Thinking Aloud

This issue of loan sharking has been in and on the news for such a long time. But this piece of news just broke something inside me.

Victimization.

Imagine the poor borrower, already harassed by the loan shark, now (if the cops get what they want) persecuted by the police?! Don’t they have enough to deal with already?

This is legalism at its worst. To get at what I’m trying to point at: Try substituting rape for loan shark harrasment and rape victim for borrower. It’s the same thing. But many don’t realize it because those who are rich and well off, just look down condescendingly at people who do.

We all know why people borrow money from loan sharks: The ease of getting the loan, desperation (from gambling, addiction, business losses). Often, the root problem is greed. But these are weaknesses of human nature-and it goes against the spirit of lawmaking to punish people for things like this.

More laws does not make a civil society. Laws do not deter people from breaking them, it just means there is more work for the police to do.

Better ways would be protection against the loan sharks, microcredit arrangement, financial counselling and even gambling addiction counselling if it applies. From what I read in the article, it would seem that the cops believe that making a better society means making more laws. Oh the fallacy in that sort of thinking!

Enough said. In short, I’m looking for society to be softer on the borrower and harsher on the lender, as it should be.  

…starts with a single step.

My supervisor has finally given me my first task. For those who die, die must know what I’m talking about:

" Calculate the K-types for the theta lift of U(p,q) to U(r,s)."

Treading excitedly and nervously.  

It’s high time I got myself something Christian to read. And this sounds like a great book to get.

(Hehe…sorry, got the pic from Amazon.com)

But anyways, here’s a review of the book from the internetmonk.  

Yeah, thank God it’s Saturday.

What I have achieved during the week.

1. Finished (half) of Serge Lang’s SL2(R).

2. Finished my first Functional Analysis assignment.

3. Got our teaching assignments.

Yep its going to be a great weekend.  

When I first opened Firefox yesterday morning and browsed to Screenshots, a post caught my eye. Jeff Ooi and RockyBru were sued by NSTP and a few other more prominent personalities.

Read about it also in the International Herald tribune.

Sdr. Lim also has his take on it.  

I first started to read Screenshots  about a year after I started blogging. It was then that I slowly learned that a blog is more than a online diary (which is a contradiction in terms btw) but was inteded, and still is being used today, as a alternative to the printed media. It was journalism by the people, for the people.

And it made sense, since the internet provided people with unfettered access to firsthand personal opinions, regulated and edited only by the bloggers good sense and maturity.

Jeff Ooi has been that kind of blogger. Humourous, serious, provocative and observant. He gave a very important reminder: The Internet does not operate in a legal vacuum. His posts reflect that, any claims against some one are pretty much substantiated, in a sense that it raises good questions without being insulting and demeaning. Jeff Ooi is a responsible blogger.

I find it very disturbing then that NSTP and the rest have taken legal action. I believe in due justice. I believe that the courts will clear Jeff and Ahiruddin (RockyBru).  of wrong doing. The motivation for this is rather clear: Its purely an act of revenge. Jeff has written much about the NSTP and it hasn’t been in his good books: He once remarked that then Group Editor, Brenden Priera piece was so similiar to an article written by Detroit Free Press, Mitch Albom.

Whatever the case, it reminds me of something I read in the internetmonk. The resemblance is so striking, its juvenile. But it reminded me of something else too: Doing the right thing has never been popular.

The position of the books are intentional.

Measure and integral dominates Functional Analysis hands down. It may be half as thick, but cost me double in price.

The first thing I did when I woke up was to scan through the papers. And it was depressing…

Floods return to Johor. I read that even Singapore experienced flash floods.  

Customer intimidation by a taxi driver. My father’s brother-in-law is a taxi driver. People like this only give his profession a bad name. But the question to ask, why are people like the reported driver even driving taxis!!??

This one makes me particularly angry. Are people that desperate? Was he high on drugs? Speechless in the face of such blatant evil and selfishness…

Do we (guys and girls) have any shred of self-dignity and decency left? But the greater tragedy would to blame the girls (as it is the spin given in the news article). After all it takes two to tango. Will the school authorities also investigate the guys involved and charge them for sex with a minor?

When we do pray, how can we even start?  

Wahliu…my god sister tease me today…didn’t know she had it in her.

The rakyat gathered at Bandar Sunway to protest the proposed toll hike raise. Here are some photos taken at the gathering.

Democracy at work here, and not only at the ballot box. It’s good to see people of all races unite together for a common cause.  

If I ever have children of my own, I’ll make sure they never turn 12-13.

Man, kids this age are both 1) an ocean of uncontrollable energy 2) as easily bored to the bone.

Seriously, I respect all those FaithActs staff. How they can make a career out of interacting with 12-18 year olds and turning them for the better. 

GESS (Gan Eng Seng School) Project Camp was an overnight orientation camp for Secondary one kids. I volunteered as a station master and also in the general running of the camp (cleaning up, moving stuff etc…)

It was an eye opener for me. I seriously doubt I would have volunteered for such things if I were younger. But I felt that God was pushing me out of my comfort zone here, and so I took the step of faith. I was nice meeting and working side other volunteers from SMU and church as well. It was good for me to get to know new people.

I also discovered that I don’t handle kids very well either. Hmm…something to think about yeah. Controlling a class (about 40 students) was hard. I realized that it was wrong to force kids to be silent before they listen to you. It just wont work (they are too excited). A better approach is to get at their attention first, and get the message across within the shortest span possible (attention span is short).

(Although the FaithActs staff are all christian, the camp itself is secular in nature. It was attended by all normal tech and normal academic students in the cohort.)

I was dead tired after the camp. But boy, the sleep was refreshing indeed.  

Would I volunteer again for such things. Maybe lah, but for older kids yeah…. 

I will be away helping out the FaithActs team in conducting the Gan Eng Seng SecSchool Sec 1 Orientation Camp over the weekend.

Hope to blog about it when I get back. Until then… 

I’m back. And I’ve changed the layout of my blog. Use Firefox for best viewing results. IE is considered broken!

2007 is the year Malaysia celebrates her 50th year of independance.

All the best for Malaysians in all walks of life, young and old, poor and rich. I hope that this year will be the year that we realize that we are celebrating an independance to be, much more than an independance from.

Am heading back to Singapore tonight. Had a great time of rest and catching up with my cousins. I have a new addition to my extended family. My parents just got a new niece, which looks really like a ‘Japanese doll.’

Hope the new year brings new things to celebrate and new things to hope for.