Path to be a Master Baker

(A continuation from here)

**SPOILER WARNING: for those await the beautiful ending to this baker story, I'm sorry to let you know that I'm too waiting for the ending. Wish me luck**

Possessing the best ingredients, equipping with (what I thought was) the best techniques, I was certain that being a Master Baker would in deed be an easy task.

First year of graduate studies, Master Bakers take me through things I knew and things I didn't know. Ingredients which I thought was best were truly best just to be a baker. Techniques which I thought was advanced were a common knowledge used even before I was born by Great Master Bakers.

I pushed through still with the same dynamics as before. Equip myself with even better ingredients and more advanced techniques, things should be okay.

BZZZzz... wrong again! I got through my first year alright. Afterall, it was a preparation year, exposing you to new frontier of techniques and the world of exotic ingredients. In the latter year, a sequence of epiphanies took place. Some were pushing my ego upwards; some dragging it downward.

The great Master W share with me that "the cookbook methods are not descriptions of your reality. It's a description of what approximately should happen and should be done." Hence to be a successful baker, you must be able to judge on your own reality, and use the book as a mere guideline.

Often times, I'd feel on top of the world when there is a slight progess. And often again and again, such a progress was shown worthless.

"I come up with this possibly new techniques. What do you think?" I asked eagerly. "Techniques are abound. It depends what use can your technique be!" Responded Master E.

"To be come a Master Baker, think not of techniques and ingredients you'd wish to use. But think hard of what you may want to make. Then think of how the techniques and ingredients you've learnt would allow you to make it into reality," said Master C.

An insight from Master O: "all baked goods are flawed. You can always find the way to make it better, while someone else's could improve yours as well. Afterall, it depends on one's taste. Thus the key is not to pick on those personal tastes, but to look at what they were trying to bake and evaluate on the basis of how well have they achieved that objective"

At this point, I'm a mere baker still. I'm in the learning and developing process. Hence, I don't have a clue of where this will end.

Well... nevertheless, here I am, baking away. Trying new things, and giving myself different hard times. Afterall, aren't we all slightly masochist? =)

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I still owe you the second part on Democracy. That could be next.

U-NO-HOO, your true color is Blue!

This is a lazy post. But for those who might be eager to find out more of who I am. Here it is.

"You're blue — the most soothing shade of the spectrum. The color of a clear summer sky or a deep, reflective ocean, blue has traditionally symbolized trust, solitude, and loyalty. Most likely a thoughtful person who values spending some time on your own, you'd rather connect deeply with a few people than have a bunch of slight acquaintances. Luckily, making close friends isn't that hard, since people are naturally attracted to you — they're soothed by your calming presence. Cool and collected, you rarely overreact. Instead, you think things through before coming to a decision. That level-headed, thoughtful approach to life is patently blue — and patently you!"

So fine! I'm blue... that color that looks nice and calm, but describe a personal sadness. It's the color of ocean that is only steady on surface. It's the color of the sky that is soothing to look, but will never be reached.

Whatever the interpretation may be.... I'm BLUE.

(Wanting to find your color too? Click on the title of today's blog.)

I'm a baker...

Well, almost is. I'm on a path of being a master baker. Here how it all began.

I spend a majority of my life getting acquainted with basic tools. That is what you learned in Primary and Secondary schools. First they introduce you to hard apparatus like measuring cups, spoons, and mixing bowls. Then they would teach you some basic ingredients.

"Here is all-purpose, here is cornmeal."

"We have eggs, which separate into yolks and whites."

I did't know what really difference they would make, but at least I know the difference.

Secondary schools teach similar things, but at higher level. You get to distinguish heavy cream, from light. You get to see whisk (manually, of course). Then you might get to write a light research on whatever you've learnt could do. Nothing striking new of course. They are just new to you.

Undergraduate education kicks in more pace. You'd still be learning new tools. "Here are mixers, with different speeds." You find out the easy way to do difficult things. Then you begin taking some serious baking class. One may major in Italian bread making, while other may choose a subject in European cakes. You don't do entirely new things, but you'd get to learn about tools that all bakers know about.

Upon graduation, you'd feel equiped. You can open a bakery shop if you'd like. Most of
things that come out of your store may taste good. Might be new or traditional. Nevertheless, you'd build using the techniques you've gained in education.

But here's the leap. I felt that I know and possess a lot of great ingredients in the world. I
have the technicalities and sophistications more than just to open another bakery. So my
choice? It's an obvious one: graduate school.

