Agree to Disagree

From a speech, originally written for someone (not you). Content has been added.

I have a little known philosophy that the best relationships are not the ones that are between two people who will always agree with each other. You might think it is, because two people who like each other have to have a million things in common, right? Well, you're WRONG, because you're STUPID. If you disagree with that statement, then we'll get along just fine.

Think about it, every idea has flaws. If you only talk to people who agree with you, you’re blinded by inflated self esteem. You might as well be debating to (and supporting) yourself. You might as well live by yourself, a proposition that is less awkward than talking to your clone.

Sure I suppose you could pump each other up, say "What a neat idea, I was thinking just that!" It’s not going to help when you need to look at negativity a different way. Plus, people who all think the same never inject anything new or weird, unwelcome, or intriguing when they meet. They're stale, they're unenthusiastic, they're routine and they end up parting ways because of it.

This is why the most pivotal people in my life so far are not the cheerleaders. Not the people who encourage and put down, but never critique. Not the people who wouldn’t take your idea seriously if it was loaded into the barrel of a gun and pointed at them. Who never suggest an idea you haven’t already considered. Never put something fresh in front of you and say “hey you, Mr. Talk-too-much, shut up and listen to this.”


Although this post derives itself from a noble speech, there was a less than noble reason behind the speech that needs to be said right now. The reason and the speech are tied to the same person, though they initially appear to say opposite things.

One of the most frustrating things, at least for me, is to get into an argument with someone and have them go up to their friend and say "________, you agree with me don't you?" and then "See, _______ agrees with me, that's 2 against 1." Not only was a fast exchange of ideas (the argument) ruined completely, but that's false reasoning. It adds nothing to your side except that, yes, someone likes your idea. Many people liked Hitler, many more hated him, the fact alone says nothing about him. The only thing that could support your side is yourself and your vision. It disappoints me to no end, to see a beautiful vision be insufficiently expressed by "well... ____ likes it at least."

The speech was meant to convey, at least subtly, that "no, stop rushing to the people who you know will agree with you, stay right here, I like hearing your ideas"

My Life Is G!

Seriously, it is.

According to the United Nations, three billion people live on less than $2.50 a day and roughly 80% of the total world income is occupied by the richest 20%. The downfall about wealth is that it doesn't necessarily equal happiness. There are many naïve citizens including, at impulsive times, me. We often take materialistic goods for granted to an extent that they have evolved into our adapted needs. We need to take a step back and examine our lives.

I, for one, am grateful for the fact that opportunities are everywhere. I am neither constrained physically nor mentally. I can read, write, and play hockey to my heart's delight. My rights to life, liberty, and security have never been a problem here in Canada. Except in extraordinary situations, those rights are entrenched into the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Other people have not been so lucky. Look at Nick Vujicic.



I've always believed in lowering the disparity of wealth in my own personal life. When I find a decent job, I'll most likely donate a sizable proportion of my income to various charitable organizations in order to receive income tax benefits rather than paying directly to the government. Ironically enough, bureaucratic jobs interest me. In any case, I'm not a Communist. If anything, Vujijic embodies the capitalist belief that trying hard equals success. I just believe in diminishing the gap between the rich and the poor. Is that so bad?

This year, I will sacrifice my Sunday bakery snack for the next two months and donate 80 cents (the cost of a curry beef bun) each week to the World Vision collection initiative at my church. In addition, I will send a shoebox filled with toys to Samaritan's Purse Canada's Operation Christmas Child as I have done so for the past seven years.

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!

The University Experience

Some days go on without a thought, but on other days, I could actually feel myself living, if that is even possible.

Sitting in my residence studying hall, facing the streets full of students walking, jogging, marching, and pacing up and down the pavements each armed with their own thoughts of the world, and then tourists on Hippo bus rides staring blankly at the students through their digital camera screens, conjures up a feeling of fascination, like that induced by the discovery of a rainbow when I was a child. 

I absolutely love university; there are so many brilliant people here, with brilliant talents, brilliant ideas, and brilliant flaws I didn't even know could exist. But no one knows you here, except your old photographs of familiar smiling faces, and long-distance phone numbers. In a while, they too, won't know you - the new you. 

I hope universities don't become a mere place we end up in after high school. In high school, we were taught to accept what we learned, now I feel the power to decide for myself the truths and the worth thoughts of the world :)

And why doesn't anyone 

ever update anymore? ):

Pushing Random Buttons

You could be surprised how often this technique can save you in the technology business. It can also backfire, use with caution.

