Each year, during the month of December, millions of homes around the world are decorated with Christmas trees and fairy lights. But how much do we really know about the spirit of this festive holiday? What does this holiday mean to you? Does it have real meaning today? Can it have any real meaning for us today? Is there a 'real' Christmas message?
Not many people consider the religious meaning to Christmas. It has become a busy holiday to spend money on presents. Shops stay open late till Christmas Eve and often open again on Boxing Day with cut-price 'sales'.
I want to somehow return to a time in my childhood or some other good time in the past. I feel sure that behind all the fun and decorations, there must some how be a message, something more, some key to life, hope and happiness.
So can we look beyond the way Christmas is celebrated today, and find any real meaning, any message for our lives today?
Merry Christmas All!
V
It happened when we were having a break during a meeting in New York two weeks ago. My project team members (from different parts of the world-Australia, Singapore, England, North America and Germany) suddenly decided that we should go see a musical play that night. It took twelve of us ten minutes to check the internet and decide on a play-Hairspray - it is amazing how we could never agree and resolve any issues at work this quickly and yet time wasn’t a factor when it came to this. Hence, we ended the meeting two hours earlier to catch a train and grab a quick bite before the play.
The Play
In, ‘Hairspray’, it is 1962 - the '50s are out and change is in the air. Baltimore's
Tracy Turnblad, a big girl with and an even bigger heart, has only one passion - to dance. She wins a spot in the local TV dance program and, overnight, is transformed from outsider to irrepressible teen celebrity. The play though entertaining, and a little bit silly, does touch on the issue of racial discrimination during that period.
Reactions
My colleagues (who are in their mid thirties to late fifties) were laughing and talking about the play, all the way back from the Neil Simon Theatre to our hotel which was a one and a half hour car ride. Despite the differences in gender, cultural background, age and geographical location, all they could talk about was the entertaining aspects of the play. No mention of the racial discrimination portrayed in the play. This makes me wonder the problems and issues in the world today remain unresolved or unaddressed because people might tend to overlook the problems because the problems do not affect them directly. It is really not only what we see or do that matters but more importantly, what we fail to see or do.
Overall, it was an eye-opening experience for me, though I was battling with jet lag the whole night.
Thanks Ed for your beautiful and creative art work!
What should we be doing on our birthday each year? If we do not reflect on and think about our progress and achievements, it would seem insignificant to celebrate our Bday. For me, Life should not be a mere existence. It should be a journey of progressive improvement and enrichment in oneself, which in turn, has positive effects in the world we live in. Though I have made some headway professionally, I had failed quite considerably in the personal arena. This is actually bad as we should not let work determine who we are. My new resolution is to see changes in the development of myself in the intellectual and creative arena.
Lastly, I want to thank Ed. Without him, I would have become a much lesser person over the years.
v
In response to Ed-Infinitum's Initiative for the 'Thumb's Up for 'blog INaction day'
So, as to not further reinforce the all-too-common and common a notion that an idea is only a great idea when it is fronted by ‘orgs’, celebrated this or thats, and, as a consequence, reinforce the idea amongst bloggers that they are only good as sheep when it comes to initiative/idea/solution-generation, Vantasia.vox.com, a ‘blog’, gives ‘blogactionday’ an unequivocal ‘thumb’s down’, but will support any blogger that wants to initiate this ‘blogactionday’ in the near or distant future. If Vantasia.vox.com was to appreciate the 'idea in itself' by supporting blogActionDay, it saves a bird and kills another with a single throw. I was never one for sugar-coated cyanide. In other words, Vantasia.vox.com will be guilty of reinforcing bloggers' 'sheep status' one the one hand whilst doing good on the other. In the long run, as it is already in the present, the world will be deprived of a significant source of ideas and initiatives because this source is too busy playing 'sheep' to celebrities. Once bloggers have been recognised as an equal or more viable a source of initiative/idea/solution-generation, and thus rise above their unstated but practiced status as the 'intellectual peasantry' of our medieval modern times, then, this site, will appreciate the Great Idea for itself even if it comes from a mere celebrated this or that.
In response to Ed-Infinitum's Initiative for the 'Bloggers' 7 Day Strike Action for a FREE BURMA!'
The 'Free Burma UK' site keeps using celebrities to promote their campaigns. This is one of the reasons why nobody pays attention to good ideas if the ideas are not fronted by celebrities. Over time people will stop generating good ideas and just wait for celebrities to do so. As far as I am concerned, anyone that can come up with good ideas are celebrities even if they are not. V
Six years, or seventy-two months, have passed and even if you want to forget 11/9, you couldn't. The Americans are still wrestling with the question of how -and whether- to move on. This topic is still very much covered in their news and newspaper.
If one might forget the date Hiroshima was bombed(6/8, 6th august), one ought to be able to forget 11/9 and move on. Or is 11/9 significant because it did not happen to the Japanese?
Would you agree? If not, or if you do, why?
(image by ed-infinitum)
Pregnant women in England will be entitled to a £200 lump sum to
spend on healthy food, in government plans to be announced on Wednesday.
From April 2009, expectant mums could have the benefit paid in the 29th week of their pregnancy.
The grant is intended to reduce infant mortality and close the health inequality gap between richer and poorer families.
Women
must have a health and welfare session with a professional to claim the
money - but they don't have to prove the money is actually spent on
nutritious food.
If most critical development is in the early stages, is paying this money at the end too late to really benefit the baby? Will it actually close the gap between rich and poor families? Does it cost much more to eat healthily? Will it change women's eating habits?
bbc
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ed'sperience said:
[this is good]Great that there are a few singaporeans who are practical enough to go beyond their own interests and concern themselves... read more
on FREE BURMA! -
ed-infinitum said:
[this is good]Yes. I believe America ought to 'move on'. But 'moving on' is not in itself a virtue unless it is... read more
on 11/9 - move on? -
Ninja said:
I think it's all in the manner of how the "victim" responds after the event. In Hiroshima's case, the Japanese... read more
on 11/9 - move on? -
Dave Birdsall said:
Hello Vantasia/Ed Its easier to put your both names together then I can type one reply, I hope you dont... read more
on Duran Duran - Girls on Film
I can imagine the experience... i've only attended one play before which i attended because my peers attended (because it... read more
on My First Broadway Musical Experience