Synchronicity - The Gifted Child

Yesterday morning my Indian friend told me about his choice to keep her daughter in the 'normal' class in school, despite being chosen to be in the 'gifted' programme. He wanted her daughter to mingle with 'normal' students, study normally and enjoy the little things in life. So there were no late nights studying for school and she went to bed at 9pm every night. Unlike most other kids in Singapore, there was also no home tuition after school.

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Incidentally, later in the evening, my South African friend told me a very similar story. In her case, when they first came to Singapore, the school principal didn't think that this new African student (her daughter) will make any difference to the school overall grades, and she was put in a 'normal' class. So, when my friend's daughter did famously well in her exams, the principal and the teachers were stunned. They then offered her daughter a place in the 'gifted' programme, but she rejected it, as she too wanted her daughter to live a normally and enjoy school.

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As the school went on, in both cases, the girls excelled and topped their cohort. Both the principals wondered how a 'non-gifted' child could do better academically than the 'gifted' children in the 'gifted' classes.

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These two cases taught me that no matter how school, family or society categorises someone, e are who we want to be, and if one essentially has the belief, one would achieve that belief.

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The Futurists - Art

The location

15th January 2009

Got to know this online group: The Singapore Futurist Society, in meetup.com. They also have a facebook presence. Click here. The Society is an informal and online one that meets once a week on Thursday at the Coffee Bean Cafe, in the Singapore Post building, Paya Lebar, Singapore.

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We have an interesting mix of eight intellectual-futurists from Norway, Canada, Indonesia, Malaysia, Britain, Germany and Singapore for this session. 

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The organiser is a German who has lived in Beijing for 25 years and speaks Mandarin. He is now living in Singapore and spends his time writing books. He gave me one of his books "Jame5" - a futuristic fiction novel. Click here. 

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The Norwegian participant is radio station broadcaster who happened to be passing by Singapore on her way to Sarawak. She recorded the whole session. As we will be discussing about the future of art in this session, we had an artist who is also a Masters of Fine Arts student from the La Salle College of Arts in Singapore. The rest of us are: web developers, real estate executives, students, photographers, communications specialists, info security specialists and entrepreneurs.

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Discussion:

What is 'art'?

Art is an expression. It is a question that demands a very broad answer, so perhaps it would be easier that we should ask ourselves, "What is not 'art'?"

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Can 'art' be 'accidental'?

No, it cannot be.

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Am I a piece of 'art'? (Pointing to myself.)

You are considered an 'art' if somebody presents you as an 'art'. (I supposed that includes a narcissist pointing to himself as an 'art'.)

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Then it is a perception then?

Yes, it is a perception and an expression of one's inner emotions.

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But 'art' must have  a frame (not necessarily a physical one, but one indicating where it starts and end).  Art need not be colourful. Traditional Chinese art, for instance, uses only black paint on white canvas or paper.

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How about public expressions? eg. Graffitti. Is that 'art'?

Some people don't consider that as 'art'. There are people who dwell in the elitism of art.

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In Norway, there are some graffittis that were sold to buyers. (How?)...by taking a photo snapshot of it. In Singapore, there are hardly any graffittis. We only have 'official graffitti' on walls sanctioned by the authorities.

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Must 'art' be expensive?

There is a story about a thief who came and stole a piece of painting, worth about $100,000, in an exhibition. He got caught. The artist then spoke to the thief and realised that he (the thief) really love and understand that piece of art and was so touched. So, against the likes of the artist's manager, he told the thief to keep what he stole. To the artist, his art is better kept in the hands of someone who appreciates it than someone who merely has the money to buy it.

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There is also a social experiment of a famous violinist who normally play to full house audience in concerts, with tickets going for about $300 a seat. One day, they decided to put him by the subway in New York to play with his prized violin worth $3 million, as a busker. Apparently, nobody recognised him as he was dressed ordinarily, and at the end of the day, he collected only about $30.