Yesterday at work, my coworkers failed to make a sale because an HP printer didn't have a reduce/enlarge function on copies. I found this bloody unbelievable, since my 6 year old HP can do that. When they left, I analyzed the panel of buttons and began pressing anything under 'Copy' (except 'Start Copy', I know what that does) and, rather unintuitively, hitting the Copy button twice allows you to customize the result. I was hailed as smart for acting like a 7 year old.

I am often times asked what technique I use when fixing a teacher's laptop, or making their projector work, or figuring out why the fax machine keeps printing "Desmond E. Charland" on all the headers.

The real secret is that often times I do not have any idea of what caused the problem, and many ideas of how to solve it. So I touch this, and touch that, and 9/10 times, it actually fixes the problem.



Of course, I do educated guesses. I won't screw with the mouse properties or the graphics card if the computer is not connecting to the internet. I may try another ethernet cable, renew the connection, or see if other computers on the network are encountering the same problem. If the projector is broken, I will try switching VGA ports, hitting the display output hotkey until something goes awry, or checking the NVidia/Display properties.

And you know what, I'm pretty certain your certified computer techie will do this too, and write it off as a diagnosis service fee. It's in their contract, y'know. For example, the first thing that any competent computer repair shop will do to fix a non-booting computer is open it up and shove the memory chips in and out to see if they're loose. Without even knowing the reason, they are already touching my hardware. Wow that just came out wrong.

First Post by Alvin.

This is just a philosophical rambling. Ignore if you're not interested.
-----

"HEY YOU, THE PERSON BESIDE THE DOOR, MOVE TO THE BACK OR GET OFF!" shouted the bus driver.

Perhaps it was a misunderstanding, but the only crime the commuter simply committed was holding the back door for people exiting the crowded bus. Was it such a disruption to help others in need?

Then again, I could understand the pent-up frustration from the bus driver's point of view. It was midnight and the temperature was still 23°C, the average daily high for Vancouver in July. He dealt with many rowdy passengers and route detours due to the Celebration of Light fireworks display.

Nevertheless, he voiced his frustration against a benevolent gentleman. Maybe I'm overanalyzing this situation, but it seems like society views everyone as a potential threat. Many people take the phrase, "If it's too good to be true, then most likely it is," too literally. For scams like, "Earn $1 million in 1 day!" ads, sure. But in terms of character, angels exist in the world.

It's too bad that nice guys end up at the back of the bus.

I have a fan club

It has 4 hard-working members, spinning around the clock to keep me cool because VANCOUVER IS SO FREAKING HOT.



It is 8 PM and 26 degrees Celsius.
Update: It is now 5 PM and 31 degrees, I rest my case again.
I rest my case.

hongs kongs

Im doing duh dansing...condasing that is...of sweat....ok i thought that was funny :)

hongkong has been ridics, the weather - fugly... :(
i was heading out the airport and my mother goes...
"ready to smell your first hongkong air?"
"whaa- the ****!?!?!"
AMAZONG AIR???....ewwwww :(

anyways so far ive done...not a lot of shopping.
ive been to THE PLACE meaning the market that sells THE cheapest fakes in the entire world
its honestly like...nightmarket times 4...minus the food....dang ;)
its repetitive too, all ed hardys, all toki dokis, DG, Chanels, Tco, e'erythangg!!!!!!
imma come home BALLIN outragious ;)

im planning to go out with angela tmr morning...at 6 in a morningg yayyy i hope we can find internet, then we can blog together!!

hur-RAWR to happiness :)
so this time im not pressed for time cause some uncle gave us free internet YAH!!!

yah...


...YAH!!!

ok im out of words...

steph: i miss you still, i know that every email ive sent has said that, but i do miss you :(
i am reminded of you everytime i see something teal...i dont know why
something teal and silver O_O
thats a lot of things that remind me of you yenno :)

aaron: babe i made a friggen list of things that remind me of you...thats funny ridiculous!!
never the less, i constantly wish i was back in van cause i miss you too :)

chris: tophy hope youve found someone to chill with without me :(
mermaids? bird replacements? jankings girls....? LOOOOL
wow major bashing ;) nice

oh snap i have officially spent 30 mins on this mini laptop...gosh this thing is so hard to type on :(

i shall blog soon and more often thanks to the unlce whose name i do not entirely know :)
my dads dad's brothers first daughter's husband...MARVELOUS!

love you all <3

p.s - editing are for LOSERS
<3