Be Kind...To People

A had just gone through a messy break-up. Words of encouragement were lavished as A poured out her heart to us. In the privacy of the lavatory, B commented that she had nothing to say since she "did not console people because it is useless". B went on to add that A was "too whiny about her ex" and she ought to "just get over it".

Easy for someone who had married her only boyfriend to glaze over that. This came from an avid cat lover who did not hesitate to chide cat abusers, donated readily to the SPCA for its cause and frequently nursed stray cats back to health. If one could be attuned to the needs of an animal, where's the lacking radar for humans?

It's not difficult to be kind to people.

Smile at the uncle who clears your plates, say "thank you" to the waiter who takes your orders, keep public toilets clean for the sake of the old lady who has to pick up after you, offer to help the old man with the wobbly cane across the road, hold the lift button for the mother with a zillion kids in tow....the list is endless.

And in this context, when a friend is down, don't kick him/her. Be there to listen, not to judge. Hold your friend's hand through his/her trial. Your friend will remember and appreciate you for it.

If only people were more sensitive to one another, watch the words overflowing from their lips and display less selfish traits.

After all, that's what friends are for, isn't it?

27th January

27th January will be an eventful date for these people:

1. Daniel will be off on a business trip for 6 weeks. Bye Bye, Dank! Mich will miss you! Bring back erm...water from the sea for Mich? Heh.

2. It is Cedric's big day. Girls, mourn your loss!

3. Joshua is registering his marriage to Celia. Coincidentally, I knew Celia in 2001 and Joshua in 2005 before they hooked up on their own without my knowledge!

Does 27th January hold any significance for you?

Don't.

Blind Faith by J Jen

Don't think for a moment that Mich is not capable of analysing situations.
Don't think for a second that she is not observing the ongoings.
Don't think that Mich's smile depicts nonchalance.
Don't think that Mich is a pampered, whiny princess. That is only a guise where few, if any, are able to peel away the layers.
Don't trivialise Mich's problems because you think you know their nature.

You don't.

Let me tell you this.

Whatever Mich faces, she'll never tell anyone.
Whatever Mich is frustrated with, she will never display her emotions.
Whatever Mich encounters, the sympathy card will never be endorsed by her.
Whenever Mich is hurt, she recoils into her own private world, where prying eyes do not reach.
Whenever Mich is weak, she turns to God for strength to endure the trial.

Acquaintances aplenty,
Laughter incognito.
Friends a bunch,
Trusted ones a trickle.

Tears, Mich has stopped.
Not a single shall be shed for that very reason.

Stoicism to others,
Cold to one.
Singular quixotic strain bound for the next stop,
Bypassing Mich.

She has learnt the hard way.

Do not assume, at a glance, you know Mich.
Because nobody does.

Not even herself.

Snow Patrol - Run

Band of the moment?

Snow Patrol, definitely.

Song of the month?

Sorry, but Chasing Cars is passe.

Take a leaf out of Run,

my current haunting tune of the day.

I'll sing it one last time for you
Then we really have to go
You've been the only thing that's right
In all I've done

And I can barely look at you
But every single time I do
I know we'll make it anywhere
Away from here

Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear

Louder louder
And we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak I understand
Why you can't raise your voice to say

To think I might not see those eyes
Makes it so hard not to cry
And as we say our long goodbye
I nearly do

Light up, light up
As if you have a choice
Even if you cannot hear my voice
I'll be right beside you dear

Louder louder
And we'll run for our lives
I can hardly speak I understand
Why you can't raise your voice to say

Slower slower
We don't have time for that
All I want is to find an easier way
To get out of our little heads

Have heart my dear
We're bound to be afraid
Even if it's just for a few days
Making up for all this mess

The Kimberley Process Is A Joke. Just Ask De Beers.

(Note: Links in orange provide supporting articles.)

"T.I.A - This Is Africa"

The acronym reverberated cynicism within me as I left the cinema.

Yes, I am talking about the current box-office hit Blood Diamond. Prior to this, terms like "Kimberley Process" and "conflict diamonds" certainly didn't make dinner conversation on most tables. Does it take a commercial movie with a Hollywood nod for the world to sit up and take notice? Must a mugshot of an alluring Leonardo Dicaprio entice the masses into acknowledging Africa's existence?

I was deeply affected by the indelible imprint the movie had unconsciously left behind.

To its credit, the film heightens public awareness towards the presence of conflict diamonds filtering from the mines of Africa to glittering showcases in pompous malls.

However, it stamps a misconception as the credits roll - that the Kimberley Process is an effective measure against the harnessing of blood diamonds.

For starters, according to the official Kimberley Process Certification Scheme website, the KPCS is "a joint government, international diamond industry and civil society initiative to stem the flow of conflict diamonds - rough diamonds that are used by rebel movements to finance wars against legitimate governments."

The Kimberley Process Working Group on Monitoring is mandated to monitor and assess implementation of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme by all Participants. The Working Group on Monitoring is composed as follows:

• Chair: European Community
• Assistant: Israel
• Members: Canada, Central African Republic, India, People's Republic of China, Russian Federation, South Africa, United States, World Diamond Council, Global Witness/Partnership Africa Canada.

In addition, the Russian Federation assumed duties of the Chair of the KP Participation Committee in January 2006. Russia's long lineage lacks credibility. Currently with former KGB hardliner Putin in power, the Kremlin's recent antics against Georgia & Ukraine only perserve this unflattering trend.

Botswana assumed duties of the Kimberley Process Chairman and the KP Secretariat in 2006. Juxtapose that against the fact that diamonds account for 33% of the GDP of Botswana. Conflict of interest, anyone?

For good measure, the international community, including the UN General Assembly and Security Council, and the World Trade Organisation, have all recognised (read: not necessarily translating into actual action) the importance and effectiveness of the KPCS.

The diamond cartel, De Beers, has been the leader in supporting and adopting the Kimberley Process since November 2002 - an irony considering that De Beers monopolizes and controls the industry's demand & supply by stashing diamond deposits away from the market. This conveniently creates the fallacy of a diamond's rarity and romance, much to the layman's economic chagrin but a delightful cash cow to the glitterati players.

Aside from this, the foil to Leonardo's character in the movie is a journalist. Naturally, the saga surrounding Janine Roberts, De Beers & the BBC comes to mind. For the uninitiated, De Beers pressured BBC to remove its journalist Janine Roberts from the production of a film on the diamond empire. Compounding this was the violent sexual assault against Janine Roberts and her life hung critically by a thread. I leave you to feast your eyes on the accompanying article here.

Drawing from this avalanche of knowledge, I cannot help but feel utterly useless after viewing the film. Aside from the jostling of emotions, what can I, an individual do aside from boycotting diamonds?

It is easy to digress and indulge in a self-righteous babble coated in global incantations.

Curtailing idealistic notions, however, I must admit that there is little to be done against the billion-dollar industry. Supply will continue to exist alongside demand - that is the natural law of economics. Exploitation will remain rampant. Like the proverbial sacrificial lamb, Africa will continue to languish in poverty and violence ensued from diamond mining.

As such, the sight of three guffawing men as I exited the cinema sends a stark reminder that for all the rage against De Beers, the Kimberley Process and the manipulative public relations machine, the greatest evil is steeped in human apathy.