Happy New Year, Everyone!

I know I have been a bit on the lazy side these past weeks, but hey, I have recovered. It's January 1, 2008 and from the first few hours, things are looking good.

I wish to to be sanguine about the whole thing. Why kick off the new year with dark clouds hovering over one's head. That's not very mature, as they say.

Last night, I was among tens of thousands watching double fireworks displays in my neighbourhood. Where did those organisers find the cash to bankroll these pyrotechnics, I asked myself.

Before I could answer myself, I was caught up in the maelstrom of exploding technicolour lights in the dark sky.

People were milling about in their pajamas. Yes, nobody wanted to miss anything. Afterall, such entertainment that comes once a year is free!

If you wish to make any new year resolution like all of us normal full-of-flaws earthlings do, make one that you think you got a chance to succeed. No point telling yourself rather foolishly that you want to have a million bucks in your bank account by July.

Your girlfriend may want to believe you but members of your family will certainly laugh you out of the house. This year, 2008, will be a great year for you if you want it to be so.

Don't think nothing is unachievable. Everything, short of the ridiculous, incredible and downright nonsensical, can be attained if you put your heart, mind and soul into it.

About six months ago, I told myself that I wanted a digital DSLR and a high-end compact camera. By last month (December 2007), I had both. I am not boasting but merely telling you that somethings can be obtained, bought and possessed if the spirit is in full gear.

Now, what do you want? Seriously, what do you really want? Don't be wishy-washy about the whole thing. Nobody, particularly yourself, is going to believe you if the core of your own being rebel against such a thought.

Set your standards high, and your dreams higher and watch yourself soar. If this sounds like another one of those high-priced management seminar talk, it isn't. I am merely stating an age-long secret.

Those who know what they want, just go ahead and get them. Put no time frame to your targets. Just focus on them and plunge ahead.

Dream beautiful dreams. Think great and positive thoughts. Believe it or not, you deserve them. Don't think of trampling on your nasty neighbourhoods flower garden. Those kind of thoughts produce a bad karma.

Positive thinking is multi-fold. It generates wonderful consequences for yourself and for others. Why bother to plan another person's downfall when you could use the same energy to get great gifts for yourself.

The world does not need another tyrant or dictator. We are drastically short of Mother Teresas, Pope John Paul II and a few more selfless people working perpectually for the good of others.

The pain you feel throughout last year was probably a result of your own actions. Not a very nice thought but nevertheless true. So before you repeat the unpleasant consequents of 2007, change direction and be kind in thought, word and deed.

In the aftermath of such a decision, watch the flowers bloom in the garden of humanity. And be astounded by the effects of your own selfless actions and kind thoughts.

Nobody is asking you to be a saint but do the right thing and the rest will follow.

Movies are of great therapeutic value

I have been watching movies for as long as I can remember. For the billions who have watched movies since their teenage years, films have doubled up as a marvellous form of de-stressors.
There are movies that inspire us to do great things. There are movies that touched the core of our souls. There are movies that so easily draw the tears. These are the creations of great film makers who unwittingly or deliberately make us think positively, feel deeply and forgive easily.

We live this life now so that we can be better individuals. We like to think that we are capable of greater things in life. Indeed, we can but our fears and lack of self-confidence create obstacles to our own progress.

I have credited classic movies for providing the impetus for me to strive for things that I could otherwise have not attained. Hours spent in cinemas intermittently throughout my growing years and then later in adulthood have reaped long term benefits.

I am ever grateful to those great stories that have been portrayed so well by good actors and their screen lives and experiences have acted as engines of encouragement to me to emulate my imagined heroes.

Every body needs a hero. He who says he doesn't is probably lying to himself and probably doesn't know it. Films like It's A Wonderful Life and Life Is Beautiful have inspired me to follow life's paths that look so mundane in the past but they are ever so fruitful when treaded upon.

I really couldn't imagine what my life could have been, if not for those enjoyable and yet inspiring movies that have crossed paths with me.

Looking beyond November

November to me means December is just around the corner. So what's so great about November? Well, personally, it means one year has almost over and I look back and assess my life's journey.
People say if you are having a great time, the months fly swiftly by. If that's the criterion then I must be having a grand time. The journey thus far has been exciting, eventful and truly a chronicle of memorable happenings.
It's not true to say I have an Indiana Jones-type of life but every individual, depending on his preferences, needs and priorities, has his own life chart.
On looking back, I am glad to sad my regrets are few, if any I care to remember. There have been some hilarious moments and there have been some very happy occasions. I try to keep the anxious times to as few as I can count on one hand.
Who wants to remember bad times? Unless you are a glutton for self torture, you really shouldn't dwell over unhappy times. It is not a healthy habit and it is downright depressing.
That's my policy anyway. Why flog yourself unnecessarily when there are other better, more exciting things to do in life.

I don't know about you but I am always on the lookout for some fun things to do. I tell myself every day that I don't have time to be sad or wallow in misery. Why do to the grave crying and moaning?
Surely, life is bigger than all that. All of us will eventually slide into the grave. We are all biodegradable life forms. Let's face it, if you don't want to be happy, there are billions of others (six billion at last count) who would be more than happy to put a smile on their own face.

It's coming to December for heaven's sake. Cheer up and sing!

What's going on, Mother Earth?

Hurricane Katrina caused havoc in New Orleans and Lousiana in 2005. Hundreds of thousands of people were affected. Damage control came late and life has not exactly returned to normal even now - two years later.

Since February this year, tornadoes have been appearing in various parts of North America, namely Florida, Lousiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas, Okhlahoma, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, Illinois, New York and the MidWest. Fatalities from these outbreaks of tornadoes or twisters are numbered about 60.

Currently, we have fires sweeping across Southern California. That's water, wind and fire. Are these some of the side-effects of global warming, or these natural disasters portend something more terrible is on the way?

Frankly, I don't know the answers. Can someone enlighten me?

How do you sleep at night?

The above question is not asked in the vein that you may be a party to an unknown crime committed recently but in the normal sense as how do you actually slip into oblivion for a better part of an eight-hour stretch?

Most of us at one time or another have trouble sleeping like a baby. Honestly, those who sleep like a baby are the babies themselves. Nature is on their side. Nature however seems to have abandoned us on the wrong side of the bed by the side we skip past the 30-year mark.

