Picatho's causeries

Sometimes, closing one eye is better then opening both eyes to perceive the situation when looking at things. Occasionally, "mou gan thai" (closing both eyes) even provides better general state of things.

"Closing one eye" does have 2 conveyances. One is by closing one eye to look at thing, you'll definitely get a sharper focus and special emphasis attached to it. Just like the moment, when an aged person is supposed to pass a thread through the needle's hole; a shooter is aiming towards an object. Usually, they would close one eye to perform the job.

Another one is, appearing to be perceived with a fussy situation by closing one eye to look at thing. So that one may simply take a well chosen answer with "I don't know" when being asked for that particular thing. It does also have an implication of corruption when the term is used in political compositions.

The act of "closing one eye" is now largely exercised by many people as well as caretakers upon social services. Regardless of others, I am finding myself to be fond of closing one eye too!

It was a Monday blue this morning. Having been waken up early in the morning by the body clock, I could only manage to open one eye (in sleepy eyed) to throw a glance at the clock. Yet it was so reluctant to jump out from the bed....

A quick taking on the Guang Ming Daily enlightened me that 54% of Taiwanese didn't believe Ah Pian's "obscure" claim over the burgeoning corruption scandal. The scandal involving the Kaohsiung MRT project, according to an opinion poll made by UDN news in Taiwan. Otherwise stated that Ah Pian was all the while "closing one eye" on the issue. It provoked me to leer at the headline by using one eye (dubiously)!

When I supposed to bank, I found that it was a chaotic noon at Sbg. Jaya as where the order of parking had turned awry. And curiously, the seasoning blue-shirted summoners were not visible. My immediate assumption was that they might be "closing one eye" in favor of coming festivals. So I also "closed one eye" (regardlessly) parked my car elsewhere.

Bulging from the office, I was flopping with sleepiness and a sudden yawning had irritated one of my eyes with tear secretion that caused me unable to open my both eyes.

Back at home, Ping Pang Ping Pang, there was another "closing one eye" even for the availability of firecrackers.

Perhaps, It was an out of the blue "closing one eye" day!

I was having a trek with my old partner this morning with good grace at Hutan Lipur Sungai Sedim.

A 40 minute driving from Kulim High Tech Park, heading north to Mahang, then turning left to Sedim took me to the destination.

It is a rustic recreation park covers over hundred of acres. The natural forest and stream remains unscarred. It is a thriving tourist destination, especially for family picnickers, hikers and back-packers, where visitors will be charmed by the natural body of running water flowing on and on; and the natural jungle.

Ideal for camping or just eating alfresco beside the stream offer complete exaggerated feeling of well-being amid the fore landscape. Desire of watery is just a foot way. Shady trees that shelter the park make it an idyllic spot for couple.

For an activity of exerting yourself, there are many small mountains for you to trek on. On top of that, night safari is also available for expedition too.

Pic 1 - my car parked at the core area (car park) of the recreation park.

Pic 2 - the "tree top walk" high ways offers a “jalan kaki" in the air.

Pic 3 - one of the spots of flowing water.

Pic 4 - one of the campsites.

We had sweat and senang-senang until sunset. Then in between the returning journey, we stopped at Hutan Lipur Ulu Paip (just located near Kg Karangan) where there is a lakeview seafood restaurant, we took our seafood dinner there. One deep fried fresh water fish + a plate of vagi + a plate of steam cooked fresh water tortoise = RM35.50 inclusive rice & drinks. Seronok!

This morning I met a writer, Mr Wong Hoey Yeam, the former Youth Secretary General of the Malaysian Federation of Chinese Assembly Halls, who is now a regular columnist for Nanyang Press.

We had a very good exchange of views on cultures, politics, peoples and renowned writers. I learnt that he used to read an average of 4 to 5 books a month, the ability of which is my inept at reading.

We were uttering from west to east and finally we'd descended our foci onto Li Ao.

Ong having acquainted with Li Ao since his social visits to Li Ao during the last Chinese Eighth Moon festival. Ong is also a devoted reader of Li Ao and has collected over 90 books of Li Ao.

Base on Ong's descriptions, I'd gained the diorama of Li Ao and had come to know more about the another aspect of Li Ao as follow:-

Li Ao (born April 25, 1935), who is a writer, social commentator, politician in Taiwan, satirist, scholar, former political prisoner, and is also a member of Taiwan's legislature.

He’s just returned from China for his 10-day cultural trip on Sep 19, 2005. Li Ao strongly supports the idea of "one country, two systems" proposed by Deng Siaoping. He believes that the unification of China would bring more beneficial for Taiwan.

