Happiness

Happiness is just an 8-letter word that holds no meaning for most people. In fact, some of us spend half a lifetime chasing after it; some own it but fail to acknowledge its presence. It's too easy to be overlooked, even easier to plunge into the other extreme-unhappiness. However, life is never really too harsh on us. We always retain the right to choose, to want happiness or unhappiness. Yet it's amazing how often we foolishly wound up on the wrong path. Maybe it's just our heads playing tricks with us, or maybe it's the insatiable desire to want more. A second-hand convertible can make a teenager glow, but not for a middle-aged man. He'd at least need a Mercedes S class, or any equivalent. Thus, we constantly toil under unhappiness, grudgingly pursuing happinees, which is as good as a mirage in the vast desert of life. Happy pursuing your mirage!

Death at first sight

Sight is the most globally abused sensation of mankind. I think it constitutes 80% of our interaction with the world outside. For instance, in a 10-minute job interview, you'd expect your would-be employers to study your resume thoroughly where in truth they might only be interested in the plunging neckline of your white pleated shirt, or your unkempt moustache. On a blind date, would you even bother to walk up to the table by which is seated (in your opinion) the most unsightly date you can imagine? Piercings, shabby cargo pants that need washing, multiple body tattoos, nails with apparent nicotine stain etc, just to name a few things that the general public consider 'unpleasant'. The stigma that comes along with each unpleasantness we perceive is as good as a death penalty. How often would you give the homeless man a second look and wonder if he'd make a good employer? How is it possible to dine with a stranger that totally doesn't suit your taste? First impressions are that important, and it's gradually becoming the social death sentence in our community. A patient would lose a tad of confidence upon meeting a young doctor who's in jeans, lose another tad of sense of security when he sees body piercings on the doctor, and probably walk out of the clinic if the doctor stutters. Sad, but this is the kind of world we live in these days, where first impressions colour our primary judgement.