Happiness (X)

I love nature.. prefers hiking to shopping.. prefers the peace and tranquility of nature...

There's lots of hiking trails in TW.. maybe it's (finally) time to explore all the natural beauty TW has to offer..


Disclaimer: These drawings are owned by Last Lemon and I've no intention of infringing any copyright..

Happiness (IX)

Did I mention I like reading?? and I'm as guilty as hell for Tsundoku too..

For 2017, I'm still gonna set a target of reading 100 books.. but I will try to read at least 50 non-comic books..


Disclaimer: These drawings are owned by Last Lemon and I've no intention of infringing any copyright..

Happiness (VIII)

Used to do this a lot during my last 6 months in Japan.. My kitchen here is almost existent, although I can still cook somewhat..

Missed having a big kitchen... missed cooking and baking... missed all those friends...


Disclaimer: These drawings are owned by Last Lemon and I've no intention of infringing any copyright..

Happiness (VII)

Other than the three wishes stated yesterday, the one thing I will be doing more in this new year is:

Yes, this is easier said than done, but I will never stop trying...



Disclaimer: These drawings are owned by Last Lemon and I've no intention of infringing any copyright..

Happiness (VI)

This is something I'm still learning to do...

...and will keep reminding myself to chill at times...


Disclaimer: These drawings are owned by Last Lemon and I've no intention of infringing any copyright..

Happiness (V)

This is what I hope to create in my home in Malaysia....

but first I need to ship all the books I currently have in Taiwan back first... >.<



Disclaimer: These drawings are owned by Last Lemon and I've no intention of infringing any copyright..

Happiness (IV)

This is what I hope to do more...

and the one huge reason why I like to do couch-surfing, like I did in 2014.. Looking forward to more CS experience in the future!!

Disclaimer: These drawings are owned by Last Lemon and I've no intention of infringing any copyright..

Happiness (III)

This is what I would like to do.. as I've seen, hear and experienced so much..

Though not many like listening to me as they think I'm boasting, but those who do listen often like to come back for more...  :)


Disclaimer: These drawings are owned by Last Lemon and I've no intention of infringing any copyright.. 

Happiness (II)

Today's much simpler...

It's what I like to say: I can live anywhere as long as there's a clean bed and good internet connection..  :)

Disclaimer: These drawings are owned by Last Lemon and I've no intention of infringing any copyright.. 

Happiness (I)

I want to share my take of happiness with drawings from Last Lemon.. I'll share one everyday till end of the year..

The first one is what I'm doing right now.. or kinda...

so in a way, I'm moving in the right direction.. :)

These drawings are owned by Last Lemon and I've no intention of infringing any copyright.. 

binge

I love to binge... on TV shows, that is.. ^.^

I like to keep several episodes and watch them all at one go.. I will allocate a day, most often the weekends, to do that. I will cook myself a simple lunch/dinner/supper and start watching from morning till whatever time.. although I know I should binge on books, especially my research-related books, instead of TV shows, I can't help myself..

Can't wait for some shows to start in March (House of Cards, Quantico and Deadliest Catch), April (Orphan Black and Game of Thrones) and May (Penny Dreadful), just to name a few...

so many shows.. so little time...

sometimes

Indeed...

one long year

Can't believe I've not update this blog for almost a year... time flies... kinda cliche but it's true nonetheless..

Didn't visit any (new) country last year.. stayed in my room most of the time.. didn't even go to the university/library/department as often as I liked..

2015 was an uneventful year.. nothing much happened, personally and professionally.. still struggling to write and produce research papers... after that trip to the Netherlands and Belgium, my productivity dropped drastically to almost non-existent..  

2015 was a fairly busy year, but with other people's research.. was assisting 2 professors in their paper translations and is the journal assistant for my department.. been reading a lot, but unable to put my thoughts onto paper...

Hopefully I will be more productive in 2016.. promised my adviser that I'll have a paper for him by end of April, so that's a dateline I intend to keep.. I foresee lots of things happening this year.. so let's hope I'm ready to handle them..

got a PhD? so what?

