life experiences

Flotsam and Jetsam

2012-01-31T00:02:00.000-08:00

Post 129 Auntie Ivy's favourite quote

Auntie Ivy was a distant lady relative whose elegance, extensive experience and exemplary language skills are much to be admired. She was a seasoned traveller having stayed in the UK, Greece and Cyprus from the 1950s to 1980s. When I met her in Malaysia in the late 1990s, she was already 85 years old.

In one of our conversations, she mentioned the phrase’ flotsam and jetsam’ which means a collection of broken unwanted things lying about in an untidy way. It can also mean people who are without homes or work, and who move helplessly through life. It is also used figuratively in non-nautical contexts to means odds and ends, bits and pieces. She said that it was good riddance that miscellaneous things or someone unpleasant was out of our life.

My family members loved to talk to her because there was so much to learn from her.Besides she was also very witty and affable. She was old yet very wise in many ways. Shakespeare wrote in King Lear that “As you are old and reverend, you should be wise." She qualified for both. Indeed it is great to grow old gracefully.

Our burden will be lightened when trivial things are jettisoned. – Quote by Ho Nee Yong

31 January 2012

Neither a borrower nor a lender be

2012-01-24T06:54:00.000-08:00

Post 128 Financial management

I was having a chat with my friend on financial management when he told me a quote from Shakespeare on borrowing and lending, He said he would rather give whatever he could afford to his friends than to lend. He would also not borrow but to learn to cut down his wants.

The quote was part of Lord Polonius' speech to Laertes from Shakespeare's Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3

“Neither a borrower nor a lender be;
For loan oft loses both itself and friend,
And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry.”

When one lends money to a friend, one will lose both the money and the friend when the latter disappears for not wanting to pay back; and if one borrows one will not learn how to be thrifty.

Many credit card defaulters have been blacklisted by banks for not paying their credit card dues. This has become common especially among the young working class. They are bad borrowers and are miles away from being a lender. It is best that they learn how to budget their finance and spend sensibly to “neither a borrower nor a lender be”.

He who borrows has much sorrow.- Ho Nee Yong

24 January 2012

Money

2012-01-17T01:34:00.000-08:00

Post 127 Money is not the chaser but the chased

Samuel Langhorne Clemens, or better known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American author and humourist. Mark Twain became my favourite writer when his novel “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” was used as reader for our English literature class in Form One in 1959. I like Tom Sawyer for his imagination and mischievous character. This quote on money was a gem and hilarious when he said, “I am opposed to millionaires, but it would be dangerous to offer me the position.”

It is interesting to note that the word ‘money’ can be associated with words like ‘chase’ and ’run’. “Good money chasing bad money”, “Run out of money”, and “Banks on the run” are a few examples. Money is the main motivator behind one's economic actions. No one will work for free. The reverse is true. One would demand more for the work done. The strikes by government servants, executives and workers in the private sector for more pay show that they want to be reasonably remunerated in exchange for their efforts and contributions put in.

No one is opposed to millionaires or billionaires, with Mark Twain taking no exception. Millionaires or billionaires deserve to be what they are if they earn them legally and honestly. Those who chase after ill-gotten gains will have shame running after them. Their gains will be pyrrhic.

Money is not the chaser but the chased. – Ho Nee Yong

17 January 2012

My primary school headmaster

2012-01-10T01:52:00.000-08:00

Post 126 Behaviour Corrector

My primary school life reminds me of the words my old headmaster had repeatedly told us in each school assembly. Having gone through life for another 55 years since my primary education, I realise that my headmaster,deemed to be old by me then, was not really old; he could be only in his 40s at that time. He might have been remembered for his stereotyped speeches, but I found him a very gentle and kind behaviour corrector in encouraging us to follow rules and regulations, study hard, pay attention in class, not to tell lies, and be a good citizen when we grew up.

Life as educators in the 1950s was impoverished and without exception the life of my headmaster was a simple one. His material possession was literally only the few personal effects that he had had, with bicycle as his prized item. The Chinese saying of ‘eating grass to squeeze the milk’ was very befitting to my headmaster and his contemporary. Indeed having said that, it is without doubt that I am also very thankful to the well-intentioned teachers who taught with dedication. They were excellent behaviour correctors, just like my headmaster.

As the world becomes industrialised and with the emergence of capitalism, a person’s worth eventually is judged by his wealth and not by his character. Nowadays the standard of education suffers because people tend to prefer materialism to idealism. The word ‘character’ has now slowly lost its ethical significance.

Nothing remains when character wanes. – Ho Nee Yong

10 January 2012

Aging

2012-01-03T02:32:00.000-08:00

Post 125 The older the fiddler, the sweeter the tune

A witty, knowledgeable and still lively 80-year-old woman was requested to give a short speech at a get-together function which I was glad I attended. She told the crowd roaring with laughter that she did not agree with the previous man speaker who told the audience on how to live long by avoiding all the” Don’ts” like smoking, drinking, and staying up late. She jokingly said that she did just the opposite to enjoy life. She added that she still went dancing! Though her tune sounded sweet and hilarious, the audience just took what she said with a pinch of salt.

While ‘age’ is just a word, ‘aging’ may be is more than that. It is an alarm clock to many who fear growing old. The proverb of “The older the fiddler, the sweeter the tune” is for the optimists who are not too concerned about their outward appearance wasting away. Inwardly they are renewed every day. Life is what one thinks it is and so is aging. When one does not mind getting old, aging does not matter anymore. One ought to live happily every day and deem ‘aging’ gracefully as a better alternative to kicking the bucket.

Young people will do well by being pro-active in doing exercises, inculcate good habits in eating, and avoid stress and strain through having optimistic outlook on life. This will help them to have good health even in old age.

The greatest wealth, for both the young and the old, is health.

3 January 2012

Music appreciation

2011-12-27T02:01:00.000-08:00

Post 124 Audience clapping

Audience clapping is a sign of appreciation and encouragement for speakers, musicians, dancers, stage performers, sportsmen, athletes, or field games players. However I wish to comment on audience clapping at concerts given by musicians like pianists, violinists, and also by orchestras.

When a pianist is playing a concerto and in between movements, some audience may think it has ended and starts to clap as if they are attending a pop concert. This is lacking in etiquette and perhaps just ignorance on the part of first time goers to such concert. Their clapping at the wrong time reflects their shallow knowledge in music appreciation. Obviously that would have spoilt the enjoyment of educated audience who know not to clap during a pause between movements.

Music appreciation on classical pieces involves the understanding of the composers, their background and style of plays. Classical symphonies of Mozart, Beethoven and other great composers generally have four movements. The clapping of hands in between movements is therefore uncalled for.

Music is appreciated for the joy it brings to us.

27 December 2011

Needs and wants

2011-12-20T01:55:00.000-08:00

Post 123 “Let your needs not be in want, and your wants not be in need”

My first lesson on needs and wants in basic economics has given me a lasting impression. Clothing, food, shelter, and transportation are our needs while goods and services are wants that we wish for but can do without. One may settle for ordinary clothes instead of the designed and the branded ones; for simple food instead of sumptuous meals; for a roof over one’s head without asking for a mansion; and for a reliable transportation rather than cars that cost more than an ordinary house.

One’s appetite for needs and wants decides one’s happiness index, especially when one tries to keep up with the Joneses. When one uses one’s richer neighbour as a benchmark for social status or the accumulation of material wealth, one is deemed to have manifested one’s inferiority complex. A Chinese saying has it that when one compares oneself with another person, one will die of anger. It is better for one to live a life based on one’s resources in accordance with the proverb of cutting one’s coat to suit one’s cloth.

There are other things that one can happily pursue in life: reading, writing, listening to music, sports, and other lifelong learning activities. They are ‘needs’ necessary to make one’s life fulfilling, and ‘wants’ that are easily available.

“Let your needs not be in want, and your wants not be in need” – Ho Nee Yong

20 December 2011

Hunger is the best sauce!

2011-12-13T02:12:00.000-08:00

Post 122 Hunger breeds discontent

I asked my Malaysian friend who has been staying overseas for 40 years to comment on Western and Oriental food. He says that both types of food have their own merits and he likes both. To him he loves Western food, like meat pies, steak, Cornish pasties, ham, sausages, fish & chips, steaks, mushrooms, bake beans, bacon and omelette which are all relatively cheap in Germany. However he says that Oriental food has more variety and he misses Satay, Curry, and Rendang very much. He also loves buffet lunch and dinner in Malaysia where he can have all the varieties of food at one sitting.

It is noted that charges for buffet meals have gone up significantly due to global food shortage. While in Buenos Aires In the early 1990s, my friend took me to a Chinese restaurant for a buffet dinner. The restaurant owner was from Shanghai China. We only paid USD7.00 per person to eat all that we could from more than a hundred dishes served. However there was an extra charge for bottled water. As some cuisines were a bit salty, diners could not help but had to fork out another USD2.00 or 3.00 to pay for the water. The owner was shrewd by not charging higher to include free drinks. He played on the psychology of customers who were attracted by low charges.

The rich and the famous may compare notes on their experiences on expensive food and drink; while the abject poor worry about their next meal. However when one is hungry, every food will be fine. Hunger is the best sauce!

As hunger breeds discontent, leaders know that hungry people do not listen to their political reasoning.

13 December 2011

Music prodigies

2011-12-06T06:47:00.000-08:00

Post 121 Talents to be admired

In September 2010, I received an email from a friend in Germany who told me about a recording he made at home from VTV4,Vietnam. In Germany he is able to watch TV programmes from any country he wants. In the email were photographs of young participants taken from the DVD he had made out of the recording. My friend, who is very knowledgeable and appreciative of classical music, hits, folk songs and oldies, said that many would not have expected this to have happened in a Third world country.

It was a very impressive piano contest organised by Dang Thai Son, the Vietnamese famous pianist who won the Chopin International Piano Contest in 1980. The contest was for whiz kids or prodigies from Asia like China, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, and Indonesia. It was won by the Japanese Kuroki Yukini, 6 years old, playing Chopin Variations on a German Air in E Major.

I have always admired the musical talents of violinists, pianists and the like. How
could they remember the musical scores so well and play so expressively with agility. Indeed virtuosos who are music smart are extremely sensitive to pitch, rhythm, tone or melody of various forms. The young pianists gathered in Vietnam were real prodigies.

Anything that is beautiful, in any form, will be appreciated. Einstein, the scientist, played the violin with such passion that one of his female audience gushed that, ‘he had the kind of male beauty that could cause havoc.”

6 December 2011

“More is thy due than more than all can pay “

2011-11-29T07:03:00.000-08:00

Post 120 Eternally grateful

"More is thy due than more than all can pay" is taken from Macbeth, a play by William Shakespeare about a regicide or the killing of King Duncan, and its aftermath. This is a favourite metaphor of a close relative of mine who studied this during his literature class in a secondary school in the early 1960s. Each time he said to his young listeners, they would automatically ask him to repeat and explain the metaphor. He would then tell them that he owed them too much and that not all combined could pay for it. A person is eternally grateful to the one who has helped him when "more is thy due than more than all can pay".

In a materialistic world, people tend to be more individualistic and less grateful to those who have rendered them help. Some may even go to the extent of returning good for evil. In a society where there is moral disorder, a person who remembers and knows how to repay his benefactors is to be commended. As for children what is of paramount importance is that they should not forsake their parents who are old and weak. What goes around comes around. Children will naturally be old parents one day. How they treat their parents will be how their own children will treat them.

It is more blessed to give than to receive.

29 November 2011

It is time to take it slow

2011-11-22T06:50:00.001-08:00

Post 119 Senior Citizens

My 70- year-old friend told me that he was in a great deal of pain again when he hurt his muscle in his back a few days ago. As compared to the previous injury, it was really bad this time. He had just put some fruits in the refrigerator, closed the door and turned to walk away when a crippling pain shot right across his lower back. Every step he took after that was agony. He jokingly said that the incident was the joy of old age, never a moment without some ailments tailing. Throughout the night he had to keep a hot water bottle on the affected area to ease the stabbing pain. This is all too familiar to senior citizens who are prone to injury.

As a senior citizen myself, I have learnt to take things at a slower pace. I have scaled down the number of things to be done each day so that I need not have to rush to finish the work. There is no point rushing for time and risk falling. Senior citizens must avoid slip and fall injuries at all cost. I have seen a few seniors who fell and fractured their brittle bones and had to be sidelined for active life.

Let the young ones do the running!

22 November 2011

Two great pioneer climbers

2011-11-15T17:53:00.000-08:00

Post 118 One can be what one wants to be

In 1962 which is almost fifty years ago, I sat for a national examination. In the English language paper was a passage on two pioneer climbers, of which candidates were required to do a summary of it. I liked what I was reading and was impressed by these extraordinary nature lovers: Sir Edmund Hillary, a mountain climber from New Zealand and his Nepalese Sherpa guide Tenzing Norgay.

They were the first humans to reach the highest point on Earth: the summit of Mount Everest in the Himalayas on 29 May 1953. Indeed they are classic examples of people with intra-personal intelligence. They knew what they wanted in life and strived to achieve their goals regardless of obstacles.

