Last Pep Rally Performance on 3/13/09

At last, our final massive event is over. This pep rally performance is even bigger than ethnic fair because of the number of audience. Because the pep rally is placed behind 8th period, every students and teachers are obligated to attend. To be exact, this "small" performance is even bigger than the Variety Show in that sense!

With only a week worth of preparation, the group did quite well. Although the routine itself has nothing outstanding, it is not a shabby routine either. If we had more time to prepare for this event, the breakdancing routine could trump even that which we used in the Variety Show.

I myself probably committed the worst mistake ever. On this very important performance, I noticed that my shoe strings on my left shoe were untied. With my solo coming up, which involves an all out flare, I could not risk my shoe flying out in the middle of the performance. Therefore, in order to prevent that, I did a half-assed flare. Now I am kind of regretting that decision, but I believe that was the right thing to do. Ah well...

Now I believe we still have about two or three performances left. Ethnic fair, AIDES run, and Dance Company. I wonder how our year is gonna end...With the tryout for Ethnic Fair coming up on Friday and we have absolutely 0% done for that show. I guess we will just recycle the old routine with some weapon demonstration. Hopefully all will go well.

Stomach Flu

So I have gotten pretty darn sick for the past two days. At first, I thought it was just some minor cold that was causing me to feel extremely tired. But late midnight I start to vomit once every hour or so. For the rest of the day, I literally felt like shit.

but I am feeling slightly better. Hopefully this flu will die down tomorrow...because I have two projects that are due sometimes next week =P

It has been a while...

It really has been a long time since I last write a blog post. It's not because I am too busy to write one, but rather it's because I am lacking some interesting things to even attempt one. But it's almost the end of the month, so I decided to write one regardless.

So, one thing was unexpected. Our Midnight Rave T-shirts are selling a lot better than I have originally anticipated. One of our member, Kevin Qiu, designed the shirt. With the original price set at 20 dollars each, I often receive complaints about the price. However, with a one dollar profit per shirt at 20 bucks a piece, it is really hard to lower it even further. However, with much negotiation, the price of the shirt has been lowered to 15 dollars each. Since then, we have about 20 orders.

Apparently Midnight Rave is far from being done for the school year. We have about three performances left, maybe four if we are eligible to compete in a coming up breakdancing competition in March in a random school. With the coming up pep rally, the group is now making another round of effort to perfect our techniques and mentalities. Last time ended in a disaster, so we hope to not have any mishap occurs this time around. Thankfully, we r only dancing this time. So no glowsticks are going to be cracked.

With ethnic fair being our last official performance, the group is also making an effort to further expand our experiences with weapons. We plan to make a legitimate choreographed fight scene, but that is only doable if we accustom ourselves with the pain and experiences required. So this is another thing to look forward to.

Now, onto something more academic. I have heard from Urbana Champaign and I have been accepted. However, it is not the major which I intended to study in college. With that being said, I am having some thoughts about going there. Currently, my choice may be to go to Purdue for one year and if I still want to go to U of I, I will transfer to the school. I really don't know what to make out of it. But I really feel like I could've done a lot better than this. Ah well, just gotta wait to hear from other schools like Cornell now.

As the end of the year starts to approach, I can't help but ponders on my high school career. There are things that I cherish; there are things that I regret; there are things that I wish to remember vividly forever; and there are things that I wish to forget. This has really been a roller coaster ride. It saddens me that it's going to end in 3 months of time, but I am also excited to embrace the brand new chapter of my life: College.

Midnight Rave: Final Mix

So this past Wednesday and Thursday were the final appearances of Midnight Rave in the Hinsdale Central Variety Show. Because 6 out of 8 members this year are seniors ( myself included ) , we came to the conclusion that the six-years tradition may have come to a conclusion. However, with two outstanding freshman and an additional junior that is joining shortly after the variety show, the future of Midnight Rave seems bright.

This year's act name is called Midnight Rave: Final Mix. I am pretty sure all the hardcore gamers such as myself can guess the origin of such title with immense accuracy. Yes, the inspiration comes from one of my all-time favorite RPG series known as Kingdom Hearts.