Yes indeed.. For those who know the ways around it, it's really no big deal getting a PhD here.. As long as you have loads of money and/or the right 'connection', you can get a PhD, no problemo... You don't have to do real research work, cos you can either pay someone to do it for you or use the connection you have to apply pressure, and voila! A PhD degree at your doorstep..

One huge reason for this malady is the fact that people here often pursue the degree for (all) the wrong reasons. There are multitudes of reasons but rarely for the want to advance the research field or to contribute to the academia. Some are doing it because it is no longer brag-worthy as eMBA graduates are a dime a dozen these days.. Many did it or are doing it because they had to as their job/promotions depend on it.. Many are treating it as a job/chore, something to get over and done with.. Most of them want the prestige of being called 'Dr.' but not the real hard work that comes with it.

Universities here, and maybe everywhere else, are trying to 'improve' their research creed, especially now with all emphasis on world rankings and what-not. And what did the universities here do? Accept every Tina, Dick and Harry into the PhD program and force them to publish as part of graduation requirement.. So as long as they can pay the tuition and satisfied the barest minimum, just admit them.. At the same time ease the graduation criteria - no more qualification exams and less credits hours needed.  Any surprise that in the end, they attracted all the wrong people or people with the wrong type of mentalities?

When the only thing in the minds of these PhD students is 'How do I get the degree with the least amount of effort?', what do you get? Tons of 'research' papers published in dubious/shady journals. They will search for the most 'lenient' or 'payable' journals and try to get published there.. And these 'journals' will print whatever crap you write as long as you pay their hefty 'publication fee'. Yet some of the papers are so bad that even those journals rejected them. Most of the time, once published these papers will never be read/cited.

Seriously, what is the point of having so many PhD holders when most of them don't cut it? What is the benefit (to the society/country) of having so many such graduates? It only cheapens the value of a PhD and demoralized those whom really put great effort into their work. Once they get their PhD, many of these 'Dr' will never ever read much less write another research paper.. And for those faculty members, all they need is to publish until they get their tenure as professors, then they are 'secured' for life and can just 'cruise-along' until their retirement..

Though it is hardly a case of life and death, I don't think research is a field that should never tolerate mediocrity or sloppy work. Everyone should have the 'can do' and not 'can make do' attitude. We must never compromise, cut corners, steal other people's work or falsify data/results. Not all of us can be Porters, Maslows or Hofstedes nor can we all win Nobel prizes, but we must be willing to put in the effort required for good research.

PhD is no easy path..

I know that it is rare to find someone who really LOVE research or simply love to think, brain-storm, and then write about it. Although I did meet my fair share of phony scholars and pseudo researchers, I am/was very fortunate to have been taught by a few exemplary professors. They showed me how it is to be a conscientious and devoted scholar. In many ways, their passion and work ethics influenced me in wanting to be part of the academia. Unfortunately, what I've seen and heard here kinda dampened my interest in pursuing a future in the scholarly world.

Frankly, I don't count myself as being really passionate about research but I am going to do my best while I'm at it. I'm setting higher and more ambitious targets for myself because I know I can do it. I'm not saying that I will produce a masterpiece or be revered as a great researcher but at the very least it must be worthy to be referenced by other scholars. And I also believe that the things I learned along the way will be invaluable and as satisfying. I'm not saying that I am better than everyone, but I do think I am better than many of them.. Alas, to each their own.. if they can live with themselves, who am I to comment/judge? All I can do is do my best in my own ways and live up to my sets of work ethics.

I know by writing all these, I may have antagonize or offended many of my classmates and/or faculty members.. Yet I cannot NOT vent my frustration and disappointment.. After being in the PhD program for almost three years, I know the rules of the game.. I will play by the rules but I will do it my way on my conditions.. I will graduate when I feel that I'm well-equipped and qualified to be called 'Dr Goh'.

Tarot readings... XV

First readings for 2014.. how you tend to lose track of time when you are busy.. :)
Note that all pictures of tarot cards are from http://phpbb-tw.net/phpbb/thoth/ and there is no intention of infringing any copyright.
所有的塔罗图片都采自竹猫星球塔罗馆 （http://phpbb-tw.net/phpbb/thoth)，本部落并无意侵犯版权。


對 學　　業 進行占卜，結果為：
Pertaining your luck in : Education

現狀 Current Situation: 死亡 [Death]

你的讀書方式比較死板，大多是背誦類的東西比較拿手，理解類的科目就稍弱，需要加強思考方面的邏輯性。
Your study method is kinda rigid. You are good in memorizing stuff but weak in comprehension. You need to work on your logic and analytic skills.