Then there are those who brag that they sleep moments after their heads hit the pillow. If only all of us were so lucky. If you are too tired, you may have trouble sleeping.
If you worry too much, again sleep will continue to play hide-and-seek with you. Of course, there are techniques to usher a person into the land of REM (rapid eye movement). Frankly, I am not even sure I know the exact meanign of REM.
My guess is that when a person is in a state of REM, he is supposed to be in deep sleep. It is said that a baby spends about 80 per cent of his sleep time in REM land, whereas adults only experience about 20 to 25 per cent of his sleep in REM.
Now, I sometimes brag that I truly sleep like a baby because I kick the blanket aside during the course of the night. That of course doesn't create a bountiful amount of goodwill from my partner next to me.
Short of slugging me with the bolster, she just turns over to the other side and slip into her own never-neverland.
People who suffer from insomnia receive much sympathy from me because it is one of the worse punishments that a human being can receive. Insomniacs also suffer from intense bouts of worry.
What does a person to do when the body wants to rest but the mind refuses to let go. In the ensuing desperate moments of non-repose, the human condition careens into the zone of imagined fears.
When you can't sleep, there will come a time when you begin to think your time on earth is up. Simply put, the spectre of death seems quite real. Death itself may start tickling the feet of your mind. Here's the rub: you can't scratch the itchy spots in your cerebrum.
My answer to an overactive mind and a body that resists oblivion is to engage in a series of pleasant thoughts. The argument is simple: if you can't sleep, at least you have a pleasant time dreaming of some of the nicest things that could happen to you.
After a while, your body begins to relax because of the steady flow of endorphin (the feel-good biological chemical in the body).
Deep breathing helps too. But don't be too enthusiastic, otherwise you may end up gasping as if you are drowning. Now, we don't want that, do we?
Wear loose clothes. Go naked if you so wish but don't catch a chill. Tight clothing tends to be detrimental to a good night's sleep. And also, breathe with your stomach.
Watch a sleeping baby very carefully. His tummy rises and falls very gently. That is the correct way to breathe. If you breathe right, everything else follows the correct path.
If only an infant can be eloquent, how much we adults can learn from the toddler.
It's true to say that money doesn't buy sleep, it just buys you a bed.
Good night then.

Life's on the slow lane

MUCH has been said about being on the fast track. Modern conveniences inadvertently spell out to be Instant this, and Instant that. It seems so long ago that our forbears used to take their time walking from one cottage to the next and never count the distance or the time taken.
These days, we are always in a hurry. We rush from department meeting to board meeting. Most of the time, or rather half of the time, we forget what transpired at these meetings.
Some of us buy expensive PDAs (personal digital assistant) to help organise our thoughts. We all think it's pretty cool to have an iphone, a Blackberry and GPS cellphone.
Sometimes I wonder how our ancestors a century ago would have handle all these modern gadgets. Yes, no doubt if these ancestors were alive today, they would be flabbergasted.
Some of these modern devices still have not entered my front door, even though I have seen pictures of them or read about them on the Internet.
But how much do we really need to make our lives more exciting, more interesting and more convenient? A long time ago, when these conveniences didn't exist, life then continued nevertheless.
People nowadays seem to think that without some of these technological wonders, life will come to an instant end. Perhaps life is passing us by while we are considering what other new gadgets we want to add to our collection.
For many years now, I have deliberately learnt to slow down. Take for example, in congested city streets. The tendency among motorists is to be the first one off the block. Sometimes when the traffic lights are on the verge of bursting green, you can hear the roar of revving engines.
Everybody seem to be in a hurry. Frankly, what's 20 seconds in your life? Once, I was at a traffic junction, the light turned green, I was about to dash across to the other side when I hesitated, a mere three seconds.
Suddenly, like a bolt out of the blue, a speeding truck dashed in front of me. Obviously, that trucker had beaten the red lights by exactly three seconds. Now, if you were to ask me what had I learnt from that, my answer would be those precious few seconds separated me from crossing over to God's green acre.
When I amble along on life's slow lane, I find out that birds are actually quite beautiful. They chirp without a care in the world. And somewhere at a nearby tree, its mate returns Nature's call.
What a wonderful litte discovery. If I had moved my feet a bit faster, I would have missed all that. I also found out that trees rustle in rhythm to the winds. Yes, there are swaying palms on my side of the world. In fact, if you really close your eyes, you can imagine those palms whispering.
Thus that unforgotten song that has those words: "whispering palms..."
The Buddhist monks learnt this important tenet of life millennia ago. They call it mindfulness. If you take your time with your actions as well as study the movements of other life-forms around you with great deliberation, you will allow all your five senses to partake in a feast of recognition.
Leonardo Da Vinci practised this centuries ago. There's actually a book entitled Think Like Leonardo Da Vinci. It tells you that such deliberate actions will add volumes to your personal intelligence.
Life on the slow lane is not for those who exist, it's for those who live to love, study and appreciate and finally rejoice.

Much Ado About Eating

We are all creatures of predictable dietary habits. Most of us have our favourite dishes, our preferred fast food and our little culinary secrets.
Some of these we share with others, and then there are a few we simply prefer to keep to ourselves. God knows why, but we do.
For example, we may like our hotdog from the street vendor sprinkled with deep-fried onion rings, mixed with Tabasco sauce. It may not be another person's favourite kind but we don't really care because it brings a silly grin to the one who loves it to death.
Who knows why certain kinds of food ring all the bells in our heads? Perhaps 30 years ago when we were in our pre-teen days, one rainy day an unknown hotdog seller was on the right side of the street, and someone's child happened to be there as well.
His best friend, the one who has lots of pocket money, treated him to the above-mentioned hotdog with a so-called secret recipe. What transpired was an undying love born of a teenage culinary love affair for a simple bun with a sausage and some sauce.
That's what makes up our personality. We all grow up developing certain tastes and refining them as we grow along. Sometimes we think we know all that is to be learnt about eating, but then as the years pass, we know better.
However, eating can be considered a cultivated art. It breaks my heart to see diner labouring over their food at fine restaurants. Other than humans, I can't think of any other life-forms that enjoy food as much as we do.
Enjoying a great meal comprising excellent dishes is a gift from God. We all want to live to eat. Woe be he who eat to live and abide by rule for the rest of his miserable life.
That is a punishment exacted by no other than the sufferer himself. Therefore, it is my credo that as long as our mouths can move, as long as our jaws can open and close and our teeth can bite, eating should be counted as a great blessing because it puts us in touch with some of the finest moments of human living.
On that note, I shall have to keep my date with a restaurant in an hour's time.

My new digital camera - Nikon D40

First and foremost, I wish to declare that I am new to the world of DSLR, or digital single lens reflex.

My camera-mad friends have urged me incessantly to upgrade my rotten old Kodak DX7630 to an DSLR because the prices have become quite competitive. So by chance, I came across one recently that I thought would fit my budget.

That included sacrificing several days of lunches plus some proper dinners. So here I am with a Nikon D40 which I thought was pretty cool. For a DSLR camera, the D40 is one of the most basic but friends have attested to its reliability and efficiency as befitting the sterling reputation of Nikon.

I have taken a number of shots with my new camera and the results are impressive. Now, I have been bombarded by persuasions to acquire a 70-300 lens. The one which has been "thrown" at my face is the Sigma APO DG model.

It has been alleged that this lens is reported to be more superior than Nikon lens. Another reason to acquire this lens is the steep price for a similar VR Nikon lens in a similar category.

