on being vegetarian. or my justification to eat meat

Caution: this is my personal opinion as a meat eating-milk drinking person. I have background in biology which influence my definition of living entity and my views of being human among other species. And, I am also a muslim who believe that plants and animals are created for human. Oh another note, I am currently living in a country who is a major producer of milk and meat. And some people in this country look at vegetarian with wonky eyes. Haha.

I noticed that more indonesians are embracing being vegetarian. I want to focus to indonesian because I am one and thus have better comprehension of its values and beliefs and such. By indonesians, I mean indonesians who can afford to buy meat for their daily meals but chose not to. Therefore, I am talking about being vegetarian as chosen lifestyle. Many reasons are proclaimed but there is one that stick to my mind: being vegetarian as not to hurt/kill animals.

I’m sorry but I don’t get that.

I can see why people choose to be vegetarian to stay healthy or to be kinder to the environment or for religious reason (yarrrgghh let’s not go there). I don’t get the reason to minimise hurting and killing living being.

            My understanding of this particular reason to eat only plants is that it is not ethical to kill other living being (animal) to live. Plant, as most people will agree, is a living thing too. If to kill means to take life, certain plants can not survive after they are being harvested. Most trees will survive after fruits are harvested, such as apples, tomatoes etc. But, potatoes and carrots and such are plucked from the earth, thus, they are unable to continue living. So does rice and errrr that thing that makes flour (I am not good at plants. Sue me. haha), where harvesting means cutting the stalk, getting the roots out, and plant new seeds on the field. In other words, although the plant survives, the farmer will kill it to be able to use the land to produce new crop. And don’t get me started on mung beans!!!! Isn’t it similar as eating baby beans? So, for me, being vegetarian is still killing to live.

            Another point that I want to make is the concept of hurt. My understanding of hurt is to cause harm or pain to another living being. Of course it is easy to know that animal is being hurt as they can express their feeling of stress and pain. However, inability to express pain does not mean that plants don’t feel it. I read somewhere that a research show that plants DO feel pain. Let’s move to causing harm. Picking apple might not be considered as causing harm, but how about growing so many apples in the trees that cause all its brances to bend? How about cutting a branch to get banana? Or harvesting fruits way before they are ripe so that they can arrive good and ready for us to eat? How can one be so sure that the tree is not hurt/being harmed? Again, for me, being vegetarian is still causing harm to live.

            So, I don’t get that one can proclaim that one minimise killing and hurting living being by choosing to be vegetarian. For me, being vegetarian is choosing what to kill: living being who are one not sure whether they are able to feel pain or living being who are able to show their feeling.

introduction on opinion series

I’m going to post series of opinions to keep me going. Sort of writing exercises, a proper writing where one systematically argues some points and backs them up. And, I have to write it every night before I go to bed so that I’m kinda ready to write what I’m supposed to write the next day. Blogging my report drafts have been motivating for a while. Now I’m already bored and faltered. And stuck. And anxious.

Yada yada yada.

Excuses excuses excuses.

Anyhoo.

I’m going to post my personal opinion.

It might be biased, prejudiced, politically incorrect, ignorant and what have you.

It will be easily misunderstood.

So don’t say that I don’t warn you.

updates:
it kinda goes bonkers. the next day i can't focus on my work writing as i kept thinking about stuff i would like to write in this blog. yaaargggh...

Non-style profile

the third month of this year is almost over and this is my first entry. 

firstly, i would like to say that i follow thesartorialist religiously and i really really like his blog and i learn a lot from his pics. if the owner ever stumble upon this post, i would like to tell him to please please take this as a compliment.

thus, my take on his questionnaire. 

Job?
frustrated candidate

Style icons
icons? what icons? define style icons. yaaarrghhh....

Describe your personal style
survival

I build my daily look around
the bloody weather

Personal Style quirk?
a dash of colour

Favorite designers?
can't differentiate between celine and chloe.

Most cherished item?

nephew's levi jacket he's outgrown

The first thing I look at in another Sartorialist’s outfit …

too absorbed to find any.

Favorite stores?
muji

Most stylish city?
errr... define stylish?

Favorite vacation spot?
home home home

Favorite cocktail?
shrimp

Favorite place to search for inspiration?
google scholar. oh, inspiration for what again?

I spend my weekends?
stressing about next writing submission

I always break this fashion rule?
what fashion rule?
I never break this fashion rule.
what rule again?

