Legacy of the unnoticed

Another one!

2007-08-06T17:07:00.000+10:00

Lost another kilo, woo hoo :)

8 so far, 7 more to go...

Dogs

2007-07-28T17:32:00.000+10:00

I've just finished reading a book called Marley and Me by John Grogan. It was so touching, I laughed and cried throughout the whole thing. Marley is a mischievous Lab with the canine equivalent of ADD, but despite all his antics, his loyalty and love to his family carries them through thick and thin.

Our life since we adopted Luca hasn't been the same. Yes, we could pretend like he doesn't really have an effect on us, but the truth is that he has made a huge impact in our home, our relationship, and our lives. Whilst in the first few months we threatened to take him back to the animal shelter as he continually destroys everything he wasn't meant to, we knew deep down inside that the only way he was going to leave us is when he dies.

It's hard to describe the feeling we get when we come home to find him whining and wagging his whole body, so excited to see us that he lashes himself with his out-of-control tail. Or when he gives us the pleading look and pretends to shiver from the cold, so he can come inside when it's not even that cold. Having a dog is not like owning a goldfish, it's more like having a toddler. Clumsy beings with bursts of excitement that could send them on a high-speed playchase. The way Luca's eyes glaze over when we touch him, it's glaringly unconditional love, it's like we are his whole world. It's so addictive.

I'd heard of a girl who was tormented by her parents and felt like she was a social outcast. She only had one friend, her dog. One day, she took her dog for the usual walk, came home and killed it before killing herself. I always wondered what her rationale was. I mean, some people would say she was crazy, and they might or might not be right. But how could she bring herself to kill the only being that she believes has ever loved her. I wonder if it was to spare the dog for whatever misfortune she imagines it to endure after her passing. Or maybe she can't bear the thought of possibly being alone in the afterlife. Or maybe she was practising-if she could do it to her dog, surely she would go through and do it to herself.

Anyway, in most instances we will outlive our beloved pets, and I am haunted by the words of a reader that wrote to Grogan, that in the short life of a dog, he spends most of it sitting by the door waiting for you to come home...

Weight loss

2007-07-17T15:30:00.000+10:00

I've lost 6 kgs since start of the year, woo hoo!!!

Can't stop crying

2007-03-08T23:08:00.000+11:00

Don't know what's wrong with me, just can't stop crying tonight.
Should be in bed, work tomorrow.

There's a part of me that doesn't care, then there's the other part that wants to be perfect. Of course no one's perfect, I know that. But I feel like such a failure. Maybe it's because people are always telling me that I'm destined for something big. Maybe I think I am destined for more. That 'more' is so undefined, so vague that maybe I keep moving it. Should I be happy with what I have? Definitely. I try to be grateful, seems like I fail at that too though. It's so tiring trying to be positive. It's funny, you think positive so you can be happier, but it actually drains a lot of your energy. Why is it that only when you're miserable do you ponder on the meaning of life. Why am I here? I never ask that question when I'm laughing, unless it's laughter from too much crying that you don't know what else to do.

Ok so let's get down to the hard stuff. Why am I crying? See there's a tricky question right there because I have no clue. Well, not exactly, I have a number of possible reasons. I could be crying because I'm stressed. Very likely considering the love of my life is sick and I can't do much about it. I'm also sick of my job and I'm tired from trying to do everything at once. I'm trying to be the perfect fiance, the perfect daughter, the perfect worker... I can't do it all and it's depressing. Everyone tells me I am strong, smart, whatever. Maybe it's what they want me to be because I don't feel it, or maybe I just don't see it.

I could take the cop out answer and say it's all my Mum's fault, due to her comments or for that matter just by being her, she has invariably made me feel inadequate in everything I do. But that would be unfair because she does support me, and she does everything with the intention of challenging me, to make me stronger. So she says.

Perhaps there's a darker side... the entity that I thought I'd banished. Maybe it has returned, or never left at all. Lurking in the shadows, manifesting. I left that past when I found true happiness. But true happiness is in your mind, and how can you control a mind that's corrupted.

