mymisadventure-blog1

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So It Has Been A Year...

This year is one that I have been looking forward to, since 4 years ago. In an alternate reality, I wouldn't be sitting here. I would be elsewhere feeling liberated and satisfied with what was accomplished. Unfortunately, in reality, a cloud of disillusionment, disorientation and dissatisfaction is all I see.

There are times when I reassure myself that everything will pan out. However, there are many other times when my mind eggs me on to cave in. 

What is the point of all of this when it has brought me naught?

I suppose one of the greatest obstacles I face is coming to terms with the fact that I have failed. The realisation that I have failed to achieve one of my greatest goals has simply hit me so hard that, till today, the grueling pain haunts me even though cruelty has unveiled itself for over half a year.

I am simply unable to grasp how fate has taken such a turn.

 Admittedly, at the back of my mind, I was aware that I am bound to face failure for I am not insusceptible to it. As such, I readily admit my minor failures and missteps. I believed that mistakes enable one to grow, to achieve one's ultimate goals. However, I never really gave a thought about 'major setbacks', and if I had to deal with one, I would live in denial, convincing myself that it is merely a blunder that I can mend. Such deception served well, until now.

I can no longer view what has happened as a mere blotch. I can no longer look past it. I can no longer assure myself that everything will be fine. Instead, I am simply consumed by darkness and numbed by helplessness.

I don't know how to move on.

Before being rebuked by my seeming lack of gratitude, I would like to add that I am indeed grateful for the little milestones. I am genuinely thankful for all the opportunities I never thought I would have. In fact, I believe that being appreciative of what I had (and have) has been one of the sole fuels I had this year. If not for it, I would have succumbed.

However, to hark on what one has is never the best way for one to move forward - or at the very least, it isn't the case for me. To be constantly reminded that one should not feel dissatisfied - but be grateful - only engenders stagnation because the urgency for a better version of oneself pitters out.

Therefore, I desire to move on and to look for a path out of this rut.

And this is what I am attempting to do. Unfortunately, the road ahead of me is replete with challenges. The knowledge that another barrier is seemingly erected as I overcome the 'last' only demoralises and saps the energy out of me. I am gripped with fear. I fear that I would surrender just before I reach the finish line.

Despite the above, I must concede that maybe achieving one's dreams is a prerogative not bestowed upon every individual. I sincerely wish that is not the case. I would love to live in a world of dreamers who acheive their seemingly unattainable goals, who live dangerously and passionately, and who believe that things can always be better. However, if I am destined to lose faith in such a cause, I do have plans. They are far less ambitious and they make me less excited about what lies ahead. Nonetheless, they give me a purpose to march on.

Perhaps, that is meant to be my life.

For now, all that I can do is to attempt mitigating the situation and believe that the 'someday' I hope for will be here. 

But yes, ultimately, I hope to leave behind the fear that the blue sky above me will remain all but out of reach as others walk out of my life; I hope that next year I wouldn't be lamenting about my plight as I reflect upon the events and experiences I had; I hope for my efforts to come to fruition.

#reflection #life #life lessons #fear #sorrow #misery #lost #disoriented #disillusionment #disillusioned #goals #disappointment #disappointed #hopes and dreams #hope #mymisadventure

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A Fool’s Dreams

Tossed into the sky like a ball…

  Initially,

There was only a sense of exhilaration,

A belief that it was a fresh chapter.

 Vitriol faded into the background,

While conviviality permeated.

Darkness that once gripped the path ahead

Gave way to the light at the end of the tunnel,

Ushering in a sense of hope.

Ascendance made the past feel distant,

The sky more palpable.

 With a bird's eye view,

Details blurred,

Flaws go undetected,

And chaos ceased.

  Breath in,

Breath out.

  All of a sudden,

The tranquility dissipated.

The air felt thin.

 And before composure was gained,

The body plunged,

While limbs flailed.

  It was all but a failed attempt at flight,

A flight from the nightmares.

#dreams #hopes #hopesanddreams #hopes and dreams #poetry #poem #literature #writing #spilled words #spilled ink #spilled thoughts #spilled poetry #spoken words #thoughts #life #mymisadventure #lessons #life lessons #fool

[mymisadventure-blog1]

Change

The humming of the hackneyed phrase "everyday is a new day, a fresh start"  is incessant.

It unconsciously fuels the body

And empowers the soul,

For it makes the self believe that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

 Yet,

At every turn,

It appears that changes for the better are illusory,

Every path is nothing but circulatory.

Changes only occur for the present to be reenacted in another form.

 At the end of the day,

Nightmares perpetuate themselves,

Engulfing dreams,

Crushing hopes;

While fairy tales remain as sublime as they are.

 Is change all but a mechanism that strips everything but the cardinal aspects of life?

 Perhaps,

Change is all but a prism,

A prism that does naught

But refracts and disperses white light into a spectrum called 'rainbow'.

While what leaves the prism does not resemble what enters,

And in fact appears more appealing,

It is fundamentally the same.

