Finally the Spring Festival aka Chinese New Year is over. We had 15 days of eating and eating, and now I really feel sick.
It's really no joke. I had big dinner and lunches almost everyday for 2 weeks...a far cry from my normal diet of tofu, cabbage, lettuce and 2 pieces of chicken. I can't even stand up any more. I have gained 3 pounds...
I'm so tired of eating. The worse one was the Feb 13-16 stretch. It was my Mother's birthday on Feb 13, and we took her out for western meal (since she wanted steak). We ended up eating really too much for our own good. Then Feb 14, we had a 4 course vegetarian Val's day meal: starting with fruit cocktail with honey lemon and berrys, multi-grain cream soup, vegetarian spagetti and mocha almond fudge with Hershey's syrup and FRESH cherries. I cooked, of course :) and the cherries were obsolutely delicious! It was my first time eating cherries and I relaly enjoyed them :) Can't wait for next season ^.^
Feb 15 was my niece's birthday, and we travelled to my sister-in-law's husband's house in Cheras for her 1st birthday. We were in Melbourne this time last year when She was born, and it was nice seeing her again after a year. Anyhow, we had another huge meal that gave me indigestion that night. Feb 16 was my Mother-in-law's birthday and she hosted an open house for her relatives. I spent the morning cooking and preparing some food for the evening. We ended up with a hugeamount of leftovers (some of which are still in my freezer).
Anyhow, we had eaten more than our fair share of food for more than 2 weeks. It will be hard going back to the normal diet, but I think it is a good thing. My tummy cannot keep up with my mouth, I am afraid...
Ahhh.....almost one year...it will be one full year of marriage this Sunday. On Friday, we're going for a dinner in Sheraton. Thank Goodness that will be paid for. Otherwise, we won't be able to afford an anniversary dinner ^.^
Actually, it's quite funny. We're totally hopeless at planning our finances because we do things completely differently from each other. It's only until now, when we are both having negative income (for two months now), that we realised somehow our individual methods are not working out quite like before. I know, I know...it's obvious to anyone who's reading this that finances should be discussed thoroughly...but it's not easy to discuss it thoroughly if you don't first experience it together!!! Anyway, it's quite refreshing to have a financial plan that we both can follow through with.
So on our actual Anniversary (Sunday), I guess I'll have to cook something and light a few candlelights...perhaps I can run a bath and light a few more candles in there too....AND, staying by the lake has its advantages since we can take an evening walk and watch the sun set at the lake before dinner...makes for a rather romantic environment.
Hmm...I guess I should have enough small change to buy some roses at the market to brighten up the place also! Huzzah!!!
The ant, the grasshopper and the turtle
0 comments Published by Mel on Friday, January 11, 2008 at 3:47 PMThe grasshopper lazed around all summer, hopping and singing. When winter came, he starved to death. The ant, on the other hand, worked all summer storing food. When winter came and food was scarce, he had plenty to survive on. Yet despite the cold and forlorn weather, he went out anyway in search of more food to store up.
His life seemed filled with excitement. On a good day, he may stumble upon a huge chunk of meat left behind by a young child who didn't want to finish dinner. During that time, he will rush from his nest to the meat, and back again...and again...and again...until the meat is completely stripped and all the food is safely stored. On a bad day, he will battle the cold while sniffing the air in search for some trace of food. He may hunt up to 20 miles from his nest, fighting the danger of being stomped by a passing human or being eaten up by one of his enemies, or even accidental drowning in a puddle of melted snow. Everyday, his life is full of excitement, until he has ceased to enjoy any of the excitement. It is all boring to him in the end, all lost in the pursue of more food.
The turtle sleeps comfortably in his shell, getting up only to search for some vegetation before going back into its shell. Occasionally, he searches for a warm spot of sun to sit under, or if the weather is warm, he searches for a shady tree to hide under. He learns to live in a bit of boredom, and when it is time to search for food or water, he will embrace the excitement for a while.
To be perpetually idle would make one too bored...and when one is too bored, one is prone to destrucive activities. After all, an idle mind is a devil's workshop. Yet, to be perpetually excited would make one numb to the adventure, which is a disease that seems to afflict modern society. One would need more and more excitement to stimulate oneself, and a bit of boredom or quiet seems unbearable. Yet, all the excitement will become boring in itself, and infest itself in an unendurable ennui for life which destroys the soul of youthfulness. By understanding the law of balance and accepting that boredom, like excitement is part of natural life, excitement can be enjoyed to the fullest.
