The long awaited return of the Horten

Plagued by control surface instability problems since its inception. Difficulty in landing and unpredictable handling characteristics…..now a private pilot’s variant.

If you want to be respected try not to talk too much

Not long ago. I came across a group of people on my land. As soon as they saw me. They all stiffened. One of them even said, ‘dont come nearer…stay there.’
I stopped. Then another said, we are just passing thru. I did not say anything and just looked at them. Then another said, we dont mean to steal anything. Again i did not say anything. That was when someone said, ‘he knows…he always knows.’ That’s when they all started to run for their lives.

And all I wanted from them was to ask whether I could borrow a lighter to light my camping stove.

The wisdom and strenght of inwardness

Whenever the weak minded is faced with challenges. They will always seek out others to give them strenght.

This is not only wrong, but in many cases it will also lead to nowhere.

However a person who has been trained in the art of war – will go inward first. That is always the default position. As only when you have communed with yourself will you ever have the confidence and self assurance to face whatever comes before you.

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‘It’s not easy to look inwards FIRST whenever one feels beset by problems. Not easy at all. Because firstly it is unnatural. Man is elementally a social animal so whenever he is confronted with the twin heads of fight or flight. He will naturally seek strenght in numbers and so he will marinate himself around people when he feels vulnerable.

I see this alot as I come across many gangsters who often try to intimidate and put fear in my heart. Often these people have to come in a pack like chickens or rabbits. You notice they’re never alone….especially rabbits. Same logic. gangsters are the same. Once they are alone, suddenly their mojo is gone! Do you notice that.

It took me many years of living in the jungle all alone to deprogram myself from seeking others and instead going inwards. Once i go inwards, its as if even the most grevious and serious problems seem to acquire a sense of scale and perspective….suddenly I know what to do. I am filled with confidence and nothing can shatter that calm. Because it originates from within me and not externally from others.’

The name and shame culture that is uniquely Singapore

Many years ago. When the internet was just a child. There was an evil warlord by the name of Philip Yeo. He liked to name and shame bond breakers. He called them all sorts of names so that they could never hold their heads up high…..one day. I came across one of the shamed. I can rememeber this incident clearly. At first he slipped into the shadows as if he was cursed some unholy affliction. But I pursued him and eventually I told him.

‘You only think you are alone, but you are not alone.’

The man asked me, what is your name? He could not see me as I was in the shadows with the others….and so this was how the man Darkness was born.

That was many many years ago….but I remember these things.

Always remember. It is never personal with me. As I did not have a hand to fashion Darkness…He was never my handiwork.

It was YOU!

You were the one. Who breathe life into Darkness…..YOU!

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‘If you want to punish someone for a wrong. Then mete out the punishment. That’s to say hang him by the book! Because even if that punishment is harsh. I think that’s better than ostracizing someone by naming and shaming them. As when you name and shame someone you are not doing so with the authority of the law. That’s to say you’re specifically citing the offence and all the specificacy of details relating to how that crime should be punished according to the law. So there’s a max and min and definable start and end and at the end of it the punisher has the satisfaction to say, he’s served his time and the punished can also avail himself to the redemptive satisfaction of saying – I’ve paid my dues to society.

Instead when you name and shame someone. What you have inadvertently done is to rob that person of his elemental right to the law. To put it crudely you have fashioned that person into a keychain just like a bunny’s tail so that you can carry it around with you and do whatever you like. That is what shaming actually connotes – that you dont have any rights! That you punishment is for perpetuity and there’s no end or run out date.

So when you shame someone, there’s really only two possible alternatives. The first he will be broken and end up a broken man. If that’s the case, you win. The second possibility is this man will rise above it all and perhaps even find himself somewhere in the humiliating carnage that you have created and when that happens. Make no mistake that person will have his quarter with you.

Now you know why I always tell people – if you want to hang someone, then do it by the book lah!’

Please go to Africa!

No need to talk so much. You have apologised. No need to talk, talk and talk. When a man has said his piece. He should keep a dignified silence. And not blabber on and on like a woman. To do that is very ugly for a man.

Understand this! More talking will simply incriminate you. It will never help you!

Less is always more….besides this is a lose lose case lah. So the question is whether you lose big or small and if its the latter how to best manage the loss.

