The Mythological Perspective in the Human Experience

What is Thought? What is Emotion? These fundamental daily experiences have always been the crux of studies to understand what it means to be human. Some scientists even went on to assert that this is the fundamental difference that distinguish any non-human living species in the planet and humans. Yet time and time again, these hypothesises found results that prove them otherwise; that animals do have some degree of thought and emotion. But if it is a matter of degree, then it is very likely that over time, animals could evolve to have sophisticated levels of thought. However, in my opinion, they never will be able to, atleast, until we find out the key to our control of the Thought domain. It may be in our genes, or it may exist in the Thought domain itself but once we do find it, any living animals with the similar physical makeup as humans could be primed to think like us.

Perspectives

So, let us take a step backward from this understanding and I will try to explain the above hypothesis and then my judgments and reservations for it. Firstly, I would like to introduce the concept of perspectives for this will help me to define the nature of the aforementioned human experiences. An easy example would be in a case of if I see a person running, my perspective of the person might be that he/she is in a hurry. However, another person viewing this event may perceive the same event as the person trying to get away from somebody else. This may not actually be the best example because the truth-value of the event is based on an artificially constructed event, thus it is possible to find out the reason for the person running (by asking the person why he/she is running).

A better example would be in the encoding of events in languages. In English, it is a salient structure of the language to encode the Agent of an action in one’s utterance. For example, in ‘Tom broke the window’, Tom would be the Agent of the action of ‘breaking’. However, in some languages such as Japanese, it is unmarked (or more common) to state the result of the event without the Agent. So, in Japanese, it would be perfectly fine to say “The window broke”. Both languages state an actual truth event, the same event even, but encodes different perspectives of it. These language examples brings forth the point that there could be two distinct ‘minds’ to process a true event.

True event

What then is a true event? A true event, like the above example, is an occurrence in the realm of existence; an occurrence that is irrefutable to its essence and which encompasses every domains and perspectives however one looks at it. For example, if a ‘rock’ in the Physical domain is the point of focus, every aspect of the rock is a true event. That includes the Time domain, where you view it from the point of its past to its future as it slowly erodes. It includes the Electromagnetic domain and the Light domain. It includes the Thought domain which is the overlying domain for Language. It includes all the conceivable domain we can think of when we examine the rock but it also includes domains which is true in which we just do not know how to see from that viewpoint. The reason we cannot understand an inconceivable domain is due to fundamental elements or properties in the nature of the foreign domain which makes it ‘true’ but because you do not know, are not imbued with the key to perceive it or you do not place enough importance towards it, you cannot ‘see’ it or ‘understand’ it. An example would be Cave Crickets which do not have eyes, thus they are not imbued with the key to perceive the Light domain. Thus, all these domains are simply perspectives of how to view an absolute event in existence.

What I am propagating here is that Thought is from an inconceivable foreign domain than the physical one we live in. In fact, we examine our physical world through the notion of Thought, thus, our physical world is perceived through a Thought perspective.

Thought Domain

Thought then belongs to one of the inconceivable domains in a true event. It is inconceivable because as human beings, we are Thought-based beings which means that our perspectives on everything is through the notion of Thought. How then could you examine the Thought domain? We can use the example of Linguists in their attempts to examine a foreign language. As the foreign language may encode anything including things which may not be encoded in the Linguists own native language, Linguists are pushed to use indirect methods to probe and discover the meanings in the new language. They do so by asking universal questions, deconstructing language to its simplest form or asking how one thing can be categorised into another. What eventually happens is, we could break the language down to universal semantic concepts and then recursively use Language or a metalanguage to understand and explain the foreign Language. In the same light, we can use Thought to examine Thought by probing at its properties from indirect methods. This method is not really a perfect methodology to understanding the ‘nature’ of Thought but, it is the best we can do as we are Thought-based beings. Understanding, in human terms, is Thought.

I will try listing some methods on how to understand this Thought domain. One way is by probing the Thought domain itself, by trying to understand how we could understand. One method is to actually examine our Language. Where when I say Language I refer not only to verbal language, but to any other forms of communication like gestures, behaviours, drawings and creations. Language is actually the point in which the Thought domain crosses into the Physical domain. Before Language, Thought remains in its ethereal realm, unable to be expressed. It is through Language, the transitive device of Thought that enables Thought to be expressed and transmitted to other beings capable of receiving this information (Thought). Thus, in a way, Thought is encoded into our Languages and to examine Language, we are examining Thought itself (although not all of it). Another method we could try to examine Thought is by examining its corresponding Biological grounding in the human species. We all know that Thought is imbued in each and every human being independently and this means that there is some form of connection with our physiological physical self and the Thought domain, like a satellite antenna receiving signal from the air. Many proposed that our brain holds the key to this Thought domain and thus researches are focused on this particular organ in order to understand the realm of Thought. Others try to attribute it to particular genes which holds the key to Thought. Whatever it is, we still do not know how Thought is biologically grounded, fundamentally, in our beings and the search is thus on to find this elusive key.