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About icons - 

John Lennon (being dead for a long time now) is featured and dubbed into advocating the One-Laptop-Per-Child initiative as a commercial. 

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This is said to be done with the agreement of Yoko Ono (his wife). This is unfair, because it is putting words into his mouth. 

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There are also other famous people who are being used for commercial reasons way after their death. Elvis Presley, the said King of Rock-and-Roll, is said the icon to be most used icon during and after his lifetime. There are numerous Elvis impersonators even today.

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Mao Tze Tung and Marilyn Monroe are icons that have been immortalised in famous paintings by artist Andy Warhol. In fact, you can now 'Warholised' yourself too, just like I did below. Click here if you want to do the same 

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Such use of icons are inevitable. But is there any harm in being used as an icon for morally upright purposes? The problem comes when icons get abused for immoral purposes.

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Icons are an image of the original. Is there any problem with that, particularly in the digital age, when digitally perfect copies can be easily made. Does a copy make any difference?

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How about digital art mixing? There are different 'fair use' copyrights that allow non-commercial mixing of digital art. Other copyright variants are emerging.

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Does language and culture influence 'art'?

Language itself cannot capture art completely. For that reason, some poets and writers invent new terminologies to work beyond the limits of the language. (I guess then over time, such new terminologies will work themselves into the mainstream vocabulary. Words like the Singlish 'kiasu' describes a behaviour better than the English 'afraid to lose'.)

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Culture also matters. For instance, the call for prayer means nothing to non-Muslims, but mean much if you are a Muslim. 

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Somehow, I can feel the acute difference between the call for prayer from the mosques in Singapore and that from Saudi Arabia. In the latter, the words reverberate and resonate with me, bringing me close to tears (in elation and liberation). I don't understand Arabic and am not a Muslim, but yet I feel the vibrations deep in me.

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At this point, our discussion officially ended. Some of us proceeded to the nearby durain stall in Geylang, so that we can give our Norwegian visitor a treat and an experience to take away with.

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At the streetside table amid the gentle evening breeze eating durains, I asked my friend Susan, the artist in the group, if it would have been easier if we have taken 'money' out of our discussion about art. She replied a flat 'no' to that, as art is now so interwined into the psyche of the artist, that it would not be meaningful and futile to discuss without.

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For our meeting next Thursday, we will be discussing about 'Transhumanism'.

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Swans

I know two strong ladies. They both have strong personalities, determination and a drive for efficiency. Yet, you may not notice their strong traits when you meet them. Outwardly, they are gentle, polite and patient. I thought being patient and being efficient are contradictory traits until I met them - just like swans that paddles hard beneath the water and yet maintaining their serenity above.

Tarot 2 - the meetup group

Meetup on the 4th January 2009

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This is a meeting I attended at the Singapore Tarot Card Meetup Group.  It is an interest group comprising professionals, hobbyists and lay persons, like myself, who are curious and open about Tarot card reading. The professionals and hobbyists gather to exchange notes and experiences about their card readings, and the lay-abouts like me get free readings from the experts.

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There are many styles of 'Tarot spreads'. A 'spread' is the style of dishing of the cards on the table. Different types of spread suit different types of questions and preferences of the reader.

This one here is the Celtic Cross spread.

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In Tarot, each card represent a symbol of the reading. That means, after the spread of cards on the table, the reader will begin to interprete the reading to the question. The question has to be specific. It can be a question that expects only a 'yes' or 'no' answer, or one that is narrative.

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The reader basically reads the thoughts of the questioner as expressed by the cards. In other words, the questioner already knows about himself, but is not aware of it. 

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For instance, one of us asked if she should enter the diplomatic corp of her country. The reading unveil that she actually do not have any interest in the diplomatic corp, but is considering it just because she is dissatisfied with her current job. This is true and she knew it subconsciously, but now that it is brought to the front, she is aware of it. Can she still go for the diplomatic corp? Of course she can. Can she avoid it? Of course she can. In the end, it is entirely up to her. So Tarot card reading is about our thoughts and not about fate. To me, fate does not exist.

