Wednesday, September 30

Dutiful Dimples

My best friend from high school is a committed golf player. I have yet to develop an interest in the game, and he hopes that I would, one day. I too, hope so, having heard much about the inner game of golf from Major Tham.

Having come across some interesting reads recently, I would like to talk a little bit about the golf ball and a small design feature of it. If you have ever picked up a golf ball, you will notice that it is dimpled, and that it is not as smoothly spherical as a ping pong ball.

The texture feels good, and one would naturally be led to think the dimples are for tractional/frictional purposes: in other words, to prevent the ball from rolling too much on the green. The purpose of the dimples is, in fact, to disrupt the airflow on the surface of the ball as it flies hundreds of yards to fetch you a birdie.

The turbulent layer caused by disrupted airflow does not sound beneficial aerodynamically, but in reality this very thin turbulent boundary layer actually energises the laminar boundary layer over the curve of the ball, thereby delaying the separation of airflow from the surface of the ball in motion.

The result of this is a smaller wake, and a reduced drag. With reduced drag, the ball can travel a further distance than the one without dimples would. Now, doesn't that make good aerodynamic sense?

Wrote this swiftly based on whatever I recalled from the readings, so should there be any misses or corrupted explanation, do let me know.

The diagram on the side illustrates the above-mentioned point with exceptional clarity.

Friday, September 25

Delightful Dinner

The whole group of us just went for a dinner before Chiat leaves tonight. He's a really likable brother, and someone whose presence is light, easy, and sincere. He calls me principal, and I call him teacher, even though we are of very similar seniority.

There is a particular feeling lingering amongst those who are present. It's not frequently expressed, but easily understood... because, sooner or later each and every one of us will give this treat. We all feel happy for the ones who move on to a new chapter. And we all wonder when it is our turn.

Jim looked particularly emotional tonight. And we laughed about it.

By the way, Zhihao is the star of the night as a waitress at the restaurant seems to be very drawn to his good looks. That was good fun trying to get him to respond to the girl. She is going to be so swooned when she finds out he speaks fluent Japanese too.

Friday, September 18

Simple Skewer

Saw this short video clip on youtube which demonstrated the concept of skewer.

In Chinese chess such a tactic would be known as “抽”.

Beginner chess players (myself included) tend to look for obvious skewers or pins. However sometimes one has just to see two steps ahead to find that real deal.

In order not to spoil the puzzle, solution is not served for this entry. Most beginners should see the right move(s).

Personally, it serves as a particular reminder.

Wednesday, September 9

Jiu Jiu

This is a special day. And it is not just because of its numerical significance. According to news, hundreds of couple in Singapore ties the knot on this date. And thousands more in China did the same to make this date a milestone in their walk together.

Today is the 9th day of the 9th month of the 9th year in the 21st century. This marks the anniversary of my first meeting with someone very special. She's far away, but ever so close to my heart. She is my reason to be...

It was a peaceful evening. And it was like a song... I'll never forget. A song that changed my life.

Friday, September 4

Dun Dwell

Kishan and I had some time while waiting for the rest at the airport, and we chatted. He is one of the most interesting 'beppuh' around. When he is not a 'beppuh' he's like a teacher, picking on everyone's grammatical mistakes, calling people like Yue Chi 'China Man'.

He brought up a very interesting word today: Self Loathing.

I looked it up and found that (according to Wiki) self-loathing, or self hatred, also sometimes autophobia, refers to an extreme dislike of oneself, or being angry at oneself. The term is also used to designate a dislike or hatred of a group to which one belongs. For instance, "ethnic self-hatred" is the extreme dislike of one's ethnic group.

The term "self-hatred" is used infrequently by psychologists and psychiatrists, who would usually describe people who hate themselves as "persons with low self-esteem".

The term self-hatred can refer to either a strong dislike for oneself, one's actions, or a strong dislike or hatred of one's own race, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, species or any other corporate group of which one may be a member. When used in the latter context it is generally defined as hatred of one's identity based on the demographic in question, as well as a desire to distance oneself from this identity.

From another source: Self-loathing is an extreme form of poor self-esteem. It is the sense of loathing one's self -- a common complaint from people with poor self-esteem.

Many people who get to the extreme of self-loathing become self-defeating -- even self-sabotaging. This is the prize one wins if one can sustain a really poor self-esteem for long enough while being emotionally abusive to one's self.

Self-loathing is a pattern of thinking where individuals believe they are bad, worthless, evil, unsuccessful, unlovable, and/or incompetent.

This pattern of thinking is a common reaction to childhood abuse, trauma, neglect, or overwhelming loss where no substantial adult support was available to help these children deal with their painful situations. Thus, these children are forced to cope alone, as best as their immature minds can, sometimes with disastrous results, such as relying on drugs, alcohol, gangs, crime, promiscuous sex, and other self-destructive behaviors.

Very often these children grow into adults who do not know how to take care of themselves emotionally, physically, spiritually, or in relationships. Thus, these patterns of thinking emerge as a reaction to the original pain (the childhood trauma or dysfunction) and then persevere into adulthood when these individuals struggle, often unsuccessfully, to find their places in relationships and in the world.

The shortest solution to self-loathing has to be 'dun dwell', though the effectiveness of which is beyond my knowledge in this area.

Daily Chess Puzzle: Figure it Find it Finish it

Chess puzzles are a little like golf. You take a look at the positions, understand the "wind" and "terrain" and "slope" a little... and calculate your approach, choose your wood, aim and you tee off! These are fun, convenient, and progressively ranked according to difficulty. Try today's puzzles today! The EASY puzzle can be solved even by people who do not really play chess. The MEDIUM one is a test for beginners and can be interesting even for intermediate players. And if you can solve the HARD one, you are better than me! Enjoy. Graciously provided by www.shredderchess.com :)