 Or perhaps not,

Perhaps,

Change is real,

But simply not so when the soul is consumed by the past,

And the body is barred from moving forth.  

#change #life #sad #poem #literature #writing #thoughts #thought #spilled ink #spoken word #spilled thoughts #spilled words #spilled poetry #mymisadventure #misery #truth

[mymisadventure-blog1]

Retrospection

The sordid acts, The deplorable treatment, The caustic words Clawing at the skin and the heart.

So harrowing are the events that the world seems warped at those moments. Articulation of thoughts end up as a prattle, Writings about the events devolves into incoherence.

Retrospection is the only lens that brings all these grisly memories into focus. Without which, The perplexity remains quiescent, And the wound remains gaping.

Unfortunately, Only retrospection at a distant allows everything to fall into place, For only time allows the soul to be partially liberated from the disorientation.

#writing #poem #literature #spilled ink #spilled thoughts #spilled words #spilled poetry #thoughts #life #life lessons #retrospection #past #present #spoken word #spoken words #spoken poetry

[mymisadventure-blog1]

Fame

Day in, Day out, The engine drones away in the pursuit of fame.

While the fact that it is fleeting is within the conscious mind, The desire to grasp it - However elusive it might be.

It promises to avenge the condescending. It promises to wash away the taints of yesterday with glory. It promises to prove the worth of what would otherwise be treated as chaff.

Yet, it is treacherous.

It does not repair the damage done by the contemptuous stares. It is not a bulwark to criticisms - In fact, it attracts  them.

In essence, It is not the palliative to the lacerations left by those, Whose opinions are cherished despite all the indelible damage done.

It callously leaves the initial self more languished, eviscerated and enervated, It mercilessly gnaws at the desolate and vacuous soul.

This is fame for those who seek to find refuge in it.

#fame #misery #depressed #life #betrayed #spilled ink #spoken word #spilled words #spilled poetry #spilled thoughts #spoken words #spoken poetry #poem #literature #writing #thoughts #mymisadventure #poems #poetry

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Escape

For a disillusioned, exhausted and isolated - literally or otherwise - soul What can hurt more than to be sober?

Teetering on the border of sobriety and inebriety, On the other hand, Enables the soul to remain attached to a world that demands its presence - While, ironically, ruthlessly ignoring it - And remain sufficiently intoxicated to be immune to the pains every breath engenders.

Therefore, The soul engages in interminable work: Ploughing away piles of work that fill the desk relentless, Running miles after miles, Plinking away busily.

Work drowns out the world. Work leaves the soul with minimal capacity to feel. Work enables one to better appreciate leisure, and thus, To better appreciate the world, The beauty that can be found nowhere else but in nature itself.

Hence, Diligence, unlike, what others thought is a disguise that cloaks all the misery gripping the soul. Diligence is the analgesia to despondence, Not the propagator.

This is an epiphany that is awaiting to be discovered.

#escape #spilled ink #spilled thoughts #spilled words #spilled poetry #poetry #poem #poems #spoken poetry #spoken word #spoken words #thought #thoughts #literature #exhaustion #exhuasted #life #work #pain #misery #sober #inebriation #beauty #nature #writing #mymisadventure

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Protectionism

Waking up to headlines of leaders calling for the restriction of immigrants into their countries, eminent individuals proposing to reduce the number of refugees into the country, and politicians denouncing regulations and agreements that enable free trade seem to have become quotidian. In this lens, it appears that the inexorable tide of globalisation is relenting. While some might celebrate this prospect, others would cringe. For the former, tightening of the flow of goods, service and people into the country appears to be the solution for the adverse impacts engendered by globalisation in the twenty-first century. For the latter, however, halting the march of globalisation does not ameliorate the prevalent problems of today, and, in fact, may exacerbate them.

Arguments for shutting the doors on other countries are mainly based on the precept that doing so will magically spell the end of most problems faced by the populace. Globalisation has resulted in greater, if not, cut-throat competition in most societies. People are struggling to secure their jobs, maintain their livelihoods and grasp opportunities for themselves. This is because globalisation has enabled people from beyond a country's geographical boundary to swoop in to vie for the jobs and opportunities with greater ease. In fact, in many developed countries, like the United States, locals holding blue collar jobs are losing their jobs to foreigners who are willing to work for a much lower wage. Furthermore, globalisation has allowed jobs to be outsourced to workers of other countries, engendering an even lower demand for the local labour force in developed countries where wages tend to be higher than those in the developing world. Besides, with a more porous border in the age of globalisation, local communities are experiencing a greater influx of immigrants whose lifestyles tend to differ from that of the locals. Consequently, these local communities will have to cope with these differences and bridge these chasms, which have proven to be an extremely onerous task. This has, in turn, propagated resentment among some locals against immigrants. With these issues insight, some might therefore argue for policies against a lax border as a panacea to the challenges mentioned.