The hardest possibility for me to admit is that I'm crying because I'm not getting any attention. I've always despised attention-seekers, they're annoying and egotistical. But I can't claim to feel neglected, there's no rational basis in arguing that I don't get what i want (no one gets everything they want), so I must be seeking attention.

What do I want?

I want to know what I want.

Why?

Because maybe it will give me a sense of direction, a sense of belonging that I never experienced. Something to look forward to. Something to say when someone asks you what you want.

Empathy is a curse. What do you do when someone you love asks you what you want, and you can't give them an honest answer because you have no idea yourself but you don't want to admit it? You know full well that it will hurt them, because you can empathise with them, you know that if it was you asking that question, you ask it to better understand your partner, to serve them what they want on a silver platter. You know this because you know they love you, and you them. So what will I be served? A plate of everything? A plate of nothing...

I type this for the world, not knowing (or caring) who reads it. Why is it hard for me to SAY it to someone I know? The mind boggles. And gets corrupted again. I need to update the software. (Sorry, had to throw that one in)

Sometimes.......... I just cry.

Secret to you :)

2007-02-22T17:22:00.000+11:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phL0RLKL8bc

Watch it, it's fantastic.

I recently saw The Secret, it made me cry. It was beautiful, and it made sense.

Sooo Tired!

2007-02-22T17:14:00.000+11:00

I'm super tired. Haven't had any sleep for 2 days.

Tuesday took J to hospital, went home and studied all day and all night. Had diarrhoea, which was a bit unpleasant. Wednesday had my exam (last one, woo hoo!), came home and had to take care of J, who was recovering from surgery. Now I'm at work and it's been a hell of a day. Computers crashing etc... and I'm supposed to fix it - it's not even my job. I don't get paid enough to do this sh*t, and if I wanted to do this kind of work I'd get a computer degree!

*Sigh*

Oh well, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger...

More photos of our baby!

2007-01-22T20:33:00.000+11:00

These are original photos from the pound - the ones we fell in love with.

Presenting Luca!

2007-01-19T22:24:00.000+11:00

These are photos of our baby boy Luca, a Rottweiler X Shepherd. We adopted him from the local animal shelter on 4 Nov 2006. He was 18 months, very boisterous and was scared of the car. Two months later he's relaxed, comes over and sits every time we call him, does not jump up, waits to be told to eat his dinner even when it's right under his nose, knows how to drop, stay, fetch toys and even shake hands. Oh, and he jumps in the car now. He's scared of other dogs, probably because he was never socialised as a pup, and also because he was attacked by a pit bull and lost the tip of his left ear. He was even scared of a tiny Chihuahua. He's getting better though, he now has a girlfriend (my friend's gentle German shepherd).

Luca is a big sook and loves rubs from everyone.

What have I done?

2007-01-19T16:51:00.000+11:00

Today I have stooped to a new low.

I just posted my picture on hotornot.com

What was I thinking? Am I that insecure that I need others to tell me I'm attractive? Or maybe I did it expecting the worst and to say "see... even my best-looking photo is not good enough"

Either way, this is totally against my principles! Kids do as I say and not as I do :) It matters more to be beautiful on the inside (though I admit that's a little harder to rate).

Is it REALLY Me?

2007-01-19T16:42:00.000+11:00

Amazing what make up can do, lol :)

Save the Whales!!!

2006-06-08T20:30:00.000+10:00

Everytime I hear about whaling I feel so helpless and sad. How can people kill these beautiful creatures, these gentle giants of the oceans. I watched Catalyst, and they seriously question the validity of Japan's whaling for research.

Seriously, they have enough problems with pollution already.

Please save the whales by joining Greenpeace, I did.

www.greenpeace.org

May you be blessed!

2006-05-05T10:43:00.000+10:00

Click on the link above to see a movie that is my blessing to you.

What am I looking for? (We're moving!)

2006-04-28T16:50:00.000+10:00

I've been there, done that. Jason and I just bought a house, yay!
We're moving this weekend :)
It's gonna be so great not having to pay rent, having our own home. I mean, we've got a mortgage to pay, but we'll deal with it.

