thin king

The joke is on you.

Katie's mother, Polly, was getting exasperated coaching
her repeatedly on some of her school subjects.
"Why are you so forgetful? Your memory seems to be
weak, this is very bad!" she said.
Katie replied softly, "But grandma told me many times
that a weak memory is good."
"Is that so?", said Polly, "I am your mother, and
I am telling you that weak memory is bad!"

However, later, Polly went to see her mother, saying,
"What is this that you have been telling Katie about
a weak memory being good?"
"Oh, it's like this," grandma replied.
"You know that I have been very bored watching some
of the same old video movies. Well, since the time my
memory became weak, I have been enjoying every re-run
as if they were new movies. Isn't that wonderful?"

"So, that's how it came about." Polly murmured.

After that, Polly spoke to Katie, "I think you should see
grandma and find out why she said that weak is good."

So, Katie asked Gracie, "Grandma, why do you say a
weak memory is good?" Gracie, realising the problem,
said, "Oh oh, I was saying that in jest. You see, in a way
I do enjoy watching the same movies again because
I can't remember much of what I had viewed before,
but then I also cannot narrate the story to anybody.
A weak memory is, urgh, partly good in some way only."

Katie went back to Polly, "Mother, grandma was only
joking about a weak memory being good."

Polly remarked, "Yes, a good joke, on you."

Have a good day.
Ronald

Hello hellos,

Reciprocate ricochet boomerang

Ed and Joe were buddies.
They lost touch with each other for some years.
These two shared a strange relationship.
They were friends who jibed at each other more
out of their relationship than what friends do.
One day they passed each other on the golf course at a distance.
Joe recognized Ed first, so he shouted to Ed and waved his arm.
Ed looked and saw Joe shouting at him with his arm in the air,
unable to hear what Joe was shouting.
So, Ed also raised his arm and shouted back,
"The very same to you."
That aptly settled whatever was intended.

Long ago a famous scientist theorized,
"For every action there is an equal reaction."


"I love the wonderful mangoes from my neighbour's tree,
so I buy durians for him when the mango is in season."

"I wish people 'Good morning first, to get it going'. "

"She does not usually smile.
So, when I smile at her she smiles back."

There is a maxim,
"Do unto others as you would others do unto you."


There is another maxim,
"Do not unto others as you would
others not do unto you."

"I do not want her to attend my party,
so if I do not go to hers she will not come to my."

"Do not give their children angpows,
or they will give angpows to our grown ups."

"I will not cheat anybody,
because I do not like to be cheated"


Do all these sayings make people adopt the simple
habit of reciprocating in our day to day relationships?

"My neighbour gave us bakchang,
so I gave her mooncakes."

"Her mother made us a butter cake,
so I must bake them a pudding."

"She paid for my lunch,
so I treated her to tea and ice cream."


Is reciprocating a good way to respond
to a favour or a gift?
Reciprocating does quickly pay off all
the good intentions.
Would not the usual 'much obliged' or a
'thank you' do?
Reciprocating should not be a burden
to devalue a friendship.
Goodwill and kindness do not seek
any sort of payment.
Reciprocating makes ricocheting balls
out of people.


There is also a saying,
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth."

"He thumped the floor at night,
so I turned my radio loud loud."

They let car wash past my gate,
so I showed them hand signs.

"They bullied and killed us,
so we suicide-bombed them."

"They bombed us,
so we terrorised them."

A famous leader had to remind his people,
"A tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye,
this will make us all toothless and blind."


Have a nice Sunday.
Ronald

Good morning,


Are oxymorons classy blondes?
Linking such is understandable.


An oxymoron is a word describing a contradictory phrase,
a phrase that does not seem right, but which carries
a strong emphasis nevertheless.

Many examples of oxymorons are shown in the following
paragraph.

"Ever noticed that it is simply impossible to find
seriously funny oxymorons online? The only choice
is to ask one of those paid volunteers at the library,
the ones in the long-sleeved T-shirts, for an
original copy of some obviously obscure documents
that were found missing amongst some paperwork
almost exactly one hundred years ago."

Playing with oxymorons can be fun.
It will naturally increase one's vocabulary.

