Self Denial

Looking into the mirror, Alice says to herself, “I am not fat. My friend Suzy is fatter than I am.” Whether Suzy is actually fatter is not important. The reality is: Alice is seriously overweight.


And that is not Alice’s real problem.
Like so many people, self denial prevents Alice to give a truthful judgement on herself. She cannot achieve any friendship in her forty years of life. There’s not a single friend. Why? “All people are so wicked, they are bad towards me. They are not worth being friends with.” She says. What about your failed relationships? “Those guys are bad, they only want to make use of me.”

It is easy to put all the blame on others, isn’t it? It would be so much easier if we are completely honest to ourselves, our defects, our merits, our problems. Why fool yourself?


The point of no return has now arrived. Not only is she hysterical, perpetually suspects that her daily movements are being observed and analysed, she possesses signs of schizophrenia: disorganised speech and behaviour, hallucination. There is always something going on in the mind. All sorts of things.

“If I says YES, what would his reply be? If he replies A, how should I respond?”
“If I says NO, what would his reply be? If he replies A, how should I respond? What if he replies B? What if he does not reply at all? What happens if he replies one day later? I would have reminded him. Then what he would think of me?” it permutation goes on and on, eating into the brain, laying off her sleep.


There is still hope for medical help now provided that she is willing to. “No, there is nothing wrong with me. I am perfectly happy and well.” Then why you cry and wail for hours everyday for the past 2 months? No normal person does that.


“I am well, perfectly well. Suzy is not. I am well.”


Ps : The names mentioned above are fictitious.



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Kim Kardashian

Can someone please stop this insanity? Or at least put some sense to this unwanted invasion?


I know that sometimes redundant news are pulled in to fill the papers or magazines, (because A-list celebrities can be busy having babies, preparing for a movie role, or upgrading themselves) but do we really need to have Kim Kardashian every day? Seriously? Her publicist deserves a raise for working this hard to get her mentioned in every gossip reading material on this planet on a daily basis.

Yesterday it was about Kim trying to block the sale of her sex tape, today is regarding her bitter row with her brother. Her multifarious way to make headlines is comparable to Lady GaGa’s costume change. I noticed the title but not the article as nothing of this neither talented nor interesting girl could amuse me.

By the way, Kim Kardashian who? She is not an actress or a singer. However, she is a good student, learning well from the previous “news queen” title holder, Paris Hilton. What these girls are thinking? What do they get from having huge media coverage? Or the blame is on the journalists? If they think we need such characters to boost our self esteem, then they can bang their head against the truck… just to wake up.

No, the world does not need Kim Kardashian.

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911 - 10th anniversary

As we approach the 10^th years after that shocking terror attack in New York, documentary films flock the tv channels : Interviews of the victims, their family members, comments given by mayors, religious leaders and of course the inevitable horrific images of the collapse of the twin tower. It is without doubt one of the most grievous incident of the century. The program is now being watched in the tv as I write this. Fortunately the tv room is at the other side of the house.  No, I cannot bring myself to watch the painful tragedy again.

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MTV VMA 2011

last week’s MTV VMA 2011 was such a joy to watch. Apart from the performers giving their best in front of the audience and above all, their peers, it seemed like a big party with old friends enjoying themselves on stage and in the audience’s seats. Artists of every genre laughed at themselves, not taking themselves seriously. There was no tension and no apparent rivalry. They expressed mutual respect for each other’s talent and hard work.  The arrival to the award had been toiling. Everyone knew that. Everyone had been through the hard struggle to fame. That is what music is all about. To bring everyone together. To celebrate life.

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Italian and Swiss drivers

Walking the streets of Ticino province, (Southern part of Switzerland, border with Italy) it is easy to distinguish Italian drivers from the Swiss. The Italians drive at a faster speed and often talking with one hand holding his cellular phone, the other hand on the steering wheel. If they are not smoking, they will be chewing a gum with hostility. You can hear their car growl urgently from afar.


The Swiss drivers treat their cars much better. Not only they are gentler and slower, they are quieter. They do not play loud music with their windows down. However, the Swiss are very bad in orientation. Once outside their country, they have difficulties with directions and remembering them in subsequent visits.

Another litmus test: try stopping by a zebra crossing. Approaching Italian cars will accelerate, one after the other as if you are invisible. The Swiss cars will stop waiting for you way before you arrive the zebra crossing.