Electricity for my laptop please?

For the past few days, I could only stare at my laptop, with it "looking" blankly back at me. It was unbearable!

I was unable to switch my laptop on. Not because it is spoilt (thank goodness!), but because the adapter was damaged.

I have no idea how it became faulty, but I was filled with shock and annoyance. It happened when I was watching a set of Korean drama VCDs (I will talk about this another time) on my laptop. I was reaching the most crucial moment in the story when ------- the screen just died!

It was then that I realized the electricity used to power my laptop had been completely depleted.

From a full battery icon, to an empty bar left. The battery strength indication had changed from 100% to 78%, 54%, 35%, 13%...And before I could realize what was wrong, the screen became a total blank!

“WAIT! Hang on! Let me...” My cries went muffled and unanswered.

It was after much examination that I realized my adapter was spoilt, and there was no way I could connect electricity to my laptop to switch it on again. I was sweating, sticky, and feeling irritated with the entire business.

There was no way out, except to get a new adapter.

I was tied down the following days, and could only find time to get an adapter a few days later.

During my shopping trip for the adapter, I realized girls can sometimes be really too wishy-washy.

“Should I buy this? It seems too expensive. Will there be a cheaper one in another shop? Should I buy the original brand? If I use another brand, will it spoil my laptop?...”

But one good thing is that, when shopping for electrical devices, I do not like to look around too much. If I go into one shop and see something suitable, with a relatively reasonable price, I will save myself the trouble of popping into another shop. (But this ONLY applies to shopping for electrical devices, for clothes and accessories, I can spend ages just to choose the best, or the ones I like most. Funny, isn’t it? Or are most girls like this?)

However, I did not have the full information of my laptop with me then, and was unable to select the exact adapter. Moreover, the price of the original adapter was pretty steep, and as my laptop was bought four years ago, my type of adapter was not readily available in the stocks. I left the shop, disappointed with the wasted shopping trip.

The next day, I found a shop which sells second hand adapters with a one month warranty, at a price three times cheaper than the original. I do not usually trust second hand products (excluding books), but nevertheless, because of the convenience, the tempting price and driven to desperation without my laptop (try not using your computer for a few days, you will see what I mean!), I made a trip down and closed the deal at one shot.

My laptop is now up and running. FINALLY.

Let’s hope this adapter will last. Otherwise the next time I go missing-in-action for a number of days in a stretch, it means my adapter has failed me again.

BGR

A colleague was very annoyed when he took the MRT the other day.

“There was this young student couple, about 14 years old, standing right in the centre of the cabin, hugging, giggling and kissing as though they were the only people on board. Everyone around them looked uneasy, some looked away, some old folks gave them stern looks. I was initially reading the newspaper, but I got so annoyed that I kept my papers, folded my arms, and stared straight at them. Guess what? They were simply oblivious to their surroundings and continued their ‘rendezvous’! I was about to tell them off when they arrived at their station, after a 20 minute train ride.”

I have seen such young couples before too. My question to them is, don’t they feel that it is not appropriate for them to behave in this manner, especially in an enclosed public area? Well, perhaps they are still young, and are probably so “engrossed” in their relationship, that they did not realize that they are an “eyesore” to others. But the thing is, is there a need for these young couples to display their affection in front of everyone else? Would it kill them to not behave so intimately, just for a short train ride?

Call me old fashioned or conventional, I seriously find that it is an ugly sight.

These young couples may argue, “If you cannot stand it, quit staring!” But, sometimes (in fact most of the time) it does not help that the train is so crowded that there is simply no where else to look.

I am generally not against BGRs (boy-girl-relationship) in schools. What I mean is, if the relationship is an innocent one, as in the young couple enjoys each other’s company, they spend time together studying, or go out alone occasionally to have a meal or to watch movie. That is fine. I feel that there is no need to stamp out on BGRs completely in schools, although it is true that as students, academic work should be their first priority. However, there are indeed some students who are mature enough, even in secondary schools, to handle a serious relationship.