Let me share with you one awful reality – you will never be able to live this incident down in Singapore. And even if you could, you will have to appeal to the good nature and benevolence of strangers like a beggar….yes like a dirty beggar.

Truth is no one will ever forgive you in Singapore. Moat people will never share this reality with you. Because they believe you cant hack the truth.

And this leads me to my point. There’s only one place in the world that can wash away the error of your ways and even kiss it all better….Africa!

Africa is the only continent in the world where a man can venture into penniless, prideless and statusless and providing he works hard and is willing to live on a razor’s edge. Providence will hold its end of the bargain and that man will come out so rich and powerful that he can rewrite even his life!

There as the Legionnaires say, vous etes faits pour mourir, je vous envoie la ou on meurt….yes you will certainly experience a form of death. But this is merely an adjunct to your reincarnation as a new man.

Try to see it as a form of absolution…..Africa.

A new beginning.

Now take my advice. Go! Because they will all eat you alive and spit out your bones!

Only Africa can give you a second life. Do not delay.

Kampung Moonshine called Toddy

Toddy or ‘Tuak’ as it is popularly known in estate parlance thru out Malaysia is the fermented sap of the coconut palm. The alcoholic content of toddy can range any where from five to fourteen percent. How it is set is a bit of a mystery to even the toddy shop proprietor. Usually a reliable way to gauge the alcohol content is to engage the proprietor of the toddy establishment in a short conversation. The rule of thumb is if he’s talking sensibly in a soft convivial tone, its around 4%……However if the proprietor and his assistants are renacting some Bollywood fight scene on top of table. Then the alcohol content is definitely double digit.

Toddy is called Neera by women folk and its used as a leavening agent when making apam, thosai and at times its even mixed with ghee to give rice a fluffy texture.

The best time to harvest toddy sap is at dawn when it flows clear and sweet.

In the estates Toddy is widely known as quack cure, it claims to cure everything from heat stroke to restoring the good bacteria quotient in ones stomach.

Sadly the old and traditional way of harvesting and distilling toddy is becoming extinct.

My good friend Viji took me there…..he’s a fellow planter, its great to have good friends. After that we had a five chili spicy hot mee goreng.

(I will post some pics when I can get a faster and more reliable connection)

Shanmugam’s well studied silence in the NUS shower camera case

The NUS bigwigs capitulated like a pack of cards as soon as news broke out. Then this was followed by the good for nothing education big wig Ong Yakult who also threw in the towel.

But the one who kept appropriately silent and steady was Macha Sham…proving thst when he puts his mind to it. He can think thru complications and still make a good call as the law ministar.

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‘Now that the dust has settled. What many people will begin to slowly realize is that they all inadvertently signed up for a classic spot of olde fashion mob lynching. Of course…this is all very embarrasing lah and they will use all sorts of handsome words and clever stories to justify their actions. But make no mistake – it is still a mob baying for blood with pitch forks and when push came to shove. The institutions who were supposed to hold to time tested values of natural justice and to protect the elemental rights of the individual against the tyranny of the majority failed!

They all failed magnificently…they all left the intelligent crowd asking ‘where’s your ethics man?’.

But always remember we were the only community who held the line strong and eventually restored balance to blogoland.’

The Coffee Belt

I’ve been meaning to share this coffee map with many of you for a long time….maybe you will find it in Starbucks Singapore as well.

I will start searching for coffee sapplings this month!

Since I cant get decent coffee in town….I’ve decided to grow my coffee!

Why are there so many shower camering cases in Singapore?

Many people have commented the root cause is sex….but after thinking about it. I am convinced its not sex per se. But specifically the LACK of sex that’s the problem.

Why do so many villagers in my kampung think I am Thanos

Maybe i just need to change the way i listen and talk…..maybe.

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‘You dont neccessarily need to be a psychopath to agree with me. Maybe you just need to see the world slightly differently that’s all….. Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Idi Amin el al. They’re all villanous. But Thanos is not. OK if you just discount his grand goal of exterminating half the population in every planet randomly in order to save the whole universe.

Thanos is the purest expression of will of power. What drives him is not power per se or even legacy that can only come from empire building. As his ultimate goal is to use the infinity stones to destroy the infinity stones.