However, this is a rather specious argument. The enactment of policies that aim to thwart globalisation is certainly not a silver bullet to the manifold of problems as some might believe. Jobs are not only in jeopardy because of globalisation: in fact, the greatest threat to jobs that we know of today is automation. Technology has supplanted many workers whose jobs involve mainly routine and predictable tasks. For instance, we see cashiers petering out in many supermarkets. In their place, we have self-checkout machines. In fact, the loss of jobs is not restricted to blue collar jobs, but white collar jobs. Recently, a Japanese insurance company has announced that they will replace some of its employees that are tasked to check the profiles of its clients who have sent in requests to claim their insurance. Similar to the trends we are witnessing within the labour force, livelihoods are not only altering because of globalisation. A major engine driving changes in livelihoods is, once again, technology. While some laud the prowess of technology, others would find it overpowering for it seems to infiltrate into every aspect of our lives: for instance, devices like fitness trackers are gathering far too much of our personal information and are seemingly devolving our lives into numbers after numbers; smartphones appear to be buzzing incessantly, demanding every ounce of our attention; social media demands us to curate our lives to perfection for the public to emulate. Given that technology knows no borders, closing the doors on immigrants and adopting a more stringent immigration policy to curb globalisation is, at best, a palliative - at worst a pernicious placebo.

Policies that aim to veer a country from globalisation can have detrimental ramifications for her society. As a country seals off her borders, it becomes increasingly difficult for multinational corporates (MNCs) to carry out their operations in the country due to the stringent regulations. In an attempt to avoid being hamstrung by bureaucracy that tighter regulations entail, it is little wonder that MNCs will shun the country to minimise wastage of resources involved in untangling themselves from the red tapes. Consequently, they will funnel their resources into other countries that practice less stringent policies on foreign companies and on the movement of resources across geographical borders. When this happens, the economy is likely to suffer due to the reduction in the demand for local resources like labour. Such an impact then filters into the bourgeoisie as they might face unemployment. The fact that Nissan, an automobile manufacturer, has considered to pull out its business from the UK in light of Brexit, which is likely to result in greater difficulty for companies to carry out transactions with other countries, highlights this very inimical impact of such policies. Another example that illustrates the deleterious effects of the adoption of protectionist policies in an attempt to insulate one's country from globalisation is US' recent act of pulling out from the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement which experts believe will cause US' economy to suffer. Therefore, maneuvers that seek to go against the tide of globalisation might not only be ineffective but destructive.

Hence, instead of jumping on the bandwagon to support spurious claims that closing off borders will do more good than harm, we ought to ponder what it truly means.

#politics #brexit #society #economy #globalisation #automation #jobs #essay #essay writing #thoughts #thought #opinions #essayist #current affairs #protectionism #opinion #mymisadventure

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Statistics

Until recently, the use of hard cold data as a basis from which arguments and cases are made has been perceived by most as a prerequisite for rational decisions to be made. However, in recent years, we have witnessed the ailing authority of experts who promulgate their ideas that are grounded in 'objective' statistics. While, at first sight, this might appear surprising and inexplicable for some, some rumination over this issue will make one realise that one ought not to be taken aback by this phenomenon.

Charts, graphs, polls and percentages allow people to view issues through a common lens that captures the realities of communities and nations. While arguments might diverge from these data when individuals look at them from different angles, they enable debates to be rooted in facts that are common to all, laying the foundations from which different opinions can be propagated, uniting people of disparate viewpoints. In this light, statistics is often viewed as 'objective' which is in stark contrast to mere opinions that might be warped or even flagrant. Thus, sightings of politicians and leaders adducing statistics to buttress their claims are ubiquitous.  

Yet, like all wonderful tools, statistics has its flaws.

It is indeed true that the sole purpose of statistics is to portray and capture the ideas, thoughts, opinions and preferences of individuals in society. However, in reality, the presentation of statistics can be manipulated to suit one's claims - thereby, running athwart its professed purpose.  Given that statistics can be utilised merely to complement an individual’s exposition such that they appear to be of substance to one's audience, one can easily do away with statistics when they run amok one's beliefs. Consequently, we might question whether statistics is indeed truly 'objective', or is it as pliable to an individual's prejudice, bias and baseless opinions? In fact, such a phenomenon is prolific in our world today. The Big Pharma often does this: they redact negative results and publish positive ones. This is similarly true in the realm of politics. While the newspapers are awash with the good President Barack Obama has done, his missteps and deplorable records - like the astronomical number of civilians killed by drones under his term as a president - go obfuscated. With the fact that statistics is imperfect in mind, people tend to be skeptical about the statistics presented to them. As such, statistics has become an impotent tool to persuade people into lending credence to one's arguments - let alone siding with one's stance.

This problem is in fact exacerbated by the fact that statistics inherently favours collectivism over individualism. Individualism tends to appeal to individuals more than collectivism does as the former makes one feel unique while the latter does the converse. This is because the perception that one is unique often makes one feel appreciated for being unique entails the idea of being 'irreplaceable'. Unfortunately, statistics is uninterested in individuals: it wants to capture the milieu of a society as a whole, dissolving the concept of individuals. In fact, this preference is embodied in the sizes of sampling groups - often, the bigger the better. Thus, people find statistics repulsive in nature. This flaw in statistics coupled with the fact that we are often touted the notion that we are 'special' by the media, and hence, are often consumed in the belief that we are indeed sui generis only makes this intrinsic problem of statistics appear ever more jarring to. Therefore, we are witnessing the ever greater exodus from the land of statistics and numbers to the land of mere opinions, and even populism which provide us with almost everything statistics does not.

