Today is Friday 28 November 2014.
Oil prices are at a four-year low, around US$70 per barrel, and yet related domestic charges continue to rise.
One of the local power companies is going ahead with a price hike, even though oil prices have dropped.
Greed.
Friday, November 28, 2014
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
How not to propose.
Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know.
I wish I knew how to tell the people I love how I feel without making them think, "Oh brother. Rennie's complaining again", or making them feel like I'm blaming them for the way I feel.
But I don't know how, so I'll just keep it inside.
But I don't know how, so I'll just keep it inside.
A restaurant anecdote
One of these days, I might just put all these blog posts together into a book and see if it will sell. For now, though, let me share with you something that happened at a restaurant a few years ago.
My friend and I entered the restaurant and were seated at precisely 7pm. How do I know it was precisely so? Because my watch beeped just as we sat down and I glanced at it.
We decided to order from the dinner sets, so we waited for a waitress. Finally, one came to take our order. Our cutlery came, and we waited. Being a set dinner, you'd expect the soup to arrive a few seconds later, but this was not the case.
In the meantime, a family of four showed up and sat at the table next to ours. They ordered and waited. A couple of minutes later, their food arrived. They had no water, no cutlery, no small plates, but their food was on the table.
We had the cutlery, having arrived first, but they had the food.
After waiting for fifteen minutes, I asked our waitress why our order was taking so long. She went away, and then came back and asked us to repeat our order, which we did.
Half past seven rolled around, family of four had finished their meal and was getting ready to leave. We still hadn't had our soup. So this time, I asked for the manager. It seems our order had fallen onto the floor and was overlooked. Except that we had placed our order twice, so where did the second order go to?
A couple came in and sat at the table that had previously held the family of four. They ordered, ate and left. My watch beeped 8pm.
Okay. I'd been patient enough, but we still hadn't even had our soup, so I said to my friend, "Let's go".
We got up and walked to the door. Our waitress came running over to hold the door open for us and said she hoped we had enjoyed our meal!
I looked around and no one seemed to notice that we'd gotten up and were walking out without paying for a meal that we never received.
Needless to say, we never went back to that restaurant.
My friend and I entered the restaurant and were seated at precisely 7pm. How do I know it was precisely so? Because my watch beeped just as we sat down and I glanced at it.
We decided to order from the dinner sets, so we waited for a waitress. Finally, one came to take our order. Our cutlery came, and we waited. Being a set dinner, you'd expect the soup to arrive a few seconds later, but this was not the case.
In the meantime, a family of four showed up and sat at the table next to ours. They ordered and waited. A couple of minutes later, their food arrived. They had no water, no cutlery, no small plates, but their food was on the table.
We had the cutlery, having arrived first, but they had the food.
After waiting for fifteen minutes, I asked our waitress why our order was taking so long. She went away, and then came back and asked us to repeat our order, which we did.
Half past seven rolled around, family of four had finished their meal and was getting ready to leave. We still hadn't had our soup. So this time, I asked for the manager. It seems our order had fallen onto the floor and was overlooked. Except that we had placed our order twice, so where did the second order go to?
A couple came in and sat at the table that had previously held the family of four. They ordered, ate and left. My watch beeped 8pm.
Okay. I'd been patient enough, but we still hadn't even had our soup, so I said to my friend, "Let's go".
We got up and walked to the door. Our waitress came running over to hold the door open for us and said she hoped we had enjoyed our meal!
I looked around and no one seemed to notice that we'd gotten up and were walking out without paying for a meal that we never received.
Needless to say, we never went back to that restaurant.
Thursday, November 20, 2014
A tap on the shoulder.
I have told a number of people over the past few decades that God
plants a seed in their hearts and then gives it time to grow. There
comes a time when God taps that person on the shoulder and says, "I'd like
you to decide what to do with that seed."
I believe this to be true, otherwise I wouldn't have told those people to expect it. However, I didn't understand how it works, until now.
When I was 40-something, I thought I'd be single till my last breath. When the only girl you ever wanted to marry is not available, and you're in your forties, you could be excused for thinking that. So now I'm married to the girl I thought was no longer available. That in itself is a blessing, but it was just a step along the path that God was laying out for me.
I'd always thought that I would stay in Hong Kong, since this is my home and I was born here. When Irene first suggested that we move to England, I was against the idea. That was a few years ago. Since then, things have happened that have cut away the strings keeping me here. Some people might call it coincidence, but I prefer to believe that God is getting me ready for the big move.