Never caught wearing? 
handcuff? 
Most underrated item in menswear/womenswear?
eh?
Best stylish movies?
lust caution
Currently reading?

Footnotes in Gaza by Joe Sacco

humongous stacks of journal articles. bleh. bleh. bleh.

remind me

Remind me why I want this job.
Remind me why I have to go through all this.
Remind me what its worth.
Remind me that all this will bring some good.
Remind me that I will be a better person.
Remind me, because I’m in doubt.

unethical

ibu arisan. ibu pengajian. fashionista. bunda.
intriguing research subjects.
will it be unethical to do a research out of, erm, certain ickyness towards these stereotypes?
hm.

irrelevant and not so random

Wrote this more than a month ago:

So I’m supposed to finish my article but my mind won’t stop wandering about.

I guess I better let them out. Some bits.

I’ve been living in one of the most beautiful country in the world for quite sometime.

I don’t live in the most beautiful part of the country, but let me try to describe it.

I live in the rural part of its biggest city. I only need to go up the top floor of my uni’s library, look at the surrounding hills and it is just ridiculously pretty. On the good days, you only need to look up the sky and the clouds are just ah-mazing. And you understand why it is called ‘the land of the long white clouds’. Five minute drive: longest-cleanest- white sand beach.

Compared with others, this city belongs to the not-so-beautiful places in the country.

To my fellow countrymen, the system is the main attraction. It’s a no brainer compared with how my own country is run. Doh, it is a developed country.

Here I am, more than a month later, waiting in the capital of the country who claims to be the truly asia, on the way to see my beloved mateys. This holiday is what kept me going. I’ve been counting the days for 7 months, and it’s here. I finished a book waiting for the first flight, got another but I’m too tired to read. Blogging it is.

Oh, one more thing. I expect sun in this tropical country but cloud all over. it’s like I’m still in the wintery aotearoa but it’s humid!!! Strange.

And I’m so uncomfortable to speak bahasa melayu. Ergh. Well, it is slightly different than bahasa indonesia but I tried to speak bahasa melayu, stammered and the waiter initiate the english. Eeeuuuhhh….. weird. I felt so disrecpectful to my own language. ;p *wot??? moments*

On a good notes, I have finished my article and the supers like it. yaaay….

I’ve been lost forever, felt really strange to see my supers got excited about my ideas.

Yeah, I AM that bad. Or maybe WAS? I hope so. I think so.

I must admit that I’m not good at this multi roles thing. school or mom. Pick one!

I can’t have a cake, eat it and not getting fat. I bit off more than I can chew.

I failed the multi roles challenge. Big deal. Move on. NEXT!!!!

I have no regrets. I know now that if I left mateys way back then, I would be able to finish this journey sooner. But I would miss watching lil’ matey grow up. I would miss her toddler years. Being together during that phase tied us. Despite our fights (ah yes, she can be very very stubborn like her mum), our bond is strong. And that is WORTH more than anything in the world.

Speaking of mother-daughter bond, I am soooo grateful to have my amazing mom. She always answered my questions, pushed me to dig deeper. Whatever it is, she never ever told me to do-what-she-said-because-she-told-me-to or gave answer: it is so because it is. She always explained clearly why she didn’t want me to do this or that. She always answered my questions by making me thinking about them. She taught me to be curious and critical. I challenged her authority, but she never balked. I remember after all those ‘rebellion’ years, we made a deal that she won’t ever question my decision again once I got into uni.

And she kept her word. Isn’t that amazing?

See, I’m indonesian. And it is really common for indonesian parents to meddle with their adult children’s life. Work they supposed to get, who they marry, house they buy, where their grandchildren go to school etc.

Not my parents. Especially not my mom.

So here’s to you mom, happy birthday. I love you and wish I can follow your examples.

and speaking of how amazing my mom is, reminds me of, err…. how should I write this….

The total opposite? Well it is not that the total opposite is not amazing… ah heck. what am I trying not say here? Ahahaha…

it is amazing for some people but it is not for me, okay?

The total opposite of my mom, I guess, is the soccer mom stereotype. The ibu arisans/pengajians/pejabats/sosialitas. I know this lady which, I think, is the epitome of this stereotype.

I know how wrong it is to put people in the box. However, no matter how hard I tried not to stereotype her, this lady did exactly-precisely-correctly things that make her fall into the box. I kept thinking, ooh maybe there is more of her…… hmmm…. Oh, nope.

