The tragedy of commitment

"Whoever wants something great must be able to limit himself."-- Wolfgang von Goethe

Sometimes you are paralyzed with indecision. You can't bring yourself to choose any one future because to choose one is to forsake the promise of all others. Yet not choosing is making you crazy. In such a state, drastic action is necessary. You must choose -- and then one by one, murder all the futures you passed over. Like a faithful companion you've cherished all through your youth, you must lead each future back behind the shed, and even if it looks up at you with those big eyes, dreamy with possibility, you must put the cold muzzle to its head and pull the trigger. You must do it, again and again, for each future that competes for the attentions of your heart. Only then are you ready for commitment. Only then can you pursue the one thing that will, in time and after much mourning, become all things to you. The future is full of possibilities that I must shoot in the head.

The Eternal Feminine

That which draws us by its mystic force, that which every created thing…feels with absolute certainty at the very center of its being, that which Goethe here—again using an image—calls the Eternal Feminine—that is to say, the resting-place, the goal, as opposed to striving and struggling toward the goal (the eternal masculine)—that is the force of love, and you are right to call it by that name.

Singapore's Silent Epidemic

"Singapore, with a population of just over 4 million, had suffered 5248 dengue cases by 18 Sep 2004."

- It's 11 November and these are the most recent stats available on dengue in Singapore.Why is it that during a record outbreak of dengue, the publicized stats are 2 months old???

Story of a Strange Man

"[...] When they brought him back he could not speak but very few words of English but after a few years they sent him to school and he learned very fast and he became a useful and intelligent man. He married a repectable lady and had a large, and repected family. He was elected to the General Assembly of Virginia from Randolph County and served two years; was also sheriff of Randolph one term. He moved from Randolph to some of the western counties of the state (Braxton). It is strange that a man can have his character so changed in a short ime, from that of an untutored savage to that of an intelligent and trustworthy man."

The Sun Gets In Your Eyes

Using the fab site Sky View Cafe, I plotted the path of the sun in the two cities I've spent the most time in this year.

It was bugging me the way the evening sun would get in your eyes in Toronto - something that rarely happens in Singapore.

As shown below, part of the reason is that the sun spends longer low on the horizon. Another reason is that in North America, most people tend to live in the west of cities (due to another natural phenomenon - prevailing winds usually head east). This means that in the morning you head into town with the sun in your eyes and have the same problem coming home.

But probably the biggest difference between the two cities is that Singapore is very built up and has a lot of foliage so it is rare you find yourself on an exposed highway heading west at 6:30pm with a clear view of the sunset.

The path of the sun across the sky in Singapore and in Toronto.

The path of the morning sun in Singapore and Toronto

The pale blue area represents my estimate of where in the sky the sun gets in your eyes (below 24 degrees). The paths were plotted for September 26th 2004.