Monday, 29 June 2009

教育



蠻有意思的一則故事,喜歡~

這事發生在普吉島的 ClubMed 渡假村,那時我在那裡擔任中英文的翻譯公關。
有一天,我在大廳裡,突然看見一位滿臉歉意的日本工作人員,安慰著一位大約四歲的西方小孩,飽受驚嚇的小孩已經哭得精疲力盡了。

問明原因之後,我才知道,原來這位日本工作人員,因為那天小孩較多,一時疏忽,在兒童網球課結束後,少算了一位,將這位澳洲小孩留在網球場。

等到她發現人數不對時,才趕快跑到網球場,將這位小孩帶回來,小孩因為一個人在偏遠的網球場,飽受驚嚇,哭得浠浬嘩啦的。

現在澳洲媽媽出現了,看著自己的小孩哭得慘兮兮的。如果你是這位媽媽,你會怎麼做?是痛罵那位工作人員一頓?還是直接向主管抗議?或是很生氣的將小孩帶離開,再也不參加『兒童俱樂部』了?

都不是!請看--

我親眼看見這位媽媽,蹲下來安慰四歲的小孩,並且很理性的告訴她:『已經沒事了,那位日本姊姊因為找不到妳而非常的緊張難過,她不是故意的,現在妳必須親親那位日本姊姊的臉頰,安慰她一下!』

當下我只見那位四歲的小孩,墊起腳跟,親親蹲在她身旁的日本工 作人員的臉頰,並且輕輕的告訴她:『不要害怕,已經沒事了!』就是要這樣的教育,才能養出寬容、體貼的孩子吧!體貼別人,也等於體貼了自己的心。

Saturday, 27 June 2009

The King Exposes the Hypocrite in Us



As a teenager, I remember he captured the headlines almost every week and every month in the 80's. He sang, danced and entertained and captured everyone's heart during that era. His MTV mesmerised poeple of all ages and background, from little children to teenagers to grandparents, and from the American continent to Africa, Europe, Asia and the rest. An entire generation of teenangers like me grew up with his great tunes and dance moves, and it would be almost impossible for anyone who didn't know him at all.

Two decades earlier, his name captured the headlines again, but this time for some very wrong reasons. From his infamous cosmetic surgery and ever changing appearances, to his eccentric behavior which led to child sexual scandal and etc., he generated significant controversy which ultimately damaged his public image and crippled him financially.

Since then, he stayed low and was quiet for a while. But, yesterday, his name captured the headlines of all medium worldwide again. He is dead, Michael Joseph Jackson is dead, for real. The King of Pop is gone, forever!

Everyone was sad, upset and some even cried hysterically. I switched on the radio, and almost all stations played his songs, some even have special programme specially dedicated to him. Almost everyone called in to the station expressed their "sadness" and mentionned how they they "missed" their favourite idol. Even the radio deejay who sometimes critised and made joke about the King was heard saying about how "lost" he felt now. News report about him, whether printed or electronic or internet, appeared so positive and kind towards the King now. They even highlighted about how the King donated and raised millions of dollars for beneficial causes through his foundations, charity singles, and support of 39 charities. Any "negative" reports about his life, if any, were reported in an entirely diferent tone and manner now. Suddenly, everyone appeared to be so kind and forgiving towards him, after his death!

But why only now? Huh?

How sarcastic and realistic we human can be.

For more than 10 to 15 years, I've been hearing people bad mouthed and made silly / sickening jokes about him. The media were kind to him neither throughout this entire period. Every single piece of news and report about him was laced with sarcasm and ill intention. Everyone was making fun about him and even "looked down" on him for what he has done. He seemed to be heading for doom, for sure.

But now, why suddenly people forget about all these? Why suddenly people do not talk about his child sexual abuse anymore? What about his plastic nose and face, and bleached skin? Why suddenly become so forgetfull and forgiving? Huh?

My point is, we are all hypocrite and so fake, deep inside. Just admit it, at least I am. We can behave and talk in one way yesterday, but the other the next day. We talked about principle and moral value all the time, but do we have one? Of course, the media are behaving that way because of commercial reasons, they report what the consumers want to see/hear. But then the journalists, deejay, newscasters, editors, etc. are all humans like you and me too, often biased and FORGETFUL.