01. It is an open secret that they acted naturally
when they sold the original fake painting.

02. He was trying to be seriously funny telling us
a real joke.

03. The scene was pretty ugly when the boys
fought for the larger half.

04. The situation was seriously funny when they
made her up almost exactly like the clown who
was discovered missing .

05. The headmaster's timely arrival produced a
deafening silence before the noise reached a
minor crisis.

06. That he became a student teacher when he
was a teenager is old news.

07. She said that wearing tight slacks and eating
jumbo shrimps were her favourite loves.

08. He was pleasantly shocked to learn that
his aunt had left him a meagre fortune.

09. The inmate was painfully happy to meet his
meddlesome counsellor again.

10. To some a leisurely run is a more relaxing
exercise.

11. They were clearly confused because their
calculations did not show the same difference.

12. Small children can be helpfully destructive,
they can also be obstructively helpful.

13. The anxious patient said that it was awfully nice
for the boss to make his stay in hospital a working holiday.
He also said that he had a restless sleep the night before
because there was a silent alarm some close distance
away. He thought that there might have been a clever fool
or a perfect idiot hiding somewhere nearby trying to
make his stay a traumatic vacation.


Have fun with oxymorons.
Ronald

Good Sunday to all,
Relax and enjoy life.


Hairy the hare & Totis the tortoise


Hairy was lazing nonchalantly beside the big tree when Totis rambled by.
"Hello, slow coachie", Hairy greeted Totis.

"Who's the slow coachie?" Totis retorted. "Have I not bested you in a race
before? You are a loser, losing your memory also!"

Hairy responded, "Oh, that was not a proper race. You were so slow that
I had to stop and wait for you. And I waited until I fell asleep! You can
never beat me in a real race!"

"Excuses, excuses; a loser always has an excuse", Totis reminded Hairy.
"Losers never knew about strategy or tactics, or anything in a race. You
only know how to spurt until your energy ran out, that's how you lost.
Get wise, hare!"

Hairy felt insulted. He challenged, "If you are so clever, why don't we
have another race?"

Totis replied, "Very well then. We can have another race. And when
I beat you again, you have to say 'Totis bested me in a race '
whenever we meet again."

Hairy accepted, "That's fine. And when I beat you I shall call you
'Slow coachie' anytime I like. And to show my confidence, I will let
you decide on the nature of the race. I will beat you anytime any place",
Hairy boasted again.

Totis responded, "Alright then, you cocky fellow. We shall have the race
now. You see that big tree yonder, directly ahead. Whoever touches that
tree first will be the winner."

Hairy was so cocksure of beating Totis that he said, "I will give you a head
start, so that there can be no doubt that I won the race more than fairly."

So, Totis sauntered along, while Hairy waited for a while. When Totis was
some distance away, Hairy made a move. Totis knew what he was doing,
and he went along steadily. He also noticed that Hairy was coming up fast
behind.

Soon, Totis was ambling up a sharp crest. He stopped, turned around,
raised himself high and laughed loudly at Hairy,
"What is taking you so long?"

Hairy came up fast, but then he stumbled awkwardly down the slope into
the lake as he tried to brake his momentum. The lake was hidden from
view before the crest.

"I now give back your head start", Totis shouted after Hairy.
"Ha ha ha, ho ho ho, and away we go!" Totis sang. And with that he slid
down the steep slope into the lake.

And from then on the race took on a new nature. The advantage of the
race changed hands. Totis just paddled along, whereas for Hairy he had
to swim. He managed fairly well initially, but very soon his fur became
a drag. And the harder he exerted the more tired he became, and the
slower his progress.

But just as he was thinking that he might not make it, he reached the
shore. And with a great gulp of relief he climbed out of the water.

"What took you so long?", Totis's voice greeted him. Totis was resting
beside the target big tree, smiling as a tortoise would.



Have a nice day.
Ronald

Good morning to all,


Are Humility and Meekness Virtues?

Humility and Meekness are virtues. They are recognized as such,
but they are not often well respected. A friend of mine once
declared, "Do not mistake my meekness as weakness."
Besides confiding this to me, David also told me a story.

There was a time when he was watching a couple of new
colleagues playing ping pong. He was just sitting there, resting
and watching them play. Later, when one of them quit, the other
spoke to David, "Can you play?"

"A little bit", David replied.

"How about playing a game with me?" LowWah asked.

David obliged, and the two of them tried out a bit of play. David
was out of touch, and he did not handle the ball well. LowWah
suggested, "Let's play for $1 a game, just to keep the game alive.
I give you 10 points."

David accepted, "O.K.", not saying much more.

Well, David beat LowWah, although the outcome was hard to
predict.

"Hey, David, you are not bad, considering you play this game just
a little bit. Can I have a chance to get back my $1? And this time
we play level?"

"O.K.", David agreed.

Well, they played the second game. And again, David outplayed
LowWah.

Then David opened his mouth, "Would you like to get your $2
back in another game? I give you 10 points instead?"

Naturally, LowWah readily accepted. So, they played the third
game. And well, David beat LowWah again.

David said, "Looks like you must have worn yourself out after so
many games. I tell you what. Let's play again for $4. This time
I play with my left hand; you have the chance to have all your
losses back in one go."