Somedays I wonder if life passes me by too quickly. And somedays I wonder if life passes me by too slowly.
The day my self-conciousness fell, it became clear that the only person who notices my comings and goings is me. Like the gnat who lands on the bulls horn, one's own importance is only evident to oneself.
I started to see life passing by in different speeds. Sometimes when watching the ambitious man work, I see him working towards a goal that never seems to be attainable. Is he driven? Probably. But is he happy? Often the answer is negative. The drive that compels him to efficiency and effectiveness pushes him to greater heights, but he is too busy looking forward to fully enjoy the sights. He is rewarded for his efforts, but he punishes himself for his success with more work.
The one who appears to enjoy life fully lives in idleness. Day by day passes into another, slowly, like a dream that never ends. Leisure shopping one afternoon fades into a workout in the gym, coffee in a hotel lounge and entertainment in the local bar. The determination to enjoy life is so strong, that one barely enjoys it at all. A life that forces itself upon enjoyment will live only to seek more enjoyment, never to be truly satisfied with the current moment nor truly be happy in their own skin.
Yet, the pursuit of happiness is not for anyone else's pleasure but one's own. It is not to show others that one is happy. Calmness and happiness is not a decision nor a concious effort to hide the dissatisfaction and burst of unnatural energy. It is a state of mind.
The only person who notices my comings and goings, failures and successes is myself. No one else really cares. Hence, there lies my happiness.
Bodohland: Organisers have recently announced that they have elected the seven < http://www.new7wonders.com/ new wonders of the world. The finalists include Great Wall of China and Taj Mahal. Not to be outdone here in Bolehland or Can-land (some call this Bodohland or Stupid-land), our Prime Minister follows up with an announcement of our very own 7 wonders. All qualified citizens can submit their choices of wonders and finalists will be determined by popular votes.
1. THE ZAKARIA 'PALACE'
The only building built with no approval and unpaid assessment fees that is not demolished and sealed. The owner is the first bankrupt to be able to own a palace.2. THE ISA - INSANE SECURITY ACCUSATIONS
Supposedly used to "detain" terrorist for up to two years with absolutely no proof, this fantastic Wonder will give you the power to "detain" ABSOLUTELY anyone the guy in power dislikes: anyone who threatens his political power or is a rape accuser of some MP's son can be "held" for up to 2 years. You don't have to even show any evidence of the accusation. Just hack up some insane charge of terrorism of a 15 year old rape accuser, and "detain" her until she is 17. Or throw the Opposition leaders in when they get too powerful and accuse them of having some ties with the Arab terrorist, even if they are Chinese or Indian. It's ingenius!
3. 'UNHAUNTED' KUCHING PRISON
"No picture available"
The only $600M prison in this world that is free of haunted stories and encounters. Reasons? No execution was done here before. In fact no prisoners were held in here. There are also no concrete walls with barbed wires to contain souls - both dead and alive. Maybe it can qualify as the first imaginary prison built with real money.
4. PAYA INDAH 'WASTED' WETLANDS
The nation's premier eco tourism park. Holds the record in the category of attracting more lawyers with litigation than tourists with binoculars.
5. 'NOT SO' SMART TUNNEL
Uniquely design to alleviate floods. When completed, it does everything except alleviate floods.
6. 'DISCONNECTED' CYBERJAYA
The one and only high tech city in the world that offers limited or no internet connection to its residents.
7. THE 'CROOKED' BRIDGE
The most crooked bridge in the world dreamt by one of the most crooked people in the world. The bridge connects Bolehland to its neighbouring country. Construction started even though the neighbouring country did not give approval for the crooked bridge to be built to their land. Too bad the project was abandoned; otherwise it will make it as one of the wonders of the world.
Last Sunday, we buried my Ah Kong (pronounced as "gone-ng" not "goong"). He is my grandfather.
I never spoke to my Ah Kong. That's because he only spoke Hokkien, which I completely suck at. Instead, he made funny faces at me and used sign language to convey his meaning. His favourite question to me when I was young was "Chiak Liao Bo?" which translates to "Have you eaten?".