So there you go, one camera later and my wallet is beginning to get the shakes! But photography can be as addictive as golf. The good thing is I don't play golf, or rather I haven't yet been bitten by the golf bug.

Right now, somewhere tucked away in my home drawer are two compact cameras. One is the ancient Panasonic LC20 2-mega pixel and the other is the Kodak DX7630. I have had and is still having a great time with both compact cameras.

But as digital cameras go, their efficiency level drops with the passing of time, or when technology supersedes it after a brief six months. But then, some of the world's best pictures are taken with ordinary cameras, so I really have no excuse here.

Now that I am truly and thoroughly bitten by the shutter bug, I have to plead guilty to having lascivious thoughts of acquiring new accessories for my new D40. And D40 is not even anywhere near those other coveted digital DSLRs that the professional pixmen often lug around.

If you were me, what do you do? Well, I tend to follow my gut instincts but also keep a sharp eye on the thickness of my wallet. No point going around shooting pictures and wearing tattered clothes.

Wish me luck with my new camera. May I win a prize sometime in the near future.

Why you need to act now!

There's that much quoted line: Don't put off to tomorrow after you can do today. Let me rephrase that and say: "Don't put off what you can do NOW to the next hour!"

It's true. Have you ever wondered what you could have achieved if you have not hesitated a thousand times before? This applies to those good intentions that you secretly want to carry out but die a natural death because you pause and think about it for a couple of days.

By the time, you are ready and willing, the object of your desire or the subject of your intention has left the scene. Or, you yourself could be in a position where you no longer have the power to carry it out.

Now, isn't that a crying shame? The good deeds of tomorrow are acted upon NOW, not the next hour or the nex day.

Do it now. Don't hesitate. Just do it! Now, I am beginning to sound like a Nike ad. It may sound cornish to you but the long years I have spent gallivanting on earth have taught me one valuable lession - all good intentions remain just intentions if you merely dwell on them mentally.

The smallest good intention must be translated into action for it to achieve results. For example, if you plan to say something nice to your girlfriend, just say it the next time you meet her.

There's no such thing as timing. Just say it, for love's sake! If you want to buy your dad something that you know he loves. Don't hesitate till the fire in your belly dies out.

Just go out and buy it. The money in your wallet can be replaced. If something happens to your dad, I think you will be hard put to find a replacement.

If you think you stand a ghost of a chance of making a million dollar deal. Go ahead and try, you really have nothing to lose except the act of trying.

All attempts leads halfway to reality. Reality are dreams turned inside out. If you can imagine it, you can create it. If you can create it, it will come true.

That's what life's all about. Making dreams come true - for yourself and for others.
Why wait till you have the money to do this, do that and then act upon all the good intentions.

Do the things you can do first. Forget the money, or the timing, or even the stars to come out. Life's for the moment. Every moment counts. Every kind word uttered is action done.

Every charity performed is grace delivered. Every act of good deed is twice blessed. It blesses the one who receives as well as the one who gives.

If you are not sure, just ask William Shakespeare.

The cinema is now a Marvel Universe

An office colleague sauntered up to me a couple of hours ago and said, "hey, they are making The God of Thunder". I replied: "You mean that Viking God in the comics?"

Yes, he responded. Then, there's The Watchmen. Apparently, it has been cooked and ready to be served, meaning the casting, budget and other million dollar details are in the pipeline.

So these two comic titles are being added on to the Hollywood conveyor belt. The last two or three years have seen an enormous output of comics type films. We had the Hulk, Daredevil, Spiderman, Batman, Superman, Fantastic Four, Ghost Rider, Catwoman, X-Men and Elektra.

I have probably missed out on a few but who's counting? The big studio guys have suddenly realised that they have hit the motherlode as far as moviegoers' fascination is concerned.

Superheroes movies have struck a nerve and it leaves a lingering feel-good sensation that resonates with the tinseltown auditors and bankers. There's something to be said about comic books and mutants with superpowers.

There used to be a time when only children were fascinated with colour pages filled with out-of-this-world stories. Times have changed. These days everybody is involved. Who would have believed that in this day and age, movies about superheroes who have caught most of our fancy back three or four decades ago have all returned in the greatest CGI way.

After having said all that, I have to confess that I am a big time comic fan. I have not really left the world of Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, Valiant and what-have-you. There are also so many independent comic publishers these days that I have lost count.

But honestly, comics are also no longer a dime a dozen. Those were the good old days. These days, quality comics can actually make a kid cry with grief. Publishers blame it all on price of paper, escalating costs of expensive ink and the astronomical amount of money, successful comic writers and artists are demanding.

So what else is new? But coming back to the cinema or theatre, depending on which part of the world, you are from a cinema and theatre simply means the same thing. It's where ordinary people pay a few bucks to venture into the delightful world of escapism.

It's a place where anyone and everyone can be a superheroes. There are no barriers or boundaries in the realm of comics and superheroes. That's what so wonderful about the whole thing.

I know one day, this runaway comics cinema train will derail but till then, I am having the ride of my life. It's really fun. This is one train, any commuter regardless of age, can buy a ticket and get on board.

You can be like children again. Nobody in the darkened cinema is going to take notice of you because all of them are into their own world of marvels. Isn't that wonderful?

Truly, imagination is so stupendously wonderful. See ya at the cinema!

Learn to be angry

Learn to be angry about injustice that is becoming increasingly common.

Learn to be angry over poverty because it is not in the nature of man to be poor.

Learn to be angry about the lack of love anywhere.

Learn to be angry because too many people are going to bed with emtpy stomachs.

Learn to be angry about corruption in the country.

Learn to be angry over irrational wars around the world.

Learn to be angry with yourself for not being enthusiastic over the most mundane matters.

Learn to be angry for not showing enough love for those you care for.

Learn to be angry that you sometimes lack the passion to better yourself in so many easy ways.

Learn to be angry for lacking the will power to exercise your own body, so that 30 years from now you do not have to fill your cupboard with medicines.

Learn to angry with yourself for not saying thank you to those who have helped you in the smallest way.

Learn to be angry for not saying prayers for others.

Learn to be angry over too much waste because as humans we really need very little to satisfy our basic needs.

Learn to be angry over your own shyness in not making the first move to make new friends.

Learn to be angry for being too lazy to learn new skills and new languages.

Learn to be angry for not showing interest in little children, for they are our second chances.

Learn to be angry for not being kind enough, gentle enough and compassionate enough.

Learn to be angry over senseless crimes in your neighbourhood.

Learn to be angry over eating too much when you know you are already full.

Learn to be angry for not learning enough from people who can teach you a lot.

Learn to be angry that you have not paid attention to the examples of great people who have gone before you.

Learn to be angry that you have but one chance in your life to do the greatest things in a thousand most memorable ways.