Most people consider Li Ao as a writer of ladida, solitary, horse-shitted, goofy and lofty. But he hasn't regarded himself as a writer because his name is not listed into the 900 over pages of Taiwanese Writers Records Book which has been registered with 706 writers so far. Therefore he opts to become a social commentator cum actor.

Li Ao's life is full of fluctuations between hope and despair. He seldom weeps over his own unhappiness but he'll weep for the misfortunes of friend and love affairs.

During 2003 & 2004, he suffered a great dismay. First was the departure of his beloved mother that had stimulated his feelings of being old shaped and had influenced him to retire from the screening of "Li Ao Tai Ko Tai" TV programs. But somehow he'd later on resumed his TV show as a host of "Li Ao has word to say".

Another incident was his operation of prostate cancer. Being a historian, his first astonishment was a self questioning of "shall I purportedly become the second Sima Qian?" (1st major Chinese historian who was castrated and jailed by Emperor Han Wudi. At the mere sight of his underlings he was seized with terror...).

His political inclinations are more controversial; he is an outspoken Pan-Blue supporter given much media exposure thanks to his popularity as a writer. Todays, he has found his own political dissidents from being a famous TV speaker.

Li Ao is interestingly known for generally appearing in public wearing a Fred Rogers-like cardigan sweater.

Li Ao also has a habitual usage of affixing his talks with numeral quotes such as Gandhi's "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others"; Vladimir Lenin's "An unfaithful friend, is an enemy"; and one of his own quotes "Everyone does have weak point cum good point, my weak point is - I like to tell the truth; my bad point is - I'm becoming more joyful upon my weak point".

My abstract: His bitterly speeches against other Ah-Bian's followers has received much international attention and accolade from the papers as well as the peoples of China. Although Li is a dissident writer and popular cultural figure equipped with historical talent, he's inevitably not a good husband!

Companies must be equipped with suitable people in order to function his/her jobs effectively.

What if an enquiry was putting into a dilemma of - Please hold on ... music ... hallows, please hold on ... music ... Mr Chin is not in ... hold on ... don't know where he's going ... hold on ... Mr Yong also not in ... hold on ... also don't know where he's going ... I've no idea on your case. In such a case, certainly the inquirer will be encountered with jagged teeth.

This happened to me this morning when I was calling a developer (whose logo is embossed with "Superbrands") in order to get my property be transferred quickly from procrastination.

After being juggled around, my anger was suddenly erupted. I then told the girl that although you're the innocent one but I still have to censure out my accusation.

I told her that since you all people didn't understand polite English, I'd no choice but to speak "vul-glish" (vulgar English) with you.

So I blurt out: "you pukima had to wait and see to tell whether your manager was in or not, what's the hell you all people are doing, go ask your motherfucking manager to call me back".

Few minutes later. The "vul-glish" was successfully comprehended with a fast returned call from the said manager.

Once I picked up the call and before he could make any answer, I immediately threw him another "vul-lish": "kanlineh, you wrote to my lawyer that the transfer couldn't be effective without any supportive reason. As far as what I knew, Strata Title had been given out many years ago yet you're defaulting Strata Title Acts, some more you'd collected consent fees from me, you thought you're a crocodile hak!"

"Sorry Mr Tan, because .......", he eventually explained.

Perhaps, that's the Malaysian ways of corporate (where white rats are reared) answering system.

Ba Jin (Li Feiren), who born in Nov 25 1904 in Chengdu, China, has died on 19-10-05 at the age of 101.

He was honored as "the conscience of the Chinese people in the 20th Century" by The Sichuan Daily of Chengdu.

Ba Jin, was quoted as a writer who had engaged in a crusade for justice, freedom and quality as reflected in his masterly works "Family", "Spring" and "Autumn" and his "The Trilogy of Love" which were set against the background of oppressive feudalism.

The philosophy of his seeking neither money nor fame in his lifetime is what I'm looking up to. Together with Lu Zun (1881-1936), whose philosophizes about the study of the nature and meaning of existence, reality, knowledge, goodness and literary criticism etc., are profoundly delighted and grateful.

Lu Xun chose to begin writing the way people talk. Any scholar worth his salt would have written in this literary style. I'd read Lu Zun's The "True Story of Ah Q" sometimes 35 years ago and we, schoolmates, at that time, were almost practicing the spirits of Ah Q.

One of the spirits is "don't afraid of no-money, if you just have a justifiable heart". But this remark is not longer applicable in today's society. Now is - no money no talk world, where if you don't have money, you better walk into a side street. If you're still reckoning on "you're right-human right", you might be subsequently treated as a dog! Or else a chauffeur would simply run over you!