Ah Kong was a very nice man. A very easy man to love, in fact. He had no grudges, and never caused any trouble for anyone. He said "ho" (yes) to everything, had absolutely no demands and was pretty much accepting of anything that came his way. My grandmother would pretty much nag him all day long, but it had absolutely no effect on him. It goes into one ear, and literally comes out the other. He doesn't remember any scolding, any nagging or anything unpleasant. In fact, he was such an easy-going, nice fella that many people called him stupid. Of course, calling him stupid didn't upset him in any way. He would just say "ho" and go about his merry way.
His greatest pleasure in life was eating. He loved fried chicken, praticularly from KFC. Even when he had lost all his teeth, he would use his gums to chew the chicken. Eventually, due to all the unhealthy food, he suffered a stroke in the year 2000, which paralysed his left side.
I couldn't recognise the thin man as my granddad. In my mind, he was still chubby with a head full of hair. I never noticed that his hair was thinning and that he was losing a lot of weight. In the year 2002, he suffered another stroke that paralysed much of his right side. He could no longer eat any solid food, for he could not chew. When he spoke, no one could understand what he was saying except my grandmother.
He met my spouse in 2006. Since my spouse can speak Hokkien, they had a conversation about the lorry his used to drive when he was younger. The number plate of the lorry was 5105. I remember this well, because he struggled for over 10 minutes to tell my spouse the number plate, and no one could understand him. Finally, it became apparent that he was struggling to say "goh-ih-kong-goh" (5-1-0-5), which was not easy because he couldn't move his mouth muscles. He was trying to relate the stories from the time my grandmother and him were running a grocery shop in Penang, where he would carry huge rice sacks onto his lorry and deliver them to his customers. My grandmother ended up telling most of the stories and we had a good laugh.
He sat up to receive the customary tea during my wedding early this year. That was the last time he would sit up again. After that, Ah Kong deteriorated and became thinner. He could no longer get up. During his last week in this world, he could not even speak. He finally passed away on Friday 30 November 2007.
I got the SMS from Daddy in the afternoon, while taking care of my spouse in the hospital. Ah Kong, my Ah Kong, passed away.
I have not cried in a funeral quite like that before. I cried over everything. From the time I saw him in the coffin until the time we laid him into the ground. Normally I would just shed a few tears. This time, I could not stop crying. Ah Kong, gentle Ah Kong, was gone. In death, he still looked like he was about to say "ho". A nice guy to the end. The easiest person in the world to love. God will have mercy on him, for he deserves none other. Goodbye my Ah Kong. I will see you again someday.
Dear Friends and family,
My spouse had a fever from Monday to Thursday. We went to the clinic on Monday and he was precribed the usual antibiotics. Unfortunately, the fever persisted so I took him to the clinic for a blood test on Thursday. His blood platlet was rather low, hence he was warded on Thursday evening.
I stayed with him until 11pm and went back to my in-laws house to rest since it is nearer to the hospital compared to my house. At 3.00am, I woke up with rashes all over my body. I had to go to the clinic (4th time this week, but the first three times were for my spouse) to get a diagnosis. I was allergic to something. Anyway I am currently on medication, but it was hell trying to sleep that night because my body was itchy like it was on fire.
I only slept at 5.00am and awoke at 8.00am to see my spouse in the hospital. His blood platlet fell again, and his fever is persisting. At approximately 3.00pm, my Dad contacted me on my handphone with more bad news. My grandad just died. He was sent for embalming that afternoon. There will be a service tomorrow at 8.00pm and his funeral at 10.00am on Sunday. I will be with my spouse until dinnertime tomorrow, and then I will rush off to pay my last respects to my grandad. After his funeral on Sunday, I will have to rush back to the hospital to keep a close watch on my spouse's condition.
It is now Friday at 10.45 pm. I have just gotten back from the hospital. My back is starting to itch again, and I fear my rashes will return with a vengeance tonight. I have slept for 3 hours in the last 36 hours. I may not get any sleep tonight either, if the rashes persist. I am tired due to lack of sleep, in grief for my grandad, worried sick over my spouse and itchy from my rashes.
