Of Perception

We are bias. Period. Continous. As we are humans.


So...

Find ways, steps, guides to reduce heuristic and biases.

1. Forget names

2. Forget photos

3. Forget even religion when looking at someone.

4. Do those again.

* Now you are at the first step of being less bias.


Like all new steps, it will take a while to get use to these methods but in a while through consistency and belief, it'll be a habit. An allmighty good one.

Winning and having Fun

I have been debating and playing rugby all my adult life. At 38, I'm sure that the second option will not be with me that much longer. Nonetheless, with 6 previous fractures, two torn ligaments and stitiches (luckily covered by still black hair) all over, I'm still playing and I still want to play. The eagerness of waiting for a game, the willingness to break speed limit to drive to a game after an outstation stint, the sheer wanting to play or watching my mates play is vehemently undeniable.

I do believe, in terms of accolades, even my Phd reserch is on debates, skills and ability, debate would be the better choice for me. Sadly, it just does not have the feel of fun these days. There would not be that many friends or fans who would gasp at a hard tackle and wishing loudly that your are okay. The last two debate tourneys I went to however, I got to see a lot of smugs and punks who participated. Blokes who could not say two nice words to their opposition without trying to inject their supposed intelligence superiority over everyone. Arrogance is the name of the game. Yes being arrogant is a posture that you can employ but usually it is only for those big cans who are loud but have no substance inside.

Ladies and gents, if you're good, you're good. There is no point having this air of hollier than thou surrounding you. That is why I loath to go to debate events nowadays except for some select few. That is also the reason why I would rather train school students than college or university ones adhering to Malone/Sean Connery in 'The Untouchables' that if the apples in the barrel are rotten, then we should go the the trees.

That is also why I would rather play agains brute men who named their team Dogs of the Royal Selangor Club but saluted your team at the end for giving them a good game (we lost 4-2). they realized that a good game is more fun and it will also help them raise their game.

There's no substitute for speed

Richard Kahui is perhaps only a well known name in the rugby fraternity especially in New Zealand. He is a very talented centre who has represented the New Zealand All Blacks. A centre in rugby is a crucial position who would be the second last line of defense who doubles crucially as the man who would release the talented speedy wingers. Nonetheless in a few test, Kahui was played as a winger. he is such a talented player that he was able to score I believe two tries eventhough he was predominantly a centre. When interviewed on which position he would prefer playing, as any good All Black, he stated, ANY POSITION, as long as I'm playing.

In the short interview though he stated something, so obvious yet so many times missed by so many people. He said, " I'm probably the slowest winger around". Yes, he might be a talented player but he recognized that speed was not his forte. And as a winger, when the crunch time comes, you would need speed. There is simply no substitute for good ol pace.

In life, you would need to study the situations to know what is the needed 'speed' for you in facing the crunch time.

In driving, the speed = the horse power

In love = continous

In crime/business = innovation

IN UNIVERSITY PARLIAMENTARY DEBATE = READING, IF NOT DURING THE CRUNCH TIME YOU WILL FALL SHORT

Simple executions in rugby and debate

If you have seen a rugby game before, a good one, then perhaps you would be perplexed at times on the number of things that the players have to do while adhering to a great number of at times mind boggling rules. If you have never played before, then chances are you might excuse yourself from ever playing this beautiful game. It could also be viewed upon as difficult because the person or mayhaps even a coach, explaining the game to you, wanted the game to be seen as complex and multidimensional as an indirect communication to you that he or she has mastered this game and as such is a few status level above you. These types of coaches and explainers are the ones driving people away from the game.

If you were to ask me, a rugby fan, I would tell you:

1. Grab the ball and run toward the opposition's try line.

2. If you do not have the ball, support the guy with the ball or if the ball is with the opposition, grab him.

3. Pass the ball backwards.

... You are ready to play. The complexities of strategies, well, when you play they will be better explained through in play coaches; team-mates, referees, opponents and fans standing outside.
Play the game and the game will coach you.


