Nataraja

Too bad about your computer. I got lucky, and I've enjoyed an affordable but high-end Toshiba laptop for a year now (2.4GHz). I've been playing graphically demanding games that test my machine to its limits, like Drakensang, Empire Total War, Fallout 3 and Titan Quest. All has went well so far. I always assumed these new graphically beautiful games could never have the amount of storyline detail that old RPGs have, but I've been pleasantly surprised:).

Yeah, it's difficult to talk about issues that have true social/societal relevance:sosad:. Partly because others have strong differing opinions, and partly because culture is geared towards caring about more innane topics. It's what the media projects, so people reflect this thinking. Often you may find yourself displaying the same dogmatic cynicism towards people that dare to think differently - I've caught myself at it a few times. It's hard not to be a 'self-appointed guardian of the status quo':xx.
The worst message I feel the media perpetuates, is that anything immoral/greedy/dangerous/cruel is COOL. Rap videos seem to be the apex of this social dysfuntion, but it's everywhere. It seems to be necessary to cultivate distrust, hostility and friction in society: If people started working together instead of against eachother, then the socio-economic system wouldn't have enough control over people. It's divide and conquer, pure and simple.

:D I knew you'd like it. The Zeitgeist movement has some really enlightening viewpoints. I just watched Peter Joseph's lecture on 'Social Pathology', it's worth sitting through. This guy works in advertisement himself, which is practically hypocritical. But we're all stuck in this dysfunctional monetary system.
I wish there was a way I could spead awareness myself. Maybe some day, there will be a way for me to help. For now, I'll just marvel at the philosophical advances from afar;).

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Good and bad... The visa process would take 12 weeks to process my appeal, they said. I ended up getting impatient waiting, so I spent 4 weeks in Cebu last month. When I got back, her letter of acceptance from immigration was waiting. So, I could've skipped that holiday:doh:. But now she'll be coming to Holland soon:).
I haven't been online here often either, mainly due to my holiday. So, what have you been doing in your time off from studying, a new job? My job has been quite uneventful - I mostly work in a safehouse for battered women now, which is an improvement over the usual homeless and mental patients I have to watch over. Take care, and happy easter!

Happy new year to you too! Stick with Biology, I'd say:D. I got less positive news myself: My girlfriend's tourist visa was refused. An appeal is practically guaranteed to be ratified, but it still means a 6 week delay:wail:. Guess I'll be lonely for a little while longer...
Best wishes!

How did the orientation go? Did you stick with it, or look for another job? Y'know, I like biology a lot, but my interests in it are very specific, and rarely coincide with research projects. Sometimes I regret not doing something with computers; I could've been making my own mods by now, or even working on a new game.:) There's always time to start a new study, or course.
P.S. I saw your myspace page, I thought your EQ score (153) was funny: "150+: Two possibilities - you've either out "Dr. Phil-ed" Dr. Phil... or you're a dirty liar.":lol: I took 2 EQ tests myself out of curiosity, and came out totally average in every aspect.

Yeah, procedures:rolleyes:. That's what I meant with fulfilling your obligations. In the past, I was very lenient about things like giving food, and allowing phone calls. But social workers are control freaks, and if they find out that anything has happened without them knowing, they'll treat you like a criminal. So just be anal-retentive about such things, and only allow it if it's not forbidden in any guidelines or regulations.
Maybe the kids you look after won't like you for it, and gossip may be inevitable. But if you're sent away because of gossip-complaints (like i was;)), at least you won't be liable.

:aaa:When you say 'done for misconduct', do you mean you're facing legal action from your boss, or the families? In that case, I hope you have legal expenses insurance. From the sound of it, you may have been looking at your job from the wrong angle. I used to view security as a job where you look out for the order and safety of a building, and the people in it. But I soon realized that the real task was a legal one: I was there to fulfill my obligations, and cover my responsibilities:cool: until I could go home again. Those downy guys weren't patients, they were only clients that you were responsible for. Good news about the essay, for my end thesis I did a piece on Population Dynamics. For some reason the guy that was supervising me was never happy about it, and my revisions didn't help. I got a 6 out of 10, and actually had to sign for the grade (I guess you can reject low grades this way). It was my very last component of my master's and I was fed up:xx:, so I just signed for it.

Once a parent is convinced your work is inadequate, there's little you can do but accept it. I recognize the story of the slow guy, it reminds me of youths I watch over in a certain building. One time a girl there asked me why I always talk so funny. First I thought she was referring to my formal posture when I'm at work, saying stuff like "that's right" instead of "yes", because answering with just one word might be percieved as impolite. But I came to realize that she simply has a very limited vocabulary, so it's quite straining for her to try to understand me.