Emotive domain

The other human experience pointed out in the opening lines of this essay is emotions. I singled out this domain with the Thought domain because both are in their own way inherent in the human self. In this light, I think it is fair to say that emotions belong to an altogether separate domain from the Physical and the Thought domain. The Emotive domain, like the other two domains, is universal in its nature; enabling any entity predisposed with the ability to tap into the domain to perceive it. It appears to be inherent in humans and animals because they both are able to feel and express it into the physical world. However, unlike the Physical domain, the Emotive domain remains unobservable in a physical form. It is different from Thought because Thought, through language or other forms of communication, is transmittable. Emotions on the other hand cannot be ‘understood’ except with the self-experience of the emotion itself. That means that if a person is to explain the term sadness to a person who have not yet experienced sadness, that person can go on and on to try to explain this emotion but the other person will never be able to ‘understand’ what sadness really mean. Interestingly, the Emotive domain is a domain where humans do not have the ability to manipulate. As humans are Thought-based beings, we instead manipulate thoughts to indirectly incite the Emotive domain or exert a force to it. We use Thought to describe emotions and thus, sometimes, our explanations of our feelings does not do justice to the feelings we are actually exeriencing. We can also use a cloak of Thoughts to hide or cloak our emotions from the Physical domain by spinning stories about what we are actually feeling and telling people we are feeling something that we actually are not.

Some people say that females are more in touch with their emotions than men which is an interesting notion to look into. If females really are more in touch with the Emotive domain, how will or will it then affect the processing of the other domains? In another view, biologists also posit that our chemical hormones play a large part in us experiencing these emotions. This could possibly mean that the Emotive domain is a part of the Physical domain whereby the changes or introduction of chemical compounds in our body simply results in the difference in emotions we have. The changes in our body composition thus then exerts a force onto our Thought domain, causing us to perceive these different “emotions”.

There are other domains, of course that I can further elaborate on such as perhaps the Temperature domain or Light domain, both of which are inherent in the human being. However, these other domains appear to be strongly associated and affected by the Physical domain. There are many researches which were done to uncover these domains and more often than not, these studies fall under the category of Physics. To keep the essay short, I will not be elaborating more on them.

Humans vs non-humans

Understanding that the nature of the two fundamental human experiences is unlike the plainly observable physical world allows us to explain the difference between humans and animals. Clearly, humans appear to have free role in manipulating the Thought environment while animals have difficulty in doing so. Human beings are able to construct elaborate imaginaries and stories in the Thought plane, manipulate it and then use this Thought construction to exert a force to the physical world. This Thought domain is like an added layer of dimension like Time and where the two domains touches, enables human to construct unnatural and surreal constructions in the physical world. Examples of the kinds of force which can be asserted into this world is breath-taking. Just look at the skyscrapers, space shuttles and even the handphone in this world. Formerly, these things were conceptualised in the Thought plane and then abstractly manipulated in the mind of someone (or minds of a group of people, due to the transitive property of Thought) and then afflicted into the physical world where the Thought could then become ‘real’ or ‘true’ in the physical sense. The ability to manipulate this layer of the Thought domain enables us to reign supreme over the other species in the planet by exerting a force which cannot be matched by rudimentary physical existentialism.

But animals do to a certain degree experience and at least perceive this Thought domain. Countless of studies were done in which animals like chimpanzees do exhibit a form of culture and ability to use abstract Thought to manipulate the physical environment. They can produce rudimentary tools, learn a limited language to communicate but that appears to be the extent of their encounter with the Thought domain. It is so limited that it appears as if they are unable to consciously manipulate it.

One example from the initial observation by Jane Goodall’s landmark study of apes was that apes appear to be unable to hide their emotions. A chimpanzee was observed to attempt to hide a bunch of bananas from its group but was so overcome with its gleeful emotion that it started to unwillingly attract the attention of the others to its mischievous ‘attempt’. This shows that animals, do not have the Thought-manipulative capabilities to cloak their emotions well.

The Key

So, what enables us to experience this Thought which animals just cannot grasp in a similar manner? I don’t know and in fact there is no answer up till now, or we would have been able to make animals ‘civilised’ by now. Anthropologists have tried working through the history of mankind and tried determining the exact moment when Homo Sapiens, the anatomically thinking modern man, existed. Even before our so-called species existed, there are in fact different types of species which resembled the Homo Sapiens. For example, Homo Habilis, the ‘handy man’ who are said to be the ancestors of our species. They almost resemble humans but had longer arms and larger craniums like primates. But they could manipulate tools and there existed some form of culture or simple manipulation of thought. Yet, even after existing for thousands and thousands of years before the Homo Sapiens, it was not possible for the Homo Habilis to improve on their manipulation of this Thought domain, as reflected by their stagnant primitive stone technology. This contrasts with the Homo Sapiens species which, upon their first existence about 160 000 years ago, was able to continuously improve their manipulation of their environment rapidly and exponentially such that it would have been possible for a new technology inconceivable 50 years ago, to be developed within that frame of time. Even a separate Human species called the Neanderthals failed to reach the threshold of the Homo Sapiens ability to manipulate the Thought domain and their inability may have resulted in their well-documented extinction with the coming of the first Homo Sapiens, probably in the hands of the new species itself. Scientists working on the phenomena of mankind’s rapid history pointed out to a temporally distinct moment in world’s history that had led a particular species to suddenly be more advanced than all the other species and enable that species to create ‘culture’. Some call that first man Prometheus. Some call him Adam. Whatever that happened altered the course of the physical domain and all the other species.

Thus, now we are in the stage of finding this elusive key which explains our ability to manipulate the Thought domain. What is this key? Is it in a freak combination of genes? If this is the case, we should continuously and rigorously find for this specific ‘Master’ gene. Or perhaps it remains in the Thought domain itself, which means finding it will be even harder because its existence (shape, substance, essence etc) is altogether unknown. Finding this key would enable us to pass on this ability to all the other species and enable them to develop culture and manipulate the Thought environment just like we do. There is this story in a religion that told that towards the end of the World, a large indicator of the coming Armageddon would be the emergence of talking animals. In this regard, perhaps mankind might have found the key to the ability to manipulate Thought.

