How Bizarre!

These two news articles from Ondine’s site sent me reeling in laughter.

Alright, so, I am unsympathetic and mean.
But then again, I don’t think I can keep a solemn face and stifle the guffaw that’s threatening to explode through my ears if I cannot let it out via the proper channel.

I was tickled but am sure that the doctors in the ER will just let out a wry silent sigh and go about treating these unfortunate souls most professionally. After all, when you have been in this line for so long, nothing stupefies you anymore. All in a day’s work, they’ll lament.

One way to increase personal wealth: List your company

Ms. Cheung Yan, founder and chairwoman of top Chinese paper packager Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) Ltd.

A woman has topped a list of China's richest people for the first time, elbowing past two-time leader Huang Guangyu of GOME Electrical Appliances and a coterie of CEOs at old-economy government enterprises.

Cheung Yan's company listed shares on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in March, becoming one of scores of companies based on the mainland that have been enriched by international investors' fervor for Chinese assets. The company recently saw its share price surge after reporting that its fiscal 2006 net profit more than quadrupled to 1.375 billion yuan, or $174 million.

Newly minted billionaire Cheung Yan (Zhang Yan) -- the 49 year-old founder and chairwoman of top Chinese paper packager Nine Dragons Paper (Holdings) Ltd. -- saw her fortune balloon nine-fold to US$3.4 billion boosted by her firm's March initial public offering.

The entrepreneur, who controlled 72 percent of Nine Dragons as of August 31, has lapped up a 165 percent rally in the company's stock, according to an annual survey compiled by Rupert Hoogewerf, who pioneered a list for Forbes. She is the first businesswoman to top this annual list.

Cheung's stellar ascent is rare in a country whose largest corporations is state-owned or run by well-connected male executives.

Her personal wealth leapt from US$375 million last year, when she was logged as number 36 in the survey, surpassing appliances king Huang Guanyu's US$2.5 billion, according to the report.

Huang, chairman of GOME -- the country's top retailer of household electronics -- had topped the list in 2005 for the second consecutive year, with a fortune of US$1.7 billion.
The man who started his career with $500 and a Beijing roadside stall hawking radios and gadgets built GOME into a multi-billion dollar empire spanning nearly 100 cities across the country.

The number of Chinese billionaires on increased from 3 in 2003 to 7 in 2005 then climbed to 13 as of 2006.

On a personal note:

I am getting increasingly irritated by our local media’s tendency to cover feature stories of local men and husbands attraction to foreign women, namely China ladies. We read about it on the STOMP (Straits Times Online Mobile Print) website and the Sunday Times. We watch talkshows discussing this topic on television. Bloody beaten to death topic. Not only is it stale, it’s totally unenlightening. China has the world’s largest population. It will not be surprising if the number of intelligent, sophisticated, independent and well-to-do ladies far exceeds Singapore’s population. So, quit it! Enough of unsavoury peidu mamas, money grubbing China brides and husband snatching mistresses…

Of Steve, Chad, Larry & Sergey—wherein is there a tech bubble?

Google Inc has sealed a US$1.65 billion deal to acquire You Tube.com from the lads Steve Chen and Chad Hurley.

Now, that’s the main reason I stand by my philosophy: Geeks are more attractive.

In Bad Faith

An article in the Sunday Times got me thinking about religion.

Customer forced out of restaurant after spat with chef:


Madam, why are you so CROSS?


Place where spat occurred

Photos courtesy of Singapore Press Holdings, The Straits Times.

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Some years ago, on Chinese New Year’s Day, my family was in my uncle’s house doing our round of visitations. My auntie was chatting with my sister when she spotted a necklace on her.

“You are wearing a cross. Are you a Christian?” Aunt Rose enquired; her voice was tremulously soft but carried a hint of displeasure.

Aileen caught the inflection in her voice and ventured, “Yea, why do you ask?”

“No, I thought you may wear the pendant as a fashion statement and not for religious reasons. I dislike Christians,” Aunt Rose answered disapprovingly.

Shocking, shocking revelation.

I was stunned too. Aileen probed Aunt Rose for her dislike for Christians. Apparently, she had many bad experiences with people who are of the Christian faith.

When I was in Campus Crusade, we were tasked to do street evangelism on several occasions. Sometimes, people we approach will directly express their dislike for Christians.

“Hm? You want to tell me about Jesus? No…I don’t want to listen. I don’t like Christians.”—passerby then gives a disturbed, disgruntled look and strides away, as fast as their limbs can take them.

If we decipher their statements, it doesn’t take a genius to know that they directed their hostility towards Christians, but they did not criticize the religion.

Why do Christians receive so much flak for their faith? Some talk about the ‘spiritual warfare’ that is being waged. I say, Christians should not attribute it to the undoing of Satanic forces. Purge your demons within, people!

No one is blameless or perfect. Christians are human beings too. Don’t tell me people of other faith are infallible beings? No.

The problem is, when one proclaim her faith with pride, one is burdened with the responsibility of growing richly under the influence of her faith and ‘be more like Jesus’.

Not easy. Plus, no one becomes a saint overnight. But next time you do something un-Christ-like, you can always clutch your cross pendant, and utter a prayer. Curb your anger, ask for divine strength, live and let live. What about taking ‘baby steps’? Decrease the frequency of your bad behaviour, backstab people less often, reduce your gossiping from everyday to once a week…slowly and surely change for the better. Let the Holy Spirit empower you. People may be critical, but fair people can see the good changes in you too.

Problem of course, lies in the inertia to effectuate changes for the better. Prayer not enough?