Good thing I dropped the bomb and we kinda stay away from each other’s path.

The bomb make some ruckus, dramas and sorts.

But, hey, I told you not to tell her but you did anyway so…. Pffft ;p

I am soooo babbling. No wonder supers complained about my writing.

They say I can not put my ideas into writing.

‘I know it is there in your head’

‘you eloquently explain it to us, but you have to be able to put them into good writing because that is what the examiners will read’

‘it is not like you don’t have good ideas, but it seems difficult for you to write it’

Yep, all over the place my writing is.

NEXT!!!!

simpleton

A certain personal, erm, catastrophe. Plus my current work which involves a lot of analysing, questioning, and dismantling phenomenon to find the core interest. They do make me aware of some things, fuelling things to ponder about during bus rides and walks.

Recently I blogwalked a woman who marries a bule. Interestingly, she needs to state that she is not that kind of woman with ‘kampung face’ who marries (old) bule for money. She explicitly describes her own job which allows her to buy certain luxurious brands (yes, its plural). She also implies that she is educated and comes from rich family. I got the impression that she looks down on those women. Of course, there is a stereotype that these women come from lower social status and usually uneducated. But, on the other note, these women can support their family at the kampungs. Some of them realize their potentials, become entrepreneurs and end up supporting their husbands. Some of these women don’t have the luxury of good education that enables them to get a good job and earn decent money. Men from their social class probably losers who gamble, drink and cheat. So they marry for money, but so what? I do think that they are much better than those trophy wives who went to universities, spend days at spas and beauty salons, gossip at trendy cafes, and enroll their children to various trendy activities because they don’t have enough energy to interact with them. It bugs me that this woman, from a family with money, who obviously had the opportunity to get to go to a good university, who has the privilege to go see the world, is well …. not THAT educated.

It is appalling that so many people, so many I know personally, have similar characteristics and share similar views with her.

I think these facts bog me down because they confirm that my perfect world does not exist.

In that world, education, more specifically good (and costly) universities, should give you an opportunity to analyse the world. It should not teach you specific science but, it should show you how to think, to see the world with its complexities without being overwhelmed by it. Going to university should be taken as luxury, an advantage that so many Indonesians can only dream of. It should prepare you to make bigger contribution to society, not look down on others who are not that lucky.

I also believe that going overseas is a huge privilege that allows you to see other cultures, to widen your horizons. To see for yourself how much you can learn from so many different things To bring back new perspectives. So if london reminds you of harrods, new york is neiman marcus, well…. You are obviously rich in the tangible department, but not on the other.

I guess it bothers me so much because those people have the opportunity, the privilege, to enrich their mind but end up, well, not a better person. And it is so annoying to see those people judging others, without these advantages bestowed upon them, as lower class.

It irks me to know that so many people can afford to go to university, but gained only degree. People who go see the world and come back with nothing but shopping bags.

Ah, what I am but a simpleton myself.

a shout

hey big matey, i miss you a lot.

Monster

It is one thing to think of and to feel hatred toward someone.

It is another thing to make it explicit.

These monstrosity suddenly took a shape. Took form. Reified.

Looking at it, I am exposed to my own hypocrisy and intolerance. Hideous-horrid-nasty self.

I am reminded that I am no better than the person I despise.

Then I try to justify these feelings to make me feel better about myself.

I want to know what it is that make this person so horrible.

Why do I have a bad perception about everything and anything that this person is doing. Why everything this person does is just so wrong.

Reviewed the previous post.

There are certain limits of my tolerance.

I don’t really care about this person’s values, interests and whatnots as long as they don’t bother me and my loved ones. They can do whatever as long as they don’t force me and my loved ones to do the same.

What enraged me is that these people shoved down their senseless-superficiality down our throats. Their ignorance makes me want to shoved these banalities up their asses.

These attitudes of us-serving-them is celestially revolting.

The man does it because his lack of social skill and his daft-spineless-scaredy behaviour towards the partner.

The partner does it because of her spoiled ignorance and she is this type of royalty who always gets what she wants.

I simply can not stand these people.

unsaid

What the heck is it with you man???!!!

What kind of life are you living? What kind of marriage is that? She.wants.you.give.NOW.no.matter.the.consequences? losing your identity? Your individuality? Hurting our parents heart? What is the fucking matter with you????

There. I said the bloomin’ effin’ word for ya. That’s how fucking angry I am.

