Sunday, September 10, 2006
Life is..... like a game of Monopoly
Those of you who are from my era, will definitely have played Monopoly. Heck, it was one of the popular games during my primary school days. And over the years, it has spawned many different versions: the Singapore version, the Star Wars version blah blah. I'm not sure if the younger generation plays it now... but for all you know, they may be playing the electronic version (Gawd... I feel old).
You may think that Monopoly is just a simple board game... but in actual fact, it's not. A selfish game, it actually encourages children to be ruthless. To be competitive. To be the winner: Grab all the properties, the major train stations, the public utilities, do occasional charity (when you have no choice), get thrown into jail a couple of times and wa lah.. instant millionaire! My... we were certainly Bill Gates in the making.....
So why the sudden interest in Monopoly? Well, I was reading a column and it was quite interesting. Let me tell you a story... *ahem*:
The writer, a father of 2 young children, was amused when his children came up to him after school, to tell him of this fantastic game that they played that day. It was called Monopoly. The writer said nothing, and just smiled. Off they went to the toy store to get the Monopoly set and the whole family sat down to play. It wasn't long before the children learnt that their father was very familiar with the game: the writer had all the prime properties, the major train stations and what not. As the game grew on and the children squirmed more in their seats, the writer really monopolized everything. Soon, it was bedtime and the wife tucked the sulky kids in bed while the writer cleared up the game. Needless to say, he was the winner that night. But something struck him as he put everything back in the box. He was left with nothing. Everything he had won, was returned to the box.
We can work extremely hard for this lifetime. We can work till we can't differentiate night from day; we can earn loads of money; we can have the power to make people beckon to our whims and fancies; we can buy whatever we want. But ultimately, remember, at the end of it all, everything goes back to the box. You can't take anything with you. You go back as naked as you came. The physical things remain on earth.
So... why not do some good with it? You can't take it after all. It is on this note that I want to congratulate one of my frens. He did a very noble thing. At his young age, he set up a scholarship. The scholarship is named after his parents and he is parting with a percentage of his monthly pay, to help pay the university fees of one financially struggling student each term.
You might be thinking... cheh.. only one student wat... But fees for each term amount to almost S$5k. There are 3 terms each year. So my fren is parting with close to S$15k each year. It doesn't hurt that he's an investment banker now, but wouldn't you rather spend that money on yourself? He didn't. He choose to do something with it. And I am proud of his generosity. Congrats Darren!
Remember, life is not about the end destination. It's the journey. Quality of life, not quantity of life. Your life is made out of experiences. You can strive for quantity by having the best pay, the swankiest car, the most luxurious condo. But remember, others can surpass you on that, and it's a never ending race. But experiences? They're unique only to you :)
You may think that Monopoly is just a simple board game... but in actual fact, it's not. A selfish game, it actually encourages children to be ruthless. To be competitive. To be the winner: Grab all the properties, the major train stations, the public utilities, do occasional charity (when you have no choice), get thrown into jail a couple of times and wa lah.. instant millionaire! My... we were certainly Bill Gates in the making.....
So why the sudden interest in Monopoly? Well, I was reading a column and it was quite interesting. Let me tell you a story... *ahem*:
The writer, a father of 2 young children, was amused when his children came up to him after school, to tell him of this fantastic game that they played that day. It was called Monopoly. The writer said nothing, and just smiled. Off they went to the toy store to get the Monopoly set and the whole family sat down to play. It wasn't long before the children learnt that their father was very familiar with the game: the writer had all the prime properties, the major train stations and what not. As the game grew on and the children squirmed more in their seats, the writer really monopolized everything. Soon, it was bedtime and the wife tucked the sulky kids in bed while the writer cleared up the game. Needless to say, he was the winner that night. But something struck him as he put everything back in the box. He was left with nothing. Everything he had won, was returned to the box.
We can work extremely hard for this lifetime. We can work till we can't differentiate night from day; we can earn loads of money; we can have the power to make people beckon to our whims and fancies; we can buy whatever we want. But ultimately, remember, at the end of it all, everything goes back to the box. You can't take anything with you. You go back as naked as you came. The physical things remain on earth.
