MBPJ, not cut our palm trees

Just imagine my utter shock and disappointment when the palm trees which were only about 6 feet tall and which we could not wait to have them taller to block against the high tension wire pylon, were cut down instead! The person who did the job just did not have any common sense.

MBPJ, we want you to cut this

near Asia Jaya LRT station...

Three weeks ago, we went to MBPJ Aduan counter to complain about this overgrown tree behind the row of houses on Jalan 14/1 Petaling Jaya, because of the danger of the branches breaking and damaging the house roof. We were told to expect it to be done within 1 month, and only trimming of the branches, not cutting the tree. Fair enough. We thought our instruction was clear too.

When someone told you not to talk...

there must be a reason...

Wanda's dishwasher quit working so she called a repairman.

Since she had to go to work the next day, she told the repairman, 'I'll leave the key under the mat. Fix the dishwasher, leave the bill on the counter, and I'll mail you a cheque.'

'Oh, by the way don't worry about my dog Spike. He won't bother you. But, whatever you do, do Not, under ANY circumstances, talk to my parrot! I REPEAT, DO NOT TALK TO MY PARROT!!!'

When the repairman arrived at Wanda's apartment the following day, he discovered the biggest, meanest looking dog he had ever seen

But, just as she had said, the dog just lay there on the carpet watching the repairman go about his work.


The parrot, however, drove him nuts the whole time with his incessant yelling, cursing and name calling.

Finally the repairman couldn't contain himself any longer and yelled, ' Shut up, you stupid ugly bird!'

To which the parrot replied, 'Get him, Spike!'


Link

A talk that I missed...

Excerpts from a talk, The Conquest of happiness' given by Mr. Koon Yew Yin in Ipoh, organized by Perak Academy:

What is envy?

Bertrand Russell said envy is one of the most potent causes of unhappiness. It is a universal and most unfortunate aspect of human nature because not only is the envious person rendered unhappy, he also wishes to inflict misfortune on others.

Although envy is generally seen as something negative, it can nonetheless be a driving force for man to perform better or improve himself.

Individuals with narcissistic personality disorder are often envious of others or they believe others are envious of him or her. Aristotle defined ‘envy’ as pain caused by the good fortune of others.

‘Envy’ and ‘jealousy’ are often used interchangeably, but in their correct usage, the words stand for two different and distinct emotions. Jealousy is the fear of losing a loved one to a rival, while envy is the frustration caused by another person having something that one does not have.

Envy typically involves two persons, and jealousy involves three. “Thou shall not covet thy neighbour’s wife, slaves or donkey” is the seventh Commandment delivered by Moses. In Islam, envy (hassad in Arabic) can destroy one’s good deeds and therefore, one must be content with what God has given by saying Maashallah (God has willed it).

According to the Buddha, “Mind is the forerunner of states of existence. Mind is chief, and (those states) are caused by the mind. If one speaks and acts with a pure mind, surely happiness will follow like one’s own shadow!”

In Buddhism, the third of the Four Noble Truths states “to eliminate suffering, eliminate craving.” Thus, its teachings establish happiness as beyond material and emotional possession, and attainable only through an attentive practice by which craving and aversion are extinguished.

Bertrand Russell’s 14 steps

First you must know how to conquer unhappiness.

1. Don’t be taken in by melancholy

Melancholy is only a passing mood; don’t mistake it for wisdom. Prolonged sadness can lead to mental depression, a sickness associated with suicidal tendency. You must believe that you can change your mood simply by doing something different – play a game or talk to a good friend for diversion.

2. Don't get caught in the competitive treadmill

Life is always a struggle. You compete in school, in university and at work … always wanting to do better and making more money. You really do not need so much to be happy. You must know when to stop chasing material possessions and learn to be contented. You cannot be happy if you are still greedy for more and more.

Feeling happy is the only true success. Don’t work so hard until you forget how to be happy.

3. Develop the right attitude to boredom and excitement

Everyone has a natural fear of boredom. That is why one always has the urge to find things to do. Very few people can just sit down, do nothing and simply enjoy peace and tranquility (but give it a try!). Do not fear a little boredom for a certain amount of boredom in life is to be expected.

The opposite of boredom is excitement but be careful in seeking it. Incidentally, there is a recent news report from Australia that the easy availability of Viagra and other stimulants has raised the level of sexual activity amongst senior citizens (that is, those over 75) to exceptional levels of excitement. Just imagine that. Excitement is best sought in small doses and in the right places.

4. Make your worries concrete, don’t suppress them

Get a sense of perspective. Ask yourself “what is the worst thing that can possibly happen?” For example if your doctor tells you that your disease is incurable, you must realise that worry will not make you better. The best you can do is to find enjoyment every day for whatever life you have left.

On the other hand though, when you have a difficult problem, do not suppress it because it will not go away by itself. Face it, grapple with it and try to find a way to resolve it. Do what you can and believe that it will be alright when the time comes. Remember! Prolonged worrying can cause mental depression.

5. Don’t envy, admire!

Since I have already touched on envy and jealousy at the start of my talk, I only wish to add this: Enjoy what you have for its own sake. Don’t compare yourself with others who are more successful than you.

When you are sad, compare yourself with people who are in a worse situation.

More where that came from:

http://english.cpiasia.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1874:the-conquest-of-happiness&catid=211:koon-yew-yin&Itemid=156
Link

In other words...

Most, would have been through this at one time or other... as a prospective son-in-law or daughter-in-law, being introduced to future parents-in-law. I have been through it before, and at my present age, have been through as a prospective father-in-law too... though not necessarily successful! My wife used to quote another in a similar situation, 'Don't bring them back unless you are serious with the person!' But nobody can tell how it would turn out later and I am sure the new generation guys and gals have their own problems of matching personalities and careers which could take them far apart for unhealthily long periods.

There are cases where future uncles and aunts were asked for opinions, some gave theirs without having to ask. Generally, once steady, most will be polite enough to give positive opinions unless, by nature, he or she is used to calling a spade a spade. But what a difference it makes when it did not turn out! All the 'I told you so' and 'I knew...', etc. will be heard.

The following story is just one example, and supposed to be funny:

God will provide

A young woman brought her fiancé home to meet her parents. After dinner, her mother told her father to find out about the young man.

The father invited the fiancé to his study for a talk.
"So what do you do for a living?" the father asked the young man.

"I am a biblical scholar," he replied.

"A Biblical scholar. Hmm........", the father said. "Admirable, but what will you do to provide a nice house for my daughter to live in?"

"I will study," the young man replied, "and God will provide for us."

"And how will you buy her a beautiful engagement ring, such as she deserves?" asked the father.

"I will concentrate on my studies," the young man replied, "God will provide for us."

"And children?" asked the father. "How will you support children?"

"Don't worry Sir, God will provide," replied the fiancé.

The conversation proceeded like this and each time the father questioned, the young idealist insisted that God would provide.

Later, the mother asked, "How did it go Honey?"

The father answered, "He has no job, no plans and he thinks I'm God!!"


Link