I know of this couple who got together during their secondary school days. The girl is very intelligent, while the boy was not doing so well in his studies. While they were “going steady”, the girl helped the boy in his studies, and in the end both of them made it to the top junior college. From the look of things, they would probably march into the wedding hall a few years from now.

For student couples, I feel that the limit should be up to holding hands. Anything beyond that tarnishes the image of a student. There is an age and a stage for everything. Why try to imitate the adults or what you watch on television or on the internet?

Furthermore for girls, we should learn to protect ourselves. Why give others the opportunity to demean you?

Tissue paper, 1 dollar!

"Tissue paper, 1 dollar! Tissue paper, 1 dollar!"

The old man was sitting in a wheelchair. His left leg was amputated from above his knee cap. He was holding out three packets of tissue paper, mouthing the words monotonously, and pleadingly looking out to the crowd moving swiftly past him. And I was one of them.

This was a sight I dreaded.

Old, poor and pathetic. Makes one feel so upset. Sometimes, I would wonder, "Don't they have children to take care of them? Does the government provide them with assistance? How were they like when they were young? Do they feel sorry for themselves in this state?"

It is not easy for those who are in their 60s, 70s or even 80s, to hold out packets of tissue paper the whole day, calling out for people to purchase them. Teenage volunteers who spend half a day selling bookmarks, flags or souvneirs will tell you about the leg aches they experience and the inconsiderate people they meet, who shun them as if they are houseflies. What about these old folks, who face this day in day out and who depend on this for a living?

These poor elderly are everywhere around us, that is, if we choose to "see" them. Most of the time, many of us choose the "ostrich" approach. It is so easy to hurry past them and "ignore" their presence. If we do not "see" them, we pretend that they are not there.

It is a fact that these people need a helping hand (let's disregard those cheats who are in disguise, for the moment). But, I often think, what can my one dollar do to help? I may be able to help one person, but what about the rest? When I think of all those whom I would not be able to reach out to, I retreat and take a step back. I do not know how to explain this weird psychological behaviour, silly, isn't it?

But seriously, there is a limit to what one can do. A person's strength is limited. One will never be able to help everyone else. But, a person's one dollar may be able to ease one other person's meal. And if everyone chips in that way, more people will be reached out to, and eventually (and hopefully) everyone will receive assistance. We have to start somewhere, somehow.

With that in mind, I turned, ran back to the old man and bought three packets of tissue paper from him.

He gave me a smile. You can imagine my beaming smile back too.

Give up your seat

Do you voluntarily give up your seat to someone who needs it more than you do?

I was on the MRT today when there was a dispute between an old man and a young couple. It created quite a stir on the train and three MRT attendants came up to settle the row.

I did not witness the commotion (as it happened before I boarded the train) but from what I observed and heard, this was what happened.

The young couple, in their 20s, was sitting down on the two-seater seats. There was a sign above the seats that says, “Give up your seat to someone who needs it more than you do”, with illustrations of pregnant women and the elderly.

An old man in his 70s, with his wife, were both carrying big plastic bags. He went over to the couple and said, “Excuse me”, in a tone that meant he wanted the young couple to give up their seats to them.

There was probably some heated arugment, some scuffle and perhaps some body contact, because the next moment, the lady was crying and ranting that the old man was “rude”, and that she was going to “call the police”.

The old man was very angry and kept shouting in the train, and the lady got very worked up. Fortunately, at that time, the MRT attendants boarded the train and managed to calm them down, and the police was not brought in. However, both parties refused to alight and board another train, and for the next twenty minutes or so, they sat right across one another awkwardly.

The old man felt that he was wrongly accused and complained, “I said ‘Excuse me’, so why did she say I am rude? There was a sign above the seat. How can they bully the old?” The lady was silent, but she sobbed uncontrollably, with her boyfriend next to her comforting her.

