Choices: Barrier to happiness?

We scream and sulk when we're not given a choice to anything. "I don't have a choice", you've probably heard this line a million times over. Just like being forced to do something. A lot of people probably realize this deep down: choices make people unhappy instead.

Suppose you have a free gift of a key chain. Now the key chain has many varieties of shapes, you have a choice of bicycle, palm tree, monkey, crocodile, and key. The catch is there are five crocodile-shaped ones, three bicycles, two palm trees, 1 monkey, and 1 key-shaped ones. Let's say you're most attracted to crocodile-shaped key chain because the design is the best of the lot. At this point, the mind obviously wanted the most 'unique' ones (read: the least quantity), namely key and monkey - it reflects the demands of the market (what else explains the quantity of 1?). It's inescapable that we have a herd mentality, we follow the crowd. Four in five experiences of given a choice, I think people would hesitate, ponder, repeat the same process, and eventually would choose either the key or the monkey.

Choosing an outfit, choosing a footwear, choosing a travel destination, choosing a phone model...you name it, we've all been through it! I believe we also went through a process of narrowing down, eliminating the obvious unwanted alternatives first, then compare benefits of the remaining ones side by side. It's a tedious task and is rewarding at the end (hopefully). Yet I can't help but think, given just one path to follow, one gift, one travel destination, one university to go to, however unfavorable the 'offering' may be, we may be happier, knowing that there's no other choice. Acceptance comes easily at that point, and we move on. With acceptance, we cease to be bothered, we cease to spend time in comparing, we cease to have worries or troubles, we cease to ponder, and we begin to be 'happy'. I'm probably using the word 'happy' too liberally here, but you know what I mean.

So, choice, or no choice?

Service that blows your mind

I once stayed in a hotel / resort in Ubud region of Bali. It was by far the most amazing service I've ever had in a long time. I'm waxing lyrical of this resort for a real good reason, I'll tell you why:

- The moment you arrived, the staff came out and greeted you with the trademark Balinese smile and the hands in front of chest gesture (namaste). First impression does count.
- It helped that the reception area is open-air. The lobby is adorned with nice soft sofa coach and a simple wooden desk for the receptionist. No grand entrance or impressive chandelier (nothing against these - it's just different)
- The staff sat you down, served you a nice cool glass of juice and walked you through every single thing you should know about your stay. Probably it's their protocol to tell the guests about their facilities and all. They're ready to answer every single question that you may have or address whatever needs that may arise.
The manager himself came out and talked to you.
- If you asked for it, they will give you the villa with the best view (it's really amazing) overlooking the Oos River. Directly across the river from the villa you can see the beautiful paddy fields which images you often find in guide books.
- Staff that is available any time of the day to cater to your needs. They're just a simple phone call away. Actually I found a roach in the bathroom but I guess with a place built among trees and plants, it's inevitable these smart creatures will find their way in sometimes. The service attendant came immediately armed with broom and dustpan and smiled apologetically as he left.

This is more on the resort facilities itself:
- Serene and tranquil villa - with CD player, magazines, private veranda, private pool, open concept bathroom the size of two bedrooms in my house, with huge stone marble bathtub. Magnificent.
- Wonderful selection of Indonesian and Balinese cakes for tea time. Aaah~ The manager and the owner came by to ask us how we're enjoying the stay so far. Quite attentive.
- A library of books and CDs that you can borrow during the course of your stay.

I suppose their planning is meticulous down to details of room arrangement, selection of breakfast and cakes, and most importantly, great staff training. Suppose all the hotels in the world can match this, it would be ideal.

I highly recommend staying in Komaneka Tanggayuda in Ubud the next time you go on vacation to Bali.

Day 4

I'm on vacation. Today is the day I really feel I am on one. Time just stood still and it's perfect.

Saw this on TV

I thought this is so COOL. It's quite long, I would imagine the sponsor is either very loaded-slash-passionate-about-the-environment or just jumping on the bandwagon of 'Green Earth' these days. As always, I can count on Youtube to deliver what I want.