I walked the steps taken by great bakers. I was on the journey to be different, and to
investigate, and to be innovative. Not just the thing that come out of oven, but also the
things that go in, using techniques never before seen or tried.

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Coming Attraction.... Path to be a Master Baker

Democracy: a forgotten view... Part I

This entry will be slightly more serious. It's something I've been talking with my closeones. Just think of it as stemming from Thai political issues (and others around the world). So here is its first public appearance!

Democracy: a forgotten view
Part I

Democracy (from greek "demokratia") a word derived from greek "demos", meaning people, and "kratein", meaning to rule. Thus the whole word means literally "people rule". However, democracy as most undstand it today rather means "majority rule". Two things come to my mind, when talking about this modern definition of democracy: "tyranny of the majority" and "segregations".

Pure (direct) domocracy requires participation of individual citizens. Thus a citizen comes independently, and act independently as his virtue dictates. He listens to issues, he contemplates the issues, then he votes on the issues. Therefore, even a minority will has the right to be heard, and to be considered on, and thus voted on. Yes the final verdict is often decided by the majority vote, but not the majority as social group. Remember, all citizens should consider the issue at hand independently.

After evolutions of some two thousands year, we are now in an era where "people rule" is transformed into "majority rule". This brings me to the first point, "tyranny of the majority".

Depending on economic and social environment, herd behavior could be strong. In modern system of democracy, one only needs to pin down a common interest, manipulate it, and voila! Favorable election result appears. One common theme is fear. If you could find a common enemy that threaten the "majority", you are almost ascertained a victor.

Another recurring theme is self-sympathy. People could be really sypathetic when it comes down to themselves. Being a victim generates such feelings. And yes, being a victim is what we all like to be from time to time. Pick the right time, tell them the right stories, make them feel victimized, and again you'd emerge as a popular candidate.

So where is my concern leading us. Above are mere simple examples that, for example Nazi or Populist regimes in Latin America employ (some even argue that Bush plays with fear of terrorism in the past election, but I rather not get too political). Modern democracy leads to majority, while majority leads to power. Nothing guarantees that the majority will do the right thing! In this instance, we have the so-called "tyranny of the majority".

Be careful. When you are caught in the majority, step back and think twice. It is easy to comply to majority, but is difficult to be critical. Do U-NO when you are among herds?

Often times a herd is what we are stuck in. Wouldn't rather be heding than be herded?

Greeting!

Ah... the first proper entry of my blog. I don't know what people would have on their minds while they are writing their first entries. To many, like me, this will be one of the first writings free available to public community.

Of course, not everything on the web get read, and probably so for my entry here. It seems utility to blogging have a strictly concave relation with number of readers.

What's a point of writing, if there's no reader? What's a point of reading if there's no writer? Hence as the number of readers go up, a writer should feel better about their writings. Maybe they write good. Maybe their thoughts are important.

But unless you are a professional writer who gets paid to express, reverse relationship also holds as the number of reader gets too large. What if I offend someone? What if my thoughts "started the whole world laughing"?

So to summarize, here's diagram to demonstrate.

where
N = the number of readers
U( . ) = utility function of a writer, if he writes.
and dotted line is preference specific.

So to blog, I'd guess all writers must have U(N)>u where u is your reservation utility (for not
writing).

Now of course, this is a simplified model. To extend, we must incorporate in the utility some writer gains just from writing. Then number of readers should also be determined by utility of the readers, using maybe a game theoric setting.

Well... Do U-NO what I do for a living?

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Initially, I totally intended to write something else. Well, I'll have it for next time.

Coming attraction.... Democracy: a forgotten view

Welcome

Welcome... wa ha haa haaaa! You kinda see me laughing. So here is my blog. Let's see, what do people put on their blog anyway? Daily life? Thoughts? Sketch of own superiority/stupidity?

Well, I'll find out once my blogging activity reaches steady state. As for now, it'll use it as a sketch pad for thoughts. We'll see how that goes.

First, what font?
Arial?
Courier?
Georgia?
Lucida Grande?
Times? (okay... wake up! Hey!)
Trebuchet?
Verdana
Webdings!

I'd guess I really like the last one. However, first rule for blogging: "communication". If I can't communicate, why blog. So I'll stick with Verdana, as it is pretty easy on the eye.

Yet I still wonder.

What do people blog about anyway?
What kind of people write blog(s)?
..

....

......

Do U-NO-HOO?