From Interview with Krys Lee

The Gambler by Fyodor Dostoevsky; To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf; Beloved by Toni Morrison; One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez; Midnight's Children by Salman Rushdie; When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka; Catch-22 by Joseph Heller; Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut, the poems of Elizabeth Bishop, W.S.Merwin, and John Ashberry; The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekov; the plays of Shakespeare, Tennessee Williams, Samuel Beckett, Martin McDonagh, and Martin Crimp, and the short stories of Charles D'Ambrosio and Lorrie Moore.

Nicknames

Although my days are pretty much the same:

Home (Computer,bed, eating, pee/pooing, occasionally house chores) -School-Store-Home...

I must be getting old.

The realization hit me when I was looking at postsecret website (http://www.postsecret.com/) and then read that 1000 awesome things blog is ending after 4 years.

I was just looking through the posts and what got my attention was: #13 The first time a new friend calls you by your nickname (http://1000awesomethings.com/2012/04/03/13-the-first-time-a-new-friend-calls-you-by-your-nickname/#comments)

Then I started think about any nicknames I have had/or given and decided to write a post because it is a nostalgic to think about these things. (Even though one is swamped with works....)

***

I tend to have a passing relationship with people (short term, temporary ladida) so I tend not to think too much about these things, because it makes me feel little sentimental.

The first nickname I had was when my neighbourhood kid N called me "Mare".

Noone else in my highschool called me. My name was sufficiently short (2 syllables) so no shortening required. But she did (!!)

My name in French means husband and my nickname.... a horse.

***

University! I met this older girl who always complimented me...I don't know why I guess it was her way of being friendly. Although I wanted to do many social things with her, it never came to that and she is now married now, according to the grapevine. (Tells how close I was with her).

Instead of my name, she would calle me "Toki". She told me I looked like a rabbit (...)

I didn't dislike the name but...she was the only person who called me that.

***

University again, I became quite close with this one girl who lived on the 4th floor of my residence. She had droopy eyes (?) and somehow, I started calling her "Ducky"

That's the end to that. Because I think I was the only one called her that. She was going out with one of the guy I knew and I never knew about this fact. I heard from a friend of a friend that she is now teaching English abroad.

***



Lot of my friends remind me of...gerbil (squirrel or hamster) or rabbit.
When I was talking in group with people, although I could match their faces with animal's no other could match my face with an animal. I guess I look too much like a human.

And then all the sudden, this one girl called me I looke like a "Beluga whale" because I was happy and white (...)


That was the one time and the only time I was called the beluga


** I told the other girl constantly that she looked like a "squirrel", but it wasn't a permanent nick name. I never called out to her saying squirrel.

***

I have a nickname for my little sister and it is vulgar in one sense.... thus I will not be sharing.

But that has to be the longest running nickname call-out by me. :D

That's it. Glad to get it out of my syste. Back to my research paper about Lacan and Freud!



As I get older..."Luxury to be able to afford justice."

As I get older...

I realized that the gap between myself and others and getting bigger.

Especially more so between students and people already making money

It is the scariest thing. We are no longer defined by how much we do well in our school.

But we are defined by everything. Salary, House, Car, Family and etc.

As a person from a lower income family and lower achiever end of the spectrum...

It made me sad.

For money, I thought I would gladly sell tobacco.

I would gladly endorse it.

At the same time I hated myself for thinking that.

With the article about tobacco company and their lost morals

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/tobacco-executive-admits-involvement-in-destruction-of-research-documents/article2389493/

I do realize that for a little profit, I would gladly do things immoral

Maybe I'll get fistful more of something.

Maybe I'll pretend not to notice when cashier gives me little more changes

Maybe I won't argue with banks, if they accidently put money in my account....

Just as in elementary school I told teacher that I didn't deserve the mark  I got (it was a math test and I realized that I had few wrong answers)

 but didn't argue back in university of a mark that I got that I didn't think I deserved.

