Be Nice

Some sort of satisfaction and appreciation is imperative and necessary in everything we do.

Some sweets and chocolate, a warm cup of coffee or tea, some encouraging words and thoughts, a pat on the back, a simple hug or handshake, a friendly smile or some kind words....... can do wonders in our lives and our circles of people.

We like and love them....

Children are waiting for them....

Teenagers are working for them....

Even adults are yearning for them and seeking after them....

And our age old parents and grandparents are crying and mourning for them....

Children are smiling from ear to ear, laughing heartily, jumping up and down, running to and fro, once in a while peeping at you, speaking with many words of thanks, showing many expressions of appreciation.... just for your kind deed or gesture that you often take for granted....

Oh! A little concern and consideration for them is all that matters. And in no time, you will discover that they are the helpful and friendly lot.... always wanting to come near you....

Sometimes I wonder about the spanking, verbal abuse, and other negative approaches on children....

Are they all that necessary?

Should they be done away with completely?

And just how much positive impact we hope to achieve from all those actions?

A little smile, a pat on the back or a kind word can really help to spur them on, turn them around, and push them forward to reach their goals.

Then we move towards our working and social environments....

So much pushing and yelling....

So much scolding and lecturing....

So much stern actions and measures....

So much bilious comments and negative attitudes....

And the many selfish judgments and accusations of others....

And the many self-righteous thoughts, stares and ways....

Oh! My goodness! What have we become?

And let us look at the ways we treat our age old parents and grandparents....

How we have acted strangely aloof and distant from them all....

And those cold shoulders and icy stares....

And those long-distant negligence and occasional trunk calls....

And those absentees and deserters during festivals, birthdays and special occasions....

And those impolite cutting short of every conversation with them....

And those sudden outbursts and extreme rage / loss of temper....

*******

Sometimes I wonder how we can go on doing and living like these....

Or have someones in the family, social circles and work places bragging like these....

Time for us to make a positive change and be a good man.

A little appreciation....

A lasting satisfaction will be nice for a start....

A friendly smile and some kind words will be cool for the day....

And a nice parting smile....

Just be nice.

No One Would Come

There was an old man in the village.

I knew him as a very proud and stubborn man.

50 years ago he married his wife from a very far away village, 100 miles away.

The wife was very pretty, friendly, outspoken and frank, but very rude, quarrelsome, hot-tempered....

She would very often poured out her grievances and complaints about her husband, her husband's village, her love and desire to go back to her village, her unhappy conversation here or her unfair treatment by someone here....

The husband would just ignore her, and continued doing his works, or left the house to look for his friends....

The quarrel and fight would last for days and weeks....

Very often the wife would pack her bags and left for her village with the children....

Few weeks and months had passed and the man would then bring her wife and children back to the village....

The unhappy relationship continued for years and it affected everyone in the family.

40 years ago, the wife decided to call it quit and left her husband for good.

The man complied, never once visit his wife's village again....

He stayed alone in his small house in the village ever since....

Many events, festivals, birthdays, and special occasions had passed....

The men remained on his own, not willing to relent or give up a bit....

The wife and children were happily living and celebrating together.... and waiting for him....

The men seemed more set in his decision as the years went by.

Nothing seemed to move and perturb him.

The children had grown and were successful in their carriers.

The wife was having a good time, living with her children in the city.

The man had retired from government service and was living alone in the same small house.

It would have been widened and built in double storey, had the wife and children been around....

The house looked very old and forlorn, so was the man....

Then the children came to visit the old man, staying with him a day or two....

Then they brought supplies and cleaned up the house for him....

Then they brought their family along, staying for a week or two....

More electric appliances and device arrived....

Then the wife came....

She was still very outspoken and frank, but less quarrelsome and hot-tempered... And she mixed well with people from the surrounding houses.

The old man looked the same....

No sign of happiness and homeliness....

No smile or laughter except to his good friends....

The family finally gave up....

And left him for good! (Sigh!)

Then one day the old man fell sick and was very weak....

He couldn't move much...

For many weeks he just lay down on a lazy chair...

A good lady next day would come to feed him, gently clean and mop his body every day when she was free....

Mind you, they had been enemies for years!

Many weeks had passed....

The old man was still lying down....

Getting weaker and weaker...

The old house looked very quiet and empty....

No one was there to see him....

Except the tv, switching on 24 hours a day....

The empty house still rang with the sound of children laughing, jeering, playing, giggling, telling stories.... He could still hear the wife cooking, singing, and talking from a distant.... And it was fast getting away....

The old man turned his head around, looking more worry and sad....

No one in the house....

No one near him....

And He couldn't even move....

Rows of tears running fast on his face.... again and again....

He was crying and groaning in pain...

But no one would come....

No one except the good Samaritan....

No one....

No one....

Life Is Life

It was late evening.

I was driving home bringing my family from the airport.

My son was back home from Kuala Lumpur.

It was raining heavily

The wiper was running in full speed. It sounded extremely rough, almost as if it was about to fly off.

The air conditioner was freezing cold.

I tried to drive very slowly but I still could not get a clear view of the road.

Everyone in the van was speechless and lost in thought...