So here I am, home-owner... about to finish my double-degree, I have a loving fiancee, I live well and I have the most supportive family one person can hope for.

So why is it that I still feel empty?

Why do I feel so alone sometimes? Why do I feel like sometimes I don't exist and other times I feel like I'm the only one who exists. Why don't anyone understand me?

Why am I so scared that I won't live up to everyone's expectations? Or mine.

My psychologists says maybe I'm yearning for spiritual enlightenment, divinity from within. It strikes a chord. I have been looking for something all my life...
I was born a Catholic, decided to be Anglican (baptised and confirmed), but then dabbled in Wicca and Buddhism before giving up and admitting that as a Chinese descendant I wear Buddhist sandals, a Taoist robe and a Confucian thinking cap. (Add to that holding a bible).

He said when I'm ready I will experience peace within myself, bliss.

I want it so bad.... I want to understand...

2006-04-09T12:57:00.000+10:00

I caught Jason unawares whilst he's drinking his morning juice. Beautiful backdrop... we just love the Aussie bush.

2006-04-09T12:55:00.001+10:00

The view from our tent, looking up.

2006-04-09T12:55:00.000+10:00

Our car and tent in the bush.

2006-04-09T12:54:00.000+10:00

Camping after over 90kms of 4-Wheel Driving. It was raining and muddy, but it was a great trip.

2006-04-09T12:53:00.001+10:00

The cemetary on the side of a hill.

2006-04-09T12:53:00.000+10:00

Jason posing in front of some classic billboards.

2006-04-09T12:52:00.000+10:00

The town of Walhalla. Really nice, quiet town in Victoria. If you go there you have to visit the Gold mine nd the cemetary, very interesting.

2006-04-09T12:51:00.000+10:00

At Walhalla Fire Station.

2006-04-09T12:50:00.000+10:00

Burnt trees on Moe-Walhalla Rd.

2006-04-09T12:49:00.000+10:00

Moe-Walhalla Rd on the way to Walhalla on our camping trip. The Eucalyptus tree are all burnt from recent bushfires. It was quite eerie driving through here imagining the flames that must've soared through.

John Steffensen!!!

2006-03-23T09:51:00.000+11:00

I know I haven't posted anything for a long time, I've been sooooo busy!
Just thought I'd say good onya Johnny!
John Steffensen won Gold in the 400m in an exhilirating race. He's such a character, and a great ambassador for Australia. It's another excellent example of how anyone can migrate to Australia and 'make it', if they just work hard enough for it.

Free Ipods

2006-02-18T15:35:00.000+11:00

Munich - the Movie

2006-01-28T13:55:00.000+11:00

Saw this movie the other day, made me cry. Why do we let the cycle of violence continue? Both sides trying to outdo each other and "make a statement", well the world heard you, so did the thousands of innocent people killed. We're all humans, can't anyone see that?

The movie itself employed excellent cinematography and although it was 3 hours long, the pace was set at a suitable level. Eric Bana was amazing, his accent, his eyes... I really believed him to be the character he was playing. And no, I'm not biased 'cos he's Aussie, he really is a great actor who should be awarded.

I like the ironies in the film, like when the 2 teams from opposing sides had to live together, they managed to find common ground. I won't go into details in case someone reading this haven't seen the movie. Steven Spielberg is a legend, the movie showed both sides of the argument, but he's still a jewish descendant after all, so the movie was more focused on the plight of the Jewish people (they did have it tough).

Bloodshed, people killing other people for thousands of years just for a piece of land. I mean, I can understand how people want a place to call home and I agree they all have some claim over that piece of land, but can't they all just live together in peace? Maybe I'm too naive, or idealistic, or both.

2006-01-27T18:22:00.000+11:00

I climbed the Great Wall, yay!!! (it was steep and cold -5 degrees) 19/12/05.

2006-01-27T18:17:00.000+11:00

Tiananmen in Beijing 18/12/05.

