tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-98522722011-07-31T18:02:56.857+08:00Boring stuff guaranteed to cure or generate insomniaMad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.comBlogger841100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-62362403166632104762010-06-15T21:37:00.007+08:002010-06-15T21:58:38.204+08:00

Executive SummaryThrough these reflections, I hope to extend my understanding of education. To do this, I hope to continually integrate new knowledge with old, and synthesise the information from the lectures and readings with my prior knowledge and personal experiences. Thus, I have been slowly groping towards a ‘theory’ of education. But my reflections are only the babblings of a child, and I

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-15139765119464698092010-03-31T23:00:00.001+08:002010-03-31T23:03:14.692+08:00

Reflection 5 (and maybe 6)Educational Reform in GondorPart IWhen we apply principles and theories to new and alien contexts, our understanding usually deepens. This reflection will attempt to do just that.Leaving our hot and over-familiar island for another world and another age, we arrive in Middle Earth after the great war of the Ring. Sauron and his dark empire have fallen. The elves have left

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-38214031185958659082010-03-31T22:57:00.000+08:002010-03-31T23:00:23.844+08:00

Reflection 4This reflection will continue discussing the principles of teaching thinking.Writing is thinkingOne of the best and most natural ways to teach thinking is to teach writing. Firstly, writing incarnates thought, whether we are considering economics essays, philosophical discourses, literary criticism, argumentative essays or fictional writings. Quality writing requires the pre-existence

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-69140796198324716162010-03-02T20:48:00.000+08:002010-03-02T20:50:39.761+08:00

In the previous reflections, I have considered a vision of education and the reasons supporting its incarnation. In the next few reflections, I would consider some concrete applications.For the past 5 years, I have had many educational adventures. As I was a teacher of GEP students (now called 'SBGE' (school-based gifted education) pupils), I had the opportunity to teach essentially JC topics to

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-516443958426398122010-02-21T19:18:00.002+08:002010-02-21T19:42:49.157+08:00

Why is it important to cultivate thinking skills? For a start, if we examine MOE’s desired outcomes of education, it is quite clear that they cannot really be achieved if our pupils do not think well:A product of our system is meant to be" A confident person who has a strong sense of right and wrong, is adaptable and resilient, knows himself, is discerning in judgment, thianks independently and

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-7027468841516439852010-01-30T23:07:00.002+08:002010-01-30T23:18:00.994+08:00

I am currently on course before I return to school in May. I have to do 10 reflections on educational issues over the next 4 months. They will make convenient blog posts. Um. I will probably revise my Atlantean stories after the reflections. ReflectionDuring this MLS, I hope to extend my understanding of education. To do this, I hope to continually integrate new knowledge with old, synthesising

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-7467724279650162742009-12-31T21:05:00.005+08:002009-12-31T22:19:04.255+08:00

It is strange why people would celebrate the advent of a new year. Surely a new year brings them closer to death? So is a new year celebration a celebration of death, a strange morbid festival of anticipated release? And if humanity and the universe have expiry dates, would not the turning of the wheel move all things one notch closer towards the end?Yet a new year also brings new possibilities

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-9264133273385266792009-10-31T23:44:00.001+08:002009-10-31T23:47:13.446+08:00

Due to 'resource constraints' this month, did not manage to do much more than add a garbled addition to the story...Atos looked into a night of entombed stars. Eternal, calm yet pitiful, two universal eyes gazed back; and from them came a cosmic raven with wings out-stretched. It birthed entropic Presences, nameless Immensities drawing existence from non-existence, looming with titan scope over a

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-41106459489556155472009-09-25T22:21:00.003+08:002009-09-30T23:18:03.165+08:00

I don't have time to complete the Atlantean short story this month. Indeed, I am only an hour or so away from October. Fortunately, the comment by xxRememberedxx has given me a good idea. Tks. =)Xx alerted me to the presence of a 'Voluntary Human Extinction Movement'. It has a very interesting website full of morbid insights and black humor (though I generally do not agree with the movement's

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-27201509965411082342009-08-31T22:01:00.004+08:002009-10-10T21:03:41.799+08:00

Atos looked into a night of entombed stars. Eternal, calm yet pitiful, two universal eyes gazed back; and from them came a cosmic raven with wings out-stretched. It birthed entropic Presences, nameless Immensities drawing existence from non-existence, looming with titan scope over a dying world. They shrouded the horizon of Tarasha Lehi, the home of FlameAn immense mouth gaped, a spreading chasm