I was to be pleasantly surprised many years later to read of another feat by the sons of the great climbers. The son of Sir Edmund Hillary, Peter, also successfully scaled the summit for the first time in 1990. In April 2003, Peter and Jamling Tenzing Norgay, the son of Tenzing, climbed Everest as part of a 50th anniversary celebration. Undoubtedly both of them, together with their fathers, belong to the same category of people who are self-smart.

I took part in the Annual Penang Hill Climb Competition of my former school, Chung Ling High School in 1959 when I was in Form One. The school doctor examined me after I had completed a 400-metre run together with potential participants, and said I could give it a try. I reached the top of the hill just before the prize giving ceremony was to be held.

15 November 2011

Schooling can be fun

2011-11-08T06:25:00.000-08:00

Post 117 Be active in co-curricular activities

When I was in primary school in the 1950s, I was carefree and enjoyed my schooling.There was not much homework because I finished it during school hours.Tuition was alien to me and my classmates.

When I happened to meet up with my friend at a house party recently, I casually asked his grandson, a primary three pupil, whether he liked to go to school. He told me school would be fun if there was no homework. If given a chance, he would have preferred to stay at home and play. As a retired educationist, I believe that pupils should be active in school co-curricular activities to make schooling more interesting. They will turn out to be of better character than 'bookworms'.

What is more important is that the relationship between teachers and pupils and among classmates will also be enhanced through co-curricular activities. The traditional practice of teachers cancelling outdoor activities to give way to revision for tests and examinations on learning subjects ought to be discouraged.

8 November 2011

The study of the Thick and the Black

2011-11-01T01:13:00.000-07:00

Post 116 The crooked pot mender

I took out one of my favourite books to read the other day and found one paragraph which I thought should be shared here. The book is titled ‘The study of the Thick and the Black’. Li Zongwu (李宗吾1880 -1943) wrote this very popular cynical book in 1912 depicting the historical Chinese heroes as having thick skin and black heart to be successful.

However, there are people who may not subscribe to Li’s statement and consider the reading of this book as an anti-climax to achieving a harmonious society. Nevertheless there are also others who feel that the book actually mirrors the basic instinct of human beings who veneer their ‘thick face and black heart’ with a thin layer of integrity. Lin Yutang (1895 -1976), a Harvard scholar and an authority on China and Chinese culture, commented that scholars who had read Chinese and foreign books widely but had yet to read this book, were to regard this lost opportunity as really a matter for regret.

When the rice pot was leaking, a person was called to mend it. After scrapping the bottom of the pot with an iron scrapper, the man told the owner of the rice pot to go and get fire because he wanted to smoke. As the owner turned his back, the mender used a hammer to knock at the pot lightly to lengthen the existing crack. He then told the returning owner while pointing at the crack, “Your cooking pot has a long crack and it was covered with a layer of oil. The hidden crack could only be seen when the pot is scrapped and more nails are needed for the repair work.” The owner had a closer look at the crack and said surprisingly, “You are right! You are right! If I have not called you today, this pot could have become useless.” When the pot was mended, both the owner and the mender were happy to part each other.

When you send you car for repairs, make sure you go to the mechanics you trust.

1 November 2011

Talented people

2011-10-25T01:33:00.000-07:00

Post 115 Talents make a country great

Many educational reports have singled out Finland and South Korea as exemplary countries which have invested with impact in education. The high quality manufactured products of mobile phones, cars and digital devices of these two nations reflect the high attainment levels of their education systems. Singapore as an island state has also produced top class universities, together with Hong Kong where top notch universities are also found.

Talents are what make a country great. It is therefore very unwise for any country to want to allow brain-drain to take place. In doing so, the development of the country will be hampered. Wealth can be distributed in any way, but not talents. Wealth can be passed on from one pocket to another, but not talents. Talents are nurtured through education, training and perseverance. It takes time and effort for talents to be fully developed and recognized.

A talented person is head-hunted for his ingenuity. He is thus offered high position, attractive remunerations, and a working environment that allows him to exploit his potentials. For a country to remain competitive, it needs talented people to create innovative plans to bring the country forward.

If we never have had, we never miss. Mediocrity never have had, it never misses the geniuses in a talented person. Hence, “Over and over again mediocrity is promoted because real worth isn't to be found.” (Kathleen Norris Quotes)

25 October 2011

Child beggars

2011-10-18T02:00:00.000-07:00

Post 114 The vast divide between the rich and the poor

With the rising cost of living, many people are experiencing a lower quality of life. Their purchasing power goes down and there is no propensity for them to save at all. Many people suddenly find themselves out of work and live in poverty. Some will be so depressed that they turn to alcohol and are in a stupor all day without money, job or future. The trend now is for the less privileged to show their discontent towards the mega rich whose wealth is more than envy to them.

There have been reports in newspapers and TV programmes about child beggars who are out on the streets begging for long hours to help bring in extra cash for their families. Some are poverty driven and some are child beggars under the control of syndicates. These unfortunate people live in slums and scavenge for food in the dustbins. The rich who live in great affluence live in an island of their own. It is possible that one day shanty homes and street children may be too near their residences for comfort.

Child beggars are one of the by-products of the vast divide between the rich and the poor. They are also the victims of poor governance due to corruption. The world therefore needs to have a new order in economy and integrity in leadership.

18 October 2011

Dress appropriately

2011-10-11T02:11:00.000-07:00

Post 113 Clothes make the man

Mark Twain, my favourite novelist and short story author, was a humourist. He said, “Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.” Indeed how could they have gone out of their houses to influence the society without their clothes on? We can only find one in a short tale, The Emperor's New Clothes, written by Hans Christian Andersen, when a naïve child cried out, "But he isn't wearing anything at all!"

Clothes make the man does not hold water for the corrupt. They may look well-dressed, professional and capable, yet are unfit for their positions. The clothes they put on cannot cover their shame of greed, hypocrisy, and incompetency.

Among the ancient Greeks, they believed that 'The garment makes the man' or that 'The apparel makes the man'. Though Greece is a relatively small country in Europe, it was an ancient civilization famous for its many eminent philosophers, culture and costume.

As appearance counts in business and social activities, one should be appropriately dressed. This is to respect oneself and others.

11 October 2011

Six types of friends

2011-10-04T01:02:00.000-07:00

Post 112 Choose your friends wisely

Confucius said, “There are three types of good friends, and there are also three types of harmful friends. To make friends with honest people, to make friends with trustworthy people, and to make friends with widely read and experienced people, is beneficial. To make friends with flatterers, to make friends with duplicitous people, and to make friends with rhetoric people, is harmful.”

As birds of the same feather flock together, you are judged by the friends around you. When you have good friends who have virtues, you learn to have good characters from them. Keep these friends. Similarly, when you have harmful friends who are unscrupulous, your character is in danger of being tainted. Shun them.

“A friend in need is a friend indeed” is an old popular proverb. It means a friend who comes to our help is a true friend, unlike others who disappear when their help is needed. This proverb is sometimes interpreted as “a needy person becomes a friend to get assistance from others”. It is in times of trouble that one’s true feelings are revealed. Nevertheless, it is a fact that true friends are hard to come by. They are far and few in between. Treasure them if you are blessed with some.

You may want to ponder over this quotation: There are three faithful friends - an old wife, an old dog and ready money. – (Benjamin Franklin)

4 October 2011

Songs that I grew up with

2011-09-27T01:16:00.000-07:00

Post 111 Pop Tunes in the 1950s and 60s

As a teenager in the 1950s and 60s, I grew up listening to Chinese and English pop songs. Those were the exciting years for post-war babies. Listening to radio broadcast was the main entertainment for us before the emergence of TV. The songs left lasting impressions on me and helped shape my taste for music and songs.

I love, among many,the songs by Pat Boone (Speedy Gonzales; April Love); Connie Francis (Lipstick on Your Collar; Everybody's Somebody's Fool); Elvis Presley (It's Now or Never; Amazing Grace) and Cliff Richard (A Voice in the Wilderness; The Minute You're Gone); and the music by The Billy Vaughn Orchestra. My friends and I would gladly wait for the programme “Top Tunes of the Week” to be on air. To many senior citizens, the songs and music in the 1950s and 60s are ever green. They bring back fond memory of our happy teenage years.

Once I was listening over the radio a song sung by Elvis Presley. Half way through the song, my late father commented, “Why is this singer having so much difficulty singing out the tune?” Elvis was then singing ‘Only You’ at the part where he had to express himself with ‘Ah…Ah…Ah..Ah Only you can make this change in me. For it’s true you are my destiny…”

Whenever this song is played, I thought of my late father.

27 September 2011

Old Age Pensioners (OAPs)

2011-09-20T00:54:00.000-07:00

Post 110 Chasing after inflation

As a pensioner myself, I have a feeling that with inflation unchecked, ordinary Old Age Pensioners (OAPs) are set to fall into the poverty trap. This is true in real life for those OAPs who live longer. With their pensions almost at a fixed-rate that always lag behind inflation, OAPs who are without other sources of income or savings are at risk of poverty. The longer the OAPs live, the more resources they need to have to cater for more medical fees.

To live longer is a blessing when there is financial freedom. For those who have no such privilege, it becomes a huge financial burden. They will be pushed below the poverty line. Thus, it is always advisable for young people to start saving as soon as they get their first pay. The multiplier effect of savings after 30 to 40 years gives one very rich dividends to enjoy one’s golden years. It is a pity that many people in retirement have to look hard for ways to enhance their income just to survive.

Many countries are facing bankruptcy because of corruption, poor governance and incompetent leaders. This is woe upon the working classes who have to struggle to live. After paying for the house installments or rents, there is nothing much left to pay for the most expensive electricity and gas bills, besides the medical fees and food bills.

With good financial planning initiated early, one can become an OAP with peace of mind in the golden years.

20 September 2011

Be grateful

2011-09-13T01:20:00.000-07:00

Post 109 Do not “remove bridges”

To be grateful is a virtue. In the Chinese language, to be ungrateful is to “remove bridges after crossing the river”. The metaphor tells of a person who makes use of the help and kindness of others to achieve his goal, and thereafter abandon them. It is “biting the hand that feeds you”, an expression for betraying someone who helps you.

As the love of money is the root of all evil, one may find one’s good friend acting treacherously for personal gains. The breach of faith on one party would cause the friendship to falter. Hence, a person of integrity will not allow himself to be dragged into the fight for wealth, status, power and fame, all of which are physical stuff.

The Chinese saying of “People die for money while birds die for food” is reflected on those who “remove bridges after crossing the river”. They are willing to forsake trust and integrity just for personal gains. In a utilitarian society, the search for materials things such as wealth and properties becomes the priority of many people. In the process of chasing after them, more “bridges will be removed.”

“Every time I appoint someone to a vacant position, I make a hundred unhappy and one ungrateful.” (King Louis XIV of France, 1643-1715)

This statement still holds water in the twenty-first century.

13 September 2011

Business survival in a global village

2011-09-06T02:19:00.000-07:00

Post 108 Nationalism

I am really not surprised that many multi-national supermarket giants have called it a day in Japan and Korea. These giants sold off their stores because of the strong nationalistic and patriotic complexes among the Japanese and the Koreans. Unlike in China, foreign shopping chains are doing brisk business there.

If one goes to Korea or Japan, one can hardly see German, French or American cars on the road. This has prompted intervention by the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and protest by the European Union (EU). Though the two governments have reduced red tapes, lowered import taxes and other restrictions to make it easier for foreign cars to be imported there, to sell them is not easy. The owners might be looked upon as not patriotic. Hence foreign manufactured cars which are prestigious and expensive are as good as rocking horse droppings in these countries.

People in other developed and developing countries tend to buy anything that is cheap and good even if they are foreign. That is why Japan and Korean can sell their TV, Hi-fi, cars, air-conditioners, and refrigerators in these countries but not vice versa. Thus, we see many Japanese and Koreans cars and household appliances on our streets and in our homes.

A global village can be an open or a gated one.

6 September 2011
(On leave - 30 August 2011)

The cost of watching football

2011-08-23T01:16:00.000-07:00

Post 107 Why world class footballers are expensive?

I was told through email by my Malaysian friend who is now residing in Germany on his football experience. As a student in the UK in 1964, he paid 3 Shillings (RM 1.50) to watch Arsenal against West Ham at Highbury. Watching Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium could now cost football fans a small fortune this season with the most expensive ticket priced at £100 (RM 500).

In contrast, one can buy a ticket to see Blackburn for as little as £10 according to a BBC survey into the cost of watching football. With Blackburn's cheap seats one can get in and buy a £3 programme, a pie and cup of tea, all for £17.50. However, with Liverpool's cheapest seats costing £39, the same package rises to nearly £ 47. If one likes Toffees, also known as Everton, it is slightly cheaper at £42. Spurs are also expensive to watch and fans have to pay £82 for the best seat. How much will the entrance tickets cost be for such matches in 2020 also depends on the price tags of future players.

It is a wonder that billions of people will glue themselves to TV for live telecasts of premier matches during the World cup. One politician was quoted to have said: “Why should people watch in such fervor 22 players chasing one little ball?”

Indeed interest knows no bound.

23 August 2011

Character building

2011-08-16T00:51:00.000-07:00

Post 106 An admirable personality

A person with an admirable personality has a very charming disposition. He or she is a person with a spark, who possesses exemplary character, good appearance, good education and best upbringing. People with a spark manifest their unique charisma which can only be achieved through character building.