The Mythological Perspective of the Human Experience

From this initial hypothesis of Thought as a separate domain, I would finally be able to explain the topic of my essay ‘The mythological perspective of the human experience’.  Everything, and I mean everything can be, and should be able to be, explained by the ‘mythological perspective.’ The mythological experience is human’s experience of the Thought domain; how we manipulate it and how we understand the world through it. I was reading this book called Sapiens: A brief history of humankind by Yuval Noah Harari and the ideas broached by this book had really intrigued me. In Chapter 2, Harari propagated the notion of myths as a defining feature of mankind. It is myths that we based our every perception, logic and culture on. It is myths that explains everything that we ‘know’. From this standpoint, we can use myths to explain everything that is relativistic and human culture related.

The Individual

Take the example of the individual. How is one human being different from another human being? We can say it is his identity that differentiates him. But what then, is his identity? The broad answer is: his identity is his myth. His identity is the stories of and about him. From the point of his birth, stories spread of his existence all the way until even after the moment he dies. How was he like? What did he do? As a child, as he grows up, he starts doing things; transmitting his Thoughts to people, invoking emotions in people and crucially, exerting a force into the physical world. His outwards manipulation of the physical domain enabled him to be noticed and immortalised as the identity that he is, and he marks himself in the Thought domain of others. Long after he is gone, if his mark on the physical, emotive and especially thought world lives on, his myth will continue to survive.

A name

A person’s name is a marker of an identity. A name is a mental construct. It is not real in the physical domain but it is very real in the thought domain, at least to its inheritor and its name giver. As a person starts to do things, the person starts to create stories and attributes it to this name. In this respect, it is also possible to change one’s name, and in doing so, lose the myths surrounding this name. That is the reason why some people might wish to change one’s name; to lose a particular negative myth and to render that myth obsolete.

In fact, names could even possibly exert a great force in the physical domain such as to even be able to determine the future success of the inheritor. That is the reason why name givers may go to great lengths to choose a suitable name for their name receiver, like naming them after a famous person like Alexander or a Biblical name like Abraham, in hopes that the person could create a myth as great as their successful namesakes. Gal Goddot (lit. meaning riverbank waves), the actress who played Wonder Woman, was named as such by her parents in their hopes that she would be a star. Taylor Swift, such a catchy name as it is, was also named for exactly the same reason.

Inherited myths

The power that goes with naming actually does imply that an identity can also inherit a past myth. This is reflected in the social constructions of perfectivity or what it means to be perfect in the eyes of this world. This includes concepts such as the ideal beauty and even racial prejudices. If a person is born with certain physical traits that reflects the ongoing myths of perfectivity of the day, people will attribute these ‘positive’ myths onto this person even without the person doing anything yet. Unfortunately, the obverse is true. These ongoing myths, physically marked by one’s genetic attributes, marks the person with ‘negative’ myths and thus results in things such as racial prejudices, occupational prejudices or even height prejudices to be inflicted onto the marked person.

To reiterate a good point, a myth is not a lie, but it is a story which people believe in. A lie is a myth which people do not believe in, so in its essence it does not constitute a solid construction in the Thought domain until it is able to convince another being about its existence. In this matter, it is dangerous for negative myths to continue to pervade because it can physically alter a person or society. In a book titled The Myth of the Lazy Native by Syed Hussein Alatas on prejudices based on mistaken facts on the Malay people resulted in this race of natives to embrace this negative notion and even propagate this myths on their own volition, almost like a symbol of pride and marker for their racial identity. A myth, or the conscious manipulation of another person’s Thought domain, is really not something to be taken lightly about.

A Company

Above the individual, we can have the myth of the Company. A company is a social construction, an ingenuity, really, of humanity which allows an entirely physically non-existent entity to exist only in the Thought domain of people. Take for example the Coca-Cola company. We can say that the Coca-cola company consists of its thousands of workers, its factories and its products. However, take away any of these three elements and the Coca-Cola Company can still exist. The Coca-cola Company thus takes on a true identity in at least in the Thought domain without having the need to have a physical marker (although it would help if it did).

A Religion

In fact, any social ‘beliefs’ can be explained through the point of view of the mythological perspective. The way the hypothesis has been growing, it is almost easy to simply group Religion as simply one of myths created by mankind. Perhaps it is created by great story-tellers of yore, but in my belief, Religion holds the answer to the true events of existence thus it cannot be entirely created and manipulated in the minds of a person. The Bible was created in a way that God inspires men to write it as it is. The Quran states that God reveals the content of the Quran exactly as He intended it to be revealed to a Prophet messenger. Both events accounts for an All-Encompassing Being to be able to influence the Thought domain of men. In fact, the notion of myths may even be God’s best way of communicating directly to humankind. As we know, we just do not know the essence of or how the Thought domain really is so we cannot say it is simply a human constructed myth or otherwise. But, it is plausible.

A Relationship

In relationships, one creates myths with another being also predisposed with the same potential to create their own myths. This means that the two beings will have created a new identity that marks the two being as ‘together’, another layer of myth. What holds this relationship together could possibly be shared myths of experiences, the ability to touch each other’s Emotive domain or even the myth of responsibilities towards one’s biological children.