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-76395030182498616202009-07-31T23:19:00.003+08:002009-07-31T23:53:30.705+08:00

Somebody has been bugging me to post. However, I am reading an extremely interesting book. Yet, I suppose I will want to keep up my one-month-one-post habit...So nothing sophisticated. Any faithful reader of this lonely blog would know that Atlantis is one of my pet topics. Perhaps many would wonder why a staunch Christian would indulge in such New Age 'nonsense'. This post will not offer any

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-66651939640068899382009-06-30T21:37:00.001+08:002009-06-30T21:39:55.883+08:00

This post is more accurately called ‘Financial Economics and Spirituality’. It is relatively easy to believe that one can breath the rarefied air of spirituality while serving as a doctor, a nurse, a social worker or a teacher. After all, Christ himself is a teacher, a healer, a contemplative and a servant. But can pursuing a vocation in finance be a way to divine union? Can a CEO of a bank, a

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-33747540435006076712009-05-01T22:49:00.002+08:002009-05-01T22:52:16.919+08:00

Labor day.‘If you love me you will keep my commandments.’ For those who are convinced that true joy can only be found in God, in the Divine, in a Fire that transcends our human bounds, there can only be one way to live: to do what is right, even when, well, we do not always know what is right. To obey the inner fire when it comes, or our best moral sense and conscience, is the indispensable

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-3494643272916807352009-04-01T23:04:00.002+08:002009-04-01T23:07:59.153+08:00

Was asked to reflect on the question on how to cater to the differing needs of pupils. An answer:By being humble, by never giving up, by caring. Perhaps we take on a new class, anxious to impose a 1-Year Plan honed by years of successful experience. We have the goals, we have the means, we have the knowledge, and we efficiently churn out identical academic merchandise of high quality. Faced with

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-6116635957996662522009-03-01T23:17:00.003+08:002009-03-01T23:20:18.376+08:00

I realised belatedly that the month of Feb has come to an end and I have yet to post anything!A quick and (unfortunately) somewhat raw piece:When a person obtains a substantial stash of cash, he gets richer. But when a nation increases its stock of money, it very often ends up poorer. In the 16th-17th century, Spain imported huge stocks of silver from its mines in South America, especially the

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-69294188606103688592009-01-30T22:27:00.001+08:002009-01-30T22:34:55.240+08:00

Economics helps us to navigate in a world of scarcity. It helps us to make the best use of finite resources to satisfy our unlimited desires, and helps us to make intelligent decisions based on a rational evaluation of costs and benefits. Thus economics is concerned with efficiency, satisfaction and costs. It does not obviously have anything to do with man’s ethical endeavors—especially if we

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-50672821723649948242008-12-31T20:59:00.000+08:002008-12-31T21:00:52.654+08:00

This article is a continuation of an old entry I posted in 2005. To save the reader the trouble of treasure hunting, I have pasted the short old piece below (with some editing). My opinions in this post and my Nov post are echoed and inspired by various articles that can be found on the net.The most important of these is Bill Joy’s ‘Why the Future Doesn’t Need Us’. This article was published in

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-63699430601281492552008-11-30T20:44:00.002+08:002008-11-30T20:51:14.872+08:00

A few days ago, I watched an advertisement by the Singapore Armed Forces. As glamorous music played, a sabre-wielding general slashed wildly at his opponent. Before anyone managed to be decapitated, the scene abruptly shifted to an urban wasteland. Rifle-wielding soldiers, with painted green faces, were trooping through bushes, hunting for prey. "Some things never change," a narrator intoned. Two

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-3622394506045011112008-11-02T20:46:00.003+08:002008-11-02T21:08:23.687+08:00

Yes, October has passed without a post...My belated excuse is that I was, and am, working on a 17,000 word module on narrative writing for The Ministry. After that deluge, one can, perhaps, be excused for not having the inclination to write anymore. Still, it is November, and I must write something. Actually I was intending to cut and paste an article by Benjamin Franklin, 'The Morals of Chess'.