2006-01-27T18:16:00.000+11:00

At a peking duck restaurant in Beijing 20/15/05.

2006-01-27T18:15:00.000+11:00

At our farewell dinner (Japanese restaurant in Shanghai) 16/12/05.

2006-01-27T18:10:00.000+11:00

At our hotel in Shanghai 15/12/05.

2006-01-27T18:09:00.000+11:00

At our hotel in Shanghai 15/12/05.

2006-01-27T18:04:00.000+11:00

We've only been friends for a short time, but he's already like a brother to me. At a temple in Suzhou 07/12/05.

2006-01-27T18:03:00.000+11:00

Such a pretty garden 07/12/05.

2006-01-27T18:02:00.000+11:00

My new friends and I in beautiful SuZhou 07/12/05.

2006-01-27T18:01:00.000+11:00

Our program coordinator, my roommate and I at a temple in Suzhou 07/12/05.

2006-01-27T18:00:00.000+11:00

At lunch in SuZhou 07/12/05.

2006-01-27T17:59:00.002+11:00

The best roommate in the world and I :) 07/12/2005.

2006-01-27T17:59:00.001+11:00

My friends and I in beautiful SuZhou 07/12/05.

2006-01-27T17:59:00.000+11:00

The guys drinking green tea on our boat in SuZhou 07/12/05.

2006-01-27T17:56:00.000+11:00

My friends and I in beautiful SuZhou, I was sooo happy that day, we had so much fun. 07/12/05

2006-01-27T17:49:00.000+11:00

With my Aunty and her friends (my Aunty took care of me when I was in Singapore) in Shanghai at a nice restaurant. 03/12/05

2006-01-27T17:43:00.000+11:00

At a Chinese restaurant in Shanghai (I won't name names, he he) 29/11/05

I'm in Indonesia!!!

2006-01-12T21:29:00.000+11:00

I know I seem to be travelling all over the place these days, and I'm really starting to get sick of packing and unpacking, but Indo is better than I thought. With all the media hype you'd think you wouldn't be able to walk down the street without being kidnapped or seeing a terrorist, but life is pretty normal down here (or up here, depending on your perspective). I mean, the people complain about exorbitant costs and many are still living in poverty, but most Indonesians are peace-loving people, especially in the town I was born in, Bandung. By the way, this is not bias, I was really dreading this trip; I'd just come back from China and missing Jase a lot, we'd just moved to a new house so things are a bit all over the place, plus I have no friends in Indo (I left when I was very young). I had to see my grandma and other relatives though, so I had to come here, bird flu or not. Luckily, even though my Indonesian is a bit rusty, I look Indonesian so there's no chance of me being kidnapped cos I'm a foreigner (unless they see my passport, I guess). But then again. it's probably DFAT being all paranoid (I suppose they have to be, it's their job).

My relatives were really open-minded about my relationship with Jason, surprisingly. My really old (and sometimes senile) grandmother even wanted to keep his picture, which was sweet. I heard of a friend of my sister's best friend marrying a black guy as well and they have a gorgeous kid, brown with squinty asian eyes (aww.... he he he). It really gave me a lot of hope for our future.

Australian terrorists captured!

2005-11-09T15:05:00.000+11:00

As you'd already know, ASIO, AFP and state police raided several homes over the past 2 days in Sydney and Melbourne. (If you were stuck on a ship attacked by pirates or battling avian flu and somehow missed it all, you can read about it here)

I can understand how Muslims as a minority feel they have no voice and that they are being oppressed, but how did this anger progress from simply an emotion, to the action of conspiring to murder thousands of people? Especially since those arrested were mostly Australian citizens, I just can't get my head around it. My thinking is, how would they feel if someone they loved died as a result of a terrorist attack? To any reasonable person this should be enough to stop whatever it is they were planning to do. But no, apparently, these people are fanatics, extremists, unreasonable people who care about nothing but their cause, their jihad or holy war.

How does one become a fanatic then, I wonder. These people who were arrested look like normal people to me, does one have to be one to recognise another? Mind you, I've had destructive thoughts before, but I'd never act on them. (AFP officers, please note the emphasis on NEVER)

*sigh*... I guess I'll never get it.

