<Our Thinker's Blog>

Friday, January 24, 2025 ~ Greetings from 2025!

This blog is 19 years old this year! Unbelievable.

Anyway, I am embarking on a secret project, as I see some opportunities for the thinkers to return this blog. Hope I succeed!

Ck was thinking at 5:07 PM

Monday, March 16, 2020 ~ 1 seiromeM ekaF

Part 1

In the realm of human cognition, this idea raises intriguing questions about the reliability of our own recollections. Studies have shown that our memories are not static or infallible; instead, they are malleable and subject to the influence of external factors like suggestion, emotion, or time. Often, we recall past events with vivid detail, only to later realize that the recollection might not be entirely accurate. This phenomenon, known as confabulation, can occur unintentionally, where our minds fill in gaps in memory, sometimes blending real experiences with imagined details or even events that never occurred. Over time, these altered memories can feel as real as the ones that are grounded in fact, making it difficult to distinguish between what actually happened and what we've fabricated in our minds.

Differentiating between what is real and fake isn't always as simple as checking the facts; it requires self-awareness and a deeper understanding of how our brain functions. Our brains are constantly synthesizing information, making connections, and even distorting details to fit narratives we want to believe. What may seem like a vivid, cherished memory might be nothing more than a reconstruction of what we wish had happened, influenced by our emotions or the stories we've heard from others. To navigate this uncertainty, it's essential to adopt a more critical perspective on our memories. Reflecting on the origins of our recollections, questioning the validity of seemingly perfect memories, and acknowledging the impact of external influences can help us come closer to understanding which memories are truly authentic and which might simply be products of our own mind’s complex storytelling abilities.

For example, is this real?

Ck was thinking at 9:00 AM

Wednesday, July 25, 2018 ~ Greetings from 2018, and preview of the next topic

Hello blog,

I am back once again. To whoever chanced upon this blog, welcome to our thinker's blog!

Quite a number of years have passed since our last entry, and it is now time to blog again.

We may not be blogging regularly though, because of all the new commitments that we have; but I will try my best to blog as regularly as I can.

Anyway, so, what's the next topic to blog about?

It is _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _!

You can guess what the answer is before our next post(s) if you feel like it. In any case, it is decided between 2 of us because we thought that is going to be a relevant and meaningful topic. The third person is unaware of this "revival", and I only intent to let the third person know when at least a few new posts are up. :P

So, for those who feel like guessing, I shall share my random ideas here (which I may incorporate in my new post):

**

because ___ are ____ , that's why when ___ crying, the tears are inside and not outside.

because of ____, ___ think that memories _____ but when ___ chanced upon a note/song/scene ___, ___ realised that it is all here

__ innocence remains? __ freedom remains? __ goals? ____ disappear and gets hidden away?

In any case, this will be part 1 of ____ , because as ___ , we know that there will be part 2.

**

Alright, that's all from me today. Leave a comment if you saw this!

Ck was thinking at 11:01 AM

Monday, February 08, 2010 ~ My Philosophy assignment -_-

I highly doubt anyone will be in time to help me with this assignment (which is due on Thursday), so this blog post is merely for the purpose of sharing, and not looking for help (even though help will very much be appreciated). Anyway, I have been spending the whole morning plus afternoon analysing the following passage, and since it requires thinking, I shall share it here... :

“Either I will be killed in this raid or I will not be killed. Suppose that I will. Then even if I take precautions I will be killed, so any precautions I take will be ineffective. But suppose I am not going to be killed. Then I won’t be killed even if I neglect all precautions; so, on this assumption, no precautions are necessary to avoid being killed. Either way, any precautions I take will be either ineffective or unnecessary, and so pointless.”

From my analysis and some lazy research, I learnt that this argument is taking a fatalistic point of view. Fatalism refers to leaving everything to "inevitable predetermination " or "Fate". Ok.. the rest I shall leave to you all to analyse ba. =P

Ck was thinking at 3:38 PM

Yay! So exciting! This blog is finally revived after 1year -_- Finally changed the template so that it appear properly to the general public -_-"

Ok.. now that this blog is back up, be prepared for more posts~

Ck was thinking at 12:19 AM

Friday, May 29, 2009 ~ The Rich Educated, or the Educated Rich?

My professor and I were having tea and discussing about research stuffs a few days ago. Somehow, we started discussing about the education system in various countries.

She had taught in various universities in the States, and she shared with me her teaching stint in Stamford University. She said that academic caliber of those students was very appalling. Smart, clear of their future, and very enthusiastic about their studies, she said. But one disturbing statement that she added was: These students are rich.

Mirroring this in the local context, I wouldn't say that the undergraduates here are rich. Our education system has done much (I believe) to reach out to those underprivileged, providing bursaries, scholarships and other financial aids, such that these students can concentrate on their studies instead of worrying over school fees and stuff. Basic education, for one, shouldn't be a problem at all.

But… what about getting to the tip of the academic pyramid?

It is a well-known fact that Singaporean students go through several "extra-curricular" activities to gain their places in top schools. Tuitions, supplementary courses, holiday crash-courses – the list goes on and on. These are luxuries that the underprivileged can't afford, yet these are also the ones that get the rich to the top (assuming that tuitions really help).

I can't say that I'm rich. I don't own five Ferraris, neither do I own a huge villa. But I really can't imagine how I would have made it thus far, if not for the amount of money spend on tuitions when I was still in primary school.

We talk about dreams. We aspire to become a lawyer, a doctor, an academic; we aspire to go to the top university; we aspire to scale new heights in our lives. What about the others?

I remember reading this article several years ago, about an underprivileged kid. He said something like, "I don't have enough money for university. I'll go out and work after I finish Secondary 4 to earn more money for my family." He's one of the top students in his school, mind you. Then again, the road to his aspiration is marred by the big M – money. So… Are aspirations a plaything of only the rich?

On a macro perspective, when we talk about ideal societies and ideal lifestyles, are these only for the financially-capable? In the cruel hands of the society, are virtues such as honesty and integrity only limited to the world of the rich?

I apologise for the scattered remnants of my thoughts. And I think I created more questions without any attempt to answer the first and foremost one. Oops. O.o

tingzi 婷子 was thinking at 8:03 PM

Wednesday, March 04, 2009 ~ Rain

It has been raining these few days, and I really hope to walk in the rain together with my fellow philosopher. Anyone else wanna join us?

Ck was thinking at 9:01 PM

Friday, February 27, 2009 ~ Think

Think about the past, think about the present, think about the future.

Are we still thinking, like how we thought before.

Most likely not. Things have changed, and our way of thinking changed too.

Now, I am thinking of making this blog alive again.

What do you think?

-CK

Ck was thinking at 10:52 AM

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