There are no need for words.

It seems like the sun wasn’t so forgiving today when I stepped out of the lecture hall earlier. My transitions quickly cast a slight shadow over the view spread before me. At least I don’t have to squint under this glaring sun.

Ahh,… it’s only 2pm,.. that’s going to be another 3 hours before my next lecture. This is going to be a longg booooorrring noon. Sigh. Everyone are having their own lectures and tutorials, so the idea of crashing at their place for a nap has got to go. Now, lemme see,… where else can I go to pass the time? Oh what the hell, let’s just drop by the library, sometimes they have some rather interesting reads. I remember reading a book about the history and mythology of dragons, I was so indulged with it that an hour flew by before I realised it.

I settled down one of the sofas and my eyes caught sight of a rather interesting item; These Days Are Just Packed: A Calvin and Hobbes Collection by Will Waterson. Wow, I thought to myself, this ought to be interesting. So I picked it up, and went through it, one strip after another.

It’s just so light yet so immersive. It’s inspirational as well as it is entertaining, as lots and lots and lots of ideas that I can apply for my own [link]Eggheads strips. Ever since that day, I have been frequening the library a lot. Almost a regular, lol. I myself find that hard to believe. But then again, if it’s about entertainment or some minor self-gratification, I tend to get addicted to it :p

Imagine my joy when I discovered that the library has not one, but three collections books! My oh my, now that I know exactly where the librarians keep them, that spot would be the first I would go, so I can just grab one, and relieve myself of some stress. Sometimes it even lulls me to sleep, but that’s the whole point, anyway.

Young people like myself should visit libraries more often.

I was going to rant about the funky match I played today, but I figured that a lot of people don’t really understand Warcraft jargon, so i guess I’ll just scrap that. Instead, I will do a pictorial on some of the experimental shots I took. Let’s start, shall we? All images below were shot with my trusty Canon A60, and later, A95 digicams.

Another waterscape experiment. I was thinking of shooting the fountain, but I didn’t realise what a cool effect the curtain of water created.

Well, that’s all for tonight folks :D

“Aku nak jadi intellectual sikit…biler orang tanya aku bleh kasi opinion cekap cekap”

I’ll be one to say that that’s a freaking bold statement he’s got there. For a minute it kinda struck a chord in me. Because really, how does one define intelligence? Or rather, an intellect? What does intelligence revolve around? Book-smarts? Critical thinking? Arithmetic ability? Logical reasoning? All of them? A combination of either one, or a completely different set of variables bound by a completely different set of rules?

A rather provoking situation, I found myself in. So much for trying to sound like Yoda. Hey, he’s an intellect, okay. Well, at least he was supposed to be lah.

What does it mean to be an intellect? I mean, is being an intellect a verb rather than a noun? Through a few hours of conversation with any particular person [not necessarily continuous hours], it’s easy to determine the said person’s level of intelligence, no? Now, back to being intelligent, does knowing more means one is more intelligent? I suppose not.

I can speak English, and I know how to write things about Economics. He can speak Chinese and can write eloquently about cars. I can’t speak Chinese or write about cars, just as he can’t speak English or write about Economics. Thus we can see that neither one is more intelligent than the other. It’s called a difference of experience. I know some of the things you don’t, and you know some of the things that I don’t. It’s almost complementary, in fact. No, my friend, to know more about things that someone else regarding a certain subject does not mean you are more intelligent than they are. You’re just more knowledgeable, in that particular field, whereas in other fields, you might be completely clueless.
- Zig Ziglar, from the bestseller ‘See You At The Top’

That’s an excellent way to put it, Mr. Ziglar. You Sir, I acknowledge, are definitely an intellect. Why do I say so? I think it’s because of how I have seen the way he analysed a certain situation comparatively and put some serious thought into the matter before concluding it into a simple and powerful statement. That maybe my own definition, honestly, because I don’t know how YOU would evaluate one’s intelligence.

Let’s take a look back to our friend’s original statement.

“Aku nak jadi intellectual sikit…biler orang tanya aku bleh kasi opinion cekap cekap”

Now, do you give strongs opinions, because you WANT to make them, or because you feel strongly for the issue being discussed? For a brief moment I’m reminded of a favourite quote of mine;

“Purpose, Mr. Anderson. Without purpose there would be no reason for us to be here. What is your purpose, Mr. Anderson? Why are you here?”
- Agent Smith, The Matrix

It appears like we should take a quick peek into some reasons, so why don’t we? For formality’s sake, let’s impose a simple question: Why would you want to be an intellect? I was less than surprised to hear the very profound and honest response;

“Aku nak jadi intellectual utk boast jer…hehehe”

That be the reward for juicing out my brain for 30 minutes. How splendid.

Once in a while, I’d like to be able to accomplish the things I said I would. I don’t know what’s holding me back from doing the things I should do. This laziness will be the death of me. Nothing fears me more than to lose because I didn’t even try. But here, now, this very moment, as I’m writing this, it’s not like I’m making any effort to change. What the point? Why am I saying all this to myself? Why do I keep reminding myself?

Why do I lack that discipline? Of all the things I have, I can’t get myself to sit down and get some work done like a proper student should! I can’t discipline myself. And that, I suppose might be the greatest hurdle I’m facing. I’m not struggling against anyone.

There is no struggle.

There isn’t supposed to be struggle in the first place. Just a few minutes ago, I had my freshly printed notes neatly bound to my files. I don’t know why I put myself in this vicious circle of laziness. Sometimes I get revelations like this, but all I would do is ponder on them for a minute or two, and when I do start to work,… the fire dies down. Like a piece of charcoal.

I get heated up for while, but unless I’m constantly heated, I wont burn a fiery blaze the way I should. I know I’m capable of burning up a great fire, but like that piece of charcoal, I can’t burn by myself. I’ll have to find someone to fan me. Someone I can show my fire to, and one who wants to see it going, and wants to see it burn stronger. Yeah, I’m weak and dependant like that.

Can’t I? I never pretended to be strong. Being strong I only what I wanted to be, and lending strength is what I like to do, given the chance, weak as I am. With what I have, I can only stand and look forward. I need you to show me where to look, and where to go. I need you to climb that ladder, so I can follow your lead.

You don’t have to pull me up. I just need you to go higher so I can chase you. That way, there will be some struggle that’s worthwhile.