The learning of academic subjects, music, sport and arts nurtures learners to be scholastic, have appreciation of fine arts, self-discipline, concentration, team work, fair play, and intrinsic values like integrity and compassion. The dynamic spark of a person makes people want to be with him because the synergy obtained through such association stimulates them to emulate his example.

There are many politicians but statesmen are very few and far between in many countries. Any country which wants to be a respected nation must have a wide base of citizens who are of good character and possess the required positive traits. They must not only be literate but educated. Only from this broad platform will there be more options for the selection of world class leaders with wisdom and integrity. The rule of mediocrity spells disaster for the nation and the people.

Character building must begin from home and continue in institutions of learning. They are the moral habitats for the nurturing of admirable personalities.

16 August 2011

Never give up

2011-08-09T00:57:00.000-07:00

Post 105 Many a little makes a mickle

When I started writing this blog, I planned to do it weekly for three years. As there are 52 weeks in a year, 104 weeks will make up two years. This post is therefore the beginning of my third year of writing the blog. Each short blog may take only 15 minutes or so to write, it represents my belief that little stroke fell great oaks. If many a little makes a mickle, at the end of this third year, I shall have 156 blogs in my account. The message that I want to carry is that the singleness of purpose can make things happen.

The blogs written are intended to be short and concise. The world has become so compact that very few people seem to have time to read for leisure especially great classics of literatures. It is hoped that some readers who happen to cross the path of this blog may pick up some pointers in life here and there. In fact the little minutes which we spend daily in reading over a few years will make a mighty impact on our outlook of life.

I shall always remember a primary school motivational story of a cicada which wanted to learn to fly from a bird. A cicada is a tropical insect with large transparent wings that makes a high singing noise. After a few days of learning how to fly, the cicada gave up for lack of perseverance. One day the cicada was struggling to climb a tree. It was panting and sweating profusely. The tree then told the cicada that by having the ability to fly it could fly over the forest and from tree to tree. The cicada was moved and returned to the bird for more lessons and succeeded. It became the world's first flying cicada.

Never give up on your goals in life!

9 August 2011

Forget not an old friendship

2011-08-02T01:38:00.000-07:00

Post 104 Old is gold

Having been on retirement for the last eight years, I have been attending numerous gatherings for old boys and old college mates. For once or twice I also joined in for my wife’s old girls’ gathering. During those gatherings, the halls were full of laughter and everyone was in jovial mood.

On two different occasions, I felt the loss of two good friends who were with me during the previous gatherings prior to their passing away. One was an outstanding footballer and hockey player; while the other friend was excellent in his technical skills.

As years go by, the number of participants in our gatherings gets smaller for obvious reasons. For those who are still healthy and active, they are the regulars. They are also the ones who can eat what is served on the table. For those who are suffering from high blood pressure, diabetes, and other old age illnesses, they refrain from eating certain dishes. They are there for the sake of reviving old friendship of which we appreciate very much.

Old is gold. A page from my primary school graduation autograph album in the late 1950s contains these words: “Make new friends but keep the old; for one is silver and the other is gold.” It is good to have bosom friends whom we can share our thoughts.

“Everyone hears what you say. Friends listen to what you say. Best friends listen to what you don't say.”
-- Anon

2 August 2011

The waiting game

2011-07-26T01:13:00.000-07:00

Post 103 Time cost

I casually asked a friend who is a businessman to sum up in a few words how his business was being operated. To my surprise he gave me the answer: business here is a waiting game. I did not press him for clarification but just gave him a smile. His time cost therefore depends on how long he has to wait and how urgent the matter is. For me lining up at shopping malls' pay counters is one of the reasons why I avoid going to those places during sales carnivals.

Attending wedding dinners is another test of patience when the waiting game can be a few hours during prime evening time. In a city like Kuala Lumpur, seasoned dinner guests do not even have to bother to look at the time printed boldly on invitation cards. When it says dinner will be served at 7.30 pm sharp, just add ++ to make it 8.30 pm and you will not be far off tangent. Occasionally when VVIPs who were the guests of honour came late, dinner would become supper being served at 9.30 pm.

There was a Punctuality Campaign organized by a Chinese-based political party in the 1980s suggesting that all wedding dinners should start at 8.00 pm and end at 10.00 pm. The rationale was that attending guests could still have quality time with family members at home after dinner. The proposal turned out to be merely a flash in the pan. Old Habits Die Hard!

The waiting game in life sees all of us as experienced actors and actresses wondering when the game would be over.

26 July 2011

A basketball match to remember for life

2011-07-19T00:58:00.000-07:00

Post 102 Pandemonium broke out

In the early 1950s I sneaked out and walked about 15 minutes from my house one evening to a school basketball court. The basketball court in the rural area where I was staying was not paved with cement. When players ran around the court, one could see the red dust coming up from the ground. Nevertheless it was a match much awaited for, especially for a little boy of eight years old like me. My childhood friends told me the two teams playing were champions from neighbouring small towns.

Just as the game was about to end, with my favourite team leading by two points, I suddenly heard someone shouting “Red-head soldiers are coming! Red-head soldiers are coming!” followed by a pandemonium at the premises of the basketball court. I was disappointed that the exciting game had to be abandoned and I hurriedly weaved my way out through a panic crowd. When I was about to reach home, I heard my father yelling at me for he had been frantically looking for me. He dragged me to the house and asked me repeatedly whether I knew the great danger I was in.

I learnt in my growing years later that the much feared Red-head soldiers were from the Federal Reserve Unit or better known by the abbreviation as FRU. They were called Red-head soldiers because they wore red helmets. Its main duty is to disperse illegal assembly, riot suppression and to maintain public order.

I wonder who would have won had it not been for the appearance of the Red-head soldiers. I still do not know why they were there. At that particular moment when the game was stopped, I thought the Red-head soldiers were truly the wet blankets!

19 July 2011

Why?

2011-07-12T02:25:00.000-07:00

Post 101 Why not?

I was asked to say some words of wisdom after giving a talk to a group of thirty graduates. I told them I have some to tell them, if I must.

“Do what you are interested in and good at, and excel in it. When others ask you why, tell them politely why not?”

When we are too concerned about the opinion of others, we lose our designated direction. There is a need for the nurturing of our critical thinking and the ability to make our own decision. All men are born equal but no two persons are alike. Hence it is wise for us to concentrate on only one career in our life and do it well. We know our own strengths, inertia and aptitude. Others do not.

A medical graduate told me in the 1970s that he was not interested to be a doctor. The logical question to be asked was why then did he take up the course? “I did it because my father wanted me to”, he said. He then enrolled for another course in literature. We met up 30 years later and I came to know that he did his medical practice three days a week. He spent more time now travelling with his writing and drawing. He knows what he wants in life.

As a rolling stone gathers no moss, do one great thing which we have a passion for. One is a greenhorn when one is young but becomes an authority in one’s field of study when one is experienced.

I feel good living my own life.

12 July 2011

From a single digit to three digits

2011-07-05T02:32:00.000-07:00

Post 100 Follow through on our plan

I attended a motivational course in the 1990s and what caught my attention was the story of ‘eating an elephant’. The facilitator told the class figuratively that it was impossible for anyone to finish eating an elephant within a day. However, it could be done by eating a small portion daily for a year. The moral of the lesson is that when we develop a plan and follow through it with sustained effort, we will succeed ultimately.

When I started writing this blog, I gave myself three years to do so weekly. There are 52 weeks a year and in three years there will be 156 blogs written. It may take two to three months extra to reach the figure due to the vacation taken in between writing. The beginning is always the most difficult. Now that my blog has reached 100, I have left the beginning far behind me.

One of the most common excuses we hear of nowadays is not having enough time. Time is what we make it out to be. When we put our priorities in life in a proper perspective, we can then use our time wisely. One must control the time and not the other way round.

When we have a plan for achieving our target and a deadline for its attainment, we need not lament over the lost opportunity by saying ‘I should have done that!’

5 July 2011

No heavy school bag

2011-06-28T03:04:00.000-07:00

Post 99 It is fun going to school

When I was in the primary school in the 1950s, I had very few textbooks and homework. My siblings and I spent our afternoon in outdoor activities. We slept at 8.30 pm.

The school life of my two grandchildren staying in Southampton, United Kingdom is even more fun. While on vacation to see them, I asked my grandson who is going to be 11 years old to show me his school textbooks. He told me there was none. Learning takes place in a virtual environment coupled with hands-on activities.

His school bag had only one homework notebook to record the assignments to be done within a stipulated time during which he had to do research from the internet. His assignment was to be handwritten. When he took leave from school to be with me for one week, he said he could email his homework to his teacher.

Digital resources are used as teaching aids and pupils are taught to do presentations through power-points. He reads and writes; represents his school in drama, cricket, relay team for a running event, long jump; plays the guitar and the keyboard, and could swim 2500m without a break. He too slept at 8.30 pm.

What a truly holistic education in nurturing pupils to have joy, self-confidence and be healthy and innovative!

28 June 2011

Eat food of different colours

2011-06-21T02:18:00.000-07:00

Post 98 Chinese physicians and the colours of food

When my siblings and I were young, our parents consulted Chinese physicians to treat our minor illnesses. They had more confidence in Chinese medicines. As I grew older, I began to understand their preference for Chinese medicines over the western ones. The former treats patients to make them strong to fight the illness while the latter treats the symptoms.

The parts of the body and the different colourful food of nature are closely interrelated. For a healthy diet we were told to eat less “white” food like sugar, salt and rice but eat more “black” food like black beans and dates. We were also encouraged to take in more green vegetables and red food like tomatoes and carrots. The only supplement we took then was the cod-liver oil. It is interesting to note that the price has since gone up 10 times, and the bottle is smaller now.

It is of everybody’s concern nowadays that the quality and safety of food, beverages and milk sold in the market may have been compromised. We now have tainted dairy products, vegetables covered with pesticides, and meats contaminated with strains of drug-resistant bacteria just to name a few.

Besides, the unbalanced diet of the modern affluent society has caused more people to suffer from heart problems, diabetes and other diseases. Chinese physicians recommend that drinking green tea is good for health. The thousands of years of Chinese tea history can attest to that.

21 June 2011

A family trip to Europe

2011-06-14T02:23:00.000-07:00

Post 97 Well- spent holiday

The decision by the European Union to abolish visas and human borders and become homogeneous with one currency has made my family trip to Europe a pleasant one. When the world opens up, one gets to see and experience different cultures and ways of living without any hindrance.

I was on vacation in Europe for two weeks with my family members in May/June 2011. From Dover we boarded the Peninsula and Orient (P&O Ferries), a British ferry operating the English Channel route, to begin our exploration by car. We drove to border cities like Calais and St-Omer of France; Aachen, Germany; Brussels, Brugge and Antwerp of Belgium; Luxembourg; Rotterdam and Amsterdam of Netherlands; London, Reading, Portsmouth and Southampton where we stayed for a few days. We rented a cottage in Ohey, Belgium to make it as our base in Europe and put up two nights at a resort home in Stellendam which is a town in the Dutch province of Zuid-Holland.

It was also a trip down memory lane in the United Kingdom which had been home to my family for a year in the 1980s . It is very interesting to recollect how events have shaped our life. In each phase of our life, opportunities present themselves at their heights leading us to new avenues and new fortunes. They become experiences that enrich our life. That is why it is important that we take stock of each phase of our life's journey knowing that an examined life is a meaningful one.

This well-spent holiday offers me ample time to relax, recall the past and re-think my perception of life, besides enabling a closer bond to exist between the family members.

14 June 2011
(On vacation from 25 May -8 June 2011)

Fabrication

2011-05-24T08:08:00.000-07:00

Post 96 “Nothing will come of nothing”

Old King Lear wanted to divide his kingdom among his three daughters. Whoever could flatter him would get a share. His two eldest daughters flattered their father and were rewarded. They were good in fabrication.

The youngest one, however, could not manifest her love for the father in words like her two sisters could. She could only say “Nothing” when pressed to speak up and praise her father. The outraged Lear then told her that "Nothing can come of nothing: speak again", and later excluded her from inheriting any part of his kingdom. King Lear might have misjudged the character of his youngest daughter who was not as sly as her two sisters.

In the present society we may find widespread versions of tales which are pure fabrication. It is satirical that some rich and titled who belong to high society are especially skillful in ensuring that “something can come of nothing.” They tell lies upon lies hoping that those lies can ultimately become true to the uneducated. It takes people with critical minds to unravel the fabrication of the wicked.

24 May 2011

The Penang Hill climbing competition

2011-05-17T00:52:00.000-07:00

Post 95 An interesting school life!
The Penang Hill funicular railway was opened in 1923. The blue, air-conditioned Swiss-made coaches, capable of ferrying up to 100 passengers at one go only started operation in 2011. The 87-year-old funicular railway system is now history.

In 1959 I was studying in Form One at the Chung Ling High School Penang. The school was and still is the first choice of many aspiring graduating primary school boys. At that time the school, which even attracted students from Thailand, Burma, Indonesia, and other states of the then Malaya, had two co-curricular activities which were the envy of many students from other secondary schools: the annual swimming competition across the Strait of Penang to Butterworth, and the Penang Hill climbing competition. I was interested in the latter.