LowWah could not believe this. But his brain worked very fast
over this opportunity. "Surely he can't be ambidextrously so good.
I can't let this chance to get my money back pass by", LowWah
told himself.

So, they play the fourth game. And you know what? The humble
David beat LowWah again.

David said, "Now, LowWah, you don't have to give me the money.
Just buy me a lunch instead."

David and LowWah became good friends.

"Do not mistake my meekness as weakness."

Have a nice day.
Ronald

Hello hello,


Senses and Sense


The ears hear
The eyes see
The mouth says
The nose smells
The skin feels
The tongue tastes

The ears hear sound
The eyes see sight
The mouth says thought
The nose smells scent
The skin feels touch
The tongue tastes sermorh

When one hears and says
what one has heard,
that is hearsay in motion.

When one sees and does
what one has seen,
that is seedo in action.

When one smells and tastes
what one has smelt,
that is smeltaste, sample food.

A hearsay is a rumour.
A seedo is an imitation.
A smeltaste is eating free.


Have a nice day.
Ronald

Hello to all,


Nursery Rhymes and hidden values !


Hey, diddle, diddle,
The cat and the fiddle,
The cow jumped over the moon.
The little dog laughed
To see such sport,
And the dish ran away with the spoon.


This short nursery song has been classified in the nonsense
category, rhymed for rhyme's sake. But, is it really nonsense?
And it would certainly not be if a name like Nostrademus
had been appended to it. You see, all these predictions had
come to pass, it is just that people don't see the significance
in this kind of language.

Cats to-day can play the piano and more even, although we
don't appreciate their music; what is a fiddle and a piano?
Anybody ever got waken up at night by a feline jamboree?

When people lie on a grass slope while the moon rises over
the hill as a cow passes over it, wouldn't the cow be walking
over it, no need to jump, ha ha ha!.

Dogs do laugh, they can see humour. People cannot laugh like
dogs too. Enjoy their laughs or listen to the neighbourhood
canine orchestra in the evenings or at night.

There is nothing nonsensical about the dish running away with
the spoon; it had been doing this all the time, only to a lesser
extent nowadays. Hotels used to have a long history of this in
the past. Forks, spoons, dishes, cups etc. would all be dumped
together with the leftover food, to run away, only to be recovered
by the employees' accomplices and then sold for whatever to
supplement their wages.


Little nursery rhymes like this are classics.
They have enabled children all over to learn,
to sing and to laugh, the best laughter ever.

People find ways to capture all kinds of music;
waves, rain, wind etc. but not the best, because
they don't know about the laughter of children.

Especially the laughter of the little ones as they
play, any of their own game in their own way.
No music can match that kind of laughter!


Have a nice day.
Ronald

Good morning to all,


Wise Monkeys' Business

A monkey, named KaoAik, suddenly realised that he had matured and
had the ability to see things in their proper perspective. It occurred to
him that he was able to distinguish right from wrong. And being able to
know what is good and what is evil gave him a proud air to strut about.
He had become wise, he thought to himself.

One day, KaoAik met the wise old monkey, LauKao, sitting on a branch
of the big tree watching some young monkeys quarrelling and fighting.
KaoAik asked LauKao, "What is going on is evil, is it not?" LauKao, like
all wise beings who never gave a direct answer, replied,
"Evil is with him who evil sees."

KaoAik was puzzled by such an answer, but he knew better than to bother
LauKao further. He went away with a frown on his face. Later he met his
two friends, KaoGee and KaoSar. These two, noticing his perplexed
countenance, asked him about it. KaoAik explained the whole thing and
posed LauKao's answer to them. They also could not give him the answer.
But after discussing it among themselves, they figured that it must mean
that one learns evil by seeing evil. They also concluded that this theory
applies to the ears and the mouth. And all the three of them believed
themselves very wise.

Then they set about to stop evil from spreading. They found a place at
the crossroads, the main big tree where all monkeys pass by. They sat
in a row on the main branch, KaoAik covering his eyes, KaoGee covering
his ears and KaoSar covering his mouth. Since they see no evil, hear no
evil and say no evil, they would not spread evil. This was the message
they wanted to spread around. They were doing their moral civic duty.

Many monkeys passed by, but they thought that these three monkeys
were playing a game and ignored them. And LauKao also came by. To
Laukao, the act of the three of them covering their eyes, ears and mouth
with both their hands was very foolish, they could fall and injure
themselves.

LauKao spoke loudly, "What are you three doing, putting yourselves in
danger?" The three wise monkeys were rudely shocked, being scolded.
But, having got over that, they explained what they had learned from
him, and said that they were trying to stop evil from spreading.

But LauKao scolded them all the more,
"You fools! Evil is he who evil does !"