Also, why cry hysterically? Would you cry in such a manner too IF your loved ones pass away? I've seen people cried when Princess Diana passed away but not so when their parents passed away. Michale Jackson and Princess Diana are not your relatives or family members, and they are not even remotely connected to most of us.

Back to the issue of forgetful. Please treasure someone you love, respect, like, fond of, etc. when he's still alive or around. Show your true feelings for him. Shower him with good words and love whenever you can. Pardon him for the "wrong" doings as he might not be doing it intentionally. Look at the good things and values in him, and put less focus on his negative aspect. Please don't behave in a bitchy manner when he's still around BUT go up stage an talk good things about him when he's no longer in this world. It will be too late then. No point regretting when he's gone. Think about it.

As for Michale Jackson, you'll always be in my memory. Long live the King!

Wednesday, 24 June 2009

宿命論




「命裏有時終須有,命裏無時莫強求」這句中國諺語一方面表達了人在感情上的無奈,另一方面亦表示了人的種種作為對改變人生際遇無能為力。這正是宿命論的論調。宿命論的基本觀點是:人的一生完全是被命運(人力所不能控制的因素)預先決定的,人的行為無法改變人生中的各種際遇。

不知道是刻意顯示自己“瀟灑”,還是真的那麽無知,有位朋友常跟我說人都要死的,仔細考慮(或“憂慮”)那麽多干嘛,比如:

(1)我跟他說平時飲食習慣要加以注意,不要隨便亂吃或吃太多不衛生、不健康、太油膩、太重口味或加工過的食物,他說沒關係啦,反正人都要死的,一切都是命中注定的。。。

(2)我跟他說盡量不要乘搭某廉價航空公司的班機,因爲據説該公司的飛機都是超過25年以上的翻新“二手”飛機,他跟我說沒關係啦,反正人都要死的,一切都是命中注定的。。。

以上只是兩個例子,當然還有其它更誇張的。

我的看法是,我不相信宿命論,但也相信宿命論,畢竟所謂的宿命就是佛家講的因果業力,造了因,必定要受其果,這是無可否認的。今天姑且不談佛學,只清談一般人所認識的宿命論,還有我對它一些簡單的看法,我不相信是因爲我始終認爲我們是有能力改變一些結局的,人,一定要有適當的行動才會有所渴望的結果,但是,如果盡力付出了還是達不到所要的結果,那便是所謂的“命運”(業力),所以我還是得相信的,當然這是條件性的相信。重點是,我們絕對不可以沒有行動、缺乏用心,敷衍事情,然後把後果賴在上天的安排,我很受不了這樣的態度。

話又說囘我以上那位朋友,結果有一天當他再談及他的宿命大道理時,我反問他,「那麽待會你過馬路時閉上眼睛吧。。。,反正人都要死的!」

今天同樣提及這問題,我再次反問他,「那麽下次你孩子生病時不需要去看醫生啦,爲什麽你每次都要帶他們去看專科?反正人都要死的嘛!」

他大概會收到我的message了吧~

Monday, 22 June 2009

Dog Lovers



You love dogs? You got to be kidding! Well, you appear to be one, but you only "love" clean, docile and domesticated dogs, and...err, only small and "cute" dogs. You also "love" to SHOW OFF your cute little thing to your friends and peers. Your so called "love" comes with an intention and coupled with some conditions. This is none other than just to satisfy the 4 layers of your deficiency needs (in Maslow), i.e. physiological, safety and security, love and belonging, and esteem.

True dog / animal lovers just love dogs as they are, any type of dogs regardless of their breed, where they come from, cute or ugly, small or big, clean or dirty, blah blah blah...

BTW, salute to the real HEROES of Pulau Selat Kering (near Pulau Ketam) dog rescuers! You have my full respect! ^^

This Little Thing About Decision, Lesson Learned



I talked to many people who are stuck at the proverbial fork in the road and they couldn’t decide which way to go. Rather than choosing one path or the other, they stayed rooted in place and couldn’t move forward at all.

They asked me, “Which is the right thing to do? I just don’t know what to do!”

Most of the time the answer may not be that complicated but, before I get to it, I want to share a little information about decision-making. You may agree or otherwise but they are from my limited experience and observation throughout the years - I may be wrong though. We basically have 3 types of decisions. We can choose between the following probable outcomes:

Bad vs. Good: This is the easiest decision to make. Good hands down.

