“It’s silly to say ‘thank you’, quipped the five-year old to his grandfather who told him to thank an aunt for the birthday present she gave him. I wonder what our children learn today? The word ” thank you” seems fast becoming obsolete to the extent that when it is said it raises expressions of surprise, amazement, annoyance, puzzlement or unresponsive indifference. People don’t understand its meaning anymore. Continue reading “The value of “thank you””
Author: jasminetea2
A free lance writer interested in people and ways of living. An adventurer in reality and explorer of fiction. A solitary animal by nature.
Sweet Solitude
Sometimes the noise and the crowds in daily life get too much to bear. The incessant demands made, the rush to meet deadlines, the obligatory chores bring on episodes of near insanity, confusion and mental fatigue. Life becomes so contradictory that even words are jumbled, thoughts fragment and melt away like wisps of mist evaporating in the sunlight. It is hard to focus, hard to hold a sensible, logical thought. Nothing makes sense anymore. My mind shuts down. Continue reading “Sweet Solitude”
Rohingya – Where to Now?
The long standing tragedy of the Myanmar Rohingya community was brought into sharp focus with the initial find by Thai authorities of mass graves on the Thai-Malaysian border. Continue reading “Rohingya – Where to Now?”
Progress in degradation
This year so far has been like light years gone by as the country advances towards further deterioration in humanity, intelligence and a rise in unjustified authoritarian heavy-handedness. Continue reading “Progress in degradation”
The Doldrums
It’s one of those dark days, the sky is crying; we move around in this semi-twilight whatever the time of day. It’s been like this for several days now, but today the darkness and damp seem particularly oppressive. It never rains but pours, sheets of water spilling off the roof like an overflowing bucket. Continue reading “The Doldrums”
Little chiefs Big heads
In the world of Little Napoleons a little power can be a dangerous thing. Yet, it is something so common with petty officials who quite often seem to follow their whims and fancies operating in their own miniscule fifedoms behind office desks or service counters. Continue reading “Little chiefs Big heads”
Deeds always come home to roost
I am reading an interesting story set in 1960’s Louisiana, USA, on the political race for Governor of Louisiana. The central figure of the story is an ambitious woman who aims to attain wealth, power and status at any cost. Ambition is perhaps, the secondary driving force for her push to fame, fortune and power, as her main objective is to ‘get-back’ at those who have humiliated, insulted and overall belittled her in the past. This book was published in 1960, but its relevance to today’s dog-eat-dog social environment is so apt, I can’t help but relate to and identify with it.The story is presented through the eyes of people who knew her well on her climb up to the pinnacle of her ambition and begins at the end i.e. her funeral. As I have not yet come to the end of that story, I will not say more about it, but must put down the thoughts it has inspired so far. Continue reading “Deeds always come home to roost”
Yam is not raspberry
Certain Malaysian run eateries in this country seem to think that customers don’t know about food. In a boutique café, one day, running through a menu of light desserts, I spotted “raspberry ice-cream”. Ahh, that would be wonderful on such a hot day, especially when I’d already had a cup of coffee and hadn’t treated myself to an ice-cream for ages. Continue reading “Yam is not raspberry”
Odd but Realistic
Looking at the theme I’ve changed to from the last one, that solid row of houses by the shingle beach in Bray, Co. Wicklow, Ireland, I felt it was just too everyday and deceptively safe in contrast to some of the things I talk about. Continue reading “Odd but Realistic”
Criminalizing the innocent
An immigration round-up took place in a small suburban village near the harbour on the Penang mainland on the eve of a Muslim holiday. It was the 13th of October 2015, after 11.00pm when most families were settling down for the night. Immigration vans loaded with enforcement and RELA personnel arrived and surrounded a block of low-cost flats and were later joined by a convoy of lorries. Continue reading “Criminalizing the innocent”
