Nurture or nature?

Found this old picture of my brother and I sitting on the monorail in Sentosa when we were kids.

Looks like some things don't change even when we grow older: My brother still does not like to smile in cameras and I'm still, well ... pensive.

For lazy readers around the world

I am so gonna hunt me down one of these...

Paranoia Central

According to an article in this month's Reader's Digest, psychopathy can exist in dimensions depending on the level of conscience the individual has, and that one in 100 people have no conscience. That is to say, at some point in your life you will meet a psycho if you have not already. However, just as not all killers are pyschopaths, not all psychopaths are killers.

This I believe is what makes them all the more insidious. They could be anywhere, anyone...

Here are some key indicators to clue you in (as provided by 2 Psychology professors from Harvard):

1) The Liar

The more you get to know a psychopath, the more things don't add up. One day she tells you she owns a beach resort in Langkawi, the next month it's Phuket. He makes a six-figure salary but can't fix a broken car window. It's not uncommon for poeple to tell little white lies to protect themselves, but psychopaths enjoy dramatic lying for its own sake.

2) The Charmer

Be wary of the glib and superficially charming person. Sociopaths often have a kind of glow or charisma that makes them more interesting than other people. They're more spontaneous, more intense, more complex, or even sexier than anyone else making them tricky to identify and leaving us easily seduced. To overcome this "wow factor" be suspicious of excessive flattery and beware the pity play - the 'wealthy' charmer who just happens to be down on his luck, or the sex kitten who 'just needs a place to crash.' Another red flag: If someone makes you feel alternately good and lousy about yourself, watch out.


Any of this sound familiar? Or are you one yourself hmmmm

Debunking The Friendship Ladder Theory

In one conversation, my wise friend a.k.a Deeply Disturbed (computer science-philosopher-lawyer) managed to topple the ladder that was a decade old in being deeply entrenched. And this he did not without wit or quick humour. So indubitably I was impressed and here (in this space) give to him due tribute:

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Deeply Disturbed says: can't believe i'm building an argument about this... geez... i should write a self help book and make a quick buck. Need a catchy title e.g. "So you like your friend huh?"

imeg says: hahahaha eh i think that mite work!

Deeply Disturbed says: or... 20 reasons why gals limit their search pool

imeg says: touche

Deeply Disturbed says: i'm a cynic

imeg says: so wats the logical fallacy?

Deeply Disturbed says: Lovey dovey things are lovey dovey becos of the traditional cult perceptions that we are born into, but what constitutes a loving gesture/ activity does not arise out of the perception but from the activity itself e.g kissing a friend is gross. But that's putting the conclusion before the reasoning. Instead
1. kissing is a sign of affection
2. you kiss the person you feel affectionate towards
3. you don't feel that kind of affection to your friend. Ergo you don't kiss your friend.

However, if you like someone who happens to be your friend, that supercedes proposition 3, ergo it's ok to kiss the person you once considered your friend becos this person isn't really your friend in the relevant sense anymore.

In other words, the rule is a case of the conclusion driving the reasoning as opposed to the reasoning driving the rule. If it's raining I bring my umbrella, rather than I bring my umbrella therefore it's raining.
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This, ladies and gentlemen, is my friend's impeccable logic. (Ladies, feel free to ask me for his number.)

Turning the Temperature Up

Omg:

Just did yoga in a heated room.

It is the most intense one-hour workout I've ever had.

Hot Yoga is the shit, I kid you not.

Silent Pressures

I've had this song for the longest time, but only paid attention to its lyrics just and found it rather striking in the simplicity through which it speaks volumes:

It Was Nothing That You Said (by Julia Fordham)

You had me right there in the palm of you hand
With your fingers locked in mine
And with a little sweet talking
I'd have clung on for all time

Chorus:
It was nothing that you said
It was everything you didn't say
And all the tears I've shed
Won't wash the pain away

We had our moment it was golder than gold
It was solid through and through
And in that moment if you'd given the word
I'd've followed you... followed you

[chorus]

Misunderstanding number one
I thought that you were bigger than me
Misunderstanding number two
I thought that I could find myself in you

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Why is it people tend to stay silent about the things that matter most and go ballistic about so many others?

It made me think about all the things we want that could have happened but didn't because someone somewhere did not say something. Hence the perennial "Shoulda, Woulda, Coulda" that we all face at some point in time.

Perhaps this explains my intensity - a word often thrown at me - because so little gets done with so little feeling. And unlike others, I don't want to say in hindsight "I wish..." but that "I did..."

Sense and sensibilities:

This is the oddest sign I've seen so far in S'pore...

If not there, then where??

Chelonian blues

One of my terrapins has an eye infection. One eye looks like it has fused together - creepy.

Might just have to trundle along and make my very first visit to an animal doctor.

According to my colleague who is a hypochondriac for herself and her pets, the Animal Clinic down the street from my place has a highly sought after vet: Dr Hsu.

It seems I will have to make an appointment. For my turtle.

(: