The week in passing

Angbao Inflation


Yesterday, there was a report on My Paper about "inflation" of wedding gift money.

It was reported that with prices going up, some wedding banquets costs as much as $1200 per table (of 10) at five star hotels. Hence the angbao inflation.

I find the logic some what convoluted. Since when are guests expected to pay for the newly weds lavishness?

Typically, guests would like to help the couple defray the costs by give a gift money that is about the per head price of the banquet. In old times, such gift moneys goes a long way towards helping the poor folks. Certainly in my parents time, it was so, for they were too poor to even pay for a few tables of feast at the neighbourhood restaurant for family and friends.

But what I find disturbing is for couples to have grand and lavish banquets AND expect the guests' angbaos to match it.

I say, if you want a lavish wedding you be prepared to pay for it. I am not going to pay for your extravagance. If you want five star and all, you make sure you can afford it. There are plenty of alternatives for those can't afford it.

It is not that I begrudge a gift -- for my close friends I still give angbaos that are "above market rate". And that's regardless of the venue and setting, even if it is just a simple buffet lunch after a solemnization at a temple or a church wedding.

I am just not willing to pay for others' extravagance.

Yes, I know prices are going up. All the more we should keep within our means.



It all about appearances

It was reported that the girl who sang at the Olympics Opening Ceremony who just lip-synching. The reason being that the real singer, 7 year old Yang Peiyi, "was not pretty enough to appear in front of a television audience of billions".

It's just another sign how much premium the society puts on physical appearances, and in this case, almost to the point of sacrificing integrity.


Right here waiting

OK. I confess. I am not immune to physical beauty.

Just early this week, I was snooping around and found the application call Zoosk on Facebook. It's something like a match-making application.

After adding it, I was browsing through the profiles. Given the minimal information available on the profiles (Zoosk does not link back to the Facebook profile), I'm afraid it's purely physical appearance that defines attractiveness.

So I send a few winks and flirts to a couple of guys whom I find attractive (sadly, based on nothing but a photo), though I skipped those that are too young (like 25 and below).

Now I'm waiting for a response....

Oh, it's been a few days. There has been no response. None at all.

I guess that's how things goes. You judge people by physical appearance. People also judge you by physical appearance.

The beautiful people gets all the attention. They need not settle for less. So the it's wishful thinking targeting those that are attractive in the first place.

OK, I guess that's enough of Zoosking around for now.


Gossip: Psst! Did you just break off with your boyfriend?

Over the past week, I saw on Facebook 3 friends who had their status change from being "In a relationship" to "Single".

That piqued my curiosity. But I am too polite to ask. I guess people who just broke off from a relationship are probably nursing a broken heart and do not like kaypohs poking their noses into it.

But it also showed how visible your romantic life can be to your Facebook friends.


Hungry Ghost month 1

I commented to a friend that there are plenty of headless people around in Trevvy and Fridae.

My friend commented, "Don't scare me! It's the Hungry Ghost month!"

Ha! They are scary indeed. I normally don't bother with headless people. I broke the rule once and had a blind date with someone whose profile picture did not had his head.

Bad experience. I won't break the rule again!

It's not that he's ugly or hideous. In fact, he was quite presentable.

It's just that those who are too scared to show his face for whatever reasons are just not my type.


Hungry Ghost month 2

Is the economy month really bad?

The Hungry Ghost month this year seems rather muted.

Typically this is the time when you see people making offerings everywhere and burnt paper offerings would be flying all over the place.

But it seems to me that there isn't that much of it this year.

Are people cutting back offerings because of bad economy? Or have that many people changed their religious beliefs?

Parades and Parades

It was the Olympics Opening ceremony last Friday night, and then the Singapore's National Day parade on Saturday night.

I caught bits and pieces of both with a yawn.

Such a waste of resources. So much pomp and grandeur and to what purpose?

I know China wants to showcase to the world and put up a grand show. But was it necessary to go to that extent?

As for the NDP, I guess it's a celebration. But I'm just a little jaded. Seriously does a grand NDP make people more patriotic? I think not.


Indignation

With the nation is celebration, it's also the time some gay people show their "indignation".

This year's program seems rather low key and muted compared to last year's. (Is it really the economy?)

But seriously, after so many years of being "indignant", perhaps it's time to drop that and move on to something else.

What's the point of being indignant if we gay people can't be proud of ourselves.