In addition, statistics often fails to represent the self-interests of individuals. As mentioned above, statistics gives more weight to the majority while turning a blind eye to the desires of specific individuals. Consequently, there will perpetually be a group of people whose interests are ignored. In theory, this should not pose a problem as the composition of this ‘sidelined’ group would change over time, and the number of times individuals become a minority ought to be equalized. Thus, the minorities will deem it fair and accept the fact that the situation is against them. However, in reality, minorities might persistently remain as the minorities. In the case of unemployment rate, wage increases and insurance in the United States, for instance, the poor are likely to be the minority. They are likely to be the ones who are unemployed, enjoy minimal wage increases and pay higher insurance due to their area of residence while the wealthier experiences the converse. As such, the poor is unlikely to feel that the nation is doing well even when unemployment rate is low and real wages are rising, simply because it is not the case for them.  Thus, they are predisposed to feeling that statistics are only representative of the privileged. This begets the perception that politicians, experts and leaders that cite statistics are condescending and haughty. Therefore, the importance of the role of statistics is severely undermined in such circumstances.

After all this reading, a natural question to ask is this: Should we exile statistics altogether?    

The answer is simply 'no'. Indeed, we ought to use statistics more sparingly when incorporating them into our arguments;  we ought not to assume that statistics will do the job of appealing to all simply because accepting statistics for what it is seems rational to most of us. Yet, statistics still remains useful in our world today, it unites us and provides us with a common springboard for our arguments. In fact, with the advent of big data and the ability to accrue them for purposes - ranging from commercial uses to non-profit uses - the use of statistics will only become more prevalent in the upcoming years, portending the fact that it will soon be intertwined with our lives.

Therefore, we ought to embrace its flaws, master the art of using it, and tame its bane.

Reading: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jan/19/crisis-of-statistics-big-data-democracy

#statistics #mathematics #math #writing #thoughts #opinions #opinion #essay #society #politics #mymisadventure

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Opportunities

We pursue them, Or at least, We are told do so - If not coerced to do so.

They have become the holy grail for many. Elusive, enigmatic and empowering.

Many a time they either pepper our lives, Or evacuate from our lives en masse. The former inundates us, Causing us to spend more time cherry picking than grabbing them. The latter leaves us without any choice, But 'nothing'.

Yet, regardless of which, We end up with naught in our hands.

Perhaps this is the guile of opportunity, Or perhaps this is the folly of men.

#opportunity #poem #literature #writing #life #pursuit #dreams #spilled ink #spoken poetry #spoken word #spilled thoughts #spilled words #spilled poetry #thought #thoughts #mymisadventure

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Trapped

Entangled in the webs of the past, Unable to move forth.

Changes appear monstrous. Acclimating appears to be a daunting task.

Resisting changes appear appealing. Allowing habits and ruts to ossify appears comforting.

Yet, the tide of change is relentless.

Whirls of thoughts screaming, "Accept change.", "Allow yourself to be swept by the tide", "Get moving".

However, with arms and legs restrained by invisible cuffs, The only possible move is to remain still, To stare in the face of the imminent tide whose height rises interminably Through eyes brimming with tears, To await for it to suffocate one as it comes forth like a tsunami.  

#past #nostalgia #nostalgic #change #present #future #spilled ink #spoken word #spoken words #poem #poems #literature #spilled thoughts #spilled words #spilled poetry #thought #thoughts #writing #mymisadventure #life #reflection

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Nostalgia

Nostalgia is a cruel thing.

It makes you reminisce about your past, Pine for it so badly that you can barely feel the present. It makes you look at your past through a filter, Warping your perceptions of what have truly happened. It makes you feel that the past has been better, That the present is callous and merciless. It makes you view your past as a bucolic one, Even when it is in reality otherwise.

It tastes sweet. It feels comforting. It sounds pleasant.

It takes all pains and troubles away, Transporting you to your past when all was flawless.

It depreciates the value of the present, It appreciates the value of the past.

Mesmerised by what nostalgia promises, We forget that the present will soon be the past, And that what we have always longed for is what we had - We simply let it slipped by us.

Now, how is nostalgia innocuous?

#nostalgia #nostalgic #writing #poem #literature #spilled ink #spilled thoughts #spilled words #spilled poetry #spoken word #life #thoughts #mymisadventure #present #past

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Hopes and Aspirations

Once, the jar was filled with them. Once, they lit up the jar, ever so brightly. Once, they felt so reachable.

However, time washes everything away. And like all things, They aren't spared.

With time, The glow started to dim, The glitter started to dwindle, The jar became ever more fragile.

