve last time. So instead of proving that it falls, with all those unknowns, we proved that it doesn't stay on its ground. Thus bringing us to the conclusion that the excavator falls forward and the poor contractor being in a big mess.

It's amazing to see that just by changing our point of view in a problem, we can achieve something better and solve a problem a lot faster, and of course, a lot easier. It all depends on how we see it.

I've read the book The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. The story is all about Ancient Mysteries and conspiracies. Which i like. Not that i really believe in Ancient Mysteries or such, but i do think that we can learn something from the book. In the book, Peter Solomon, Robert Langdon's friend, always point it out to Langdon that sometimes, we just need to change our point of view to see something more clearly. In the book, Langdon get to solve a lot of the ancient riddles by doing so. Our mind is complicated, up to the point that we can't see simple things that lie right in front of our eyes. All we need to do is to see it from a different point of view.

The Law Of Similars. I'm sure up to this point, you guys are still wondering what is it and what link does it have with all the things that I'm saying now.

Us mankind, we have moved forward so far. We, as the only creature with intelligence have do great wonders in this world. We have achieved a very high level of knowledge in physics, mathematics, chemistry and medicines. And according to Moore's Law, our advancement in technology will continue to grow exponentially. However, in our arrogance with our knowledge, we have forgotten other form of fields. Long forgotten fields. Which modern scientist claim to be bogus and unproven. Most of us forgot the practice of acupuncture, homeopathy and other form of "traditional" medicine. How can we say that it's wrong if it is left unproven? But don't get me wrong, not all scientists are like this. Some strive to prove the effectiveness of these practices.

Don't worry, we're getting close to the Law Of Similars now.

People nowadays have forgotten about these practices. Some of us don't even know some of it. And I was part of those people. I just found out about homeopathy recently. A field proposed by the german physician, Samuel Hahnemann. It's a form of alternative medicine which is based on the philosophy called The Law Of Similars. This law stated that drugs or treatment for a certain disease will produce the same effects or symptoms as the disease that it's supposed to cure. We can see these symptoms if we apply the drug to a healthy person without the disease and the drug will produce the same effect as the disease.

Similia similibus curentur, let like be cured by like

It's like using a poison to treat a poison. This is based on the belief that the a substance that produces the same effect as a diease can cure the disease if used at a very small dose. This method of course have not been proven but you can see its effectiveness. Thus homeopathy stays as an alternative medicine. Not real science that we learn in medic school.

I'm not saying all this cos I'm a big fan of homeopathy and other form of alternative medicines. What I'm trying to show you is that, from what i see, homeopathy is just another branch of science that wants to cure sick people but the practitioners have a different approach than conventional medicines do. Both are looking for the same truth.

So i believe until the day where we all are able to change our approach in a problem comes, we will never see the truth that lies in this world. We will never be an enlighten mind until that day comes. We have restricted our way of thinking into what we are taught in school. Most of us have lost the ability that we had when we were child, that is, the ability to really see the world as how it is. I myself have lost that ability. But it's never too late to change.


P/S: Sorry for the long post dear. Haha. I had this on my mind and I've taken time to structure it and made some research about it. So that explains why i haven't post anything for quite sometime. :)

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

The Push-Pop Inefficiency

Copy and paste. That's what most students do when they have tp finish an assignment. A rather easy method to get things done. Plagiarism as how they call it and nowadays, everyone knows how to do it. But what most people don't know is how it work. The function is pretty easy. Push-pop.

So what happen is, when you copy something, you're actually pushing datas (in binary codes of course) into a specific "container" in the memory. Then when you want to paste it, what happens actually is that the container will push back the datas out into the specific place that you want it to be. That's pretty much the idea idea though. I wouldn't want to make things become complicated by talking about the "address" in the memory and such. So yea, that's the push-pop function in the computer.

Now this brings my attention to the shower system here at the Résidence Universitaire. It uses a very ridiculous and inefficient system. If you want to take a shower, you have to press a button to get the water. If you let go of it, the water stops. Bloody ridiculous right? So if you want to shampoo or apply the shower gel, you'd have to stop pressing it and the water will stop. I have no problem with that. I think it saves the water consumption. But then, if you want to continue washing up, you have to press the button again but then, the water will become cold for awhile and you'd have to wait for it to get hot again. And sometimes, when it's cold, you really want to get into the hot water as quick as possible but then again, you'd have to wait. And so yea, i don't like this system at all. Imagine having to go through it during winter. We'll freeze before we get the hot water. Haha.

