A saleswoman's winning move

She stopped me while I was carrying 2 shopping bags in each hand. It was raining this afternoon and my feet were wet. “sorry, I am really not interested in your products.” I said grouchily.

Not easily backed down by a simple refusal, the young woman continued pushing her product. She beset, I fenced. She persuaded, I refused. Then she execute her ultimate deadly stroke “How old are you boy? Twenty something?”

I ended up buying what she was selling. Flattery always win.


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Birthday

Celebrating one’s birthday can sometimes be a demonstration of one’s ego. Just check out on Simon Cowell’s recent 50th birthday where images of his face was everywhere : projected on the wall, on the cake, waiters wearing masks with Simon’s face etc.

Emphasizing one’s birthday party launches the message “Look, I was born on this day, I am special, let’s celebrate! Me me me me me…” but what is there to celebrate? To drink to one’s birthday also indicate the praising of his arrival into the world. But what is so great about his arrival? Most of us hasn’t contribute much to the world except consuming its resources.

Maybe the only person worth honoring is our mother. In order to bring us to this world, she endured 10 months of hardship, further sustained tremendous labor pain and trauma.

So our birthday is not really about us. It should be an occasion to show gratitude to our mother who gave birth to us. No amount of birthday cakes can repay her but we can start by giving our love.


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Public Apology

Finally someone in Singapore joined the league of high profile adulterers; The latest celebrities being Tiger Wood. Like him, our local breed comedian turned self taught director Jack Neo was made to publicly apologize in front of a group of journalists and reporters. Apart from the theatrics, tears and flash lights, I ponder why there is such a necessity. Shouldn’t the matter be conducted between the husband and the wife? Since when the people in the street has the right to know other’s extramarital affairs? Forgiveness can be begged in the privacy of their home, why involve the public?  

“He is famous and he is a role model for youngsters.”

But they did not force others to take him as a role model. The public picks them as their role model. They are famous for their job only. They have no obligation to up keep their morality. In the end, it is revealed that they are, like the rest of us, less than perfect. When we make mistakes like infidelity, we don’t apologize to the whole world. So why should they?


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