Notice on word verification

2005-11-09T13:49:00.000+11:00

Just a note that I had to turn on word verification to avoid comment spamming.

Politics exam!

2005-11-09T13:16:00.000+11:00

Just had my politics exam today (Yay!) and I think I went alright. First essay was on human rights in China, second essay on women in China (which unfortunately I didn't have enough time to finish). Here's a what I think I wrote on the human rights one:

Does China have a poor record on ‘human rights’?
With the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games fast approaching, China has commanded much of the international community’s attention. Fuelled by massive economic growth, some even claim that it will become the next superpower. Locally, Australia is negotiating a Free Trade Agreement that is expected to boost our economy and transform our current political and economic climate.

Yet even with all this exciting progress – or perhaps because of it, the criticisms to the Chinese government for its ‘human rights’ abuses continues, the most widely-publicised being the Tiananmen massacre in 1989 and the occupation of Tibet. Less well known but just as controversial are the oppression of workers, restrictions on freedom of speech and inadequacies of the law. Proving that it was not insensitive to foreign pressure, the Chinese government’s Information Office of the State Council published a lengthy and defensive argument, popularly known as the ‘white paper’, in 1991. In it, the government emphasised that the practice of ‘human rights’ differs from country to country, depending on their historical and cultural background. They argued that, “the issue of human rights falls… within the sovereignty of each country” and as such, foreign countries should not judge China based on their own circumstances. Additionally, the government declared that with the influence of ‘Asian values’, the rights of the individual will never be more important than that of the collective good. Furthermore, the paper maintained that China has progressed substantially in the past century and that the current government has done remarkably well in improving the protection of ‘human rights’ (Information Office of the State Council, 1991).

Nevertheless, independent, non-governmental organisations, such as Amnesty International, are outraged that anyone who speaks out for their rights in China is likely to suffer violations of their human rights. Some are punished under sweeping legislation that virtually outlaws any expression of dissent. Others are victims of officials who abuse the law and their authority, to silence or intimidate those who try to defend their rights. Authorities have demonstrated that they are willing to use any means, whether legal or illegal, to ‘maintain stability’.

This ‘stability’ was feared to be under threat when student demonstrations sparked by Hu Yaobang’s[1] death gathered momentum. The students protested against corruption and the slowness of political reform, they were also worried about inflation and the effects it has on fixed incomes. The People’s Liberation Army was ordered to halt these demonstrations, and their clash with student demonstrators in Beijing became the infamous ‘Tiananmen massacre’, where at least 1000 people were killed and thousands more injured (Mackerras et al, 1998). In April 1991, officials estimate that nearly 800 people had been tried and sentenced in Beijing alone in connection with the 1989 protests. They did not say what happened to the thousands of others who were detained. In fact, many were tried in provincial cities and others were held for long periods without trial. In the years since 1989 repression has continued, with many dissidents detained annually. In January 1991 Chen Yanbin and Zhang Yafei, two young unemployed men, were sentenced in Beijing to 15 and 11 years’ imprisonment respectively for carrying out “counter-revolutionary propaganda and incitement” and forming a “counter-revolutionary group” (Amnesty International).

Similarly, workers who have attempted to organize independent labour groups or to stand up for workers’ rights have been imprisoned or detained. Only one official trade union exists in China, the All China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU). It is the only trade union allowed to represent workers. In May 1989, during the pro-democracy movement, groups of workers in various cities formed Workers Autonomous Federations (WAFs) as an alternative to the ACFTU. The WAFs were short-lived: following the 4 June 1989 crackdown, the authorities banned them and their organizers were arrested and prosecuted on “counter-revolutionary” charges (ibid). In early 1992, another new group, the Preparatory Committee of the Free Labour Union of China (PCFLUC), distributed leaflets in Beijing encouraging workers to form free trade unions. Three or four of the organizers were secretly arrested by plain-clothed police officers without warrants in May and June 1992 during large-scale arrests of pro-democracy activists. After the arrests, a letter of appeal from the group reached the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in Geneva. The letter said that workers in China are deprived of their rights of free speech and assembly, and their right to strike. It also spoke of the deterioration of workers’ rights since the start of the economic reforms in the late 1970s (Amnesty International). In 1993, some 2 million workers lost their jobs in the northeastern province of Heilongjiang. In March, about 100,000 workers took to the streets in the province’s two major cities, Harbin and Quqhaer, to protest pay cuts (Chan and Sanser, 1997). However, the government has resisted strikes all over China that demand decent wages and better working conditions such as these.