A Purpose to Life

Existentialism is probably one of the most debated about topic in every one’s mind. What is the purpose of life? Why are we alive? The following explanation is only an elaboration derived from the mythological perspective concept which remains largely unresolved until there are advancements on what we know of the Thought domain. Essentially, we are Thought-based beings, thus in its derivative logic, we are living in the Thought environment. Our purpose in life has got something to do with the Thought domain, be it immortalising ourselves there or something along this line. As long as our Thought Self exist and is tied to our Physical Self, we are said to be ‘alive’. But what then happens when our Physical shell dies? Will our Thought Self disappear too? From then it would simply be speculation, we can never know unless we actually die, find something in the Thought domain that tells us something about death or find something in Religion that may tell us something which is true about death.

Conclusion

I can go on and on talking about just about anything based on this perspective but I believe I have covered the essentials for a fundamental cornerstone on the “Mythological Perspective on the human experience”. In the entirety of this essay, I have first broached on the difference between the different domains by explaining about perspectives. In the second part of my essay, I then elaborated on the Thought domain and finally I used this elaboration to explain the Mythological perspective on our everyday life in which I gave examples to further this perspective. There are perhaps holes in this concept or many other things I could have talked about on, thus I welcome your telling criticism. After all, we all stand to gain with the better understanding of this myth.

Diary Entry: A New Drive

Recently, several things happened which made me re-evaluate my future directions. Up till, well, about a week ago, if someone were to ask me what I wanted to do after my University course (in Linguistics), I suppose I would have told them a hazy answer or simply "I don't know" or, I believe, I would tell the questioner the career prospects of Linguistics Major students without telling them my own preference.

The actual fact is, I used to really don't. Why did I choose to join Linguistics then? My answer back then was probably because I wanted to find out about society; why people act as they do or why are people presumably preprogrammed to be a certain way. I never felt the answer is embedded in the individual state of mind and is in fact, due to social structural coupling with one's environment (I am the product of my environment).  A part of my determination to find this out was because of certain characteristics and behaviour of people around me which starkly contrasts to my model of what being normal was and how it seemed to me as if people are somehow thinking differently than I was about everything from work to social activities. And many serious readings later, I felt that Language must hold an extremely vital key to understanding society for Language is like a barometer of culture. That was why I initially chose to take up Linguistics. I chose due to my piqued desire to understand my world, and was not necessarily motivated by my future prospects.

I grew frustrated with how human systems in real life works, how inefficient things are done and how, almost stagnant life appeared to be. Thus, I wanted to be in a position to exact change in society's structure and watch how people can change to what I thought will be a better system to live in. I wanted to be a lawyer. A lawyer creates the fundamental blocks of the society. Without law, there is chaos. A lawyer have enormous autonomy and they are the people who actually KNOW society for what it is. They have to be the masters of every profession and know the workings of the said profession's social structure to be able to do their job competently. For example, if they were to work on a lawsuit involving a Chemical company, they have to know the workings of the chemical industry to be able to offer help which even the chemical industry specialists are unable to provide. I also thought of being perhaps, a doctor. I once witnessed a private doctor attempting to diagnose a patient when I was on duty as an ambulance medic. Doctors have enormous autonomy in their specific field as they have to truly understand the complex human bodies and why it is as it is in different conditions. I witnessed this doctor as he slowly probed here and questioned there and after a lengthy process, came up with a solution to a woman's intense stomach pain. The doctor understood what he was doing and he was not simply going through "strict" and "mindless" procedures which he do not understand of its rationality; he understood the reason behind every of his actions. That interested me immensely of course, because I wanted to know why things are as it is. A doctor felt like as if they hold a key to "truth" itself! Of course, I do know the financial stability and attractiveness of these jobs and I believe they also influenced my decision in choosing these specialised occupation. However, due to my ignorance and self-pitying mentality in JC, the prospect of these occupations seems too far. At the very least, I also thought that I could jump ship to medical school after a year in Linguistics if all things goes well. I don't subscribe to the part of creating a better system for society now, for I have learnt through experience that what you think is good may not actually be good, even if you are the master of the subject. Society is as it is due to some reason you just have yet to uncover.

A certain experience in NS also made me reflect on my future and how bleak and uncertain it really was, but the experience also interestingly made me understand a lot about myself; what I like and what I am. Many people said I am weird, so I suppose my actions and motivations are incompatible of general society but it is what I feel to be right. I really do like to try new things and meet new people and then attempt to understand them. And back then, during my national service days,  I flitted around and experienced many things. Acting in a local film where I met famous actors, a talented film crew and film hobbyists, joined a Meditation interest group where I met Meditation enthusiasts and international "masters", clubbing with NS friends from my training phase and tried to make friends with Ah Bengs and international students, taking up debates in Philosophy interest groups etc. It really interests me to find out the rationale behind why these certain parts of society work and why people do these certain things. My junior medics, in particular, was a simply fascinating prospect to try to understand. During my stint as an ambulance medic, my closest friend I had was this gangster who had all this inherent predispositions about society. I had an absolute fascinating time trying to understand from his point of view during the long hours just talking with him as we lie around talking about life. Its not rationality or logic that governs really dense social networks sometimes, but inherent culture and I actually started to understand a lot from his point of view (which he takes a very strong stance on) about the way things are! Also, later on, two junior medics came into the station, who are both international students (that exclusive segregated group of rich kids brought up in an "ang moh" environment). Their mannerisms and even rationalism was so intriguing. They brought about a different culture of rationality and logic based on really sound reasoning. (I would advise you to not argue against them without prior practice or you will look like the fool.) And these culture is so deep it appears in all the social activities they partake in. For example, my gangster buddy enjoys partaking in "stupid" pranks - mindless pranks meant to hurt another person's so-called esteem and expound on one's already perceived social characteristics. For example, continuously insinuating someone about someone's baldness and weight or tying another person up and then tickling them as a "present". On the other hand, my "ang moh" friends partake in creative banter which tries to insinuate someone through a logical pattern of predetermined concepts about life but they somehow seem to take into account other people's working of their own minds in the process. So, when they banter, they seemingly synchronise with another person's thought patterns and logically deduce another person's ability to match their line of thought but also with an end goal of not harming and possibly enhancing their own status quo. A lot of rationality goes behind such actions.
Thus, before I diverge too much, I wish to conclude this way. All my actions are motivated along this desire: To experience and to understand. Once things start to feel mundane and once things appear to have a basis of commitment which "drags" me into a "comfort zone", that is when I start to feel bogged down by life. I simply cannot stay in one place and must be in a position to do something else and I felt that if I become too "close" with people, it would mean that I am entering into a cycle of conformity and comfort zone which I dread. My mind would be simply bursting to even commit to maintain what I felt to be meaningless ties (Calm down, I have a slightly different view regarding this now :))