問題 Problem: 皇帝 [The Emperor]

表示你的功課雖然不錯，但是比較容易遭人眼紅，你又不擅於跟同學哈啦聊天，以致常常被人誤會你很驕傲。
Although you are doing quite well academically, you incur the jealousy of others. As you are not very good in small talks, you are often misunderstood as being proud.




建議 Suggestion: 倒吊人 [The Hanged Man]

你需要適時的放鬆，不見得要出去玩，而是放空頭腦什麼都不要想，有時靈感或是解決難題的方法，就會在這時浮現喔！
You need to relax periodically. You don't have to go outdoors, just emptying your mind and not have any thoughts will do you good. Sometimes those are the moments where you can find solutions to your problems.






對 健康運勢 進行占卜，結果為：
Pertaining your luck in: Health:

現狀 Current Situation: 太陽 [The Sun]

你現在對自己的身體很重視，又能保持健康愉快的心情，生病了也會很快恢復；這張牌表示目前你的健康狀況是在高峰期，要好好的保養才能持續下去喔！
Currently, you take great care of your health and you are able to maintain a jovial mood. You recover fast from illness. This card shows that you are at the peak of your health. You need to keep working hard to maintain it.




問題 Problem : 賢者 [The Magus]

你的保健方式太常換，就算有吃營養食品或是偶爾運動，加分效果恐怕也不大，而且雖然會聽親友介紹試試新的保健方法，但常常半途而廢，怕年紀越大問題越多。
You keep changing your health regime. Even if you are eating healthily and work out once in a while, they are not very effective. Although you heed most of the health advice from friends and relatives, you tend to give up half-way. There might be problems as you grow older.





建議 Suggestion: 星星 [The Star]

你如果單純是想要替自己養生，可能無法研究得很徹底，因為你不是很個人主義的.最好拿身邊朋友的健康煩惱來找資料研究，你因為想幫助他們，會很快的就變成專家了。
If you just wanna take care of yourself, you might not have the perseverance for it as you are not one who thinks just for yourself. It is better to worry yourself with the health of the people around and use that as a motivation. As you truly want to help them, you will become a health expert in no time!




對 人際運勢 進行占卜，結果為：
Pertaining your luck in : Human Relationships

現狀 Current Situation: 教皇 [The Hierophant]

朋友們都很信賴你，覺得你凡事既冷靜又有條理，給人一種很安心的感覺，你也很習慣當大家的顧問，社交圈很穩定。
Friends trusted you and think that you are calm and methodical. You gives people a peace of mind. You are accustomed being the "consultant" among friends. You have a stable group of friends.




問題 Problem: 月亮 [The Moon]

雖然你很重視你的朋友，但常因太過愛面子，無法講出真心話，久了朋友會覺得你不夠誠懇，要學著突破自己的防線。
Although you treasure your friends, you are reluctant to be truthful. After a while, your friends felt that you are insincere. Try to overcome this.




建議 Suggestion: 皇帝 [The Emperor]

你平日有很多話都往肚裡吞，太怕得罪人，甚至連該講的話都不講，弄到自己跟對方都不高興；試著坦承一點，交朋友不用太過小心翼翼。
You tend to keep mum even when you have lots to say as you are worried that you might offend people. Things that should have been said but didn't is causing everyone, yourself included to be unhappy. Be more truthful, you don't have to be too careful.




對 財　　運 進行占卜，結果為：
Pertaining your luck in: Wealth:

現狀 Current Situation: 星星 [The Star]

你不是很缺錢，純粹是對於理財這件事很有興趣，會盡力去研究相關的資訊，並且希望能夠帶給自己在老年時、或是臨時失去收入時的保障。
Financially you are not very tight. You are interested in managing your finances and will spend time researching related information. You hope that you will be able to provide for yourself when you are old or when you lose the stream of income.