Just as infamous as the Tiananmen massacre is China’s occupation of Tibet. Despite claims by the Chinese government that Tibet has always been a part of China, the Dalai Lama, Tibet’s rightful leader, is still living in exile since China’s military invasion. According to the Australian Tibet Council, the boy identified by the Dalai Lama as the reincarnation of the previous Panchen Lama[2] is still in captivity after more than ten years of imprisonment. Furthermore, the government has been sponsoring many Han Chinese[3] to migrate to Tibet, and it is now difficult for native Tibetans to find jobs in their own homeland. Groups of people and individuals have been jailed in Tibet for circulating information about human rights issues, and those who exhibited rebellion are accused of trying to split the country.

Although in the white paper the Chinese government claims that China has no political prisoners, the justice ministry admits to holding 2,700 people in jail for “counter-revolutionary offences” (Wilson, 1997). The government had described at length the guarantee of human rights in China’s judicial system, however all trials concerned with “counter-revolutionary activities” may be held in secret. The judicial system in reality permits sentencing before the actual trial, the concept of ‘innocent until proven guilty’ is considered a “bourgeois western aberration”. Conviction rates were extremely high; in 1997, about 99 percent of tried suspects were found guilty (Mackerras, op cit). At one stage, China had some 2000 labour camps with a total population of 10 million. The government’s figures show that there is an average of 200,000 new admissions to labour camps each year (Amnesty International).

Even though the Chinese government declares that “strict control is exercised over the use of capital punishment in China” and that it is only applied to “criminals who are guilty of the most heinous crimes”, according to Amnesty International, China executed at least 4,367 people in 1996 – more than all other countries combined. The judicial process was reported to be fast and brutal, in spite of the government’s denials. In one case, a man was arrested, tried, sentenced and executed in the space of six days (The Economist, 1997). People have been executed for, among other things, hooliganism and stealing.

The Chinese government has stated that it recognizes the universality of UN human rights standards, but it also argues that states must be free to implement these standards according to their specific cultural, historical and political circumstances. In practice, such freedom has amounted to state violations of basic human rights. To their defence, other Asian countries such as Singapore and Malaysia also believe in the ‘Asian values’ theory. In addition, the popularity of Confucianism in China does explain the absence of the notion of individual rights. In fact, the dominant feature of Confucianism is “a pervasive hostility to the notion of personal autonomy and individualism” (Pye, 1991).

So would it be fair to say that the assertion of ‘Asian values’ is simply a cloak, created by an arrogant regime whose newly-gained confidence from rapidly growing economic power makes it all the more resistant to outside criticism? Does it have any intellectual substance? Though academics have explored the understanding of human rights in various Asian contexts, the assertion of ‘Asian values’ gains political prominence only when it is articulated in government rhetoric and official statements. In asserting these values, the Chinese government find that they have a convenient tool to silence internal criticism and to fan anti-Western nationalist sentiments. At the same time, cultural relativists, cultural supremacists, and isolationists alike welcome the concept as fresh evidence for their various positions against a political liberalism that defends universal human rights and democracy. Thus, the ‘Asian values’ debate provides an occasion to reinvigorate deliberation about the foundations of human rights, the sources of political legitimacy, and the relation between modernity and cultural identity.

