All that junk you can't dump

The story as told below almost applies to me, and I was simply collecting things, and while doing it, I would always muse to myself that 'this thing' has some use in the future.

Well, almost always, about 1% - 5% really is having some use afterwards. And what better way to be able to throw out what isn't needed than to have a spouse who is always on the lookout for 'keeping and throwing' things?

We have moved from a 3-room to a 5-room flat, and I'm always thinking when she goes on to her 'spring-cleaning' spree, we already have 'some space' to spare, so what's all the fuss now?

Turned out that our 'extra space' is really some extra space, and is not intended to be a storage for junk. So now, I'm also on the lookout now and then, so I don't 'contribute' to the trash build up.

Not to say that I don't have any 'collectibles' in the store room, but it is now down to minimum. Anytime you want to go in the storage, you can. And what you would find are usable and functional items.

I remember what one manager told about last time. A spare can of paint, if you want to store, you mark with a date. Put in a 'date of expiry'. The next time you visit the storage, check it out. If still not used by that time, then, though painful from the idea of 'separation and wastage', as is usually the internal battle that ensues in the mind, get on with it.

The satisfaction and freedom from doing so will have more beneficial effects later on.

For the news article, read the story below.

Feel free to leave a comment.

TODAYonline | Health | All that junk you can't dump

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No Hate Posts

Image via CrunchBase

About 2 years ago, I put up my blog in blogger.com, after my friend told me of putting up one, as a means of expressing my thoughts, an alter ego. At that time, although I have been hearing and seeing, and actually reading his blog and some others, I didn't really take it into heart as something that I should urgently do. I delayed some more days, more weeks, before I finally put up one.

A novice in this new arena, I simply just collected some stray thoughts, posted it, and let time slip before the next log was posted. When I picked up on the frequency of my posts, and with every log I post, I am reminded that my blog is open to everybody, to anybody, who would search, dig, or stumble upon it, with the technology and miracle of the World Wide Web.

What did that revelation instill in me?

That I should have no hate posts.

I know, there are many moments when the world don't seem to be fair, when the things happening at home, at work, at play, or anywhere else, when they don't go our way, and we don't like it, the fast and easy way of diffusing our anger, our angst, our pain, our frustration, is the internet, the blog! And what better way than to go to your room, shut the door, flick the switch on, and before you know it, you have spilled out yourself, your guts, all over the internet, through your blog.

And posts like this, after a few days, when you have gathered your wits, when the head is cooler, when the pieces are better fitted together, lo and behold, when you read your own blog, your posts, you can't take it in! And you feel so ashamed… of your blog, or yourself, of the world…

So I made it a point from the start that I should save myself from this damning experience, from this mournful event, and that I should have 'clean blog', so that anytime I look back at it, and anybody who find it, dig it, stumble upon it, will not find anything that will make them immediately leave and not want to come back, and tell friends to beware, lest they fall a victim of one hate blog – NO, I have made it a point to save my blog from hate posts.

May it remain till I'm done blogging… by then I will not have to answer to my Lord about one blog that didn't manifest a changed life, proclaiming instead the goodness and love of my God.

May my blog serve its purpose: real, sincere, relevant, beneficial.

Till then.

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A novel place to hawk credit cards

Talk about flexibility and ingenuity…

-----

by Alicia Wong

05:55 AM May 13, 2009

YOU'VE seen them at bus interchanges and inside shopping malls - and now, credit card promoters have even set up shop at hawker centres.

One bank, Standard Chartered, has engaged marketing company Appco to promote its Platinum credit card, which it is now doing, at hawker centres, for instance, at Holland Village and Adam Road.

At the Adam Road hawker centre yesterday afternoon, Today spotted four promoters outside one of the entrances. Theirs was a casual set-up - a table, chairs, banner, laptop and printer.

Dressed in office wear and toting brochures, the promoters said they had been stationed there for the past week to catch the lunch and dinner crowds.

They look out for likely applicants and approach them as they enter, or else wait for the diners to finish their meal and leave. "It's (a good strategy) because we get a different crowd everytime ... no one eats at the same place all the time," said one promoter.

Another promoter said they were not allowed to enter the hawker centre and speak to people while they ate, as that would be akin to touting.

Diners who are interested can apply for a Platinum credit card on the spot. They just need to produce their identification card and access the Internet to print a copy of their monthly CPF contribution statement as proof that they earn more than $30,000 a year.

Today understands they average some 10 sign-ups a day.

Some patrons were surprised at this novel marketing move. One civil servant said: "This is quite inappropriate. People would like to enjoy their food, rather than make a decision (whether or not to get a credit card)."

But permanent resident Serge Landry, 44, who was spotted flipping through the brochure and trying to decide if he should sign up, felt it was "good if you have the time to listen".

When contacted, Appco said it needed its client's approval to comment; StanChart was unable to respond by press time.

From TODAY – Wednesday, 13-May-2009

‘Humans are too clever’

04:02 PM May 08, 2009

MM LEE: I read an analysis ... This man said, for thousands of years of agricultural societies, the only source of energy was the sun which limits what they can grow, what animals can feed on the grass, what population you can sustain. Then came the industrial revolution ... (driven by) fire and coal. Coal is stored solar energy. Then they found oil; also stored solar energy.

Now ... they got this experiment to make two atoms collide and see whether they can generate power like the sun. So man is trying to generate mini suns, that can go on forever. But when you switch it on the whole thing burns up. So man has not found a way ...

And if we do find out what’s the way, will that solve it? I don’t think so. We’ve become too clever by far. If we find a solution to energy, the world will be overpopulated ... In 50 years, we are expecting 9.5 billion people from 6.3 billion now. You find a new energy source, we’ll become 80 billion people in the next century. Then what?

So I think sooner or later, the human being must come to terms with the fact that this planet called earth can only sustain so much. You go beyond that, you destroy your habitat.

MODERATOR TOMMY KOH: Haven’t they learnt that already?

MM LEE: If we’ve learnt that, why are we still doing these stupid things?

From TODAY – Friday, 08-May-2009

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