Gardening

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Gardening

(By Paul Chong)

Perth is most fortunate, weatherwise that is, for gardening.

It’s a love & hobby one can pursue throughout the year.

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Gardening is both refreshing & fulfilling. The gardener will find joy in watching the plants grow, the flowers bloom, the changing hues & colours through different seasons of the year. For the organic fanatics these days, nothing like planting your own greens, herbs or vegetables. Gardening provides an avenue to good health & wealth.

Through the years, I have found that you have to establish a good daily routine when it comes to tending to your lawn, flowers & plants. Any neglect or deviation from that routine, the war against weeds & wild growth will result. As it’s said, you reap what you sow.

SANY0934Spring Blossoms

Been experimenting with some guidelines of my own and came out with this helpful formula in establishing good habits & routine. There are seven days in a week. I always like to reserve a day when I can really do something different or play my favourite golf.

To get by this time-table formula, I have established an ACRONYM for the word GARDEN:

G Grass Cutting                            Monday

A Attention                                  Tuesday

R Revitalisation (Fertilization)  Wednesday

D Digging/Weeding                      Thursday

E Elegance & Beauty                  Friday

N New Plants, Flowers                 Saturday

Everything works according to a system, the engines or our bodies. Working in a haphazard way will not generate efficient results. Once a system is established, it becomes naturally easy to follow through, especially when it’s simple and basic.

Things always seem insurmountable when you attempt to tackle them all at one go. But if broken into bits, then it’s relatively simple to accomplish most things. Bit by bit, no matter how huge, they say that even an elephant can be consumed! Have a work list itemised in terms of priority.

SANY1239Natural wildflowers to delight!

On the whole, nothing beats a good work system. Take one day at a time for each activity above and ENJOY it.

SANY0942Autumn: Dwarfed Mulberry – Bare & Beautiful


Gardening should be pleasurable

In more ways than one enjoyable

It should not be viewed as a chore

Lest you’d find the activity a bore.

Paul Chong

A Chinese by Descent

An Australian by Consent

Saturday, 30 August 2008

Capitalism – The Sense of Morality

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Capitalism – The Sense of Morality

This poem of mine was initially written in the 80s

at the time when Australia was plagued with economic

recession, ‘Bottom of the Harbour Schemes’, political leadership struggle

between John Howard & Andrew Peacock . . . nothing like the scale & magnitude

of the present global economic crisis.

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“Capitalism creates a rational frame of mind which, having destroyed the moral authority of so many other institutions, in the end turns against its own.” – Joseph A. Schumpeter

CAPITALISM is good: it generates a lot of food

Growth and progress begin to shoot.

Materialism and consumerism grow

Discontentment and greed get out of control.

Disillusionment and immorality are sins of the century

When aims and energy are directed essentially towards prosperity.

Ethics and morality are no longer strong

Thus the nature of things just go wrong.

The song of the century hits your mind:

“When you hang your soul on the line,

Is it worth the price you pay for the money you make?”

Certainly creates the disillusionment for the day.

Sins occur here and there and everywhere

All sense of value and morality fly through the air.

Delinquency and street kids multiply in folds

When every action and freedom can never be told.

There is decay in every facet of society.

Nothing good can be guaranteed.

Fast Buck rules in politics as in business.

Loyalty, morality, trust and faith are silenced by greediness.

We are drifting away from the proper way,

Indulging in escapism, sex, drugs and alcohol as we sway.

In our search for fulfilment

We are lost in our apparent contentment.

There’s a way and it’s God’s way:

Search your heart and soul and pray.

There can be no other way

Having Jesus in your heart will not make you sway.

Paul Chong

A Chinese by Descent

An Australian by Consent

The Day Of Small Things

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The Day of Small Things

In school we used to learn these memorable poetic lines:

“Little drops of water

Little drops of sand

Make a mighty ocean

Make a mighty land.”

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Beauty in Both Big & Small

Despise not the small little things in life. They could amount to something more gigantic than you ever know. Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin. Who would have thought that he would turn out to be one of American’s greatest presidents? Or what of the little acorn that grows into a gigantic oak tree. It’s in the nature of things that the due process of growth and maturing must progress its course. We say “Don’t grow old, but grow up” for we are supposed to acquire wisdom, patience and understanding through our life’s experiences which should hold us steadfast in the adventures of life.

The Son of God, Jesus, spent 30 years of His early life learning and acquiring His skill as a carpenter, identifying Himself with mankind through work. This is all in preparation for His public ministries, when He could relate to all aspects of human life. Speaking from personal experiences give you that creditable authority which is not acquired through academic learning. Jesus could relate Himself to the farmers, fishermen, landowners or tax collectors. The simplicity of Christ’s teaching sells, whereas complexity often repels.