Once, there were SEE NO EVIL,
HEAR NO EVIL, SAY NO EVIL monkeys

Then, there came a DO NO EVIL monkey;
thus there are four wise monkeys !


Have a nice day.
Ronald Koh

Good morning,


Wet Markets Warm People.


In the neighbourhood of Bedok, both the North and the South sides,
there are at least six wet markets with their adjacent hawker centres.
Out of these, the one at Block 58, Bedok South, stands out beyond
compare. It is a market where customers return even though they live
afar elsewhere.

There are not much grand facilities here, yet the crowd that attends
the weekends is overwhelming. The whole market is surrounded by
car parks, on the north, the south, the east and the west sides; yet,
on any weekend morning, parking here is a big hassle. There are five
coffee-shops, and these are as crowded as the food courts at the
shopping centres during lunchtime.

More people attract more of others. Stand-up demonstrators come
regularly to promote their products, all sorts of products; and all
this in a way bring household needs to people's doorsteps. These
promoters are really skillful. They are able to sell vacuum cleaners,
pots, pans, mops, wall-hangers, induction cookers, and a range of
others things, selling them at prices even higher than those at the
big stores. Many of the shops are now fronted by mornings only
vendors who display their goods on the floor or portable tables, doing
very brisk business, and disappear before lunch time. On top of all
these, there is music blaring from two or three CD sellers.

That this market is very popular on weekends is not an exaggeration.
Even the koyot-man or snake-oil man comes.

Why has Block 58 Market become so popular and drew customers
from afar? Some give credit to the famous mee-rebus stall, the
pancake king goodies, or the Jago Close fried carrot cake, while
others maintain that it is the warm relationship between stallholders
and customers. This latter reason has got to be the main draw,
relationship bonds.

When hawkers talk to their customers, when hawkers enquire about
a spouse who did not come, when a fruiterer tells a customer that his
fruit that day is sour, when a fishmonger tells someone other ways of
cooking a fish, when a butcher tells me the quality of the day's pig liver
or explain the different cuts of meat, when they greet us even though
we were not buying, when an older hawker addresses us as ah-hiar
and ah-chay (elder brother and elder sister) and not ah-peh and ah-soh
or uncle and auntie, all these acts do mean something.

When one shops at a wet market one buys from a human being;
whereas when one shops at a supermarket, one buys from a display.
Perhaps this explains why wet markets did not vanish.

Vive la wet markets!

Have a nice day.
Ronald

Good morning,


Eternal Enemies & Perpetual Conflicts


In the vast fertile plains of Serengeti in Tanzania, Africa, there
live many kinds of animals. And as in any animal kingdom,
animals prey on animals. Out of the many predators, two share
an unique relationship from the others; the lion, the king of the
jungle, and the hyena, the mean-looking little fellow which stood
up against the king. These two are notable because they are
eternal enemies; the majestic king and the tiny ferocious carpetbag
of toothy ugliness. A lion can easily kill a hyena, so can a pack of
hyenas bring down a lion. In a land where the supply of prey is
inexhaustible, in the form of the huge herd of wildebeests, it is really
unimaginable why these two predators should be enemies. But the
fact is that they are, and they will always be, eternal enemies.
Who can explain why?

In the human world, there is a parallel enigma, the perpetual
conflict between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law. Who is
to explain how and why they are as they are. Searching back
through history is not likely to reveal any answer, as history will
uncover more of this conflict. Just as fictitious stories about this
abound, factual stories about it are just as many.

There was a case where a forbearing father tried to bring peace
to this conflict. He presented a scroll with a beautiful calligraphy
containing a single Chinese character, the character meaning
Tolerance. Alas, this proved futile.

"I say this for your own good".
"Don't be kaypoh".
"I don't care".
"You are spoiling them".
"You should improve".
"This is my life".
"You should change".
"Why do you do this?"
"I am not doing anything wrong".
"Aiyah, what have you done?"
"I don't like this".
"I am doing my best".
"I do what I want".
"You are doing wrong to the family".
"Mind your own business".

Words like these hit and stay, and it is difficult to relate who
said what. Who is right and who is wrong? Does it matter?

The peace-maker gave up.
He could have spent the money on a cruise instead.

Human nature is very complex to fathom because the problem
appears simple enough. And a very fact is that daughters become
mothers-in-law too and have their own daughters-in-law; and this
transition does not happen very far down the road. So, why cannot
they break this cycle of perpetual conflict? Why do they propagate
this bickering to their own misery?

Lions and hyenas are eternal enemies in the animal kingdom.
Mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law and perpetual conflict in
the human world. Is this a flaw or a law of nature?

Is there no one wise enough to solve this problem?.
Perhaps they are wise enough not to try!

Have a nice day.
Ronald