Utter bliss (almost)

Let me start by asking you a question, what is utter bliss? Your own version.

To me, part of my imagination for utter bliss involves beach, waves, sun, bluest sky, and ocean wind. The other involves picnicking with your family and little children playing in a park. Another is bumming around the house and the neighborhood doing nothing. There could be zillions of other scenarios. Yet a complete bliss (for me, at the moment) is one without any thoughts.

At all.

Now that's hard. Meditation is something that's really new to me. Thoughts crossed my mind at all times; my palms have the most lines among the people I know. A fortune teller once told me that I'm prone to depression. I could be swimming and have already been thinking hundreds of thoughts in 1/2 lap. Okay - this paragraph is depressing.

Well, I'm sort of doing the third kind of bliss, bumming around with nothing to do. It's a lovely time so far. Yet as human being, I can't escape these thoughts; memories, worries, what ifs, regrets, what I should do today... To be able to clear my mind, thinking nothing, is utter bliss. It happens - maybe for a second, for the mind to bounce right back. The onslaught of thoughts just kept attacking. I shouldn't be complaining, maybe I should. I have to escape duality and let everything in. One thing for sure, it's lovely to wake up late on a Monday morning.

I wish you a pleasant week.

Oh well

I love Google Reader, it was my first RSS reader and I've been using it since it (almost) started.

Today - disappointment sets in. Never have I been disappointed in Google's products until maybe last month. I woke up, switched on my computer, checked the discussion forum page on the problem last night, and found that it has completely disappeared. No trace, no nothing. Note that it was the first topic on the board last night, and we were posting furiously. They didn't reply to my message either.

Yeah, it has all come down to this. I'm still using Blogger. If they take my blog down too, say something please. Hahaha.

Let's hope for a good day ahead.

Update

I'm participating in an almost real-time online discussion group and sent a message to the Reader guys.

Kinda good, this online problem-reporting thing. Reminds me of the things I deal with every day. So far I found out that problem is on my ISP and on Google Reader security feature. Hope they reply soon.

Fifth time

This is probably the only time I've posted more than 2 entries a day. I just can't resist.

Apparently, somehow, non-magically, all those emails seem Singaporean, as in the problem might probably lie in the ISP side.

Searched through the Help Discussion forum and fortunately I'm not the only one complaining, someone else logged the same problem a few minutes before me. They're all Singaporean users (no surprise there).

Hmm...

Fourth time

Just refreshed Reader.

The 2nd and 3rd time, I see my own email. This time, it's a completely foreign email address, NOT MINE!

NOT MINE!

Is Google looking at this???? Hello? Gooooooooooogle? Where are youuuuuuuuu???

And they did it again!

Something is seriously wrong with Google Reader.

For the third time, I am seeing things that are not mine!!!

What is going on??

Okay, I need to calm down.

I think Google's mad

This is the second time.

I opened my Google Reader and see a completely foreign list of feeds subscription from my regular ones. I glanced at the top right by reflex, it's my email address printed on top. So that wasn't wrong.

BUT WHY?

Second time is serious stuff. The first experience was with Google Docs. It was the first day they migrated the old look to the new look. I opened the page expecting to see my regular stuff and there it was, another complete alien list of documents. Worst thing is I can actually open up these docs and see its content. Immediately I thought, "Shoot! If I can see all these, other people can see mine!"

WHAT HAPPENED? This time, when I glanced to the top right - it was someone else's email address. They @#$#@^ up.

Can I still trust Google?

Can I still use this Blog?

It's a mess.

Survival

The topic of survival surfaced a few nights ago. The following are the thoughts of my conversation partner and I just felt compelled to write it down.

South East Asia is probably the most fertile region in the entire Asia. It has plenty of natural resources, fertile soil, no harsh climate, land, space, sea, food, everything you need. Then why most countries (except for Singapore - which lacks natural resources) in SEA are still considered "developing" countries when other countries with limited natural resources like Japan are so advanced?