Tell me, how this effin’ relationship of yours works. Tell me that you are happy. Tell me that you are not afraid of that bloomin’ witch, the epitome of banality, the worst karma ever happened to our mother, to us. Tell me that your relationship is based on EQUAL PARTNERSHIP.

Do you even know what that words even mean?

Our catastrophe begun when you chose a partner who always gets what she wants, always do to others in her own terms, who is such a bloomin’ bridezilla/wifezilla/momzilla, who has different values, a socialite, shallow, an uneducated person. Hell yeah, I’m a snob. She is not even in par with my education, let alone yours. No, I do not mean academically. I mean what our-mother-educate-us education. The books, the thinking, the being independent things. Most importantly: manners. It still amazed me how one can be so charming to others she considers in her class but cruel to her subordinate. Close but not close thing? How she has the certain I-come-from-old-money-family attitude? What the heck???

I thought that it is not my goddamn business how you manage your family. However, it is SO VERY HARD NOT TO BE FURIOUS WHEN ONE IS IMPOSED TO THE ABUNDANCE OF IGNORANCE, SENSELESSNESS, SUPERFICIALITY of the partner of yours. If that’s how you want your life be, be. But, goddammit, DON’T ASK US TO FOLLOW SUIT!!!! Bloody mackerel!!!!

She wants to follow the new age mumbo jumbo lifestyle? Fine.

Wants to be in effin peace with all those meditations? Go ahead (know what, that organisation she loves so much? I think it’s a cult. HA!)

Wants to quit work but still keep nanny to takes care of your son? Not my bloomin’ business (what is that with want to quit work and being an entrepreneur? needs a justification to keep the maid and nanny? What is it with being a stay at home mom anyway? Oh yes, can’t be bothered with educating own child. Leave that to his teachers in the posh school. That figures. And the plan to add another child to this world. Fiddle de dee….)

Not have the slightest idea on how to educate and discpline your son? Not okay, but he is your son. He will be your liabilities. So, whatever.

Have us taking care of your undiscplined-unruly son while you guys do whatever? NOT OKAY.

Build a fucking shrine in our parents house? NOT OKAY. ABSOBLOOMINLUTELY NOT COOL.

Being ignorant to what our parents needs? NOT OKAY. NOT EFFIN’ OKAY you shallow moron!

Look, I know that you don’t know how to put yourself in others’ shoes. You are so eccentric and bloody smart that it is forgivable. Let’s just say that it is partly our fault because we are soooo effin’ good with sensing what it is that you want and just do it before you even ask. Easy peasy. And we loved to do it because we have similar interests, similar taste.

The down side of this is that you are not trained to sense others’ needs and wants. You always think of those in your terms. What you think others’ want.

Let me illustrate this in how you chose your present for us. See, giving the right present shows how much you know a person, how sensitive you are to the person’s needs and wants, the person’s activity, interest etc. Your present, pre-marriage, is a bit off, but not that much. Presents from you and your partner: WAY OFF. North pole-south pole off. Your last birthday present to our mom? TOTAL JOKE. That present just shows how much your partner does not know our mother. How tragic: this comes from the partner of a mama’s boy. Nice. Fucking nice.

So, back to the calamity we have to deal with: now, we have to cater to not only your needs but also your partner’s needs and wants. Which often makes us want to scream:

What the fuck???!!!!

Why can’t she leave us be? Why is it that everywhere she goes, she has to have this certain dim-wit standards that she has to have? Is she oprah or something?

Do you realize that that puts OUR MOTHER into uncomfortable situations?

Do you even know how insecure our mother is? The more you push our mother to follow your partner’s wishes (and boy, what MORONIC wishes they are!!!), the more she is worried that she is going to lose you when she failed? AND SHE DOESN’T EVEN BELIEVE IN THOSE!!!

Do you know our mother, like, at all????

Know sumtin’, the only thing that prevent me from telling you all this is our mother.

I know how sad she will be. So I will only do it here.

But as morrissey sings:

Beware

I bear more grudges

Than lonely high court judges.

There.

chat

niece: are you smarter than my mom?
me: who told you that?
niece: mom. she said that you are in the higher class
me: i guess i'm a teeny bit smarter
niece: so you are in college?
me: (explain to her the various degree of tertiary education using various degree of schooling as metaphor)
niece: do i have to know this onti?
me: ......