Above is our Wednesday's performance. This year, it seems like Day 1 was actually better than Day 2. Maybe it's because it's senior night, or maybe it's because of the primary adrenaline rush that we felt during the performance. But ah well, as long as the audience liked it =)

The act this year can be broken down into three parts: breakdancing, popping, and raving.

Breakdancing, first introduced by David Wu from the first generation, has been a milestone for the group. With tremendous difficulty to practice with safety, this area is by far the hardest to improve. However, with Alex Kim's guidance and experience, the group manages to improve this weakness with unbelievable speed. In no time, this becomes one of our best selling points. Needless to say, Alex Kim is also the breakdancing choreographer of the group.

Popping, lead by Aaron Saballo, is one area which almost none of the members of the group is able to touch. With exceptions of Kevin Qiu and arguably Alex Kim, the trio manages to pull out a satisfying routine at the last minute to impress the audience. It seems like only the formation and the sequence of solos are planned for the variety show. However, with Aaron Saballo's extraordinary fluidity, this remains one of the most unbelievable feat ever done by Midnight Rave.

Raving, the most anticipating part of the group, was made famous by Alex Sun from the first generation. To be exact, the "raving" which Hinsdale Central refers to is actually known as "glowstringing". It was a type of dance which propers during the 80's and 90's in clubs. With Alex Sun's graduation in 2008, the group was dismayed due to the clear lack of knowledge in the area. Attempted to keep the group true to its name, I picked up the pace and learned several new moves on my own, which ultimately led to my responsibility as this year's raving coordinator. The goal was to make up the lack of knowledge about the art with fascinating patterns and a "surprise" to put a beautiful period mark in our career in the variety show.

As mentioned, 6 out of 8 of us are graduating this year. Although we feel like Midnight Rave may be able to survive for years to come, we doubt its capability to meet or surpass the expectations which we set this year. Although this may sound selfish, but it may be for the best to end the group this year. If the three remaining members are interested enough to keep the tradition going, they can always start a new crew with a new name. After all, it's not the name that counts, its the fact that there are still somebody in Hinsdale Central willing to share their passion for hitting the beats.

Finally, a SSS!

At last, the brutal finals are done! Therefore, I am officially a SSS (second semester Senior)~ Surprisingly, this is by far my best finals so far!It was surprising because it definitely did not feel that good when I was taking it...but I guess things are always better than they seem ^_^

With that done, now I can squeeze in a lot of times to do what I must do within the next few hours: coming up with a satisfying raving routine and music for Midnight Rave's coming up performance in the Hinsdale Central Variety Show 2K9. Since the end of the show last year, we have been talking about how we want to make this coming up variety show our absolute best because it is our final year. However, with college applications and a lot of other senior stuff, we were unable to invest enough time to make it happen. Really, I have been really stressed about this coming up performance because I really want to make it the one performance that will have lasting impressions to the rest of the school.

With that been said, this second semester really is something to look forward to.

A Stressful Week

With finals scheduled next week, and the Variety Show soon after, It has been extremely stressful week. And many things have turn for the worse, if it's even possible. I can only hope that things will resolve before graduation.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra Concert on 1/3/09

To begin the new year, I went to the concert of the infamous Trans-Siberian Orchestra Concert. Not exactly familiar with the group, I joined my friend Julian Coltea along with his girlfriend, Anna Hesley, to have a musical explosion. We stop by Oakbrook shopping mall to pick up some food to fulfill our hungry souls. To our surprise, we met Li Cai along with 3 other friends. To me, that was a good sign for the what's to come.

Without too much trouble, we arrived at Allstate Arena. The place was PACKED. I was afraid that we wouldn't be able to get a parking spot. But thanks to the massive area of the place, parking was like a walk in a park. We quickly situated ourselves for the concert by grabbing a quick bite of this pebbly ice cream...it was quite tastey...

The concert began with astonishing amount of fireworks and laser-like lighting effects. The musicians exploded from their seats and played the violin violently as if they are beating up some poor children with impunity. The guitarist showed their expertise on the matter by demonstrating a few killer solo's that would be considered as inhuman achievement in Guitar Hero. To end the concert, various colors of flames, fireworks, and flying platforms were all utilized. It was cacophonically fantastic.

