Winking at Life

Green Guardians- Greening Up

Green bush standing in a dry lawn and green hedge.

Well, what happened to my green guardians? The rains started to trickle down in mid March, and I felt completely justified in putting the survival of the green guardians in Mom’s garden at the top of the list in this small experimental effort to save fast evaporating water. Continue reading “Green Guardians- Greening Up”

X-Men and LGBT

This post might seem controversial to some readers, but I would prefer to look at the topic of sexual orientation and gender/ trans-gender issues with an objectivity devoid of so-called moral or religious judgment. After all, being outside the LGBT community, doesn’t give me any right or qualification to judge anyone who knows what life of persons of the ‘third gender’ is like. Continue reading “X-Men and LGBT”

21st Century Woman

Do you like being called a ‘female’ instead of a ‘woman’ or a ‘lady’? I definitely object to the term ‘female’ as a substitute for ‘woman’ as these are not interchangeable in civilized speak. From reading English historical novels, the word ‘female’ often implies an insult. Used in certain contexts, it implies someone of low-status or caste, less than human, more like an animal. Yet, in speaking about women in general and their involvement in daily events that attract coverage by mainstream Malaysian media, the term ‘female’ is often used to describe their gender. It is even used interchangeably with words like, ‘lady/ladies’ and ‘woman/women’. In contrast ‘male’ isn’t as often used for men. Continue reading “21st Century Woman”

Boy with Bottle Shoes

Charles Dickens was a socially aware writer who knew very well, the world of the poor. In Britain’s 19th century Industrial Revolution, society was engrossed in the wonders of technology and the wealth it could generate with little concern of the consequences of these great inventions or the impact they had on those who worked to keep the technology in motion to generate increasing wealth for the owners of the machinery. In Dickens’ day, the work house, child labor, merciless exploitation of workers, debt imprisonment, slum dwelling and the under-world of cut-throats, pick-pockets, thieves and beggars were the lot of the poor. Continue reading “Boy with Bottle Shoes”

Green Guardians

We’re going through a dry spell or is it a drought? Since end of last year, one side of the country had too much water and the other went perceptibly dry. Now, everywhere is becoming almost arid with water-rationing in some states. Directives emanate from the state and Federal authorities, that citizens must skimp and save water. Yes, we should do that for our own conservation. Continue reading “Green Guardians”

Is a System Right or Wrong?

Someone said, ” The hospital will ask about a person’s age, when you call emergency services to send an ambulance. If the person is quite old (possibly between 80 and 90 years old) it seems that this emergency won’t be treated as an emergency.” It is easy to think that this sounds reasonable, as an aged person is naturally at Death’s door and should be allowed to go as quickly as possible. What bothers me is, whether de-prioritizing emergencies involving persons of advanced age is playing God? Who has the right to decide when you can die, even if you were 100 years or more? Continue reading “Is a System Right or Wrong?”

An Unhappy 2014

Happy 2014 to all my kind, appreciative readers, the very best is wished for you as always. Whilst, we feel good and hope is high, at the moment, many people probably view the coming year with apprehension. Last year was a real ‘party’ that left some of us devastated with the sheer exhaustion of trying to cope with the situation. Continue reading “An Unhappy 2014”

Sham Christmas Goodwill

A Christmas Carol (1982 film) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

After the late night movie “Babel” on Malaysia’s NTV7 which ended around 2am, I accidentally flicked to TV3. It’s amazing how inverted priorities are in this country. It was quarter way into a children’s animation of “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens. At 2.30 in the morning? Which child would be awake at this hour, except for those like me. Continue reading “Sham Christmas Goodwill”

Yuletide Coming In

It’s like standing on a windy beach watching the tide come in. At last I went away again on a long break in October, to the fair merry city of Dublin in Eire (Ireland). I always find myself standing on a seafront or beach looking in wonder at the vast expanse of blue-grey or turquoise ocean. It is easy to lose myself in revelry and nostalgia of other similar occasions on wind-swept beaches in other places washed by the same salty waves which lap or crash on shores of colored pebbles, black, white or red sand, plain granite boulders or rocks painted black by the tide. A year is like the sea. Continue reading “Yuletide Coming In”

Cheating never pays

English: SIM-Card in x-ray image. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In my travels to a few places around the globe, people in every city have common characteristics, positive and negative. Whiles the curious traveler may view those they meet with the most positive, non-judgmental attitude, the inevitable dark side of humanity will, at some point kick in. This can happen anywhere in the world. Continue reading “Cheating never pays”