3rd week

Right now is like the longest ‘me time’ I’ve ever had since I had lil’ matey. I miss her every single day. But get caught up in being a drama queen and moaning and whining about it will not make it easier. And I also believe that this will speed things up which will lead me to finish ASAP and eventually will be reunited with her sooner. So I just get on with it, enjoy the perks, acknowledge the downside and distract self to be more positive.

Everything is different but no less fun except when I’m feeling so blue because I miss everybody so much. Being alone means I can do whatever I want, whenever I want and however I want. I can do things I’ve neglected for so long because I managed my time so poorly and felt so guilty doing these activities instead of doing things considered more productive but I didn’t do anyway because it stressed the hell outta me. Then I end up doing nothing and feeling worse.

Annnnnywayyy…..

The perks. Going to the movies for a start. I can go at the spur of the moment. A couple of weeks ago I felt so fed up and could not think straight. I went to the movies website then a couple of minutes later already in the theatre. Nice.

Freedom means catching up on readings. NOT what I have to read, mind you. The reading for pleasure part. I know its early, but I’ve already borrowed some books for the upcoming holiday. And already started and finished some of them. Oh well.

I also noticed that being alone made things a bit complex too. I never bothered to think what I want to eat. I just go with what lil’ matey and chubby matey. Cooking things only I eat means I have to spend double time in the kitchen. Such a hindrance since I don’t enjoy cooking. Well, I live with salads and pasta and ramen and sandwiches now. Simple but sometimes it took me a long time to decide what I want with soooo many choices at the grocery store. It used to be so easy: they don’t like it, don’t even bother to consider it. But now its: hmmm this one is tempting. That one looks also delicious. Oh, which one? Which one???

But the most fun for me would be creating my own adventure.

Yesterday I went roaming around the city. I went to the museum, our old hangout place, and also some new places. Thankfully, this old place didn’t remind me too much of lil’ matey and chubby matey. Maybe because I was always the one who dragged them there and end up the one that enjoyed it the most. Haha. The kids’ activity centre did remind me of her but it didn’t make me sad. I went through it with smile on my face, reminded of how happy she was there. It’s such a nice feeling realizing that I can enjoy it at my own pace, stop as long as I want on exhibits that interest me.

I roamed around the city afterwards. I went to this new place that we’ve been planning to go but got no chance to do it. Found interesting eateries, took notes to visit next time. Walked through new walkway, through a park we knew exist but never had the chance to visit, which then  leads to the place we used to go so often but never wandered beyond. Then I visited the city library, which also on the list of places we’d like to go but didn’t. It was fabulous. I got a book that wasn’t on the school’s library which of course went straight to my holiday reading stack. Too bad I came just an hour to its closing time. Definitely will go there next time I’ll go to the city. Next week end, maybe?

The physical singledom/hood/thing has grown on me. I cant even remember how it felt to be single. But then again, I guess I’ve never been completely alone with so many time on my hands either. I wouldn’t say that it is better or worse than being together with my family. It’s just different. Some part of it is wonderful, other part not so. Sometimes I’m glad I didn’t have to think about others’ need, other times it makes it easier to choose.

One thing for sure though, I’m gonna enjoy whatever comes my way.

irrelevant & random - 7

Errgghhh sudah jam 10. Ayo bikin dong dorong dong dooonggg….

I should go back and forth to the framework (the mish mosh doc file). Adding bits one at a time. Read, leave to think about it, go back.

Have to be patient, eh?

Kalau dipikir-pikir, semua ini sudah didesain olehNya untuk yang terbaik. Misalnya sabtu lalu ikut workshop lalu diingatkan untuk melakukan hal yang: not urgent, but important. Yaitu membuat publikasi. Lalu ethics ditunda dan super1 mau liburan. Tapi kan sebetulnya masih ada super2 yang sungguh semangat mengingatkan untuk buat publikasi. Jadi mungkin masa liburan bisa dipakai untuk berlatih menulis. Tentu saja saya akan liburan juga semasa perpustakaan tutup. Hahaha…. Tapi ya mungkin Dia menyuruh saya untuk buat publikasi. Berlatih menulis.

That, I will.

Lunch: nasi & rogan josh & frozen veg

Dinner: salad + tomat

Sabtu: makan di luar terus aja… ahahahaha….

Minum ah.

last saturday

Particularly nice day, today.

Marking the second weekend of the new adventure. My mateys are back home for good. I’m gonna have to go through the rest of my journey alone.

It sucks big time, of course. But, hey. You gotta do what you gotta do.