So yea, that's all the updates for now. Bye.

P/S: I love you syg. :) :)

Friday, July 8, 2011

The Toilet Symphony

I've just moved in to the Residence Universitaire (University residence) about a week ago. When i was at my foster fam's house, i always thought that it'll be fun. Cos we will have our own privacy and no more of that "moment of silence" at the dinner table with your foster parents. All of those are true here. Except i forgot about the toilet.. And thus, another toilet related post.

Here, we don't have our own private toilet in our room. We have to share the toilet and shower room.. Just like back in MFI. I hate using this kind of collectif toilet. I guess the reason is evident. Sometimes, it's just not that clean after some irresponsible bozo used it. I have a thing for cleanliness and i really really emphasize on good hygiene. So, i hate this kind of toilet.

Well to be honest, that's not the only reason. We all know that public toilets have a really poor acoustic. No need to elaborate in detail on that. It seem to amplify sound. Trust me, using the toilet in the morning really really is not a good idea at all. There are four toilet cabins near my room. And in the morning, it's always full. So one morning, i had to use it. And i got the one that's in the middle. Since all the other three cabins were occupied.

I was shocked by what i heard. The sound of people doing their business. And not by one people. But by three other people. Trust me, it sounded like they were playing in an orchestra. One sound after the another. And since i was in the middle cabin, the sound came from both side. Stereo sound! What the heck right.. But then, it got me thinking. If there are more than 2 people, it seem like they're playing in an orchestra, what if it's just two people. What will happen? My theory, a duel. A fart duel. They'll challenge one another to death! Or in this case, till one of them is out of gas or ammo. Not a game that i would want to play or even get involve with. Hence, i really want a toilet for myself.

Have a great weekend people. :)

Monday, June 20, 2011

Missing you dearie.. :)

This song always remind me of you Nabila.. :) :) It always remind me of the time when we're back at Kuching during the rainy season after SPM. :) We both always love the rain kan dear? :) Here's to our memories. :)

Monday, June 6, 2011

Missing you.. :(

I miss you so much my dear Nabila.. :( :( I miss seeing you smile to me.. I miss hearing you laugh to me dear.. :( :( I miss holding your hands and know that you are here right next to me.. I miss that feeling dear.. To feel secure when you're with me.. :( sigh.. Don't worry dear, I will hold on to us. :) I won't give up k dear. :) Its just that I miss you so much syg..

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

The Fast Food Paradox

Hi there,

Nothing is perfect in this world. We all agree on that. Even nature has its flaws, what more to say on man made objects or the system we create. Take for example, the fast food restaurant system here in France. I hate the system here. Including that at MCD. Here, we still have to wait to get the food. And this doesn't happen once or twice. It happens almost every time i eat here. Sometimes, we had to wait for 15 mins. Yep. That's at a fast food restaurant.. wonder how long do we need to wait at those normal restaurant..

So today, our french lecturer asked us what do find weird here in France. So one of the guys said about the poor fast food system. And she replied, that's because eating quickly is barbaric. haha. Bloody good answer right mate? Might as well don't create fast food restaurant then. So yeap, yet another imperfection.

So all this bring me to the new iphone4 white that i just bought about 2 days ago. I'm a big fan of Apple product. Really i am. But i won't be biased to the point that i'l just forget about the weaknesses in their product.

The phone itself is great. It's quite fast, simple design (minimal design actually which i love) and it is easy to use. In the box, you'l get the iPhone 4, the cable to connect it to the computer, an earphone with remote control and the wall plug to charge your iPhone. Let's start with the earphone. Apple is well known to be active in the music industry. Creating iTunes, iTunes store, the iPod and such. But one thing that i think they really need to improve on is their earphones. They're horrible. The sound is so plain and the bass is just suck. It feels like listening to a really cheap earphone. And no, the remote control doesn't impress me. I want something that serve its purpose. And for the earphones, the quality of the sound should at least be a little better.