Learn to be angry that you have not heeded the inner voice that tells you everyday that you can be what you imagine if only you act upon it now.

Learn to be angry that you have not awakened from dreaming because that's the only way to make your own dreams come true.

Sometimes bad things do happen to good people

I was just thinking about this after watching scenes of the Minneapolis bridge collapse on CNN this morning. About 20 cars plunged into the Mississippi river when sections of the bridge gave way.

Those who were at the scene and were caught in it must have suffered tremendously - physically and mentally.

This brings to mind the question: why do such things happen to innocent people? I have asked this question almost every time I witness a tragedy whether it be a natural disaster or a human tragedy.

There are many things we don't understand in this life but sometimes when least expected, disaster strikes. Families are caught in the maelstrom and a string of lives are altered forever.

There's actually no body to blame for such situations. All I know is those who have been stuck in situations like that usually recover after a while. The pain lingers for those who are immediate family members of the victims but somehow life marches bravely on.

In a way, there are lessons in everything that has happened and will happen. How well will it all play out? That remains to be seen.

We all hope and pray that life will be kind to us but we are never sure. Not every road we travel on is paved with rose petals. Sometimes, there are potholes, rusty nails and unseen bumps.

But we do take all that in stride. How can we not? We never really expected them in the first place.

Let it be known that all things, good and bad, happen to all at one time or another. There's no exception. Of course, some are luckier than others but to each, the problem comes to fit his situation.

We all learn to cope and we all learn to extend a helping hand in process. This is life and that is heaven's way of showing us that on the road of pain and sorrow, there are always little pleasant surprises.

Life is not that cruel as it is sometimes conjured to be.

Going potty over Potter

OKAY, I must speak my piece or forever be silent over this one. But I can't be quiet anymore. The planets are in alignment; my mind won't stop racing and my fingers are itching.
Blame it on this Potter kid. The world knows him as Harry Potter. Apparently, by this time tomorrow, thousands of people, kids mainly, will be happily digesting J.K. Rowling's final Potter tome.
Something called Deathly Hallows. All this hype over Harry Potter has finally got my goat. I didn't want to say anything for years because I thought it was just a passing fancy among the younger generation but the phenomenon persisted for years.
Well, the straw that broke the camel's back has finally been placed on the earlier tonne of hay strapped to the Ship of the Desert. Honestly though, the blame for this unusual human response towards a book title, not even deemed as literature material, is rather disquieting.
I don't imagine William Shakespeare had encountered this kind of reaction even at the height of his fame. I placed the blame squarely on the media. Seven years into the 21st century, we have begun to witness the enormous influence exerted by the media for other parties' percuniary ends.
For months now, the media, with the fullest co-operation of film producers, book publishers and probably the tacit compliance of the writer herself, have been harping on the final chapter of the Harry Potter saga.
From Europe to Asia, book stores, book publishers, and other agents of the printed word have been knocking on the doors of all media avenues possible to broadcast the message that Potter will cast his final spell.
And what does the world do? It joined in the biggest media game ever played. I have just received word from someone who has just seen the movie. Verdict: nothing really earth-shattering, either here on this planet or in any other dimension.
As a person who have occasional encounters with all things media, I fully understand the implications and ramifications of this kind of literary phenomenon. Kudos to Rowling for having achieved such stupendous success with her Harry Potter series.
For a woman who used to survive on burgers while writing on then an obscure teenager called Harry Potter in a Hogwarts school of magic, Rowling has indeed journeyed a long way.
But this frenzy of activity on a global scale over Potter does indicate to sociologists and behavariousl scientists that something is amiss with modern society. Why are we not equally worked up over global warming, Polar caps meltdown, famine in Darful, starvation in North Korea and endless conflagrations in Afghanistan, Iraq and Pakistan?
Are those issues not of worldwide importance? Whither human society as far as crucial matters are concerned? Let it not be said a hundred years from now that inhabitants of this planet in the year 2007 were moronically preoccupied with issues of little consequence while Earth teeter on a precipice of biblical proportions.
I am not shocked by this inexplicable reaction by so many Potter fans but actually saddened by the masses who are not Potter fans, who are in fact equally nonchalant about other issues that would affect their grandchildren and descendants in the generations to come.
Here we are, standing on the threshold of some of the most phenomenal technological achievements in the history of science and yet we go ga-ga over a fictional character called Harry.
What does this say about us? What will the people of the future think about us? It will be a sad day indeed if our response right now is: "who cares? we won't be around a century from now anyway!"
Tomorrow's world is built on the foundation of today's concerns. The Now phenomenon is just as vital as the targets of till-then era, even if the aims are slightly blurry just now.
I lament the state of right-thinking humans, not all of them but many of them. Surely, we have not become numbed to things that matter most. Entertainment is fine. Escapism is negligible if its effects are fleeting but obsession with a product of someone's imagination does not bode well for modern thinking.
When I see public reaction over the latest Harry Potter book and little reaction from the same people over global hunger, disease, massive corruption and killings, sadness grips my heart. My mind is ill at ease.
Will not these same people show some compassion too to the hungry in their midst? Are they not also concerned by the negative influences faced by their growing children in college, at work and elsewhere?
Sometimes, I figure that the world has gone over the deep end to become indifferent to a suffering society and on a global scale, uncaring about the millions who may not survive in the next five years.
A hundred years from now, books on Harry Potter would most probably be still available but humankind may no longer be concerned about Harry then, as they would be about finding their next meal or seeking a safer clime for their families.

Ode to all blockheads, oops, I mean blog heads!