The Chinese government has made the following claims about the so-called ‘Asian view’ of human rights:

Claim I: Rights are ‘culturally specific’. Human rights emerge in the context of particular social, economic, cultural and political conditions. The circumstances that prompted the institutionalization of human rights in the West do not exist in Asia. However, international human rights law is not the product of one cultural tradition. It has emerged over the past 50 years from the UN, which at present has 185 member states. Most international human rights instruments, starting with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), have been accepted by the General Assembly where all member states speak and vote.

Claim II: The community takes precedence over individuals. The importance of the community in Asian culture is incompatible with that of the individual, upon which the Western notion of human rights is based. The relationship between individuals and communities constitutes the key difference between Asian and Western cultural values. Human rights and the rule of law, according to the ‘Asian view’, are individualistic by nature and hence destructive of Asia’s social mechanism. Increasing rates of violent crime, family breakdown, homelessness, and drug abuse are cited as evidence that Western individualism (particularly the American variety) has failed. On the other hand, international human rights law is not solely concerned with civil and political rights, nor does it deal solely with the rights of the individual. Many of its provisions stress social, cultural and collective rights, and there is recognition of the duties individuals have towards others and the community at large.

Claim III: Social and economic rights take precedence over civil and political rights. The Chinese government rank social and economic rights and the right to economic development over individuals’ political and civil rights. The Chinese government stated, “To eat their fill and dress warmly were the fundamental demands of the Chinese people who had long suffered cold and hunger” (Information Office of the State Council, 1991). To them, the primary human right is subsistence, with which China has done very well in improving. Political and civil rights, on this view, do not make sense to the poor and illiterate masses; such rights are not meaningful under destitute and unstable conditions. It is important to note here of the promise that once people’s basic needs are met – once they are adequately fed, clothed, and educated – and the social order is stable; the luxury of civil and political rights will be extended to them. In the meantime, Chinese citizens are led to believe that economic development will be achieved more efficiently if the leaders are authorized to restrict individuals’ political and civil rights for the sake of political stability. According to the Vienna Declaration, however, “while development facilitates the enjoyment of all human rights, the lack of development may not be invoked to justify the abridgement of internationally recognized human rights” (Amnesty International). The need to feed the hungry cannot justify committing torture and there should be no hierarchy of human rights.

Claim IV: Rights are a matter of national sovereignty. The right of a nation to self-determination includes a government’s domestic jurisdiction over human rights. Human rights are internal affairs, not to be interfered with by foreign states or multinational agencies. The Chinese government contend that the West’s attempt to apply universal standards of human rights to developing countries is disguised cultural imperialism and an attempt to obstruct their development. In effect, they are rejecting one of the most remarkable and enduring developments since the founding of the UN: the recognition that there are universal minimum human rights guarantees, which all states must abide by, and that the international community has a right and duty to hold all states to account if they fail to respect these rights. It is a principle reflected in the development of international human rights law and practice, a principle that was reaffirmed when all UN member states agreed to the Vienna document, which proclaimed “...the promotion and protection of all human rights is a legitimate concern of the international community” (ibid). While supporting human rights scrutiny in some other countries, the Chinese government maintains its stance of ‘non-interference’ in its own internal affairs.The government has frequently accused its critics of exploiting human rights issues for political ends. With some justification, it has also accused other governments of hypocrisy, pointing out that they too are guilty of human rights violations. Such accusations, however, do nothing to lessen the gravity of China’s poor record and suggest that the authorities are seeking to avoid responsibility. In its report, Amnesty International slammed China for preventing independent domestic or international scrutiny of its human rights record. According to them, China is giving the impression that it has much to hide. Even so, the secrecy has not prevented accounts of gross human rights violations from reaching the international arena, although it does indicate that the scale of human rights violations may be far worse than what is acknowledged. This secrecy also suggests that Chinese authorities may still believe they can “do what they like to people and are not accountable for their actions” (Amnesty International).

