Fortune telling is for the birds

Over in Asia, there are those itinerant fortune tellers who lug along a bird cage with a little green bird in it.

I hardly see this person anymore but there was a time back about 30 years ago when the chances of bumping into one of these soothsayers were great.

I recall one neighbour actually paid for the fortune teller's services. He would sit down and carefully take out a deck of well worn cards and spread them out in front of the cage, much like a seasoned croupier.

When his "see-into-the-future" apparatus are lined up, he would unhinge the cage door and out pops the little bird. To our amazement, it does not fly away but merely hop along the row of cards, staring rather intently, and finally makes up its mind and picks one up with its beak.

Then, the bird dutifully hops over to its master and lays the card in front of him. The birdman picks up the bird and puts it back into the cage.

Again, what amazed me was not so much the deed of picking up the card by the bird but it does not fly away. What a strange bird. I said that to myself many times over the years.

The fortune teller then consults his oracle which is usually a book of unknown origin and studiously decipher the "message". The client is told of his or her fortune and usually it is not a bad one.

Who wants to pay for bad news? Even the birdman knows that. If he keeps giving the "truth", very soon he will run out of customers.

This man is certainly no bird-brain guy. He knows the economics of the situation.

The memory of the bird and its master has brought a big smile back to my face. People staying in places far away from the city tend to have simple pleasures in life. This was one of them.

These days, people gamble away their future even though they know their prospects are bright. Such are the fickle-mindedness of man and his shaky fortunes.

When everything seems to be collapsing....

HAVE you ever encounter a day when everything seems to go the wrong way for you?
For example, your boss doesn't seem to like your work at all when previously he used to praise you sky high.

Then you go home, and your spouse picks a fight with you. Your children don't want to talk to you. Even the dog growls in your presence.

That sets you thinking: have I been over to the dark side without realising it? Have the Sith Lord cast a spell on me that makes me smell bad in the presence of househould pets?

Yes, it could be that and everything else. Now, here's my take on this kind of situation. When even a passing crow in the clear blue sky drops something it ate on your forehead, rest assured, it's not your fault.

Take it as a sign that you need to have your hair washed anyway. Nothing in this world is supposedly bad. Everything works in your favour or to your favour. Now, if a smart alec were to ask me at this juncture, how does a crow's poo supposed to be interpreted as good luck, my answer is: you are not dead, are you?

Our world is full of surprises. Things happen all the time. It doesn't mean you have joined the Jonah's World of Gloomy Happenings.

Your unfriendly boss could be the victim of some family squabble that he doesn't wish anyone to know about. But his raw feelings are very much exposed and he madly wants to let off some steam.

So what if you are within his firing range. Take it as a lesson in patience building if this kind of thing happens to you. I know you probably wants to thump him on the head first.

But initial emotional reaction is often not the right response. All of us want to thump someone on the head at least 200 times in our entire lives. But if we were to do that, this world will be filled with people with dented foreheads!

It is through my humble experience that I found out that people who are slow to react to unfavourable circumstances thrust on them, usually end up being better leaders.

For that matter, they lead more harmonious lives, too. Remember, everybody is grateful for a calm person in their midst when the situation seems critical.

Nothing is critical. It is only the human perception of a situation not following the norms. I know this is an irritating way of explaining a terrible situation but it is true.

You don't want to be the one who screams first but as you later tell your family, you just couldn't help it.

The art of being the "eye of the hurricane" can be cultivated. All it takes is practice, practice, practice. When you have done it often enough, or when you have practised this system of staying cool all the time despite the dire circumstances, it becomes second nature to you.

Next thing you know, everybody wants to be your friend. There's nothing more reassuring than a friend who just simply refuses to be rattled. We all know what it's like to be in the safe arms of our mummy or daddy when we were a toddler.

The effect you cast upon others under desperate circumstances are the same. They will gravitate towards you like moths towards a light bulb.