As in nature, we must realise that life is a journey of one great preparation. To be a doctor, we need to spend six long years of learning plus another year of internship. Even to be a teacher requires two to three years of study. Moses spent 40 long years in his preparation as the leader of the Israelites. Paul, one, who is credited with spreading the Gospel far and wide, was likewise not spared the period of apprenticeship. Nothing can substitute your life’s experiences, big or small.

We’ve got to learn the daily lessons of small things before acquiring the experiences of big things. Whatever jobs you’re holding, learn from it and master it. As you learn and progress, greater tasks and responsibilities will be placed upon you. God may put you in all kinds of situations to test and train you – preparing you for greater things ahead. Be steadfast and faithful for your life to be full.

“Who despises the day of small things?” – Zechariah 4:10

Paul Chong

A Chinese by Descent

An Australian by Consent

Travelling – Historical & Progressional

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Travelling- Historical & Progressional

images

Man is constantly on the move, never staying in a fixed place ever since time immemorial. Historically, people moved conquering new territories, discovering new land, changing habitat or establishing new homes. The discovery of the American continent is attributed to Christopher Columbus, whose faith and belief that the world was round wrote his name in perpetuity. Another such historical well-known figure, Marco Polo, made his way to the central world of the Chinese, possibly popularising the consumption of spaghetti and other pastas after the Chinese noodles. Knowledge spread, products exchanged, new discoveries made – much as a result of such travels.

RMS Queen MaryRMS Queen Mary

Confucius would say, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.” Indeed, we used to walk from place to place. There was no other way. It is the courage of brave men in the past that had opened up the world at large. These days it is no more just “hearsay” but more like “”near-say”, for the world we live in today is shrinking as time and space are no longer territorial barriers. You won’t continue to say “it is so near and yet so far.” Everywhere is within reach instantly, no more primitively but progressively.

Space Shutter

From the Kon-Tiki that crossed the Atlantic Ocean to sail ships men have progressed to great ocean vessels like the unfortunate Titanic and Queen Mary which presently is claimed to be the single largest ship in the world, men have been moving on and on. Not satisfied with just staying on land or sea, men have taken to the sky, initially with the attempts by the Wright Brothers. Having conquered the sky, the new frontier is space and extra-terrestrial travel. Where do we proceed hereafter?

You know every conceivable idea or dream begins in the mind. If it’s at all possible or believed to be, then the realisation is always there. . . for “whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve”. Ancient men used to pray to the moon . . . we discovered and landed on the moon . . . it’s just another frontier to be reached and conquered. The quest of men goes on and on. I dare say, the next stage of development may seem inconceivable – human “tele-portation” as in Star Trek. Our presence could be instantly here and there at command . . . like wishing yourself to be in paradise and really be there not virtual reality!

Paul Chong ©

A Chinese by Descent

An Australian by Consent

Qualitative and Quantitative Service

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Qualitative and Quantitative Service

SANY1839A Typical Self-Service Store

We are living in a time when the question of being personally attended to seems such a rare treat. The old adage of consumer being king is no longer fashionably true. Gone are the days when your pint of milk was delivered to your doorstep or your personal physician making house calls. The worst is being attended to by electronic recording over the phone. Everything is so impersonal. In time we are likely to be replaced by machines. As it is, the computers and calculating machines are functioning in our place.

In retrospect, the corner store is fast disappearing, engulfed by giant supermarkets. Onto the stage of marketing, online buying and selling is evolving to be part of our daily lives. The most prominent and frustrating aspects of the Internet era will be a world devoid of humans. In highlighting the automated age, its scenario will evidently be:

  • the phobia of dealing with ghostly machine

  • the absolute challenge of making contact with the human face or voice

  • big bucks are channelled towards the objective of making sales rather than helping solving your shopping problem

  • modern systems keep customer service at arm’s length

  • speaking to a machine programmed to understand human speech

  • to access information you’ll face the daunting task of punching or typing in a sequence of numbers

  • the exasperating experience of wearing out your human patience

  • the frequent endless waiting of being served by a human.

    unknownLast Time When – wind screen wiped, water & oil checked, tyre pressure pumped?

As a starter, try calling up your neighbours or friends, and increasingly you’ll get the answering machine. Taking a step further, with large commercial establishments or departments, you’ll be confronted with the labyrinthine menus that accompany most phone-based systems. The maze and impersonal instruction will infuriate your patience and load you with frustration.