It has been a very bad week. We were supposed to go to Cherating next week, and Pangkor the week after next. It was supposed to be a well-deserved holiday for the stress, hard work and long hours we were putting for the past few months. Now all we have is more stress and anxiety. But we will pull through. I must remain strong for my spouse and family. Somehow, God will give me the strength. For now is not the time to feel sorry for oneself or to grief. Now is the time to work and be of service to those in need. There will be time to lament and cry when all is well again.
Amiruldin Badruddin: "Did she see the tunnel?"The debate speech on Air Asia's flight attendance uniforms in the UMNO assembly led to an exchange between Zaleha and chairperson Badruddin Amiruldin.
Zaleha: The provocative uniform must be changed to something reflective of Eastern values and which complies with the values of Islam.
Badruddin (photo): I think their skirts are too short.
Zaleha: Cloth can be bought.
Badruddin: I think they don’t have enough cloth.
Zaleha pressed her point further by relating how the uniform had ‘affected’ one of her friends, leading Badruddin to pass another cheeky remark.
Zaleha: She said a flight attendant sat in front of her and she could see her legs, thighs and knees. She was so embarrassed!
Badruddin: Did she see the tunnel?
Air Asia Uniforms...too sexy?
Ali Rustam: Chinese and Indians can leave Malaysia and go back to China and India for all I care!!
0 comments Published by Mel on at 12:35 PMDisclaimer:
- This article was taken from MalaysiaToday (http://forum.malaysiatoday.com/index.php?showtopic=237)
- This is posted in my blog not to diss the Malaysian Government. In fact, I have high regard for Malaysia and the administration. I just don't like Ali Rustam. Just read what he says. I doubt you will like him much either.
This ship in unsinkable, even God Himself can’t sink it!” screamed the newspaper headlines just before the Titanic sailed off on its maiden voyage.
The sinking of the Titanic was certainly a great tragedy. They were so confident that even God Himself could never sink it they did not provide enough lifeboats for every passenger because they never thought they would need them. While the higher-paying first class passengers faced no problems finding a seat in the limited lifeboats, the poor rakyat who could not afford the luxuries accorded the first class passengers only had one choice; a watery grave. But it was not a tragedy for everyone though. Decades later they made a movie about the incident and grossed hundreds of millions while Celine Dion made tons of money from the theme song.
Anyway, what does this whole episode teach us? First, the poor rakyat is always at the bottom of the food chain. Second, never tempt fate. Fate just loves challenges and will never shy away from proving you wrong. And this is something Umno should learn. But Umno being Umno, it will never take advantage of lessons of the past. It will keep repeating history to the detriment of the party. And today Umno is saying that even God Himself can’t sink the party.
On 15 October 2007, the Chief Minister of Melaka, Mohd Ali Rustam, officiated the People’s Progressive Party’s state convention and he sang the same old tune, Umno is unsinkable and even God Himself can’t sink the party. Okay, maybe I am exaggerating a bit what he said, but this was what he was telling the assembly of PPP leaders and members in a very long-winded manner; one and a half hours to be exact.
Ali Rustam, the self-proclaimed ‘Senior Vice President’ of Umno -- actually there is no such post but he likes to address himself as such -- stood on stage in front of the entire hall filled with PPP leaders and members and with fingers pointed said that PPP can leave Barisan Nasional. Leave today, or even tomorrow, said Ali Rustam, just don’t wait for the next election before leaving.
The PPP President and Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, Datuk M. Kayveas, fidgeted in his seat, as did the entire hall. Ali Rustam was going berserk. He was reminiscent of Adolf Hitler jumping up and down, ranting and raving like a dog foaming at the mouth that had gone mad with rabies. Nobody reacted. Nobody could react. They were all too shocked to react and just sat there for the next one and a half hours as Ali Rustam told PPP and the entire non-Malay population of Malaysia that they are insignificant and Umno does not need them.
Ever wonder why Nazri Aziz told the Agong off and declared that he is nothing more than the Prime Minister’s clerk? The Prime Minister decides and the Agong just signs like a good little boy or else he will get sent to bed without any ice cream. Such is the arrogance of Umno. And if there were any doubts before this, 15 October 2007 laid that matter to rest once and for all when Ali Rustam repeated numerous times, “I was with Najib yesterday,” as if to send the message to all and sundry that he has Najib’s blessing to tell the Indians and Chinese that they can go back to India and China for all Umno cares.