My moral standard totally depended on whether or nor I could indulge myself to that

To indulge myself to justice so I beleive

To indulge myself to morality that I believe.

I need luxury to do that.

That's why I think my dream of want to be a professional has become little distorted as I got older.

In a paper http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/economy/economy-lab/daily-mix/canada-among-the-happiest-countries-in-the-world/article2389399/

 about World's happiest countries:

•Happier countries tend to be richer ones. But more important for happiness than income are social factors like the strength of social support, the absence of corruption and the degree of personal freedom.

•Unemployment causes as much unhappiness as bereavement or separation. At work, job security and good relationships do more for job satisfaction than high pay and convenient hours.

•Behaving well makes people happier.

•Mental health is the biggest single factor affecting happiness in any country. Yet only a quarter of mentally ill people get treatment for their condition in advanced countries and fewer still in poorer countries.

•Stable family life and enduring marriages are important for the happiness of parents and children.

•In advanced countries, women are happier than men, while the position in poorer countries is mixed.

•Happiness is lowest in middle age.

 I want a career where it will allow me to develop as a better person everyday

I want a career where I learn something everyday

I want a career that I won't be ashamed to

Most of all.

I want a career that allows me a luxury... sort of layback attitudes that rich has.

Luxury to live my life as I believe, as myself.

Living with justice and morality.

Luxury to be able to afford justice.



FESS and septoplasty

50 yo man comes in with recurrent inflammation in his nose alleviated with taking contac (major ingredient acetominophan [paracetamon] - mechanism of action not completely understood but proposed to inhibit COX and PSE [pseudoephedrine hydrochloride] - sympathomimetic drug of the amphetamine chemical classes used for nasal/sinus decongestant] and persistent headache that recently developed. Upon examination, he was found to have crooked nasal septum needed for correction and sinusitis. Later it was told that his infection was developed after use of nasal irrigation (repetitive use of expired decongestant nasal sprays)



FESS [functional endoscopic sinus surgery] with septoplasty was suggested

crooked nasal septum

FESS

Functional endoscopic sinus surgery  is the mainstay in the surgical treatment of sinusitis and nasal polyps, including bacterial, fungal, recurrent acute, and chronic sinus problems. Ample research supports its record of safety and success.

FESS is a relatively recent surgical procedure that uses nasal endoscopes (using Hopkins rod lens technology) through the nostrils to avoid cutting the skin. These endoscopes have diameters of 4mm (adult use) and 2.7mm (pediatric use) and come in varying angles of view from 0 degrees to 30, 45, 70, 90, and 120 degrees. They provide good illumination of the inside of the nasal cavity and sinuses.

FESS came into existence because of pioneering work of Messerklinger and Stamberger (Graz, Austria.) Other surgeons have made additional contributions (first published in USA by Kennedy in 1985).^[1]

Septoplasty
Under general or local anesthesia, the surgeon works through the nostrils, making an incision in the lining of the septum to reach the cartilage targeted in the operation. Sufficient cartilage is preserved for structural support. After the septum is straightened, it may then be stabilized temporarily with small plastic tubes, splints, or sutures internally.

Septoplasty

Post-operation video: septoplasty

From: Globeandmail.com

I read the Globe almost religiously.
Even though their news is a) biased (compared to other newspaper agency) b)pictures tend to say 1000 words but they don't display them at all when they can and lastly c) they don't cover much international news.

The reason why? I suppose its my habit, a daily routine and I like to check the headlines and also the currency exchange rate (right on their homepage!) and this! comic illustration that I always applaud for.

Well done again!


On the other note...

From: Western meme

 

So this past weekend was St.Patty's day and it was a wild night in London,ON

Yes, there was an actual RIOT!

where?

 

Sigh... this will hurt the school no doubt.

