Topsy turvy world

everyday when i flip through the daily papers or scan the on-line news, the dreaded word 'inflation' is bound to appear ... we live now in interesting times. many people now have to live with higher prices .. which is not such a bad thing because it is the best way for us to learn that resources (water, fuel, food etc) are limited and we should use it wisely without waste. unfortunately the ppl who have to bear the brunt of this lesson are the lower income group members, who suddenly see necessity expenses (such as food) consuming a large part of their salary (because salary hasn't gone up as much as food prices). but for those with $$$, life is not too bad. the sellers have to fight harder now for business because a big group of ppl are spending less on non-necessity items. so retailers like hypermarkets are advertising that the prices of some of their products are even lower than the year before, and beauty centers are bringing down prices to entice ppl to continue pampering themselves despite 'difficult' times. i wonder what the world will be like 10 years from today ...

so full of myself

i was driving home one day, face-to-face with the last set of traffic lights before reaching the safe haven of home. all of a sudden the saying "you are just so full of yourself" came to mind. not that i am pissed with someone else, but i think this is a rather apt description of ME! yes, lately i have been getting this feeling that i am too engrossed with all things me, and i want out. surely there must be more to life ... and i have also been getting visions .. not of the predictive type .. but visions of normal everyday stuff .. like multi-colored M&Ms when i am thinking about some issue / matter ... strange ... very strange ...

Please turn off your handphones. Our flight will be departing soon

I am wondering how serious is the threat of keeping our handphones turned on, or even taking calls whilst on the airplane. I mean, if it really interferes with the aircraft system, then shouldn't more stringent procedures be in place to ensure that ALL handphones are turned off, instead of the obligatory safety briefing given to passengers prior to take-off? Surely, they could be passengers on board who are not aware of the need to switch off due to various reasons, e.g. they may not have heard the request to switch off, or they may simply have not understood the request due to language barriers! What do u think?

The joy of discovery

A recent outing to Dataran Sunway Kota Damansara revealed a haven of the gastronomical kind. As we try to line up the order in which we would sample all the food offerings in this area (and secretly wishing for more stomachs), an interesting thought suddenly came to my mind. I had been pondering the pros of living in Singaland and Malayland for a while now .. and have yet to find a good reason for the latter (other than wanting to live close to family members). As we were basking in the joy of discovering this new food land, I came to realise that this is indeed one of the joys of Malayland .. because of its size and lack of systematic order (in comparison), there are plenty of opportunities for new discoveries .. be it a nice cozy restaurant to enjoy a dinner for two, or a diner which is cheap and good etc. Interesting food for thought?

Sadistic Personality Disorder

[Wikipedia] Sadistic personality disorder is a pervasive pattern of cruel, demeaning, and aggressive behavior, beginning by early adulthood, as indicated by the repeated occurrence of at least four of the following:

• Has used physical cruelty or violence for the purpose of establishing dominance in a relationship.
• Humiliates or demeans people in the presence of others.
• Has treated or disciplined someone under his/her control unusually harshly.
• Is amused by, or takes pleasure in, the psychological or physical suffering of others (including animals).
• Has lied for the purpose of harming or inflicting pain on others (not merely to achieve some other goal).
• Gets other people to do what he/she wants by frightening them (through intimidation or even terror).
• Restricts the autonomy of people with whom he or she has a close relationship, e.g., will not let spouse leave the house unaccompanied or permit teenage daughter to attend social functions.
• Is fascinated by violence, weapons, injury, or torture.

Do you suffer from SPD?

Way to go great granddad!

Living in PRC land has taught me lots. So said a professor of Peking U, "Because they are isolated from the motherland, and surrounded by foreign influence, Chinese immigrants tend to retain and uphold more Chinese culture and customs compared to their counterparts who remain in Chinaland". That day, the search for my Chinese identity came to an end. Although there are times when I wondered how different my life would be if my great grandfather had not made the decision to seek his fortune in Nanyang, I feel now a sense of security in my unique identity. As I indulge in Haagen Dazs ice-cream enroute my flight back from Beijing, I marvel at the courage of my great granddad and his peers, who braved rough seas and countless hours adrift, determined to reach the land of better opportunities.

Why we should have children?

I see them everywhere .. little ones in strollers, in mummy's arms, in restaurant's baby chairs, stumbling to find their balance as they careen down the supermarket aisles. Somehow the urge to have my own eludes me .. which can be worrying at times, given how my friends are being rather prolific in this department. "Why?" I often ask, both to friends and to myself. "Why have children?". The generation before mine often relies on the rationale of perpetuating the family name as the ultimate reason. My friends do it for various reasons .. because their mother-in-law wouldn't stop asking; because their hubby want to be fathers; because they want someone to look after them in old age. For me, these reasons hardly hold water. And so I have harboured the thought of not having any. Until I met with 2 very interesting friends yesterday. Over lingzhi tea and dried mulberries, my friend shared how she came to be enlightened by the wisdom of an aunt .. who said that it is our responsibility to bear and raise children if we have the right values, are physically fit and healthy, and have the financial resources to do so. It is our contribution to society to raise children who will contribute to the good of mankind. I countered that there are already enough population in the world who can be superheros and save the world, but as my friends say, as long as the contribution of my child outweighs the cost of bringing him/her into this world, then his/her existence is already well justified. Well, there you have it. For the first time, I am seeing this matter in a completely different light. And some day, there might just be a little me running around, making this world a happier place.