In a blink of an eye, Like a feeble candle, All the light that used to permeate the room goes out When the strong gust of wind sweeps by.

No more glitter, No more glow, No more jar, But dust and shattered glass.

#hopes #hopesanddreams #aspirations #poem #spilled ink #spilled thoughts #spilled words #spilled poetry #thoughts #thought #mymisadventure #literature #dreams #life #dream #writing

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Books Read in 2016

This is a throwback to 2016. In 2016, I did not manage to read as many books as I wished to, in part, because of my lack of will, and, in part, because I simply had too many things on hand. Nonetheless, I managed to peruse a few books in my spare time, and I thought that I shall share my thoughts about each book I have read with you.

#1 The Long Song

Image from: https://www.amazon.com/Long-Song-Novel-Andrea-Levy/dp/0312571143

I started reading this book in December 2015. However, I was only able to complete reading it in 2016 because I was working and learning to code back in December 2015.

A brief summary: This book revolves around black slavery in America. The story unfolds mainly through the eyes of a girl whose father was a white man and mother an African American slave. Her conception, unfortunately, but like in most cases then, was a result of her mother being raped. Initially, she was living with her mother on a farm. However, she was later separated from her mother when a white lady has decided to buy her.

In her new 'home', the girl was treated rather well relative to the other slaves. She had privileges that other slaves did not. In fact, she was entrusted to look after the other slaves at some point in the story when riots broke out and complications took over.

What was most memorable about the book: There are two aspects of this book that really caught my attention. Firstly, the writing was interjected with the thoughts and happenings of the author as she wrote the book - a style that is rarely adopted. Secondly, there was a twist in the later part of the story. Towards the end, I discovered that the main protagonist - the girl mentioned earlier - is the author's younger self.

In addition to the above 2 aspects, the fact that this book had some contextualisation to historical events (like riots and upheavals) made this book felt convincing and realistic.

Final thoughts: My final verdict is that this book is a great book about slavery in America. It is a good read for those who are interested in such a genre - in fact, despite being a fictional book, it has educated me about the issue of slavery in America.

#2 The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto

Image from: https://www.amazon.com/Magic-Strings-Frankie-Presto-Novel/dp/0062294415

This book was given to me as a present - a rather pleasant surprise.

A brief summary: In this book, we get to explore the life of Frankie Presto, a talented musician. Through the development of the story, we discover the struggles of Frankie Presto and the mystical happenings in his life. For instance, we will see the pains he had to go through when circumstances coerced him to part with his father and beloved teacher who taught him how to play the guitar; we will see how he grappled with retaining his fame and pursuing what he loves about music; we will see his guitar strings turning blue whenever he helped someone.

We will also witness how Presto's little acts managed to alter the lives of others for the better.

What was most memorable about the book: The writing style of this book is certainly a captivating one. The story starts with the funeral of Frankie Presto. Then, it shuttles between the eulogies people had for Frankie Presto as his funeral progresses, and the narration of his life by a supreme being who had bestowed Presto musical talent.

Besides the writing style, there has always been an enigma shrouding the plot. There always seem to be things unexplained. Hence, it keeps the reader enrapt. Furthermore, throughout the story, there are many poignant events that pull one's heart strings and elicit the sympathy of a reader.

Final thoughts: Despite the rueful events that unfold in the story, it is still a comforting read that is inspiring, that opens one's eyes to the struggles of a musician, that exposes one to the beauty of music. Thus, I will, without doubt, recommend this book.

#3 The Elegant Universe

Image from: https://www.amazon.com/Elegant-Universe-Superstrings-Dimensions-Ultimate/dp/039333810X

I purchased this book as I am interested in modern Physics, which, unfortunately, isn't covered much in my classes. Furthermore, before I read the book, I watched a documentary titled 'The Fabric of Cosmos' which starred the author of this book, Brian Greene. The documentary gave me an impression that he is a rather good explainer: he has the ability to put forth seemingly convoluted ideas found in modern Physics in a poetic way that makes consumption of these ideas much simpler. Hence, I was compelled to purchase this book.

A brief summary: This book, unlike the previous two books I have read, is a non-fiction book that is rather theoretical in nature. Thus, there is not much a of a plot that I can summarise and share with you. Hence, I thought that I would just give you a brief outline of the concepts covered in this book.

In the book, Greene elucidates the ideas in Einstein's theory of relativity and special relativity. He then introduces the concepts of quantum mechanics. After laying the foundations of these two broad topics for the readers, he goes on to discuss how the details in special relativity and quantum physics are conflicting in certain aspects that are fundamental to both theories. With this, he introduces the idea of string theory and sheds light into how this theory has the potential to bridge the rifts in these two topics. He does, however, confess that string theory MAY solve the problems that arise from the two aforementioned  topics in Physics, but it is not definitive.

Final thoughts: It is an amazing book for those who are interested in Physics, but are not equipped with the knowledge and skills involved in advanced topics in Mathematics - the Mathematics involved in special relativity, quantum physics and string theory are typically extremely complex. This is because the Mathematical equations are stripped from the picture, and therefore, one will not be bogged down by the convoluted equations but appreciate the concepts as they are.