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-37639939147066807602008-09-30T22:39:00.000+08:002008-09-30T22:40:31.855+08:00

There are Singapore nights when light pollution is oddly absent, when star-fires fill the sky and when clear winds soar, lifting musing thoughts into darkness, into mystery. Perhaps one would look at a star, deceptively youthful, yet an echo of ancient fire before the ages of humanity. Stretching forth with imagination’s yearnings, one could reach across space to touch a star. Drinking in the

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-22455885369933569512008-08-31T22:56:00.002+08:002008-08-31T22:57:33.577+08:00

I suppose this could be Part I of my latest short story. It still needs revision.Through half-closed eyes, Tonfe gazed at the chalice of eleven feathers, an imprint of Life onto stone. He rested quiet, murmuring a soft song interweaved with the music of home-bound birds, songs riding on sweet winds that bring sleep. He heard from afar, the waters of mother Nile rushing, and above, he felt the

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1585403821443265232008-07-31T14:05:00.002+08:002008-07-31T14:20:45.580+08:00

I think I have to be more disciplined about writing. I shall try to write a complete piece of work each month (a narrative piece followed by an expo piece). Here is the first few paragraphs of another short story (returning to the style of 'Jerusalem'):Fean walked towards the growing mist, head hung, arms drooping, eyes shining with grey dreams of brooding night. The low light of dusk touched his

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-3179929906647392042008-06-05T17:45:00.002+08:002008-06-08T08:01:23.755+08:00

An address by Atos to the Council of the TarashaThe last Tower falls. For four hundred years the Towers have stood, their eleven-hued Fires flaming firm against evil's menace. For four hundred years Tarasha Lehe has flourished--our new homeland, the fortress haven of new Spring. Now, dark winds break down our last defenses, and the rot of the dead West , storms of blood, magic and machine--

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-8705584256183523882008-04-29T17:32:00.003+08:002008-04-30T22:06:20.710+08:00

En-caged in thought-woven bars of invisible steel En-caged, barred, from deep fireEmbracing the lower way—the lower way. Feeling the lawful pain of chained human Flesh For love, hug humiliation daily, daily, With Humanity stone-chained to pain,Weakness, Loneliness—till all, even I, Believe the riddle of one’s

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-54331341180055723542008-03-02T20:35:00.006+08:002008-04-29T17:32:18.050+08:00

A lit essay written for the benefit of students. It demonstrates the use of rhetorical devices in analytical essays and conveniently uses my own Atlantean short stories. The formatting was ok for the original Word document...With reference to the articles in the Foundation Archive, critically analyze the characters in “Indeed Only One”, “Evensong”, and “Ugly Duckling”. How far do they portray the

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-3587210567985706592008-01-31T21:31:00.000+08:002008-01-31T21:32:29.926+08:00

Literature Annotation Guide Version 1.5Content SummaryAfter doing a first reading for each Act of the 'Crucible' or each short story (as the case may be), write a short one paragraph summary answering the following questions:1) What is happening? (Plot)2) To whom is it happening? Who is carrying out the actions? (Characters and actions)3) Why is it happening? (Motivations of characters, causes of

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-20818037860551584162007-12-02T21:05:00.001+08:002007-12-02T21:35:02.860+08:00

I realize I have not posted anything up last month. Oh well. Indeed, I have been thinking about another Atlantean short story, one set in the time of Tarasha Lehe--but the story is still swimming and lingering in mind's lonely seas and it will probably take some time to surface. For now, I will 'cheat' by posting up the bare text (literally--as the formatting and font adjustments are gone) of

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-51536439700484626182007-10-23T19:58:00.001+08:002007-10-23T19:58:46.002+08:00

Yet few are needed, indeed, only one.

The will was read, the kingdom divided. The shares of Shalom Corporation had passed to a bizarre mélange of charitable foundations, institutional investors and the odd trustee or two. And nothing—Moshe Levi, the multibillionaire, the head of a world- girdling business empire, had left nothing to Enoch, his presumed heir—except a small wooden box and a grand

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-8806628820435909092007-09-30T19:36:00.001+08:002007-09-30T19:38:28.631+08:00

Unfortunately the short story is still under construction. Exam marking + more work is needed.

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-48114328631346224592007-08-31T22:12:00.000+08:002007-08-31T22:28:21.488+08:00

This is a continuation of the Ugly Duckling series. However, the story is still not completed:Yet few are needed, indeed, only one.The will was read, the kingdom divided. The shares of Shalom Corporation had passed to a bizarre mélange of charitable foundations, institutional investors and the odd trustee or two. And nothing—Moshe Levi, the multibillionaire, the head of a world- girdling business

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-34375266472937082522007-07-13T20:30:00.001+08:002007-07-30T20:11:49.640+08:00

Perhaps the greatest treasures of life are reserved for those willing to embrace suffering, and gamely accept the law of sacrifice. Indeed, I use the word 'law' in its fullest sense--an implacable regularity and order that seem to be reflected in all aspects of the cosmos, whether within oneself or in the wider universe. It seems reasonably acceptable if the law of sacrifice means that one

