Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
19 December 2018
The Greatest Argument Against Having Children: Human Corruption
I am definitely more liberal than conservative. I generally find conservatives nowadays to be very hateful, e.g. Trump supporters (and other conservatives) seem to mostly be Nazis who view non-whites as inferior, and many of them are sexists as well who subcribe to men's rights activist (MRA) or manospherean beliefs believing that women should be subordinate to men. Many of these MRA manospherean conservatives (e.g. Roosh Valizadeh) actually believe that on private property women should be allowed to be raped. I have heard that in schools nowadays many young boys who are influenced by conversatives values are literally grabbing young schoolgirls by the pussy and sexually harrassing them thinking this is normal traditional masculine behaviour, which is a sad state of affairs. Men in power should set a standard of proper gentlemanly behaviour for other men to emulate. I personally think we should all be treated fairly and with dignity regardless of your skin colour or your gender. I think that the divisiveness that in politics nowadays is not going to help the world in the future, which will be plunged into war, chaos, environmental disaster, and this is the main reason why I don't want to ever have any children. If I go have a child, not only is it expensive to have children (one child costs US$1.1 million over your lifetime) but my child will grow up in a world filled with racism, sexism, religious extremism, division, hatred, and environmental degradation. With the way international politics is going, there will likely be a future nuclear war that destroys all of humanity. If my child doesn't suffer, chances are the generation after that will suffer or be eradicated, so to bring an innocent child into such a corrupt world is tantamount to child abuse, so it is better to never have children, which will save me and my future wife millions of dollars, which will allow us to live life to the fullest, to travel the entire world and see unique cultures and natural beauty while it lasts because the way the world is going now, it is clear that humanity is nearing its end. We must live our lives to the fullest while we can and bow out before humanity self-destructs and implodes due to excessive greed, ego, and aggression.
26 April 2016
How People React When You Travel Alone
I will be travelling alone to Bali next month. This is the first time I've traveled alone. Usually I travel with family, with friends, or with a girl. Usually when I travel with others, something goes wrong. I have a very crazy family that always erupts into arguments over minor issues. I have the same issue whenever I travel with a girl. As such, I look forward to travelling alone. I don't plan to do anything other than relax and do nothing. I might even spend time writing on my blog or writing an ebook. I don't intend to pose in front of tourist attractions because, to me, this looks like work -- hard work as well! I just want to relax and not do any work -- or at least not do any work that I don't like.
Ever since I have told everyone that I will go to Bali by myself, just about everyone has questioned my actions. When I tell my friends, they think it's weird that I am not traveling with a girl, and they think I am trying to smuggle drugs. My relatives think I am secretly dating a girl.
This is absolutely absurd. All this, in my opinions, shows how entrenched pair bonding is within our society, so much so that if you do something alone, you are seen as weird and crazy. My father even suggested to me that I should avoid Bali because it has a bad reputation for drugs, prostitution, etc. But I responded with my freedom rant, telling him that I will do what I want regardless of other people's opinions. Why should I be a slave to other people's opinions?
Ever since I have told everyone that I will go to Bali by myself, just about everyone has questioned my actions. When I tell my friends, they think it's weird that I am not traveling with a girl, and they think I am trying to smuggle drugs. My relatives think I am secretly dating a girl.
This is absolutely absurd. All this, in my opinions, shows how entrenched pair bonding is within our society, so much so that if you do something alone, you are seen as weird and crazy. My father even suggested to me that I should avoid Bali because it has a bad reputation for drugs, prostitution, etc. But I responded with my freedom rant, telling him that I will do what I want regardless of other people's opinions. Why should I be a slave to other people's opinions?
07 January 2014
Warning about Queenstown Hill
I was attracted to the fact that this activity was free and would provide me with exercise. My girlfriend seemed excited by the fact that this activity is rated as the number one attraction on TripAdvisor for Queenstown.
