Really, do I OWE you?

Unbelievable, but just a few days ago I came across a video posting of a politician from back home. In it, he, of the so-called 'son of the land' people, had made comments, very animatedly, very strongly about what he felt on people of the so-called 'immigrant race from the east', which of course I am part of.

He had, unfortunately, said that we owe it to them for being here. We were and are allowed to stay here, reap the fortune of the land, enjoy the fruits of our handwork but here in their land and grow economically strong simply because we had been given the chance to do so in the first place, by them. Perhaps, I am short-sighted, but that was what I perceived when I heard his remarks. Of course, my views are only of my own as I didn't bother search and investigate the reasons behind the utterance of such comments, nor did I bother to re-listen to the video, to study word by word, if I had indeed taken his remarks out of context.

Watching that video left me in disbelieve, since to me it totally belies the propaganda that his chief introduced. To be one, to be a nation. However, just to be honest, back at home, this mentality is not uncommon. We all have known this since the beginning of time, I suppose. What made this a little hard to chew was hearing the words coming out from an elected representative of a constituency. It really made me think that after all the years of hardwork, we are still no where near of being peacefully in acceptance of everyone as brothers and sisters.

I buried that thought after that, thinking that would be a one-off from that guy. But today, as I was browsing through the news from home, again, a line from this person caught my attention. He was reported as saying a delay in the giving out allocations to a Chinese school, read non-national school, was such so that the Chinese community would 'repent and realise' that they should be grateful.

I am but speechless. Am I too harsh in my thinking that we are all equals?

Seeing REDs in the City of Angels

Currently wasting my life in Southeast Asia's City of Angels, I cannot but fathom how come the rallying can keep going on even after blood has been spilled. Does the value of the human lives mean so little? Is it more important to be uphold what you think is a noble cause for greater good of a nation, than keeping steady and safe environment for the people?

The clashes between the Reds and the Authorities are really getting out of hand. I am stuck here, penning unwanted shallow thoughts, simply because it's not easy getting around this city if you rely on the public transportation system. The last time I went out, which was last night, a number of their train stations remain close.

It's bewildering. The places I went to while all these commotions are taking place, were just like normal. Everyone was shopping or promoting or chatting around. Roadside stalls were there, the customers were there. The taxis were there. The O-jets were there. The tuk-tuks were there. The traffic was there. If I had been so ignorant of the happenings, I would even laughed if someone told me that bloodshed happened just two nights ago.

The subtle indication that I witnessed when I was out and about last weekend was when I was a little too close to the shopping haven district. Then too, I only saw a handful of Reds passing by on bikes, trucks, or cars, some with flags, and some shouting some propagandas, I supposed.

Unfortunately, they left me with a very negative impression. It was a scene unlike back home, when sometimes, in the late night, you might see a group of intoxicated motorcyclist who don't have anything better to do than to roam the streets and act out, instilling unnecessary fear into other motorists and endangering others with their thoughtless antics as they treat the highways as their personal playground.

While it is not for me to decide, I really do hope that they would just back down, both sides. Agree on a truce. Whatever it is that they can come up with, I don't really care. How the lives were lost doesn't not matter to me. What matters is they were lost already. Your fight is irrelevant.

I don't feel sympathetic for both sides. The Reds for being so stubborn and allowing things to escalate until this level. The Authorities for not dealing a strong, firm hand and allowing things to escalate until this level. I just want to read other, more interesting things.

The Reds may believe that they are pushing for a path towards a greater democratic future for their people, but until they can learn how to tolerate and sit down and discuss on a round table, even if they gain power, this cycle would always be repeating, with each quarter accusing each other of being unfair taking the reins of power. We have, after all, the Yellows and the Pinks already. What's going to stop them from creating the Blues, or perhaps even the Greens or the Blacks?

Regurgitate

Take it all in

Breath it all in

That you can do

Ooopps!

That you must do

No blue pill

Neither red

But you cannot control the urge to

Regurgitate

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.

One should learn from one's mistakes. Always. Try and do the hardest to learn from one's mistakes.

I was cracking my head to look for this saying. I had the meaning in my mind, but somehow, try as hard as I did, the complete saying did not materialized. In the end, I had to rely on the powerful tool of Google to get my 'Yeah' moment.

The meaning of this saying is simple and straightforward enough for anyone to understand. You are a fool if you cannot learn from your mistakes and experiences. This thought had been lingering in my mind for a few days now. The feeling of me being a complete fool, being fooled twice into making the same mistake.

I will not wallow in self-pity. I do not deserve that. It has all been brought unto myself, by myself. Perhaps my oversight? It might be due to my short-sightedness. Then again, it might have been only due to greed, impatience and voraciousness and nothing more. What ever it is, I am now in a rut that I tried so hard to bury but just failed.

And so, the conclusion that I can make is only but I am a fool, stuck in a rut, trying hard to dig herself out, but ending up suffocating herself with even more.

So apt. I just realized that this post will go under April. I guess this makes me the April's Fool, too.