Increasingly, it is the phone and the Internet that engender the frustration. Everything is digitised. Sales items are bar-coded. The human brain is increasingly functioning less and less and no doubt robots will replace humans. You and I must be prepared to be bar-coded or fitted with “smart card” and be treated as mere digitals in this fast changing world.

Last but not least, there is nothing you can  label in terms of qualitative & quantitative service with the like of such  tradesmen as the electrician, plumber & carpenter. Even the smallest  job is measured out by the hour. They’re just minting gold much more than would any professional. Discounting good will & customer relationship, it’s a one-off kill!

Don’t look back to the good old days . . . brave yourself to the GREED of this corrupted world.

Paul Chong ©

A Chinese by Descent

An Australian by Consent

Reminiscing the Past

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Reminiscing the Past

The old scenery is still there . . . never fading

But looking ahead should be more exciting.

In the words of  Soren Kierkegaad:

“Life can only be understood backwards;

but it must be lived forwards.”

prindawnPrincess Dawn Cruise

It is said, in life we do three things: we’re born, we consume and we die. As you get on in years, history accumulates future fades . . . that’s why old folks tend to reminisce the good old days, since the days ahead are dimming, fading and getting less and less, and worst of all teeming with lots of uncertainties!

In so doing, the joy of redeeming and recapturing the days gone by, seem all so exciting, rejuvenating . . . making life more comforting and worthwhile. We were young once with all the life, dreams, hope & aspiration ahead of us. We are not old and silly fools. We have wisdom gained through life’s experiences unmatched by any other form of education. We have had our adventures, travels to exotic places, had rendezvous of the kind that the young ones never know about. We have had our studies with good academic qualifications and credentials. We have had our successes and failures. All materialistic accomplishments go towards not just history accumulation but also the fortification of the future.

sunsets-on-huangshan01.jpgSunset in Huangshan, China

The reality is, life is so full of vanity and futility. Life is like a hurricane. It hits you hard momentarily and just as quickly it’s gone! Prosperity is good, but neglect not life’s posterity.

I guess it’s easier for most to look back than to look forward. But then the glory of the morning sunrise is no more glorious than the magnificence of the golden sunset. It all depends on you as an individual. Your ATTITUDE is your FORTITUDE. Attitude scales the ALTITUDE. Needless to say, attitude is more important than aptitude! Believe you me, we’ve been there . . . done it . . . lived it!

My grandfather & father shared little or none of their past with me. It is like having a good musician interred with his best music . . . lost to the world. It’s so sad! My song shall be heard through the generations. It’s the least of the legacies to be left behind.

Though the years ahead may diminish in proportion to the accumulated years behind us, it is for posterity that we recount the past. Perspectively, history provides guidance and teaching, faith, hope, love and respect for the good things that were done before the coming of the young. Thus, be willing to listen when the old folks talk. We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen twice as much as we should talk.

Paul Chong

A Chinese by Descent

An Australian by Consent

A Better Today For A Brighter Tomorrow

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A Better Today For A Brighter Tomorrow

Let’s promise our kids not just a brighter tomorrow but also a better today. Today matters more than yesterday and even more than tomorrow. Yesterday is dead and gone. Whatever you do you can’t bring it back. Tomorrow spells hope and fulfillment of dreams. However, tomorrow may not be in sight. If today cannot get by or like a cancelled cheque, how would the kids buy tomorrow?

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In this world of uncertainties, a world of gloom and doom particularly in the Middle East & Africa, what is there for the kids to live for? In major cities and metropolitan areas of the world, under stress and strain, many kids have been known to commit suicide. Youth is the spring of life but winter sets in early, unfortunately, for many a frustrated kid and young adults.

In an ever changing landscape globally, internationally and nationally in the political, economic and social realm, life is one of constant and fluid adjustment and adaptation. It’s a question of survival for the fittest. The weak fall by the way side. The highway and flyway pose to be insurmountable ways.

The way to the top is by way of good education, and not just good but the best there is. Competition has never been tougher and progressively so. A basic degree gets nowhere for higher degrees are being sought after. While the educated are striving to be among the best, neither there are millions being deprived of a good and proper education nor have the opportunity for one. The disparity stares hard in your face.

Human resources are the backbone and strength of the nation. They are built up right from young. The kids must be assured of safety and security, of hope and opportunities, of a life that will fulfill hope, dreams and aspiration. The society must be stable, the economy strong, and politically secured without the threat of unrest and wars. What kind of future can the Palestinian children expect? What of the North Korean impoverished kids? Or in Africa where everyday is a battle, life is like living death.

There is too much politics and political leaders are there more for their own gain. Life and death are mere statistics to them. Power and fame are the names of the game. Promises are made only to be broken. Human factors are numerical factors without any compassion attached. In dealing with mankind, there can be no winners only losers. Kids and women are the ones who suffer most and where can they turn in the face of adversities.