Umno has ruled Malaysia for 50 years, said Ali Rustam, and they can rule for another 50 years more. And Umno does not need PPP, MCA, MIC, Gerakan, Sabah, Sarawak or anyone else to do this. Yes; and even God Himself can’t sink Umno like He could not sink the Titanic.
Ali Rustam should not tempt God or fate or whatever it is that he believes in. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad is fond of relating the story of the mistake he made in 1969 when he told the Chinese he does not need their votes. 3,000 Chinese swung to PAS, said Mahathir. And Yusuf Rawa won that seat while the Grand Old Man of Malaysian politics was sent into temporary retirement. Even the great and very confident Mahathir will caution you about telling the non-Malay voters that you don’t need them. And surely Mahathir is a bigger man than Ali Rustam.
Well, that is probably what we think. But Ali Rustam does not think this way at all. He thinks he is the Chief Minister of the greatest nation on earth. Melaka is not part of Malaysia, said Ali Rustam, Malaysia is part of Melaka. This may sound strange to a student of history, and to ensure that you get a new twist to history, Ali Rustam warned the assembly that Melaka was once a great empire that included half of Thailand and half of Indonesia.
I thought that maybe in my old age my memory was beginning to fail me so I flipped through the pages of Joginder Singh Jessy’s and D.J. Muzaffar Tate’s ‘History of Malaya’ but could not find any reference to this. Maybe it is true, as they say, history is written by the victor, not the vanquished. But I was reading the history books written by Malayans and not those written by the Orang Puteh such as Stamford Raffles, R.O. Winsted, Barbara Watson, Leonard Y. Andaya or J. Kennedy.
Anyway, that just goes to show I am not really as clever as I thought I was. There are still many things about Malayan history that I am not aware of. And one thing that I was not aware of was that Melaka had once upon a time colonised half of Thailand and half of Indonesia. I suppose this is why Ali Rustam is the ‘Senior Vice President’ of Umno and I am not. In fact, Ali Rustam is so clever he can become the ‘Senior Vice President’ of Umno even when no such post exists.
Umno does not need any of the component members of Barisan Nasional, Ali Rustam went on. Umno has four million members and it can win the elections without the help of the rest of the component members of Barisan Nasional. Umno has been strong for 50 years and it will continue ruling this country for the next 50 years as well, Ali Rustam assured the assembly of PPP leaders and members.
PPP had better not ask for any seat in Melaka, Ali Rustam warned the assembly. If Perak wants to allow PPP a seat then that is up to the Perak Menteri Besar. That is his own decision and the party does not support him on this matter. After all the Perak Menteri is a kaki bodek, said Ali Rustam to the shocked audience who could not believe they were hearing all this.
Maybe PPP was once a strong party, Ali Rustam added. When it joined Barisan Nasional it had four Parliament and 14 state seats, but that is an old story. Why bring up an old story? It is like Lee Kuan Yew talking about old stories. Now Ali Rustam was shifting his aim to the Island State south of the border, across the Causeway. Lee Kuan Yew is an old man, argued Ali Rustam, insinuating that the Grand Old Man of Singapore was getting senile, and he is illogical. And to emphasis the point, Ali Rustam repeated, “Yesterday I was with Najib,” as if to drive the point home that Najib is with him on this.
The punch-line that Ali Rustam wanted to deliver the assembly of PPP leaders and members is that the party is not going to be given any seat in Melaka. And to demonstrate that he meant business he asked PPP to leave Barisan Nasional. Leave now! What are you waiting for? Leave now! You want a seat is it? No seat for you! Who says Umno needs the component members, especially PPP? PPP means nothing to us. Leave now.
And as if what he had said thus far was not shocking enough, Ali Rustam took a swipe at the Pahang Menteri Besar. If the Pahang Menteri Besar wants to give you a seat in Pahang then that is his problem. He is crazy and he does crazy things. He can give PPP a seat in Pahang. Why ask from the other states? And the icing on the cake was when Ali Rustam said that if the Prime Minister gives PPP a seat then he has no balls (pengecut). Tak boleh ikut cara dia, Ali Rustam boldly declared. Yes, since Malaysia is part of Melaka and not Melaka that is part of Malaysia then this would certainly make sense.