問題 Problem: 太陽 [The Sun]

你對於自己賺多少錢，都是不會隱瞞的，加上很重視朋友，所以常會被借錢，或是被起鬨請客，雖然不是大錢，但小錢累積下來也很可觀。
You are very frank about your earning abilities and will never hide these from your friends. As you treasure your friendship dearly, you tend to lend money to your friends or be asked to treat. Even though it may not be much but it is pretty substantial as the years go by.




建議 Suggestion: 戀人 [The Lovers]

培養第二專長，試著把興趣當成備胎、兼職，你沒有努力賺錢的動力，但對於喜歡的事情是很投入的，最好能用這種能力來生財，尤其以當顧問跟分析師為佳。
Cultivate a backup plan/ability. Try to turn your hobbies into possible revenue. You don't have the motivation to earn money but you tend to put in a lot of effort into the things you like. Thus it is best to utilize this ability to earn more money.

something to ponder

My bachelor degree from NUS is BSc. (Computer Science and Information Systems), while my masters from Waseda is MSc. (CIO/Management Information Systems).

So if I remove the first words from both..
Computer Science and Information Systems
CIO/Management Information Systems

Then, if I remove words that are common in both..
Science and Information Systems
Management Information Systems

If the word 'and' is also removed..

Words that are left:
Science 
Management

Re-arrange both, and I'll get
Management Science which is what my PhD is all about... 

So was it long predicted the field I'll doing for my PhD in or is this just an example of patternicity? 
You be the judge. :) 

第七天

無感的總統、無能的黨團，利己利黨多於利國的作風，促成現在的僵局。
熱血的學生、煽情的媒體，激動激進多於激勵的報道，鼓動如今的學運。

無感消極的民選總統遇到了熱血積極的自覺學生
一方背負著沉重的歷史包袱，另一方肩負國家的前程展望
一方仍情系大陸 ，另一方欲走向世界
一方為了歷史定位，另一方則為了未來發展
一方強調司法程序，另一方堅持作業透明
一方仗著政府機制，另一方持有人民意願
一方為了理念，另一方為了信念
兩者都是為台灣的前途擔憂，兩者的出發點都是為台灣的未來
各自使用各自認為最有效的方式企圖把台灣導向最有利的方向，
無奈兩方對‘有利’的定義卻無法達到共識。

為了反對而反對的反對黨，只要是中國就什麼都好的執政黨，
雙方都完全失職也徹底辜負了給予厚望的台灣人民。
服貿到底好不好，因身份立場不同，見人見智。

但是
僵持下去，吃虧的、付出代價的都僅是學生和前線的警衛們。
那些部長、民代、議員、政商名流依舊過著他們的舒適生活。
這次學運代表的老師們教授們難道就不能好好地和學生們協商討論嗎？

希望到了第七天，大家都能夠冷靜下來，各自退一步，才可能出現轉機。

Tarot readings... XIV

Again, time for another reading.. Just started my PhD 3rd year last month, and many things have happened in my studies.. so it will be interesting to see what the cards have to say for the months ahead..
Note that all pictures of tarot cards are from http://phpbb-tw.net/phpbb/thoth/ and there is no intention of infringing any copyright.
所有的塔罗图片都采自竹猫星球塔罗馆 （http://phpbb-tw.net/phpbb/thoth)，本部落并无意侵犯版权。


對 學　　業 進行占卜，結果為：
Pertaining your luck in : Education

現狀 Current Situation: 賢者 [The Magus]

你的頭腦好、記憶力快，看起來很放鬆，成績卻比一般同學好，除了功課之外，社團、比賽等課外活動你也表現得很好。
You have a brain for study and good memory. Although you might seemed relaxed, your results are better than your classmates'. Other than school work, your performance in extra-curriculum activities are very good as well.



問題 Problem: 皇帝 [The Emperor]

表示你的功課雖然不錯，但是比較容易遭人眼紅，你又不擅於跟同學哈啦聊天，以致常常被人誤會你很驕傲。
Although you are doing quite well academically, you incur the jealousy of others. As you are not very good in small talks, you are often misunderstood as being proud.




