Being over Doing
"Babies begin life by being. As we reached adulthood, the emphasis shifts to doing (accomplishments). Then, as we grow older and our energy wanes, we refocus on being." (quote from Dr William H Thomas)
I suppose I have not reached the stage of "being" yet, cos I am still focusing on "doing"; on accomplishments and career success. However, at what cost?
Which is more important? Accomplishing job success or "being" a mother?
"Being" a mother must be the toughest job on earth, and most of the time, it doesn't even PAY to be one! More than half the time, you are hated by all those whom you are mother to!
Guess we mother must be suckers for pain and torture!
Making Choices
My heart often goes out to the foreign maids who have to leave their kids behind back home and work in a foreign land. It must be the most heartbreaking decision they ever have to make.
What would really drives a mother to leave behind her own beloved children and venture out to somewhere new? Poverty? For a better life?
Now, here I am, feeling a little like the foreign maid, albeit a very old one (but still struggling to stay young!)
I have reached that point in life (at least my working life) where I either stay where I am and play dead or DROP dead. There seem to be no chance of ever reaching for another star. Moreover, there ain't not many stars out here anymore. It is stifling, demoralising, and damn depressing!
So, if a big bright star comes abading from afar, it is certainly real tempting, isn't it? It is also a real ego-booster!
Trouble is, this comes at a very high price! To reach for this star, sacrifices have to be made. Maybe, to romantice this a little, it feels more like "Chang Er" leaving behind her precious earthlings to reach for the moon!
So how, how how??? Only God Knows!
Aiyah, I think I ll be an ostrich for a while and leave things to take its natural course.
New Home, New Job, New......
It's been quite a nightmarish month in March.
First, I have to settle the reno of the new house which didn't go as well as planned.
By the time I gave up my apt and moved out, my new place was still not ready, ARRGGGHHH!!!
Imagine moving into an unfinished house full of debris, dust, sweaty workers.....where do I stand??? Thinking back, it's really a wonder I didn't go bonkers. My hormones must be hibernating then!
Anyway, it's all cool now!
Coming to the topic of my new job - I still have no idea where I stand. What a surprise!
Honestly, it's a real DRAMATIC CHANGE and I really mean it. After more than 5 years working with something as deep as your skin with all the fancy creams, colours and scents, now I have to get myself used to all the "Sir" here and there, WOW!
The structure here is really "fun" and all the folks here seems to thrive on all kinds of meetings. They just luv talking and talkng and talking. I just don't understand how things really get done here. Half the time, I don't even know what I am expected to do? Sigh...... (Now, you know why I have the time to write this blog).
Well, well, let's see if things will get better......
Won't Fly Jetstar Asia Ever Again!
Jetstar Asia is real Bad! I won't ever want to fly with them again.
Can you imagine having your flight reschdeule 3 times???
While they are always busy promoting special fares to variuos destinations, you can never expect to get these fares on the dates you want. Well, granted they need to make money, and the special fares only apply on off-peak period like Mon to Thur, I have no argument there.
In any case, I made my booking way way in advance for the Chinese New Year, knowing full well this will be peak season. The initial flight time was good - early morning at abt 9am. Ummm... I should have a good half-day to enjoy Phuket.
Just two weeks before my departure, Jetstarasia called to inform of a change in schedule to 4pm! My gosh - 4pm! There goes my half-day plan. No reason was given. Ok lah, they big company (though budget but still big) - we small fry pay small peanut (er, not peanut but sunflower seed), cannot demand too much lah! Have to change plan a bit lor!
Busy, busy packing and getting real excited on the eve of departure.... Rrrrringg... another phone call from our good friend in Jetstarasia - sorry, flight retimed to 6pm! What???? R u kidding? No kidding.... serious one. Retimed again. Reason - operational issues!
What rubbish operational issues - now I can't even make it for dinner. Instead of reunion dinner in Phuket, I have to settle for reunion supper! What the %#@***!!
I can't stand this budget airline! Especially JetStarAsia!!
What budget airline, more like BLOODY airline!
Controversy on Charity
So much is being discussed on Charity nowadays, it is difficult to fathom what is right and what is wrong.
Some dismissed the use of stunts to raise fund while others felt the need for it to drive donations.
Whatever it is, the real reason behind all this is to get donation so that the needy can be helped, right???
Like it is always said, those who have the money, donate money, while those who have the means or energy, do whatever they can, to help.
Yes, it may be high and mighty to claim that everyone should donate from the "bottom of their heart". Honestly, how many of us truly search our heart to donate??? Sometimes, I guess folks do have to step down from their pedestal and get real!
