Today is Monday.....how come got plastic bag ah?

I was making a quick purchase recently at a shop in Queensbay, when I couldn't help but notice a very young boy making the following remark when the cashier gave him the purchased product in a plastic bag:

"Today is Monday....how come got plastic bag ah?"

I smiled. :)

Perhaps there's still hope for us, and our environment after all?

(Several hypermarts and shops in Penang have answered the state government's call to reduce plastic bag usage by declaring Monday as a no-plastic bags day, e.g. Tesco)

Where is our compassion?

I'll try to write this briefly. Basically, Wai Mun and I decided to celebrate Mother's Day dinner by going to a Chinese restaurant (that itself, is probably a mistake since it's Mother's Day, and the place will be jam-packed, but that's another story). Since it was jam-packed, it took some time for the food to come, so, as can be expected, Ryan would be pretty restless. We each took turns to take him out for a walk, but at 1 point in time, Wai Mun had to go to the restroom, so, she brought Ryan back into the restaurant, and for a time, he was messing around at the main door. Suddenly, the little guy was crying, and it didn't take long for us to notice that he accidentally got his little finger trapped in between the 2 glass door panels. We rushed to him immediately, but here's where I got really incensed: there was a table FULL of people (around 10 people) right next to the door (just as we were also sitted next to the door, opposite from them), and all they did when it happened, was made the kind of sound that we all do whenever a child has done something wrong, and they didn't even move an inch to help or check what happened.

I'm not expecting anyone to jump from their seats and offer their help or assistance, but I felt really disgusted that the only thing a table of people could do was just made the kind of sound our parents would make when we did something wrong as children. If you're not going to help, and you have no intention to help in any way whatsoever, my suggestion would be...stay quiet and remain as you are (I'm preventing myself from writing more colourful words here).

This reminds me so much of the article that I read, where people would stare at Parkinson sufferers instead of helping them or just letting them go about their doings without making them unnecessarily embarassed just by staring at them.

Chinese New Year Reunion Dinners/Lunches - Are We Missing the Real Gist of It?

Before you continue to read this posting, first take about 5 minutes (or less if your mind thinks fast) and ponder on this: If you're a Chinese (and even if you're not, you're also elligible to ponder on this), what is the meaning and purpose of a Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner/Lunch to you?

For me, a CNY Reunion Dinner/Lunch is a time for a family to get together, to have a meal together, to catch up, to re-connect, especially if members of the family are geographically separated or have not been in touch regularly, to usher in the New Year together as a family as we say goodbye to the previous year. For me, it has always been about the FAMILY and REUNION.

However, what we have experienced this CNY (2009) has made us ponder: does being a Chinese, and the fact that it's a CNY Reunion Dinner/Lunch, makes it COMPULSORY for the meal to be a CHINESE MEAL, in a CHINESE RESTAURANT, in a CHINESE SETTING?

Before we debate on this, let's talk about facts that we all mostly agree on: FACT 1: Almost ALL Chinese restaurants will raise their food prices during Chinese New Year (and let's not argue over this, different viewpoints have been raised, e.g. they are working while the rest of us are enjoying, etc.), FACT 2: Other non-Chinese restaurants will most likely maintain similar food prices during CNY and FACT 3: Other non-Chinese restaurants might throw in additional goodies in their menu to tie in with CNY (e.g. CNY set lunches, etc.).

Now here's the situation: would it make sense to pay RM200 for a CNY dinner for 4 people and be forced to wait almost an hour before you are actually even served with your meal (due to the insane crowd size) for dishes that you know fully well you can order in any other non-CNY-related days for a much much cheaper price (and minus the insane waiting period), or wouldn't tbe nearby KFC with virtually no crowd and offering the very same menu and same prices as yesterday and tomorrow offer a more reasonable option especially if it costs around RM50 for a meal for 4 people???

Worst still, we have asked such a question before (why pay so much when we can eat at other places?) and an answer that we got was: During Chinese New Year of course we eat Chinese food!

So now my question is: was there ever a rule that says Chinese must eat Chinese food during CNY? OK, like all Chinese customs, probably if we ask the elders, they will say that's how it has been done from yesteryears all the way till now, and that's probably true, else, it won't be a custom. But my argument is this: Did anyone consider that years ago, centuries ago, you probably would have a difficult time finding a non-Chinese restaurant in China serving non-Chinese food as compared to now, in the age of globalization?

Is it wrong to have a Chinese New Year Reunion Dinner in KFC, in Kayu Nasi Kandar? Should we blindly offer to pay so so much more and be forced to accept less-than-ideal service standards just so that we can stick to what we perceive is a custom that we must and should follow, without first understanding and accepting the meaning of what we are celebrating and what makes the environment of centuries ago different from what it is now?