However, given that this book is rather descriptive, it can only serve as introduction to concepts in relativity, quantum physics and string theory.

Nonetheless, it is a book worth reading for both amateurs and experts alike.

#4 No Place to Hide

Image from: https://bluelabyrinths.com/2015/02/17/no-place-to-hide-the-importance-of-glenn-greenwalds-newest-book/

I bought this book because of two reasons: it was on sale, and I had some interest in the issue of privacy and surveillance. Admittedly, however, if not for the former, I would not have bought the book.

A brief summary: This is a non-fiction book written by the journalist who has helped Edward Snowden to reveal the papers that proved that mass surveillance in the age of the Internet is very real. While reading the book, one will come to terms with the struggles faced by the journalist, Edward Snowden and others that are involved; one will also be more aware of the issues surrounding state surveillance and why it has caused and will continue to cause much tumult.

Final thoughts: I have only a word to describe this book: eye-opening. While some, or perhaps most, might be disagreeable with the notions brought up in the book, it nonetheless gives us a new perspective to the issue of state surveillance. Therefore, it is a good read for those who are interested in cyber-security and state surveillance issues in the twenty first century.

#5 Earth Alone, Earth Lost, Earth Rising

Images from: http://www.danielarenson.com/authorbio.aspx

The above are the titles of three distinct books. I have, however, lumped them together because they belong to the same series. These books were read when my final examinations ended last year.

A brief summary: These are science fiction books that are rather dystopian. The main plot of this book involves war(s) between aliens and human. This is told through the narration of the experience the main characters had when they were enlisted into the army. While some acquiesced into the enlistment and some were enthusiastic about the enlistment, most of them grew to understand the duties and responsibilities that they had to shoulder by the end of the third book. In fact, in the third book, there is an astonishing change in events that one ought to discover for oneself by perusing this series.

Final thoughts: Indeed, some of the plots in the story feel rather surreal. However, the overall experience I had while reading was a largely positive one. The author managed to consistently keep me in tenterhooks, making it difficult for me to put down the book. Besides, as a civilian, I found the narration, which was mainly done from the perspective of those who were enlisted, of the plots and feelings expounded rather refreshing.

For fanatics of science-fiction, I would say that this a series that one ought to consider reading.

#books #book #book review #what I read #2016 #read #review #scifi #non fiction #nonfiction #fiction #read in 2016 #reading list

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Dreams

Dreams are innate, We are all born with them. From the day we started breathing, We have also dreamed. We dream in our sleep, We dream in the day, And in fact, We dream all the day, All week, All year round.

It is they that keep us alive. It is they that conceive our passion.

Yet, they are often turn into nightmares. Yet, they are often dismissed as what it is, A 'mere dream', A chimera. Yet, we often find ourselves doubting them.

Before we know it, We have given up most of them. We no longer look up into the starry night, We no longer wish upon a star.

Instead, we burry ourselves in a deluge of work, Or devote ourselves to menial tasks.

And so, the fuel that propels us dwindle, And the passion within us smothered.

We look up into the ominous cloud, Asking, 'Why am I here?'.

The only response is the prevailing silence.

#dreams #thoughts #writing #poem #spilled ink #spilled thoughts #spilled words #spilled poetry #literature #life #hopes #hopeless #mymisadventure

[mymisadventure-blog1]

Milestones of 2016

Despite the glut of untoward, if not harrowing, events of 2016, 2016 should not be dubbed as a year of regression. In fact, beneath the headlines of 'bad news' that splashed across our newspapers, there were several progress made in various aspects. Environmentalists successfully raised greater awareness about the myriad of ramifications that stem from inexorable and prodigious burning of fossil fuel, and thus, roped in efforts from the international community; more people scrambled out of severe poverty; less succumbed to illnesses, in both developed and developing nations. Such events will kindle hope for 2017 albeit the uncertainty that enshrouds us - knowledge about where world leaders are heading is scarce.

The inauguration of capitalism had seemingly heralded the age of environmental devastation as countries, conglomerates and individuals alike rushed to convert natural resources into more tangible forms: cash. However, in 2016, some had awoken to the detriments of such acts. This is a paramount move given that relentless plundering of natural resources will eventually leave us with barren and infertile land, polluted water, and toxic air - a prospect that most would desire to stave off. Evidences of mankind making a move away from unsustainable economic growth can be found in the charts of the global annual carbon dioxide emission, which has been found to flatline, and efforts of various countries - for example, Portugal managed to sustain her country's demand for electricity by solely relying on renewable energy for four days. What makes these advances more worthy of celebration is the fact that they did not come at the expense of economic growth: economic growth in 2016 is positive despite the greater emphasis on environmental protection. This is a testament to the fact that environmental protection and economic growth, a seeming nemesis of the former, can co-exist, debunking the widely held belief that they can never come hand-in-hand. However, this progress made in 2016 is merely a milestone, a lot more effort has to be invested in the upcoming years to ensure that we would obviate the environmental catastrophe that scientists believe we will face if the global average temperature rises beyond two degree Celsius relative to the pre-industrial level's.