建議 Suggestion: 愚者 [The Fool]

不要限在既定框架中，別人的路不見得是你適合走的，也不要因為功課或才華不如別人就否定自己，你不需要跟其他人都一樣。
Do not put yourself in a box. What is suitable for others may not be good for you. Don't deny your talent just because you are different. You don't have to be the same as them.






對 健康運勢 進行占卜，結果為：
Pertaining your luck in: Health:

現狀 Current Situation: 隱者 [The Hermit]

你可能現在被一些慢性病，或是找不到根源的老毛病所困擾，用很多的方法都沒有辦法根治，這讓你的精力減弱心情低落，很多玩樂的事都沒辦法去享受。
You may be troubled by some chronic ailment or can't find the source of your sickness even when you have tried many remedies. You are feeling low and lethargy because of this, and this is preventing you from enjoying yourself.




問題 Problem : 女皇 [The Empress]

你比較懶散不愛運動，又太過注重吃喝玩樂的享受，短期內是沒什麼問題，但長期下來，很容易讓身體負擔越來越重，要稍加節制。
You don't like to exercise and yet you like to indulge yourself. There may not be much trouble in the near future, but in the long run, your body might not take the strain. Be prudent.





建議 Suggestion: 星星 [The Star]

你如果單純是想要替自己養生，可能無法研究得很徹底，因為你不是很個人主義的.最好拿身邊朋友的健康煩惱來找資料研究，你因為想幫助他們，會很快的就變成專家了。
If you just wanna take care of yourself, you might not have the perseverance for it as you are not one who thinks just for yourself. It is better to worry yourself with the health of the people around and use that as a motivation. As you truly want to help them, you will become a health expert in no time!




對 人際運勢 進行占卜，結果為：
Pertaining your luck in : Human Relationships

現狀 Current Situation: 戰車 [The Chariot]

友情正在進入一段考驗期，你跟朋友試圖在百忙中維持友誼，但又造成很大的負擔，不知道要怎麼樣才能兩全其美。
Your friendship is now in a very testing period. You and your friends tried to keep this friendship going despite the busyness but this is taking a huge toll and both sides is stuck at trying to find a balance.




問題 Problem: 教皇 [The Hierophant]

你太有原則了，雖然大家覺得你是值得交的朋友，但有時常常太過固執，聽不進別人的話，所以朋友雖喜歡你，卻覺得你有時很難溝通。
You are too principled. Although people think that you are a worthy friend and they do like you, your stubbornness and refusal to listen to others are preventing people to communicate with you.




建議 Suggestion: 皇帝 [The Emperor]

你平日有很多話都往肚裡吞，太怕得罪人，甚至連該講的話都不講，弄到自己跟對方都不高興；試著坦承一點，交朋友不用太過小心翼翼。
You tend to keep mum even when you have lots to say as you are worried that you might offend people. Things that should have been said but didn't is causing everyone, yourself included to be unhappy. Be more truthful, you don't have to be too careful.




對 財　　運 進行占卜，結果為：
Pertaining your luck in: Wealth:

現狀 Current Situation: 塔 [Tower]

你近期有嚴重的破財，而且是完全沒有預期的情況下，讓你很氣憤又心疼；也有可能是無預警的丟工作，頓失最重要的財源。
You just lost some major finance and it was totally out of the blue. That upsets you very much. You may lost your job suddenly and lost a very important source of income.





問題 Problem: 愚者 [The Fool]

你對錢沒有危機意識，總覺得千金散盡還復來，但最近有可能快要青黃不接，你卻還是有很多想花的錢，自制力不太好。
You have no sense of urgency with regards to your finance. You always think that money will continue to come no matter what. Even when you may have some issues with income sources, you still wants to spend more money. Lack of self-control.




建議 Suggestion: 惡魔 [The Devil]

雖然你覺得理想跟專業性，都比錢重要，但如果不向環境暫時妥協的話，不只自己的收入無法增加，還會影響到身邊的人，先拋下自尊，學著世俗一點吧！
Even though you think dreams and professionalism is more important than money, yet if you do not compromise, you may not just restrict your income source but also affect the people around you. Put down your pride and learn to be more materialistic!

lost not found: mutual respect

Saw some photos of school kids eating in/near the toilet shower room last week. Why? It is fasting month, the canteen was not open and they were told that they shouldn't eat in front of their fasting classmates. So the school told them to eat next to the toilet. You can google for it if you want to know more. Since then, many versions and explanations were given and the matter seemed to have been 'resolved'. Sort of.