On one morning, all potential competitors for the hill climbing event gathered together at the school field. We were then told to run round the 400m school field. I did not know exactly why we needed to do so but nevertheless join in the race. After running the 400m, a doctor used his stethoscope to check on my heart beat. Only then did I realize that he was our school doctor and that all competitors had to go through such test.

“Have you participated in this event before?” the school doctor who took time off from his clinic asked me. When I replied in the negative, he told me, “Well, you can try!” I was given the green light to participate in the hill climbing competition!

I did not finish the climb with any prize; neither did I become the fallen climbers who needed help from the Red Cross members at the finishing line.

At the next Hill climbing competition I found myself as a member of the school brass band performing at the top of Penang hill.

17 May 2011

An impressive tour guide

2011-05-10T02:24:00.000-07:00

Post 94 Hakone Lake

The Japanese tour guide who took my wife and me for a pleasure ferry ride at the scenic Hakone Lake impressed me with his knowledge of classical music. While we were having lunch at the lake, I heard my favourite piece of music composed by the Austrian composer, Schubert F.P. (1797 -1828), being aired.

As we were eating trout (a type of freshwater fish) at that time, I casually told the guide that the title of that piece of music was ‘The trout’. He immediately replied to me that it was. I was deeply impressed because he was not just a tour guide; he was knowledgeable enough to know that ‘The trout’ was played while visitors to the lake were enjoying a meal on trout.

At the bullet train station in Tokyo after the day tour, the Japanese guide ushered us into a taxi saying that he had spoken to the taxi driver where to send us. He gave me an envelope and assured me that the taxi fares in it would be more than enough to cover the distance. He was apologetic for not being able to accompany us back to our hotel though it was not his duty to do so. When we reached our hotel, there was more than enough money in the envelope to cover the taxi fares.There was no overcharging.

When one is in a civilized nation, one knows why it deserves to be called the First world.

10 May 2011

Poem and music

2011-05-03T02:17:00.000-07:00

Post 93 A strikingly descriptive poem

I can remember very well till now two stanzas of a Chinese poem which I learnt during my secondary school day in the early 1960s. It was a poem by Zhang Ji (张继):
"From the Han Shan Temple (Cold Mountain Temple) outside the city of Suzhou, was heard the midnight bell reaching the passenger boat" (姑苏城外寒山寺，夜半钟声到客船.)
In the 1990s when I visited Suzhou, China, I was delighted to have touched the bell that sent its sounds to the passing passenger boats nearby. The poem was so picturesque one could form a mental picture of what he was describing. I was not far off tangent in my imagination while being taught this poem in school.

John Keats, the famous poet says, “We read fine things but never feel them to the full until we have gone the same steps as the author.” How right he was!

Fou Ts’ong (傅聪) who won the third prize in the International Frederick Chopin Piano Competition, an equivalent to the Nobel Prize in music, in Poland in 1955, commented that there is a close relationship between poem and music. In the year 2000, when Yundi Li of China won the top honour in the competition held every five years, Fou Ts’ong remarked that the Chinese tend to have a strong poetic temperament and thus could play the masterpieces of Chopin, who was a very romantic composer, expressively.

“Poetry is the music of the soul, and, above all, of great and feeling souls.” (Voltaire, one of the greatest of all French authors, 1694-1778)

3 May 2011

The Isle of Wight, England

2011-04-26T02:19:00.000-07:00

Post 92 A relaxing break

In 2005 my visit to the Isle of Wight was a day trip to explore its natural beauty. The journey from Southampton by ferry gave me the pleasure of being closer to my two grandchildren who are residing in the foreign land with their parents.

The Isle of Wight is the largest island of England and has been a holiday destination since Queen Victoria's reign from 1837 till 1901. It was an era of prosperity for the British people who had had the pleasure and leisure to enjoy life. Queen Victoria even built her summer residence and final home Osborne House on the island.

I particularly took notice of the name Lord Mountbatten who was the island’s governor from 1969-1974. This outstanding statesman of the British Empire had spent part of his career in Malaya before. In the 1960s there was a Mountbatten Road in Kuala Lumpur. It is now known as Jalan Tun Perak (Tun Perak Road).

The Isle of Wight was home to the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) whose famous phrases that have become commonplaces of the English language include “Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die” and "Knowledge comes, but Wisdom lingers".

When you are surrounded by the natural beauty and serenity of the island, inspiration abounds.

26 April 2011

People who live on trees

2011-04-19T01:30:00.000-07:00

Post 91 Ignorance knows no barrier

I bought a set of Child Readers in the 70s for my daughter. One of the articles has this introduction written: “Some people in a land called Malaysia live high off the ground in tree houses....” If one thinks knowledge is not important, try ignorance which knows no barrier. As the writer of the passage was from the first world, his ignorance could be the offspring of arrogance. In this case, arrogance fortifies ignorance. As such there was no necessity for him to verify the fact.

The story of "Yelang thinks too highly of itself" (夜郎自大Yelang zi da) in the 120s BC best describes the extent of ignorance of people like the king of Yelang. His kingdom was very tiny as compared to the kingdom of Han. The king of Yelang thought that his kingdom was the greatest in the entire world. Once he inquired rhetorically of the Han emperor’s envoy, “Which is greater, Yelang or Han?”

When the citizen of a country of 20 million asks, “which is greater, my country or India?”, he is “Yelang zi da”, thinking too highly of his country in total ignorance.

People,who do not read, harbour and magnify their ignorance.

19 April 2011

Swansea, Wales

2011-04-12T01:39:00.000-07:00

Post 90 Voices of the Welsh

My one-month stay at Swansea while attending an educational management course there in 1996 had me delighted at the scenic and beautiful Wales. Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales and is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. It is the second most populous city in Wales after Cardiff.

As a music lover, I found the Welsh having a very strong compassion for music and dances. No wonder Wales is traditionally known as “the land of songs”. Indeed it has a history of folk music related to the Celtic music of Ireland and Scotland. One just needs to go to Youtube “Choir of Wales” to enjoy watching and listening to the best musical repertoire, depicting Wales’s rich culture.

I was told by my Welsh friend that there were many international music and dance festivals in Wales throughout the year. He even took me to a school hall where his daughter, who also gave Harp lessons, was practising the stepping dance of Wales with a group of friends. Besides music, songs and dances, the Welsh are also rugby enthusiasts. Their annual encounter with the English team is a crowd puller.

The Welsh are generally bilingual being proficient in both Welsh and English. One can see road signs being written in both the languages.

Wales is charming and picturesque indeed.

12 April 2011

An eye-opener

2011-04-05T01:36:00.000-07:00

Post 89 Demonstration for the least expected reason

In 1991 I was at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Canada for a short post-graduate course. I learnt a lesson on what could be considered to be an issue warranting a placard demonstration by students while having lunch one day at the dining hall of the university.

There was a group of about 30 undergraduates who walked into the dining hall carrying placards. The students were not satisfied with the ventilation system in the university and demanded that action be taken to rectify it. It was just a small scale peaceful demonstration asking for more fresh air in the building. The protesters wanted their voices heard.

This incident reminded me of the many demonstrations happened in the USA in the
1960s. The young generation at that time protested over other issues in their campuses at a time of social unrest. It was a decade that saw many Civil Rights and Anti- Vietnam War demonstrations; and changes in social norms that were against traditional moral values with the introduction of contraceptive pills. It was the Swinging Sixties of pop music and mini-skirts that swept the world and the placard carriers at Toronto were not born yet.

The Toronto experience was an eye-opener to me. It was never expected of me that stale air in campus building could also trigger off a demonstration!

5 April 2011

Buffalo

2011-03-29T02:07:00.000-07:00

Post 88 An episode in a foreign city

Having crossed the Niagara Falls border from Canada to Buffalo, USA, my family and a few relatives went for lunch at a Chinese restaurant. After that we went shopping at a mall as part of the program for our one-day trip. As no one could beat ladies in shopping, I gave up half-way and decided to wait for them at a centre point before going for dinner.

A local white man came and sat next to me at a bench. He must have just taken a few drinks for he looked a little bit drunk. We had a short chat. Unexpectedly he told me,”I admire you people.” I asked, “Why did you say so?” He replied, “Because you all can speak English well.” I thanked him for the compliment.
iAs the drunk will tell the truth, I believe he must have met and spoken to tourists whose mother tongue was not English but were eloquent at it. I would have continued our conversation if he had not fallen asleep. I still remember the facial expression and sincerity of this man whom I met by chance in the early 1990s.

If the man had been sober, I would have had the opportunity to learn from him on social-cultural issues that shape his thoughts and perceptions.

I still appreciate what this gentleman had told me. He made my day in a foreign city.

29 March 2011

Gracious living

2011-03-22T03:56:00.000-07:00

Post 87 Performing arts and music

My trip to Washington D.C., a national center for the arts, in the 1990s to attend an international conference on education had an added cultural atmosphere. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts situated along the Potomac River is one of the many surprises for music and art lovers.

I remember reading the quotation of President Kennedy who said that anyone who wants to know whether a country is developed or not should look at the number of performing arts centres it has. This is indeed very true. First world countries are strong economically and so their citizens have the means and leisure to engage in gracious living like attending world class concerts, plays and other performing arts as and when they like.

In the Newsweek cover story "The 10 Best Schools in the World" (December 2, 1991), the USA tops the world in two areas: Arts and Graduate schools. Art is the creation of something beautiful and of intrinsic values in painting, sculpture, music, literature, dance, and drama. Music, painting, poetry and the like are known as fine arts. By having the best graduate schools in the world, it means the USA generally has top class scientists, engineers, lawyers,economists, doctors, inventors and other professionals in the world.

When a country is run by capable leaders at all levels, the fulfillment of peoples’ dream of having a gracious living is a natural and logical outcome.

22 March 2011

A high achiever and a low achiever

2011-03-15T01:38:00.000-07:00

Post 86 Foresight and hindsight

I like the following proverb which is also a tongue-twister since my secondary school days:
“He who knows not and knows not he knows not: he is a fool - shun him.
He who knows not and knows he knows not: he is simple - teach him.
He who knows and knows not he knows: he is asleep - wake him.
He who knows and knows he knows: he is wise - follow him.”

Laozi (老子) said, "He who knows others is learned; he who knows himself is wise." The wise has foresight while the fool, the simple and the sleeping may only know the mistakes they made with hindsight. The former is a leader and the latter, followers.

Sunzi (孙子) in his Art of War said,
“If you know thy enemy and know thyself, you will be ever-victorious in a hundred battles.
If you know thyself but not thy enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat.
If you know neither thy enemy nor thyself, you will lose in every battle.”

A high achiever is wise and self-made.

15 March 2011

Reading Biscuit Town

2011-03-08T00:33:00.000-08:00

Post 85 Happy memories of my childhood

During the early 1950s and as a little boy, I used to like the small and round biscuits kept in green oblong tin containers. The then Malaya was still under the colonial rule and it was a privilege that children got to wear shoes, clothing, and to eat food like biscuits manufactured in England.

In 1986 I was studying in Reading (pronounced as ‘Redding’), England and together with my wife and two daughters, we were there for a year. It so happened that while travelling on the upper deck of a bus in town one afternoon, I saw the signboard of Huntley & Palmers. The name was very familiar to me since I was a boy, though at that time I did not know how to pronounce them.

My wife then confirmed that the ‘reading’ biscuits which I took in the 50s were actually manufactured in the town. I was really delighted that the household name in biscuit manufacturing had brought back happy memories of my childhood. I did not expect that one day I would be in the biscuit town to rekindle old dreams!

Huntley & Palmers was founded in 1822 and for the next 150 years, was well known for being "Number One in Biscuits and Second-to-None in Cakes." At its zenith, it was trading in 137 countries. Visitors to the Museum of Reading would be able to see the 1,500 biscuit tins made by the Quaker company.

I’ll never forget the green oblong tin containers which brought joy to my childhood days.

8 March 2011

"If You're Going to San Francisco"

2011-03-01T00:22:00.000-08:00

Post 84 The Hippies

You may want to go to youtube and listen to this song made popular in the 60s. The lyric reflects the culture and radical beliefs of a new cultural movement. The decade from 1960 to 1970 saw the emergence of an anti-establishment Hippies group, spearheading from San Francisco to Canada and other parts of Europe. The hippies were rebels against middle-class values, especially during the 1960s. They adopted an unconventional way of life, particularly in clothes and behavior. I remember their anti-war rallies in the 60s well.

In my two brief visits to San Francisco, I enjoyed watching cable cars plying the city, visiting Fisherman's Wharf, travelling along the famously crooked Lombard Street and the Golden Gate Bridge, and speaking a few Chinese words at San Francisco's Chinatown, established in the 1840s. I also took an hour or so of bus-ride to the Muir Garden for a relaxing morning and a cup of tea during my first trip.

During the 19th Century, San Francisco was the center of the U.S. gold rush, with many early Chinese workers joining in the treasure hunt. The Chinese then called it “Gold Mountain”. However, with the discovery of gold in Melbourne, Australia, and in order to make a distinction between the two gold mines, the Chinese name for San Francisco was changed to “Old Gold Mountain”, and the one in Melbourne, "New Gold Mountain ".

Be it old or new, and “If You're Going to San Francisco”, be sure to “wear some flowers in your hair”!