A well meaning colleague slithered up to me the other day and muttered softly in my ear. Do you not want to earn a bit on the side with your blog?
I gave him a bemused look and added: "Meaning....?" Those little bits of advertisements that bloggers transplanted on their pages, my friend, said my colleague.
I gave it a 7-second thought and added: "But I didn't start off by wanting to earn money on the side." Anyway, I didn't want to sound too saintly by rejecting my kinds of material wealth, so I perked up my ears and said: "Details, please?"
For the next 45 minutes, I was an enraptured audience of one, listening to what could be an El Dorado situation for me. Frankly, I know there are more than a handful of very successful bloggers out there in the blue yonder who are happily raking in every bit of gold dust that floats onto their laps.
But I don't count myself as one of them. I don't mean I am not interested in getting rich but I actually give much weightage to my own personal satisfaction, and it is not founded on the soil of organised prosperity.
I don't know a better way of explaining this other than I prefer to just write whatever that strikes my fancy. Sometimes I actually become rather envious of those who seem to enjoy some kind of virtual world fame and benefit enormously from it all.
"How do they do it?" I ask all the time. Apparently, it begins with an enormous amount of Internet traffic that comes a blogger's way and the method he employs to cull the hits and bounce the signals off the financial wall.
If all these sounds too complicated, it's because I am a complete idiot in explaining a simple situation. For the life of me, I am really in the dark about the Get-Rich-Intelligently 101 procedure.
For one thing, I am happy that there are those who are financially secure due to their worldly wise ways. I guess not everybody is born to ride on that gravy train. To be honest though, I wish I am sitting in the coach section of that wagon right now but life apparently likes to play jokes on characters like me.
So right now, I am quite contented writing a bit of gibberish on the side and enjoying what I am writing even if nobody in this world of 6.5 billion people is interested in what I have to say.
I believe my situation has been described aptly as "spitting in the wind". Of course, everybody likes to wake up early in the morning, with nothing better to do than to logon and count the dollars pouring into some obscure bank account overseas.
I wish I could say "hey, that's me!" But I can't so I just humbly mutter (under my breath), "oh darn, back to shoveling coal down in the mine again!"
To all those who have succeed, please do not send me your secret formulas. I have enough of those, and they call come with a price tag. In case, nobody notices, block heads like me are actually not rich. Not even well off.
What we are, has been described by social behavourial scientists as drifting in the meandering tide of mediocrity. Right now, there must be about 150 million bloggers. An editor from England expounded some statistics that propounded that at last count (July 2006), there were about 50 million bloggers.
And this number doubles every six months! When I first learnt about this, I uttered: "Oh God! That's a whole lot of non-famous people." It was a very humbling revelation. At least, it was for me.
So for now, whenever I think and write I keep in mind that there are more than one hundred million bloggers out there who say and think practically the same things that crawl, slither, or slip through my mind.
Perhaps they don't say the same thing in the same way but generally the thoughts are all there. There's hardly any originality left. If anybody has any originality of thought, he would have been a millionaire yesterday.
But do not lose heart, dear chaps, we blockheads or bloggers (whichever strikes your fancy) have our own sanctuary that provides more than fresh air or money. We have the temerity to an indifferent world what we think of myriad situations. Most of the time, not based on facts or sound arguments but simply on impulse and gut feeling that we might be right during a fleeting minute in a single that of 24 hours.
There, I have said it all. Go and write and let your heart be contented.

An Unpleasant Truth

Hear Ye! Hear Ye! All you earthlings of no particular significance. This is a pronouncement of great global importance. The reason being in the next 10 years, or may be sooner, the earth's climatic conditions will turn global environment and ecology as we know it now, topsy-turvey.
If your first question is: Why bother? Then perhaps now would be an appropriate time to remind you that with the drying up of rivers and hot lands becoming cold and vice versa, the world's economy will automatically go into a tail-spin.
For want of a better word: Be prepared. This is the credo of Scouts the world over. Never as the world of men is in such peril. If you are a senior member of the Cynical Club or a card-carrying member of the Sceptics Association, you may want to verify my dubious claims.
Follow your instinct, check with the latest UN report on global warming and then go on from there. I believe even as I speak, CNN today broadcast a worldwide warning, through its international correspondent Richard Quest, that alarming signs of repeat glacier melting is occurring in the Tibetan region, Himalayas and the effects on China's Yangtze River.
In fact, the famous rivers of the world, including the Thames of London, Ganges of India and the Nile are in throes of rapid changing climatic conditions. In a very short time, as earth knows it, this will lead to a irreversible chain of events that will literally floor the world.
Yes, there could be human casualties. In other words, the human toll may reach unimaginable levels. So your second question is: What can I, as an individual do? For a start, you can write to your Member of Parliament, or just about anyone who cares for this small third rock from the Sun.
Nothing drastic will probably take place in the next two years. After that, all bets are off. Perhaps you think this is another one of those alarmist goobledegook that pervades the Internet. I wish it were so, that would save my fingers from a lot of ache.
The catastrophic consequences of Earth's dramatic and perhaps even sudden changes will be felt by billions. Remember, we only have about 6.5 billion inhabitants on Earth right now.
Not that many, you say. Just think of the millions of flies crowding the carcass of a dead animal and then double that figure - you have a rough idea of how many people are milling around on this dusty, disturbed planet.
I have been staying on this planet for decades. I kinda love it after a while. Humans are generally a nice lot. I wish I was assigned to planet Pleisades, light years away but no, some wise guy handed me this earth assignment.
Frankly, I didn't ask to be here but since I have been mopping around the place for a while, I have got accustomed to a lot of unhappy and sad faces. I suspect there will be a lot more sorrowful looks before the whole biblical phenomenon is over.
But sometimes I ask myself and tell others as well: why bother. Mankind in general has a propensity to ignore the obvious, even when it hits them on their faces! Think back of World War I, World War II, Korean War, Iraq war, SARS, AIDS, Bird Flu and other potential calamities that could decimate the ranks of humankind in a blink of an eye.
Do we really care about ourselves or for ourselves. Frankly, most of us tend to shut our eyes to the earth-shaking events. We see on television everyday the dozens who are killed in suicide bombings in Iraq, killings in Gaza and West Bank and the starving millions in Sudan.
After a while, most of us become numbed and after a few months of watching the same painful event, our sensitivity becomes somewhat affected.
Woe be unto us all, I say. Actually, I have become a little sceptical of late too but the magnitude of THAT unpleasant truth can no longer ignored.
Why don't we call do something about this? Why let it overwhelm us? We should not meet it half-way, we should go all the way to encounter it at its source. That's the only way to solve the problem.

How to live life without trying to be too clever

Most of us spent a large part of our lives trying to impress our families, parents, neighbours, office colleagues and strangers. By the time, we find out that it is simply a waste of time, it's almost too late.
By then, when wisdom finally sets in, we are in the evening of our lives. I too have been guilty of such a silly pursuit. If being classified as clever brings peace of mind and contentment, only clever people can be found in that happy state of mind.
Instead, so-called clever people are always miserable. They are miserable for all kinds of strange reasons. Some of which are "they are not fairly rewarded for their brainwork"; "not recognised for their special abilities"; "being unutilised much to the ignorance of the thespians"; and "everybody is just plain jealous".
If you haven't come across or experience any of the above, you are probably one of the most blessed persons on earth.
Seriously, a lot of us waste our precious time on earth trying to impress others. Why is this so? Even if others acknowledge that you are indeed the smartest of the whole lot, it doesn't really amount to much because nobody likes a smart alec.
A lot of us suffer from a drastic lack of humility. We just can't wait to get that special pat-in-the-back, either from loved ones or from our boss and colleagues.
If only we know that unintentional intelligence is one of the most welcomed traits around. Normally, we tend to shy away from those who openly profess to be clever. In other words, acting smarter than us and sometimes succeeding.
The definition of smartness is not anchored in just one situation. It is relative. Take for example, a resident of a big city who is wise to the ways of the streets. Take him away from his natural habitat, that is the city, he will be just as lost as the native who stays in the jungle and is now left to wander in a city.
I have tried on numerous silly occasions to blow my trumpet, blow my horn and generally sounded the drum so that others will notice that I am "oh-so-smart". The results I got were indifference, a look of disgust or just plain unimpressive looks from all round.
What does that then shows. It indicates that people who are really wise normally keep their trap shut and adopt a low profile. As my grandmother always say: Be smart by all means but don't act like a clever idiot!
Life's journey will be more eventful if others do not feel threatened by your alleged intelligence and overt genius. Why must there be this relentless need to show off?
Really clever people normally keep a very low profile. They are quiet, decent, humble and have a very down-to-earth outlook on life. If you try to be too clever, you normally end up being that unpopular person who will be struck off the invitational list of every person in the neighbourhood and office.
Generaly, nobody loves a big mouth, intelligent crook and an immodest, pompous food who likes nothing better than to bask in the sunshine of his own inflated ego.
If you are really clever, you will realise that it's better to act normal. If you are really wise, you will know that to make everybody comfortable, you mustn't try to beat them down with your level of intelligence.
Just be an ordinary Joe. If it's your time to shine, there's a purpose for you. Otherwise, be sincere, don't brag and remember that for every clever person who walks in the three, there are 30 others who can solve a mathematical problem faster than you.