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Can she ask the same question again? Yes, she can, but she must be ready to accept the second reading more than the first. Otherwise it will be a futile chase for an answer she that wants to hear.

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Tarot decks are very personal to the reader. One does not share his cards with other readers. I also find the pictures very beautiful. 

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I tried feeling the vibrations of the cards and I could feel similar characteristics the symbols represent. Read Psychometry.

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Here are some recommended books...

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who?

This morning at the very instant that I woke up, I didn't know who I am, where I was, which day it is, what time of the day it was, why I was there ... etc.  It was surreal! For a few seconds, I was unaware of my physical self and surroundings, yet I could see everything around me, such as the room, the bright morning sunshine and the pristine blue sky. I knew I was there, but had no name, no purpose and no continuity from before. I am just I am. You know that feeling? Have you experienced it?

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However, it wasn't scary. In fact it was very peaceful and relaxing! :) Was that my brief moment of bliss?

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Design Follies 2a

In my previous post about "Design Follies" last April, I blogged about this short curly bicycle lane complete with bollards on each end, in Pasir Ris, Singapore.

To my surprise, I found that they have removed the bollards. Could it be that someone had read my post and persuaded the authorities to remove them?

However, cyclists are still not encouraged to use them - still a folly!

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Seen any follies where you are? Let me know.

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Bucky Group 36 - Monkhood

This Saturday, we have a talk by one of our Bucky members, Ms Stella Lin, about a book she has read called "The Diamond Cutter", by Geshe Michael Roach. Mr Roach's background is one strewn with a lot of controversy, as he was once ordained as a monk in the Tibetan tradition and left the monastery to start a business and live with a female consort. To read more about his curriculum and controversies, click here.

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This post is therefore put up as a regular journal of the Bucky Group activities. It does not mean that the Group condone the activities of Mr Roach. I for one do not agree with monks breaking vows and not disrobing.

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Anyway, we can still discuss about the book and focus on its contents and not the author. So let's take this as an exercise on our ability to concentrate on the song, and not the singer.

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In summary, the talk focuses on 6 values for success:

1. Generosity
2. Ethics
3. Humility
4. Continuous Learning
5. Meditation
6. wisdom

And all these embraced by Compassion.

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In the book, it suggested that we should thus watch our thoughts to keep those six values. As an measurement, we can keep a bag of black pebbles (to represent bad thoughts) and a bag of white pebbles (to represent good thoughts). So, whenever you have a bad thought, put a black pebble in your pocket, and whenever you have a good thought, put a white pebble in your pocket. At the end of each day, you can check how many good thoughts and bad thoughts you have for the day.

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Discussion:

It is difficult to determine what is 'good' and what is 'bad', as some judgment and bias is required. I would rather have just 'choices' and 'consequences'.

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Clara said that there is no 'good' or 'bad' as everything is 'good'. For instance, if you have enjoyed something thoroughly you may not have learned something from it and there is no growth, whereelse if we had a hard time, we learn and grow and therefore is good for us in both cases.

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There is someone who has just attended this session because he found our group online and it was also the same time that he was starting to read the book. He said there is a regular group that follows Michael Roach's teachings in Singapore.

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One of our members said that it is ok to read the book, but caution us against paying up money towards the Diamond Mountain University in Arizona.

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As the book got passed around, I got to feel the vibrations and it seems that there is a lump of blockage in the author's throat chakra. That usually means that he has a lot of difficulty wanting to express some deeper thoughts. I can feel it. It is psychometry. Read here

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As usual our discussions exceeded the ten o'clock cut off time and soon, Joo Hock has to start his hair salon business.