Surprisingly, as also a great debating fan, I kept seeing these complex coaches and explainers given a free hand and reigning over debate as if it is the most complex situational activity in the world. Debate is not and very much like rugby NOT in the same league as rocket science.

Listen to me would be debaters,

1. Believe in an idea, support your idea and tell all of those to the face of your opponent.

2. They will say something back so like in a canteen food fight, throw something back at them, the bigger the stinkier the better.

3. Keep throwing at them and fend off what they are throwing at you.Ifthey are stinkier than you ate the end.You win.

Simple.

Play rugby and debate. This will make you the real gentlemen playing the ruffian's game.

Battle at Kruger: Hitler

I saw two unconnected pieces in National Geographics last week. One was about the death of Hitler and the other one about a calf that was attacked by six lions and a croc but was still able to escape albeit with great aid from his mates.

I saw the second one as the will to live is exceptionally strong but sometimes may simply not be enough. The calf struggled, kicked, screamed with life being seemingly sucked out by the seconds but fought and fought and fought as all those watching nottingly nod to the futility of it. But then out of the sudden an unseen before scene transpired and buffaloes in a herd attacked the lions and free the calf. Life and for life we should kick and bite and fight but not, NOT for death and the biggest death merchant of all, the highly surreal Hitler.

He brought death by the millions and compelled Germany to die with him. Let us not fight to bring back the memory of this man and let us not follow the Jewish unsatisfiable hunger to have a piece of his flesh to burn over and over again. Let us forget him and many others who were like him.

Forget him and throw his memory of the human mind shelf. His legacy should not be reminded to us all in a wonderful media information show such as the National Geographic Channel.

Mistakes and Faults

Humans, we are. Let nobody tells us otherwise and to prove to ourselves and even the mighty ones, we make mistakes. We make them not all the time but they do happen. Sometimes these mistakes becomes the opener for old can of worms, sometimes they just dissapear and well sometimes.. mistakes as in the earlier statement will just happen.

You are no less a man or woman if you make mistakes. It is precisely what you do after making them that defines your character. If you've made an error of judgement, a bad call or a stupid step; first and foremost admit it or them. Second, apologize and do it meaningfully. Third, try not to do it again as most people especially the ones that matter to us should not be made to suffer fools who are stupid enough to make incessant mistakes one after another.

We are human and thus not perfect. We make mistakes and sometimes these mistakes create a Godzila type problem but remember still, as humans we have a life and thus a role to play in others' life so rectify the mistakes and move on. Do not ge too bog down with the consequences.
Kids can behave like that but not adults, never should adults be so judgemental on themselves.

Humans,... Do the best and expect the worst.Life would be quite interesting.

Political maturity in Malaysia

Never in fifty years. Never in fifty years that something like what had happen in the silver state could happen before in Malaysia.

Reasons; Not enough thinkers want to think about politics other than maintaining the old Barisan vanguard status quo. Things were okay then, we could go to work, kids can go to school, people have jobs, wife have to go to work .. er this particular statement was an obvious change from the fifties, sixties and seventies but people who can think just pointed out to the fact that women wanted career as they were more educated. But, Really, Do we really want to work?
I do not and if I can afford it I probably would not.

Women going to work was a big change but not big enough to move massess of thinkers to change the status quo and see what's next. Not enough, even when the corruption index, even when politicians were driving around in super expensive cars and living in castles, not enough.

But now, political maturity just seem to happen. We do not like the politicians or what they are doing or not doing we change them. Direct and strong political actions.We change them like in the 5 states that were lost to Pakatan Rakyat. They were changed. TBo Hoo but the beauty of political maturity is the fact that the people who later did not like the Pakatan rakyat in Perak then decided to change albeit through a weird and almost uncivilized manner but somehow or rather, change happen quite fast and after the change, we could still do and go about our daily chores nonchalantly.

Beautiful, to have the fights only in media but business still goes on.