The complex, and it's complex.

Hello everyone. Hope all of you had a whale of time for Lunar New Year. When I looked back on my past Lunar New Year celebrations, the nostalgia was so overwhelming that I almost drowned in it. Sadly speaking people like me who was deemed to lead a drifting life always wont to view traditional festivals in a more detached manner with every year gone by. Anyway, don't worry my dear readers, I'm not here to talk twaddle on the falling significance of Chinese new year, the reason is I had already exhausted my present insights on the previous post about the imbecile roots theory so whatever I could elucidate today would hardly pass those pitfalls.

Something happened to me prior the Lunar New Year. The details of that revolting incident I do not wish to illustrate again but it stimulates me to ponder on one perpetual yet modern concept: inferiority complex. The problem for me is, if I want to delve into the issue in depth it is bound to drag in extremely touchy topics regarding races and nationalities. Nowadays the internet has laced the social network with fatal poison of self-righteousness (and that complex) hence it is perilous to fondle these touchy things in conjunction with the insightful thoughts without kindling the idiotic fire of accusations. Therefore to avoid the danger of waging a futile war with morons, the substance in the reasoning part would be a lot weaker.

Having that said, I'm not giving up on shedding light (personal beautiful enlightenment, let me quote from C.S Lewis 'if it doesn't help you, drop it.') on certain psychological problems. Simply because I want to inspire people to change this damn complex in them and also, if people are unbelievably obdurate in persisting feeling inferior, they can at least minimize the degree of abject agony on others.

Inferiority complex has been very prevalent probably since any mental enlightenments pervaded in all civilizations, and social media in today's age and time makes it appears to be more rampant than ever. Just before this wonderful post I saw someone post on Facebook appearing dismal that she wanted to be as good as everybody because she feels she's lacking in everything. Despite the fact that I'm a socially impaired person, the rational region of the brain tells me give her some sort of solace and conciliate her in the 'warmest' wording possible. But I don't feel like it.

Yup I don't feel like placating such people by racking my brain on compliments. Firstly I'm socially impaired (or I'm just a nasty person if that's a more comfortable construal for you) and secondly I don't think it is going to be helpful to present ostentatious praises as a remedy for her inferiority. But then I still managed to come up with some compliments wrapped in the form of reminders, reminding her she has musical talents. Don't think that's going to work for long, but still, I tried to change my own disposition a little.

I understand how it is like to feel when you are not as good as others. The feeling is intensely suffocating and basically your mind and soul are laced with cobra's venom, killing yourself and grooming a huge potential of hurting others. The very first step to solution is to know you do not know everyone. On what basis can you know a clear indication of other people's ability with comparison of yours? How do you know he or she is not experiencing the same complex as you? You may say you know this person well enough that he or she is well-versed in a particular field. But then again you are not him or her. You compare yourself to such a person and that person may be comparing himself or herself to someone better. He or she may not even care about how you think of him or her, what he or she wants is to surpass someone better.

Of course I am also aware there are some people who just love to bask their credentials in front of their peers. Such homo sapiens are just slightly above basic creatures and they need to have hubris reeking off their visage to maintain their self-esteem, pitiful organisms really. Those credentials are nothing in my eyes when someone incessantly neglecting their inner well-being and live on other people's glares as a parasite does. It is like a dog who is able to hunt well, you give recognition to its skills but that's all. You wouldn't, in your right mind, reverently adore it like you adore your parents. A dog is a dog, it is right for you to treat it properly without abusing it in any ways but not obliged for you to idolize it and endorse the creature with human rights. My point is, ignore them by lowering those people from human to humanoid low-level creatures. No matter how stupid you think you are, you won't lick a dog's balls, will you? Will you?