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Outside the shopping centre, I saw an electric bike. I have been studying the feasibility of introducing electric bikes to more people in Singapore, as it is green, need no Certificate of Entitlement, no Electronic Road Pricing, no parking coupons (so not scared of parking aunties/wardens), gets away with many traffic rules and allowed to take many tiny short-cut trails. :)

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It is pretty cool, with a detachable battery pack that plugs in easily to the wall socket.

It even comes with a remote control alarm. The owner was even kind enough to allow me to try riding the bike. It was very smooth and quiet. The owner is very happy with the bike and highly recommends it. It costs her only SIN$800 plus. A scooter will costs her ten times more plus a lot of CO2.

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It's a Dog's Life 2 - Rivalry

This is whisky. She has just mothered three Shetland puppies. She is the kind and gentle one in the house.

This is Junior (left) and Beanie (right). Both are hyperactive attention seekers. Beanie is only six months old and is now the darling of the house. This is annoying Junior who used to be the youngest in the house.

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This is Jack, an African Grey parrot. He keeps calling out to Junior, "Junior, where's the ball?" Now thanks to Jack's inspiration, Junior goes around with the ball in his mouth, asking everyone to play with him - a way to turn our attention to him and away from Beanie. It's a dog's life!

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Bucky Group 35 - Flow

One of our Bucky member is a volunteer with the charity organisation, the Firefly Mission. Here, they are selling these packets of cashew nuts raising funds for the Myammar Cyclone Nurgis Rehabilitation.

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This week we listened to a TED talk by Mihaly Csikszentmi about creativity, fulfillment and 'Flow'. He asks, "What makes a life worth living?"

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Noting that money cannot make us happy, he looks to those who find pleasure and lasting satisfaction in activities that bring about a state of "flow."

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Discussion:
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Mihaly used the above chart to illustrate when the person is in the 'flow' as the activity enters a high challenge that requires high skills. While this may be so for most cases, it need not be the case if one has a keen interest in the activity and subject. For instance, with a keen interest, even when the skill level is low and the activity is high, the person in the activity will not feel anxiety, but instead could get into the 'flow' state.

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To experience 'flow', we had an exercise where we drew mandalas. Everyone was given a blank sheet of paper with colour pencils. We were told to draw anything that is bounded by a circle. It was very relaxing, drawing anything I want without constraints, mixing colours, images, graphics and images. It transported me into the time when I was a child - free and imaginative.

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This is a mandala from Kong. He said he drew this because he felt like a child when he drew his.

This one has many circles.

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This one tells a story, with the family and house on one side of the river with a bridge crossing over to nature on another side.

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This one is very similar to the one below. Incidentally, both of them had a similar state of mind, drawing mountains, whales, sea, famliy...etc.

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This one is mine. I started the mandala wanting to create a symmetry of designs and colours. Somehow, I wanted a structure and didn't think that I could also be telling a story within the circle.

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Here on, all the mandalas are symmetrical. I guess you can tell that some people are structured and others are the story telling type.

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This is Joo Hock's mandala. He didn't draw but just showed us this photo on his mobile phone. Though he captured the pix himself, he didn't draw or create it and therefore it is not really a mandala. A mandala is not just a product or destination, it is also the process of reaching there. The process where we go through the meditative thought process to reach a graphic design. After the design is done, we throw it away, just like why Tibetan monks sweep their mandalas (made of coloured sand) away after they have gone through their long meditative states of producing them.

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You too should get on to draw one. Looking at what others have produced do not give you the same effect. :)

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Daily Contemplation

If you’re not happy with who you are, you’ll spend precious energy trying to be somebody you’re not, and it will wear you out. Think for a moment. Is there anybody in your life you’re comparing yourself to? A beautiful sister? An accomplished brother? A friend who never seems to have problems? Well, may I say with all the love in the world: Quit it. That business of comparing is going to make you sick and unproductive, if it hasn’t already. You are you.

-- Luci Swindoll

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