The majority of work in this thesis is original. However, some assistance with material and research has been provided by my fellow Gong-ers: Part 1

It has been a great week, catching up with friends and chatting. However, our chatting wasn't on any ordinary mundane topic.

Oh no.

Our discussions were most profound. In fact, in our infinite wisdom as graduates from the University of Wollongong, we have come up with a number of theories that will one day change the entire world.

Theory One:
If you swirl your saliva in your mouth fast enough, you can make ice. Whats more, the ice that you produce will be rectangular, due to the shape of your mouth.
Furthermore, people with dimples can make ice faster because the dimples are like valleys and therefore the shape of the mouth will become like an hourglass shape. 0.o

Theory Two:
What is a shape of a ball?
If your answer is round/circular, you're wrong. The answer is a sphere. Most people will say its round/circular because we have been screwed up by our country's education, and therefore lack creativity to think out of the box, and hence can only look at a ball in a two-dimensional way. We must learn how to view things in a three-dimensional way.
Whats more, if you trace the outline of a circle in the air, its perpendicular to the floor. But if you flip the outline so that its parallel to the floor, it becomes a sphere. 0.0

Theory Three:
If any word has a double 'L' in it, it usually relates to a circular shape. Examples are the words 'roll' and 'ball'.
Wait. Hang on. A 'Wall' is not always circular. Neither is a 'Doll'. Dang. Blast. -.-

Theory Four:
Godzilla cannot be asexual, despite what was said in the movie, because it kidnapped the woman. In fact, the woman is used as a baton to tag turns between King Kong and Godzilla. o.o

Theory Five:
In some coffeeshops, Milo is also known as 'Ta-Kiu' (Hokkien for kick-ball >.<) because the can of Milo always shows soccer players kicking a ball. Lipton Tea is known as 'Diao-Hu' (Hokkien for fishing >.<) because you dip the Lipton tea bag in and out of your cup, like someone fishing.
So, 'Ta-Kiu Zero' will mean that the drinks stall will freeze the Milo for you, because the 'Zero' stands for the temperature i.e. zero degrees Celsius. And 'Ta-Kiu-cino' will mean that the drinks stall will add more milk. 0.0

Theory Six:
The drinks stall in coffeeshops get their ice in two possible ways.
The first way is to get ice from the dessert stall. The dessert stall uses a machine to shave ice for their dishes, and there will be eventually be a small piece of ice left which cannot be shaved. This piece of ice will be given to the drinks stall to serve to their customers. Unfortunately, because the ice is so small, you will need approximately ten or so of those said ice pieces to put in a drink.
Therefore, you can only have your drink with ice if the dessert stall has sold more than ten ice kachangs. 0.o
The second way is that some guy from the drinks stall will rock up with a huge block of ice in one hand and an icepick in another hand. Then, much like a prim and proper waiter in an italian restaurant with a pepper grinder, he will ask if you want ice in your drink. If you say yes, he will then proceed to chop and hack on the huge ice block with the icepick until you say 'when'.
In fact, there are some guys who are so skillful that they can hack and chop the ice block into a tiny ice sculpture (like Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck) to put in your drink. o.0

Theory Seven:
In some countries, there are formation of rain clouds but rain never comes. The solution to this is to fly a plane into those rain clouds and spray some salt into the clouds. This will allow the water molecules to cling onto the salt, and therefore fall as rain.
Hence, if you toss hay into those same rain clouds, the water molecules will then cling onto those strands of hay and then float to the ground in a swaying fashion, much like how a feather floats to the ground when thrown in the air.
Won't that be an incredible sight, having rain floating to the ground in a swaying fashion. o.o

If you feel lost and don't understand the above seven theories, dun feel alone.

We really are rubbish. -.-

"The important thing is not to stop questioning." - Albert Einstein

"Molly, please, just talk to me. I thought, the last time we spoke, that we understood each other. Now you don't speak to me, you turn away... I don't know what changed, I don't understand what is happening between us."
- “Royal Assassin” by Robin Hobb

Do you know how sometimes you feel so confused?

Do you know how sometimes your heart tells you to do something, but your brain doesn't want to?

Do you know how sometimes your instinct screams for you to do something - anything! - to prevent hurt and sadness? But your cold sense of logic tells you bluntly that its none of your business so why should you care?

Do you know how sometimes you wish that things wouldn't have happened this way and that if you could travel to the past, would you try and do things differently? But then again, due to the time paradox proposed by Albert Einstein, you could never change the past no matter how hard you tried, but thats another entirely different matter...

Do you know how sometimes you wish you were a robot, and then you wouldn't need to be troubled by such pesky and frustrating things called Emotions and Feelings?

Do you know how sometimes you desperately want someone to tell you how to think, what to do and how to react?

Do you know how sometimes you just want to put an end to all this?

So many questions, so little answers...