For example, I have tried so many times to quit smoking. A couple of months ago, I read about the late Allen Carr and his "Easyway" book "Allen Carr's Easy Way To Stop Smoking". A Google search showed me that seminars were held in Hong Kong once in a while, so I signed up for it. I wasn't going to tell anyone that I'd signed up, in case I failed miserably, just as I had so many times before. Wouldn't you know it? The night before I was to attend the seminar, my niece mentions out of the blue that her husband had quit smoking after reading "Easyway". Why should I have chosen this time to attend the seminar? And why would my niece blurt out of the blue that her husband had quit using that method? I see that as God preparing me for the next step along the path.
My sister is one of those people who look for God's hand in everything that happens in their lives. Therefore, I get genuinely surprised when she tells us that she's worried about something. I also find it amusing when she is surprised when things fall into place just when she needed something to happen. In my mind, it's all part of God preparing me, so that I can see His hand in the things happening in my own life. One of the great things about God is that He doesn't wait for someone to be ready. He just starts laying out His plans and then taps the person on the shoulder and says, "I'd like you to decide what to do." And when I start to worry about something that may or may not happen much further down the road, I can just picture Him saying, "Really? You're worried?"
So, a week from today, a month from today, a year from today ... I really shouldn't be surprised when things happen, but I probably will be.
Thanks for reading.
I believe this to be true, otherwise I wouldn't have told those people to expect it. However, I didn't understand how it works, until now.
When I was 40-something, I thought I'd be single till my last breath. When the only girl you ever wanted to marry is not available, and you're in your forties, you could be excused for thinking that. So now I'm married to the girl I thought was no longer available. That in itself is a blessing, but it was just a step along the path that God was laying out for me.
I'd always thought that I would stay in Hong Kong, since this is my home and I was born here. When Irene first suggested that we move to England, I was against the idea. That was a few years ago. Since then, things have happened that have cut away the strings keeping me here. Some people might call it coincidence, but I prefer to believe that God is getting me ready for the big move.
For example, I have tried so many times to quit smoking. A couple of months ago, I read about the late Allen Carr and his "Easyway" book "Allen Carr's Easy Way To Stop Smoking". A Google search showed me that seminars were held in Hong Kong once in a while, so I signed up for it. I wasn't going to tell anyone that I'd signed up, in case I failed miserably, just as I had so many times before. Wouldn't you know it? The night before I was to attend the seminar, my niece mentions out of the blue that her husband had quit smoking after reading "Easyway". Why should I have chosen this time to attend the seminar? And why would my niece blurt out of the blue that her husband had quit using that method? I see that as God preparing me for the next step along the path.
My sister is one of those people who look for God's hand in everything that happens in their lives. Therefore, I get genuinely surprised when she tells us that she's worried about something. I also find it amusing when she is surprised when things fall into place just when she needed something to happen. In my mind, it's all part of God preparing me, so that I can see His hand in the things happening in my own life. One of the great things about God is that He doesn't wait for someone to be ready. He just starts laying out His plans and then taps the person on the shoulder and says, "I'd like you to decide what to do." And when I start to worry about something that may or may not happen much further down the road, I can just picture Him saying, "Really? You're worried?"
So, a week from today, a month from today, a year from today ... I really shouldn't be surprised when things happen, but I probably will be.
Thanks for reading.
Thursday, November 13, 2014
It's like an itch.
It's like an itch.
Imagine waking up and wanting to scratch an itch. Or finishing a meal and wanting to scratch an itch.
But you know that scratching it will just make it worse. Each time you scratch it, the itch gets worse. On the other hand, if you leave it alone, it'll eventually fade away and you won't even think about it anymore.
I can't wait for this "I Want A Cigarette" phase to fade away. :( Then, maybe, I can blog about other things :p
Imagine waking up and wanting to scratch an itch. Or finishing a meal and wanting to scratch an itch.
But you know that scratching it will just make it worse. Each time you scratch it, the itch gets worse. On the other hand, if you leave it alone, it'll eventually fade away and you won't even think about it anymore.
I can't wait for this "I Want A Cigarette" phase to fade away. :( Then, maybe, I can blog about other things :p
Monday, November 10, 2014
Allen Carr's Easy Way to Stop Smoking
It's 10:40 pm, Monday 10 November 2014 here in Hong Kong. Today's post is about quitting smoking.
I attended a therapy session last week called Allen Carr's Easy Way To Stop Smoking, which I've shortened to EasyWay. The idea is to change your mindset so that you see tobacco in a different light. The aim is not just to stop smoking but also to stop thinking about cigarettes.