As a bystander, I feel that the old man should not take it for granted that others should give up their seats to him. Although the seats did have a sign above, but it serves to “encourage” people to give up their seats to the elderly, and not to “enforce a rule”.

On the other hand, if the young couple has noticed the old couple, they should have taken the initiative and be considerate enough to offer their seats. Why wait till an old man has to ask for the seats?

I must admit that I have seen some elderly who are difficult and who make unreasonable demands on others. Some take it for granted that because they are old, others have to give in to them. We should not condone such behaviour, but let us embrace the elderly with an open heart. If they have not gone overboard, let us bear with them, be considerate towards them, and show them some respect.

Perhaps in this case, if the old man had asked for the seats politely, and the young couple had readily offered their seats, such unhappiness and ugly scenes could be avoided.

After all, a little courtesy goes a long way.

"Mooncake" Festival

People love to invent new terms.

On the fifteenth day of the eighth Lunar month every year, the Chinese celebrate the ________ Festival by eating mooncakes.

The name “Mooncake Festival” was conveniently came up with.

Well, mooncakes are never missed out during this festival, so it is "plainly logical" to call it the “Mooncake Festival”. Easy to remember, and close to the hearts.

But, it has become so widely used that, have you, too, forgotten the actual name of the festival?

It is “MID AUTUMN FESTIVAL”. Let me emphasize it here, lest you go out and embarrass yourself when you talk to others.

This is, of course, not the only colloquial expression for a festival that people have come up with (or did people not know the actual name and made a plain mistake of calling it something else?), but the most common one I would say.

There is nothing wrong with making up a term that is understood by one and all, and which needs no further explanation. But making everything simplified is not always the best solution. Certain meaning in the actual cause might be lost along the way.

Why Mid Autumn Festival?
According to the lunar calendar, the festival occurs at the exact middle of autumn (which begins in the seventh month and ends in the ninth), thus the term “mid autum”. The origin of this festival can be traced back to the ancient Xia and Shang Dynasties. In the Zhou Dynasty, ceremonies were held to greet winter and worship the moon whenever the Mid-Autumn Festival sets in. At this time, the moon's orbit is at its lowest angle to the horizon, making the moon appear brighter and larger than any other time of the year. The round shape symbolizes family reunion. This is a time for family members to get together and enjoy the full moon—an auspicious token of abundance, harmony and luck.

How did the mooncakes come into play?
During the Yuan dynasty, leaders from the preceding Song dynasty did not want to submit to the Mongolian rule, and decided to coordinate a rebellion without being discovered. The leaders of the rebellion, knowing that the Mid Autumn Festival was drawing near, ordered the making of special cakes: mooncakes. Hidden in each mooncake was a message with the outline of the attack. On the night of the Mid Autumn Festival, the rebels successfully attacked and overthrown the government. Today, mooncakes are eaten to commemorate this legend.

We can see that mooncakes are closely associated with the Mid Autumn Festival, so it would not have been “far from history” to name it the "Mooncake Festival".

Nevertheless, there is still a disparity between the actual name and the colloquial name. Had mooncakes not been invented, but some other snacks, the name of the festival would have been a totally different story.

“Mooncake festival” also gives us the wrong notion that it is so called because we celebrate the festival with mooncakes. But, that is just one small part of the whole picture.

Food for thought: we celebrate the Chinese Lunar New Year every year with the elders distributing hongbaos. I wonder if our further generations might call it the “Hongbao Festival”, out of convenience as well? I think if that happens, our ancestors would turn in their graves in angst!

Note: part of the historical information was taken from the web.

Blackout

One day last week, I walked home alone at around 8 plus in the evening. As I was walking along the familiar road, with other people also making their way home, I sensed an impending “danger”.

Then I realized. The lights below my block have gone out. There was a blackout, but only along the corridors in the block. Surprisingly, the lights in each household and the lifts worked fine, although the lights in the lift flickered a bit.