This is the first concert that I attended. I had quite a nice experience with the idea. Looking forward to more in the distant future =)

Game Review #5 - Fantasy Tennis Online

I would have never come across this game if not for the excessive amount of advertisement of this game on its release over the summer on TV in Taiwan. What attracted me at first was not the game play. Rather, it was the atmosphere established by its background music. Amused, I immediately googled the game and set out to experience its world. It was then I discovered an epic game of epic proportion.

Trust me, I am definitely not a sports game type of gamer. In fact, I usually find those kind of games somewhat pointless. However, this game completely changed my perspective on the matter. Fantasy Tennis Online offers two type of game play: Normal mode and Battle mode.



In normal mode, one would play it just like a normal tennis match. But then you would ask: Why is it called "fantasy" then? Well, the answer lies in the mechanics of the game. In normal mode, one would not experience the "fantasy" part of the game as much as one would in Battle mode. However, the mere thrill of using or defending against the SS shots ( available by using special in game rackets which players can buy when players save up enough in game money from playing ) is exciting on many levels. Below are the current known SS shots available in game:

Power Shot - ball travels at 2x the speed.

Eagle Shot - extremely fast lob.

Snake Shot - ball travels in "S" pattern.

Mole Shot - My personal favorite, the ball goes underground and pops up near the end of the court.

Dragon Shot - ball travels in such a way that it resembles a dragon ascending.

Return Curve Shot - Defensive shot, returns the ball from anywhere on the court and saves it by returning it in a curvy pattern.

Return Straight Shot - Defensive shot, returns the ball from anywhere on the court and saves it by returning it to midcourt.

( On a side note, there are two types of SS shot, offensive and defensive. Offensive shot can only be used when a players are within the hitting range of the ball. Defensive shot, on the other hand, can be used anywhere and anytime as long as the ball is on the player side of the court. Hence the name, defensive shot. )

Some racket may have one or two of the above mentioned special shots. However, most racket with two would require real money to obtain. However, having two special shots doesn't necessary give a better advantage. What really matters is the skill level of the game players. If one knows the shot very well, one can fend off anything. Players can purchase rackets in the in-game game shop as well as other avatar items to customize their own characters. Most items will provide stats bonus. Stats?! YES!!! This game isn't just your average sport game! Each character have stats which can be improved by leveling your character or utilizing the items' bonuses!



LEVEL?!?! WHAT??!?! That's right! Fantasy Tennis Online is a combination of sports game and RPG. There actually is a storyline in the game to help players advance the story. Players will gain money and experience regardless of win or lose per game. The amount gained also depends on the players' performances. As character advance a level, it will gain an ability point which can be allocated to enhance a stat.

In the beginning, players can choose between one of the two beginning characters: Nikki and Lunlun. To simply put, these two are very balanced and are basically good at everything. As players eventually save up enough money, one can purchase one of the 4 specialized characters.

Are stats really that important? YES!! ESPECIALLY IN BATTLE MODE! Battle mode is the purpose for the word "fantasy". In battle mode, players do not obtain victory by simply winning points. In fact, there is no points in the game. In place of it, there are the players' HP bars. When one side scores, the other side will suffer hell flame damage for a set amount of HP. Players can also decrease opponents' HP by obtaining crystals during the battle and use the provided items such as homing soul missles, mines, flame balls, blizzard storm, or even turn opponents into CHICKEN so they can't return the ball for one turn!

One can also choose to play Battle mode against a npc. That is known as the GUARDIAN mode. The first 4 maps' guardians are fairly simple. However, anything after that is nearly impossible to solo without a team of experienced players. However, it IS doable, just will cost a lot of game money. Above is a video of the Guardian mode battle, just a little taste of what it is like!

This is my evaluation of the game.Keep in mind this is out of 5 stars, with 5 being the best.

Rating: *****
Extremely entertaining game. Never gets old.

Grinding: ****
There really is no grinding in this game. If you really want me to name one, I guess that would be the need to level. Items have level requirement too. Hence, players would feel the urge to play the games in order to level faster. But is that really grinding? I call that playing!