“I left my daughter and my grandson deep in a discussion with Brand, and made some pretence of leaving the Isle. I didn’t, however. I went up into the mountains behind Riva’s city instead and found a quiet place.
Then I crumpled and wept like a broken-hearted child”
- “Belgarath The Sorcerer” by David and Leigh Eddings

"The greatest griefs are those we cause ourselves." - Sophocles

“I wept for a time, but simple weeping seemed too light and innocuous for the overwhelming grief that tore at my heart.

My despair needed a greater outlet.

I went falcon and thrust myself blindly into the air.

Birds of prey do not often scream at night, but I had more than enough reason to scream on that particular occasion.

And so my screams of grief and despair trailed behind me across the dark forest of northern Wacune and on up among the peaks of the Sendarian mountains, where my desolate cries echoed back from the eternal rocks and seared the surface of every glacier inching down every mountain.”

- “Polgara The Sorceress” by David and Leigh Eddings

"We are slow to believe that which if believed would hurt our feelings." - Ovid

"The advantage of the emotions is that they lead us astray, and the advantage of science is that it is not emotional."
- Oscar Wilde

Happy. Joyful. Ecstatic. Sad. Depressed. Grief. Irritation. Anger. Rage. Contentment. Loneliness.

Emotions makes us human. Its what makes us different from machines. No combination of gas, electricity, carbon or liquid, can convey what, how or why we feel. How can one explain emotions? You might as well ask: What, how or why do we breathe air? Emotions are part of our senses; One cannot explain what, how or why we feel.

Our emotions come instinctively. We do not examine the situation, think through the various factors, weigh the pros and cons, and then decide on how we feel. We do not need justification for all our feelings. Material stuff do not always make us happy; In other words, retail therapy is not a definite cure for depression.

"But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve
For daws to peck at: I am not what I am."
- "Othello" by William Shakespeare

Emotions are intangible. They appear and vanish as quickly as summer showers. But despite the intangibility, they are beyond doubt, still there.

They can be hidden by a mask or an iron wall. Once emotions are out of the picture, efficiency is so much higher and you will get things done quicker. But there will always be a chink in the armor. The longer the iron wall is maintained, the bigger the chink will be. Once the weakness is exposed, a torrential flood of emotions can be released, often leaving you a broken person behind.

Emotions can also be displayed proudly. Liberating your emotions will be a freedom, compared to keeping them constantly under check. To show your true honest feelings will also strip away the false front you put on. People will finally recognize your true self. But it is also a sign of vulnerability, and a portent of pain and rejection to come.

"The sign of an intelligent people is their ability to control emotions by the application of reason."
- Marya Mannes

So how does one express his/her emotions? Well, there is always a certain power with words. As you pen in your emotions, your words will convey your heart and feelings. To write with such sincerity and expression will instantly transport the reader to your world. The reader will smile as he/she shares your joy, weep as he/she shares your sorrow and pain, and outrage as he/she shares your troubles.

Music is another form of expression. To sing a happy song and to dance to a quick, delightful beat, expressing your exaltation in living and celebrating your joy. The audience will grin as they hear your melody and see your exuberance in your paces. Or to sing a mournful ballad and to dance with slow, sad strides, conveying your sense of grief and pain. Tears will flow freely as the audience listens to your lament and see your sorrow in your steps.

"Emotions have taught mankind to reason."
- Vauvenargues

Without emotions, we are nothing more than machines. Without emotions, our lives are a blank slate without color. Without emotions, we are fey.

With emotions, we are human.

2007: Two Thousand and Seven; Twenty Oh Seven; Two Oh Oh Seven

The new year starts, and i stumble through wearily from the last year. One of my colleagues has, how shall i put it, rather suddenly and unexpectedly left the company. As a result, Daniel and I were saddled with two extra projects each. The following is an extract of that fateful day:

Boss: *through the intercom* Jason ah, can you come in for a while?

Me: *replying through the intercom* Ok.

I ambled my way to Boss's office, wondering what he needed to tell me. I entered and took a seat opposite him.

Boss: Jason ah. I need you to take over these two projects temporarily for me.

Me: *thinking they are new ones or that boss had too much on his plate and wants me to help him out* Sure. New projects?

Boss: *through the intercom* Daniel, can you come in for a moment? *while waiting for Daniel to make his way in* No, its Michael's last day today.

Me: ??!! *totally taken by surprise*

Daniel ambled into the office and takes the seat beside me.

Boss: Daniel, i need you to temporarily take over these two projects because its Michael's last day today.

Daniel: *totally calm and unflappable* Ok.

As you can see, the news was a complete shocker to us. We thought that he would at least give a month's notice, or a week at the very least. We speculated that our boss must've been looking for a replacement for sometime. And when he did find one, our ex-colleague had no excuse to be around.

With my boss, somehow those "temporarily taken over" projects have a knack for eventually being permanently under us. (-.-) Daniel had the better bargain, if it can be called that. We each had a project which was almost over. Daniel's second project had just started, so it was relatively easy for him. My second project, however, is in the midst of construction, so i have much more to catch up on.

Oh yes. I forgot to mention that the colleague who left, was almost totally incompetent. His workings were in a mess and i had to sort them out somehow.

What a great start to a new year. (-.-)