Seraphical Dreams.

: :[[ THE GIRL ]]: :

ruth.lee.li.sian aka sweetieruffie
december 5
christian
singapore.sydney

...

::[ [ ADORES ] ]::

jazz.r&b.ccm.accapella
flowers.horses
pink.purple
soft toys.teddy bears
care bears.strawberry shortcake
guitar.piano
scrapebook.making
eating.ice-cream.subway
chocolate.chocolate.chocolate
billy.bombers.milkshake
my friends.family
travelling.backpacking
toiletries.grocery stores
oil.painting.dancing
korean.music.movie.drama
asian.soup
honey.cinnamon.oats
mexican.turkish.korean.vietnamese.food

...

::[ [ ABHORS ] ]::

onions.garlics.spring onions
whiners.slanderers
cold.weather
odours.dirty toilets
rude.people
spider.roaches
physics.statistics

...

::[ [ WISH LIST ] ]::

korge.keyboard
attend.jazz.fest.in.new.orleans
taylor.guitar
go.horse.riding
honda.red.jazz
personal.kitchen
travel.round.the.world
dessert.buffet
~~new.watch~~
~~new.settler.bear~~
~~macbook.laptop~~
~~oakley.sunglass~~

...

::[ [ AFFILIATIONS ] ]::

mensa.singapore
nanyang.primary.(nyps)
nanyang.girls'.high.(nygh)
national.jc.(njc)
national.university.of.singapore.(nus)
national.institute.of.education.(nie)
university.of.sydney.(usyd)
hope.mission.centre.sydney
hope.sydney.church.
trinity.christian.centre.(tcc)
lutheran church of our redeemer.(lcr)
youth.with.a.mission.(ywam)
girls'.brigade.(gb)
scripture.union.(su)
sydney.dance.company.
...

"And we have this treasure in jars of clay
to show that this all-surpassing power is from God & not from us."
~ 2 Corinthains 4:7~

...

::[ [ TAKE A PEEK ] ]::

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...

"Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised."
~ Proverbs 31:30 ~

...

::[ [ DREAM OF THE DAY ] ]::

Friday, December 29, 2006

Listening to: "Fallen" by Lauren Wood
Mood: Sleepy
Savoring: Korean Dried Squid

"Life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy."

Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803 - 1882
Letters and Social Aims [1876], Social Aims

I came across an article in Readers' Digest a couple of months ago where a research was conducted to assess & rate the level of courtesy of citizens in the biggest cities of 35 countries. Surprise surprise, the top three that emerged were: New York, Zurich & Toronto.

Now, before anyone cries "Bias" since these cities are supposedly "Western", I must state that the 3 tests chosen & conducted for this assessment were simple tasks that could have been easily carried out by any gender or race or age. The first involved holding the door for a stranger behind, another involved picking up fallen folders/papers & the last was saying thank you to customers who bought small items.

What saddened though not utterly surprising was the fact that Asian countries were ranked among the lowest. I quote from the article: "The region that most consistently lacked courtesy: Asia. Eight out of nine cities there finished in the bottom 11."

Guess where Singapore was? 31st ... just above Seoul, KL, Romania & Mumbia. Well for a nation who strives to be gracious & a optimum tourist destination, I would say this is a utter disgrace. We won ... 4th from the bottom.

Excuses cited were "I didn't see" or "I'm busy" .. sounds familiar? In fact, I often get irate whenever I board the public bus & don't understand why Singaporeans do not readily offer their seats for the elderly & pregnant ladies. I remember distinctly this being taught to me when I was in primary school so it comes naturally. Offerning seats for people, holding doors for strangers behind, helping old ladies carry their heavy loads. Did I go through a different education system from 95% of the population or was everyone sleeping? Such individualism displayed by Singaporeans coupled by the want for materialism fills me with dismay.

On this note, I do think that this mindset of self-glorification & self-gratification is driven by fear. Not that in any way it makes the actions less appalling but that people driven by fear will never truely be free to love & be happy. Fear of failure, fear of poverty, fear of losing - it's no wonder Singaporeans are also ranked top - from the bottom - for level of happiness in another recent survey.

But I'm not trying to boast of how polite I am - beacuse I sincerely do feel I am only doing what I should be doing & just totally surprise how rare something that should be a norm is. Hmm .. but I must confess I am learning how to be courteous behind the wheel .. espeically to taxi drivers who erratically change lanes & people who drive so slow!! I read a line that said "Dun horn unless to warn." I found that really useful.

Well, Sydney was ranked 24th on the list so I guess I will be a citizen of a less polite city & the PR of a not so impolite city. I only pray such a trend of uncivilisation will not spiral further downwards.

"Guard well within yourself that treasure - kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness." George Sand.

For more read, check out: http://www.readersdigest.ca/mag/2006/07/polite.php

11:35 AM