I never meant to change the perceptions of others, nor to influence their thoughts, actions and desires because what I believe is, society works because people are just as they are and if some alien idea were to infect this stable social fabric, society will be affected tremendously. Instead, I am very conscious about the principles I have to adhere to and the goals I have set for myself. If I believe in my job and the reason behind why I take up the job in the first place, I will place full effort to ensure its success. People who have worked with me probably would have noticed that I am very serious at work. If work is work, I never mix it up with time for socialising nor chilling. I actually have a timetable for every single day of my life since I started university. I was doing well for my first semester, scoring an average of 4.5/5 for my cGPA. However, my letdown during my second semester of Year 2 was due to an overload of work where even my detailed schedule cannot accommodate. I apparently had too many commitments which ate up so much of my time, in the end, I actually had to give in half-baked work for almost all my commitments. (I joined a lot of Hall activities, had to set aside 2 hours a week to learn Photoshop and video filming/ editing and literally cut off 2 weeks of my time for an exchange.) As a result, my cGPA dropped to a 4.3/5. This time, I have stepped down from some positions and will be selective towards the commitments I promise to make. A friend of mine, Azzam, recently commented that I have a desire to influence others. That got me bewildered for I am the most strongest proponent for self-determination. I simply hate to try to change others or let others change me because one of my deepest principles is you are what you want to become based on your OWN beliefs and rationales. If others try to change you or wishes harm on you, they have a problem, or some selfish objective. You see, your problem is your problem. If you need help, you can ask for it. If people don't ask for help, then don't assume they need help. Different people have different approaches and rationales about working and life. This is also the same mindset people who go for Overseas CIP should adopt. A lesson from an OCIP trip to Cambodia in J2 made me understood this notion. Some people, no matter how pitiful they seem to YOU, doesn't necessarily need your help. They could be so much happier the way they are, even happier than you. What you can do, however, is to understand what they want and see what you can offer with what you have.

Until before Semester 2, I never believed in committing to relationships, although I definitely believed in creating them. Being in relationships means forcing yourself into a dense social network and creating a comfort zone for yourself. It also means exposing all your weaknesses and thoughts. In this aspect, I felt that doing this was a waste of time and not practical to life. My mindset was changed when I met this particular group, the You Damn Nerd Please group from my Linguistics course. Initially, I never thought I would even be close to them and instead, would be closer to my OG group, the Yakuza people whom I actually enjoyed their company. But my tutorials seemingly always coincide with the former group and with a lot of cajoling from some and being convinced about the importance of friendship ties, I thought I have to commit to a relationship with these bunch of "Nerds". Once I started caring for every aspect of each of their individual lives, I come to see the point of maintaining relationships, the fun it brings and the assurance of people who are there for you when you need them. I actually care about their thoughts, ideals and future although I have to remember to never intercede with them. In the moment, I will just let things go as they are, find out things about them casually and then see if I can assist them in any way possible for this is the essence for caring about others. I actually have a better relationship with my parents from the lessons I gained from my friendship with these unlikely bunch of people. (Fucking Nerds who keep on saying they never do shit but actually Nerds hardcore ^^ hahaha)

So now, I am trying to live with a paradox, to lie in comfort or to go about my usual free-spirited endeavours. I do know that in the end, my future career must lie in my strengths and values. The Absolute basics to career module made me ask this fundamental question as to what I want to be. I know that I excel well in subjects I rationalise as important for me. (For example, business law when I had the desire to know how businesses, society and law work and sociology when I wanted to know how society works.) A part of me felt I did not give as much effort on my Linguistics modules because I had no actual care for the content itself due to its relevancy. (Except those concerning society and meaning.) I only wanted good grades then to be able to gain the chance to move to Medical school. Just like learning a language, in order to do well, you have to love the content of the subject. Thus, my reason for my blogpost is this. I have found a new drive and it coincidentally coincide with my Linguistics major. After hearing about the exploits and the stories of some Linguistics professors -particularly Alec, I really want to be a Field Linguist and researcher. I want to seek to understand people and cultures and to experience new things from the eyes of a Linguistic researcher. As such, I will need all the relevant skills in linguistics to be able to do that. (Phonetics, Transcription etc) In order to be a Field Linguist, I have to be really good at my content. This drive have been driving me lately and I felt the enthusiasm of learning again, similar to the enthusiasm I had felt while experiencing "Light Visualization Meditation" or doing my first acting scene. Also, to be able to dedicate towards a life of being a researcher, I also have to be good enough to be able to take a Masters and to be recognized in the academic scene. I hope people will not hinder me from my new goals for I am serious in seeing to its success. This blogpost also serves as a timely post for me to read again and be inspired by my surge of motivation during darker times.