Fun: *****
Really really fun game. Every match I play, I experience something unexpected. This game really keeps me on top of my toes. However, there is a downside. The server in the US does not exist. Hence, if you play now, it will automatically link you to the EUROPEAN server. Hence, you don't really see a lot of players on because it's working day light for them. You don't really see a lot of people that can speak English very well either. But hey, let the game do the talking!

End of the Year 2008 Review

Another year has ended.
Another year of my life has passed.
Another year full of sorrow and joy is experienced.
Another year arrived.
Another year of wisdom under my belt.
A new year, a new beginning.

That basically summed up my thoughts on this particular year. Looking back, this year really has helped me grow as an individual. Through several mental trials, I have strengthened both mentally and physically. I honestly feel like I can face anything and I won't shatter into pieces.

College applications are completed a while ago. I was quite surprised for accomplishing such feat that early. Usually, I would procrastinate until the very last minute before I switched to WORK MAX gear and pump out completed works like a maniac. However, I got everything done before the month of December, which is quite nice. Props to the new goal-oriented self.

School work is actually going pretty well too. Loaded with AP classes, I expected this year's workload to surpass the previous year. To my surprise, however, the workload is nowhere near as intense as junior year's. Probably because I don't have to read and memorize all those miscellaneous facts for AP US or bust my brain open trying to understand Physics. Looking back, I feel bad for those juniors that I know...but hey! just pull through the next 6 months and the rest will be a smooth ride!

Mentally, though, I feel like there is a lot of room for improvement. This past year had provided a lot of mental challenges which dealt several fatal blows to my emotional state. It was really hard to give it in one piece, but I somehow managed. With the end of high school approaching, I really wish that I can start a lot of things anew and piece my mind together before I face any other mental challenge. Some of the things still hurt a lot, but I guess what doesn't kill you will only make you stronger eh?

With the finals approaching, it is REALLY REALLY REALLY hard to squeeze in time for the variety show. Currently, we are REALLY screwed, because our routine is not complete and we don't have sufficient time to perfect it before the variety show. I can only pray to God to lend us his power during the performance to bring the best experience to the both the audience and ourselves. Really, God, save us.

My team and I also earned top 8 placement in the recent Nationals. Really, it was a fun experience. Although somewhat painful to the bodies and stressful, it was really a lot of fun. I want to thank you all for making it possible.

Basically that's about it. This past year had been wonderful, really, and contributed greatly to who I am as an individual. I feel like I have matured a lot and am no longer the childish me a year ago. I feel like I have finally raised the tolerance level of my body in many aspects ( maybe not a good thing, but still it is a good thing in a lot of ways). I want to thank you all who is a part of my life in the year for making it the way it was. Thank you all and Happy New Year!!

End of the Year 2008

As the end of the year of 2008 approaches, I can't help but reminisce everything that has happened in this past year: college applications, AP workload, Midnight Rave, and a lot of other things. It is hard to believe that I am finally arriving at the end of my journey of high school. Really, I know that is definitely a good thing. However, I can't help but feel a bit of sorrow. High school has definitely become my second home, no, maybe even THE home. It is hard to let it go, but I guess college will replace high school within a few months.

Definitely more to come, I figured what I want to talk about should each get an individual post..because I am wordy like that =D

Phew~

Despite all odds, Midnight Rave successfully passed the tryout stage and is officially part of the Variety Show 2K9. Honestly, I deeply regret the fact that we could not concentrate on this set of routine prior to the tryout date. We messed up SO MUCH that we actually doubted our chance of making it. Thankfully, the judges understand the limit of our capability and qualified us.

So with that said, time to do an extreme makeover for our routine. After all, this is our last year in Hinsdale Central and we want to make it as astonishing as possible.

Great Success!

Midnight Rave just had its second official performance as halftime show in the staff vs seniors basketball game yesterday. Not to brag, but we did next to nothing in order to prepare ourselves for this show. However, that was not to say we did no work at all. Numerous times, Alex Kim, Aaron Saballo, Luke Gill, and myself tried to meet up to put it together. However, numerous external factors constantly defeated our attempts; and therefore, we had to oral our way through the whole thing about the day before and some minor modification 30 minutes prior to the show.

