Thursday, March 31, 2011

Champion - Win or Lose

I'm a uniter, not a divider.

I`m a lover not a fighter. Although, some ideals are worth fighting for. But I aim to win the war, not every battle.


I pledge to give 100% effort to the things that I do. If I walk away, then there`s no way I can regret it.

Tonight as I finished what may be my last game in a U of T ChemEng uniform, I had to hold back the tears that were swelling up in my eyes. I knew it was over. We gave it our best but we still lost. After a hardcore workout, I move forward with a renewed sense of confidence and belief in the power of teamwork.



There`s always next year. I`m doing stretches for my knees everyday so they can heal faster. I need to go start swimming to improve my cardio. Summer`s approaching, time to get in shape and get ready for the next battle!

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room...Reaction and Reflection

Sorry Mom, I wasn`t able to get a high GPA at U of T. But it`s okay, I`ll get bailed out by my Profs. They`ll give me 3.5 GPA and a great research position. Surely I'm talented and whatever I touch turns into gold!

Sorry Professor, I really didn`t mean to ruin your research by breaking the heat exchangers. At the time, they looked like the perfect piece for getting a couple extra pullups into my daily routine! Surely the Department of Chemical Engineering has enough money to bail us out?




Sorry boss, I really didn't mean to lose control of my emotions at the negotiations on Monday. I understand that the company has suffered tremendously because of my mistake. Before you fire me, surely your company can give me a month stipend for the next 5 years? It's for my family!!!

Sorry lower and middle-class citizens, I really didn`t mean to sell our grandchildren`s future to India and China. I understand that hard-working people and their families all over the world has suffered tremendously because of my mistakes. But let me be clear! Before I retire in Hawaii, I'd like to to announce that Goldman Sachs will be in charge for the next three centuries and that we will give the keys to Who-To-Bomb-in-The-Middle-East to France!

Damn it feels good to have democracy...


[Intermission, taking a break from the rant]

Alright now that I`ve gotten my sarcastic hissy-fit out of the way...Having finished the movie and gotten some rest: I`m here to share some thoughts.

Equality. Class. Democracy. What a veil, an illusion that schools and governments try to promote. I admit that I once was a fool to think that I had the same political power as the rich neighbour next to me. But living in Oakville for 4 and a half years has taught me a few things about political power. From student council elections in high school...to the way our town rallied to fight off the power plant...to the guy called Max Khan that campaigned door-to-door in order to fulfill his desire to become counsellor in our Ward...

Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely. Julius Caesar`s quote reflects upon a primitive part of human nature. What I found fascinating about the Enron scandal is how human systems failed. In the movie, politicians speak of `checks and balances`. Well, no matter how `safe` a system is perceived to be, it`ll still be designed by humans. As such, any system is corruptible because everyone has a price.

Think about it. We all have a price. We may clutch onto our self-inflated sense of moral superiority. But every one of us has a price. Guess the only thing left to say is...

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Cover-ups after cover-ups...Business As Usual!

TOKYO (AP) — Behind Japan's escalating nuclear crisis sits a scandal-ridden energy industry in a comfy relationship with government regulators often willing to overlook safety lapses.

Leaks of radioactive steam and workers contaminated with radiation are just part of the disturbing catalog of accidents that have occurred over the years and been belatedly reported to the public, if at all.

In one case, workers hand-mixed uranium in stainless steel buckets, instead of processing by machine, so the fuel could be reused, exposing hundreds of workers to radiation. Two later died.


"Everything is a secret," said Kei Sugaoka, a former nuclear power plant engineer in Japan who now lives in California. "There's not enough transparency in the industry."

The curtain gets lifted after every fuck-up...

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

The Sorrow of a Chinese peasant

Once upon a time in a land far far away, there was a farmer called Yoshi General. He was a very hard working man ready to take on the world.



One spring, after the ice had melted, he went down to the market to buy some seeds to plant on his fields. He bought many seeds, expensive seeds, cheap seeds, promising seeds, newly introduced seeds, etc.