1 March 2011

Atlanta

2011-02-22T06:40:00.000-08:00

Post 83 ”I have a dream”

Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the state of Georgia, USA. It was also the venue of the 1996 Summer Olympics. While having a short stay there, I visited the Martin Luther King, Jr., National Historic Site; the Carter Center, and the Cable News Network (CNN) headquarters at the CNN Center in Atlanta. However, I missed visiting the headquarters of Coca-Cola Company in Atlanta to have a taste of its different global beverages.

In this post I am not writing about the song "I Have a Dream" by Swedish pop group ABBA. The song was one of the top hits in 1979, and which I still hum along occasionally after 30 years of its airing.

I am referring to the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. His "I Have a Dream" is a seventeen-minute public speech. It was delivered on August 28, 1963 and ranked the top American speech of the 20th century. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s call for racial equality and an end to discrimination was a defining moment of the American Civil Rights Movement. He said in his speech that all men are created equal.

"I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character."

22 February 2011

The Aloha Spirit

2011-02-15T02:13:00.000-08:00

Post 82 Hang loose

Each time I was in Honolulu I bought myself a T-shirt with the shaka sign. Altogether I have collected five of them. The shaka sign is a popular greeting gesture often associated with Hawaii. It consists of extending the thumb and smallest finger while keeping the three middle fingers curled. The shaka also means "hang loose", conveying the harmonious “Aloha Spirit” of the multi-ethnic cultures in Hawaii. It can also mean “keep cool”, “hello”, “goodbye” “all right” or “take care”.

First time tourists to Honolulu will very soon be familiar with the ABC Stores started by the Japanese in Waikiki in 1964. It has changed its name to ABC in 2009. The chain of ABC convenience stores is found mainly along the one-mile radius of Waikiki. As I walked along the Kalakaua Avenue in Waikiki, I would go into ABC to purchase boxes of my favourite Macadamia nuts, for my relatives and friends back home as well.

When I watched the surfers displaying their skills at Waikiki beach, they reminded me of the” Hawaii Five-O” TV-series. The beach at Waikiki is known for its long rolling break, making it ideal for boarding and surfing.

It is in Hawaii that one experiences the essence of the Aloha Spirit.

15 February 2011

Fantasy Island

2011-02-08T02:18:00.000-08:00

Post 81 Kauai Island

After my Maui’s experience, I was in for another pleasant surprise when my flight from Maui touched down at the international airport in Kauai Island.

The island of Kauai, Hawaii was one of the filming locations of the highly-rated made-for-television film Fantasy Island aired from 1978 to 1984. The enchanting island coastline of the opening scenes of my favourite TV-series almost 30 years ago was none other than that of Kauai, also known as the Garden of Isle. While feasting my eyes with the pristine and idyllic Kauai beaches and the dramatic natural beauty of the island, I thought I could hear Tattoo, played by Herve Villechaize, ringing the bell from the main bell tower, shouting," The plane! The plane!" with each arrival of new guests.

Besides letting my eyes not having enough of seeing, Kauai attractions also let my ears not having enough of hearing. The unique hula or luau is representative of the Hawaiian traditional music and dance, a creation by the Polynesians who first settled there.

You may want to try “Hangi” food which is cooked underground. It is a traditional meal of the island nations of New Zealand and the South Pacific.

8 February 2011

Millions of stars

2011-02-01T03:36:00.000-08:00

Post 80 Maui’s experience

In 1986 I boarded the Aloha aircraft and took a 25-minute flight from Honolulu to the island of Maui where Polynesians were the original peoples to populate it. Maui is a part of the state of Hawaii. While looking out of the room window from a friend’s house at night, I was pleasantly surprised at the sight of millions of stars in the clear sky. It was surreal; resembling a dream. Industrialisation has deprived city dwellers of their pleasure in gazing at stars twinkling.

I had hardly slept for a few hours when my friend woke me up at 4.00am to travel by car to the top of Haleakala National Park. Watching the sun rise there, and seeing the orange-red craters and purple valleys were an awe-inspiring experience. One does not always have the privilege of seeing the clear night sky and stars being overtaken by the sun that lights up the sky and earth.

On our way back from the Haleakala a 10,000 foot volcano, there was a group of bicycle riders who were ready to coast downhill on the same winding road as the cars and vans. I thought biking down the volcano was a dangerous activity. However, there are always enthusiasts who would brave the odds as challenges and for excitement.

When I see stars, I think of my Maui’s experience.

1 February 2011

Don't cry for me Argentina!

2011-01-25T01:34:00.000-08:00

Post 79 Let’s Tango!

Back in 1996 I attended a conference in Buenos Aires and stayed in the Capital of Argentina for ten days. It took me more than 24 hours to reach there from Kuala Lumpur, with a stopover at Johannesburg, South Africa.

I was crossing the street one day when I realized that it took me a long time to cover half the street. I turned back to count the number of lanes on the road in curiosity. After counting twice, I was amazed that there were ten lanes on half the street. I counted the other half of the street and found that I had to cross another ten lanes to reach the other side. One really needs to be fit to cross the 20 lanes of traffic on foot safely. I vividly remember that it is Avenida 9 de Julio, the widest street in the world.

Most visitors to Argentina never miss going for the Tango Shows. I went to watch the show on two occasions paying USD50 for each show cum dinner. The elegant tango dancers could really perform tango in its essence accompanied by the great tango orchestra in a beautiful and romantic theater room.

To watch the best-known song from the musical Evita, "Don't Cry for Me Argentina", being sung and acted as the show’s grand finale in Buenos Aires was the highlight of a memorable evening for me.

25 January 2011

Vivir para comer or comer para vivir?

2011-01-18T08:08:00.000-08:00

Post 78 Live to eat or eat to live?

When I first visited Barcelona in 1996, I was told by my Spanish friend to ‘vivir para comer’ or live to eat; and not to ‘comer para vivir’ or eat to live. He said that Spanish cuisine comprises a variety of seafood easily available from the coastlines and countless unique cuisines served with one’s health in mind. The Spanish are adventurous with new recipes.

The Chinese cuisines are also well-known and highly popular in many parts of the world. The Chinese can cook any dish tailored to one’s wildest imagination. In the early 1990s, I was at the same table with a group of Americans at a dinner hosted by our mutual host in Lanzhou which is a prefecture-level city and capital of Gansu province in northwestern China. The menu then included camel paws and other dishes which were too daunting for us to try. We became vegetarians for the evening.

Socrates, the Greek philosopher more than 2,000 years ago, however, believed
that "Thou shouldst eat to live; not live to eat." His advice implies that one should eat healthily to live and not just eat for the sake of eating.

Do you vivir para comer or comer para vivir?

18 January 2011

Weigh one's words

2011-01-11T07:15:00.000-08:00

Post 77 To strike the right note

I attended a wedding dinner recently when the lady master of ceremony failed to strike the right note. Instead she sounded a false note that caused a great dent to her seemingly well-cultured character and an embarrassment to the discerning guests. Apparently she was not experienced enough to know that there are certain words of insinuation which should never be uttered, let alone at such a joyous grand occasion of which she anchored.

When one weighs one's words, one is careful with the choice of words in speaking or writing. A word well spoken at the right occasion and at the right time is ‘like apples of gold in settings of silver’. The linguistic skill of being able to use words appropriately, effectively, and imaginatively comes with reading widely and writing extensively.

When I was a little boy, I used to hear adults saying, “Children must be seen and not heard”! This is true if it helps to prevent children who do not weigh their words from innocently divulging a family secret in front of visiting guests and relatives.

11 January 2011

Gossip

2011-01-04T08:53:00.000-08:00

Post 76 Grapevine

Grapevine is used to denote information or gossip, passed unofficially from person to person, that is difficult to trace. It starts and climbs in all directions like a grapevine. For example one may hear about the promotion of one’s colleague through the grapevine.

There is a Chinese idiom on roadside gossip. (dao ting tu shuo道听途说)
Two men, Ai Zi and Mao Kong, were gossiping. Mao told Ai, “There is a duck which has laid a hundred eggs in a day.” Ai did not believe and Mao said, “There could be two ducks.” When Ai still had doubt, Mao quickly added, “The eggs could possibly be laid by three ducks.” Mao topped up the number of ducks to ten but Ai still would not believe him.

Some time later, Mao told Ai, “A big slab of meat was dropped from the sky last month. It was 300 feet long and 200 feet wide.” Ai cast doubt on Mao who then said, “It was 200 feet long.” Again Ai did not believe him. When Mao said, “May be it was a hundred feet long”, Ai asked him, “Whose duck is it that laid the eggs?” Where did the meat fall?” Mao told Ai, “I heard them on the road from others.” Ai then told his accompanying students not to be like Mao who passed on roadside gossips.

The Chinese saying of “Rumours would stop at the wise” teaches us not to gossip.

4 January 2011

Logical thinking

2010-12-28T06:23:00.000-08:00

Post 75 Love can be blind

Logic is the study of arguments. One who is logical is good at critical thinking. In any argument, one must use one's logicality to convince one's opponents. Nevertheless, at times a logical explanation is not needed and is conveniently overlooked.

A boy wanted to date his girlfriend out for dinner. She was to answer his question correctly before they would go out together. He put out his closed palm and asked her to guess what was inside the palm. The girl without thinking much said, “An elephant!” The boy thought for a moment and said, “Well, the answer is quite close. I shall buy you dinner.” This was glaringly an illogical answer! However, the flaw in her might not have seemed to be too great to the boy at that moment and he took no pain in correcting her.

On another aspect, parents who spoil their children without correcting their mistakes on the spot have overlooked the importance of discipline and that a stitch in time saves nine. The over-indulgence of parents on children breeds spoiled brats with behavioural problems. By not disciplining their children when there is a need to do so, they fit in well with the proverb: “Spare the rod and spoil the child”.

28 December 2010

What price a glance?

2010-12-21T07:37:00.000-08:00

Post 74 A glance of honour (一顾之荣 yi gu zhi rong)

There was a man who was an expert in judging horses. He was affectionately called Bo Le (伯乐), the name of the star in charge of heavenly horses in ancient Chinese mythology.

Once there was a person who tried to sell his horse at the market but there was no buyer. After failing to strike a deal on three attempts, this person went to see Bo Le for help. He requested Bo Le to just cast a glance at his horse and, before leaving the market, turn back to briefly glance at the horse again. Bo Le followed the instruction of the man. Soon after Bo Le had left, there were many interested buyers who offered to pay ten times more for the horse.

Initially this metaphor was for someone who had gained more status after having some social graces with a famous personality. It is now used to describe the honour of having a distinguished guest gracing an occasion or visiting a place. When a distinguished guest like the Prime Minister visits a school, that school is being honoured by a glance.

21 December 2010

A wheeler-dealer

2010-12-14T00:56:00.000-08:00

Post 73 To be professional in one’s dealings

A wheeler-dealer is an Informal term for one who bargains shrewdly or advances one's own interests by aggressive or unscrupulous behavior. There is a lack of professionalism in one’s business dealings. Hence a successful sales person always steers clear of the wheeler-dealer mentality.

Fan Li (范蠡) was an ancient Chinese advisor of ministerial rank. He later resigned, renamed himself Tao Zhugong (陶朱公) and became an icon in business management. His book on “Golden Rules of Business Success" (经商宝典) which includes Twelve Business Principles and Twelve Business Pitfalls remains relevant till today.

Tao Zhugong, a tycoon himself, was a man of principle who was against those who wheel and deal in a selfish and unscrupulous way. His first golden rule states that one must have the ability to know people’s character. A wheeler-dealer is easily detectable because he can fix anything for a price.

Tao also gave the advice that one should not give in to herd instinct which is the instinct to think and behave like the majority of people. This herd instinct is common in share markets.

A wheeler-dealer who is over zealous and canny in his business dealings may ruin his character.

14 December 2010

A pipe dream

2010-12-07T00:47:00.000-08:00

Post 72 Dream of Southern Branch (南柯一梦)

In the Tang Dynasty (618 – 907), there was a man called Chunyu Fen who became drunk and dozed off under a scholartree on the southern part of his house. He dreamt that he was chosen to marry the princess of the King of the state of Scholartree. He became a governor for twenty years enjoying his glory and riches with his seven children who also did well in life. Unfortunately he lost everything when the King did not trust him anymore.

Chunyu Fen woke up to realize that he just had an illusory joy in his dream. He tried to look for the country he had been in his dream. He found that the so-called state of Scholartree was just an ant hole under the Scholartree on the southern end of his house. It was a pipe dream. What had happened to him in the dream was near impossible to achieve in real life.

One must learn to be positive, realistic and down to earth. It is wishful thinking to assume that one can be successful just by dreaming.

7 December 2010

Learning is the only way up

2010-11-30T16:11:00.000-08:00

Post 71 Digital devices – a double-edged sword

Thomas L. Friedman wrote on 24 November 2010 that the most frightening news published in the Times on Sunday (21 Nov) was an article about how American kids are stepping up their use of digital devices. The following excerpt may be the epitome of many teenagers around the world:

“Allison Miller, 14, sends and receives 27,000 texts in a month, her fingers clicking at a blistering pace as she carries on as many as seven text conversations at a time. She texts between classes,......... while being driven to and from school and, often, while studying. But this proficiency comes at a cost: She blames multitasking for the three B’s on her recent progress report…. ”

I have seen many students who play video games, watch film shows, and texting during their waking hours every day when they should be concentrating on their studies. They do poorly in their examinations as the logical consequences of being off-tangent. They then make use of the defense mechanism of escapism by wasting more time on digital devices because they know they cannot not cope with their school work anymore. These students who lack good parenting and motivation to study pay heavily the price of not learning seriously when they fail in university entrance examinations.

