I should be almost done with my 600-word essay for my philosophy class by now, but I've gotten so sidetracked that I only have one sentence complete.  Also, Descartes' philosophy can give people a run for their money--it's hard (for me anyway).  On a nice day like this, it's hard not to ignore homework and other obligations.  I've thwarted away valuable hours, and I guess that'll throw away those many precious hours I have left for sleep.

Midterms are coming up too.  The next couple of weeks should be fun, indeed.  Good thing there's always coffee.

Lately, there's been a lot of natural disasters going on.  I can't recall the locations at the top of my head, but it remember it's around the Asian continent.  It's very unfortunate, considering how catastrophic the 2004 tsunami was.  I'm constantly wondering if these are signs of  murkier things to come.  I'm a big 2012 buff and hugely interested in pseudosciences.  Although currently taking a logic class and was able to debunk many of those pseudosciences, I've still maintained a level of curiousity and interest in this field.  Anything dealing with UFO's, ghosts, prophecies, and other unusual subjects, then sign me up.  Anyway, it's just really unfortunate these things happen.

Thinh Nguyen

Just watch/listen V.

Apparently, I can't embed the video here due to copyright issues.  Copy and paste the link to watch.  Enjoy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqxENMKaeCU


Thinh Nguyen

I was in my Philosophy of Literature and Cinema tonight, and I've realized one thing while observing as, one by one, students leave the class: college students can exhibit signs of temptations just as kids do.  That seems like extremely elementary logic, but I find it kind of interesting because I think the same scenario is similar to the Marshmellow Test.  Essentially, this test tests the child's self discipline with trying to be patient with themselves and realizing the fruits of their labor if they'd just persist.  Usually, the child who waits turns out to be more successful and happier in life, while the ones that didn't wait didn't fair so well.

Frankly, I don't know if whether or not I'll be able to wait for that second marshmellow because I don't know how I would've reacted at 4-5 years old.  This experiment seems to be similar to the night class I just had.  It's late at night, and all everyone wants is to go home and rest.  There are people leaving abrubty left and right with every opportunity they have.  The teacher gives a 10 minute break.  "Let's bail guys!"

I managed to wait to the end for every class so far, but I can't speak for every college student that this same idea of waiting applies to the Marshmellow Test.  Perhaps I already know the result of the Marshmellow Test.  And I'm just forcing myself to believe that if I wait through the entire class, then I'll be happier and successful.  But to give me some credit, I remember always waiting for forever as a kid until piano workshops are over and never once intended to leave until the program was officially over.

Also, I don't know if any of the college students who did wait for the whole time if their lives are any successful or happy at all.  Though, this is pretty interesting stuff when being compared to the kids in the Marshmellow Test.


Thinh Nguyen

If there's one thing in life that I've learned so far, it's that things work better when there's balance.  Focusing on one subject such as studying  for a math test--when that English midterm is just around the corner--is a recipe for disaster if you ask me.  Especially when working in a group, I must say that it's incredibly important to get everyone's feedback and participation.  Undermining others and not taking what they have to say is like implying "my idea is better than yours," and no one likes a snob or a pushover, frankly.

However, I can understand when there are conflicting views.  The infamous science and religion debate seems to never come to an end.  Also, the nature v. nurture, prolife v. prochoice, and torture v. no torture are just a handful of a mosaic of controversial arenas of debate that potentially gets a person in circles, round and round.  I can't see why people are so discriminatory when both sides are working in concert.  Why can't there be both?  It's probably because it's harder for people to factor in into their daily lives.  It's much easier to say A and not A and B.  But the most important issue here, I guess, is that people should find what works for them--just don't rule out this middleground.


Thinh Nguyen

Honestly, I used to hate change.  I remember just right before high school was over, all I ever wanted was to just stop time at that very instant.  Oh, just let the birds that are flying be stuck in the sky forever, and the waves of the ocean freeze like the ice cream inside my freezer.  It's not like my high school years were that memorable or anything, but I've always was a person who never truly saw the importance of change.  It's not until college that I sort of eased into accepting these subtle and vast alterations in my daily life.

As humans, our emotions shift up and down, and we have to be able to adapt to whatever situation that is presented to us.  For me, changing or editing my course on life depends on how I feel at that very particular time and place.  If I don't like where my life is heading, I gotta shift gears, or I'll by sailing up the creek without a paddle.  But I do understand that it's hard at times to make decisions on what to do next in life, when one is presented with such difficult circumstantial dilemmas.  Heck, I don't know if I should even be writing this, or I should be doing my homework right now!  It's an arduous process, and one should shift gears when they are ready to--they'll decide when their time seems right for them.  Don't ever rush it.

The world is always changing and evolving.  And as Alan Watts would say, "It gives spice to life." 


Thinh Nguyen

So today I went with my parents to the Getty Center.  After a hectic half an hour of going back and forth to find our way to the museum, we made it with a bottle of Gatorade and some bags of beef jerky to salvage throughout the day.  It was nice to spend some time with my parents because they--especially Mom--rarely take the time to enjoy themselves.  The work almost everyday, so it was great seeing them having fun.

The purpose of today, however, was twofold.   Aside from enjoying some quality time with the folks, I had to do 15 pages of sketches for my Life Drawing class.  Talk about a perfectly good day gone sour.  I only managed to squeeze in 7-8 pages worth of sketches.  Frankly, I was distracted by the beautiful scenery, statues, drawings, and elaborate paintings.  To solve this problem, I've taken some photos of the paintings/statues to sketch on tonight.  Also, the website will help.  The most important part of the homework is finished, which was obtaining a receipt from the museum as proof of actually going there.

Two weeks ago, I've lost all confidence in my writing ability.  In one of my philosophy classes,--Literature and Cinema--I'm struggling to write in a way that fits my professor's standards.  And honestly, it's been a pain in the neck trying to understand what he wants.  I'm pulling out all the stops in order to get that A on my next paper.  I didn't do that well on my first one, but luckily, he'll drop the lowest essay grade out of the 4 essays I do, meaning the first one was optional.  There seems to be mountains of work for me this week, and I'm wondering to myself if I'll ever be able to pull it off this time.


Thinh Nguyen