[1] Hu Yaobang was General Secretary of the CCP, dismissed from his post in 1978 and died on 15 April 1989. He was a hero to many students because he stood up for the kinds of reforms they wanted.
[2] The Panchen Lama is the Dalai Lama’s right hand man. Tibetans believe that like the Dalai Lama, the Panchen Lama will reincarnate; his most important responsibility is to identify the next Dalai Lama.
[3] The Han Chinese makes up about 95% of the Chinese population, with the other 5% comprising of over 50 different ethnic minorities.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose - the movie

2005-11-06T10:28:00.000+11:00

Saw it the other day - really good movie. Won't say much about it, except that I believe it can and probably did happen.

2005-11-03T11:30:00.000+11:00

Digweed pix - Blogger didn't work so had to use hello. Thanks again to www.ellway.com.au!

2005-11-03T10:12:00.000+11:00

A friend, my fiancee and I @ Digweed

2005-11-03T10:10:00.000+11:00

Us @ Digweed

2005-11-03T10:09:00.000+11:00

Me @ Digweed

John Digweed @ QBH 31/10/2005

2005-11-03T08:58:00.000+11:00

We went to Queens Bridge Hotel (next to Crown in Melbourne) to see John Digweed and check out their new renovations. Absolutely fantastic. You can see a review here (inthemix review). QBH has always had an excellent sound system, but now it's even better. A couple of large LCD monitors now grace the stage to complement the projector screens, and it's great to see they kept the laser lights that always dazzles the crowd. The renovations have opened the main room up a bit so there's more space and the acoustics seem to have improved, they filled out the dance floor too, making it safer for people who previously had to negotiate steps when mentally incapacitated and physically squashed by thousands of dancers (not that I've experienced it first hand - he he...)

The crowd was a bit older (as you'd expect) but generally not as friendly as other gigs we've been to, which was a surprise because usually older crowds are much better. We saw some old friends and other familiar faces though, it made the night that much more memorable (if you're reading this, you know who you are).

Digweed himself turned the packed crowd into dancing puppets, his 5-hour set could only be described as pure genius. He took us on a journey of progressive/electro sounds, mixing heart-thumping rhythms with brain-melting melodies. No one wanted to leave until he finished his set (at 6am!), when we got out it was already morning.

Anyways, I'll stop blabbing on and upload some pics for yas :)
(PS: Thanks to www.ellway.com.au for these pics, he's always at gigs taking pics so we don't need to take our own cams - his prints are pretty cheap too)

The right thing???

2005-10-21T09:53:00.000+10:00

If I did the right thing, then why don't I feel that great about it?

My boss overpaid me 3 hours, normally I wouldn't have noticed, but I happened to read my payslip this week. Jason (my fiancee) said don't tell anyone, but I was scared of bad karma so this morning I told my boss, so next week that extra money will be taken out of my pay.

I mean, 3 hours is not that much money for me, but it would've paid for the T-shirts I bought at Chadstone yesterday.

So I did the right thing right? I should feel better about myself, right?

WRONG.

I feel like I should've kept it now, considering fuel prices etc... I'm broke, and they obviously didn't miss the money, it means more to me than to them.

My principles suck.

2005-10-17T09:23:00.000+10:00

My fiancee and I

2005-10-15T18:51:00.000+10:00

Me at our fishing trip!
Me at our fishing trip!

Hey hey! The Legend of the Procrastinator...

2005-10-15T17:36:00.000+10:00

So here I was, sitting on the couch in a dark room whilst outside the sun's shining and birds are chirping in spring's harmony. Nature, how can you mock me so? You know damn well I have an essay and a presentation to finish by Monday and yet you present me with such nice, distractingly enticing outside weather.

Somewhere along the line I convinced myself that creating this account is a compromise between actually doing work and relaxing. Hence here I am. Wasting time. As always.

I thought I was getting somewhere, but after 6 hours of continuing eye strain my sanity is the only part of me going somehere. Okay, a slight exaggeration, but I seriously am sick of this. I thought University is meant to encourage learning and constructive thinking, not resentment and the feeling that I'm wasting my time when I could be earning big bucks working full-time. I hate feeling tired all the time, I hate having to have 3 part-time jobs to support myself, and I absolutely hate it when people assume I have it easy!

Right.

I'm not normally this negative, it's been a bad day.
But who noticed?