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-81611333761883174822007-06-30T22:56:00.000+08:002007-07-13T20:25:19.898+08:00

One hour before midnight and so some random ramblings before June is over.The greatest enterprises of the world, those potent manifestations that transfigure and define an age, almost always start with wild men dreaming wild dreams. Or more precisely, such sweeping revolutions are unleashed by cursed and most fortunate men and women manifesting a consuming fire burning in their bones--a fire that

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-27436194599083445222007-05-13T21:18:00.000+08:002007-12-25T17:41:12.379+08:00

“The only elevation possible to man lies in the depth of humiliation.” --Dag HammarskjoldOur age is one of unprecedented powers and unprecedented fears. 400 years of scientific and technological advancements have allowed us to understand a wide range of physical forces and compel them to serve our will. In the 21st century

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-6467260085748474632007-04-08T20:22:00.000+08:002007-04-08T20:32:24.035+08:00

A short story with an Atlantean theme--the fictional era is around 1000 years after the fall of Atlantis Earth. Dark, moist earth—warm blood-pulses of brooding soil; rotting corpses of leaves and worms; burrowing busy ants in cavernous dreams. Life feeding on death, eternal calm feeding motion; light of buried beauty whirling sorrow songs of rhythmic deeps.Kneeling, and with fingers plunged deep,

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-82000196792108174802007-03-04T15:53:00.000+08:002007-03-04T15:59:23.105+08:00

Archive CXIII (Foundation Center for Antediluvian Research)The War of FlameThis archive summarizes our key findings on the War of Flame (9400BC?-9000BC?)—humanity’s first world war and the great conflict that destroyed the civilization of Atlantis.The Retreat and the founding of Tarasha LeheAfter the disruption caused by the clumsy and arrogant experiments on the Atlantean stones (see detailed

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-31972645383169250752007-02-01T21:06:00.001+08:002007-02-01T21:06:36.528+08:00

A poem with an Atlantean themeAdvent StarTen thousand year vigil of Lone heart-winds and hidden dawns singingin remnant stars of childhood dream.Precocious glory, primeval gift,Shining white and seven huedFire of high flaming seas, Rain of peace and ancient descent,Relic Light of ages closed by tempest seas. Long have you waited for aNew crowned ancient Truth to shineOnce more.Advent Star,Rise

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-53453042829309281472007-01-14T20:40:00.000+08:002007-01-15T14:25:58.752+08:00

This is a sample argumentative piece used to illustrate some principles of exposition for my students:Is the majority always right?Satyam, Ritam, Brihat, the Truth the Right, the Vast—this is the triple name of the supreme divine principle in Vedic Hinduism. Jesus, in a totally different age and milieu, would proclaim that he is the ‘the way, the truth and the life’ (John 14:6). In China, we

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-75564739409217455952006-12-24T19:02:00.000+08:002008-12-11T16:36:43.193+08:00

Psalm 42 (English Standard Version)To the choirmaster. A Maskil[a] of the Sons of Korah.1 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?[b] 3 My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me continually, "Where is your God?" 4 These things I remember, as I

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1163165737235658762006-11-10T19:58:00.000+08:002006-12-19T12:23:32.281+08:00

After the complexities of Atlantis, perhaps it is time for a humbler post. By now the regular reader of this blog (if any) will no doubt detect a rather unearthly* tone in most of my posts--especially in my belated fiction. One might ask: why not write about something more "practical", something more "down-to-earth"! Perhaps I could fulfill the desires of such folks by churning out treatises on "

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1162564864344110252006-11-03T22:40:00.000+08:002006-11-03T22:41:04.346+08:00

The various Atlantean posts in chronological order:20,000+ BC-18,000 BCThe Atlantean Origins 12,000 BC-11,000 BCThe Fall of Atlantis21st CenturyJerusalem (short story)Ugly Duckling (Part I and II) (short story)Background Information:Atlantean Agriculture and ReligionAtlantis, Genesis and Christ (on the Biblical influences for the Atlantean series)Some general comments:The various posts are

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1162564799952549072006-11-03T22:39:00.000+08:002007-03-05T20:15:08.435+08:00

"And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am.And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1157729175797686092006-09-08T23:25:00.000+08:002006-09-08T23:29:15.866+08:00