 I wonder what the admin do in order to reconciliate this image after St.Patty's

Structuralism

Saussure
Structuralism is all about unerstanding concepts through their relations to other concepts, rather than concepts having a kind of intrinsic meaning, in isolation from each other
Thus for structuralists, meaning is produced through difference

Concept                           signified
----------                --->    -----------
sound-image                    signifier

where siginifier and signified is arbitrary
In Language, there are only differences. Even more important, a difference genreally implies positive terms between whcih difference is set up but in language, there are only differences without positive terms

Structuralism is liked by Lacan
Structuralism is attacked by Foucault (taught Derrida; talk about postmodernism...about Parody and Pestiche) and Derrida

Derrida
Deconstruction: there is no outside texts and texts often mean the opposite of what they claim. But it cannot be equally applied from text to text.
Difference!!! Supplement!!!!

Kant - German philosopher with big bags full of tools!

Kant is a guy full of paradox.

His political philosophy - his outlook on law dos not agree with his moral philosophy.

To get your head around his giant architecture work of philosophy I suppose you need to significantly invest your time.

***



Main concepts that stands out (in my head without referring to my note..) are: Fundamental principle of morality  - Categorical imperative (CI) = autonomous will of a rational being; Good will; Hypothetical impertatives (HI); Duties (Perfect and negative, imperfect and positive)

Basic aim of moral philosophy is to "seek" out the 'foundational principle of a metaphysics of morals.' --> which is to say a priori-esque logic that is beyond empiricism - it cannot be analytical.
To say plainly, any action that is based on duty and no other reasons that driven those action (such as love) have moral worth.




Kant's moral philosophy
Good will is intrinsically good as with 4 other goods such as 1. gifts of nature, 2. fortune, 3. happiness/well-being, and 4. virtues prized by ancients. However, Good will is the only thing that is an unqualified good which can not be add/subtracted with anything including (positive/negative effect)

What is the relationship between duty and Good will?

Is it necessary that duty needs to be founded upon good will? It seems so, because duty as a rational being must be based on something intrinsically good.
And I think this is where categorical imperative and hypothetical imperative, sort of a ruler, --idea of moral law -- comes in.

But before then, let me add proposition of good will
1. Only actions done/motivated by/from duty possess moral worth/merit - as mentioned before
2. when action has moral worth, its mortal worth is contributed by the principle of volition/maxim in accord with which its action is done
3. duty is necessity of an action done out of respect for the moral laws

...so this actually defines duty pretty well:

Duty = action done for respect for the moral laws and nothing else = proposition of the good will which is the unqualified good


Going back...?
However stopping here briefly: What is metaphysics? I have scratched very basis that stood out for me the most. In order to talk about metaphysics you need to consider the Logic, physics and ethics.
And how is this related? in knowing differences between a priori (logic) and a posteri (physics and ethics)...from my note: morality is absolute --> need metaphysics to get to its nature (???)

From logic, which is a priori, we have metaphysicis. I have rather hard time wrapping my thoughts around this concept: Well... according to this website: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/kant-moral/ I quote:

"A ‘metaphysics of morals’would be, more or less, an account of the nature and structure of moral reality — in effect, a categorization of duties and values. Such project would address such questions as, What is a duty? What kinds of duties are there? What is the good? What kinds of goods are there?" (scroll up)

....aaahh my head hurt

putting that aside still need to understand :
Structure of moral law  --> Categorical imperative
wait, that's not all, there are in fact 2 imperatives!

1. Hypothetical imperatives: declares possible actions as practically necessary as means of attainment of something someone desires/wants
--> 2 kinds!   1. Problematic hypothetical imperative: possible desires involving Rule of skill
                      2. Assotoric hypothetical imperative: actual desires involving counsels of prudence
--> analytic: concept of the means is contained in the concept of willing an end


2. categorical imperatives: declares on action to be objectively necessary regardless of what one wnats/desires imperative of morality
-->synthetic: a priori
--> 4 duties derived from CI!
Negative/perfect: 1. Duty not to commit suicide out of self-love
                             2. Duty not to make false promise/lie
Positive/imperfect 3. Duty to perfect one's talents
                              4. Duty to assist others when they are in need