Credit Cards Nightmare!

I just read some disturbing statistics recently - there are millions of credit card holders with millions and millions of debt! Worst still, people are now screaming for the banks to reduce their interest rates for credit cards. Is it a problem with the banks, or us? Or both?

What has happened to spending responsibly? Nowadays credit cards are everywhere, and it's common for individuals to have more than 1 credit card. In the past, credit cards were viewed as a convenient way to pay for goods and items without the burden of carrying loads of cash around (and having a flashboard on your head that says "Rob Me!"). Nowadays, credit cards are being viewed as just another credit line, like a personal loan. If in need of cash, the credit card is here to save the day!

From my point of view there are 2 problems here - credit cards are too pervasive in our society and people are not using credit cards responsibly. Recently, I was offered a Platinum card with the annual fees for the first 2 years waived! This was such a stark contrast to years ago when I was offered a Platinum card minus the perks and waivers currently offered. Go to any supermarket stores, petrol gas stations and you'll probably bump into credit card salesmen offering credit cards with perks that we can only dream of years ago. It's so so easy now to get a credit card!

2nd, credit cards users are not using credit cards responsibly! The onus is on the credit card holder to manage the expenses properly and not to incure giant hills of debt to the point that prompt repayment is no longer feasible (and digging a mile deep hole in the ground for yourself). Searching for flimsy loopholes and convenient scapegoats (a.k.a. the exorbitant interest rates) as a solution is already too late. I do agree that the interest rate is too exorbitant, but pointing fingers at the bank isn't the solution. Do we really need more than 1 or 2 credit cards per individual? Or if we have 6 credit cards, does that mean we have the capability to spend 6 times more than what we previously could?

We should all do our part to avoid another Subprime-like horror crashing down on us. And I'm speaking from experience - I've experienced the pain of overusing my credit cards in the past. I dug a hole for myself, but managed to climb out of it. I guess pain teaches people valuable lessons in life. However, let's not let the pain be fatal.

Main Guli, He-Man and She-Ra vs. PS2, PSP and Wii (Ian)

Do you remember the good old days when we were young brats still schooling and being a constant nuisance to adults? We would play with action hero toys like He-Man (I Have The Power!) and She-Ra (female version of I Have The Power!) and even with marbles on the ground (you know, the one where we draw a circle on the sand, scatter marbles in it, and then try to hit them out with a marble in hand, and forfeit yours if yours end up in the circle). However, what I remember the most is how we would play with our friends together, have a fantastic time together and end up getting all dirty and messy soon after, but never failing to have a great time socializing among ourselves.

Fast forward to the 21st century. We now have Sony Playstations widely available, Nintendo Wii is out, and let's not forget Man's newest best friend - the PC. We now see kids playing with PS2s, Xbox-es, Wii-s and PC games. Would you agree with me when I say these technological marvels have replaced our He-Mans, She-Ras and marbles?

Are the days of the guli gone and forgotten? Would you prefer to see your kids play with the marbles with their friends and just have a fantastic time together but learning the importance of socializing among one another, or play with PS2s and PCs in the comfort of their own homes? Is there a price we are paying for this change in trend (from a health and social perspective), or does everything remain the same?

Who Breaks the Ice? (Ian)

Imagine this - 2 strangers, placed in a room together and required to get to know each other. Putting aside personality differences, who is responsible for taking the 1st step to break the ice? I'm inclined to believe that, with personality differences put aside, the responsibility is then equally shared. I'm also inclined to believe most will agree with my standpoint (or am I wrong in this inclination?).

Now, what if the players are now different - between a manager and a subordinate? Again, putting aside personality differences, who is responsible for taking the 1st step to break the ice? Is it the manager? Is it the subordinate? Or both? Or neither (it's purely an issue with personality)???

I'm a firm believer in taking the responsibility, no matter with whom I'm trying to establish a relationship (a potential friend, a family member, a girl I'm interested in, a colleague, my manager, etc.) to make the 1st move, and subsequent moves, to facilitate the relationship building process. I believe both parties need to break the ice. Why? Simply because, you want to get to know the other person, and you want him/her to get to know you. You want to understand and accept, and be understood and accepted. I believe in relationship-building, all parties are equals.

However, my experiences, both personal and from observation of others, lead me to conclude otherwise - if you are a manager, you're in for challenging times. But why must this be so? Is it just a question of personality types, or are we in actual fact, developing a dangerous mindset? Do we leave it to the manager to make the 1st move? If he's/she's trying, do we facilitate?