All in a Day's Work

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Met up with Zi Rong and Loren at Ang Mo Kio's Jubilee to catch the movie Monster-in-Law. Okay, so I was the one who wanted to watch it (despite the majority favouring Madagascar (Reviewed: 80%). It's a Jennifer Lopez-Jane Fonda movie on bickering in-laws-to-be. It tugs at our heartstrings. If we are to take a step back, I believe many a times we have fallen into this endless spiral of meaningless plotting, hostility and hurt. The ending is particularly Cinderella-like. In other words, a fairy tale ending. Who doesn't want a fairy tale ending to a beautiful story?

Theme / Relevance 17%
Content / Storyline 17%
Acting / Cast 16%
Sound / Special Effects 14%
Bonus / Pleasant Surprises 17%

Tit-for-tat will not build a lasting marriage. Love your in-laws like you love your spouse. 81%

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Initial plan was to Hougang Swimming pool with Jian Ming and Loren to laze around, but thanks to an incredibly unpredictable weather, it was pouring by the time we reached Hougang station, so we decided to drop by Jian Ming's place to wait for the thunderstorm to be vanquished by a master elementalist. Okay, we were just waiting for the rain to stop. Loren wanted to watch the final episode of the Semi-Devils and Demi-Gods (Tian Long Ba Bu) there, but was engaged in a teeny experience sharing by Jian Ming's Dad, which lasted till the rain subsided.

We made our way to the Swimming Pool, which wasn't crowded at all, thanks to the prior downpour. While we were soaking in the dirty, chlorine-bleaching water, I saw Sharon, my SRJC Junior and SMU Senior (Heh...). Okay, actually, she was the one who saw me. Yep, that reminds me... Our proposal for the Youth-for-Causes project was accepted, so I'd be quite busy during the June-July period.

A Penny for your Thoughts? I'll give you my Two Cents Worth

"There are three things in Life, that once gone will never come back. Words, Opportunity and Time."

Which, incidentally reminds me of a story my dad told me when I was young.

My adaptation of the story:

A Man got into a heated argument with his pal, and in a spur of the moment, said something he didn't meant to. Something that truly hurt his pal - like a thousand blades pierced through his heart.

Feeling remorseful, he decided to visit the village elder, a man of unparalleled wisdom. The village elder told him to take a box of feathers, and one by one, lay them on the road, a feet apart. All the way from the man's house to his pal's one. Then he was to turn back and retrieve all the feathers.

"That should resolve your woes."

The man did as he was told. He laid the feathers on the road, a feet apart. All the way from his house to his pal's one. But when he reached the doorstep of his pal's home, he turned around, and was horrified to see that all the feathers he had painstakingly laid had been blown away by the wind. There was not one feather left. He quickly rushed down to see the village elder to report his observations.

To which, the reply was,

"Words are like feathers. You can say whatever you like, in any way that pleases you, but if you wish to retrieve anything you say, it has already been blown away with the wind."

At that moment, it dawned on the man that the wise man was right. If he valued his friendship, he wouldn't have used such remarks on his pal, for such hurtful remarks, once said, can never be taken back. Ever.

Story by Swee Shoon. Please reproduce only with author's knowledge. Thanks.