Bad vs. Equally Bad: This is the second easiest decision to make. Would you rather find out that your wife is cheating on you or find out that your house just burned to the ground? Would you rather die in a car accident or a plane accident? Would you rather lose your job or lose your life savings? Does it really matter? For most of us, making these types of decisions is as simple as flipping a coin because the end result is the same: would you rather be miserable or be just as miserable?


Good vs. Equally Good: These are the hardest decisions to make, because you spend your time second-guessing yourself. Should I marry the hot girl who has no personality or the girl with the personality who isn’t remotely hot? Tough one.

Obviously there are different shades in between, but you get the idea. It’s usually the good vs. good decisions that cause people to stand still.

What to do? Just choose one or the other and go with it.

Is it the right decision? Is it the wrong decision? No one can predict the future. We just need to make a choice. That’s what life is all about: the journey.

I always like to quote about Thomas Edison last time and I'm going to use it again. Think about where we would be if Thomas Edison sat in his little workshop (or wherever the heck it was he tried to assemble the light bulb) and continually asked himself: Is this right? Should I do this? What if this doesn’t work?

We’d be in the dark. That’s where we’d be.

Make your decisions in life the same way a scientist conducts an experiment. Go with your best hypothesis. If you can’t even get as far as a hunch or a gut feeling, then flip a coin or ask a friend to do an eeany meany miney moe. Then move forward. Life is your experiment. See what happens. If you end up with an undesirable result, make a new decision and start over.

Whenever you make a decision, resist the urge to look back and regret the decision you could have made instead. Learn from the decision you did make so you can make even better decisions in the future.

You’ll eventually come to see that there is no such thing as a bad decision. There just isn’t. Life is a series of choices, with each choice resulting in a series of events, some of them beneficial and some of them not. As long as you continually embrace change and learn from your past, you will find that your life keeps getting better and better.

I must admit life is not as easy as we see at times. I myself are NO better or different from anyone else as I have my fair share of tough decision to make during many occasions, but then we all learn along the way. We just got to bite the bullet and move on at times. All the very best to all my friends.

Monday, 8 June 2009

Wishing Upon A Non-Living Star



(I was resting at my compound 2 nights ago when I spotted Rudolf, the old wise Yorkshire terrier, starring at the sky, as if he was in deep thoughts... . I guess he has come to realise that he must think beyond just food..., there're more than just food in life... . Anyway, his only "deep thoughts" he has prior to this, all his life, was food, food and food...)

I once wished on a star,
A star so bright,
So clear,
So special to me
That I thought my wish would come true

I put all my life,
All my hopes,
And wishes on that star
And the star just blinked at me,
smile and just walked away carrying my life, hopes and wishes on its back

Days, months, YEARS
went by fastly
And the promise that I made with that star
Still hasn’t return
and solve my miseries
Instead,
All my wishes stay puzzle
and all my life, hopes and wishes
Slowly fades away, as I slowly pass away…

…I wished upon a non-living star…

(A poem by Chaotic Life aka Curly Mer)

Sunday, 7 June 2009

摸索中



就這樣,像某人家裡的一角;輪椅、時鐘、長廊,這,就是生活。

從身邊第一個親朋好友離你而去,你開始知道了死亡這一件事。懵懂、不解、害怕、逃避、憂傷、到釋然,都阻止不了時間,以比你想像還快的速度向前奔流著。

年紀增長,開始深深的去思考和體會,面對生老病死,面對柴米油鹽醬醋茶,這,難道就是每一天的生活?低頭拭去沾在臉上的泥土和淚水,然後抬起頭,微笑的向前跨步走去,生活,不就是一個這樣的大劇場?

越來越社會化的生活軌跡,總是不自主的讓我們的生活步調開始亂了起來,時間跑的太快速,時間不夠用,跑得太慢,卻覺得悶,的確,不是忙死就是悶了。然而,在每次快忙死或悶死之前,快爆肝或抓狂之際,才會毀滅性的想,「什麼都不管的豪邁的去給他度個假吧...」任性的丟下他X的工作,錢一花,飛機一搭,往遙遠的北方草原報到去...。

怎麽可能?妄想罷了。

生活,應該説是 - 在生存之際,要活得有意義,寬度和深度並重,然而,談何容易,事情往往就是在這樣不簡單的情況之下又把我們帶到了另一個層面和境界,從所未有的不一樣體會...,很多東西我還是不懂,目前我還是在摸索中~