A silver eagle rose, wings out-stretched across seven hills. Above, a vulture soared, then another and another. The eagle grew mighty; kings and nations prostrated and became its slaves. As the third vulture flew, four letters flamed in majesty beneath the eagle’s wings: S.P.Q.R.-- Senatus Populusque Romanus (The Senate and the Roman People). The seventh vulture soared into a blood-drenched

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1151153090655796242006-06-24T20:44:00.000+08:002006-06-24T20:44:50.660+08:00

Maybe we could title this--How not to write a short story (Jerusalem will be the positive example). I could not get myself to finish the parody:About 100 years ago, there was a young Malay boy by the name of Utama. As his name would indicate, he was none other than the 7th generation descendant of Sang Nila Utama himself--the one who saw the Lion. One day, he was walking by the beach of Changi

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1150896857888761032006-06-21T21:33:00.000+08:002006-06-21T21:35:27.960+08:00

Originally intended to finish this months ago--but lost interest. Maybe will finish it in future:Few people in the world today know or care much about the 2 great wars of classical Europe—the Second Peloponnesian War between Athens and Sparta, and the Punic Wars between Rome and Carthage. Though they are remote in time and involved only relatively small numbers of people (by modern standards), it

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1150287556030968282006-06-14T20:16:00.000+08:002006-06-14T20:19:16.066+08:00

Introduction: As a supreme negative example, I recently wrote a piece incorporating some of the worst possible features of a descriptive essay. Enjoy. =)DaybreakHow not to write a descriptive essayIt was quiet. Then there was a stirring, rippling and tinkling as night shivered uncontrollably in freezing cold fear. Fear! Horror! Terror! For her end was near! I could hear her loud howls as she

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1148127086573021422006-05-20T20:08:00.000+08:002006-05-24T21:13:38.336+08:00

Blessed Bread of lifeBroken and crucified.You who bearThe bloody lash and wearA crown of thorns above a shattered face.Son of God and Son of Man,You share in your sinful brother's load,And walk close to your broken people.For You are one with us in our sufferingYou are one with us in our death.You turn our pain into healing,Our failures into greaterRisings.Broken and ever livingLamb of God, Jesus

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1147006480407059662006-05-07T20:54:00.000+08:002006-05-07T20:57:15.576+08:00

Anyone vaguely familiar with the Bible will know about the miraculous phenomena associated with the long line of Jewish prophets and with Jesus and his disciples. To give some examples: Moses struck Egypt with ten plagues and split the red sea. Elijah called down fire from heaven and raised the dead. His disciple Elisha raised the dead, cleansed a leper, split the river Jordan and multiplied food

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1146745429522045792006-05-04T20:04:00.000+08:002006-05-06T21:17:03.850+08:00

It is a strong consensus among many scientists today that man is but a biological machine; different in substance but not in essence from the computer that is in front of you. Thus when faced with the primordial war with death, disease, ignorance and immense human misery, it is logical to many members of the technological elite to advocate a ‘transhumanist’ final solution: where the root of all

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1144152341553361122006-04-04T20:01:00.000+08:002006-04-04T20:05:41.573+08:00

Foreword--In the vein of 'Jerusalem', I have written a sample descriptive piece (the genre that is taught this term). It is merely 765 words long, and is loosely adapted from a Sec 3 piece I wrote long ago. My last writing assignment included titles like: Fury, 'Life is a walking shadow', Dance, Worship and 'Beasts and Beauties'. I have tried squeezing all five ideas into this piece. It is still

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1142259036184790402006-03-13T22:09:00.000+08:002006-03-13T22:10:36.213+08:00

‘True voyage is return’Ursula Le Guin’s temporal metaphysics and the utopian ideal of The Dispossessed‘The State is to be progressive, it is no longer to be static, and this alters the general condition of the Utopian problem profoundly; we have to provide not only for food and clothing…but for initiative’ (H.G. Wells, A Modern Utopia, 88-9).‘You can go home again, the General Temporal Theory

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1139053786587816612006-02-04T19:47:00.000+08:002006-02-04T19:49:46.616+08:00

I wrote a short story recently to illustrate certain techniques of characterisation to my students. Fiction writing is hardly my forte and the following is a very provisional piece dashed off in 5-6 hours:JerusalemThe prayer call sounded from the Dome of the Rock as the last rays of the crimson sun were swallowed by the encroaching night. The ancient sands rose in swirling dream and murmuring

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1137164887940722072006-01-13T22:11:00.000+08:002006-01-21T20:25:53.090+08:00