So... why not do some good with it? You can't take it after all. It is on this note that I want to congratulate one of my frens. He did a very noble thing. At his young age, he set up a scholarship. The scholarship is named after his parents and he is parting with a percentage of his monthly pay, to help pay the university fees of one financially struggling student each term.
You might be thinking... cheh.. only one student wat... But fees for each term amount to almost S$5k. There are 3 terms each year. So my fren is parting with close to S$15k each year. It doesn't hurt that he's an investment banker now, but wouldn't you rather spend that money on yourself? He didn't. He choose to do something with it. And I am proud of his generosity. Congrats Darren!
Remember, life is not about the end destination. It's the journey. Quality of life, not quantity of life. Your life is made out of experiences. You can strive for quantity by having the best pay, the swankiest car, the most luxurious condo. But remember, others can surpass you on that, and it's a never ending race. But experiences? They're unique only to you :)
Thursday, September 07, 2006
If Love were Digital, it would so much less complicated
My friend said something today which made me go Hmm... I'm sure it will make many others go Hmm as well:
Fren made this comment: why is it that signals are so hard to interpret? (And by signals here, I do not mean traffic light signals.. duh.. that would have been easy to decipher). Why is it that when sometimes the opposite sex does certain things, I'm certain that he/she is interested in me, but actually he/she is not? Why can't Love be digital. Heck... it would be so much easier. It's a straightforward - Yes or No, 1 or 0.
I laughed along... and I scratched my head. I couldn't agree more. If love were digital.. so much easier. Unfortunately, love is like a time bomb waiting to explode. And that bomb, unfortunately, has many signals, and even more wires... do u cut the red one? the green one? Hey wait.. what about the blue one? You get my drift...
Have you ever been in a situation where the opposite sex treats u extremely nicely? Say, buys this for you; asks about you when your sick; remembers certain important events in ur life blah blah. You might think that the person is interested in you. But actually that person is not. It's just second nature to him/her and quite frankly, he/she may do that to others as well, just that you're not aware of it.
Look at the opposite situation: Have you ever known someone whom you hardly noticed? But if you look back, that person is always at your events, say, basketball match, birthday party etc. Where you are, they are (not necessarily stalking). That person may be interested in you, but drops no hints. The only indication, if you think hard enough, is that they are supporting you whenever they can. Unfortunately, some don't notice and can easily brush it off as friendly support.
Or how about that person who is always at loggerheads with you? Arguing over small things, picking a fight? Ironically, that person could be in interested in you as well. Just that he/she expresses it differently. That person just wants your attention and gets it in whatever way they can, even if it's a negative one.
So unfortunately, there is no clear cut answer on deciphering signals. There's no 10 year series, there's no model answer. One, unfortunately, has to look at it on a case by case basis and figure it out. If all else fails, by all means, ask up front and clear up the air. But, do be prepared if the answer you get is not what you want.
And so the time bomb explodes. You can let it destroy whatever existing relationship there was. Or, you can diffuse the situation by laughing it off. Or you can assure the person that you just needed an answer, and that everything will be fine (and u can go to a corner and lick your wounds quietly...)
Dang, I wish Love were digital... ;p
Fren made this comment: why is it that signals are so hard to interpret? (And by signals here, I do not mean traffic light signals.. duh.. that would have been easy to decipher). Why is it that when sometimes the opposite sex does certain things, I'm certain that he/she is interested in me, but actually he/she is not? Why can't Love be digital. Heck... it would be so much easier. It's a straightforward - Yes or No, 1 or 0.
I laughed along... and I scratched my head. I couldn't agree more. If love were digital.. so much easier. Unfortunately, love is like a time bomb waiting to explode. And that bomb, unfortunately, has many signals, and even more wires... do u cut the red one? the green one? Hey wait.. what about the blue one? You get my drift...
Have you ever been in a situation where the opposite sex treats u extremely nicely? Say, buys this for you; asks about you when your sick; remembers certain important events in ur life blah blah. You might think that the person is interested in you. But actually that person is not. It's just second nature to him/her and quite frankly, he/she may do that to others as well, just that you're not aware of it.
Look at the opposite situation: Have you ever known someone whom you hardly noticed? But if you look back, that person is always at your events, say, basketball match, birthday party etc. Where you are, they are (not necessarily stalking). That person may be interested in you, but drops no hints. The only indication, if you think hard enough, is that they are supporting you whenever they can. Unfortunately, some don't notice and can easily brush it off as friendly support.