Let's move on to the camera now shall we. The iPhone 4 has a 5.0 mp camera. I have a Canon EOS 1100D DSLR camera. So evidently, i prefer taking pictures with the DSLR. But sometimes, you just need to take a quick snap and no, you don't carry your bulky DSLR everywhere. So in this case, a camera phone really comes in handy. The iPhone 4's camera quality is not very satisfying to me. It produces too much noise sometimes. A clear foreground with a noisy background is not really a nice picture. But oh well, it's not that bad either. Perhaps the DSLR sets the bar too high for the iphone. And plus, i really think that the iPhone need a camera button at the side. It's a lot easier to take a picture with the shutter button on the side than on the screen.

The iPhone 4 is ok in general. These are just some small problems i guess. But i'l post some more if i found some new imperfections in it ok. ;)

Bye now, and good luck to you dearie for your exams. :) ;) Love you! :)

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

The France Exploration Conclusion

Hello there, as you all know, i've been in France for more than 3 weeks now. And in these 3 weeks, i've noticed some interesting things that i would like to share with you guys. Haha.

1. First of all, they have a big problem with cash. Seriously. If you go to a shop, sometimes they don't accept your cash cos it's too big. And so, you have to find an alternative. You can either use your bank card (which you don't have when you're new there), or you can ask for it from your friends. So yea, there are a few erm.. cases where i don't have small money and so, i have to go around and ask my friends if they have small money. yep, it could make a the line become chaotic. But nah.. i'm sure the French don't mind. Considering how chaotic their airport is. But once you get used to the system.. yea.. things are ok.

2. Deuxièmement! There are dog shit everywhere! My gosh. Seriously, i hate this so much. it really kills your appetite to see dog shit near the restaurant where you're eating or when you're going to eat. And you spend a lot of time looking down to scan for dog shit till you didn't notice how beautiful the sky is. Like today, i just noticed that the rooftops of the building here are nice. I like to see those small chimney on the rooftops. Maybe they should design a spectacles that can scan for dog shit here. Or better, just educate them to pick it up when their dog pooped.

3. Public toilet! God knows that they have a really big problem with it here. The other day, i went to Nice, and then, i wanted to go to the toilet. And we looked for it everywhere. They do have it in the restaurant. I went to MCD. There is a toilet there. But the toilet is locked. you need a security code to go to the toilet. Where to get the code? In your receipt. Meaning you have to buy something from them in order to use it. It's good idea. Seriously. You wouldn't want the public to use your toilet freely and your establishment is the one who have to pay for it. But it kinda give you the impression that using the toilet here is as hard as penetrating into the President's office. Because of the limited number of public toilet here, the alley smells like pee. And whe n i was at the beach, i saw some people who peed in the sea. Pretty uncivilised for someone who claimed to be one of the greatest civilisation now eh?

So yea, that's all for now i guess. France is not that bad actually. These are just small stuffs i guess. But if you're planning to go here, just watch your step. You wouldn't want to bring back a lil souvenir from the man's best friend here.

Bye.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Hi there,

I havn't posted anything for quite along time now. So i was going through youtube and watch Beirut's Postcards From Italy music video. And i was like.. WOW.. I forgot how beautiful this song is. And i just have to post it somewhere. Haha. So here i am.

Seriously, Zach Condon really is one of the most talented musician to me. This song always make me feel.. happy and calm. Haha. Just check it out yourself then you'd understand. It reminds me of someone who i'm deeply in love with but distance separates us. But memories will always remind us of the good times when we were together. :) :)

Gosh i miss playing my uke. And i din't bring it to France. Sigh.. The other day when i was on my way home, i heard someone playing the uke in his garden.. it's spring and it was windy at that time. So yea.. How i wish i have my uke with me. Haha.



So anyway, i also found out that Florence And The Machine made a cover for this song. And my gosh.. it's horrible. I think Beirut is like a million times better than them. Her voice sound so fake. And you can't sense the emotions when she sings it. Zach Condon did it with emotions, they don't. So yea.. The original is so much better.

That's all for now.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Monday, March 14, 2011

Missing you..

Im going to finish my program in 2 more weeks. Then, about 2 weeks after that, i'l fly off to France. In that 2 weeks, i'l be back in Kuching while my Nabila will stay at her college to finish her semestre.. :( That means we wont be seeing each other at Kuching.. :(
I guess that's the price for long distance relationship. Right now, she's back at home for her mid-sem break. So we still cant see each other.. Sigh.. I miss her so much right now..

Im sure the coming holidays won't be the same. Usually, we'd have the same semestre break. And we'd spend a lot of times together. Gosh i miss those times...



I miss her soo much... :(

Wednesday, March 9, 2011