Thanos is unsettling as unlike all the characters who make up the Avenger troupe – he’s very comfortable standing alone. Thanos does not need to seek solidarity or peer approval. He’s a character who self validates himself – that’s why both he and the idea of destiny is inextricably link. Hence the expression – ‘I am inevitable.’ That’s to say Thanos identifies his actions with a higher purpose and that elevated philosophy is what he terms destiny.

Above all Thanos represents the archtypal servant soldier. He lives only for his mission. All other things are secondary to Thanos.

It’s this purity of will that differentiates Thanos from the Avengers.’

The sad sad story of an island called Sri Lanka

It has taken the better part of ten long difficult years for Sri Lanka to shed its blood soaked past of irreconciable sectarian violence and mindless civil war. In those years Sri Lankans gradually got used to the idea of exchanging their military greens for loose fitting colorful shirts to make tourist feel at ease….foreign investments eventually trickled into the country in the form of factories and hotels to cash in on the abundance of cheap labor, balmy weather ,beautiful beaches and promise that life in general will get better day by day……BUT with the recent tragic bombings ripping thru Colombo. It seems the terrible past that Sri Lankans have been trying so hard to put behind them is suddenly right before them again.

Meanwhile peace remains as elusive as ever….a forlorn dream perhaps in a distant and small island called Lanka

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‘Anyone who has ever experienced war. Even the sort of man who seems not to fear anything at all….will shake.

Let there be no mistake…they will shake so violently that they will even cry like children.

These things I’ve seen and lived thru in Africa. It is not pretty business…..war that is.

Now let me get to my point.

Sri Lankans are not really normal people like we all know of normal people in Singapore. They cannot be. Because the specter of war once touched them deep in the marrow of their bones….that might well have been many years ago. During the hey days of the Tamil Tigers.

But once a man has gone thru that sort of experience. Although he will insist he’s a changed man. He’s never too far from the door that leads to predition. Its like an ex alcoholic who has to struggle thru the night over what’s left in a bottle somewhere in the dank darkness of the kitchen…his past calls him like the vespers of a siren. This is why war is so terrible. Because it never leaves you once you’re touched by it. Its as if you’ve seen things that eyes are not meant to see…..as if once you’ve gone there, you can never come back home again. But the most chelating aspect of war is that it compels one to betray everything that is good and noble….and after the last shot has rented out and its over…the war within you rages on.

That’s when the daily battle begins!

You literally spend the rest of your days reclaiming what was once taken from you by the war like a mad man trying to fashion a dwelling from left overs. You will yourself to believe once again that man is elementally good and not malevolent….and whenever you see a rare act of human kindness. You keep so very still. As if you’re witnessing a prophecy.

You grow colorful flowers because you want so hard to believe in the idea that tomorrow will be better than today.

You do all these things religiously like a man fingering thru the litany of his prayer beads. You do it unthinkingly. Because to think is to go thru the horror all over again.

And as time goes by the scream of low flying jets and ear splitting artillery shells that once woke you up in the dead of night begin to tone down…you no longer smell imaginary napalm or burning flesh and life slowly returns to you again…the sweet repose life where you might just lie down on grass and look on into the paraffin blue of yonder and even toy with the belief – this is actually what life is all about…only for it all to suddenly go right back like an ironic game of snake and ladders to square No.1.

That’s why its so sad that this terrible incident happened to Sri Lankans….they were just starting to trully forget…just starting to believe in the idea of a future.

My fear is this is just the beginning of what seems like another long bitter conflict.’

NUS shower movie making case

The student who filmed the girl in the shower is as good as a dead duck. Because NUS true to its jelly fish backbone philosophy has capitulated to the demands of the mob and they have even agreed to a kangaroo court town hall review of the case….so this student lagi mati lah. To make this students case one or two million times worse, he seems to have messed with a psycho instagram champion of the world aka worlds greatest publicity whore who seems to like nothing better than to show off to the world that she’s god’s gift to all the men of this world. So three billion times roti prata mati again lah!

I hope this dearly unfortunate student will remain strong and put this incident behind him and move on with life, but I really cannot see how its possible for an inexperienced 23 year old to bear all of this. To me the punishment must fit the crime….but in this case it seems like all they want this young man to do is go to hell!