First week was hell, added with that time of the month when your hormones go crazy and you became the drama queen of them all. First weekend: BIG BLAH.

This weekend is fine so far. Nice weather. Am actually looking out of my window and see the bluest sky, no speck of cloud in sight.

Lets see what happened.

Had a wonderful-splendid-refreshing holiday. Really really happy and energized to get back on track and catch up on work. I went to the office when I was on holiday, just to say hi. Them bosses talked about and offered…. Um… an opportunity? I don’t really care for it but it sort of how they show their commitment and I don’t see why I have to say no. Well actually, I don’t think I have the guts to anyway. Hahah.

So yeah, I talked about it with chubby matey and incorporate it as an alternative of our plan. Its there, but unless it materialised, we went ahead with our initial plan. Then came the news that its not happening. We were actually relieved, because now we didn’t have to ever think about it and concentrated on our preparations.

Then came one Thursday or Friday. The offer is back on the table. On the busiest time. The crucial time. The WRONG TIME. I don’t have the guts to say no and part of me just wanted to go back home. We had to do our plan b. Made our decision on Friday, got tickets the next Monday, home on Wednesday. Lil’ matey was soooo happy. I was also happy to be home but I was completely heartbroken knowing that soon I will be parted with her.  Nevertheless, I am glad that she is surrounded with love.

So I finished my business there. Leaving lil’ matey was the hardest thing. I knew that it would be difficult time once I’m back. And it was. Every little thing remind me of her. Every corner, every turn. Shattered to bits when the guy who bought our sofa came to pick it up. That rinky-dink thing was the centre of her activities. Lil’ matey did everything but sit nicely on it.

I’m so glad that chubby matey was there. Our last days here was as fun as it could be.

But he too had to go. Then everything remind me of him.

Went to the road where we used to live.

Felt like walking all the way up to our old apartment, through the white seashell pathway. I want to open the gate and see lil’ matey on the ragged blue coach, doing anything but sit nicely on it. Watch her face brighten up, her smile when she greeted me. See chubby matey sit on our dining table, watching dvd on his portable player with his blue mug and maybe a bowl of snack.

Dammit. I hate to be so far away from them.

the first days were ok, because I kept myself busy with work and adjusting to new place and routines. But reality started to sink in. Approaching weekend, I was a wreck. Thank god it didn’t last too long.

This week was fine.

Still cries once in a while. But I am getting better at managing my emotion, finding things to get my mind off feeling lonely and missing my mateys and family so much.

So here’s to my new adventure.

Hope to finish it well. Soon.

note to management

"With the rise of SYSTEMS THINKING, some managers also began to think of the employee as a BUSINESS PARTNER. Management -and the company as a whole- is dependent on its subordinates and employees, just as the employees depend on managent and the company. .... A business partner contributes to the organization's overall success and does not ask for immediate compensation or rewards for each single behavior. Rather, ENTREPRENEURSHIP and THE JOY OF MAKING REAL CONTRIBUTIONS can be major motives for high performance." (Borg & Mastrangelo, 2008, p. 22, emphasis added)

i guess being an expert of one does not necessarily means know how or willing to apply it in daily life.

irrelevant & random - 6

Berhari-hari berputar putar kurang tidur menunda pekerjaan bermain game sakit kerongkongan apa hasilnya apa. Apa yang harus dilakukan saya juga tidak tahu. Harus konsentrasi dan tidak perlu berpikir mengenai deadline karena hanya akan mengganggu pikiran saja. sebetulnya apa yang saya dapat dari coding itu ya? Apa saya pakai cara berends saja. hmph harumph tralalalalala. Harus sabar dan pasrah nanti baru bisa terbuka pikirannya. Mungkin.

wish i can write this status

why dont you keep your preachy-new agey-mumbo jumbo crap and shove it up your spineless spoiled-bratty-mama's boy husband's arse!!!

yeah, YOU! I'm talkin' to you! you evil-intimidated-shitty-sinetron-character-woman wifezilla!!!