I made a phone call home, hoping someone would be at home to “take” me home. I crossed my fingers, but alas, my calls were unanswered. No one was at home.

Since I was already at the foot of my block, I braced myself up and took the lift alone. (When I recounted this incident later, somebody asked me, “Why were you not afraid that the lift might suddenly go out of service while you were in it?” My answer was plain and straightforward, “Not because I was not scared, but because it did not occur to me then that this might happen.”)

When the lift with the flickering lights reached my floor, the lift door opened and I was greeted with plain darkness. I shuddered, “Should I make my way out?”

I shrugged my shoulders, “I had gone this far, I might as well just take a few more steps to reach ‘safety’.”

At that moment, I realized that the phrase “walk as fast as my legs could carry me” which I have often used when I was writing compositions in primary school, was not simply made up. It came from TRUE experiences.

In almost total darkness, I “walked as fast as my legs could carry me”, and almost sprinted down the stairs, groping the staircase hand railings tightly in the dark. Darkness and uncertainty gripped my heart. All sorts of weird thoughts were coming to my mind, “What if somebody comes up from behind and robs me? Or attacks me?” It was frightening just thinking of that.

When I reached my door, I searched frantically for my keys. When I finally found it, I could not fit it into the keyhole! My hands were trembling so hard that I could not find the keyhole. It was scary!

Inside, I was muttering to myself, “Calm down, calm down”, followed by, “Hurry, hurry!”

When I eventually opened the door, I slammed it hard shut. I quickly switched on the lights and turned on the television at top blast. Then I sat down panting, with my heart beat racing very quickly.

As I sat down on the sofa, with the whole place lit up and noise infiltrating every corner of the house, I chuckled at my silly actions just a minute ago; the way my vivid imaginations have scared the wits out of me.

It was a “funny” yet scary blackout, and it certainly showed the profoundness of this quote: “You never know what a coward you are, until you are in the face of fear.”

Now I know.

The Aunties "Fight Back"

"Who says only young teenage boys and girls have idols? I have an idol too. He is Kelvin Chen Weilian, well known as the “blind hero” in the Project Superstar contest.

I do not have the time to queue up and buy his CD single right after it was released because I had to work during the day. I bought it only a few days later.
I could not afford the time to crowd with the youngsters and queue up hours for him to sign on the CD cover, because I have to rush home to cook for my children.
I did not turn up at the indoor stadium to watch his live performance because people of my age do not join fan clubs and I do not have the means to go on the internet to get a ticket.

But, I watched him sing on television, and most importantly, I have the money to vote for him.

I could not recall the number of times I called 1900-112-1001 last night to support him, but I will not be worried when the phone bill comes in. All because I have watched him sing while he was on the streets before. His voice was simply mesmerizing. I could stand there the whole day if I did not have to rush off to send goods.

When I saw that the judges gave him lower scores than his opponent during the competition, I called his hotline even more frantically.

It is not easy for someone with a disability to fight for his dream.

And for that, I will support him.

When he cuts an album next time, I will buy it. And I will ask my friends to buy it too. They heard him before when he sang on the streets.

I may not be able to scream and cheer for him if he holds a concert next time, but if I have the time, I will surely fork out the money to watch him. Money is not an issue to me.

Congratutions, Weilian, for becoming our first Superstar. I hope you will return to the streets one day and bring us lovely songs once again."

In the words of an Auntie who supports Kelvin.
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It was amazing that Kelvin won the Project Superstar grand finals, despite the average performance and the judges' negative comments. It just goes to show that in such a competition where the votes of the audience determine the outcome, the people's voices, some silent, others out loud, cannot and should not be ignored.

Kelvin has won Singaporeans' hearts, especially the uncles and aunties. And they have chosen their winner.

One sentence to sum up the Project Superstar grand finals:
The invisible supporters have won the day.