But what I would like to ask is: why the huge uproar when the news first broke? My own reaction when I first read about the new was WTF!! Then, it was "not surprised that it happened in MY".. finally, "MY, truly Asia my ass!".. I might have been over-reacted, but I do believe many share my sentiment. Don't get me wrong, the people of MY do live in harmony and we all get along very well but when the government and/or public service gets involved, things may not be what they seem.

The incident is sad, yet not unexpected. The government and the civil service often forgets that the country doesn't just belong to ONE single race. The tagline for Tourism MY(aka "MY, Truly Asia") is but a sham. The "we are all one big happy family" facade that the government is trying to sell to the world is not really genuine. We the people know better. Among the common folks, racial and religious differences are not issues of contention. Corruption is. Nepotism is. Discrimination is. Unfortunately, after decades of racial incitement and brain-washing by the government, there is no lack of Malay supremacists who think Chinese and Indians should all go back to "Tiong-shan" and India.

In order to show "who's the boss", the government encourages the civil service, including schools and institutes of higher learning, though not explicitly, to discriminate against non-Malays. They try to out-holy the (political) oppositions by showing how they are willing to push the envelope ever further when it comes to enforcing the Syariah laws, even onto the non-Muslims. These overzealous puppets clamber over each other to show who is a 'better' follower (or should I say spineless ass-kisser) by implementing half-baked, idiotic policies. Their emphasis on empty forms and charades does nothing to foster harmony and mutual respect. Personally, I have no issue with the insistent of all these 'wayang' because I know these are nothing more than elaborate pretenses. When there's no substance, there'll be lots of ostentatious rhetoric. 

I've always believed that what your religion commands you to do is your personal business. If and how you do it is between you and your GOD. The act of fasting is to remind oneself of the suffering of those less fortunate. It is also a test of one's fortitude against temptation and faith. Rather than asking people to bent over backwards for you just because you are fasting, you should go about your life normally and show HIM (your God) that you are able to be steadfast and unyielding in your faith while you fast. Won't you feel more virtuous and sanctified when you are able to resist temptation?

There is a huge difference between in making sure no temptation exist so that you will not be tested thus will not fail and facing such temptations head-on knowing so that you may test your resilience. Which is more venerated?? Facing and conquering/failing or avoiding and hiding from temptations? Why did you think that most beloved saints (like St Francis of Assisi, whose name the current Pope took) or holy men/women (like Mother Teresa) were those who lives among common people, 'bad' ones especially, and not just hide away in some caves/mountains so that they would not be tempted. Whether you are a 'good' Muslim/Buddhist/Christians/etc or not, that is between you and your God.

I don't want to talk too much about religion, especially this one. It makes no sense to me that lesser sins that disturb no one but himself/herself (like not fasting, not praying, etc.) are overemphasized while bigger ones that may affect the society/community (like corruption, misuse of power, etc) are overlooked/covered-up.

All I have to say is: If you believe there is a God, be prepared to be judged. God knows, even when (you think) others don't.

101%

We all know that 100% means everything. When we take a test/examination, getting 100% means we answered all questions correctly. To quote from Wikipedia, "a percentage is a number or ratio as a fraction of 100". Thus 100% refers to the complete whole of anything. 

Previously, it is not uncommon to hear people saying, "I gave 101% to this project". They wanted to emphasize that they did more than expected, since everyone else 'only' gave 100%. And when 101% wasn't enough since everyone too started using it to (try to) distinguish from the rest, people move on to using 110% instead.. Then when 110% has been used too recklessly, we start to hear about 120%... and sometimes 200%.. soon, it will be 1000%..

Instead of using 101%, 110%, 120% or even 200%, why don't you just state EXACTLY what you did. People, especially your bosses, are no longer impressed by all the numbers that are being thrown around. Evidences are far more superior than declarations, don't you agree?