My girlfriend was completely unprepared for this. She wore a cardigan and took along a handbag with all sorts of things in there. It is highly recommended that you don't bring too much as too much weight can be difficult to carry all the way up the hill. Bring a water bottle and a small camera or smartphone along. Many reviews on TripAdvisor confused Queenstown Hill with the one that carries the Gondola and incorrectly said that there is a cafe or restaurant at the top. There is nothing. No restaurant or cafe, not even a toilet or water fountain. You need to make sure that you empty your bladder and fill up a water bottle before you start trekking. Dress lightly but wear reasonable walking shoes, e.g, sneakers, runners, or hiking shoes.
My girlfriend was completely unprepared for this. She wore a cardigan and took along a handbag with all sorts of things in there. It is highly recommended that you don't bring too much as too much weight can be difficult to carry all the way up the hill. Bring a water bottle and a small camera or smartphone along. Many reviews on TripAdvisor confused Queenstown Hill with the one that carries the Gondola and incorrectly said that there is a cafe or restaurant at the top. There is nothing. No restaurant or cafe, not even a toilet or water fountain. You need to make sure that you empty your bladder and fill up a water bottle before you start trekking. Dress lightly but wear reasonable walking shoes, e.g, sneakers, runners, or hiking shoes.
Canterbury Museum
When visiting Christchurch, New Zealand I was sure to visit the Botanical Gardens there. However, when I got back to the hotel, I browsed TripAdvisor and noticed that I had missed Canterbury Museum, which is situation right next to the Botanical Gardens. On the day we needed to return the rental car before heading to the airport, my girlfriend and I had some time to burn, so we took the opportunity to visit the museum.
The museum is free. What is on exhibit is quite varied, from Maori culture to street art and even Asian art. Just about everything was there, and it took me about two hours to get through everything. All in all, it was interesting, and a great way to kill off some time.
The museum is free. What is on exhibit is quite varied, from Maori culture to street art and even Asian art. Just about everything was there, and it took me about two hours to get through everything. All in all, it was interesting, and a great way to kill off some time.
11 August 2013
Dreaming of Being a Digital Nomad
Having come back from a one-week holiday in Malaysia and working for a week (and hating it), I am starting to think about the possibility of being a digital nomad.
A digital nomad pretty much works online from all over the world. The digital nomad uses WiFi in hotels to connect to the internet and lives in developing countries to minimise the cost of living while still enjoying himself.
The concept of being a digital nomad is just a hypothesis at the moment because, as you can imagine, a lot can go wrong with such a lifestyle.
I suppose I just want to travel again. I've been feeling depressed lately.
01 August 2013
How to Use TripAdvisor
TripAdvisor has been in the news lately because a fake restaurant had been rated highly by the site. A group of web users had created this fake restaurant in order to prove that TripAdvisor is not foolproof and can be gamed.
Of course, any website that allows anyone to submit reviews and rate the venue will suffer from this problem. It is just obvious. There is no way to fix this problem other than to allow only professionals to rate and review, but if TripAdvisor opted for that policy, the site would be no different to newspapers that publish reviews by travel editors. It is the democratic nature of TripAdvisor that makes its database so vast.
When looking for a hotel, it is important to determine the price. The best way to get the price is to go to the hotel website itself. After this, I tend to look at the quality of the place. TripAdvisor reviews are filled with angry people who vote a hotel down over minor problems. I do to some extent rely on TripAdvisor rating because ratings that are too extreme on the downside should be cancelled out by rating that are too extreme on the upside. Other than that, I rely on TripAdvisor's photos to judge the quality of bathrooms, beds, and so forth. Pictures don't lie. I also make sure I use other websites, e.g. Google Maps, or I do a Google search of the hotel to see what newspapers and blogs say about it.
Of course, any website that allows anyone to submit reviews and rate the venue will suffer from this problem. It is just obvious. There is no way to fix this problem other than to allow only professionals to rate and review, but if TripAdvisor opted for that policy, the site would be no different to newspapers that publish reviews by travel editors. It is the democratic nature of TripAdvisor that makes its database so vast.
