Generation Gap

A friend recently commented that as people grow old, they tend to become very long winded and even develop odd manners. And because of that, the young and the old do not see eye-to-eye, and the so-called generation gap is developed.

I think that young people ought to be more patient with the old, after all they have been through their times and can provide sound and wise advice. Furthermore, some young people just seem to be disrespectful; they think the world of themselves, and they simply do not care about what the older generation has to say.

However, recently I heard and witnessed the behaviour of some old people who appear to want to make things difficult for others for no apparent reasons, and that made me re-evaluate the thinking of this league of young whom I used to scorn at.

Here are a few such classic instances which I think may be familiar to many:

Old man on MRT:
He sits down on the MRT and places his bag or plastic bag next to the empty seat next to him. There are people standing all around him but he is simply oblivious to them. Finally someone says "excuse me", and signals that he wants to sit. The old man looks up, frowns and reluctantly removes the bag, muttering angry remarks under his breath.

To the old man:
So you think you call the shots just because you are old? No wonder some people say old people are inconsiderate. It is because of black sheep like you. Don't you know that nobody enjoys the company of a grumpy old man?

Old lady in coffeeshop:
She sits down in a crowded coffeeshop, enjoying a bowl of fishball noodles. She appears to be alone and there are three empty seats at her table. A family of five comes along, politely asks if they could remove a seat. She shakes her head. Shortly after, a young couple comes by, asks if they could share the table. "No" was her reply. Is she expecting somebody? Is she saving the seats for others? But nobody came. When the old lady finishes her bowl of noodles, she stands up and walks off with a satisfied look.

To the old lady:
Do you think you own the seats just because you sit down at the coffeeshop table? What's wrong with giving up a seat when you do not need it? Why can't you share the table when you cannot possibly occupy all four seats at the same time?

I guess for the above two elderly, they cannot blame the young (and not just the young) if they were to be snapped at for their unreasonable behaviour.

If you want to be treated with respect, whether you are old or young, you have to first respect others. That's the rule of the game.

Hell Over Heels

As I am typing this, my feet is aching.

All because I wore a pair of new high heels the whole of yesterday, and even went shopping in it after work.

My feet started to hurt while I was walking home after a long day, and what a relief it was when I finally kicked it off once I got home!

Yesterday was not the most tortuous day I had experienced. A few days ago, I wore another pair of high heels and the pain was so unbearable that I had to "struggle" my way back to the office. I was lucky to have a pair of spare flats in the office to change into, so that I could nurse my poor feet.

I usually prefer to wear flats and pumps. They are comfortable and I can move at ease in them, and easily run, jump or do anything, as and when the occasion arises. With heels, one tends to be a little bit more prim and proper. You take smaller steps, you walk with your body upright, and you walk with an air of importance.

Recently, I am having a little craze over heels. Over the past two weeks, I bought three pair of high heels. One has black and gold straps, giving off an elegant look. The second one has white, purple and blue straps, a sweet and demure combination. The third one has a nice golden ribbon.

I saw a report before saying that it is unhealthy and dangerous for women to be constantly on high heels. I believe most women do not heed the advice, otherwise why do we still see so many women in heels everywhere we go?

Women can go to all extents just to make themselves look better. All in the name of vanity.

I am all up and ready to walk on heels again, but my poor rebellious feet demands to be rested to get back on form.

Some people say women have a higher threshold of pain than men. I truly agree.

The Da Vinci Code Movie

*If you have read the book, you will not enjoy the movie.*

I am not a Christian and I have no knowledge about the background of Christianity. When I first read the book quite sometime ago, I could not really understand the history and the theories the book speaks of the religion. Nevertheless, once I got into the mood of unraveling the secrets and seeking the truth, the storyline started to get more interesting and excitng. Overall, I would say the book is a rather good read, although not an easy one if you really want to go into details.

I went to the cinema with the hope of getting myself all excited once again in the treasure hunt, but I came out feeling quite the opposite. There were a lot of links in the book that were taken out in the movie (I believe to save time), and the beauty of some of the cleverly crafted plots were missing as well. This made the entire hunt somewhat hollow. In the end, the movie does not reflect what the big deal is and the urgency for the lead roles to go on their hunt, which was a great pity, I felt.