Or how about that person who is always at loggerheads with you? Arguing over small things, picking a fight? Ironically, that person could be in interested in you as well. Just that he/she expresses it differently. That person just wants your attention and gets it in whatever way they can, even if it's a negative one.
So unfortunately, there is no clear cut answer on deciphering signals. There's no 10 year series, there's no model answer. One, unfortunately, has to look at it on a case by case basis and figure it out. If all else fails, by all means, ask up front and clear up the air. But, do be prepared if the answer you get is not what you want.
And so the time bomb explodes. You can let it destroy whatever existing relationship there was. Or, you can diffuse the situation by laughing it off. Or you can assure the person that you just needed an answer, and that everything will be fine (and u can go to a corner and lick your wounds quietly...)
Dang, I wish Love were digital... ;p
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Love is......
Shakespeare famously said that "All the world is a stage". If life were a stage, then, that special someone must be somewhere in there isn't it? She's somewhere in that masquerade. So what happens when u do see that special someone... and she has a partner? Alas... do u just give it all up and move on? Or do u brashly challenge the partner to a duel and winner takes all?
Are those really the only alternatives u have? I feel that there are others: Why can't one get to know that lady better? Talk to her, find out what she's really like. You don't have to go all out to snatch her away. For all you know, by talking to her, you may not like the person behind the mask. Find out her quirks. For all you know, she has chickens under that huge ballgown... And a mask is a mask, is that how she really feels? Is she really happy behind that painted smile?
And remember, the world is a stage. Acts change, characters change. Sometimes, it's just the right time and opportunity. You don't have to wait till it's the final act, where the partner finally leaves her or dies. It's always alright to extend the first dance to her. If she obliges, you're in luck! For it after all takes two to tango. If she doesn't then you back off. You can still ask for a dance at a later time.
Do you wait in the wings? You can, no doubt. But be warned that this may lead to more heartache. So know when the act has ended and move on. There are other masquerades to be at, there are other ladies in waiting.
Taking that first step is like playing poker. The higher the stakes, the more exciting it is. But, are you prepared to lose it all? Luck isn't always on your side and it is a gamble you have to take. If it is something that you have made a bet on, then you have to be prepared to play all the way. No faltering, no giving away your real intentions. Confidence is key. And even if in the end, your opponent knows your cards, and you do lose, fold your cards with a smile. Never let your opponent know that they beat you silly. Leave the table with your head held high. Should you return to the same gambling table with the same opponent, know that it is ok not to gamble. Give a smile, decline the invitation, and wish the opponent good luck. Remember, remember, confidence is key. And move on to other tables to play BlackJack! ;p
Are those really the only alternatives u have? I feel that there are others: Why can't one get to know that lady better? Talk to her, find out what she's really like. You don't have to go all out to snatch her away. For all you know, by talking to her, you may not like the person behind the mask. Find out her quirks. For all you know, she has chickens under that huge ballgown... And a mask is a mask, is that how she really feels? Is she really happy behind that painted smile?
And remember, the world is a stage. Acts change, characters change. Sometimes, it's just the right time and opportunity. You don't have to wait till it's the final act, where the partner finally leaves her or dies. It's always alright to extend the first dance to her. If she obliges, you're in luck! For it after all takes two to tango. If she doesn't then you back off. You can still ask for a dance at a later time.
Do you wait in the wings? You can, no doubt. But be warned that this may lead to more heartache. So know when the act has ended and move on. There are other masquerades to be at, there are other ladies in waiting.
Taking that first step is like playing poker. The higher the stakes, the more exciting it is. But, are you prepared to lose it all? Luck isn't always on your side and it is a gamble you have to take. If it is something that you have made a bet on, then you have to be prepared to play all the way. No faltering, no giving away your real intentions. Confidence is key. And even if in the end, your opponent knows your cards, and you do lose, fold your cards with a smile. Never let your opponent know that they beat you silly. Leave the table with your head held high. Should you return to the same gambling table with the same opponent, know that it is ok not to gamble. Give a smile, decline the invitation, and wish the opponent good luck. Remember, remember, confidence is key. And move on to other tables to play BlackJack! ;p