A continuation of the Atlantean historical fiction a number of entries ago:Archive CXII (Foundation Center for Antediluvian Research)The FallBackground11,000 years separate us from the Fall and it is no longer fully clear why it happened. What is certain however is that the destruction of Atlantis, mankind's first and most advanced civlization, was overwhelming and total. The best theories

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1134785811272064772005-12-17T10:15:00.000+08:002005-12-17T10:16:51.286+08:00

I followed with interest the debate about Hamizah Nordin's choice of secondary school and the wider discussion about elite and neighborhood schools. One of the key areas of contention is whether elite schools merely possess an ostentatious ‘brand’ or truly provide a higher quality education justifying its higher costs. Primarily because of the increasing investments in education across the

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1133871647376098642005-12-06T19:10:00.000+08:002006-01-04T19:30:35.803+08:00

The following article will only be comprehensible to Warcraft III players:Most players of Warcraft III will agree that the 'insane' level computer is a worthy opponent and that it takes a reasonable amount of patience and training to reach the skill level needed to be consistently victorious. Indeed, there are even rumors that the insane computer 'cheats'. This is perhaps because the computer

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1131546989305667862005-11-09T19:15:00.000+08:002005-11-11T19:02:30.456+08:00

I am taking a break from my 'history of the future' and returning to the Atlantean series. Some of my regular readers are no doubt puzzled about my bizarre Atlantean entries earlier. Perhaps one question they may be asking is whether I am writing fiction or am intending something more. Both, I will say. Much of it is speculation, but some of it (like the part about the ice age) are rather well

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1115133474593909342005-10-13T20:10:00.000+08:002005-10-13T19:18:55.373+08:00

Lecture by Professor Mitsui at the Foundation Academy, July 2098:The 20th century was once called mankind's bloodiest and most sordid century. The 21st century has turned out to be even worse. Then again, should we be surprised? It is not as if we humans have suddenly transformed our violent and selfish ways after two world wars, numerous genocides, failed political utopias, global warming and of

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1127484045201925192005-09-23T21:04:00.000+08:002005-09-23T22:00:45.210+08:00

Why are children and young people so interested in Harry Potter? Why do so many people want to be wizards? Honestly I am very curious. What is it about those books that appeal to young people? The idea of making things fly or transform with a word? Or the idea of a world that is different and strange and full of adventure and possibilities? The same reason why people like D&D perhaps?Then again,

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1127480273966337742005-09-23T20:50:00.000+08:002005-09-23T22:23:51.453+08:00

Hi,As is well known, I have tried to make my blog as unattractive as possible through a lethal combination of a boring color scheme and long/tedious posts.While I shall endeavor to continue writing as tediously as possible, I am too sick of the horrible color scheme. Hence the change.Egamnaetnalta

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1126528866302767092005-09-12T19:59:00.000+08:002005-09-23T20:43:07.923+08:00

I have been interested in roleplaying games since primary school days. It is always fun to take on an alter-ego, especially one engaged in much more interesting activities than mundane schoolwork. One of the most extensive and well developed RPG series is the D&D (forgotten realms) fantasy world. This game system has been around since the 1970s and even today, best-selling computer games like

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1122900571220129902005-08-01T19:59:00.000+08:002006-10-30T12:10:38.486+08:00

The agriculture of Atlantis uses a wide diversity of plants but only a very small number of animals. The most important one would be the Atlantean camel. This species is now extinct, but it was a close relative of the Arabian camel (it was after all a saharan sub-species brought over to Atlantis during the exodus) and the South American llama. At the same time it was also much more intelligent

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1119185760097790302005-06-19T20:01:00.000+08:002005-06-19T23:02:32.596+08:00

'Baptism' derives from the Greek word, baptizein--"to plunge" or "immerse". Thus in the baptism of water, the person to be baptized is plunged (in full or partial immersion) into water, accompanied by some form of the words, 'I baptize you in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit'. The meanings attached to water baptism are various. Some Protestant denominations will view

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1116069678305681632005-05-14T19:09:00.000+08:002005-05-14T19:21:18.316+08:00

I wrote this some time ago in one of my students' blogs. It has been edited to achieve anonymity:Hi X,A kay-poh teacher here. By right I should not be commenting on such things, since I am supposed to be a 'secular' educator. Still:The part about the lack of social acceptance in church is something that I empathize with totally: throughout the years, I attended both protestant and catholic

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1111673931868599372005-03-24T20:31:00.000+08:002005-03-24T23:14:40.813+08:00