Like everytime, I was extremely nervous prior to our performance. My heart was bouncing at an incredibly fast pace, my limbs were soft, and my hands were sweating. However, all fear was gone when the music started. We all tried to be our very best despite the fact that we made some mistakes regarding the choreography...but hey! The performance actually turned out quite well. In fact, I think this is probably the best dancing routine we put up by far!



So today, the variety show tryout for us was canceled due to bad weather. I honestly hope to God that this will work out tommorrow...

Hmmm...

So far, there are some good news and bad news. At this point, I have been accepted into both Purdue and IU. The bad news are, unfortunately, that I am currently being deferred by both U of I and Stanford. Hmm...I really hate the anxiety but I guess there's the hope of being accepted by both.

I feel retarded for applying to U of I's biotech major. Apparently it is currently the toughest major available in that school....if I had done biochemistry, I would've been in already....bleh....this just plain sucks.

So, Another One.

So I checked the IU site today and apparently I got accepted. There goes anotehr safety school!.

Now the big day will be Friday....Gahhh the anxiety is simply killing me.

Finally, a Decision Made.

So it has been awhile since senior year began. I have to say, the first three months really weren't the best time of my life due to all the college applications that needed to be done.

Well, I guess I don't have to worry about that anymore because I finally submitted my last application for Cornell University today!! YAHOO!!!!!

Sure has been a long ride...now I think about it..half of being a senior is college applications. With that done, I feel somewhat empty and filled with sadness within. But I would really rather not go through the whole process AGAIN...=P

The Good news is, I have already heard from one of my colleges that I am accepted. The bad news is, it's Purdue. It's not a bad college, but it only one of my safeties. This coming Friday, UIUC will release its decision. I am very anxious yet scared about it because UIUC is one of the schools which I really really REALLY want to go to.

May God be with me on this. Amen.

Game Review #4 - Dream of Mirror Online

Dream of Mirrir Online, or DOMO for short, is a mmorpg developed by Aeria. With mechanics which resembles that of Final Fantasy XI, it is a game which requires long-term dedication but may appeal to a lot of people who are looking for a game that will provide you with every features of the game regardless of your actions. As a dedicated mmorpg player, this game was a real treat for me. And here is why.

Almost every single mmorpg requires the player to choose a class/race that has certain strengths and weaknesses as well as sets of skils unique to only that class/race. With such principle, players are stuck with his or her choice through the remainder of the game unless he or she decides to create another character, with the necessity to begin from the very beginning again. With DOMO, however, such thing would never be a problem. Why? Because DOMO allows you to be everything! In the beginning of the game, you get to choose among one of the four races: Human, Sprite, Shura, and Slyph. However, this choice only affects the appearnace of your character. It does not affect the overall game play at all.

Now, there are 12 professions. And they are as follows: Commoner, martial artist, wizard, blademaster, hunter, thief, doctor, mercenary, shaman, fencer, musician, dancer, and merchant. As mentioned above, you can be all of them in the game! However, each profession have its own separate level and experience bar. Meaning, you cannot train the levels of these professions all at once. I know, this might be tedious at some point. But hey! At least you don't have to share the health you make as you train via several separate characters! Because there are 12 professions and I do not have the full experience with all 12, I cannot give you the full aspect of each profession. However, you can go to http://domo.aeriagames.com/info/occupation if you are interested. On a side note, some professions need to be unlocked by fulfilling level/queset/item requirement.

Here comes the unique part of the game. Dream of Mirror Online features a fun and beneficial "personal relationships" system. Everyone, in some way, depends on others, and when you nurture those relationships, you'll not only make great new friends, you'll enjoy the benefits of having someone to back you up in any battle, and perhaps even some exclusive special abilities as well.

In Dream of Mirror Online, your characters are able to develop three types of close human relationships: Teacher and Student, Friends, and Lovers. Anyone can develop these relationships, but other relationships are predestined - depending on your birth date and your Chinese zodiac sign, you'll be connected to certain players by the red string of fate. You may find yourselves to be relatives, rivals, or even a true love via these fated connections - and who knows what may happen after that? It's all up to your initiative!