Guess that factual rudimental knowledge is just another paper-thin layer of statement, most of you probably still feeling shitty about yourself. Fine then, you are lousy. You are not as good as everyone. So what are you going to do about it? Walk around the neighbourhood with draped cheeks like Churchill (btw he is one of the last people I would title under inferior) and a sullen face, pour out the pains to whoever you meet, and waste time talking about solutions and then starts the cycle all over again tomorrow morning. Well sometimes I wonder if these people really want to escape the inferior zone. Aren't they not enjoying themselves tremendously by self-pitying? If you really endorse the idea of self-pitying so much, limits that to your acquaintances or your ex-es or any strangers that doesn't care about you a whit. Inflicting such emotions on people who love you would just prodigiously taunts them within. What hurts them the most is not you're feeling inferior but the situation where you refuse to remove the mental shackles which you chain yourselves with.

What I did to myself was, first shook off the wrong perception that I blatantly assumed to know every other human being's strength and then did the necessary 'see no evil' baptism and at last, in an effort to dredge up the remaining inferior shreds, I ventured into self-enhancement. I wrote poorly so I started reading books, attempting to raise the writing style to a new horizon. I spoke poorly, so I imitate people who speaks well. I was a slow reader, so I took on certain speed reading trainings and now I can finish reading a medium volume book in just a few hours. Oh before you mock me on how trivial my problem seems to be, I need to remind you again you are not me. You will not know that in my world, my problems swell as big as nuclear armament.

About the final outcomes of my self-enhancement programme I cannot give a definite answer on how much I had progressed. Reason being I don't know. I mean we are not playing RPG so there isn't a little rectangular box on the upper left hand corner to check if I had levelled up. What I am happy is that I know I'm definitely improving, though sometimes it bugs me that no clear reports I can secured to check how far I've gone but the fact that I am literally modifying the inner being on a daily basis has already jabbed me much exhilaration that no amount of complex can rob away. 

I genuinely hope those of you whose heads buzzed with inferiority complex demons can purge them with a determination to exsanguinate Hitler. Please remember whenever you indulge yourself in self-pitying, first and foremost your brain is convulsed with such rancour which will ultimately spill on those who care about you.

Good night, folks.

Non Sequitur, 'roots'.

Good evening everyone. As I keep lamenting to my friends recently, it's only February and the heat is already beyond my tolerance threshold. I just don't get it why people are willing to reside in tropical areas in the past.

Interestingly my sentiments regards to the tropical heat is not unique. Our arguably founding father of Little Red Dot Lee Kwan Yew, let's call him Harry here, has the same physiological reaction to the warmth as me. I knew this little fact from the book I'm recently munching on, 'Lee Kwan Yew' by Alex Josey. Though some idiosyncratic critics be like, "is this fact or fiction?" Fortunately I have arrived at the age where truculence is no longer my cup of latte.

I have yet to finish the book, in fact I only started on Tuesday. But it is rather quick to obtain a very conherent and revoking impression of Harry's personality. Harry is definitely not the wizard who has a lightning scar on his forehead, letting indecisiveness write his destiny during his junior years in Hogwarts; neither is he the smiley British singer in One Direction nor the scandalous prince in Buckingham Palace. He is the Harry with a resting bitch face, a resolute soul and mind, seemingly bumptious and voluble. He is the Harry in Singapore.

No matter how overwhelming his public impression is, I think it is a bit risky to conclude his whole personality and character in a few paragraphs. Also the focus of my writing today is not to critique his political style or personal life, but to inch very closely to one of his ideology: bilingualism.

Many will attribute Singapore's smooth diplomatic handling and its economic triumph due to bilingualism, an educational scheme to remind us 'never forget our roots.' Listen pals, I have nothing against bilingualism. In fact I like the idea of learning more than 1 language, I admire famous polyglots like Steve Kaufmann and Benny Lewis for their galvanizing perseverance and energy. The part that repels me hard is where Harry emphasized on the term 'roots'.

It seems like the intention of him introducing the scheme is to ask us not to forget our origins and ethinics: China Chinese, Malaya Malay, India Tamil/Hindi. These things, stay hurt if you are offended, are taken as our 'roots'. In chapter 3, 'How much a Chinese', Harry was quoted something like 'if we forget our roots, we will be blown away and be miserable.' Something like that, you get the gist.