When looking for a hotel, it is important to determine the price. The best way to get the price is to go to the hotel website itself. After this, I tend to look at the quality of the place. TripAdvisor reviews are filled with angry people who vote a hotel down over minor problems. I do to some extent rely on TripAdvisor rating because ratings that are too extreme on the downside should be cancelled out by rating that are too extreme on the upside. Other than that, I rely on TripAdvisor's photos to judge the quality of bathrooms, beds, and so forth. Pictures don't lie. I also make sure I use other websites, e.g. Google Maps, or I do a Google search of the hotel to see what newspapers and blogs say about it.
Why Automatic Cameras are Important
I have just come back from a holiday in Malaysia. Like many people, I love to take photos while on holidays, mainly because I like to look back on these photos to remember good times. There is nothing like browsing through really old photos and basking in nostalgia.
Keeping a collection of photos also adds structure to your past. It reminds you that you have actually done something in your past. It is deeply satisfying.
The problem with taking a camera with you on holidays is that it is a major inconvenience. Many people carry big DSLRs. These camera take excellent quality photos, but unfortunately they are large and often get left in the hotel.
Carrying a smartphone helps because you carry your smartphone everywhere with you and charge it overnight. The problem with the smartphone is that, when you take it out, everyone can see it and everyone poses. You therefore end up with boring shots of people smiling in front of significant cultural sights. There are many times when you feel you want to take a photo but do not because taking out the phone is too much hassle or it may not be appropriate for the moment.
I have an app on my phone called Mobile Hidden Camera. This app blackens the screen and takes a picture without an camera noise or lights whenever you tap the screen. It allows me to hold my phone as if I am just checking my email when in fact I am taking pictures.
A few companies have automatic wearable cameras that you attach to your body and which take pictures every, say, minute. There is memoto, Vicon Revue, and Microsoft SenseCam. The SenseCam looks far too big. The Vicon Revue doesn't seem to be sold anymore. The memoto looks good, but as of August 2013 it is still raising funds and is not available to the public yet. At US$279, it also seems too expensive for what is essentially a camera. It has neat features such as a feature to automatically orient the picture so that it is upright. The memoto also seems to come attached with a fixed monthly fee for "lifelogging cloud services." It would be great if it simply took photos, oriented them, and then wirelessly sent it to your phone or the internet via wifi.
Keeping a collection of photos also adds structure to your past. It reminds you that you have actually done something in your past. It is deeply satisfying.
The problem with taking a camera with you on holidays is that it is a major inconvenience. Many people carry big DSLRs. These camera take excellent quality photos, but unfortunately they are large and often get left in the hotel.
Carrying a smartphone helps because you carry your smartphone everywhere with you and charge it overnight. The problem with the smartphone is that, when you take it out, everyone can see it and everyone poses. You therefore end up with boring shots of people smiling in front of significant cultural sights. There are many times when you feel you want to take a photo but do not because taking out the phone is too much hassle or it may not be appropriate for the moment.
I have an app on my phone called Mobile Hidden Camera. This app blackens the screen and takes a picture without an camera noise or lights whenever you tap the screen. It allows me to hold my phone as if I am just checking my email when in fact I am taking pictures.
A few companies have automatic wearable cameras that you attach to your body and which take pictures every, say, minute. There is memoto, Vicon Revue, and Microsoft SenseCam. The SenseCam looks far too big. The Vicon Revue doesn't seem to be sold anymore. The memoto looks good, but as of August 2013 it is still raising funds and is not available to the public yet. At US$279, it also seems too expensive for what is essentially a camera. It has neat features such as a feature to automatically orient the picture so that it is upright. The memoto also seems to come attached with a fixed monthly fee for "lifelogging cloud services." It would be great if it simply took photos, oriented them, and then wirelessly sent it to your phone or the internet via wifi.
13 June 2010
Reading Ebooks on the Train with EBookME
I face a thirty minutes commute to work in the morning and when I come back it is another thirty minutes. I had to commute to the city when I went to university as well, so I've been commuting to the city for about nine years now.