It is Good Friday eve and it is a good time to contemplate, yet again, the blight of suffering in the world. I have been teaching for some time, and I could not but strengthen my conviction that no matter what gifts one possesses, what strength, wealth or intelligence, all these will not save a human being from the constant shadow of dissatisfaction and suffering. Indeed, often it is the case

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1110587609452277922005-03-12T08:19:00.000+08:002005-03-12T08:33:29.470+08:00

Preamble:For these few weeks, I will gradually upload my university essays. One reason is a slight writer's block, another is just laziness. Also I want to have an alternative storage space for my essays. On the bright side, all the essays uploaded scored a 1st class (except the one on Ursula Le Guin), so these are among my best pieces and should be of reasonable quality.Now my essay on Dante (

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1109985356929797062005-03-05T09:07:00.000+08:002005-03-05T09:15:56.960+08:00

Preamble: For these few weeks, I will gradually upload my university essays. One reason is a slight writer's block, another is just laziness. Also I want to have an alternative storage space for my essays. On the bright side, all the essays uploaded scored a 1st class (except the one on Ursula Le Guin), so these are among my best pieces and should be of reasonable quality. First off is my essay

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1108459722356047392005-02-15T17:25:00.000+08:002005-02-15T17:28:42.380+08:00

I did a module on Machiavelli's 'The Prince' this term. Having nothing better to write for this week, I have decided to put up my journal:Initial Impressions (Chapters 1-4)Perhaps the first thing that truly struck me about Machiavelli is his detached and clinical approach to the political problem. As Cassirer puts it, Machiavelli describes the laws of politics as if they were ‘lines, planes or

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1107916864799808782005-02-09T10:39:00.000+08:002007-02-15T19:13:27.501+08:00

Foundation Center for Antediluvian Research: Archive CXIIn the depths of the Ice Age more than 20,000 years ago, there were seven tribes who lived in the old Nile valley of northern Africa. The old Nile was not the Nile of today, but an even mightier river that flowed westward across the present Sahara desert into what is now known as the Atlantic Ocean. The Sahara itself was not a desert but a

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1106311291880548172005-01-21T20:19:00.000+08:002005-02-06T20:25:49.443+08:00

In medieval times, cosmology was dominated by two main influences: the teaching of the Catholic Church and the writings of the ancient Greek astronomer, Ptolemy. In the medieval conception, the sun and the stars revolve around the flat earth in their fixed spheres, moved by the minds of the angels, who themselves obey the will of God. Thus for instance we have the famous last line concluding

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1106299816619741302005-01-21T17:18:00.000+08:002005-01-21T20:17:27.713+08:00

This is a sequel to the earlier superpower exchange: Hello X, Just a short warm-up reply first. In any case, I doubt you need another huge torrent of words? =) ....Anyway, to summarize our last discussion, I think we are in general agreement about China and India, but differ a little about Europe, Japan and America. But in this mail, I will just write a little about something more modest:

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1105500456017002302005-01-12T10:20:00.000+08:002005-01-12T21:18:30.796+08:00

Elaborating on the thread mentioned in the earlier blog (short intellectual auto), I would ramble a bit on the relationship between the transhumanist technologies (artificial intelligence, cybernetics, genetic engineering, nanotechnology) and economics. First a brief historical survey: Adam Smith, the father of modern economics, lived at the dawn of the industrial era (the late 18th century),

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1105353601413455142005-01-10T18:15:00.000+08:002005-02-28T20:54:01.516+08:00

One of the most important concerns in a market economy is to ensure (as far as possible) an optimum allocation of resources by free economic players. How should producers use their capital to precisely and efficiently fulfil the demand of the consumer? How should savers, financial institutions and investors use their capital to effect the most profitable outcome? How should consumers use their

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1104752901320172802005-01-03T19:44:00.000+08:002005-01-03T19:52:33.426+08:00

One of my friends, who is currently studying in a seminary, wrote this interesting reply to my denial of this doctrine. Some of the questions raised are indeed pertinent, especially the free choice of hell: It was interesting also to see your comment that you find the teaching of eternal damnation difficult. It is something that certain Western minds find difficult also, including Christians.