Walking, Working, Wokking

Those three words signify the times of my life and the passages of time that I have partook in and most of the time, revelled in.
When we were little, most of us would sometimes wonder when we were going to be all grown up and be independent. Afterall, did our parents not have a great, carefree life? Or, so we thought.
The years came and went, and in the midst of it all, we struggled through our teenage years. Those were heady days. Books, outings and partially successful exams. Sometimes, for those of us who are Catholics, we rushed to the school chapel to put in a plea of clemency from the Big Man upstairs.
Now, on looking back, it seems so funny but it wasn't so back then. Somehow, the exams didn't seem so important now as they were back in those almost forgotten, ancient days.
From school to college, from college to university. Each learning institution formed part of a passage from young adolescent to maturing adult. Yes, the years have passed.
We struggled as a toddler to stand and then to walk, rather gingerly though at first. When school days came, most of us, at least for me, it was walking all the time. There was no money for modern transportation.
Everywhere I needed to go, I walked. OK, sometimes I rode on the bicycle. But walking became as natural as breathing in and breathing out. Little did I know that all those years of walking was good for the heart. Now the doctors tell us so in their newspaper columns.
To think that these days, professionals pay a monthly fee to walk on the mechanised treadmills when we used to do all that and more for free. The scenery was rather great then, at that time.
Marriage came, children followed. As with most Asian families, there is always that ubiquitous wok in the kitchen. Wokking simply means food on the table. Which normal Asian family does not have a wok?
It is probably one of the most essential culinary tool ever invented. And so life proceeds.
These days those of us who live in modern suburbs, or city centres, are in constant pursuit of life's easy paths. We hardly ever walk anymore. Yes, we do walk from our bedroom to the bathroom and then to the dining hall and kitchen.
But really walk for kilometres? That couldn't be furthest from our minds. People hardly walk anymore, they commute. That means aircon cars, light rail transit or mass train transit.
Basically, our limbs are going to the dogs. Our humanly forms were built for exercise. Maybe not the kind Hercules is used to, but definitely a human body with its myriad sets of muscles should be subjected to the kind of activities that will hold it in good stead for a better part of eight decades.
In the old days, people work as a matter of course. These days, people are always thinking of retirement. The earlier the better, it seems.
See how a person's eyes widen when you tell him that so-and-so has retired and he's only in his mid-30s. Some of us even have friends like that. How we envy these people.
A life of partial inactivity spells atrophy or distrophy. These are words used by doctors and people in the medical profession. It also means that you have surrendered yourself to a life of useless inactivity.
To those who are presently contemplating on pursuing a life of leisure and other less stressful pursuits, let me remind you that you need not be a hobo to be happy. You can work. Perhaps not in the profession that you have become so familiar with but rather doing something that brings a smile to your face.
If you are sick and tired of working as a pen pusher. You can now make up your mind to pursue your hobby full time. It would be writing childrne's stories or doing carpentery work. Whatever gets your adrenaline pumping, man!
Life is meant to be lived to its fullest. Anything less than that is falling short of its target. Let it not be said of you and by you when your hair has turned all white or youl can no longer walk upright that your life is just a waster string of years.
You are your own master. Don't you forget it. If tomorrow is your last day on earth, then do all you can, with all your heart and touch the hem of a glorious life with that boundless spirit that's in you all this while.
Do not seek to understand the deeper aspects of life. Just wake up early every morning and proceed to enjoy life.
Nothing more is asked of you.

Christmas in April

This morning while I was having breakfast in front of the TV, I came upon a movie that still had about 15 minutes of screening time left.
It was about a single parent (woman) who has a son but refuses to acknowledge an elderly but very rich man is her biological father.
It is Yuletide and the bitterness and hardship that she and her family had endured through the decades had been assimilated into her persona.
Even after that man had openly admitted that he was her father, she refuses to accept him. She blames him for those "missing years" and how she and her mum had lived in poverty all those times.
The rich man who now had now adopted a new approach to life now craves for a family that he does not have. It is a tale not uncommon in any society. Secretly during the last decade or so, he had been playing the role of "secret Santa" come Christmas time.
A handsome reporter was sent to track the "secret Santa" and eventually gets involved in the family complication that involves the woman, her son and the eccentric rich man.
By the time, the movie unfolds its last chapter, it is revealed that he had actually opened a shelter for the homeless and orphans dedicated to the memory of his daughter's stepfather.
It seemed that the stepfather named McManus was sent packing to poverty lane by this rich man decades ago after some bad financial advice. The wealthy man blamed himself, so did the woman who bore him his daughter.
It was only before the death of the woman, did she discover that the rich man had made amends by establishing the shelter under her husband's name. She forgave him. The daughter didn't realise this until the very end.
The story brought tears to my eyes even as the morning sun began to peek over the rooftops outside my house. The day was cloudy, the atmosphere was slightly dull, as befits the season. Afterall, it was April and they were showing a Christmas movie in telly.
Somehow it was appropriate. The TV story made me think of my parents who had passed away about 10 years ago. My mum died a year before my dad. I guess the story made me miss them and the tears came easily.
The moral of the TV tale lies in forgiveness and second chances in life. Nobody is ever born with a flawless family background or a life devoid of weaknesses and errors. If ever there's such a case, then what's there to learn on earth.
All of us, without exception, are born with a purpose. It could be that we are here to help others, to learn from others or to help one another or all of the above.
Money is important but it's not everything as the cliche goes. All too true. Having lived on earth past five decades, I have discovered that wealth does not bring happiness. It is a means to purchase conveniences.
Happiness has to be earned and has to be pursued. Even if in our dying breath, we find out the truth about life and its wonderful secrets, our life would have been well lived.
This is the story, at least for me, of Christmas in April. Afterall, we have just embarked on the front end of the month. I welcome TV movies like that in the morning. It helps to re-align my life's bearings.
I am happy I have a close encounter with this movie, of which I don't even know the title because I only caught the last 15 minutes of it. But the lesson has been effective and I am grateful.
Truly, I tell you. God works in so many wonderful ways to speak to us. I am glad he decided to visit me one Christmas morning in April.

