I'm currently reading a book called Why Smart People Can Be So Stupid, edited by Robert J. Sternberg. The book, as the title suggests, is a compilation of essays written by various authors on some of the sub-optimal behaviours that otherwise "smart" people engage in. The first essay in the book that I read, called... Continue Reading →
Complementary Love
When it comes to love -- though it may be hard to tell the difference -- seek not one who compliments you, but one who complements you.
Eat That Frog
About a couple of months ago I submitted an application for a job doing fund-raising via the phone. This not only surprised me, but surprised some of my close friends and family too. I don't know how many of you know me well enough to know I hate telephones, but I do. It wasn't always... Continue Reading →
A Second Chance
I received the results of one of my mid-semester just the other day. I got a little above what I had expected -- I had expected a pretty low score -- and was more relieved than anything else when I saw what I had gotten; but even with this sense of relief, deep down inside... Continue Reading →
The Art of Happiness
Love thy neighbour as thyself, was a thought he repeated to himself several times, hoping to contain envious feelings he was losing control over. Why, he thought, does he always get the good things in life? What has he done to deserve it? The object of envy, he knew, did deserve his success. But it's... Continue Reading →
Holding Hands
Though not a believer in soul-mates, you are closer to one that I'd ever get without my resorting to blasphemy. I remember the first time I held your hand. I was expecting sparks; a skip in the beat of my heart; a shiver down my spine; But when I held your hand (and you didn't... Continue Reading →
Remove Virtumonde.gen from Windows XP
I was infected by the Virtumonde virus/trojan about a week ago. According to the F-Secure website Virtumonde runs hidden from the user and displays pop-up advertisements. The adware connects to a server and queries for advertisements to display. The adware actively prevents removal by using several different techniques. In my case, whenever I opened Internet... Continue Reading →
The Time Dimension of Love
He looked over at her and sighed. Must she do that? he thought to himself, shaking his head slightly in disapproval. Maybe, he thought, she isn't quite the right person for me. He stood up from his chair and walked over to her, all this time keeping his eyes firmly glued on her. He then... Continue Reading →
On Goodness
I have been fascinated with "goodness" from a young age. My younger days: 5 - 13 years My younger days (pre- to early-teens) were concerned with how goodness was necessary to ensure one didn't go to hell. I remember taking a boat ride through "hell" at the now defunct Haw Par Villa -- a Buddhist/Toaist/Chinese-based... Continue Reading →
Money and Happiness
Money brings to me its own intrinsic reward. For as far as I can remember, I've always liked accumulating money. I hated spending it, most of the time. I liked money for its own sake, and would often ask myself before major purposes: would I rather have the money, or would I have whatever it... Continue Reading →