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1104663533253643532005-01-03T18:26:00.000+08:002005-01-04T22:38:09.153+08:00

The relationship between Christianity and money is a vexed one. Most seriously, in possibly the worst economic transaction of all time, Christ was betrayed by Judas Iscariot for 30 silver pieces. Then in Acts we have Simon the magician presuming to buy the gift of the Holy Spirit. Then we have all the different sayings and parables: 'You cannot serve God and Mammon', the parable of the rich man

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1104849219115887952005-01-02T20:14:00.000+08:002005-03-02T19:50:19.173+08:00

We are a species of finite consciousness and infinite dreams. This is our blessing and our curse. Lower than the angels and higher than the beast, partaking of heaven and born of the earth, our minds encompass the highest and lowest rungs of creation and our spirit exceeds even these. Indeed, the dignity of man lies in his capacity to aspire with his mind and heart, and to transform into the very

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1104588897604724902005-01-01T21:32:00.000+08:002005-12-21T17:32:29.896+08:00

For those who DO seek higher returns, then well, as mentioned, their only hope to reduce risk and keep high returns is through knowledge. Hence come in the whole arcane art and science of fundamental and technical analysis in stocks and forex and commodities in general. Yet in equity investment, even without resorting to financial quantum physics, it may well pay for people to find out one simple

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1104568193953881092005-01-01T15:27:00.000+08:002005-01-01T21:32:32.996+08:00

To begin with, to grow our money is not something that requires penetration of dark mysteries or the gift of gnostic enlightenment. The first key is simply to prevent ourselves from being blinded by simple human greed and/or an unhealthy emotional thrall to the power of money and/or the unthinking conformity to the economic behavior of friends/family--'The blind cannot lead the blind'. After

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1104509990815714222005-01-01T00:00:00.000+08:002005-01-01T00:19:50.816+08:00

E=MC^2 Energy is equivalent to mass multiplied by the speed of light to the power of 2. Thus is linked the properties of energy, mass and light in a simple numerical ratio. One of my good friends, a dedicated scientist, has always insisted that all is energy and its transformations. I agree, but if all is a mass of dancing energy, then so is consciousness. And if so, consciousness and mass is

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1104501563193370702004-12-31T21:24:00.000+08:002004-12-31T23:06:25.420+08:00

My family just returned from Langkawi last week, escaping the horrible tsunami by a few days. It is at such moments that one truly wonders, again, about the paradox of suffering. Christians and most theistic believers affirm our faith firmly and completely in a God that is benign, loving and just. Yet when questioned about disasters such as the recent tsunami or September 11, and the general

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1104495488429457262004-12-31T20:00:00.000+08:002004-12-31T21:20:24.826+08:00

I was involved in a discussion with a good friend of mine about the superpowers of the future. Here is one of my e-mails on this matter. I did not enclose my friend's response as I am not sure whether he intends them to be public. 'To carry on the Superpower discussion: I must first qualify everything by saying that one should not expect America to easily lose her lead in economic, technological

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1104467678210256162004-12-31T12:34:00.000+08:002004-12-31T12:34:38.210+08:00

???

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1104467388967185982004-12-31T11:38:00.000+08:002005-01-04T22:43:18.670+08:00

Any currency or precious metal or whatever that qualifies as 'money' is fundamentally a universally desired commodity, something that is readily accepted by human beings in exchange for their goods or services. The power of money is proportional to how widely and deeply desired it is by human beings, or to put it in a more complete manner, the usefulness of money is proportional to the size of

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1104412560731662222004-12-30T21:06:00.000+08:002004-12-30T21:20:04.273+08:00

Oh yes, I recently converted to become a Mac user. One reason is the truly nifty feel and look of Mac OSX (not to mention the powerful G4 or G5 chips), another is the wonderful security provided by Macs. Viruses, adware, etc. are practically all aimed at PC-Windows platforms (though I think using Firefox or whatever instead of Internet Explorer may help significantly), thus using a Mac is alone

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1104407532745967252004-12-30T19:38:00.000+08:002004-12-30T19:52:12.746+08:00

As some of my friends might know, I am a thoroughly unconventional person. You may not be able to tell on the surface (not much anyway), but beneath is hidden a thousand strange ideas and odd modes of action. Yet believe it or not, I fancy myself a thoroughly practical person--though most will think me mad once they know what I think about life, the universe and everything. Regardless, I am

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9852272.post-1104406391223002112004-12-30T19:29:00.000+08:002004-12-30T19:55:39.553+08:00

Too much energy and too few places to expend it =P In the past I simply indulge in computer games when I feel overly restless. But increasingly, it seems meaningless. Who sees, who cares, if I exterminate a thousand alien empires and save the world a million times on my PC or Mac? Hence in imitation of everyone around me, I think I shall start to ramble on the net. Perhaps some may be

Mad Hermithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06312918522796750373noreply@blogger.com0