I will leave abruptly and not take too much of your and my time. I will leave this message for both myself and whoever is reading. I got this from an advice from one of my favourite orator, Jason Silva of Shots of Awe fame. It is actually the advice from his mother for him. "Just do what you love and don't worry about anything else, don't worry about money. Just be kind to everyone and do what you love. As long as you are not hurting anybody else, as long as you are being kind to people and you're doing what you love, only good things can come of it."

Travel: The Basic Tokyo tourist Guide (Day Two)

Every Tokyo tourists have to visit these places in order to be able to proudly say they have visited and experienced Tokyo. Without further ado, here is the Day Two itinerary for the Basic Tokyo Tourist.

Basic Tokyo Tourist itinerary

Tsukiji Fish Market - Yoyogi Park - Harajuku - Tokyo Station - Imperial Palace - Yokohama/Sunshine City

0230    - (1 hour) On my Day One guide, I advised the Basic Tourist to get an early night's rest. The reason is because they will have to wake up early the next day at around 2.30am. Wash up, and pack your stuff for the day. I would have left the comforts of National Olympics Memorial Youth Centre when the sky is still dark and hailed a cab/ Uber to Tsukiji Fish market.

0330    - (3 hours) The reason one has to arrive at the Tsukiji Fish Market early is because only 120 people are allowed to attend the famous Tuna Auction at 5.30am and 5.50am on every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Thus, people start to queue as early as 1am! Honestly, it is best to get help from a Japanese local here, for they will know ways and the time to procure a spot for the auction. You can also get some fresh seafood breakfast here.

There are plans to move the Tsukiji Market to a different location but words have it that there are underground politics which prevents the move from taking place. If the market were to move, it is wise to visit it first!

0630    - (1 hour) Exit Tsukiji Market and head back towards National Olympics Memorial Youth Centre to get some sleep, you will need energy for the whole day today.

0730    - (2 hours) Rest. (Optional)

0930    - (15 mins) Get up and head towards Yoyogi Park just to the left of the Centre.

0945    - (45 mins) Yoyogi Park is a beautifully manicured park at the heart of Tokyo consisting of bridges, fountains, viewing platforms and Sakura (cherry blossom) trees. I came during the Autumn cherry blossom period and the park was beautiful. Take an early morning stroll and enjoy the aesthetic scenery of the park. Online guides mention that sometimes, people come here in cosplay costumes although I did not see any during my visit. It is still a beautiful and relaxing park to start off the day.

Entrance to Yoyogi Park

A bench

Too early for cherry blossoms perhaps

Aesthetic Japan

Fountains

Beautiful artificial rivers

It's a really huge park!

1030     - (15 mins) Exit the park and make your way to Harajuku in Shibuya. Harajuku is only about a 15 mins walk from Yoyogi Park and you can enjoy the morning environment of a laidback Tokyo.

10.45     - (2 hours) A live DJ from a radio station greets you at the entrance of the famous Harajuku Street. Harajuku is a must-go for cosplay enthusiasts and those who wishes to experience this quirky (in the eyes of the uninitiated) hobby. Along the streets, you will find people dressed fully or partially in various costumes derived from Japanese animes. The shopping street sells all kinds of merchandise for cosplay but it also sells gifts and souvenirs and fashionable clothes which are catered for a younger audience. Harajuku is also famous for their delicious crepes which costs around Y400-Y800 (SGD 4 - 8~). Do try them as you explore the street. near the entrance, there is also a large Daiso store, a store which specialises in selling goods at a standard low price. If you are on a tight budget to buy gifts for friends, you may want to buy them here because there are really no other cheaper places to buy souvenirs than here.

The street of Harajuku! (At night)

It was close to closing time, thus there are a lot less people then.

An absolute must try, Harajuku crepes

An owl and cat café... not something I'd find any other day.

12.45      -  (30 mins) Head towards Tokyo Station located in the official business and government district of Tokyo. You can take the Chiyoda Line from the Meijijingu-mae Station and drop off at Nijubashi-mae Station. Head towards JP Tower.

13.15      - (45 mins) JP Tower, located next to the impressive Tokyo Station, is both an office building and mall. There are a wide selection of restaurants and eateries at the basement and floors above although they may be slightly pricier than elsewhere. You can, of course, dine at Harajuku too where a Yoshinoya outlet there cost half the price here, around Y600 (SGD 7~) a meal compared to >Y900 (SGD 9~) here.

A cheap Oishi Yoshinoya meal

In a restaurant in JP Tower

An expensively good meal!

14.00    - (30 mins) Cross the street towards the direction of Tokyo Station and then turn to your right. Look for the HATO Bus Tour sign. It is hard not to miss because they occupy a long stretch of the street and their characteristic yellow bus can be seen from afar. Book a tour ride for 2.30pm. Now, you can choose to look around the impressive Tokyo Station. The Station is majestic from the inside with a domed ceiling stretching high above. People walk across the expansive marble floor in all directions.

The domed ceiling of Tokyo Station

Right outside Tokyo Station

Head back towards JP Tower. There is a very impressive museum called the Museum Intermediatheque on the 2nd floor. The museum consists of two levels with permanent as well as temporary galleries. Among the displays are a very wide collection of taxidermy animal collection, including rare species of mammals and sea creatures, portraits of famous college professors and a contemporary Japanese art collection. The museum is free to enter and visit.

