YeYe's One-on-One With Grandkids!

Kids say the darnest things, sometimes. My grandchildren are no exception. The things they said were said with no malice. Just pure innocence. Yet, depending on the occasion, their utterances would evoke different reactions from this poor grandpa whom the kids call YeYe. Sometimes surprised. Sometimes dumbfounded. Sometimes speechless. But angry? No.

6-year old granddaughter, Chloe, asked what I was doing with my pair of tweezer and mini-sized mirror.

"Nothing, just pulling beard," I said.

"Let me help you, YeYe," the ever helpful one offered.

She took over the tweezer and after staring at my chin for a few moments, asked: "Which one, YeYe? White one or black one?"

On another occasion I had just finished cooking claypot chicken rice and getting ready for dinner when Chloe stared at the plate in front of her and asked: "Who's the idiot who put garlic in my rice?"

YeYe could only glare back at her and growled: " I did!"

Sensing danger she quickly changed subject and asked "YeYe, what are you going to do after dinner?"

3-year-old grandson, Joseph, has grown to be quite talkative the last couple of weeks, and started using a few new words and phrases with a fair amount of accuracy. So YeYe was pleasantly surprised hearing his little Joe blabber out long phrases such as "It's amazing!"; "I can't believe it!"; and "What are you talking about?"

Until, out of the blue and catching me by total surprise, he let out a "Stupid YeYe!"

"Don't ever say that?" I said with a firm voice, taking his hand and swiping it with a ruler. Grinning, he offered his other hand and I had no choice but to give it a swipe also. He was still grinning! Suppressing laughter, I raised my voice a little higher and demanded "Say sorry to YeYe."

The little one went: "Sorry ... stupid YeYe."

I went back to my TV and watched Liverpool lost 3-1 to Aston Villa that night!

The Kartika Case - A Judicial Fiasco?

When the syariah judge passed his judgement on the Kartika case, little did he imagine that he would kick up a political storm embarrassing not only the Pahang judicial system but also the Federal government, PM Najib included. For Kartika, who was arrested and charged in court for drinking beer, not only paid her fine but also insisted that the caning, which is part of the sentence, be done in public!

What followed thereafter was a series of twists and turns as well as back-tracking of decisions made one after another.

- Caning date was first delayed by two weeks. Then it was deferred until after the Ramadan. Now it is postponed indefinitely pending a review no one knows for sure by whom.

- Noises in the background are murmurs no more. They are now loud enough to be heard and the message is clear: the sentence was too harsh and out of sync with the nature of the offence.

- The icing on the cake must be the time when PM Najib, on national TV, implored Kartika to appeal against the sentence. This is interesting for two reasons. One, the implication is that the appeal, without a shadow of doubt, will lead to the abrogation of the caning sentence. Two, the judicial system in Pahang, under pressure from the Federal government, will make that call. A face-saving manoeuvre for everyone perhaps. Except Kartika. She has firmly refused to appeal. So the plot thickens.

For this writer, the entire episode calls to serious question regarding a country's judicial independence. And judicial interference for that matter. But that would be a topic for another day.

Justice? World Conscience? Where?

I do not know what serious crime Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's pro-democracy leader, had committed but surely the 14 years already spent in house arrest should be enough mitigation for her immediate and unconditional release. But no, not in Myanmar as long as the powerful military regime still calls the shot. She was sentenced to another 3 years of 'hard labour and imprisonment' in a court verdict announced yesterday. The fact that the regime instantly commuted the sentence to 'just 1 1/2 years of continued house arrest' did not stop worldwide outrage and condemnation of the court ruling.

But that is only what it is: international condemnation and outcry across the free world. We had heard that before, and it is the very reason why the pro-democracy icon is still under house arrest today.

UN has lost its relevance and moral authority to even comment on the matter. It should have addressed and resolved this issue a long time ago. If trade sanctions did not help, how about expulsion from the world body? Neither happened.

Same goes for ASEAN. Myanmar is still very much an active member of the regional bloc supposedly established to promote peace, free trade, democracy and fight against terrorism. The question of Myanmar's expulsion from ASEAN was not, and had never been, on its agenda.

Sadly, the same goes for Singapore. It did not hold back from providing medical and humanitarian support to troubled spots in the Middle-East or East Asia but all it does on the Aung San Suu Kyi's case was to issue a statement expressing its 'utter disappointment' at the latest court verdict.

Singapore could have done more in the name of justice and democracy.

Sigh!

Writer: Peter Chang
email: peterchanglc@gmail.com

Public Relations - Cab Driver vs Barber

The driver knew we were on our way to the national stadium the moment we hopped into his taxi.

Striking up a conversation, he asked: "Liverpool supporter?"

"Yes," I replied politely.

"Too bad they didn't the Premier League last season," he laughed proudly, " Man U was just too strong. Know what, next season another Man U year!'

I kept quiet, feeling a little sick already.

He continued: "Liverpool got no depth. Depend too much on Gerrard and Torres. Once they not playing, that's it. Can't even beat teams like Middlesborough, Hull or Fulham. Singapore will give Liverpool a tough fight tonight."

I was beginning to feel like we got into the wrong cab and regretted wearing the Liverpool shirts we had on.

When we got off the taxi at the stadium, I was both relieved and angry. "Stupid taxi driver. Idiot must be a low thinking Red Devil fan!"

My mood recovered once we stepped into the stadium. Liverpool did not disappoint either. They beat Singapore 5-0, a result enough for me to forgive that cab driver who after all was only behaving the way Man U fans the world over behave typically: an idiot on a good day, a hooligan on a bad day.

I decided on a haircut the next day, and walked into this barber shop I had not gone before. As soon as he started cutting, he started talking. "Oh no, not again!" I thought to myself.

He went: "You watched football?"

"Yes, a little," trying to sound disinterested.

"You support which team?'

Not wishing to go through another experience like the day before, I lied: "Newcastle. You know, the team that got relegated? You? Which team you support?"

"I support any team my customer support," came the winning reply.

Now that's what I call a smart barber. On PR skill alone, he beats the cab driver hands-down.

Writer: Peter Chang
email: peterchanglc@gmail.com