You be be their panic room. In other words, when everyone panics, they run to you. Soon, you will be that "bomb shelter" that so many people will brag about to their family, friends and colleagues.

Two things you need to know about life

The first thing: You will die one of these days.

Second: You take nothing tangible with you when you go.

With these two thoughts you can hegin to live. Since you are going to expire in due course, you might as well live it up.

I don't mean going through life at breakneck speed. You are liable to break your neck first. And that would be a crying shame because there's so much more living to do.

The main premise is NOT to be overly concerned with temporal things. Buddha is right. All earthly desires bring pain and sorrow. I guess he was speaking from experience since he belonged to the royal household before he went roaming around the country.

So remember, your days on earth are numbered from the moment you emerge from your mother's womb.

There's no point trying to live up to 200 years old. Yes, you can live up to 90 easily through sensible living.

Just imagine if you live for a very long time and unfortunately for you, life isn't that great for you when you are about 81, thereby you have earned yourself another 19 years of misery.

Seriously, do you want that? Each year of great physical discomfort is worse than spending a month at the Abu Ghraib prison.

Therefore, it is imperative that you get your priorities right. Don't be too obsessed with looking young, being young and forever dwelling on earth. This earth is just a playground for all of us.

We have to play well, live well and when time's up, let's get out of here.

Now the second thing. Honestly, do you want to be a billionaire? I suppose everyone of us at one time or another did entertain the thought.

Better to be filthy rich than to be just filthy and downright poor. The latter is a horrible thought.

But billionaires, presidents and kings do not take anything with them when they die.

I haven't come across a single case where a famous figure had actually achieved the impossibe. That is, to take some of his earthly possessions to his grave and beyond.

I believe the first Emperor of China, Shi Huang Ti, really tried that. The terra cotta warriors was part of his celestial plan.

Well, we now can confirm that his masterplan was an exercise in futility.

So no matter how many cars you have got in your warehouse or billions stashed away in overseas unnumbered accounts, these will stay where they are in the event of your untimely demise.

Your surviving family members will of course thank you endlessly for making their lives so much more interesting.

What is the moral lesson of all this? It simply means you need not worry about your health too much and two, wealth is zilch in the final analysis.

The important thing is how much did you squeeze out of each day. Did you have the time of your life? Did you go to sleep with a smile on your face? Did you make a difference in a single person's life for the better at the end of the day?

If you have, you have truly lived, my friend!!!

One penny for the poor

THE world says a dime is no longer worth much these days, let alone a single penny.

Well I say, if one per cent of the Internet population (about 1.47 billion) donate just a single cent or one penny to my favourite charity Medicins Sans Frontiers, this world will be a happier place.

It may not be a richer place. You know how it is with money and the number of worthy causes on the agenda but it will go a long way to alleviate some of the suffering around the around.

No, we are not going to debate on whether the people in these places truly deserve our help. All are equal in the eyes of God. That means whether they are good, bad, big, small, beautiful or ugly.

People are people. Born of flesh and blood and readily mortal from the day they are born.

But the generosity that comes from the hearts of men will touch the heart of God, and in helping others, no matter how small the contribution will be measured by the good intention behind every single cent donated.

Is the world brave enough to say "yes, you can have my penny!" One penny, folks. Stand in line to donate and watch miracles happen.

No need to say, "hey, please give me one-tenth of one penny because I need it to buy a hot dog. There are people who have not heard of a hot dog, let alone taste one.

This world of ours is full of good people but good people sometimes need to be reminded that goodness in their hearts are of little value to the hungry mouths around them.

Sure, you can say "I pray for these poor folks". May the good Lord deliver them from their endless misery but lip service ends right there - at the edge of your lips.

Better a single, not-so-grand good deed than a million kind thoughts. If only the hungry masses can survive on kind thoughts. A solitary good deed performs miracles.

I repeat, one penny for my favourite charity. How about it? Your call..........