The children were enjoying their short nap, listening to their headphones.

My wife was busy helping me paying a closer look at the road conditions.

Once in a while, vehicles sped through, dirt and water splashed up from the tires to the front windscreen.

Sometimes motorcycle riders sped through in groups.

It was really scary driving in the rain when we were not used to it at all. And with the lightning flashes and the thunder roars....

But the journey was on and I was bringing my family slowly home....

*******

Vaguely I could see a house on the side of the road as I turned a corner.

It was a really small house, built of cement blocks, with the size of a room.

There were no neighboring houses around....

I remembered many times seeing an old man sitting on a stool, fanning himself slowly under the morning sun.

I didn't see anyone else looking after him.

It was a nice small house with electric and water supplies.

I presumed the old man must have a TV too.

But I had not seen the old man again for a long while....

The house now looked empty, more lonely and haunted than ever....

*******

Life is a journey.

It's a pass through.

We can drive slowly and behold everything more carefully.

Or we can speed through and chase after everything we want.

But at the end of the day, when we reflect on everything we have done, we will discover just how little we have learned.

Life is a journey of self-discovery.

It can be fun....

It can be cool....

It can be lonesome....

Life is life.

Be Still And Know

Some colleagues are running up and down to get their work done.

They are busy all the time, and seldom take a break.

They sweat profusely and continuously.

They look disorganized, confused and directionless.

They are easily angered, bad-tempered, mean-spirited, suspicious and angry.

No amount of talking, advising, coaxing, soothing or comforting can calm them down.

*******

When we go near them, we hear them complaining...

....There are so many things to do....

....So and so is not doing their share of the workload....

....The deadlines are too short....

....They don't even have time for personal things....

....They miss their private and quiet weekends....

These and many more are causing them to pull their hairs out in frustration....to scream and shout to show their anger....to protest and complain to everyone until they are heard........

*******

If only they know the cure....

If only they know what they need to do....

They really need to calm down and stop talking....

Sit quietly and see others in motions....

Then they will realize the stupidity of chasing after the wind....

Life is simple and pleasing if we realize the importance of getting organized and doing things once at a time.

Every sunrise will become sunset....

Every storm will calm down....

Every rain will create rainbow color....

It is a beautiful world to enjoy its blessings.

Let's take them and use them according to our needs.

My Mind Goes Rambling Again

I wonder when will I be able to get out of these rambling and troubling thoughts!

Now that the school is opened, everyone is so excited about what they are doing.

The students are busy getting ready for a new school term. More needs to be learned and discovered through education, preparation and self struggle, and a bright future of progress and prosperity is awaiting them.

The teachers are busy getting ready for a new school term. More needs to be taught and practiced by the students before their coming tests and exam.

The non-teaching staffs are busy getting ready for a new school term. More needs to be done to maintain and improve the school environments so that they are more conducive and stimulating for teaching and learning.

I wonder whether it is the call of duty that makes them work.... or because they are self-motivated and have a strong desire and initiative to work in accordance to their new year's resolution.

Whatever is the reason behind, the school stands to benefit....

Moving through the school compound and talking with fellow teachers can be real fun and provide great resource for sharing and learning.

It is a common sight to see new teachers walking hurriedly, rushing to class to begin their first lesson.

Then they are seen busy looking around for teachers in charge of textbook distribution, requesting text books for their students....

Of course, there will be the usual few teachers lazing away in the staff room or the canteen, chatting away and doing not much else.

Nothing much to pity them really, except the occasional sympathizing thoughts that they are stuck in the teaching of the same age group and grade level, that they have become burnt-out and discouraged.

Talking further with them will lead to more grumbling, complaining, moaning, and groaning.

In fact it will be much better for everyone if the persons choose to quit or retire earlier....

And that's life.... the senior teachers will retire in due time and many young bloods will join the teaching line and take over.

Work is fun and enjoyable if we put our hearts in it.

But the thoughts to compare and contrast among fellow colleagues and friends will only create more rifts than it mends. It is just not worth the while.

Nonetheless, that is what we notice as we look and move around; we are greeted with the usual respectful and awkward silence....

There, we still have the usual cliques and factions, always wanting to be different, distinct or distant from others.

There, the assertions, speculations and perceptions that "this is my friend. That is your friend" is still rampant that it needs no mentioning.

But is it worth the while?

After years of living and working together, I wonder why we still act, behave, think and speak like a child....

I am giggling, smiling, and laughing to myself as I recall a common saying, "This is mine. That is yours" that I used to hear and follow during my childhood days....

Oh good Lord! Why have we ended up like this? Real shame on us.

It is time we make a switch.

It is time to get into the habit of giving, sharing, helping, caring, and loving for one another as the days, the months, and the years proceed.

Those suspicious and jealous eyes, those sharp and poisonous tongues, those big and smelly mouths, those arrogant and pretentious looks.... those that always spoil the atmosphere and stop one from speaking as one ought to... should be left to disappear and perish.

Oh poor humans with so many wasted thoughts, feelings and doings... so many wasted life and wasted years....

Is it worth the while?

There, my mind goes rambling again....