The Walk of Life

When the Chua Soi Lek scandal came out a day or two into January 2008, I thought this year really started with a Bang! Then comes the Edison Chen scandal just one or two days into the Lunar New Year and my Gosh! It looks like the first two months in 2008 there is a scandal being exposed every month! This is a year full of mousy activities or was it a mole going round digging out dirt? Wonder what happens come March!

I sympathize with the bad publicity for the young starlets! Can imagine the trauma they are going through now! The questions, public jokes and stares, what about their families? Wow! At such trying times, one really need genuine good friends to be there for emotional support. Hope they do have some.

Today or should I say yesterday evening, our Prime Minister dissolved Parliament and ushering the mad rush for the Election preparation in two weeks time. I guess for Malaysians we must quickly forget about Edison Chen scandal and focus on more important issues like choosing the next Government. From "market talk," I mean really gossips and utterances from the average people in our wet and dry markets plus coffee shops, people are saying "we want change" whatever it means to them! Looking at the whole load of protests and issues that surfaced in recent months, I am not surprised at all. Personally I still think the Barisan will win but with marginal majority votes. This will be a good indication to them that they better buck-up or else...........................

Have you ever noticed that as adults, we tend to be presumptuous whereas children are so simple in their thinking! Yeah kids are childish but as the saying goes 'many a truth was said in a joke' so is 'many a truth came from mouths of babes'. Perhaps some Q&A from classrooms highlight what I meant.

Teacher : 'Where were u born?'

Student : ' Singapore, Sir.'

Teacher : 'Which part?'

Student : 'All of me, Sir.'

Teacher : Simon, your composition on 'My Dog' is exactly the same as your brother's. Did u copy his?

Simon : No, teacher, it's the same dog!

Teacher : How old is your father?

Boy : As old as me.

Teacher : How can that be?

Boy : He became a father only when I was born.

Teacher : History is a very interesting subject. It tells you about what had happened in the past.

Student : Please teacher, I don't think I want to study history.

Teacher : Why?

Student : There is no future in it.

Teacher : Ted, if your father has $10 and you ask him for $6, how much would your father still have?

Ted : $10.

Teacher : You don't know maths.

Ted : You don't know my father!

Teacher : 'How come you do not comb your hair?'

Ah Kow : 'No comb, Sir.'

Teacher : 'Use your dad's then.'

Ah Kow : 'No hair, Sir.'

A mother and son were doing dishes while the father and daughter were watching TV in the living room. Suddenly, there was a loud crash of breaking plates, then complete silence. The daughter turned to look at her father.

Daughter : It's mummy!

Father : How do you know?

Daughter : She didn't say anything.

Since we are still in the New Year so to say, I want to share this true story regarding my nephew timmy. During one Chinese New Year many many years ago, my brother took his son timmy to visit his business associates. Like any typical chinese, one of them asked timmy to give him 4-digits so tht he could try his luck on the lottery. Timmy told him randomly, freely and quickly 1234! Well he did not bet on this number and know what it came out first prize the next day! So pay attention to what children saying!

Yes! what a title! "Start Work" is traditionally a Chinese way of saying end of Holidays and now back to business! Today is the 5th Day in the Lunar New Year and many businesses and career people go back to their busy lives once again. The New Year is not over yet! The last day for celebration will be on the 21st of February 2008.

Nowadays it is rarely celebrated this way! Most people commence work or business either on the 5th or 6th Day onwards. Living in present times are hectic as well as competitive. Have not been blogging since the New Year Eve and feeling lazy to do anything! We would like to Wish all those who are back to business, a fresh beginning and a fruitful, productive Year ahead!

It is also a bit of sadness that we feel now. Our friends and relatives are all gone! The last to leave was my elder brother and sis-in-law! Now back to the usual routine of quietness once again!

It can be a bit confusing to people who are not familiar with Chinese Culture! We just celebrated the New Year 2008 and now another New Year? To clear things up a bit, the Chinese Lunar New Year falls around January or February in most years. The Chinese Calendar follows a 60 year cycle of the Moon hence Lunar! Today 6th February is the Eve and Chinese all over the World will have some sort of Reunion Dinner with the family.

It is customary for Chinese to say 'nice things' to others during this Lunar New Year Celebration and this year it falls on the 7th February 2008 as the first day of the Chinese Lunar Calendar. In appreciation to my readers, first time visitors and fellow bloggers, I would like to wish you all the following :-

May the Good Lord Blesses you with Health, Wealth and Peace.

A loving family to enjoy and friends that are true and loyal at least.

Good food, great wine, lovely music it shall be.

You will attain to who you wannabe!

A Blessed New Year!

It may sound strange to you that rock and I had a Match-Maker! In the 40's and 50's and maybe even in the early 60's most couples came to know each other which eventually leads to matrimony was through a match-maker. I remembered attended my elder sister's 'Introduction Lunch' organized by none other than a match maker! All I remembered was the egg-tarts were great and I attended the lunch. Well my sister married that guy who became my brother-in-law and that was when I was about 5 years old! Up to that point I was my elder sister's sleeping partner but not long after that lunch I lost my sleeping partner!

Today, our match-maker Jackie dropped by the house and we had a wonderful time chatting about old times! Really old times because it was about events more than 35 years ago! She came with her hubby, all the way from Aussie land, coming back to celebrate the coming Lunar New Year! In a sense she was not really our match-maker but more of through her inviting me to attend a house party that I met rock! She was a classmate of rock's sister ruby! Jackie's hubby was a pal of mine and we rented a house or a bachelor's pad in Bangsar KL! That explained all the intricate connections!

What stood out was the friendship, relationship that lasts more than three decades! Now her children are all grown up and married and lately became a granny! It is indeed sad to note that modern marriages are so fragile! They could not withstand the many ups and downs in life and many marriages ended up in divorce! What was different then? Has over stressing of individual rights anything to do with it? Honestly I don't know. In our parent's generation divorce was frowned upon and a taboo! In our generation, divorce became more acceptable but rare, now it seems to be a trend! One well publicized marriage in Malaysia in recent months lasted only for about a month! How fragile it could be? Have the Rules of Engagement changed that much?

Well, it is difficult to say what causes these breakups or breakdowns and I am sure many of you have your own opinions and conclusions. Relationships that lasts a long long time is something to be cherished, be it about spouses, relatives or friends! Not that those who stayed married are better people per se but one thing for certain is the presence of ingredients such as tenacity, commitment, and very important, forgiveness when one party does wrong. No matter what life throws at them, they stand united to face the challenges. This I believe, gives the children a sense of assurance and the basis for their own sense of security while growing up.

The visit of our match-maker gave us a quiet sense of joy, contentment and even satisfaction within our hearts that we can still see each other with the spouses and talking about children and grandchildren. What is life if it is not about meaningful relationships, mutual respect, love and honour for the other person! What a great beginning for the Lunar New Year this visit was. Like re-establishment of old ties that goes on until we say our final good-bye!