For example, my daily routine used to be:
Wake up, have a Ribena and a cigarette, have a shower and brush my teeth, cup of coffee and another cigarette, read online news, check Facebook, another cigarette, go to work.
Now, my routine is supposed to be all of the above, but without the cigarettes. However, after my first sip of Ribena, my hand still reaches for a cigarette that isn't there anymore. The thought of having a cigarette still exists. Not only that, my mouth still tastes like an ashtray. I wonder how long that will last before it goes away.
One good thing is that I'm enjoying the sound of my breathing now. I noticed it last night. I was taking deep breaths and there was no wheezing sound.
EasyWay was introduced to the world by the late Allen Carr, who also wrote a couple of books. The main difference between EasyWay and other methods is that this supposedly doesn't require willpower. It's supposed to just change the way you think of tobacco, making the struggle unnecessary. While that's true to a certain extent in my case, there have still been moments when the urge for a cigarette has been there. At those moments, I've been thankful that the nearest shop is 40 minutes away.
This isn't the first time I've tried to quit, but I'm hoping it's my last.
A bit of history, if I may. I was 14 when I tried my first cigarette, which I nicked from my dad's box. Over a period of time, I took a few more until he started asking questions. The first pack of cigarettes I bought was Viceroy. I had two or three in a row, felt dizzy and threw the rest of the pack away. Pity I didn't take that as a sign to stay away completely.
During my school days, I would smoke for six months and quit for six months because I was on the track team. My coach used to give me a hard time, but I delivered the gold medals and kept the school name among the honoured list, so I was happy with the situation.
My first real attempt to quit came in 1979 when I went through a religious phase in my life. I managed not to have a cigarette for three years, but a moment of anger put that to dust. Since then, there have been a couple of half-hearted attempts to quit, but I really need to put it behind me now. The cost is one reason for doing so.
I've set myself a few target dates to aim for, the first one being December 1st. After that, I'm looking at the middle of February. If I don't buy a pack of cigs until the middle of February, I will have covered the cost of the EasyWay session. Beyond that, I hope to be, as Allen Carr put it, a happy non-smoker.
I attended a therapy session last week called Allen Carr's Easy Way To Stop Smoking, which I've shortened to EasyWay. The idea is to change your mindset so that you see tobacco in a different light. The aim is not just to stop smoking but also to stop thinking about cigarettes.
For example, my daily routine used to be:
Wake up, have a Ribena and a cigarette, have a shower and brush my teeth, cup of coffee and another cigarette, read online news, check Facebook, another cigarette, go to work.
Now, my routine is supposed to be all of the above, but without the cigarettes. However, after my first sip of Ribena, my hand still reaches for a cigarette that isn't there anymore. The thought of having a cigarette still exists. Not only that, my mouth still tastes like an ashtray. I wonder how long that will last before it goes away.
One good thing is that I'm enjoying the sound of my breathing now. I noticed it last night. I was taking deep breaths and there was no wheezing sound.
EasyWay was introduced to the world by the late Allen Carr, who also wrote a couple of books. The main difference between EasyWay and other methods is that this supposedly doesn't require willpower. It's supposed to just change the way you think of tobacco, making the struggle unnecessary. While that's true to a certain extent in my case, there have still been moments when the urge for a cigarette has been there. At those moments, I've been thankful that the nearest shop is 40 minutes away.
This isn't the first time I've tried to quit, but I'm hoping it's my last.
A bit of history, if I may. I was 14 when I tried my first cigarette, which I nicked from my dad's box. Over a period of time, I took a few more until he started asking questions. The first pack of cigarettes I bought was Viceroy. I had two or three in a row, felt dizzy and threw the rest of the pack away. Pity I didn't take that as a sign to stay away completely.
During my school days, I would smoke for six months and quit for six months because I was on the track team. My coach used to give me a hard time, but I delivered the gold medals and kept the school name among the honoured list, so I was happy with the situation.
My first real attempt to quit came in 1979 when I went through a religious phase in my life. I managed not to have a cigarette for three years, but a moment of anger put that to dust. Since then, there have been a couple of half-hearted attempts to quit, but I really need to put it behind me now. The cost is one reason for doing so.
I've set myself a few target dates to aim for, the first one being December 1st. After that, I'm looking at the middle of February. If I don't buy a pack of cigs until the middle of February, I will have covered the cost of the EasyWay session. Beyond that, I hope to be, as Allen Carr put it, a happy non-smoker.
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