I myself used to have the misconception that all monks should live the simple life (aka Paris Hilton???) with no frills. I guess I must have read too much gongfu novels and watch too many movies where monks are supposed to live in the mountain and only "xia shan" to "hong zhen" to save mortals like us. I was therefore quite disturbed to see monks walking around shopping malls, driving big cars, or eating at fancy posh restaurants. How simplistic can that be!
However, I now understand that they are human beings just like us and not super beings. For all I know, the car may be donated by some rich tycoon who fancy that by donating a car may bring them blessings???
Whatever it is, I trust that everyone should have a conscience within them. Whatever they do in life will have its consequences.
My motto is if you want someone to do the job, trust that person, if not, don't even have him/her do it. Same goes for charity, if you believe in it, donate. If not, simply keep your cash to yourself! No point, blabber and blabber forever. So tiresome!
For all those poor souls who have worked so hard at charity, my only consolation would be :
"Xiao Ma You Ren, Xi Nu You Ji"
KU-DOS TO THE VENERABLE SHI MING YI
Besides my own dear pa-pa, Mr Lee Kuan Yew, here's one other man I pay ku-dos - the Venerable Shi Ming Yi.
This man... or er-hmm. ... monk sure "walks the talk" better than many of those high flying CEOs, COOs, CFOs or whatever "Os"!
Where else would you find a man (of his position) who insists on doing his own stunts, and also, the most dangerous stunts instead of sitting back, relax, watch the show and give the occasional polite applause?
Each and every year (for three years in a row), he has always stick his neck out to do something just for the simple sake of raising fund for his hospital.
Most idiots would claim that it's no big deal to scale up buildings (Spiderman did it), enclosed themselves in a box of ice for hours (the eskimos did it) or walk on beams (moi did it during gymnastics), but hello, hello, try walking on suspended beams that is 66 storeys high with the rain washing down on you and the wind trying to blow you off! Just imagining myself up on a 66 storey high scaffolding is enough to make me go jelly, not to mention walk on beams that are wet and suspended in mid-air!
This monk sure have the courage of a lion!
Honestly, his sincerity touch my heart and I will donate just to help him achieve his cause of helping the patients.
Anyway, I hope he will not do anymore dangerous stunts. Just do the good work of managing the Ren Ci Hospital well and I guess that will be enough. No good to lose such a good monk, right?
A NEW BEGINNING.....
It's already 10 days into the new year and I STILL HAVEN'T FOUND MYSELF A NEW JOB, HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's such a pain to drag myself out of bed each morning and bring myself to work.
What rotten shit!
Yes, I still get my pay for doing the shitty work of cleaning up someone's else pile of shit. But that's also where the problem lies. Everyday, I get this uneasy feeling that I will be chop because I am overpaid to clean shit! Feel like a "Durai" now.
Moreover, someone who's busy building empire here just isn't too keen to have me around. I am such a "threat" cos there's the fear that I might take over the empire one day. (As if I would bother with such a shitty empire.!)
Where else would you find idiot who would come up to you and ask when you intend to leave and request that you keep them posted??? To rub salt to the wound, they even give you a card that said "thank you for sticking around". Yah, yah, give me a glue please!
Will the ONE up there hear me???? I NEED A NEW JOB! And not just a new job but a well-paying one. (No harm asking since I am already on it, right?)
AMEN!
One Big Gorilla
Never knew I would enjoy the movie "King Kong" so much.
I wasn't too keen to watch the movie in the beginning coz I did not like the earlier version. To me, the movie was all about one big hairy beast and a silly damsel in distress always screaming like crazy. I can't stand "damsel in distress" and I guess I can never be one (don't know how to scream???). That's why I never get to attract any macho hero (nor gorilla) but wimps instead! Sigh!!!
I must say, this newer version of King Kong is quite a character - he fights like a man, play silly like a man and he sulks like a man too. Yah, yah, name me a man who isn't silly and doesn't sulk.
Ummm.... maybe Lee Kuan Yew is one of the rare few who is not silly.
However, I still didn't quite like the underlying message that the downfall of a man or gorilla, is all because of a beautiful woman. Why do man always like to blame it on the woman??? Huh???
I guess, it all traces back to the time of Adam & Eve....
Come on, let's be honest, man falls because they are weak. Weak enough to fall for a beautiful woman. Weak enough to be tempted. It's not a woman's fault to be beautiful, right?
Anyway, back to our Mr Kong. This guy sure got one soulful pair of eyes. Kudos to the IT or animation guy. (Must be created by one of those SNAG.) Though Mr Kong is quite handicapped in the area of speech, I must say he speaks volume with his eyes (and of course, he chest-thumping). Well, looks like we now have ourselves a Sensitive New Age Gorilla!