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‘Of course it is certainly true to say justice needs to be seen to be done. Anybody fool can shore up his case by quoting that trite maxim. However, even in paradise a serpent lurks. As the one flaw to this assumption – we are of course assuming public opinion is always right. And this is where the law has to be mindful of how the instrument of crime and punishment can be transformed into a tool of tyranny by the majority. In response, the law needs to temper the will and aspiration of the mob by protecting the interest of the minority even if it displeases the masses, even if it may appear that justice is not done and that is because when we talk about punishment in the context of justice – it is not merely to punish. Nor does it involve slaking the thirst of the mob for whatever takes their fancy this or next month! Gentlemen, there’s also the humanitarian aspect of the law, where we hope to rehabilitate and provision a second chance for mistakes and error of judgements…there must be the return…..the closing of the circle as we say in brotherhood parlance.

Listen to me….

The law should shield this boy from public acrimony and ire. Above all it should not throw him to the wolves for the sake of the majority view. After the majority view is not sound. They’re too emotional. That is my view on this matter.

As for the boy. Let me speak plainly. He’s done for. At least on the four corners of Singapore for the rest of his life. As I dont see how he can possibly live this incident down. Especially not after messing with an instagram queen. So to me…its enough of a circus show.

The serious men of this world must step in and tell the mob to disperse. That is how I see the law – as a strong and wise philosopher of jurisprudence. Not as a cheap opportunistic panderer of the whimps and fancies of the mob for the sake of boosting their popularity rankings!

I tell you all this – this is not wise!’

What shall I do when the person who I love no longer loves me.

What you once loved with all your heart cannot diminish or die….it cannot. I can even supply proof. The logic is very simple – it is because that love came from deep within you ONLY then was it projected to a person who is no longer in your life…it did not come from some magic cave in the Himalayas. Or from some ancient one thousand year old tree deep in the forest where elephants go to die….that feeling which is love came from deep within you.

So what is lost will return back to you again in another time, shape and form.

You must never feel sad. Remember it came from deep within you…your very core. And it will come from there again….but if you’re so overwhelmed by negativity and sadness and doom and gloom……you will never see, let alone feel it.

You must prepare yourself for its return…love that is.

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‘When ones understanding of love is shallow, it is usually because of immaturity. This is why shallow love is always like a bubbling pot of water…it is always in a state of agitation, always flip flopping from one emotional state to another and always looking outwards to the one who is loved like a drug addict who cannot be separated from his fix for even the briefest moment…in the politics of addiction there’s no greater torture than separation from the object of desire…the needle….. Immature love is like this, if for any reason the lover doesnt get his or her way…Suddenly, it is not love! There’s no room for flexibility or improvisation either…it must be like that! it cannot be that other way!…otherwise again it is not love and immature love is full of elbow power. So there are one million demands that are generated by immature love every hour. It can even encompass every human emotion ranging from resentment to revenge…..but it is love…so many think and even believe.

That’s because they are like orphans who have never tasted dark chocolate before. They have all eaten plenty of plastic sugary brown sweets pretending to be chocolates…so they dont know the real Mc Coy….it is a mystery to them…. a great Da Vinci code where at night when the lights are off their eyes are wide open like car headlamps!

I have spent many many years in the jungle thinking deeply about this subject.

But the essence of real love is pure understanding. In understanding all other thoughts and emotions become still because the core of a person being is so quiet that it can exert a powerful gravity on other thoughts to still it as well.

Mothers love for a child…that’s as close to the real thing….it is not conditional. Non judgemental.

When people can love in this way. You know they will always act only for your well being and happiness…this is mature love.’

Love & Leaving

If you really love someone and that person needs to go for whatever reason…you will make it easy for them to go.

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‘I dont think its possible to talk about love maturely without talking at lenght about the subject of freedom. But I want to be clear. This is a very dangerous subject to talk about without crash helmets. Because many people are very immature so they will always perceive freedom in the context of love with loss of control or not being able to possess. So their idea of love is a form of appropriation just like you would go and buy a cow, plant or bag of rice.

