Huh?

Sat, 6 Feb 2010
1 min read
Add Comment

Sometimes, there are letters to The Straits Times’ Forum Page which leave me really riled up. Other times, there are letters like these which leave me wondering whose side the letter writer is really on:

…Dr Wong seems to suggest the PAP may have a better chance of winning SMCs when this may not be the case as younger and less experienced PAP candidates may be pitted against opposition heavyweights who have worked the ground over the years. If the number of SMCs is expanded, these less experienced PAP candidates may no longer have the ‘shield’ of contesting a GRC led by a PAP heavyweight.

— Robin Chee, More single seats may disadvantage PAP

Self-censorship.

Thu, 28 Jan 2010
1 min read
Add Comment

I spend more time deleting what it is I don’t want to say, as opposed to writing what it is I actually want to say.

Perhaps it’s symptomatic of age. More likely it is because I am too afraid to name the beast.

Sleep paralysis or night terrors.

Sun, 24 Jan 2010
2 min read
Add Comment

This is a painting entitled “The Nightmare” (1781) by Henry Fuseli and it depicts the condition of sleep paralysis/night terrors.

I used to suffer from this condition. I probably still have it but its occurrences have diminished somewhat since I started:

  • Having (somewhat) regular sleep patterns,
  • Getting (somewhat) more rest, and
  • Moderating my caffeine intake.

Anyway, I just found out that someone close to me suffers from this condition, so I decided to read up about it again. This condition supposedly affects Asians and teens* more than it does other people, so I thought I’d post up some info here so that you can find out how to deal with this condition if you suffer from it too**:

Have a good rest tonight.


* Coincidentally (or not), I used to get the worst attacks during my JC years.
** I realise I suffered from it for so long because:

  • Of ignorance: I thought it was ‘spirits’, and the people around me weren’t inclined to discourage me from adopting that point of view, and
  • It never occurred to me to do research on the conditions I was afflicted with until I was slightly older. Then again, Googling for information has become a norm, so it could also be techno-cultural evolution, I guess.

*** Oh! I think Emily Bronte and Roald Dahl may have made references to sleep paralysis in their stories (Wuthering Heights and a short story about a snake in a bed, respectively) too, although it seemed they might not have known about this condition at those times. I’ll need to dig up the stories again to be sure.