Stardock

For those of you who have been suffering using Windows XP/Vista inferior interface, but yet do not have the ka-ching ($$$) to buy a Mac, let me introduce you to your saviour:

Stardock.com - Say goodbye to boring Windows!

From their website:

“Stardock Software is the world’s leading developer of software that enhances the look, feel, and function of Microsoft Windows. Stardock is the go-to innovator for companies such as Dell, Microsoft, AMD, nVidia, and countless others when it comes to creating and delivering software that enhances the user experience. Stardock helped popularize concepts such as “skinning”, “widgets”, “gadgets” and other terms now used commonly.”

It’s seriously so cool, considering how they could make Windows XP look like Mac OS X  :). I can’t find the time to experiment all their free downloads yet except for ObjectDock, which is a customizable animated dock sitting at the bottom of your desktop where you can place your shortcuts. It looks quite promising.

Highly recommended if you’re a software freak like me

The Last Mile

We are all running the last mile of yet another triathlon. This year’s run was shorter compared to last year but it is definitely tougher which calls for a combination of ability to do short sprint and stamina befitting of a long distance runner. There were more hills to climb compared to last year and we had to carry more weight in our backpack – thank goodness we did not fall off the cliff. Some of us were on the verge of drowning while swimming through vast ocean, only to be kept afloat by those buoys. 

I was referring to the incoming exams.

We had lesser time to prepare this year, which means we had to pace ourselves, yet preserve enough energy to last till the day of the exams. The syllabus is no doubt bulkier this year, and many of us felt like giving up at one point or another. There were so much information to digest and we were all drowning in the sea of information, but thanks to the buoys (revisions, lecturers, and friends), we were able to pull through and run this last mile.

Now, we’ll run to the finishing line, together, hand-in-hand.

Humbug

I have a mirror which was bought sometime during the Middle Ages by I don’t remember who. Last Friday, after so many years using it, I noticed that there were four digits inscribed on the back of the mirror: 1256. Being tne typical Chinese Malaysian I am, one thing crossed my mind: 4D

The next morning, I asked my mom if she’s buying 4D, and she said she’s not. So, I guess I’ll buy the lottery myself then. In between the study group, confusing Resulting Trusts class and enjoyable Charitable Trusts class, it slipped my mind. Hey, I’m not a compulsive gambler, ya know.

Mom and dad picked me up after class. Dad bought the Chinese evening newspaper, which contains the results Sunday draws. Lo’ and behold, 1256 was second prize in Magnum 4D.

I don’t normally curse, in real life or in my blog. But hey, I could have been ten grand richer. F**k my life.

Eureka!

I have finally understood it.

For more than months I have been searching for the answer and finally, I got it. I never knew it would be that hard. I have not bothered to look even in the most obvious place. Well, perhaps I did, but I might have missed it. At one point, I was convinced that I was truly dumb and not up to the task, because I just could not comprehend it. They offered me easy answers, but I was not contended, because it just did not make any sense to me. I knew that I was not looking hard enough, and when I finally did, it was there right in front of me. Of course, I had helps. Thanks.

I finally understood Vandervell v. IRC – its broader implications, its senseless reasoning, the House of Lords’ oversight, warts and all. There better be a question on s. 53(1)(c) Law of Property Act 1925 or those lads in London are going to get “voodooed” by yours truly.

Dear Mother Nature,

You are having your usual mood swings again. Scorching heat in the morning till early afterrnoon, and sudden rain in late afternoon and hot again in the evening.

I know that you are angry. I would be too if my guests trashed my house like how we, ho
mo sapiens are doing to your home right now. Frankly, I am as guilty as they are, so it is only apt that you punish me with this horrible flu and possible fever.

I know that switching off the lights for an hour that day wouldn’t do much to appease your anger. We need to do much more for you to forgive us. As much as I would like to believe that everyone of us can make a change if we do our part, you have to know that the biggest polluters of all are the politicians, who refused to accept the grave effect of climate change, or even if they did accept, choose not to take any practical measures protect the environment. I wish you would zap them with your fierce lightning, Mother Nature.

As for me, I shall endevour to reduce the usage of plastic bags, and papers (a possible excuse to not pass up assignments? ).

I will promise to walk, rather than use any motor vehicles whenever it is possible, but you’ll have to be in good weather in order for me to do that – so can you promise me that, Mother Nature?

With much love,

chiewee

Anomie in Microcosm

According to Emile Durkheim, a French sociologist, every society begins with a simple form of interaction. In such society, which he termed as a mechanical society, individuals are held together in solidarity, where members have similar aims and goals. As the society experience growth, and undergo economic advancement, it develops into an organic society, where there is a division of labour and specialization, with every member of the society having their own niche. Durkheim posits that no one society is wholly mechanical or fully organic, as even the most mechanical society requires some form of variation, and one will also find the simplest form of uniformity even in an ultra organic society. An abrupt, rather than graudal change from a mechanical to organic society will trigger the state of anomie which refers to normlessness, a condition where societal norm are no longer adhered to by individuals of the society. Due to the abrupt change, members of the society struggle to cope, and resort to deviancy to relieve the strain they have been suffering from as a result of the change.

To some extent, we can observe that the phenomena of anomie occur at almost every level of the society. It is not merely confined to the macro-society, but extends to the micro-society. In every organization and community, individuals started out as being altruistic, where the communal spirit trumps every other matter around them. But as the society grow and mature, individuals become more individualistic, and more egoistic in line with moving towards achieving their individual goals.

