Facts Of Life Which You Didn't Know, #11

NS is worth only SGD$5000.

Note: I am in no way claiming credit for the above article, which was taken from The Straits Times' Forum. I believe the author of the article would not be ashamed to have his name published for writing his article (even though in some sense, it belongs to ST). I am also in no way gaining/making/earning any profits or personal gains from reproducing this article.

*Update*: Apparently, NS is worth $3000. This amount is the same amount that the woman was fined. You know, the one who tried to bring in two roasted geese but was caught at the airport by the authorities.

Facts of Life Which You Didn't Know, #10

When political leaders and scientists talk about overpopulation becoming a serious problem, it always makes one think twice when such things happen instead:

(All links and any copyrights belong to the various news site. I am not taking credit for any of the information found on these links.)

1. 965 dead in Baghdad stampede
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/08/31/iraq.main/index.html

2. Hajj stampede: 244 pilgrims dead
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/02/01/hajj.stampede/

3. Scores killed in Indian stampede
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/4204877.stm

4. Stampede in Ghana Leaves at Least 100 Dead
http://english1.people.com.cn/english/200105/10/eng20010510_69570.html

5. Inquiry into China New Year crush
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3463179.stm

And here is a site that sums it all up nicely:

Stampede Map
http://www.mapreport.com/century/subtopics/d/3.html

Is this a natural disaster? I don't think so. Nothing to do with the weather or any geographical misfortunes.

Are the deaths justified? We're not talking about the Iraq War, or a Gulf War, or conflicts between political parties that involve their nations. Those wars happened for a reason, be it historical, monetary, or greed.

So what's left? Probably "stupidity" is the only reason left...

I don't see overpopulation a problem actually. There will always be people stupid enough to kill themselves for no justified reason.

It only takes *one* stupid person to start it all.

Facts of Life Which You Didn't Know, #9

Actually, make that 2.

1. An adult mynah (the black bird with the yellow beak), if caught from the wild and held in captivity, will bite its own tongue and commit suicide.

2. There are plenty of birds out there that have either one leg missing, or one normal leg plus one stump (with no claws on it) for the other leg.

Facts Of Life Which You Didn't Know, #8

When a living being is dying, be it an animal or a human being, at that split moment when it takes its last breath, it loses control of its bladder.

Crude as it may sound, excretion occurs (both liquid and solid) just before a living being dies.

Facts Of Life Which You Didn't Know, #7

Bus drivers generally aren't impressed nor happy when they see you chasing after their bus. Most drivers act blind/blur, and drive away when they see you from the corner of their eyes, running and flagging at them like some madman/madwoman.

This unhappiness is made even all the more worse when you manage to catch the bus with the other boarding passengers, after having the below odds against you:

- The bus-stop is 200 metres away from the traffic junction you are at.
- The bus is right beside you, stopped by the red light. You are stopped by the red man as well.
- There is another junction 100m away that turns red/green at the same time as this junction that you are standing at.
- You are only able to cross on the green man signal, and the bus has the green light to move off as well.

When you do catch up with the bus and board it, you will have already incurred the wrath of the bus driver. Angry glares at you will last throughout the whole of your bus ride.

Be forewarned.

Facts Of Life Which You Didn't Know, #6

We make mistakes, we learn from it. We swear never to do it again the next time we face a similar situation. And we stick to that promise and improve our lives as we grow older.

Now there is at least one person (whom I know) who doesn't stick to that rule. He never learns. He makes mistakes just like the rest of us, but he never learns from it.

And it's not like he's a retard. He's just as smart as you or me.

He just refuses to learn from his mistakes, nor listen to the advice of others. So in the end, he repeats his mistakes over and over and over again, countless times, multiple times, endless number of times.

Offer him casual advice when making small talk, towards the best of his interests, he rejects it outright.

Offer him serious advice when he's faced with a problem/dilemma (which anybody in the sane mind would take up because it's the only rationale choice left), he refuses to take it.

Give him personal tips on dealing with things/people/situations, he ignores it.

And he still runs up to that wall and knock himself over.

He's paid for his mistakes with just about anything in his life: his money, his time, his grades (in school), his efforts, his energy. But he still repeats it. The mistakes are everytime of similar nature.

If you're feeling down-in-the-dumps for committing a wrong, feel glad at yourself. Because you learn, and you understand what you should do the next time round.

Facts Of Life Which You Didn't Know, #5

There is at least 1 man on the street who wears a red T-Shirt with a yellow star in the middle.

Facts Of Life Which You Didn't Know, #4

There is at least one parent who insists that her mentally-handicapped child wears the ARMY vest on a regular basis when they hit the streets.

Facts Of Life Which You Didn't Know, #3

- A woman who is pretty.
- Somebody who likes exercising and sweating it out.
- Your neighbourhood stadium.

The above 3 things never go together.

Facts Of Life Which You Didn't Know, #2

There is at least one parent in this world who makes her mentally-handicapped child wear the ARMY vest when they hit the streets.

Facts Of Life Which You Didn't Know, #1

Most blind people do not like you to put an arm around their shoulder, or take hold of their hands to guide them to where they wish to go.

They will simply pull away from you, relying on their walking stick or cane instead.

Even if you ask nicely where they wish to go, they will most likely tell you "I'm fine, I can go there myself".

It is not because of the post before this ("The Blind Man At The Bus Stop") that I have come to this conclusion. I myself have *attempted* to help quite a few "visually handicapped" people. I wouldn't say it's a lot, but I probably still need two hands to count them. I call that "quite a few" because I know most people for one just take a detour when they spot one of these needy people in their path.

Maybe this is a natural defensive stance that they have learnt to take up. Maybe they do not like people to help them, and show themselves as really "needy". Maybe they just are just trying to be strong.