Another one is "once people spits on your face, never-mine, just rub it off and pretend that nothing has happened". I don't think now I have this kind of "small people" (belittled) Ah Q spirit. I would certainly fucking back for my self-regard against those shammed assaults.

The most reality one, is one of the revolutionary theories of Mao Zedong (1893-1976, former chair of Communist Party of China). It was quoted as “fills your stomach first, then talk about revolution".

So what? Find the salt to feed your stomach first before you could do anything!

Any man worth his salt will stick up for what he believes right, but it takes a slightly better man to acknowledge instantly and without reservation that he is in error. - Andrew Jackson

"I admired PM Badawi's (who has lost his beloved wife yesterday) 40 year's marriage. And how you organize your marriage for 30 over years?" One of my clients asked me.

After a moment of informal conversation, I read from his eyes that he must be having some family problems resided. He finally told me that he had been cooped with "cold war" with his wife for many years.

For the sake of helping him, I shared him some tactics of how to reduce tension at home.

Couples who have great marriages aren't lucky, they were dedicated. It's a partnership of hard-work in common believe fabricated at the mercy of understandings.

First and foremost, I condemned him as an idiot of the total gross. Why? Because I know him well of his "bull" character (no talebearing).

Well, actually what's the cause of a high percentage of home tension? Miscommunication and lack of tolerance.

Soul mates are created over the course of day-to-day living. How to communicate well is a big lesson. Simple rule is first to evaluate each other's character, then use the "acid test" method to create a besting way of talking.

For example, if your partnership is just like a chicken and duck relation, you've to use a straight forwarding method to talk, in addition with body language. If your partnership is like a pair of professor and junior student, a theoretical way of talking will not do.

Don't completely believe what love guru's says and don't just take other's case as a blueprint. You've to approach communication completely different ways. The ways that’s applicable for your partnership relation.

A simple phase of requesting something - "pass me that thing" can be refined into hundred ways of expression. Do try yourself by attaching few affixes onto the space of prefix or suffix. Or using passive voices. The sensations will totally be different!

Chinese proverb said, "if you respect me 3 marks, I'll repay you with 4 marks of respects." It's a basic of courteous regard for people's feelings. If you use "please" then you'll get a return of "Ho" (okay), a human character of natural responding.

The next is tolerant. Anger is very real in all of us. A life without anger is unrealistic. Man used to @!&$% and woman used to gag with tear and blowing nose.

Quite often that I used @!&$ as a prefix into my talking with friends and I gained back a courtesy of another $&!@. And curiously friendship became closer. But the application of same way into your partnership life will only bring you a Vietnam war or Berlin wall.

Anyway, “self-control” is the keyword of good remedy.

Disagreements or conflicts wouldn't 100% be resolved with win-win situations. Otherwise there would be no Iraq war. When come to a dead-lock situation (where x+y=0), the healing way is one party should have to dissolve or absorb or taking a reverse gear (if x=0). Since it's of lady first, man gonna to take the loser's end! (therefore y=0)

Chinese depicting it as "zhik hwang lean“ (eating yellow lotus seed - takes it) of which is good for man's health! Why not, man, thinks it over!

When angry, count 3; when very angry, swear; when very very angry, go elsewhere; after angry, bring back some ware; finish angry, love affair. - put3put4.

The main agenda of MCA nowadays is longlife learning. But most of its fronts are old folks. They want to learn something new, most probably the IT, Isn't it? I guessed.

The trope is "Can you teach an old bird to sing?" By rights you can. I tell you the possibleness within the metaphors.

It reflects the widely held stereotype that older people have difficulties in adapting to new methods and techniques.

Studies consistently demonstrate that older employees are preceived as being relatively inflexible, resistant to change, and less trainable than their younger counterparts, particularly with respect to information technology skills.1

But this metaphor is wrong.

The evidence indicates that older workers (typically defined as people aged 50 and above) want to learn and are just as capable of learning as any other employee group.

Older workers do seem to be somewhat less efficient in acquiring complex or demanding skills. That is, they may take longer to train. But once trained, they perform at comparable levels to younger workers.2

However, the ability to acquire the skills, knowledge, or behavior necessary to perform a job at a given level - that is, trainability - has been the subject of much research.

And the evidence indicates that there are differences between people in their trainability. A number of individual difference factors (such as ability, motivational level, and personality) have been found to significantly influence learning and training outcomes.3

Age, however, has not been found to influence these outcomes. Only they may take longer to learn.

1. L. Festinger, A Theory of Cognitive Dissonance (Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1957)
2. A.W.Wicker, “Attitude versus Action: The Relationship of Verbal and Overt Behavioral Responses to Attitude Objects,” Journal of Social Issues, Autumn 1969
3. Ibid., p.65