The theory put forth is, essentially, hardships make the people. If things get too comfortable, over generations, you would see that everything went slow. The people got lazy, the drive to reinvent in order to survive was missing. Living is so comfortable, why bother?

Here comes the foreign forces. The Dutch, the Portuguese, the British, the Japanese, neighboring countries. Lured by the abundant of spices grown in the region and promise of new riches and trades, they came and occupied some of the places and left their marks all over the place. Then consider the immigrants, the majority of immigrant pioneers in the region came all the way from their own rural villages in search of the promise of wealth and better life for their families. They were courageous, even though forced by circumstances. Imagine leaving your old life, your parents, your siblings, stepping on board that ship, probably cramped til its last inches, saying goodbye forever to your homeland. You arrived at the new land, drafted as rough labor, worked day and nights, earning small stipend just enough to get by. Then people had to get smarter, businesses thrived, trade volume grew, businessmen emerged. New riches were made, not found. These entrepreneurs still exist today, and I'm not talking just immigrants, but anyone who succeed with a sole motivation to better their own and their families' lives. They're the kings in dwarfs' land. They continue to reinvent, think of ways to get around things, to survive in this unruly land.

At this point I asked, well, since that period of wars, occupation, economic hardship, immigrant exports, civil unrest (generally our great-grandparents / grandparents' period) had passed us; won't our generation, or our children's generation enjoy a relatively peaceful and safe life? Won't our generation get 'lazy' because the previous generations have made life as comfortable as possible for us?

Well it's not, although I'm blessed enough to live the way I live right now, our generation still present its own challenges in different context and environment. In a way, the socio-economic issues are still persistent, civil unrest are still raging in some parts of SEA. Although we have a job, a life, we're still struggling to make ends meet. Everybody is. The same challenges remain, only we're surrounded by concretes and walls, where it was thatched roof and grass before.

I love South East Asia. This is one region on earth that I'll be perfectly comfortable moving around in. It's East meets West at places where you least expected, it's raucous; it's utter chaos; it's everything you won't expect and it's everything you expect; it's a cultural melting pot; and it's the place I love most.

I Not Stupid Too

I don't exactly remember the first story, I Not Stupid, only that it's a good one. The sequel bears the same hallmark of Jack Neo's movies minus the political satire that marks the first film: a contemporary view of Singaporean education, parent-children relationships, and the strict 'follow the law' credo that was playfully portrayed in his latest offering, Just Follow Law.

You'll laugh and you'll cry. Jack's brilliance lies in his ability to bring a story that 'connects' with us, the audience. You can easily identify with the scenes at school, the constant nagging and lectures from parents and how their actions are always right, the modern lingo that kids use. Oh, and plenty of the ever-present product placement (in this movie alone, there are at least 4 or 5 brands that starred along with the actors, including Motorola, Apple, New Moon Abalone).

The story's narrator is 8-year-old Jerry (Ashley Leong), who during the introduction talks about how his parents, grandmother launches a tirade of words that flow endlessly from their mouths and out his and his brother Tom's ears.

The main plot involves Tom and his best friend Chengchai (Joshua Ang), who rebel against teachers and finally got into serious trouble in the second half of the movie. The movie offers plenty of moral stories. Lack of communication is also one of the many problems that plague our society and the movie constantly highlight this point throughout. In more than a few scenes, parents may be reminded of the immense responsibility that comes with parenthood. Being a good role model and all that moral stuff. The same may be said for teachers, the movie also teaches us to be generous with compliments and encouragement, to focus on people's virtues, not their flaws.. as showing appreciation is much lacking in our society these days.

And it is here I realize the Ministry of Education has laws that allow principle to order a public caning of 'stray' students. I didn't verify the truth, but I would suppose it's true. Interesting. If it is true, maybe they should consider abolishing it.

Overall, it fared pretty well. I have to say, I always enjoy Jack Neo's movies since the Liang Po Po era. Although this movie may speak a little louder to Singaporeans or those who have lived in Singapore (plenty of local lingo abound), the message is universal and audience of all ages will find it enjoyable.