Yesterday I was in a hurry....as usual (that's why they call us Rushians?!) to go to the Expo. I got there and was picking a piece of paper that had dropped onto the floor, when my eyes saw.....my right foot had on a blue sandal and my left foot was wearing a brown sandal, with a totally different design!

How embarrassing!

I was going to laugh aloud --- ah....but that would have added to the embarrassing moment!
So I made a quick decision to just keep quiet and walk on as if nothing was amiss in a crowd of hundreds!

Of course several thoughts went through my mind --- I could go buy a new pair of sandals...I could get my husband to go home and get me my 'other half'.... If anyone were to laugh at me, I was prepared to say it was fashionable to wear different color footwear....Or I could just say that I was doing a survey to see if people actually notice what people wear!

I went through my day from Expo to Changi Airport Arrival Hall (to meet a family), then to a Food Court for lunch, went to Ghim Moh (a housing estate), walked to a supermarket to buy groceries, and walked through a carpark....NOT A SINGLE SOUL commented, came to me, or even giggled at me all day.

My conclusion:
We think people notice us --- they don't.
We think people care what we wear --- they don't.
We think we have an embarrassing experience --- people are not even conscious of our existence!

So let's not be so self-centered, but be others-centered.
Then I'm sure when we notice them, when we care about them, when we are conscious of their needs and their experiences, they will then see us!

Just attended this Cyber Wellness talk over the weekend organised by Touch Community Services. It was a pretty good 'awareness' talk and I could see the faces of many concerned ( shall I say weary and worn-out?) parents whose kids are very much into cyber games.

The question churning in my mind was:

"After this talk, what would be the first thing they were going to say to their son/daughter whom they had already identified as an Internet addict?"

After all these months of struggling, scolding, nagging, taking away privileges, pocket money, .....did their "cybergame addict" get off the computer and get better grades at school?

NO!

This war at home did not happen overnight. So don't expect a quick fix either!
I would go for the CURE:

Craft out alternative activities eg. basketball, cycling, rock-climbing.
Understand the positive values of gaming eg. focus, challenge, concentration, coordination, teamwork.
Restore the parent-child relationship eg. give time, attention/affection/affirmation.
Empathize with the child's need eg. self-worth, acceptance, achievement, purpose, power.