Freedom should be the basis of love. Because once you combine love with the act of appropriation. Then it can only be the opposite of love. Otherwise it will be for all the wrong reasons why you continue to be with that person. That is the reason why so many relationships are dead and devoid of love. Because instead of freedom. Two people decide to stay together for all the one hundred and one reasons why they shouldnt stay together.’

Be transparent….but dont be so transparent

Always lull your enemy into the belief that they can see everything about you….present the idea of an open book to them.

This is important to plan for a decisive counter strike!

Because when the otherside believe they know you…they can only under estimate you and you have successfully funnelled them into the kill zone where they cling only to a false sense of security….. that you can exploit to your advantage.

Without this aspect of strategy….it is very difficult to win as the enemy will not only be prepared for all eventualities, but he will also be ready for a counter strike.

On Fear

The feeling of fear is like suddenly finding yourself in very unfamiliar sorroundings. You must not move around too much…that is to say your mind must not run helter skelter, otherwise you will fall into a mind trap and the sensation of fear will heighten.

This is how fear overcomes and eventually kills the mind.

When you find yourself in unfamiliar sorroundings. You must sit quietly and watch everything that goes by…after a while fear will give way to understanding, with understanding there can be no fear.

Antagonization

When people taunt, humiliate and poke fun at you….they mean for you to react. by flipping your top…don’t.

The very moment you have this insight into the inner workings of their strategy.

You will never fall into their trap.

Instead you can see how desperate they are…they’re literally grasping at straws.

When you get hitched…you can do anything even the impossible!

The reason is very simple…getting married is the basis of raising kids and when a man and woman makes that sort of commitment. What they’re actually saying is yes to the highest level of responsibility.

Responsibility as a parent would mean failure is not an option.

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When a woman gives birth to a child. This woman is reincarnated into a mother. My point is the mother is a completely new paradigm. It was not there before when this woman was just single. So something new stands before us…the same logic holds true when a man becomes a father. Before it was just a man. Now he is a father and this gives context to his manhood. Again this is a new thing.

So the question is what does this ‘new’ thing bring to the table? Is it just a cosmetic improvement to the concept of personhood. Or might it be revolutionary…transformational…life altering.

I think it is the latter. As the father and mother have to move upwards for the sake of the child. Upwards means. Better cholesterol to better salaries and of course we cannot talk about better anything without risk taking. Its like talking about fruit cakes without including raisins. But one thing is patently clear. They cannot stay in the same place. And it is this aspect of how parents typically respond to raisng children that accounts for the motivation for upward mobility.

This is the engine..the nuclear..or what the french would like to say, le raison.

Conversely when both the man and woman for whatever reason say no to children…then what you will have is the man who will always be only the man and never the father and the woman who will always be only the woman and never the mother…..here nothing new is brought to the table of life. Its the same old attitude, outlook and constants of a teenager and so there’s no scope for the mind and spirit to move the next plane of existence….this is why when you look at people who are not mothers and fathers, they will always be mentally and spiritually stunted like a bonsai….so to say that a mighty and great oak tree can grow right out of a tiny bonsai pot is not very truthful. In the same way when we say only people who are not married are prepared to take risk that too is not true either. As it assumes people who are unwilling to take responsibility can some how aspire to great deeds….this is not only a stupid philosophy, but it also in my understanding of the world fatally wrong as well.’

Please dont listen to world’s most famous mummy’s boy lah!

Sim Wong Hoo, has in my humble opinion some poisonous advice for budding entrepreneurs.

“Don’t get married”.

According to this legend in his own mind….

“Once you have family and commitment, you can’t afford to take the risks. I can take risks because I have no family.”

Please dont listen to this useless fellow and go and get married!

(i have to look for my dog. As the bitch has run off. Its not easy to look for a dog in the wild, but once I get back. I will shower, cook me a spaghetti and write more about this idiot and his lousy philosophy. Btw I am not afraid lah. i have so much land. i dont even know what to do with all my money. So lets go to court lah! Cant give two shits about the cheebai fake news law either! See you all latter….I promise I will write. By the time I finish this fellow will be toast!’

Never let your enemies press your hot buttons

The first to lose their cool…is the loser….its as simple as that…so run deep and silent above all run cool.