Museum Intermediatheque:   Opening hours: 11am-6pm    I     Tel: +81 (0)3-5777-8600
Website: http://www.intermediatheque.jp/en

Entrance to Museum Intermediatheque.

No pictures allowed, so here is a poster from outside

From outside the impressive museum

14.30    - (1 hour) Don't miss the HATO Bus Tour or you will have to wait another 30 minutes. The bus tour enables you to see the sights and sounds and the layout of Tokyo city in the space of an hour. it costs Y1800 (SGD 22~) for an adult. You get to sit on an open bus top with a tour guide who will be explaining about the famous landmark as you pass them by. You will also be provided with an electronic gadget earpiece which provides an English translation of the tour. The bus is a good experience because you get to see the famous sights which you otherwise may not have time to visit such as the Rainbow Bridge, the (overrated) Tokyo Tower, the Tokyo Ginza district (an upper class district similar to Singapore's Orchard Road) and the Kabuki-za Theatre. It may get very cold in the winter-autumn period but the Bus Tour provides heat packs and a raincoat for rainy weather.

HATO Bus Tour:    Departure times: 9:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 13:00 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:30 17:00 17:30 19:00      I     Tel: +81 03-3435-6081
Website: https://www.hatobus.co.jp/dom/feature/tomodachi/english/

Ms Pasita aboard the HATO Bus

The writer beneath the Tokyo Tower

Kabu-zi Theatre

Beneath the Rainbow Bridge arches

Thank God for the English translation

Aesthetic Japanese streets

15.30   - (1 hour) Take a short walk towards the Japanese Imperial Palace. You should be able to know the direction of the palace after the tour! ;) Personally, I have not entered the Palace because I came after the closing time (last entrance visit was at 4.30pm) but there are still many beautiful places to take pictures even from the outside. Take your time taking pictures and strolling the beautiful gardens and lakes. Do note that some days are closed so do find out when they are closed too! If they close early, as in Winter and Autumn period, it is wise to take an earlier HATO bus tour.

Imperial Palace:   Opening hours: 9am - 5pm (Last entry 4pm-4.30pm) I    Tel: +81 3-3213-1111
Website: http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/e-event/higashigyoen02.html

Outside the Imperial Palace

Near the East Entrance to the Imperial Palace

Instagram worthy

Instagram worthy bridge

A bird on the moat.

You now have a choice to either visit Yokohama, a well-known sub-district of Tokyo, or visit the Sunshine City, a new exciting destination.

Plan A - Yokohama (For the romantic thrill seeker)

16.30     - (1 hour) Take the Tozai Line from Takebashi Station about a 10 mins walk from the Palace and transfer at Nihombashi Station to the Asakusa Line. 10 stops later, you will reach Yokohama Station.

17.30    - (2-3 hours) There are many places to visit and things to do in Yokohama City because this is the so-called entertainment city of Tokyo, something like the Sentosa of Singapore. if you come earlier, you may try the Japanese Overseas Migration Museum located just across a bridge from the train station. Admission is free and there is a Japanese guided tour around the impressive little museum which seeks to explain a different aspect of Japanese history, the history of migrations. The museum closes at 6pm.

A Japanese Farmer's parade

At the restaurant at the Museum

There is a free petting zoo with a large collection of animals about a 30 minutes walk from the station called the Nogeyama Zoo. There you can go up close to many cute animals to take pictures or to pet them. However, it closes early at 4.30pm. 

The entrance to Nogeyama Zoo

An alternative place to visit is the famous Yokohama Cosmo World, an amusement park which is often associated with the Yokohama skyline. Even from far, just looking at the roller coaster rides provides a thrill as to what it could offer. There is no entrance fee to the amusement park but the rides are on a per ride basis from Y100 (SGD 1~) for small games in the arcade to Y700 (SGD 8~) for a ride on the 112m landmark Ferris Wheel or the massive and fast roller coaster.

Yokohama Cosmo World at a distance

Yokohama also boasts beautiful piers, parks, bridges and walkways. A particularly memorable stroll brought me next to the river across a wooden walkway with music coming off speakers hidden along the walkway. Usually, people who go to Yokohama would also choose to simply stroll around the area, shop and nearby shops and AEON Mall or dine at fancy restaurants and bars overlooking the river. It is really a place almost tailor-made for couples.

Japanese Overseas Migration Museum:    Opening Hours: 9am - 6pm   I   Tel: +81 45-663-3257
Yokohama Cosmo World:    Operating Hours: 11am-10pm        I        Tel: +81 45-641-6591

The view along the river

Walking around Hazawa Seibu Community in Yokohama

A casual stroll through scenic villages

19.30/ 20.30     - (45 mins) After a full day of visiting these must-go places in Tokyo, you can head back to Shinjuku for dinner or to continue shopping. Of course, you may also have your dinner in Yokohama, especially so if you come here with your Special One because the atmosphere in Yokohama is very idyllic and romantic. Shinjuku, on the other hand, is for those who prefer a wider variety of food options and late night shopping convenience. As mentioned before, almost all train lines lead to Shinjuku Station.

20.15 / 21.15      - (45 mins) Late dinner. If you are a Muslim traveller, there are few Halal eateries you may find in the area around Shinjuku. One is called Bosphorus Hasan Shinjuku. You can ask for specific directions from the Tourist Information Centre and you will have to walk for about 15 mins to get to the restaurant from Shinjuku Station. The Turkish cuisine served is exquisite and delicious but also very pricey. It costs around SGD 20~ for a decent meal.