In addition to the relationships that players forge for themselves, there are some predestined or "fated" relationships set by Dream of Mirror Online when you create a new character. The Fate System will decide the three most important destined relationships in life for players: destined relatives, destined rivals, and destined true loves! Here's how the creators describe these three relationships:

A Destined Relative is someone who is or was your relative, perhaps many generations ago, or in a previous life, or in another world.
A Destined Rival is someone who you can constantly measure yourself against. Like both an enemy and a friend, a Destined Rival can be a great competitor who keeps you moving and growing.
A Destined Love means both parties have great affinities. Any fortuneteller would predict that the two would make a perfect match. If two Destined Lovers help each other through life, they are sure to prosper.


The graphics of the game is like that of Flyff, using the 2.5D style. Some may find this somewhat annoying because it seems childish. But really, I find this style suit the game quite well because of the plot of the game. Yes, there is actually a LEGIT plot to the game! Like console rpg, you will go through tons of entertaining and intense cut scenes as you complete your quests. I think many of us gamers would really enjoy and appreciate the casual yet intense storyline.

Overall, this is really a great game. With great gaming community as wel as simple yet sophisticated game play with endless possibilities, Dream of Mirror Online will be one of those games people will remember in the long run

This is my evaluation of the game.Keep in mind this is out of 5 stars, with 5 being the best.

Rating: ****
With an entertaining plot as well as great game plays, few will not enjoy this game.

Grinding: ***
With 12 different professions, you can experience the strengths and weaknesses of each profession. However, it does get tedious as you will have to train each profession separately. But again, it really does help to play all 12 professions later on in game.

Fun: ****
I really had a blast playing this game. Lucky for me, I found a guild to join. Their continuing help with quests and leveling really made the game great. I never get bored fro playing this because there are simply too many things to do! This is definitely the game for those who are looking for a long-term dedication to a game.

Thanksgiving 2008

Thanksgiving is the day of gratitude. So I figure I would spend some moments of solitude to list and appreciate.

Friends - for being there for me in times of need.

Family - for bringing me to this world full of sufferings and joys.

A Certain Someone - for giving me a memory that is actually worth to reminisce.

Yellow Fever - for providing such an opportunity for me to kick ass.

Midnight Rave - for just being an awesome group of friends and partners in crime

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Hopefully you guys are pumped for what's to come ^_^ ( Black Friday of course!!!)

Current Music Project

So it has been awhile since I touched the piano. Well, not really awhile since I touched the keyboard in order to record the keyboard portion of a piece into the TAF song that we have been working on. But it has been awhile since I sit down and play the piano for the pure leisure of it.

I have to say, i am simply surprised at the change of attitude toward music at this point of my life. I first started piano as young kid because my mom simply forced me to learn it. Defiantly, I did learn it, and learned it rather well. I was only one degree shy from obtaining my teacher's license. But that was awhile ago. Right now, for some reason, I return to the instrument and play it with curiosity as well as passion. Maybe it is because I am much more mature now, I am able to appreciate the melody and the symphony of keys.

Since Thanksgiving break is coming up very soon, I am hoping that I will be able to learn this song from D. Gray Man:



It is a beautifully written music. I don't know why I like this song, but I feel like the atmosphere and mood set by this piece is accurately describing and expressing my current emotions. Hence, I am determined to learn this piece, and hopefully have it memorized by the end of this weekend. Hope all goes well. I would really love to play this song ^_^

Now and Then

So it has been awhile since i write posts. Really, life really can't get much worse than it already is. Really hard on me both physically and emotionally. It's almost as if God designed this life full of painful experiences just so he can continue to torture me. I really wish I can just take on all the pain physically rather than emotionally, because I feel like my mind is about to shatter like a piece of worthless glass.

So Hinsdale Central's football team somehow dominated Mt. Carmel by 3 points and is advancing to state final at U of I next week. I guess that's one thing to be proud of as a current student of Hinsdale Central.

I would really like to know a way to subside or erase my memory. Really, I would rather not remember anything than remembering my life at the moment. In fact, I am so disoriented by the emotional torture that I just realized this paragraph that I am writing is located in the wrong location in this post...ahahahaha whatever. I don't usually write the blog post formally unless it's something of importance =P

I can only pray that life will improve. And I sincerely hope for it.