Until today no one knows what triggered Ali Rustam’s outburst that 15 October 2007. It was as if the message to the Indians and Chinese is that Umno does not need them anymore. The latest poll shows that the non-Malay support for Barisan Nasional has gone below 50% while the Malay support is still above 70%. This would mean that the non-Malay parties in Barisan Nasional may not be able to deliver the votes if the general election is held within the next month or so.
Ali Rustam seems to feel that Umno ruled Malaysia for 50 years without any help or support from the non-Malays and they can continue to do so another 50 years without any problems. Of late Ali Rustam has been demonstrating his contempt for the non-Malays. His move to kill the pigs in Melaka and drive the Chinese pig farmers out of business is one case in point. He boasted to all and sundry that he wants to show the Chinese that he is the boss, something his predecessors were not able to and did not dare do. The pig farmers and their family and friends command a lot of votes and it is better that the government leaves them alone. All the Chief Ministers before this adopted this policy but Ali Rustam wanted to show them that he decides and he calls the shots. And this is what he told the PPP convention that 15 October, “I decide.”
Ali Rustam believes that the Prime Minister will announce the dissolution of Parliament on 9 November followed by the general election on 25 November. If this happens then the Chinese would be with the opposition. Ali Rustam realises that how much you may court the Chinese it would be futile. Therefore, since you cannot get their support anyway, you might as well whack them. It makes no difference anyway.
Of course, many would ask why whack the Chinese? Well, PPP in Melaka is led by a Chinese and it would be Chinese and not Indians who matter, though the Indian support for PPP is nevertheless strong since it has a large Indian membership.
This is Ali Rustam’s version of keris waving. The fact that he repeated many times, “I was with Najib yesterday,” was his way of telling the world that he is Najib’s de facto number two. This means if Najib goes up to become the Prime Minister then he would be the Deputy Prime Minister. To become the number two in Umno is not up to the voters. It is up to the Umno divisions. So he must come out looking like a Malay hero from Melaka a la Hang Toh Ah and Hang Jer Baht, never mind that these two may have been Chinese rather than Malays. And this ranting and raving about Melaka once being an empire that ruled over half of Thailand and half of Indonesia fit nicely into the theme. But Ali Rustam probably thought that Kayveas and his PPP members are all illiterate rubber tappers who never read history when he said that Malaysia is part of Melaka and not Melaka that is part of Malaysia.
But why the need to repeat so many times that he was with Najib the day before? Everytime he dropped a bombshell he would add that he was with Najib the day before. What was his message here? Was it that he was delivering Najib’s message or that Najib has endorsed what he is saying? Or is it to demonstrate that he is Najib’s number two?
Anyway, whatever it may be, Ali Rustam has made it very clear that Umno does not need anyone. Umno has managed 50 years without depending on anyone and it can carry on another 50 years without them. Is this Ali Rustam’s or Najib’ message: that if the component members do not deliver the votes then they will be kicked out of Barisan Nasional? When MCA did badly in 1969 it was proposed they leave the Alliance Party since the Chinese no longer support them. The only difference this time around is that Umno is telling them before instead of after the general election.
There is much speculation on who will be Najib’s Deputy when he takes over as Prime Minister. This question has been satisfactorily answered on 15 October 2007. Ali Rustam made it clear that he and not the Prime Minister makes the decisions. As far as Ali Rustam is concerned the Prime Minister pengecut, the Perak Menteri Besar is kaki bodek while the Pahang Menteri Besar is gila who does crazy things. Yes, that leaves only him remaining as the most suitable candidate to become the next Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia.
Hmm.....should I seriously consider migrating?
Herewith at this happy time of year, a few confessions from my beating heart: I have no freaking clue who Nick and Jessica are. I see them on the cover of People and Us constantly when I am buying my dog biscuits and kitty litter. I often ask the checkers at the grocery stores. They never know who Nick and Jessica are either. Who are they? Will it change my life if I know who they are and why they have broken up? Why are they so important? I don't know who Lindsay Lohan is, either, and I do not care at all about Tom Cruise's wife. Am I going to be called before a Senate committee and asked if I am a subversive? Maybe, but I just have no clue who Nick and Jessica are. Is this what it means to be no longer young. It's not so bad. Next confession: I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejeweled trees Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are: Christmas trees. It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, "Merry Christmas" to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a creche, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away. I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat. Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship Nick and Jessica and we aren't allowed to worship God as we understand Him? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where Nick and Jessica came from and where the America we knew went to. |
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