Menu at Bosphorus Hasan Shinjuku

Another much cheaper place which I frequented was the Nasco Food Court but you will need to take the Yamanato Line and ride one station away to the Shin-Okubo Station. The food here is good and fulfilling and they serve Indian cuisines such as Briyani Rice which costs about Y800 (SGD 10~) for a full meal. The street where the restaurant lie in is actually a halal food street owned by Muslim migrants, thus you can stock up on food snacks and ingredients from the shops and kosher supermarket to last your stay here.

Nasco Food Court

Really affordable oishi meal!

A signboard outside the restaurant

A simply designed interior

Nasco Food Court:          Tel: +81 80-4086-8631
Bosphorus Hasan Shinjuku:  Opening hours: 11:30-14:30 , 17:00-23:30     I    Tel: +81 03-3354-7947

21.00/ 22.00      - (15 mins) Head back to National Olympics Memorial Youth Centre to rest.

Plan B - Sunshine City (For the nostalgic Pokémon trainers who gotta catch 'em all and the indoor thrill seekers)

16.30       - (45 mins) Exit the gardens of the Imperial Palace and head towards Takebashi Station along the Tozai Line. Take two stops to Lidabashi Station and transfer to Yarukucho Line. Three stops later and you will reach Higashi-Ikebukuro Station. Here is the tricky part. Sunshine City is actually a development project by one of Japan's large corporations. It encompass several buildings and a large underground network. I got lost trying to locate the Pokémon Center, only to found out the GPS intended for me to go underground. The Center is located on the top most floor of the shopping centre, Sunshine City Alpa.

Welcome to Sunshine City!

It feels almost like Akihabara

17.15       - (1 hour) After all the trouble of finding the Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo, go nuts exploring the entire outlet filled with Pokémon merchandise! All kinds of merchandise on the nostalgic icon are sold here from soft toys to trading cards to stationery sets and bags. Pikachu features the most here and there are several collector's editions a collector might want to purchase and collect. However, do note that the prices of the items here are not cheap (as is most of Tokyo) hence many visitors actually saved their pennies to have a spending spree here. The queue at the counter is long but it is really worth the wait. I bought a Bulbasaur soft toy the size of two palms for the cost of Y2000 (SGD 24~), a gachapon capsule rubber toy for Y300 (SGD 3.5~) and bath bomb with a keychain inside for Y200 (SGD 2.5~) amongst many other things. The bath bomb was the most worth it item, in my opinion. The price of soft toys also appears to follow how popular the Pokémon character are. For example, first generation Pokémon such as Charmander, Bulbasaur, Cubone and Machop were clearly priced higher than the more newer Pokémon despite how complicated the new Pokémon may look like. The soft toys are sold anywhere from Y1500-Y2500 for a palm sized version. There are several large statues of the Pokémon around the store and you can take pictures with them.

The anticipation!

Can you name them all?

I don't even know its name!

Pokémon Center Mega Tokyo:    Opening Hours: 10am - 8pm   I    Tel: +81 3-5927-9290

18.15       - (1 hour) Head to J World Tokyo an indoor theme park in Sunshine City Alpa. Prices to try all the attraction is at Y1800 (SGD 22~) after 5pm. personally I have not been here due to my limited time in Japan (I visited Sunshine City Alpa on my way back to Narita Airport ^^) but I do hear rave reviews on this place. The theme park includes rides and attractions from famous animes and manga such as One Piece, Naruto and Dragon Ball Z. They also have a themed restaurant inside with reasonably priced themed food galore from cakes to pasta. A gist of what to expect can be found in their website or in vlogs found on YouTube.

J World Tokyo:Operating Hours: 10am - 10pm I Website: http://www.namco.co.jp/tp/j-world/en/about/

19.15      - (45 mins) You must be hungry after a long day. There are numerous restaurants and eateries located in Sunshine City Alpa, you will be spoilt for choice. Otherwise, you may also choose to dine at J World Tokyo or at the next attraction, Sky Circus.

20.00      - (1 hour 15mins) This is a place which you simply HAVE to try, Sky Circus. The admission is Y1200 (SGD 15~). However, there are attractions inside which are on an additional per ride basis. For example there is the Tokyo Bullet Flight (Y600, SGD 7~), Swing Coaster (Y400, SGD 5~) and Sky Escape (Y500, SGD 6~). The place is a sort of theme park with the theme being a fantasy world located in the clouds or the sky with dazzling usage of optical illusions, elaborate setting and intriguing attractions. Incidentally, Sky Circus is located at the 60th floor of Sunshine 60.

Sky Circus:   Operating Hour: 10am - 10pm (Last ticket: 8.50pm)   I  Tel: +81 03-3989-3457
Website: http://www.skycircus.jp/english/about/

21.15      - (30 mins) Exit Sunshine City and head back towards National Olympics Memorial Youth Centre to rest.

Thus is a two day rough guide of all the must go places if one is to visit Tokyo. There are many other places you can visit in Tokyo such as UENO Park, NHK Broadcasting Centre or the Japanese Diet (Parliament Building), but essentially, the places mentioned is a Basic Tourist guide to massive Tokyo. I hope this guide have been and may be useful and easy to follow for the traveller who simply wishes to experience Tokyo. You may wish to experience more Japanese experiences while you are in Tokyo and I really do encourage you to try them all!

Some of my to-do list in Tokyo, which I have not yet done, is to stay in a Capsule Hotel. However, for those of you who intends to experience what a Japanese onsen (public bath) feels like, you may be surprised that most public establishments such as the Youth Centre I recommended to stay in and hotels have them.
If you are planning to head to Tokyo, I wish you all the fun and adventure you can have and thank you for reading! :)