An inconvenient truth for all of us!

The other day, I was watching the Oscars night and naturally, I saw Al Gore receiving an Oscar for his documentary An Inconvenient Truth.
While there may be many among us who don't really think too much of Al's "truth", we cannot ignore the enormous climatic changes that are taking place around us.
In most developed and developing nations around the globe, as well as in faraway places that few of us have heard of, the radical changes that are affecting the land are now becoming news items.
Take for example, the fires in Australis, the blizzards in Europe, earthquakes in Asia and the tsunami of 2004.
While, it is a little premature to pronounce the end of the world, it would be prudent to pay heed to the signals provided by Mother Nature. It should make sense for us to interpret these conditions, sometimes violent, as signs that there is something seriously wrong with our planet.
Now, what can we do about this? To begin with, we need to consult the people who know best about this kind of phenomenon. Then, we can proceed to the next level where we will have to study the ecological cycles and attain a near complete understanding of the climatic changes that are affecting all our lives.
Once we know exactly what is happening around us, we can proceed to find ways to arrest the decline in normal weather and seek remedies to alleviate our unexpected suffering.
This world of ours is a living organism. It is on a global scale but when you look at it as just like life form, you will begin to understand that like all other life forms, it will adapt and survive according to the laws it knows best.
Our time on earth if finite, so will be the lives of our children and grandchildren. Our duty, first to our family and then to the rest of the others around the earth is to ensure that the planet is safe or in better condition as when we first occupy it.
The inconvenient truth for most people is that they have to exert some efforts to bring about a better planet. Few ever care that that small piece of paper or plastic cover is ever going to change the fate of the world.
Translate that act of throwing a plastic bag into the bush by a few hundred million times, you will begin to grasp the bigger picture. That is the inconvenient truth that we hardly are able to bring ourselves to see.
Frankly, this planet is all we have. If we do not know how to cherish it, the owner, Mother Earth, is going to be rather unpleasant about her recalcitrant tenants.
Mother Earth has many ways of making us see and experience our mistakes. For a start, she can call upon her other siblings named typhoon, hurricane and tornadoes to give us a big nudge.
Failing which, Mother Earth can put in a trunk call to her bigger brother, earthquake and to add in more muscle, she can enlist her elder sister volcano to really wake us up.
For time immemorial, human beings have had the times of their lives. We didn't have to pay any rent of importance to Mother Earth for staying in her premises. In the last 50 years, we have been quite irresponsible and have been up to no good.
The roof of the world is "leaking". In other words, the ozone layer has been punctured by our misuse and abuse of gases of all kinds.
It is no longer a joke because the polar caps are melting at a dramatic rate. Soon, if this goes unchecked, the icebergs will start drifting in our directions, wherever we are staying.
In the worst case scenario, the earth axis may shift and all of us will experience an earth-shattering phenomenon called Absolute Zero. In other words, the temperature will drop to about minus 275 degress Centigrade in certain areas and all life forms will be rendered impossible in a matter of days or hours.
Sounds ridiculous but theoretically, it can happen, and you know what theories can do when the right conditions are in place.
Al Gore is right on several counts. If we continue to ignore what is blatant before our eyes, soon all of us will be blind. Yes, life is cheap for some people and not much to look forward to for others, but let's not forget that we homo sapiens have survived greater disasters before.
It will be insulting our own intelligence to parlay with Mother Nature. The time for "negotiations" is near over. Mother Nature is no longer amused. Neither is Mother Earth. Together they form a formidable pair. And they can really make us suffer.
In the "best case" scenario, we will all die suddenly. In the bad case scenario, death will be slow in coming, but nevertheless the outcome is still the same.
Strange it seems that it took Hollywood to highlight one of the most important and phenomenal changes taking place on earth. Perhaps it is for the better.
It's only via the cinema that people will gain a better understanding of some of the biggest challenges ever to be faced by man.
Now it's time to get off your knees and get out to work to fight for Mother Earth. Only through her safety and well being, can we ensure our own.

Hobbies maketh a man

For a better part of 40 years, I have had one hobby or several hobbies going on in my life. When I was still in school, I kept Siamese fighting fish in individual bottles under my bed.
Apparently, in the darkness that prevailed beneath my bed, brought out the best and the brightest colours in those Siamese fighting fish. I believe it has something to do with Nature overcompensating for the gloom in the watery environs.
Then years later, I graduated to flying kites. My neighbourhood chums and I bought special glue and pounded light bulbs to extract the powdery substance that is actually minute glass shards.
The glass powder was used to coat the kite string which would prove to be deadly against rival kites in the air. It was one of those thrilling times in a child's life when conquering another kite was one of the best feelings that one could experience.
Then, it was marbles in all colours and shapes. Next came the spiders, fighting ones, that it. If the animal and insect protection society was in existence then, all of us little guilty ones would have had been given a long lecture.
But back in those carefree, guiltless days, almost anything goes. If I must add, nothing unlawful took place.
What I am trying to say is hobbies are great for sanity, for learning and for just plain self-entertainment. When you are just a kiddo, and you don't have too many nickels to your name, you just have to invent your own game.
Luckily for me, I had plenty of those. Now on looking back, I almost pity the modern children. Most of their games are computer-related or electronic in nature. What a pity that they don't have to using their grey matter. I am not saying that we were smarter than them but if you have to source for your own infotainment and entertainment, you tend to learn a bit more, in a positive way.
Even now, as I roam the perimeters of an adult world, I still have my hobbies. Of course, over the decades, much has evolved. My hobbies are different from the time when I was still in shorts.

Nevertheless, the hobbies are there. A little bit more sophisticated, costing a little more maybe but the fun and passion for them are still there. I have been collecting First Day Covers for at least three decades.

I get much enjoyment out of this simple hobby. In fact, I have a standing order at the main Post Office regarding the regular issuance of First Day Covers. It is a great hobby.

It won't make me rich but it definitely make me smile. These days, for some people there are hardly any reason to smile. I smile all the time, partly because I have so many hobbies.

My wife is always saying that a man of my age with so many hobbies is a bit unusual. I took that as a compliment. Can you imagine coming home after a hard day's work at the office and returning to your study room with nothing much in mind except the worry that you have been unable to unload in the office?

That has surely got to be one of the saddest things that can descend on a decent, working man.

People like to say "get a life". I prefer the line, "get a hobby". You will never know where that may lead you. But certainly, it will keep you from dwelling on issues that you have absolutely no control over.

If there were no place on earth for hobbies, God would not have put that in our heads, as I have always said. So get a hobby and then you will naturally get a life.