We shall pass this place but once. Let’s make this place a better place today to inherit that great tomorrow.

Paul Chong

A Chinese by Descent

An Australian by Consent


“Young Man In A Hurry”

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“Young Man in a Hurry!”

If you run fast to get to somewhere

Oftentimes you’d miss the fun of getting there.

Life is a journey . . . not a destiny!

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Last Sunday, Lilian & I did something which we should be doing all the time or at least from time to time – taking the free train ride to Mandurah. Like most retirees, having been accustomed to our own vehicle for convenient transportation, taking the train had always been far from my mind. I was always driving around when visiting friends or places, near or far, until stricken by glaucoma about three years ago. To be restricted in my mobility & to depend on others carting me around is not easy for me.

What a train ride it turned out to be! Lilian drove from our home in Lesmurdie & we parked the car at Bullcreek bus deport. We just hopped in & no ticket is required for seniors/retirees on Sunday. The electric train runs by conveniently every short interval & in just about half hour we reached our destination, Mandurah.

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Along the way, with my partially impaired vision, I was enjoying the scenery, which often escape you when driving yourself. The ride was smooth & relaxing with lighted sign & announcement telling you each stop – Murdoch being the first & eventually Rockingham before Mandurah. From the station we boarded the awaiting bus, again for free, which took us to the fore-shore of Mandurah – the place where activities & visitors congregate.

There was the Annual Crab Fest on with a galore of music, activities, stores, crowds & noise filling the festive atmosphere. This certainly broke the monotony of life’s routine, and as an avid photographer, my trigger finger was happily clicking away. Photos are so precious for memories. Like they say the best things in life are free, & we certainly avail ourselves to having a good time. We ended up eating at Cicerello (the famous place for fish & chips) & watched the sunset. Believe you me, the sunset is more glorious & colourfully spectacular than the early morning sun rise.

As an internet user, you probably are familiar with a message re “Life Explained”. Fort the purpose of illustration, if I may, I like to draw your attention to it.

God initially created the animals . . . cow, monkey, & dog.

“On the fourth day, God created man and said:
 ‘Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this,
 I’ll give you twenty years.’

But man said: ‘Only twenty years? Could you possibly
 give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the
 monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes
 eighty, okay?’

‘Okay,’ said God, ‘You asked for it.’

So that is why for our first twenty years we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years we slave
 in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years we
 do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the
 last ten years we sit on the front porch and bark at
 everyone.”

Life has now been explained to you.

As the cumulative years behind us begin to exceed the would-be years ahead of us, you gain a better perspective & realisation what life is all about. It makes no sense to be in a hurry. It is as though we are all in a hurry from the womb to the tomb. That’s precisely the Gospel truth, from the cradle to the grave, which is a certain destiny, we never seem to have time for anything. We don’t have time for breakfast . . . for meals & exercise . . . relaxation & recreation . . . for friends & last but not least for our family. This is indeed a sad indictment & before long we’d be sorrowfully interred with our bones – the best music left unsung.

Life is no race. Take time for everything. We all have 24 hours in the day. It’s how we make use of the hours that will determine the qualitative & quantitative aspects of life. People often ask me where do I find the time to write. If it’s a pleasure to you, you’d find time for it is my truthful simple answer.

Making time to indulge in life’s pleasure needs no advice or advocation. Golf fanatics are known to make “widows” out of their wives. Workaholics expend their energy cooped up with their office work. Failing to strike a balance in life is sad indeed – for there is no turning back!

It is advisable neither be a “young man in a hurry” nor an “old man barking at everyone on the front porch”. Life is precious. Live it to the full. Make every minute count. The Chinese have a saying: “A nick of time is an inch of gold.” And gold right now is your best bet & hedge against “The Great Recession”.

The chapters of life need to be read from beginning to end. Don’t skip any chapters. Don’t just read the prologue & conclude with having read the whole story. Enjoy the prose, the expression, savouring each scene that the author laboured through in his/her presentation as in the case of reading Agatha Christie’s works of fiction.

Life is short . . . so don’t engage in top gear all the time. Stretch out & linger on to appreciate life’s beautiful scenery, lest you’ll end up being sorry.

Paul Chong ©

Thursday, 12 March 2009

5.42 am

Why Do We Email?

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Why Do We Email?

In this DNA age of superhighway of communication, keeping in touch with your

loved ones, relatives and friends is so easy. Electronic communication is fast, virtually instant, cheap and simple. There is no reason why people should lose touch with

one another, unless it’s by choice. Through this media you can even

extend and establish new friendship globally.