I scoffed so hard at that part and my latte almost spilled. Roots? The origins and ethinics? You mean we learn our mother tongue is to grasp onto the roots? Sorry you lost me Harry, I totally don't see any points in 'grasping' any 'roots'.

Blown away? What do you mean by that? Do you mean people will view us as less a human and belittle us because we don't speak the language people of our skin colour converse? Follow this austere logic, we should see riots and protests among cantakerous americans in US every day! Among those people their ancestors can come from Germany, where Dutch is spoken; Originates in Africa continent, where Swahili is widely used; From Ireland, where Irish or Gaelic dwells. But you see! In U.S people of all colours just speak English, with adequte fluency and pronounciation, and they survive well! Perhaps too well.

Do any of those people dig out their past and ancestry and start learning whatever language their grandfathers speak? More imperatively are those fellows haunted in incessant ignomony for not knowing their mother tongue?

In the chapter the author briefly touched on the fact that Chinese take a special and painful pride to their 'roots'. I don't know why, guess it's something with a little bit historical reseach and evolutionary psychology can explain. The thing bugs me is people just swallowed whatever Harry imposed on them. I mean seriously? Do your guys give a little thought on the rational behind the 'roots' thing?

What infuriates me further is how modern people swallow the idea same as the people of 1960s. Just a few days ago someone on Facebook was lamenting how Singaporean Chinese not able to converse verbosely in Mandarin while some white kids are able to is letting their roots withering and how this phenomenon leads to misery of the mass. I scoffed so beautifully that my laptop hanged.

That is the most hilarious and revolting statement I read this year so far (gosh to think 2015 just started). This person, on her status, she mentioned about how Koreans and Japanese forget to speak Koreans and Japanese is a ridiculous thing. I laughed at this point and my iPad hanged.

Dude do you know most of the Koreans and Japanese are descendants of early immigrants since B.C era? Dude do you know both ancient Koreans and Japanese use Chinese Characters in scripts and possibly speaking a Chinese language too? Dude are you aware of these general knowledge? Thought you are a Chinese major? According to your austere logic both Koreans and Japanese are supposed to be showered in shame for not using Chinese language? Their actual quality of lives should be a lugubrious one because they forget their roots? Dude even though you are a Singaporean who probably belong to the category of 'frogs in the bottom of the well', your indolence is not excused. Sorry I was too bitter to take a moderate stance.

In addition to this type of litany complaints from NUSians, I think if we want to be despondent over a language, that language should be our lingua franca English! A nation claims her first language is English (which means native to some extent) and everywhere we see English signs, but look at the proficiency of English of the mass! Wrong use of words, overuse of jargons, wrong pronounciation, unclear articulation, choppy fluency... (Look here pals, I'm talking about English, not Singlish). These common mistakes are not only immensely commited by uncivilized thugs and uneducated pricks (go and assume who I am referring to, good luck), these are the English crimes committed by so-called educated first world citizens. LOL. More than once foreigners (native speakers) are stunned (in the most negative way possible) at the level of English people spoke here. Many of them just refused to be convinced that our first language is English lol, an accent mixed of 'Indian and Chinese'. LOL ROOTS PEOPLE ROOTS.

As my reply to her status, I believe learning language is just learning a freaking language! Peoplr should be given credits for spending so much time and efforts on learning a new language. Their purpose may range from economic interests to cultural mesmerization. People in States learn all sorts of languages like Thai and Burmese which have no ancestral connections with them, further debunks the stupid 'roots' theory. My ancestry dates back to Dongpo Su and this guy was just an amazing poet, painter and academic model. He probably didn't speak Mandarin, but another Chinese language which was gruadually diluted or lost when Mongolia Khans invaded China. And today I speak English and Mandarin which was going from bad to worse (but sufficient enough to communicate with people). I intend to learn Dutch and Korean too.

Honestly I don't know Harry really meant what he said. I like him. His various social values has incalculable resonance as mine. Maybe he just wanted to convince people to learn a second language so came up with this non sequitur. I don't know, let me shrug, hopefully laptop is fine.







It is fine. Yay.
Bye.