Speaking from experience, I have come to realize that as a simple micro-society move from their mechanical state to the organic state in an abrupt manner, a condition very much like anomie takes place, where individuals commit deviance, in the sense of deviation from their principles and values, the very principles and values that have kept the mechanical society together. The organic society is some sort of mini-capitalist. Everyman for himself and deviance thus occurs because individuals in the micro-society struggled to come to terms with the sudden change in the group’s direction. Individuals wrestle with their conscience, torn between what is wrong and what is right; what is good and what is bad. We then see all sorts of inconsistencies in individuals’ actions and words, not because they have become hypocrite, but because they cannot decide if they really want the organic society or the mechanical society. Quite simply, it’s between loyalty and looking after one’s own interest. In most cases, it is the latter.

Now, an organic society is not all negative, but an organic society that had experienced anomie will eventually crumble, as the rapid change will result in the mass efflux of individuals who believe in collectiveness, as they could not rationalize the sudden transformation in their society. What is left then are those individuals that are selfish and individualistic. This will create an imbalance in the society, which will finally lead to the breakdown of the new organic society.

In Need of Strength

Two months to the Part 1 exams. The stakes are high for all of us. Our degree classification is very much dependent on this year’s results. These are tough times, but I keep telling myself and others that everything will be alright once we soldier pass this obstacle. The weekends and night classes, coupled with the usual day classes are draining us all. ATC Revisions are crazy. 

I’m drowning in the sea of information. On one hand, I feel like I am slacking too much, but on the other, I know that I am too tensed. Just a few nights ago, I went blank trying to recall the cases governing the duty of care for psychatric illness in tort – total blank on tort basics.

Everyday, I feel like I have not studied enough when the truth is, I am done with my exam notes and on the last phase of my revision. But every night before going to bed I tell myself, “not enough”, and I’ll end up studying till 3 am. It seems like I am trapped in this vicious circle, trying to perfect every point of my notes, and trying to make sure that I am not missing anything out. I can’t seem to move forward, and tell myself confidently that “I am ready”. What is holding me back? I think it’s fear, fear of failure  - something that our lecturers and seniors have instilled in us. 

I need to get rid of this fear. I am in need of strength to soldier on.

Immune

I pat myself on the back for the great accomplishment, a personal milestone, something to be remembered for years to come, something that will go down in my autobiography if I ever decide to publish one. 

I have finally developed the anti-body.

I have to admit that I did not expect it at all. Just about a few months ago, my reaction to it has been so adverse, that I ended up being all stressed up. However, a few days ago, the same problem cropped up, but it did not affect me at all. Other than the usual “pain in the neck” for two days, I have become virtually immune now.

I am glad. No more days thinking about what have gone wrong, or what have I done wrong.

This is the new old me. Highly insensitive, almost immune to the bullshits that people give me.

*smirk*

Hong Kong Day 5: Disneyland

March 8

Greetings from Hong Kong.

As the title of the post suggests, our fifth day belongs to Disneyland Hong Kong, as we spent a total of ten hours trying out every possible rights and watching every possible shows to get every cent worth of the ticket we paid. It was an amazing memory for us, fitting of a Disney fairy tale as there was a mixture of comedy, drama, romance and adventures – all in a day. 

Overall I would give 3 out of 5 for the Hong Kong Disneyland. The two deductions coming from the horrible and expensive food, and the lack of rides. But for those of you who grew up watching classic Disney cartoons, going to Disneyland is like transporting yourself back into your childhood times.  

After Disneyland, we made our way to Mongkok, the Hong Kong version of Petaling Street to shop. Our skills in the art of bargaining were put to test. Unlike in Malaysia where you always make sure that the traders know that you are local if you do not want to get ripped off because they will offer the lowest price to locals, we were advised to make sure that the traders in Mong Kok know we are not local as they don’ t treat locals well. So I have to pretend that I don’t know Cantonese. Unfortunately, we all failed miserably, and we are an embarassment to the Malaysian pasar malam lovers. 

On a side note, the Hong Kong MTR is extremely effiecient, that to compare it to the Malaysian light rail system is like comparing the airplanes and the bicycles. 

We are heading back to Malaysia tomorrow, and there will not be time for us to rest as we need to catch up on our revisions.

Hong Kong Day 3 and Day 4: Competition Days

March 6 and 7

My apologies for the late updates. We have been very busy with mooting.

Before I begin, allow me to first congratulate Universitas Indonesia for their victory in the 7th ICRC IHL Moot Competition, defeating Gujerat National University, India. 

For team ATC, we did not make it past the General Rounds, but it was not that bad at all as my partner, Rebecca finished as one of the top 5 mooters. Generally, we have improved much compared to the national rounds, but much more improvement will be required if we are to make a real impact in mooting competitions. 

After the final round in the High Court of Hong Kong S.A.R, all the mooters, coaches and judges adjourned to a restaurant in Wan Chai for dinner. After days of being in “competition mode”, where everyone did not get to socialize as much as they would like, the dinner turned out to be a great avenue for us to get to know each other.

Few things to note:

I swear that the Thais are the friendliest people in the world.

The boys from Phillipines are the most polite people I have ever met.

It is ironic that the first friends we made when we are here were the Singaporeans. We debunked the myth that Malaysians and Singaporeans cannot stand each other.

This competition has become more than just an eye opening experience for me. I think I am pretty much sure now about the area of law I intend to major in i.e Public International Law. 

Next up:

Disneyland