The zeal in learning to acquire knowledge and critical thinking is the only way up in this competitive world flattened by globalization.

30 November 2010

One good deed is not enough

2010-11-23T07:18:00.000-08:00

Post 70 For one swallow does not make a spring

Aristotle was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. He said, "For one swallow does not make a spring, nor does one sunny day." A swallow is a bird which makes its appearance during spring and migrates to warmer places in winter. This proverb means that one event does not mean that others will follow.

One cannot draw a valid conclusion from one instance. For example winning one game does not mean that one will win the tournament; a good deed done by an unethical person may not make him virtuous. In another aspect, one should not be over-excited over one’s little success but to make sure of one’s continued accomplishment.

Winston Churchill said: “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Our initial success in any endeavour should motivate us to strive further for a purposeful and continuous habit of success. Always remember that one swallow does not make a summer, nor does one sunny day.

23 November 2010

The learning of dialects

2010-11-16T01:31:00.000-08:00

Post 69 Mother-tongue

There was a piece of news in the Chinese daily saying that an expert in Hakka or Kejia dialect(客家方言) from Taiwan would be in Malaysia conducting Hakka lessons for young Malaysians who are from the Hakka clan in China. This is to ensure that the younger generation would not lose touch of their mother-tongue in a distant land.

Kejia dialect is one of the main sub-divisions of the Chinese language spoken widely in southern China by the Hakka people and their descendants throughout Taiwan, Southeast Asia and around the world.

John Milton (1608–1674) was the English poet in favour of elevating the status of English language and to phase off Latin which was an Italian language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Latin is deemed to be a very difficult language to learn.

Richard Mulcaster (1531-1611), the High Master of St Paul's School in 1596, started a movement in making English as the language of learning in the English-speaking world; his love for the language led him to say:

“I love Rome, but London better, I favour Italy, but England more, I honour Latin, but worship English.”

16 November 2010
(9 November 2010- on vacation)

Silly talks

2010-11-02T07:49:00.000-07:00

Post 68 A fool telling about his dream

Sun Yun of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) wrote in his 'Random Talks' the following amusing story:

A rich family had a dull-witted son. One morning when he got out of his bed, with eyes still heavy with sleep, he saw a maid who had gone into the room to look for something. He then caught hold of her hand and asked, “Did you see me in your dream last night?” The maid was puzzled at his question and answered, “No, I didn’t.”

He was very angry and retorted at her, “I am very sure that I saw you in my dream. How dare you tell me such a lie?” He then rushed to his mother and, holding on to the hem of her mother’s coat, yelled, “The maid must be punished. I definitely saw her in my dream, and yet she denied it. She has the intention to cheat on her master. This is ridiculous!”

In reality there are many people in the society who are like the foolish son talking nonsense. They promise their followers the earth or the moon in order to get what they want, but often fail to keep those promises.

2 November 2010

Manners makes a man or a woman

2010-10-26T09:49:00.000-07:00

Post 67 Better good manners than good looks

Good manners encourages pleasant interpersonal relationships. Consideration for others, a polite smile, and a request instead of a demand, nearly always let one get better results. It is not only what one says and does but how one says and does things that matter. Good manners makes lasting impression out of a man or a woman.

There are rules of correct behavior which we must observe to show that we have manners. In public places like shopping malls, restaurants, hospitals, hotels, and airports, one should not make a nuisance of oneself by speaking loudly over one’s mobile phone, shouting at the top of one’s voice while engaging in a conversation, or squabbling over trifles.

The culture of a country can be reflected by the behaviour of its citizens. When people behave well at home, they will also manifest good manners wherever they go. It will be their habit to do so because they have been nurtured well. They will also be good ambassadors for the country when they go overseas as tourists or officials.

To be refined and courteous is to have self-respect.

26 October 2010

Blame not others for one's failure

2010-10-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

Post 66 A bad workman quarrels with his tools

A workman who quarrels with his tools is a bad workman. He would try to blame the tools instead of his lack of skills in doing a job well. It is like a bad dancer who blames the floor for being uneven. One should try to improve oneself and learn how to do the job right.

A Danish proverb says that ‘Blame is a lazy man’s wages.’ A bad workman who quarrels with his tools is lazy because he does not take the initiative to improve himself. He does not fix the problem. There is a quote which says that “If you blame others for your failures, do you credit them with your success?”

There is a Chinese saying which I heard it from an elderly woman. She told me that it was no use having many knives all over your body if none of them was sharp. A sharp one would have been of better use than all the blunt ones. She was implying that one should be an expert in a field of one’s choice.

Make no excuses. Sharpen your tool of living skills.

19 October 2010

Do not worry unnecessarily

2010-10-12T08:44:00.000-07:00

Post 65 Live a life today

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." - Abraham Lincoln

It is one's attitude towards life that matters. Indeed, optimists and pessimists look at life from a very different perspective. An optimist is seldom depressed whereas a pessimist expects something bad to happen.

There lived a man in the ancient state of Qi in China. He had a phobia that the sky might fall and the earth might cave in any time. He was so worried that he could neither eat nor sleep. He lived on borrowed troubles.

His friend told him that the sky was only a mass of gases and it would not fall. The earth was also only a mass of heaped soil and rocks where he could walk on. It would not cave in either. Having heard the explanation of his friend, the man of Qi finally was able to have peace of mind.

There is an English proverb of ”don't cross the bridge till you get to it" which advises one not to worry about things unnecessarily until they actually happen. One has enough trouble each day to worry about tomorrow. Hence, when one lives a life today, one focuses on what needs to be done to enrich the day.

Add life to your years. Let tomorrow be anxious of itself.

12 October 2010

To solve a problem at source

2010-10-05T19:47:00.001-07:00

Post 64 Let him who tied the bell on the tiger take it off

This Chinese proverb means whoever started the trouble should end it. One should not be more concerned with stopping the bickering than settling the issue. One must get at the root of a problem.

In ancient China, the King of the state of Zhao had a capable Prime Minister and a courageous General serving under him. The General was jealous of the Prime Minister. He told others that he had to risk his life to earn him the rank. The Prime Minister just wagged his tongues to hold a higher position than he. So the General was looking for an opportunity to shame the Prime Minister.

Th Prime Minister explained to his close aides that he could not be seen to be at enmity towards the General. The state would be attacked by its enemy if they were not united.

When the words were relayed to the General, he felt ashamed of himself. He then bared his back, shouldered a thorny stick, and went to apologise to the Prime Minister. The General wanted the Prime Minister to beat him with the thorny stick, but the latter refused. Instead, the two became close friends.

The General 'tied the bell on the tiger' and took it off.

5 October 2010

Self-control

2010-09-28T09:40:00.000-07:00

Post 63 Be the master of your heart

The Chinese character for ‘anger’ is written as 怒. It is composed of 奴 which means ‘slave’ and 心 meaning ‘heart’. When one gets angry, one becomes the slave of one’s heart. Self-control is needed for the anger in one’s heart to be subdued.

When one has love, one does not get angry. The traditional Chinese character for love is written as 愛. There is a heart (心) in the centre; above the heart are family members under the same roof; and below it friends (友). One loves them with one’s heart.

However, the traditional version of love (愛) has now been simplified to be written as 爱, with the heart (心）missing. There have now been calls by Chinese scholars to appeal to the Chinese government for the traditional version to be used again. They say, “How can one love without the heart?”

The word heart (心) is in the two Chinese characters: anger (怒) and love (愛). The former brings enmity while the latter, friendship.

28 September 2010

Go travelling

2010-09-21T08:52:00.000-07:00

Post 62 Widen your horizon through travelling

When one has financial freedom, one can do many things. One can travel from place to place enjoying the beauties of nature; admiring different scenic spots; and widen one’s horizon. One needs to unwind oneself and be away from the pressure of work whenever there is an opportunity to do so. “It is better to see once than hear a hundred times”, so goes the Chinese saying.

The tour to Turkey was a lesson on history of religion and tolerance well learnt for me. It was also a journey which would impress tourists on what make a great statesman: patriotism, foresight and sagacity, courage, wisdom, and compassion. While politicians are plentiful, statesmen are few and far apart in the world.

John F. Kennedy speaking in Washington D.C., November 10, 1963 on the 25th commemoration of Mustafa Kemel Ataturk, the founder of Modern Turkey as: “The name of Ataturk brings to mind the historic accomplishments of one of the great men of this century, his inspired leadership of the Turkish People, his perceptive understanding of the modern world and his boldness as a military leader.”

Ataturk’s high expectation of educators are reflected in his following quotes:
“Teachers are the one and only people who save nations.”;
“Teachers: the new generation will be your devotion.”

21 September 2010

(Writer was away on vacation for two weeks)

The test of time

2010-08-31T07:08:00.000-07:00

Post 61 A heart of gold

This was one of the lessons I learnt while I was in the primary school: As distance tests a horse’s strength, so time reveals a person’s heart. One will only know how strong a horse is by observing the distance it can cover. Similarly one will only know a person’s true colour after having been with him or her for a long time. Only time can tell whether one is our bosom friend or not.

Looking from another perspective, one may allude that the talent of a person manifests itself as time goes by. For example, the capability or the lack of it, of the one holding the reins of power is revealed through the way one plans and executes policies. Hence, if distance can test a horse’s strength, time will also tell us about one’s limitation in ability and intelligence.

Here is a Chinese platitude: “A man lives by his face and a tree, its bark.” Take away the outer appearances of a man and a tree, their innermost nature appears. One may know a person's face but not his heart. In times of stress when men become haters of good, one finds it difficult to have true friends.

A heart of gold is therefore even more to be desired than gold.

31 August 2010

Be there or be square

2010-08-24T03:51:00.000-07:00

Post 60 A square peg in a round hole

A square is a shape that has four sides of equal length and four right angles. Thus, it can also mean fair or honest. When one is said to be fair and square, it is a compliment. However, the term ‘square’ can also denote slang for old-fashioned. One may be square and out of touch with modern trends. When one feels out of place at a boisterous party, one is a square peg in a round hole.

Children who have varied hobbies and are nurtured to be versatile in games and sports are live wires in social gatherings. They tend to be more popular than their peers who keep to themselves. They stand to be counted in the list of invited guests for meetings and parties. When friends transfer name lists to new diaries, people who are always ‘there’ are not likely to have their names deleted.

Different people have different personalities. Some have a very cheerful disposition while some others possess a quiet temperament. An extrovert and an introvert are of opposite characters. Nevertheless, it is best that one learns to adapt to different situations and mix around as far as possible. No man is an island.

Be fair and square is one of life’s principles. However, the choice of either to 'be there or be square' rests squarely on each individual.

24 August 2010

Comparison

2010-08-17T17:34:00.000-07:00

Post 59 Riding a horse, a donkey, and on foot

This is a Chinese anecdote. A man riding a donkey saw a man riding a horse ahead of him. However, when he looked back, he saw a porter carrying things on a shoulder pole. He felt a moral victory in him because the porter was on foot. He was glad to be better off than the porter in comparison, though he was envious of the person in front. The attitude of the man on the donkey is natural and normal. People like to compare among themselves.

However, when one begins to compare with others on many things, one may become a victim of frustration and desperation. Life becomes miserable. If the porter were to be jealous of the man riding the donkey, who incidentally was also envious of the horse rider in front of him, there would then be a vicious cycle of conflicts and dissensions among the three of them.

Each individual has different talents. One ought to exploit one’s aptitude to the fullest without having to compare with others whose multiple intelligences are different. People should mutually encourage and respect one another for whoever and whatever they are, irrespective of social status.

In this competitive world, high achievers are targets of jealousy; even friends may feel resentful at not being able to be as successful as they are.

Fame portends trouble for those who boast and set off a chain of comparison.

17 August 2010

Be earnest and down-to-earth

2010-08-10T02:29:00.000-07:00

Post 58 Have one’s feet planted on solid ground

A good and sure way of gaining success is to have both an ambitious goal and a down-to-earth style of work. One who is unrealistic tends to build castles in the air. One who hopes to reap without sowing is not earnest and practical in making one’s life fulfilling. It is even worse and disgraceful when one demands to profit by other people’s toil.

To succeed in one’s endeavour, the beginning is always the most difficult. One must therefore plan one’s strategies. Execute them with patient endurance and be down-to-earth. Success is progressive and not instant. Only by having one’s feet planted on solid ground can one begin to advance gradually. With perseverance, an iron pestle can even be ground down to a needle.

On another aspect, children who are taught to know the value of money will not spend without restraint when they grow up. They will be down-to-earth in their financial planning. Hence it is not their habit to throw money about like dirt, even though they are rich.

Be earnest and down-to-earth. The ground is solid enough for everyone to stand on!

10 August 2010

Table manners

2010-08-03T09:08:00.000-07:00

Post 57 Observe correct social behaviour at meals

Table manners are the ways how a person behaves when eating a meal, especially with regard to proper social behaviour. Both good and atrocious table manners are the results of family education or the lack of it. One who is properly brought up has good table manners.