*If you have not read the book, you will also not enjoy the movie.*

If you are thinking, "then perhaps it is better for me not to read the book and catch the movie first with an open mind", I think you could be wrong too.

Since I have read the book, I cannot speak objectively how one who has not read the book would find the movie. However, as there are quite a number of missing connections between different parts of the movie, I feel that it might be difficult for viewers to move with the flow of the story very well, much less to understand the plot fully.

As I walked out of the cinema feeling quite disappointed, I consoled myself that luckily I watched it in Johore Bahru for only 10 ringgit (approximately S$4.50), and not in Singapore for S$9.50!

Have you watched the movie? Do you share my sentiments?

Lack of motivation

Lack of motivation...

to think

to speak

to write

...

That is how I feel right now.

...

It's not healthy working eight days at one go without a break.

Thank goodness it's my off day tomorow.

Cheers!

"Let's move on."

This seems like the most famous tag line of this year's General Elections.

All because of the Gomez saga.

The episode FINALLY came to an end yesterday (hopefully it really does!) when James Gomez was let off with a stern warning by the police. He would not be charged in court although the Public Prosecutor was satisfied that he had committed the offence of using threatening words towards a public servant.

When I went to Mr Gomez's press conference held at a food court in Holland Village yesterday evening, he stressed that he wants to "move on". Not once, not twice, but at least three or more times.

And this is not the first time we are hearing it.

When the Gomez saga first blew up, SM Goh Chok Tong told reporters on 30th April, "let's move on". (But when Deputy Prime Minister Wong Kan Seng spoke to him later and explained why he was still pursuing the matter, Mr Goh felt a need to probe further. He suggested that the Worker's party should hold a press conference to clarify the matter.)

On 1st May, Worker's Party Low Thia Kiang said that he was not going to comment further. He said, "I'm making it clear here, so let's move on."

On the same day, Sylvia Lim said that Jame Gomez has already made his apology at a previous rally and "we should move on from here".

Two days later (4th May), when there was two days left to polling day, Foreign Minister George Yeo said he no longer wants to talk about the James Gomez issue, and he wants to move on.

What amazes and amuses me is that while everyone, (okie, perhaps not all, but most I believe) including ordinary folks like you and me, seems to want to move on, we kept being dragged back to the same old Gomez issue.

There is enough talk of it, it is high time it gets put into action.

But something that Minister Mentor Lee Kuan Yew said before police confirmed they had detained Gomez a few days ago kept coming back.

MM Lee said, "Can you commit a dishonourable -- maybe even one which is against the law -- an illegal act and say, let's move on because I've apologised? You may move on but you're going to move on out of politics in time."

Mr Gomez declared yesterday that he will still be involved in WP and the political scene in Singapore.

As to what will really happen from now on remains to be seen.

But first, let's move on.

Exactly one month

It has been exactly one month since I last updated this blog.

Many thanks to those who came to check this website every now and then, and my sincere apologies for leaving you disappointed each time round.

The general elections has taken up most of my time (including personal and leisure time) in catching up on news, walkabouts and press conferences by various parties and candidates, and of course watching the rallies.

During the election, the media has been slammed in quite a number of blogs and websites for being biased in their reports. Some even blatantly labelled journalists as the most shameful profession as compared to loansharks, prostitutes and pimps. I am not the least offended. I know there is still a long way to go before the media here paints the ideal picture of a liberal and open society.

And you would be surprised to find out what most journalists on the ground feel.

For those involved who question the seemingly biased reports and who cannot be fully convinced by the reasons offered, how can they expect others to understand?

This is the first time I covered the election, the first time I went to watch rallies, and the first time I interviewed politicians, up close and personal.

It was quite an insightful experience, although not all of it was pleasant.

I feel tired of asking colleagues questions when I am given answers like, "You just do not understand", or simply giving a smirk and dismissing my questions.

Older folks tell me that I am still young, and I do not understand politics. I certainly don't.

And I sure hope I do soon.