He planted them with utmost care and remembered to check them every day. Sometimes, a portion of his crops would get destroyed by bugs and birds, but he would try to save them or replace them. However, this year there was a drought. His crops died one after another, especially the most promising ones. He lost the Brand crop, Garnett crop, Big Al crop, and Sheed crop, all four had high market value. At the end of the day, only his cheap and worthless crops lived. He harvested them but they were sold for very low prices, but Yoshi General was an optimistic farmer, and he was going to make sure that there wouldn't be another drought next year.



He migrated to a colder region where there was a big river nearby. Once again, spring came and Yoshi went down to the market to buy new seeds. He found a very expensive seed called CP3 seed. The market price for the CP3 crop was very high and Yoshi was an optimist so he bought the seeds. He planted the CP3 seeds on the most fertile land he could find.

It was also very close to the river, so there was little worry of his crops drying up like last year. Yoshi took very good care of his CP3 crops. He knew that as long as his CP3 crops get harvested and sold for a good price, he could feed himself until next year.



One day, there was a downpour, and it continued for days. Yoshi was worried about his CP3 crops but he could not get out of the house due to the heavy rain. He prayed to God that his CP3 crops would be ok. The next day, the rain had stopped, and Yoshi went to visit his CP3 crops only to find that his field had turned into a pool. Apparently, the riverbed flooded and formed a giant lake. Yoshi was very sad. He grieved day after day knowing that there was no way he can earn enough money to feed himself with the rest of his crops. He was very poor that year and had very little to eat. He had no excess food stored in his storage because of the drought from the previous year.



Spring came and Yoshi was weary. He did not have the energy to migrate again, so he moved to a higher ground nearby where there would be no chance for flood to drown his crops.



This year, he did not rely on just one kind of crop. He bought many kinds of mid priced seeds so that he would be ok even if one of his crops gets destroyed. With the little food and energy he had remaining, this year was do or die. If he failed to have a good harvest like the previous two years, he will surely die of starvation. One month after planting his seeds, one of his mid valued crops, the Jrich crops got partially destroyed. The Jrich seeds were placed near the base of a mountain due to its crops suitable for growth in the shades. The mountain made a nice cover from the sun. There was a rockslide in a nearby mountain, and some of the rocks landed right on top of the Jrich crops. Yoshi was very sad but he understood that he still had a good chance to have a good harvest because he had many more mid valued crops.



Yoshi worked hard for the next two month to make sure his crops were healthy. One day, Yoshi was surveying his fields. It was a nice day. The sun was out and there was a slight breeze, not too cold, not too warm. Just perfect for his crops. He was getting hungry, but there was very little food left in his storage. He needed to harvest fast or he would surely starve first. The targeted harvest date was less than a month away. He could wait. Instead of eating, he decided to take a nap, but the sun was too bright in his eyes. He wished that the sun would go away for a while. His wish was granted. Within moments, the sky darkened. Something large and dark was approaching his way. He feared that it would be another storm. He thought of last year's downpour and prayed to God that it wouldn't be another storm. This time, God answered him. It wasn't another storm. It was something much worse than that. It was locusts. Swarms of locusts flew over the mountains and were headed directly for his crops.

Yoshi tried everything he could to protect his crops, but it was no use. The sheer number of locusts was too much for Yoshi to handle. They ate through his crops with astounding speed, moving from one field to another. Minutes later, most of Yoshi's mid valued crops have been eaten away either completely or partially.



That night, Yoshi could not sleep. He knew death was approaching. Nothing could be done. Nothing would bring back his crops. His remaining crops just weren't enough to feed him through the year. It was all over. He was going to die.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Going to Church, again.

At the fork-road in my life, I've decided to turn spiritual.

I need to get my life in order...I'm at a point where I'm lost. Things are stagnating in my life. I'm going to turn to God for guidance.

There are lots of topics that I'm seeking answers to.

School, career, meeting new people, even my own health...they seem so superficial to me at this point. I'm a fearless individual, why would I want to work for someone? What kind of people should I surround myself with? I need to slow my life down and really examine my beliefs. There are lots of negative assumptions that are affecting my subconscious. I need to fill it with positive thoughts and prayers. To add meaning to my life...

I'm going to Westside Next in Mississauga...March 11, 2011

Deep questions that cannot be solved by more homework, projects, parties, basketball, drinking. There must be a way of life more meaningful than this. My career plan was beautiful, and because of external influences I have ended up like this. I need something to awaken my soul.

God. I'm a believer.