When my siblings and I were young, our mother taught us how to hold chopsticks correctly. We have her to thank for because of the skill acquired. Other lessons on table manners taught to us were: not to speak when our mouth is full; refrain from speaking loudly; and both hands must always be on the table while eating.

We were specifically told not to make noise while eating or drinking soup. This is in contrast with the Japanese who make slurping noises while eating noodles, to show that they enjoy the food they are eating. Though different cultures have different rules, there are still certain social behaviours which are universally applicable.

Of all table manners, putting one’s chair in after meals is etiquette much to be appreciated, irrespective of social class or group.

3 August 2010

Tit for tat

2010-07-27T17:23:00.000-07:00

Post 56 Shave others’ heads and one’s head will also be shaved by others

This Chinese saying has its equivalent in ‘Tit for tat’ which means to retaliate in kind. It is an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. When one puts others on the spot and makes them feel ashamed for their shortcomings, one must be prepared that one day it will be one’s turn to be humiliated.

The saying reminds one to stop before going too far; let others be able to back down with good grace for their follies. If there is reason for forgiveness, do not make others look for a place to crawl into to hide their shame.

When one achieves success when young, one must not consider everybody and everything beneath one’s notice. Remember that beyond a high mountain, there will be another one with a greater height. However strong one is, there is always someone stronger.

If one must shave others’ heads, do it at one's own peril.

27 July 2010

An Empty tin and a piece of coin

2010-07-20T07:31:00.000-07:00

Post 55 Empty vessels make the most noise

During one of my Civics lessons in primary school, our lady teacher asked a boy from the class to put a coin inside an empty tin she was holding. She then told the boy to shake the tin as hard as he could. The whole classroom was then filled with the rattling noise in the tin. We were wondering what the teacher was trying to teach us that day.

She explained to the class that a learned man who is humble speaks wisely; the thoughtless often speak the most without any substance. They do not have much between their ears. They have inferiority complex and just want to be seen and heard. The class might not have understood our teacher fully at that time. Nevertheless, her message surely rings a bell in me whenever I see an empty tin.

A man of great wisdom speaks in a rational and convincing way; whereas words of rattlebrains are utterly devoid of substance. Hence, one ought to learn not to indulge in parading one’s limited knowledge or smartness.

Sometimes the best part lies in what is left unsaid.

20 July 2010

Yi Zun Jiujiao

2010-07-13T08:49:00.000-07:00

Post 54 Go to someone for advice

This is the Chinese saying which means taking one's wine cup to another person's table to humbly seek his advice. By doing so it shows that one is willing to take the initiative to approach and learn from others. Anyone who does not feel ashamed to ask and learn from even one's subordinates has this attitude of Yi Zun Jiujiao.

Julius Caesar was a Roman general and politician of great character and intelligence. He said, "Experience is the teacher of all things." Indeed, when we Yi Zun Jiujiao, we are reaping the vast experiences of our mentors. The sum of their experiences is much greater than the part in us.

One who is conceited thinks highly of oneself. When one considers oneself as no ordinary being, it is not easy for one to want to go to someone for advice. However, we should always remember that one loses by pride and gains by modesty. The humble sees others better than himself.

An unknown author says, "Swallow your pride occasionally; it's non-fattening!"

13 July 2010

Lions and ants

2010-07-06T09:14:00.000-07:00

Post 53 The reality of life

A Cambodian friend told me this anecdote about lions and ants while sending me off at the airport. He said that a dead lion is powerless. Even small insects like ants gather to eat the eyes of a dead lion without fear. When asked why the eyes are eaten, my friend said that eyes are soft and juicy.

A lion may fight with its claws and menacing looking teeth, but not for long. A day will come when the lion will look pathetic. Those parts of the body will be rendered useless when the lion is old or dead. The authority of a lion over other animals is awe-inspiring only when its strength can still be demonstrated.

Ants live in highly organised colonies. They can carry blades of grass back to the nest through team work. As an individual ant, it is insignificant. However as ants congregate, they become a force to be reckoned with.

The moral lesson here is that both the power and fearsome look of a person disappear when he is out of favour or old. This is the reality of life.

6 July 2010

Never give up in life

2010-06-29T10:24:00.000-07:00

Post 52 The bull must be taken by the horns

In Spain and South America, bullfighters parade before the crowds in the bullring with courage. They know that they may be badly or fatally gored if they miscalculate their steps. However, the risk of being hurt does not deter them from indulging in the traditional spectator sport, in which bulls are baited and usually killed in arena.

For one to dare hold a bull by its horns needs courage and perseverance. This phrase shows that one should face failures or difficulties in life with full confidence without trying to shun them. For example, a person who started a new business after his previous venture failed had taken the bull by the horns. He had taken the calculated risks again. However, with determination, right strategy and experience, his business would ultimately succeed.

Failure is the mother of success and every failure is a precious lesson learnt. What matters is that one should not give up easily. A person might not have realised how close to success he was when he gave up. Thomas Edison could have failed after 10,000 experiments; but he took the bull by the horns and finally succeeded in developing the electric light bulb.

29 June 2010

Leading an easy life

2010-06-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

Post 51 Be waited on hand and foot

When one is waited on hand and foot, one has only to open one’s mouth to be fed and hold out one’s hands to be dressed. One then is able to lead an easy life, with everything provided for. However, there is always a tendency for a person to be a spendthrift when he is waited on hand and foot. To avoid being a wastrel, he must therefore learn to appreciate the value of everything that he has.

In reality almost all parents have high expectation of their off springs. As such they try their best to create an environment of being waited on hand and foot for their children. They would rather their children only concentrate on their studies, without having to do any house work. This has deprived their children the opportunity to learn everyday practical life.

On another aspect, there is also the likelihood that people who suddenly become rich or important would throw money about like dirt. They begin to lead an easy life and may forget their roots. The windfall helps to expose their strengths or weaknesses in character. This also applies to richly endowed nations which rush to deplete their natural resources and wealth as if tomorrow never comes. They live luxuriously on overdraft from their future generations.

22 June 2010

Speak with grace

2010-06-15T09:44:00.000-07:00

Post 50 To speak kindly does not hurt the tongue

This proverb tells us much about how one’s conversation with others should be. Any conversation that is seasoned with salt will have an edifying and lasting effect. It is also said that kind words are worth much and they cost little. As what we say comes out from our heart, our speech reflects what kind of a person we are.

There is a Chinese proverb which says that a word once spoken cannot be overtaken even by a team of four horses. What is said therefore cannot be unsaid. Hence, one must weigh one’s words before uttering them lest they may be hurting to others. Silence is golden can be applied when one’s tactlessness in speech may cause offence.

When one speaks with grace, one cannot be the party in an argument. It takes two to make a quarrel. A gracious person will also not be an aggressive person who likes to pick a quarrel. Hence, in a society where there is harmony between man and man, all are at peace with one another.

The Butterfly Effect starts from individuals whose attitude in speaking kindly can be emulated by others.

15 June 2010

The buffalo of Wu pants at the sight of the moon

2010-06-08T07:52:00.000-07:00

Post 49 An extreme fear of something

There was a Minister who served under Emperor Wu of the Jin Dynasty. He was scared of exposing himself to wind and felt very uncomfortable to have wind blown against him. Once he had an audience with the emperor who told him to sit by a window. There were a few transparent screens shielding the seat from the wind.

Apparently as the screens were transparent, it gave an impression that the wind was blowing in from the window. The minister who had a phobia about wind hesitated to take his seat offered by the emperor. His facial expression showed that he had an extreme fear of something which the emperor was not aware of.

Emperor Wu then smiling asked his minister what it was all about. The minister then answered, “I am like a buffalo from Wu that mistook the moon for the sun and panted as if the heat was there.”

This idiom is used to describe someone who is extremely scared of something.

8 June 2010

Backbone

2010-06-01T09:30:00.000-07:00

Post 48 Strength of character

A person who works hard to earn an honest living has backbone; whereas a person who expects handouts from others is in want of it. It is even more pitiful when a person tries to profit by other people’s toil.

In order to manifest our strength of character, we must have the attitude of wanting to excel in whatever we do. The culture of self-reliance and self-respect must be present. Success has much to do with our perspective in life. We can choose to muddle along and be mediocre and incompetent, or commit ourselves to working diligently with enthusiasm. We can choose to walk tall or blame others for our failures.

Respect is earned not demanded. It is the attributes like kindness, integrity, determination, diligence and forbearance which earn a person respect from others. We need people with such qualities to make this world a better place to live in.

Take a positive attitude, be inspired, and be committed in our endeavours. Life will then become meaningful.

1 June 2010

Mr Fine

2010-05-25T08:16:00.000-07:00

Post 47 One who tries not to offend anybody

During the Eastern Han Dynasty (AD 25-220) in China, there was a man by the name of Sima Hui who was known to have never spoken ill of others. He would agree with whatever the others had said. Everything was fine to him.

Once Sima Hui encountered an acquaintance who asked him, “How have you been, sir?” He said, “Fine.” On another occasion, an old friend who was grief-stricken visited him in his home. This old friend said that his son had died. However, much to his surprise Sima Hui unexpectedly told him, “That’s fine.”

His wife was so angry that she chastised her husband after the old friend had left. She said,” Your friend told you what was on his mind thinking that you were a man of integrity and virtue. Why then must you say “That’s fine” when he told you that his son had died?” On hearing the words of his wife, Sima Hui nonchalantly said, “Fine. What you have just said is also fine!” Sima Hui then became known as Mr Fine because he was one who did not want to offend anybody.

Mr Fine is definitely not fine as a leader. If he chairs a meeting, there will be no decision made.

25 May 2010

When the hare dies, the fox is grieved

2010-05-18T02:39:00.000-07:00

Post 46 To have sympathy with people of the same fate

Long time ago, an old man saw a fox weeping in a jungle and asked why he cried. The fox answered by saying that his friend, the hare, was killed by a hunter. In between sobs, the fox said that the next to be hunted down would be him. How could he not feel sad? The old man then sighed and said that fellow sufferers would surely commiserate with each other.

Hares are not carnivores or flesh-eating animals; foxes are. When hares die, foxes will have meat to eat. Why then should foxes grieve when hares die? The fact is that both hares and foxes are hunting targets of human beings. So when hares die, foxes will become the next target for hunters. There is every reason for foxes to feel anxious. However, no matter whether hares and foxes are enemies or friends, they cannot escape the fate of being chased and hunted.

This Chinese idiom is therefore used to show that when a person of the same fate dies, the others will worry about the imminent danger or misfortune befalling them.

Self-pity came so naturally for the fox.

18 May 2010

A comical scholar

2010-05-11T04:15:00.000-07:00

Post 45 Fall behind Sun Shan

Sun Shan was a gifted scholar during the Song dynasty in China more than 1,000 years ago. He was humorous and good at cracking jokes. His friends called him the ‘comical scholar’.

Once he went to sit for a competitive examination in Beijing. Together with him sitting for the same examination was the son of a man from the same village. When the results were out, Sun Shan was successful. However, his name was last on the list of successful candidates. The son of the villager did not get through.

When Sun Shan reached home, the man from the same village asked him whether his son had passed the examination. Sun Shan found it difficult to break the bad news to him. Casually Sun Shan then blurted out a short poem:

‘The last on the passing list is me, Sun Shan
However, the name of your son falls behind Sun Shan.”

Since then the idiom ‘fall behind Sun Shan’ is used to refer to candidates who have failed in their examinations.

11 May 2010

A hanger-on

2010-05-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

Post 44 ‘Parasitic guests’

In ancient China there was a group of so-called ‘advisers’ employed to serve and entertain their masters as ‘parasitic guests’ or Shike. They were different from persuasive ‘lobbyists’ or Shuike, another group of people who were employed for their gift of the gab.

These ‘parasitic guests’ were considered by some people to be opportunists. They sponged on or acted as a hanger-on of an aristocrat. A hanger-on is someone who associates with an important person for gain. Sometimes it is difficult to tell the difference between a real friend and a hanger-on. An aristocrat, on the other hand, is a nobleman or a member of a hereditary ruling class. Hence, when these two classes of people worked together, they acted out a display of hypocrisy and flattery.

When their services were required, these ‘parasitic guests’ would also represent their masters in entertaining VIPs. Whenever there were feasts being held, they could expect to be counted to sit among close friends and relatives of their masters. ‘Parasitic guests’ existed more than 2,500 years ago. Do you think they exist today in our society, albeit in a different name?

4 May 2010

Water is precious

2010-04-27T08:38:00.000-07:00

Post 43 We never miss the water till the well runs dry

In her book, Desert Flower, which was at one time the top international bestseller, Waris Dirie talked of how precious water was to her:

“When I was growing up in Somalia, we appreciate the simple things in life. We celebrated the rain because that meant we had water. Who in New York worries about water? Let it run from the tap while you walk away and do something else in the kitchen. It’s always there when you need it…It’s when you don’t have something that you appreciate it, and since we had nothing, we appreciate everything.”

When one seriously thinks of those staying in places where people have to walk for hours each day to get water, one has to learn not to waste water, even though it is free for fixed units of water used. It is to be remembered that in any drought, the lack of rainfall means that farmlands will not produce their yields. Food will become expensive and the soaring prices will then hit at everyone’s pocket.