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It’s my way of keeping in touch and to let you know that I think of you when I email you even though it may be just forwarding a joke. In turn I hope you will reciprocate.

Sometimes we wonder why friends keep forwarding jokes to us without writing a word. Here maybe you’ll find the reasons.

When you are busy, but still want to keep in touch, the easiest way is to forward a joke. This is to let the other party know that:

  • You still remember him/her

  • He/she is still important to you

  • He/she is still loved

  • You still care

In reciprocating, just similarly forward a joke or better still, in a more personal way, send a simple note of acknowledgment. This is like conveying a smile, saying thank you, a gesture that you appreciate and above all exhibiting the unspoken human code of etiquette.

The worst thing you can do is to completely ignore whatever you receive in the emails. Needless for me to say, wrong implications and other misconstrued ideas can build up to sour relationship.

Without meaning to offend & nothing personal, from my gathering & personal observation over the years, I find that there are basically three categories of emailers:

      1. Avid – those showing a keen interest & enthusiasm; frequent.

      2. Courteous – those who are polite, respectful, considerate & even complaisant, but not so frequent.

      3. Lackadaisical – a carelessly lazy group lacking both enthusiasm & determination that’s aptly classed as “deadwood”.

        We all can’t be so avid nor do we wish to be lackadaisical . . . at least we can try to be courteous. Normally, all deadwood are trimmed or pruned off, as any gardener would advocate.

Have you ever wondered how a friend would feel if you were to keep on ignoring his mails without any hint of interest or simply even to acknowledge, however busy you may be?

Don’t ever complain of getting too much mails

For love & blessings cannot be assailed!

Rejoice in the Joy of Emailing!

Paul Chong

A Chinese by descent

An Australian by consent

Superlative Facts About China

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Superlative Facts About China

By Paul Chong

great-wall-china-2.jpgThe Ancient Great Wall of China

The Sleeping Dragon which Napoleon feared to rouse has finally emerged on the world stage & these facts will astound you:

The People’s Republic of China (comprises China, Hong Kong & Macau) with a teeming population of 1.3 billion is made up of 55 ethnic groups. Tibet is included as represented by one of the stars in the National Flag. It’s an ancient civilization & now

an ultra modern economy.

  • If the Chinese were to march past you 8-abreast, the line of parade will never end (because of reproduction).

  • For every living person on earth, one lives in China.

  • Never in the recorded history of mankind has the world seen such phenomenal industrial growth – an average of 8% over the last 30 years.

  • Coupled with this, growing simultaneously is the rate of urbanization never before happened in Europe or America or anywhere else. China is building a city of equivalent size to Sydney or Birmingham every 60- days.

    01 New Pudong panorama view with Huangpu river_thumb.jpg Pudong-Shanghai Skyline

  • A China with virtually no phone now possesses the single largest mobile network in the world. By the end of 2007, China had 370 million fixed-line subscribers and 530 million mobile subscribers.

  • Mandarin is by far the single largest spoken language & will supercede English globally. It is the official & unifying language.

  • The number of Chinese millionaires & the expanding middle class is swelling each day & fleeing the countryside for the big cities pushing up demand for everything . . . from American food . . . to modern housing . . . to Rolls-Royce Phantoms through the roof!

  • China is building at a frenzy speed . . . unstoppable despite the global economic downturn – perhaps now at a slower pace. Now China has the biggest, tallest, speediest of whatever nameable.

  • China is a unified, multi-national country, comprising 55 other minorities. The Han people make up 91.02 percent of the total population, leaving 8.98 percent for the other 55 ethnic minorities.

  • The yearly average net increase of population: 12.79 million.

  • Total Number of Military Service Personnel: 2.5 million.

  • The most populated administrative region: Henan Province (92.56 million).

  • The least populated administrative region: Tibet (Xizang) Autonomous Region (2.62 million).

  • It’s claimed that the only man-made structure visible from outer space is The Great Wall of China.

  • China said the number of Internet users in the country reached about 253 million (February 2009), helping China overtake the United States as the world’s biggest Internet market.

  • China is not communist – except for the political system.

  • China is BIG & there are 6,536 islands larger than 500 square meters, the largest is Taiwan, with a total area of about 36,000 square kilometers, and the second, Hainan. The South China Sea Islands are the southernmost island group of China.

  • The Chinese are known to be most assiduous in their economic pursuits, innovative & inventive – just that many went by unpublicised.

For example: a flush toilet was found in a tomb of a Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C. to A.D. 24) king — and they invented toilet paper in the 6th century.

Paul Chong

A Chinese by Descent

An Australian by Consent