Who will govern America?

The dice is on the table and it is about to be cast. Who will inherit the mess left behind by the outgoing members of the ruling government?

Some media experts are tempted to say: it's too close to call! But we all know that America is in need of drastic changes, otherwise it's going to be a little bit more messier before the dust finally settles.

For a better part of eight years, USA has been faltering, stumbling and ambling along the fast-track highway of changes and precedents. The entire world is currently watching if Wall Street will implode.

Talk is rife that the US$700 billion bailout plan will eventually find its way to become law but at what cost? Many ordinary Joe in the street is aghast that so much has been put aside for Wall Street, instead of distributing it to the inhabitants of Main Street.

Naturally, there are apprehensions and misgivings. Who would want to sacrifice so much for thos corporate giants which have made a mess of their own institutions. Some are asking why are they accorded such massive financial privilegs when the very same institutions are extremely slow in sharing their well earned profits.

Nobody seems to have heard that banks and other loan-lending giants happily return a portion of their massive profits to the people who are their biggest supporters.

The financial infrastructure is already showing critical structural damage. The $700 billion plan is merely cement that will temporarily hold the cracks in the walls in place.

Who knows how long the cement can sustain the building? Meanwhile, the ordinary wage earner has to fend for himself and his loved ones. Will White House rush to the aid of the forgotten middle class and the derelicts of the no-class minority?

Who can forget the slowness in which aid arrived in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck? Who can forget the millions who have or will be losing their homes in the months to come?

Will there be another bill to save their ordinary homeowners? Aren't the people the nation as well?

In the next five weeks, a decision will be made as to who will step into the White House, the seat of power in which much has been achieved over the last century, and also of much that has not been done in recent memory.

The man and his party who will boldly stride into the august hallways of the White House, West Wing or Oval Office will realise that the subsequent four years will be crucial for all concerned.

It is not a holiday of billionaire proportions but rather a privilege to right all the wrongs that have come tumbling down the stairway of previsios administrations while the nation was sleeping.

If America has what it takes to hold on to its global reputation of having the brightest and the best and all those who have the right stuff, now's the time not only to prove it but also to show it.

America, you are clearly running out of time. Based on more than 200 years of wonderful and great achievements, this could be America's finest hour or its darkest. Be brave and walk into and through the Heart of Fear.

When you are too old to fight back

A wise man once said: "When you are too old to fight back (probably against people who are bigger and nastier than you), then it's time to reconsider your priorities in life."

I would like to think that it's wise to wise up and not resort to physical measures to resolve issues. Some individuals who have misguided principles seem to think that seniority gives you the privilege to say anything you want and get away with it.

Believe me, it's not true. I am now heading towards the stadium where the finishing line is. I am not exactly in the stadium yet but if you catch me drift, I am about five kilometres from the last lap.

Chinese martial arts masters subscribed to this philosophy. Old age does not make you stronger and faster than a 20-year-old upstart but it should give you an advantage in being wiser, being more practical, higher tolerance and a propensity for not taking life too seriously.

In other words, mate, be a buddy and not punch your puny fist against the concrete wall. I have friends who do not hesitate to express their anger by hammering their knuckles against a solid wall to express their frustration.

Now, I ask you. Does the wall feel any pain? Does the concrete structure cry out for help? No sirree! It's you who are feeling the pain. It's your skin that tears and bleeds.

So when you are too old to fight back, simply understand that confrontation is not the way to go. You can either understand the situation and live with it, or you can simply walk away and let the other person think you are a chicken.

Better that person has a misinformed impression of you than you challenging him to a fight and if you are lucky beyond expression, you could actually knock him over. But what does that prove?

Simply, that he will lay in ambush for you one dark night and exact a revenge when you least expect it. If you are unlucky, he could be carrying a baseball bat.

With age must come wisdom, otherwise you have wasted some precious years of your life. What have you been doing while you were enjoying life as a mature adult?

It's only the young and brash who desire to resolve intangible issues with some hard knocks. The older generation just sigh, walk away and reconsider their aims in life. They know there are better things to do in life, other than to hit your head against the wall, and be unconscious for many long minutes.

The buzzword for longevity and some good years of harmony is patience. The Chinese have a healthy respect for seniority. They say the elders have consumed more salt than others who have consumed rice.

That's true on several levels. The young have a tendency to think with their bodies and fists. The older ones have no choice but to use their minds and other intangible assets like patiences, composure and kindness.

When you think about this, it sort of dawns on you: Why didn't I do that sooner?

Gustav cam a-knocking, Hana visits a-calling, then Ike just barges in

They say if three "bags of wind" come a-calling at your doorsteps one after another, then, you best sit up and take notice or just leave town.

In the current case, Ike has not left the living room yet and he's creating a ruckus. Gustav broke some bits of your furniture.

What Gustav didn't do, Hana made a flying visit. You were lucky that time. I heard there are other guests with other colourful names lining up to jump onto the so-called Friendship wagon.

And don't the people living in the coastal areas know all about it. Nature like everything else on earth has limits to its patience. I guess before anybody says that is just a lot of hot air, you better spare a thought for that "hot air".

That's what causing all the problems. Tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, you ain't seen nothing yet. It's no laughing matter.

Residents who have to head for the hills in a hurry are no longer laughing. The politicians have having a headache. Now, they really have to work to earn their keep.

Earthquakes are so common these days, they are taken almost for granted except by those who are left under a big pile of debris.

Scientists of late have been holding emergency meetings to discuss matters that are beyond their control. Nevertheless it is nice of them to tell us that doomsday is just around the corner if we are not careful.

So much for science and the latest breakthroughs. Nothing like a wild gust of wind to bring everything down like a stack of cards.

The rallying cry is: It is still not too late! For many, the gameplan doesn't look that bright. Man vs Nature?! You got to be kidding. Whoever wants to fight a 9.5 richter scale quake?

There's hope yet even in the darkest clouds but the price is high. I guess Mother Earth doesn't mind losing a few hundred million of its inhabitants because there are some things better shown than talked about.

Mankind has run out of options. For too long, every builder on earth thinks he can have his way and get away with it. Time is no longer on our side.
It's a shame but nevertheless true. There won't be any last minute change in Mother Nature's plan. I think it is going to get much worse before it gets much better.

The air is polluted, the ice is melting, and the ground shaking. No dire signs? You have got to be joking. Time to make friends with Mother Earth. I think she has just lost her sense of humour.

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..........