In the early months of 2010, China experienced a severe drought when temperatures and rainfall were at their worst levels since the 1950s. Eighteen million people and eleven million livestock were affected. This is a case of “We never miss the water till the well runs dry”.

27 April 2010

Big mouth

2010-04-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

Post 42 Foot-in-the-mouth

Literally speaking when one’s mouth is big enough to put one’s foot in, be it the left or the right foot, one has a big mouth. Hence, when a person puts his foot in his mouth, he embarrasses himself by saying the wrong thing. One must learn to think twice before speaking lest one might make a mockery of oneself.

A national leader’s words at the critical moment might affect the rise and fall of his country. The Chinese saying of "Words wisely spoken would be powerful enough to cause a nation rise, and words rashly spoken would also be strong enough to make a nation fall" is frequently used to warn leaders not to put their foot in their mouth.

When Shakespeare wants characters to learn the truth about what they really are, he sends them to the woods to do some soul searching. It is in the forest and its natural setting that there is ‘good in everything’. Here is an excerpt from As You Like It –Act II Scene II: “Find tongues in trees, books in running brooks, sermons in stones, and good in everything. I would not change it.”

The foot-in-the-mouth specimens ought to learn to keep their big mouth shut until they know what they are talking about.

20 April 2010

Do not overstay your welcome

2010-04-13T01:48:00.000-07:00

Post 41 A constant guest is never welcome

This is a Spanish proverb. Its equivalent in English is ‘Constant company wears out its welcome’. Generally people like to have their friends’ company once in a while. However if their friends’ visitation is too frequent, they tend to be wary of their presence.

A visitor who stays for weeks in a friend’s house is not only a nuisance but inconsiderate. Leaving your host wanting more of your presence is better than overstaying your welcome. The social etiquette requires one to be understanding and not to impose too much time and effort on the host.

In any organisation, leaders who have occupied top posts must know when to retreat. This is to allow the next echelon of leaders to be nurtured. Thus, leaders should not forcibly occupy top posts for too long when their contributions are no more needed. To continue to be reluctant to part with their posts, these overbearing people have at best overstayed their welcome.

Hence, to be able to resolutely retire at the height of one’s official career is wisdom personified. When the time comes for retirement, one should do so gracefully so as not to hinder others of a chance for promotion.

13 April 2010

A fair-weather friend

2010-04-06T01:50:00.000-07:00

Post 40 A friend in need is a friend indeed

When you have a group of wine-and-meat friends, you have fair-weather friends. A fair-weather friend is one who is always with you when times are good but disappears when you are in difficulty. There are many fair-weather friends around but bosom friends are few and far in between in life.

When fair-weather friends desert a friend who is in distress, a very common platitude that will be said of these wine-and-meat friends is “they have changed’. Have they really changed when they left that friend at the time when help was needed? No, they have not changed. The misfortune of their friend only magnifies and manifests the true nature of these fair-weather friends. They have shown their true colours at the most opportune moment.

Hence, one may know a person’s face but not his heart. Fame, wealth and social status do not change a person’s innate nature. Sometimes a seemingly humble and gentle person may become arrogant and hot-tempered when high position and great wealth are at hand. However, this is not true for one who was born innately good. Under all circumstances, be it in riches or in poverty, one’s humility and kindness remain. Suffice it to say for one to have a few bosom friends as true friends are hard to come by. Fair-weather friends in abundance are not a blessing. As the saying goes:

Friends are like melons; shall I tell you why? To find one good you must a hundred try. -- Claude Mermet

6 April 2010

The stinking number 9

2010-03-30T01:05:00.000-07:00

Post 39 What price a profession?

During the thirteenth century, the Yuan dynasty under the rule of the Mongolians divided the occupation of the people into ten different rankings as follows:

1. Government officers
2. Officials (Government employees who could not be promoted to the rank of officers)
3. Monks (Buddhist monks)
4. Dao (Taoist)
5. Medical doctors
6. Senior Technicians
7. Craftsmen
8. Prostitutes
9. Scholars (Intellectuals)
10. Beggars

It was an irony that the intelligentsia who were well-educated, cultured, and highly respected by the traditional Chinese society would be graded to be inferior to prostitutes and only slightly better than beggars during the Mongolian rule.

As scholars are ranked at the ninth placing out of ten, people will call scholars whom they do not like the ‘stinking number 9’.

30 March 2010

There is life after work

2010-03-23T01:24:00.000-07:00

Post 38 Snatch a little leisure from a busy life

In a meeting at the Ministry where I worked for in the 1990s, those of us who attended the meeting were each given a photocopy of an article on ‘There is life after work’ by the Chairman. We were told that if we do our work efficiently and effectively, there is no necessity for us to work overtime. He asked us to go back after work and do some exercise or spend quality time with our family members.

A CEO of a multi-national company remarked that it is crazy for anyone to work even on weekends. He said, ‘Sundays are meant for the birds’ implying that only birds have still to go out and look for food on Sundays. He wanted his staff to snatch a little leisure from a busy life. If possible, they should not be workaholics who are so obsessively addicted to work.

An elderly man used to tell the young people he knew not to give the excuse that they had no time. He said that life is what one wants it to be. A person will have all the time he wants when he kicks the bucket.

Generally when we manage our time well and make life simple, we do not have to rush through life at the expense of our health.

23 March 2010

Decision-making

2010-03-20T23:41:00.000-07:00

Post 37 Know when to advance and retreat

In a battle or game, one is free to advance or retreat. At times one may be caught in a dilemma. It is vital at this crucial time that one has the ability to make a quick and wise decision. A person who is indecisive will lose out to his or her opponent who can resolutely make a split-second decision.

Decision-making is the result of having selected the best choice available. A candidate who has lost in an election, for example, must know whether to continue to contest again. If one knows and understands that it is time to call it a day and does so, one has made a wise decision to avoid suffering from further humiliation.

A good leader is able to make appropriate and timely decisions. This is only possible when the leader is experienced and has gathered enough up-to-date information for analysis. He is a problem-solver because he reads the situation well and he thinks out of the box.

To be successful in one’s career, one must learn the skill in decision-making. Limping on two opinions when a decision has to be made is the manifestation of one’s weakness in character and leadership.

20 March 2010 (Uncle Ho was on vacation from 15-18 March.)

Try not to regret something that cannot be undone

2010-03-09T02:17:00.000-08:00

Post 36 No use crying over spilt milk

“To err is human, to forgive divine” advises us to forgive others because all people are human and make mistakes. Similarly if we have made mistakes, we must learn not to repeat them. We should not be unduly affected because there is no point regretting something that had already been done.

For one not to be always in the situation of wanting to cry over spilt milk, one has to learn to be knowledgeable, wise, sensible, humble and receptive to constructive criticism. Learning is a lifelong process. As one goes through life, one ought to learn to be more cautious in one’s deeds and words. In this way there will be nothing for one to feel remorseful of.

Some people get depressed because they could not get over the mistakes which they have made. They should learn not to brood on something that cannot be undone. Instead they should find ways to make amend to their wrong doings. Indeed it takes courage for one to admit that one has erred as much as it takes one to be magnanimous enough to forgive.

Forget the past and move forward.

9 March 2010

Broaden one's horizons

2010-03-08T07:59:00.000-08:00

Post 35 Travel as much as you can

My late mother used to tell us to travel as widely as we could afford. She strongly believed that travelling not only widens one’s horizons, it also makes one more tolerant of people with diverse cultural backgrounds. The profound insight one gains through travelling will allow one to think out of the box and be more broad-minded.

Marco Polo was an icon in travelling and his writing on the journey to the East via the Silk Road was a gem to the travelogue. He had helped to unveil the mystery of the East to the West. With the ease of travelling in this globalised world, people ought to regard travelling as a way to learn from and to foster better understanding with others outside of their own boundary.

While backpacking is the word used to describe the lifestyle of the modern traveller who travels light and on budget, flashpacking refers to the affluent backpacker who has the extra money to travel in comfort.

No matter how one travels, the joy and the experience gained are the intrinsic values which cannot be measured in the monetary term.

8 March 2010 (This article was to have been posted on 2 March)

As cool as cucumber

2010-02-23T03:08:00.000-08:00

Post 34 Keep your cool

Since the days I was taught Figures of Speech in school, I have inculcated an interest in this part of the English language. The most commonly used Figures of Speech are ‘Similes’ and ‘Metaphors’. They add variety to written as well as spoken expression of the language.

Some common similes in common everyday use which I have associated with my life experiences are: as clear as crystal, as easy as A.B.C., as fresh as sea breeze, as loud as a horn, as rough as a storm, as shapeless as an old shoe and many others. However, I have special attachment to the one on ‘as cool as cucumber’.

It is always very cooling and comfortable when, after sleeping for many hours on a pillow, one turns it over and sleeps on the other side. The similes of ‘as cool as cucumber’ can then be changed to ‘as cool as the other side of the pillow’. It aptly describes the cool feeing of one lying on a cool pillow.

It is an art for one to be able to keep cool under pressure or criticism. One ought to take things calmly and not be overcome with emotion. When one learns how to remain unruffled in times of stress and strain, one’s problems will be solved more rationally.

Keep your cool and you will be a happier and healthier person.

23 February 2010

Value judgment

2010-02-16T01:04:00.000-08:00

Post 33 Leaving money behind after having eaten the dates

During the Song dynasty, there was a man by the name of Cha Dao (查道) who was on the way to visit his relatives at a distant place. During lunch time he and his servant were hungry and there was no eating place around. His servant then suggested that some food brought along by them to be given to the relatives be taken out to be eaten.

However Cha Dao objected and said, “How can we do that since the food is meant to be given as gifts to others? We must be trustworthy.”

When the hungry duo finally reached a date orchard, they wasted no time picking some of the dates to fill their stomach. After they had had their fill, Cha Dao took out a string of money and hung it on the tree from which they had picked the dates.

The servant then asked his master, “Why are you doing this? After all the owner is not here and nobody would have seen us.”

Cha Dao then said to his servant, “Though the owner may not be here and no one could have seen us, it is our moral obligation to be trustworthy. Now that we have eaten the dates, we ought to pay for them.”

Nevertheless, the action of Cha Dao picking the dates without permission may still be questionable.

16 February 2010

A straight line and a circle

2010-02-09T02:37:00.000-08:00

Post 32 Encouraging learning

Xunzi was an ancient philosopher and educationist whose essay on Encourage Learning written 2000 years ago is still applicable today. A small part of its contents is discussed here for our mutual encouragement.

A piece of wood can become perfectly straight if it is planed according to the line marked by the inked measuring string. When the same piece of wood is treated with heat to make it look like a wheel, then its roundness should befit that of a circle drawn by a pair of compasses.

If the same piece of wood were to be heated again or be dried under the scorching sun, it will never become straight again. This is so because that piece of wood has been processed to make it round.

Xunzi was trying to put forward his view that the environmental factor is important in making a person to be knowledgeable. Just like a knife and a sword can only become sharp when they are grinded on stones, one must therefore be steadfast in one’s learning and go through countless difficulties and hardships to excel in life.

Knowledge is accumulated day by day in lifelong learning.

9 February 2010

An amusing play on words

2010-02-02T01:50:00.000-08:00

Post 31 The ability to express oneself in a humorous way

During the Tang Dynasty ( 618 - 907 ), there was a child prodigy by the name of Liu Yan (刘晏). When he was eight years old, he was summoned to have an audience with the then Emperor Tang Xuan Zong (唐玄宗). The emperor was so impressed with the talent of Liu Yan that he appointed the boy genius to the post of what we call ‘editor’ today.

Once when the ten-year-old Liu Yan was summoned to the palace, he was asked by the emperor, “In regular writings, how many words can be written neatly and correctly?”

Liu Yan then answered," All the words under heaven can be written well, except for the word 'friends’ (朋 ) which can never be written properly.”

There is punning on the word ‘friends’ which has a double meaning here. When Liu Yan specifically mentioned the word ‘friends’, he was insinuating that when cronies or close friends were given special privileges at the expense of justice and fair play, the word ‘friends’ could never be written correctly and rightly. It will look crooked no matter how it is written.

By manifesting a keen insight into matters like corruption and favouritism at the age of ten, Liu Yan had shown himself to be a child of extraordinary charm and wit.

2 February 2010

Hamlet's glass

2010-01-26T01:20:00.000-08:00

Post 30 Speaking out from a sense of justice

William Shakespeare’s play, Hamlet, has this famous dialogue where Prince Hamlet chastised his unfaithful mother, Gertrude:

Hamlet: Come, Come, and sit you down; you shall not budge.
You go not until I set you up a glass
Where you may see the inmost part of you. (Act III, scene iv)

A glass is a mirror here. Prince Hamlet wanted to avenge on behalf of his father who was murdered by his uncle who then married Hamlet’s mother, Gertrude. The mirror Hamlet forces his mother to see reflects, "such black and grained spots as will not leave their tinct" (Act III, scene iv). Hamlet wanted his mother to look in the glass to see how she had betrayed her husband, his father.

The ‘Hamlet mirror’ enabled Gertrude to see how sinful and cruel she had been. In this case it was Prince Hamlet who listed out the sins of his mother. He did not harbour her mother, an evildoer and cover up her evil deeds.

Hamlet was speaking out from a sense of justice and to his mother who seemed to have no compunction (remorse, guilt or regret) about betraying her husband.

26 January 2010