Do not buy Wii

Problem with Wii from Nintendo! Bought the system 2 years ago and unfortunately not play it as intensely as regular players. Only played 1 game. (Raving Rabbids that came with the set) Console and games are both original. Bought a new genuine game (101 sports party megamix). Upon doing upgrade, console locked. 003 error. Nintendo distributer in Singapore does not (or cannot) help with the software lock, neither does (or want) the software company. Nintendo does not have a standard direct global technical service email, and TOTALLY NO SUPPORT in Singapore. (so buyers beware). If I have known of this problem I would have spend my money on other systems instead...

Life goes on

We are what we are as we have lived our lives.
Our experiences dictate our characters.
Yet we are what we will be as we choose to be.
For our today is our experience of tomorrow.

“Grandma is here!” thought a tween. The motherly smile, the deeply etched wrinkles, peaceful gaze, the exuberant being.

Every now and then, as the child grows older, he discovered a pattern of his grandmother’s travels; every fortnight or so, she would visit all her 5 children and their children. She was very connected to her family and never before has the child seen a healthier, more mobile, independent 70 year old woman. She was even the leader of a Qigong group.

The young teen never did thought of her being frail but yet…

In another decade, all that pink of health gives way to the toxins of modern science for the sustenance of life. As one ages, the body system breaks down slowly.

In another decade, all modern science has to succumb to nature.

At least she did see him get married. In her feeble years, he hoped that she was aware that she had additional 2 great grandsons.

That is what I remember as I write.

For the grand old dame was my dear, dear grandmother.

She was not a great teacher as I cannot remember her teaching me any life lessons, but I do remember her warmth. She did not live with our household yet I did not miss her as she would always be visiting and be with us. I was not close to her yet I did not reject her nor did I resent her: for she was the mother of my mother- the virtues of my mother must be passed down from her. I did not love her deeply yet I do sorely miss her when she departed... forever.

Her demise began as a fall and fractured her hips. She was then warded at NUH. Operation was risky given her advance age, diabetes, high blood pressure and the like. Natural healing was the better option.

The plan should be simple: put her in cast, and she should heal in a year.

She died.

The Buddhist rites were carried out and in my heart; she would get a better life or Nirvana. My eyes were wet when I hear the monks chant. Deep down inside, it was a thunderstorm. At least she had lived a full life, leaving behind 50 or so children, grand children and great grandchildren.

For I am what I was,

LIFE will go on.

Gross National Happiness

Singapore tried to keep up with Buthan and started a competition to find the happiest Singaporean last year.

So a following cartoon showed that 5 happy people were happy. Then only one was really happy (after he won) while the rest became not happy. How true. Real life.

Hmm. I will be happy that such competition should not be contunued let alone be started at all.

Hmm. I am sad that we have carried such an ugly means to do a one-up.

I really wonder if this competition be organised this year in 2010?

The brain is plastic

I have read a book "The brain that changes itself".
Intersting article. Talks about the adaptability of the brain.
There is one story about a university professor who lost much of his movement due to stroke. He got rehabilitated and eventually went back to teaching. The autopsy showed that the brain was damaged to over 90% and he was functioning normally after rehab.
Amazing.
I also got to know that one of the avocate of brain platisiticy is one of the founding member of "Fast ForWord" programme used in the education system in the US. The only company in Singapore using this programme is "Brain Revolution". http://www.brain-revolution.com/

Chapter from Einstein

Relative:
If you are throwing a ball up and down in a moving train and it appears up and down.
How would the person standing still see the ball? Up and Down or something else?

Are we civilised?

Well certainly we can say so, and rightfully be so.

It seems that when I take a walk down Orchard Road, Junction 8 or other pupular places, I see many people. It is a fact that there are at least 4 000 000 people living in a land area lesser than 50km by 30km. In fact, most of us living here have to be living in a cubical about 10 sq metre, side by side and stacked one in chunks one on top of another. Hence the analogy of a pigeon hole.
If the exchange rate to the US Dollar is S$1.5 to US$1, then those who own and live in condominiums are trully millionares by world standard; for on the average, a price of a decent condominium nowadays cost at least 1.5million dollars! Perhaps Singapore is one of the - if not the only, countries that stack one millionare on top of another. Any piece of rock thrown would hit any one of the millionares.

Yet the spenders in these malls are the youngsters. Pop culture here is targeted at young audiences in the teens to early 20s. For they may be the silver lightning in the retail sector slump.

There are many shops, stores, carts and stands selling stuff suitable for this age group. And the recent walk down the pupluar malls amongst this group shows these businesses closing like snow falling. The tenants blame landlord for the exorbidant rent, the landlords place a stifling contract, there are too many of such type of businesses and the prices are not really falling in tendem with the stock market. But that is another story.

I have no quarms about getting together and socialising. I consider being a socialable person is a good thing. So sometimes, I would sit down at a coffee table, with a cup of latte, observing how people come together and talk. No, I'm not interested in how or what they say. I am interested in where and the way they gather.

If these people gather in Starbucks, then the business model is good. If these people populate certain restaurants, then something must be attracting these people. Just take it as a form of market servey.

One day, as I was having my latte, an incident etched deep. It made me ponder about the state of civility in our little state. With years of campaigning, I do wonder if the message of courtesy or kindness really sink into our future leaders. For that very day, I saw a group of youngsters, about 16 to 18 years old I presume, with two still in their school's sport attire. The group of 6 was a mixture of boys and girls. They were chatting happliy.

Nothing wrong about that.

Well, they were standing at the centre of a "T" junction where one path leads to the sliding door of the mall, the other path leads into the shops while the other leads to toilet and lifts. The paths are no wider than 4 people standing side by side. So what I saw was a blocked passage, unless one would be obliged to slide against the wall to pass them.

One middle aged man came through the sliding doors, walked towards the group, raised his hand to shoulder level and began to push a couple of them aside and the proceeded to walk towards the toliet, not once glancing back.

The odd thing was, that man did not speak to the group nor excused himself. Perhaps I assume he is dumb.(For young people reading this piece of work, the word 'dumb' does not mean stupid. It means being a mute.) Or he was just plain rude to these people.

So one of the group member shouted, "Can't you say, 'Excuse me'? We're all civilised people."
That trigered an alarm bell.

Perhaps that man was dumb. For instead of moving to one side, they were blocking the passageway. They were chatting for quite a while and oblivious to the megre few who slid passed them before this man. Perhaps he is just fustrated with this group blocking the passage and tried to clear the passage for the common good?

While clearly it is a case for settlement for the civil court, how would a group of civilised people chat? By the side of the common walkway or right in the middle of the common passageway? Any well brought up 6 years old would say 'not block people walking'.

The fact that this youngerster declaring themselves civilised felt like a sore thumb.

Is 'We are civilised people' defined as 'take me as a model of civility for I AM THE definition of civility' or it should really mean 'I model civility and that I ENDRVOUR TO BE'. Clearly the latter they are not.

Well, perhaps the word 'civility' has 3 times the letter 'i' in 'city', and within the 'i' own 'LV'(Louis Vetton). How self centered can that be?

Question to Ponder

I've read a book by Eintein as he posted this question:

You are travelling along a straight railway track at very near the speed of light.
Then two lightning bolts struck at the same time at the ends of the track.
Question 1:
Will you be able to see both lighning bolts or none at all?

Querstion 2:
Will you be able to see the one in front first then the one behind?