The Impossible Dream

Susan singing "I dreamed a dream"

If dreams are easily attained, then perhaps they aren’t dreams. They are just mere possibilities. If I am rich, there is no need for me to dream of owning a mansion. That is after all within my reach.

In the case of Susan Boyle, her dream appeared so preposterous that the audience afforded her looks of cynicism and contempt. But dreams are made in the face of all these setbacks. Just because she appears dowdy doesn’t mean she’s  empty inside. And the fact that she doesn’t come in the shape that one desires doesn’t make her unattractive.

My dream is that one day East Malaysian English and West Malaysian English will be found in English dictionaries. What are the chances?? Talking about chances, perhaps it’s good to listen to what Don Quixote has to say about the impossible dream:

Beware what you say

The more languages we learn, the more we realise that all languages have their own quirks. At times misunderstandings arise from our incomprehension of the phrases used.

I remember a friend of mine who was disappointed with his exam results. My immediate response to that was ‘What a shame’.

He was taken aback and expressed his displeasure in these words “There’s nothing to be shameful of!” I didn’t expect him to be ignorant of this common expression. In fact, I was equally shocked.

Thank God the whole thing didn’t turn out acrimonious as I quickly explained to him my true intent.

65 Roses

If you want to have a good laugh, the person to your left is the man. You can get hold of his books from any of the bookshops in the world.

Click on the excerpt below to listen to one of his hilarious encounters with a student:

Sixty-five Roses

Ask and you shall Receive

We were shocked and horrified when a couple just walked by our front yard early this morning and cut away a few of our pandan leaves. Either they were oblivious to our presence or it was sheer brazenness that prompted them to act in that manner. Some may argue that the tiny plot of land running along our fence is government property but it wasn’t the government that planted them.

We would happily allow them to take some if only they had the decency to ask. Could it be the price hike? Then we truly have a lot to worry about.

It’s ironical that children are taught to precede their request with ‘May I’ and here we have two adults who couldn’t care less about common courtesy. No wonder the Lord reminds his disciples to be like little children. Children after all are malleable and teachable. It is harder to teach old dogs new tricks.

Cheap? What is that?

Mom has this way of looking at the value of things not from the price tags attached to them but how these items are going to serve her. That has helped me in deciding what to buy and what not to buy over the years.

Apparently the cheapest book that you can lay your hand on is deemed expensive if you just chuck it into your shelf to collect dust. A book’s primary function is to be read and not just for display. Otherwise, money is spent unnecessarily on more shelves for these white elephants.

We can say the same for other valuables. What is the point of buying expensive jewellery when it is adorned for a day and kept for 364 days? Or why spent so much on LaLane juicer when it is put into use for a few times in a year?

Hence the notion of cheap is pretty deceptive. Mom got herself this leather bound book which was pricey in those days. She didn’t see it that way because the book has served her well. And me too.