Most of the time when I'm on the train I love to just look out the window and space out. It's nice to just let your mind wander when you've just woken up or when you've just had a long and hard day at work or university. But sitting or standing in the train and doing nothing sometimes makes me wonder whether I'm wasting time. If I read a book or listen to something on an MP3 player, I might be able to use this idle time to learn something rather than do nothing.
Listening to MP3 players on the train can be useful, especially if you are trying to filter out the conversations of people around you. Sometimes other people say the most annoying and offensive things, and when they say these things it's not easy to denounce them because these people are strangers.
The problem with MP3 players is that the train is a noisy place. It is not just the noise of people talking that bothers me. Most trains in Melbourne are so old they make loud noises. To be able to hear your MP3 player amid all this noise, you have to turn the volume up, and by turning the volume up, there is a risk that you might go deaf.
Reading a book can prevent you from focusing on other people's conversations. You're so focused on your book that the conversations of others just becomes background noise. You can read not only books but also newspapers.
The problem with newspapers is that they take up space. Broadsheet newspapers like The Age are a nightmare to read on the train because they are simply too big. Even when you're sitting down they are difficult to read. Tabloid-size newspapers like Australian Financial Review and Herald Sun are readable if you're sitting down but during peak hour when you have to stand up, they are not easy to read because you need both your hand to hold the newspapers and if both your hands are busy holding the newspaper then you have no hand left to hold on to something for balance. Thus reading the newspaper can put you at risk of falling over if the train jerks around. With Melbourne's massive population growth, it seems likely that commuters on trains will have to stand up more and more. Reading newspapers just ain't easy anymore.
Reading books presents the same problems as does reading tabloid newspapers. You generally need two pages to read a book. Most books are small enough that you can hold them with one hand, but if you want to flick to the next page you generally need two hands.
The best move then is to read an ebook on your mobile phone. I have recently downloaded on my computer a very good program called EBookME. This is free software that allows me to convert a text file into a JAR file, which can be uploaded on my phone. A JAR file is a file that is used for phones that run Java apps. The great thing about this is that I can now download from the internet free books and then put them on my phone. There are plenty of free books from Project Gutenberg. These books are usually written before the 1950s, which means that copyright has expired and you are legally allowed to download them for free. I have just downloaded a text version of The Great Gatsby and I'll be reading it on the train.
Most of the time when I'm on the train I love to just look out the window and space out. It's nice to just let your mind wander when you've just woken up or when you've just had a long and hard day at work or university. But sitting or standing in the train and doing nothing sometimes makes me wonder whether I'm wasting time. If I read a book or listen to something on an MP3 player, I might be able to use this idle time to learn something rather than do nothing.
Listening to MP3 players on the train can be useful, especially if you are trying to filter out the conversations of people around you. Sometimes other people say the most annoying and offensive things, and when they say these things it's not easy to denounce them because these people are strangers.
The problem with MP3 players is that the train is a noisy place. It is not just the noise of people talking that bothers me. Most trains in Melbourne are so old they make loud noises. To be able to hear your MP3 player amid all this noise, you have to turn the volume up, and by turning the volume up, there is a risk that you might go deaf.
Reading a book can prevent you from focusing on other people's conversations. You're so focused on your book that the conversations of others just becomes background noise. You can read not only books but also newspapers.
The problem with newspapers is that they take up space. Broadsheet newspapers like The Age are a nightmare to read on the train because they are simply too big. Even when you're sitting down they are difficult to read. Tabloid-size newspapers like Australian Financial Review and Herald Sun are readable if you're sitting down but during peak hour when you have to stand up, they are not easy to read because you need both your hand to hold the newspapers and if both your hands are busy holding the newspaper then you have no hand left to hold on to something for balance. Thus reading the newspaper can put you at risk of falling over if the train jerks around. With Melbourne's massive population growth, it seems likely that commuters on trains will have to stand up more and more. Reading newspapers just ain't easy anymore.
Reading books presents the same problems as does reading tabloid newspapers. You generally need two pages to read a book. Most books are small enough that you can hold them with one hand, but if you want to flick to the next page you generally need two hands.