pics credit: http://haoneg.com/images/captain-haddock.gif

book and work

This bestseller book was published years and years ago, became an ‘it’ book which everyone seemed to know and talked about. Ol’ big bro eventually brought it upon us to ‘educate’ us on this subject I guess. Haha. Remembered read it through Plato, could not grasp the idea, got bored, skipped the education part and only read the story (which of course did not make any sense whatsoever). Doing what I’m doing at the present, I wonder whether this book will eventually make sense for me. I’ve read tons of articles rooted waaay back to Plato’s concepts, some refuted them, some approved. Thus the curiosity: will this book help me understand my work without having to read through Plato’s original works? (ergh…. just the thought send chills through my bones! Old super said its not necessary anyway. Heheheh) And what is all the fuss about philosophy? Why is it that some people are so interested in daydreaming and asking such questions that sound so crappy but hard to answer? How did they come up with those questions?
Well, anyway, this book was on my reading list a couple of years back, after I read this, linking philosophy to our day-to-day life as opposed to finding the glorified mumbo jumbo of the ‘real truth’ through wisdom whatchamacallit thing. So, I searched the library, found it, and read it through. Got stuck in the first chapters (unlearning is so damn hard!!!), but once I got over them, the rest is not so mind tangling.
I’m not going to review this book (tons of people already done so) and will be selfishly assume that it is so well known and read that I don’t have to write about it further. It’s ancient book anyway!!! What I’m going to do is writing about this book’s relevancy to what I’m doing right now: philosopher in training (this is also what my old super, who has a bachelor degree in philosophy, said regarding the title that hopefully will be bestowed upon yours truly if there is no personal calamities ensued) I read this while waiting for the verdict about my confirmation, the memories of the (crazy-tumultuous-whirlwindy) days of literature review and writing proposal is still fresh. Hence, I will relate it to this reviewing and writing experience and not further down the road.
The tumultuous first year. The notorious year full of confusion and getting lost trying to find the particular project no one has done before. Sort of trying to find not just A needle in a haystack, but THE one special needle one never thought to exist. To make things even more complicated, there are several haystacks that looks equally compelling that one try to mix these haystacks in search of a more special needle. I might be exaggerating, but that’s how I often felt: I am such a stupid cow!
Anyway.
What one has to do in the first year is finding a gap, one special topic that no one has ever thought of looking at through a certain way. One has to be able to find the question(s) or problem(s) that has not been much discussed and convince others that this topic is important enough other than to gain a certain degree. Then, one has to propose a project to answer the question or solve the problem. Again, convincing others that one has chosen the right way to do it. The ‘others’ are not simply anyone you meet or like, but certain people who knows how to do your stuff better because they have more experience than you in this vocation. And convince them means that you don’t invent stuff out of thin air. It means that previous respectable people have done slightly different thing but still relevant to what you are doing, that you have a solid foundations because others have done a similar thing. Similar, but not the same.
Convince the expert cows that there is THE special needle in the special haystack one did not know exist.
I think that the skill that one suppose to master are….
This is where I stopped A YEAR AGO. *sheepish grin*
Hmm… lemme think. What was it that I want to write anyway?

In relation to my work, what have I learned from the book (which I vaguely remember right now)?
What I’m doing is part of thousands of years of tradition in western civilization. I did (well, actually still do. This is a process that ends only at submission of work. Sigh….) a literature review. I had to categorise what have been done by others: previous approaches and theories used, previous methodologies, previous findings. How others investigate and explain phenomena. The result would be to find something that has not been discussed before. It can be new approaches to explain the same phenomenon, new factors that might influence examined relationship etc. To do all these, I have to question others’ work. To critisize, find the hole in others’ thoughts. Arguing that my criticism was just, based on other ‘philosophers’ thoughts. I have to deconstruct concepts into its simplest parts, then reconstruct it using my new approaches/theories/concepts. Simplify complex relationship to be able to make things more complex. That, I learned from the book, is what philosophers do.
According to the book, philosophers are trying to find the ‘truth’. They try to find it by asking questions and arguing about the justification of the answers (thanks to Socrates!!!). They try to deconstruct previous concepts and reconstruct them to better understand relationships between parts (thanks to Decartes!!!). Better understandings leads to new questions, which leads to answers that needs to be justified, which leads to another set of questions, and so on. The ‘truth’, then, only stands for a limited time until somebody else prove it otherwise. It is not the utmost importance. What matters is your journey to find it.
So that is what I learned from sophie’s world. It helps me to better understand my own adventure. I am a philosopher in training. I do not learn about the ‘truth’, I learn methodologies to find it. How to ask question that will lead me to better understand about particular problems, how to find the simplest part in a relationship, how to deconstruct and reconstruct, how to find reference to justify my argument. This journey has been established by previous philosophers and that is what I have to go through.
Wish me luck.