Besides the improvements in the amount of environmental effort poured in to reverse our previous missteps, 2016 witnessed a reduction in the number of people living in severe poverty. In the lens of talks about the widening chasm in wealth between the '1%' (the wealthiest) and the '99%' (the rest of the population), this might appear rather surprising. In fact, this might even paint a slightly more optimistic picture of the future, in which poverty no longer prevalent. After all, with more people freeing themselves from the grips of poverty, they are more likely to be able to afford education for their children, which is, in the eyes of many, tantamount to securing a brighter future, and lead better lives. Hence, this situation does indeed warrant some optimism. However, we ought to remain circumspect.  Despite the recent environmental efforts  mentioned above, the world is experiencing more severe climate changes, and more extreme  and frequent weather events - like floods and draughts.  As these events are likely to leave these people without an income, a home or both, those who have just left the status of being 'impoverished' behind - mainly low-wage workers and poor farmers - are likely to slip back into the callous grips of poverty given their lack of savings. Moreover, is merely making ends truly sufficient? Is subsisting on the bare minimum truly living? Thus, while 2016 might show signs of improvement for the poorest, they are insufficient: we ought to bridge the gap between the wealthiest and the poorest, or at the very least, ensure that the poorest will no longer slip into the state of extreme destitution after leaving it.

Another remarkable progress made in 2016 is the successful decoupling of deaths with certain illnesses. In 2016, Sri Lanka became malaria free, the Americas became free of measles and the number of deaths arising from certain types of cancer declined. With the fall in the number of people plagued by illnesses, it could mean increased quality of life: more get to enjoy a longer life expectancy, and thus, hopefully, get more opportunities to satiate their desires. Furthermore, it would also entail less suffering as less would be tormented by the pains these illnesses bring. Unfortunately, diseases continued to bedevil many. Problems like aids and malaria still remained widespread in areas like Africa, and seemed to be unlikely to halt any time soon. Therefore, while it might seem like a triumphant year, there is still a rather long, and - most likely - arduous way to go before we see any vast improvements.

In conclusion,  milestones were seen in 2016, but 2017 needs to be a better year…

#2016 #opinions #opinion #current affairs #health #development #global development #environment #climate change #inequity #inequality #poverty #writing #essay #essay writing

[mymisadventure-blog1]

A Not-So Astonishing 2016

Events in 2016 were, in a way, just a manifestation of inequity, climate change and failing systems. In fact, the many disconcerting, and seismic events that laid bare in 2016 can be attributed to problems that were left unresolved in previous years. We had, in other words, simply paid the loans and interests that had, in the absence of resolution, compounded over years: chasms in wage and living conditions between the elite and the bourgeoisie left the populace disaffected, and thus, Brexit and the election of Donald Trump; more frequent extreme weather events that remained unresolved coupled with El Nino exacerbated the problem of hunger in most of the South;  conflicts in interests and irresolution among countries engendered the displacement of a throng of people.

On 23 June, we witnessed Britain voting to leave the EU (European Union); and on 8 November, we witnessed the election of Donald Trump as US' (United States) president - both of which were watershed moments for the political arena. Another common denominator between these two events? They evinced how deep inequity runs through the fabric of society in the US and the UK (United Kingdom). These events were likely to have stemmed from the widening rift between people from different economic backgrounds. Brexit transpired as a result of the middle-class' dissatisfaction of their living conditions, their wages and their lack of opportunities - all of which are often imputed to competition from migrants that come from other countries, including those that are in the EU. Therefore, when political leaders who support(ed) Brexit claimed that Brexit would save the country £350 million weekly, and that it could allow the country to 'take back control', people bought in. They bought into these claims that were not verified, that were, in fact, fallacious - Brexit will neither save the country £350 million nor certainly promise immediate control over migration. They turned a deaf ear to verified facts that stated that Brexit would result in problems like the loss of funding for farming and scientific research that benefit local communities. This phenomenon only revealed that the majority were experiencing such grave disillusionment with the current political system that they opted to follow their visceral intuition, to accept purported facts that belied reality but supported their sentiment at the expense of facts issued by those 'in authority'. Likewise, Donald Trump, who was once dismissed as 'a clown' or 'buffoon', was elected mainly because those in the working class were exasperated by the fact that those at the highest echelon of society seemed to be bagging the rewards while they suffered from stagnation, or worse; and Donald Trump seemed to be anti-establishment, which, in their opinion, represented hope to their bleak situation. Thus, people caved in more easily into his claims that he would 'make America great again'. Therefore,  the election of Donald Trump became a reality on 8 November 2016 despite a profusion of criticisms and disparaging remarks about his behaviour, values and beliefs.