The best move then is to read an ebook on your mobile phone. I have recently downloaded on my computer a very good program called EBookME. This is free software that allows me to convert a text file into a JAR file, which can be uploaded on my phone. A JAR file is a file that is used for phones that run Java apps. The great thing about this is that I can now download from the internet free books and then put them on my phone. There are plenty of free books from Project Gutenberg. These books are usually written before the 1950s, which means that copyright has expired and you are legally allowed to download them for free. I have just downloaded a text version of The Great Gatsby and I'll be reading it on the train.
06 July 2008
Emerald Lake Park
Yesterday was Saturday. I decided to go to Cardinia Reservoir with my uncle, aunt, grandma, and another family. We took two cars.
When we arrived at Cardinia Reservoir, we couldn't find any spare barbecues, so we had to leave and go elsewhere. We went instead to Emerald Lake Park and saw Puffing Billy. We didn't actually ride on Puffing Billy but we saw it. The reason why we didn't catch the train was because my aunt was very price conscious and didn't want to pay $20 for a train ticket when she could buy a train ticket from Connex for $3. She clearly didn't understand that the Puffing Billy experience is completely different to a suburban train ride. The former is recreational while the latter is functional, that is, we catch suburban trains to get to work.
We ate food at Emerald Lake Park and then walked around the place. There were many families around and lots of little kids running about. One little girl with pigtails was running around in circles and I blocked the circle she was running around in, so she stared at me for a while.
We saw a donkey that was being used for someone's party. It was a party for a little girl named Vanessa. It was her third birthday party. I must admit I was envious when I see kids nowadays getting spoiled with nice birthday parties because I had nothing when I was young. One little girl got on the donkey and as the donkey rode past us, the girl waved at us.
Even though we had to pay $6 for parking for the whole day, I must say it was worth it. The place was beautiful. The lake was especially beautiful. I think it's good that they charge us because that way the place is not too crowded. That was the problem with Cardinia Reservoir. Parking fees keep enough people away so that there is space for everyone. If there are too many people then the administrators can simply increase prices. They keep raising prices until supply equals demand. The fact that I didn't actually pay helped as well.
When we drove back from Emerald Lake Park, we went to Cardinia Reservoir again and found some Kangaroos. We got close to them and took pictures but once we got too close the Kangaroos got scared and backed off.
When we arrived at Cardinia Reservoir, we couldn't find any spare barbecues, so we had to leave and go elsewhere. We went instead to Emerald Lake Park and saw Puffing Billy. We didn't actually ride on Puffing Billy but we saw it. The reason why we didn't catch the train was because my aunt was very price conscious and didn't want to pay $20 for a train ticket when she could buy a train ticket from Connex for $3. She clearly didn't understand that the Puffing Billy experience is completely different to a suburban train ride. The former is recreational while the latter is functional, that is, we catch suburban trains to get to work.
We ate food at Emerald Lake Park and then walked around the place. There were many families around and lots of little kids running about. One little girl with pigtails was running around in circles and I blocked the circle she was running around in, so she stared at me for a while.
We saw a donkey that was being used for someone's party. It was a party for a little girl named Vanessa. It was her third birthday party. I must admit I was envious when I see kids nowadays getting spoiled with nice birthday parties because I had nothing when I was young. One little girl got on the donkey and as the donkey rode past us, the girl waved at us.
Even though we had to pay $6 for parking for the whole day, I must say it was worth it. The place was beautiful. The lake was especially beautiful. I think it's good that they charge us because that way the place is not too crowded. That was the problem with Cardinia Reservoir. Parking fees keep enough people away so that there is space for everyone. If there are too many people then the administrators can simply increase prices. They keep raising prices until supply equals demand. The fact that I didn't actually pay helped as well.
When we drove back from Emerald Lake Park, we went to Cardinia Reservoir again and found some Kangaroos. We got close to them and took pictures but once we got too close the Kangaroos got scared and backed off.
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