Why I love my mother

My mother has passed away 11 years ago. Now that I am a father of two grown-up children, I am getting a better perspective of being a parent myself.
On looking back and thinking about my mum who had long completed her journey on earth, I think of all those unspoken and often forgotten things she had done for me while she was alive.

I am reminded of the times when I would have my hair washed by her in the kitchen sink because she felt my hair was long overdue for a thorough rinsing. She would dip my hair and gave my little head a complete scrubbing.

I remember those days when I was in university and was home for holiday when she would dip into her purse to give me a few extra dollars so that I could go out and have a good time.
What made that motherly deed extra special was the knowledge that she didn't have much to get by herself, and yet like all great mothers, she willing sacrifice her financial portion so that I could have a few good moments myself.

I recall those nights when I was still a pre-teen when I was ill and was moaning and groaning like all overgrown babies. She would apply ointment onto the affected parts of my body and lulled me to sleep with her soft voice, singing a ballad that was foreign to my ears.

I think fondly of those evenings when my mother would cook my favourite dishes because she knew I was home from college and would love them. There was no other reason than the fact that she just knew the dishes were my favourite.

I remember most vividly those nights when she went down on her knees to pray for me because she knew I was taking my exam the next day. She knelt down and prayed everyday of her life so that for the rest of my life, I will have easier days than hers.

And when I lamented the lack of transportation in my campus life, she forked out a significant portion of her savings to buy me a bike so that my mobility would improve by two quantum leaps.

I now realise with much love that in my growing years, she had never really scolded me because I was one of her favourites in the family. I don't remember doing anything special for her but every mother knows her boy because she had given birth to me and saw me till her last breath on deathbed.

It is with much nostalgia, I think back of the times when she held my little hands as we walked across the busy streets of my hometown and how she would softly sing praises of behind my back to our neighbours.

All of us have mothers. Very few of us ever hated our mothers. As with the others, I too love my mother with an intensity that only a good son will understand and feel. Now whenever, I see a mother fawning over her children, I think back of my own mother who had long left this plane of existence.

I think of the opportunities I had to please her and of the lost opportunities that I had not taken up to make her life a little happier.

Mothers were given to us all for a reason, just as we came into their lives for a reason. It is a dual carriageway of human relationship that would only be beneficial if we know how to travel on it.

I hope I have not been reckless on that highway which my mother and I had travelled on. It is with some consolation that I know I have done my best as a son. And I know that my mother had done her best and her best is good enough for me.

Working on a Sunday

I wonder how many know what a delight it is to work on a Sunday. There will of course be a nationful of people who will try to shout me down. "Down with that fool who works on Sundays. Down with that spanner-in-the-works who buck the system!"
In my line of work, it actually pays to work on a Sunday. First, it is very quiet at my workplace because three quarters of the editorial staff are away, either still sleeping at 1pm or somewhere window-shopping with their families.
Sundays for most people are sacrosanct. That means it should be left undisturbed, and untouched by management hands.
I prefer to work on Sundays because there is a general absence of distraction. I get work done much faster. I am in a peaceful state of mind. The loudest noise I hear within ear-shot is the click-clacking of computer keyboards. And there is not much of that going on right now.
Very unsurprisingly, I am more alerted in the office on Sundays. The hours passed by much faster and I get to go home that much earlier. The day seems shorter too.
To me, any day is just a matter of light and darkness. However, Sundays can be alluded to being in a ashram retreat. The wind is silently brushing its way across the tree tops, the air is serenly still and the earth seems at peace with itself.
I usually gain a lot from Sunday at work. I think better. I am a much calmer person and I get to email some people who I would otherwise would have forgotten on the weekdays.
Yes, Sundays can also be a time reserved for the family. I am not giving up that time because the hours after I have returned home are enough to take care of the leisure and pleasure activities.
So I calculate along these lines. I work a five-day week. I work on a Sunday which seems to be like a half-day, so in actual fact, I end up working a four and a half-day week. It is a win-win situation.
This evening, I am going mall-crawling with my family. My daughter is attending her friend's wedding at his particular shopping complex. The opportunity arises for me to window-shopping and buy things I generally don't need.
Isn't life great? Not all of us get to derive pleasure from a five-star holiday at Barbados, Seychelles or Maldives. The rest of us ordinary mortals have to make do with very ordinary, mundane activities.
The quality of leisure pleasure, as I would like to phrase it, is often relative. Sure, you can sunbathe on the shores of a mediterannean country, or even ski on the slopes of Aspen but your pleasure and happiness could just be as intense if you are having a marvellous time at the neighbourhood mall.
Now, as I gaze across the wide expanse of my office floor, I see empty tables and empty chairs. I also detect a distinct flavour of tranquillity that's conspicuously absent during the weekdays.
Praise be to Sundays, I say. May some of you realise what you are missing in life. Life can be long or short but what really matters is what you squeeze out of every second of every minute of every hour and everyday.
Think about it. Forget about being unable to be a millionaire at 30 or still smarting over the notion that you have lost your opportunity at being a famous movie star.
There are bigger and more important things in life than these trivia of no significance.

The Floods are here again!

Even as I write these lines, more than 100,000 of my fellow countrymen are languishing down south of Peninsular Malaysia, specifically Johor.
The floods have been merciless this season. Perhaps for the first time in almost a century, the State of Johor is at the mercy of the elements.
Nobody knows when the weather and climate will let up. But right now, what we do know is that tens of thousands of families are staying in evacuation centres. Their homes have been washed out in many instances.
Children are unable to go to school. Workers have forgotten about employment for the time being and local authorities are up to their eyeballs in rescue efforts.
This phenomenon is repeated throughout the world. In other countries, the unpredictable weather comes in the form of blizzards, especially in parts of America.
Over in western Australia, fires recently wiped out thousands of acres of trees. Japan recently experienced earthquakes and mini tsunamis. All these natural happenings do not portend good things ahead.
Perhaps Mother Earth is finally awakening to the fact that man has too long been given free play of her backyard and she's no longer amused. When Earth is viewed as a living entity just like the rest of us, then perhaps the bigger picture can be seen.
There's only so much a planet can take from prolonged periods of abuse and misuse of her resources. Thus, the big quakes, the mounting sea waves, the heat and the blizzards.
Over in Malaysia, we are luckier than most countries. We don't really experience the really big nasty weather reactions. But that doesn't mean we should be smug about the whole situation.
Ultimately, nobody is really isolated from Earth's violent reaction to global heating. And heating up is what it is. The Polar caps are melting at an alarming rate.
The Ozone layer is widening and naturally, when things go amiss there's a chain of events that don't conform to peaceful co-existence between man and nature. These are the beginning of reminders to us all that no matter what we do on earth, we have to be mindful that our basic sciences tell us that there's always a cause and effect.
We have been forewarned in the past. We took no heed. Mother Nature is no longer playing the nice guy.