yeah....Things will only get better

As cliche as it might sound, times really flies.

Another brand new (lunar) year. It's the year of the rat and oh, did I tell you I would prefer to use mouse instead of rat? Sounds more appealing.

As with every year, the typical celebrations. The so called traditions that we would want to keep; the usual chinese practice of "face"... you can't loose face yeah and so on. For the unmarried, you get lotsa ang pows ; the various goodies and snacks and I'm pretty certain the amount of weight one puts one after such festive celebrations is something that we all don't look forward too.

I'm sure this (over)indulgence in food is not something that is unique to the Chinese. In fact, it's something very universal for all cultures and races all over the world. I stand corrected though; name me a culture that doesn't have celebrations that emphasize on food. Then again, it's always us humans that spoil the whole thing. Anything in excess is not good.

We Singaporeans pride ourselves as being a multi culture, multi racial society... so much so to the extend that we speak a certain language that is only understood by us locals. Yes, the Taiwanese are mocking at us. But well, are we going to "set things right" and rebut them in typical Singapore style? After all, our leaders are known for making point rebuttals. At this junction, the movie, Borat comes to mind. Not so much about the crude manner in which the film is directed, not so much about the absurdity of the characters, but rather the man behind the movie, Sacha Baron Cohen. He being a Jew, is able to mock/joke/insult/ select word of your choice here about his race, about himself. I shall not go into the "pros and cons" and so on... just like a typical essay. How often do we get the chance to see everything and weigh the pros and cons before arriving at a conclusion?

It's not often. Information is seldom complete. But that doesn't mean that the conclusion arrived isn't a good one. Seriously I don't think I would want to turn this into some sort of argumentative article. I'm not quite good at that. However, this is exactly the point that I would like to make. Do/Must we always be correct/seemed to be correct? I look at Borat and wonder how exactly can this diplomat even exist on this world. But this is the beauty of it and something that we are all lacking.

Can't we just open up, loosen up, smile and laugh at ourselves at times? We won't die if we aren't "correct" all the time right.
Learning live and let live, learning to forgive and to forget is really an art that I believe we should all strive towards.

Our Muslims friends seek the forgiveness of others, especially their elder, during Hari Raya Puasa . While Hari Raya isn't exactly the beginning of the a new Muslim year, I believe this practice of asking for forgiveness and to forgive others is something that could be and should be incorporated into CNY as well.

Now what has all these got to do with Borat? Aiyah.. don't bear grudges, forgive and forget, don't hold it to heart. Smile and the whole world smiles with you. =)

Maaf Zahir dan Batin

Selamat Tahun Baru Cina

Kung Hey Fatt Choi!!!!