I've experienced such behaviour from colleagues too, the 'overnice' backstabbing. I've learnt to be wary of people who are too friendly, makes me appreciate the average person's slight apathy too:D. And maybe this woman has some malfunction of her own:lol:.
Last night a girl at my work slammed a door in my face! I chipped my tooth as a result; the damage is not visible, no larger than a grain of sand. But still, it was quite a shock that she was physical with me. I consulted my inspector, and we agreed that a clear message needed to be sent, that such behaviour is absolutely unacceptable:nono:. Within 20 minutes, 4 police officers were there to have a talk with the girl. It was disappointing that all the girl could do, was accuse me of lying. But I am dealing with low-IQ mental patients, under strict supervision and medication. What could I have expected:rolleyes:? It's hard enough to get normal people to admit when they're wrong, or take responsibility for their actions.

My mom works in a care home, as administrator. She deals with these kind of people regularly too. The sheer range of problems caused by these people's personalities is tiring, even hearing it from my mom drains my energy. Your boss has probably dealt with it before. Now you must accept that you have been treated unfairly by her. The best way to think of it, is to see it as a test of your character. It's tempting to want to rectify things, it is for me in my situation. But I take pride in letting these things slide off me, makes me feel like a problem solver, part of the solution, the future [okay let's not get carried away:D].
Now I have another issue to deal with: I was helping my best friend with a complaint about our old student rooms, I appeared before an arbiter because he was on holiday. I read some correspondence which his brother (a lawyer) had forwarded to me, and in it he told my housing corporation that he suspects that I'm slightly autistic:jawdrop:.

There's no such thing as 'slight autism' according to wiki, and he should know better as a medical student. He should also have done some research about it, especially before voicing such ideas to an institution that I have dealings with. There's so many things about that statement that i don't like, I have 2 pages full already.
But he's been a superb friend for several years now, so I don't want to just break contact with him. I plan to talk with him about it, to hopefully understand why he'd say such a thing.
I also know of a person on the Boards who has autism, maybe she can help me exclude the possibility that he may actually be right... Highly unlikely that I went through childhood without it being noticed and diagnosed, but I feel that all hypotheses should be tested;)

I find it frustrating enough to deal with fallacies and disinformation, I don't think i'm cut out for serious philosophy. Debating with christians is the worst: Trying to get them to switch their minds on without provoking their ire is near impossible. They don't think, they just feel.
Have you watched Zeitgeist Addendum yet? It's meant to sound optimistic and hopeful, but christians make me wonder if we'll ever escape our current predicament...:(

It's entirely psychological. If you're asked to do a simple calculation, you'd perform it at a certain speed and pace. But when the bland numbers suddenly become amounts of money, you'll notice that you perform the exact same calculation more efficiently. The numbers gain a meaning:bigeyes:, and the calculation increases in importance.
Or as christians would put it: God didn't design you to be a chemist.:lol:

That's unfortunate:(. I found that the relevance of maths, chemistry of physics classes to biological subjects always determined my level of interest, and as a result, my performance.

For those who dont know Goa Trance...:hippy:

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Your b'day's on 2nd july?! So is my cousin's:bigeyes:.
I worked 16 hours a week during my study, but I found that the effort it took me to be a nightwatchman was minimal. And the money I made was pretty decent, although it might not fund an active party-lifestyle;) I finished uni with comfortable savings.
The job kinda grew on me in fact, since I enjoyed it more than my final internship in the genetics lab. So I stuck with it for many reasons, like staying in lovely Amsterdam instead of chasing research grants every 4 years, the fact that I earn more than I would as a PhD-student, and I don't see myself promoting to doctor with the present competition in the market (and my lazy attitude:p).
By the way, since the homeless kids/adults I watch over overnight are mostly intellectually challenged, we basically have the same job:D: we're both overgrown babysitters!:lol:

I failed 2 of the 6 modules of the first year too, had to take them again the next year. It was mainly because I was combining the first year with security training in the weekends. All work and no play...:p The great thing about biology is, that if you just go to classes and pay attention, you barely need to study for tests. If there's something I excelled at during university, then it was being present and paying attention. In fact, I failed one module simply because I needed a week off for practical security training, and since it was a math course... I didn't understand the rest of the course coz I missed that week! Good luck with your exams:)

I Figured you might have, basically because they started the label in and around Goa lol. Their music is a VERY chilled type of trance. Also, OceanLab (which is the same 3 guys who ARE Above & Beyond + a certain vocalist) produces a lot more of the type I think you'd like! Ummm have you looked on youtube for a few of their songs?