My Philosophy Paper

So This paper took me a lot of thoughts and time. So I decided that it's worth being put up here. So here it is!
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Anselm’s Ontological Argument: the Attempted Failure

Religion, the service and worship of God or the supernatural, has bring forth an ongoing controversy between those who places their faith in God and those who believes in numbers and data. The valid and convincing evidences and logics from both sides clash over and over again with no conclusion to this endless war of contradiction of human perceptions. However, the religious side seems to be fighting a losing battle due to the lack of physical evidence. Thus, the only way to prove the existence of God for us mortals is through the examination of the concept of God itself. This is called the ontological argument, an argument from the nature of God to the existence of God.

St. Anselm, the archbishop of Canterbury, attempted to prove the existence of God through his ontological argument. It is as follows:


1) God, by definition, is the greatest being possible.

2) If God exists only in our minds, then it is possible for there to be a being greater than God, namely, a being like God that exists in reality.

3) But it is not possible for there to be a being greater than God.

4) Therefore God must exist in reality.


A being that exists in mind cannot be greater than a being that exists in reality. So if God existed only in our minds, it would be possible for there to be a being greater than God, namely a being like God, to exist in reality. Although this argument is valid on the surface, the majority of the people find this very hard to accept. The mere thought of defining something into existence is simply unconvincing and absurd, and I agree.

The second step of his ontological process is the root of his failure. If God exists only in our minds, then everything that exists around us in reality is greater than the God in our mind. If everything that exists in reality go through a series of comparison and ultimately are arranged in order from the least to the greatest being that exists, the last item to be implemented to the series will be the greatest being possible in reality. But as we all know, nothing that exists in this physical world is perfect. And having something that exists in reality labeled as “God” is contradicting because “God”, by definition, is perfect; while the physical being is not.

Guanilo, a contemporary of Anselm, shared the critical view of the majority and created a thought experiment known as Guanilo’s Lost Island to demonstrate the shortcomings of Anselm’s ontological argument. His thought experiment directly attacked Anselm’s logic. The greatest island, by definition, would have the best ideal climate possible. However, according to Anselm’s logic, if such island did not exist, then it would not be the greatest island possible. So, by similar reasoning, it would seem that the greatest island possible must exist.

Of course, Anselm was aware of such loophole in his argument and attempted to amend it by claiming that his argument applied only to the scenario of the greatest being possible. However, such attempt did not help his argument. Rather, it helped digging its own grave. If the existence is intrinsic to God because it makes him better, it is hard to see why it could not be intrinsic to other things as well.

What went wrong with Anselm’s argument? The problem lies within the concept of “exists only in the understanding.” To simplify the matter, let x represents something that exists only in the mind. To say that x exists only in the mind is to say that the concept of x does not apply to anything in reality. Similarly, to say that God exists only in the mind is to say that the concept of God does not apply to anything in reality. There is no contradiction involved in saying that the concept of the greatest being possible is not exemplified. Therefore, Anselm’s attempt fails to prove the existence of God.

Immanuel Kant, an eighteenth-century philosopher, bashed the whole method which Anselm pursued. Kant reasoned that existence is not an attribute of an object like temperature, size, and the like. According to him, existence is not “something that can simply be associated with the definition of an object”. To further amplify his argument, he gave the example of a “quircle”. It is given information that a quircle is a circle that exists. Just from this, it seems impossible for us to reach any other conclusion other than that a “quircle” exists, for the definition told us it does exist. However, any intelligent mind in the world would agree that this is obviously not a good reason to believe, for we could prove that anything exists by utilizing this method. Thus, Anselm’s method of pursuing the truth is a failure.

With all due respect, I personally do not find Anselm’s ontological attempt very convincing. Not only do I not agree with his method of choice, but I also do not find his logic sound and valid. Just like the causal theory of the physical, which states that everything that happens can be explained in purely physical terms, it is hard for me to believe that something like God can be defined by anything outside of realm of God. Anselm’s ontological attempt not only utilized the wrong approach in to prove his belief, his logic is also full of flaws and contradictions. Therefore, Anselm’s ontological argument is nothing but a failure.