Besides ahistorical political maneuvers that were propagated by inequity, 2016 was marked by the problem of hunger which swept through and plagued the already-poorest countries. Climate change has resulted in extreme weather events that propagate either excessive rainfall that deluge towns and cities alike or droughts that leave citizens parched and land infertile. Consequently, farmers, particularly the impoverished, if not destitute, suffer from crop failure, and hence, a lack of income. In 2016, this situation became more prolific as both climate change and El Nino crippled farmland. Countries like Zimbabwe, Somalia, Ethiopia and Zambia experienced drought and were close to famine. In fact, in Zimbabwe, the problem was so severe that students had dropped out of school in an attempt to feed their families. This beget the loss of their opportunity to receive education, and thus, the ability to break free from the grips of poverty. In fact, the very problem of hunger is perpetuating poverty, and hence, itself. Given this, are we still going to continue with our dilatory responses towards climate change? Are we going to buy into Donald Trump's denial of climate change? Or are we going to start making a concerted effort to ameliorate the situation?

In 2015, we witnessed the problem of migration in the EU swarming the headlines; and in 2016, the problem still persisted.  Without much resolution among countries, the bombing and the devastation of wars still continued to plague already impoverished nations in 2016. The problems that arose from the detonations of bombs and deaths that the conflicts entail, however, did not confine themselves within the borders of these countries. In fact, they spilled over to neighbouring countries and continents - the EU in particular. As the conditions of these areas that were in conflict were so execrable, many chose to flee to the EU, overwhelming countries in the EU, and engendering vehement sentiments against refugees and asylum seekers in many areas. Against this backdrop, some countries took drastic measures to curtail the entrance of asylum seekers. For example, Denmark legalised the confiscation of asylum seekers' valuables to 'pay for their care' despite being condemned for her move. Furthermore, jihadis also took advantage of the overwhelmed systems in many EU countries to carry out their attacks. These jihadis would claim the status of an asylum seeker and strike terror in the countries where they claimed asylum from. For instance, the attack on the Berlin Christmas market in December was perpetrated by a Tunisian asylum seeker, and seven of the nine of the terrorists of the France attack in December 2015 were found to have disguised themselves as Syrian refugees. The unfolding of such unfortunate events before our eyes only sought to remind us that we ought to take action, and do so swiftly before they fester further.

In conclusion, 2016 was a year when everything happened but nothing happened. It was a stage for the playing out of the seemingly inextricable problems that continued - and will continue - to beleaguer us. Hence, 2016 in retrospect was perhaps not all that astonishing a year.  

Inspirations were taken from: Don’t Call It Post Truth. There’s a Simpler Word: Lies. By Jonathan Freeland. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/16/not-post-truth-simpler-words-lies-aleppo-trump-mainstream?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other So Long, 2016: The Year of the Political Earthquake. By Decca Aitkenhead.  https://www.theguardian.com/news/2016/dec/24/2016-in-review-world-news-syria-terrorism-brexit-trump-decca-aitkenhead The Year’s Top Development Stories: 2016 in Review. By Liz Ford. https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2016/dec/30/the-years-top-development-stories-2016-in-review

#writing #essay writing #opinion #opinions #thoughts #current affairs #year in review #2016 #politics #environment #climate change #poverty #world hunger #hunger #donald trump #brexit #migration #terrorism #inequity #mymisadventure

[mymisadventure-blog1]

Time does really march on inexorably. It feels like it isn’t that long ago when I was sitting here on January 1 2016 setting up my bullet journal to ‘ usher in’ the new year. Yet, here I am, having set up my bullet journal for 2017.

Since 2017 has arrived and 2016 has slithered out, I would like to wish all readers a ‘happy new year!’. May 2017 be a year wounds heal, wars abate and peace prevail - well, this might indeed be a rather demanding request for a year, but...

Oh, and besides uploading my bullet journal set-up, and sending my new year greetings and well wishes, I would like to take this opportunity to thank all who have been following my blog @whirling-thoughts and provide some update regarding my blog.

I have changed my blog name and given my blog a fresh appearance recently in light of the discovery of my goals for this year. Hence, you might neither recognise the name of this blog nor recognise the look of this blog when you visit the web version of this blog. 

If you are wondering where I have gotten my inspiration for the blog theme, which I have coded from scratch over Christmas, it is from my re-discovery of the extent I love exploration and adventure. This interest of mine has always been lurking around, however, I have, in the past 2 years, neglected it. Consequently, I have found myself rather lost this year. Fortunately, upon spending some time ruminating over what I genuinely crave for the next few years, I have realised that adventure and exploration are what I yearn for. Thus, theme and name of this blog.

With this, I would like to mention that this year, I shall start exploring the academic world, the physical world, the world of literature, the world of music and the communities around me; I shall attempt to transcend boundaries and peer into the once veiled parts of the world. In fact, my writings for this year shall be led by my ‘adventure’ and ‘exploration’ (and yes, I will be devoting more time to writing).

***This set-up has been inspired by http://bulletjournal.com/show-tell-bujo-auslife/, and many other studyblrs’ bullet journal that I have come across over the last few months.

#2017 #bullet journal #bullet journal 2017 #casual blog #update #studyblr #mine #mymisadventure