Let the Games begin

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I am not a sportperson but I support all kind of games. Big ones and small ones. Local and International.

Of course the biggest Game of all is coming up real soon. I am talking about the 2008 Olympics. This time around it will take place in Beijing, People’s Republic of China.

Everytime I mention or heard the name – Beijing, China – it will bring a smile to my face. I was there 3 months ago and stayed there in Beijing for almost a month.

Of course back then the feeling of excitement of the big Games had not been felt yet. But I could remember all kinds of preparation that were put in place by the government with a few campaigns and awareness about the Games. Most of them about cleanliness and also they encouraged everyone especially the taxi drivers to learn how to speak the basic English language.

I have written my personal experience and observation on getting a taxi in Beijing and I wish to share it with all of you. Feel free to visit here on my short take on taxis in Beijing. It was written when I was there at that time.



Recently we have heard so much about the Olympics that will be held in Beijing; but not in a positive way. People are talking about boycotting the Game for what had transpired in Tibet and they said everyone should punish China for their army crackdown on the dissidents in Tibet. It was all over the news in the past weeks.

To some extent those who protest against China’s action have tried to make their voices heard by attempting to disrupt the smooth journey of the Olympics’ torch around the globe. This to me is a very sad incident and would not be beneficial to anyone.

Yes, we all should be upset and disturbed about what had happened to the dissidents in Tibet and whether the Chinese government especially the army was right or wrong in their action; should be the subject of political interests.

However the Olympics or any sporting event for that matter should not be associated with politics or any of its elements.

Granted that an action by any government on its citizen should be based on the laws or rules and regulations of that particular country. And for China being a communist country, it should be expected by all that their way of handling any situation which they deem to be detrimental to the security of their nation will be different from a democratic country.

Likewise in a democratic country, not always that their laws or rules and regulations adhere to the principle of democracy; for instance the introduction of certain law of a particular country that allows the government to detain anyone for a period of time without being given a fair trial for whatever purpose usually a terror suspect or under national security; this can also be considered as undemocratic in nature or could even be considered as inhumane.

In short, politics and games should NOT be mixed.

The Olympic games on the other hand has been around for hundreds of years and this event has always been important to all sportsmen and sportswomen around the world. It is the mother of all games.

To simply boycott the Beijing Olympics 2008 will do more damage to the Games than to the country hosting it.

As it is, the Olympics throughout it's existence had suffered a few setback and at one time was marred by a tragedy like what happenned in Munich the '72 Olympics. It had hurt the Games more than it had hurt the countries.

Let China hosts the Games and let the international community get together to celebrate the Games. At the same time let us also express our disapproval and dissapointment in the way China had handled the Tibet incident perhaps by way of diplomatic recourse. For instance a protest note, if not sanctions or something alike that can be taken by the politicians of the world.

But please ... let the Games begin ...

On a lighter note, here is something that I have received from an email of a friend of mine in Beijing that I wish to share with you all … with an open mind, of course. It’s a short poem. So enjoy.

"
My children, I am Dalai Lama come in peace.
I can smell some people here want to help Tibet.
So my British friend please ship more opium to Tibet.
My American friend please ship more slaves to Tibet.
My French friend please put clothes on your first lady before shipping her to Tibet.
My German friend please keep Hitler to yourself.
Thank you all. Budha bless you.

朋友们，我是爱好和平的达赖喇嘛
我感觉到这里有些人想帮助西藏
既然如此
恳请英国朋友运鸦片去西藏
恳请美国朋友运黑奴去西藏
恳请法国朋友运你们的第一夫人去西藏，不过要先给她穿上衣服
德国朋友呢，呃，希特勒你们就自己留着吧
谢谢，佛祖保佑你们

My children, I am Dalai Lama come in peace.
Today is the big show time.
Remember we are the clowns at the beginning of the big party -- Olympics!
Let's show our true faces to the whole world. Cheers!

朋友们，我是爱好和平的达赖喇嘛
今天有个重大演出，而我们要在这个被人称为奥林匹克的大联欢中负责扮演小丑。
让我们把自己真实的嘴脸展现给全世界吧！加油！

My children, I am Dalai Lama come in peace.
Now it's getting ugly. I smell blood here, oops, I forgot to wash my hands...

朋友们，我是爱好和平的达赖喇嘛
事情变得有些不妙。我闻到了血腥味到，哦，我忘了洗手了........

I am Dalai Lama and coming in Peace.
Don't forget to recycle all the Tibetan flags after today's big show time.
Our budget from CIA is shrinking since the US dollar is getting cheaper.
Hey, kind of funny, US borrow money from China and then fund us to against China...anyway, can anybody help me with my new iPhone, Please...


我是爱好和平的达赖喇嘛
今天表演完之后大家千万别忘了回收咱们藏独旗帜。
要知道CIA那边给我们的预算缩水了而且美元越来越不值钱。
哎，说来有点滑稽，美国从中国借钱又把钱拿来养我们对付中国.........对了，我新买了个iPhone，
谁能教教我怎么用，谢了先.........

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In a local front, a Malaysian Minister was asked by a reporter what he thought of the situation in Tibet especially involving the Dalai Lama.

The Minister replied, " Ohhh, you see ahhhh... ahhh... aaaahhh.. our country not the same with the China so we are democratic. But I think we must support the China because we have a lot of trading with the China especially the China people.

And for the Dalai Lama, I think the time has come already for the Dalai Lama to go"

When asked by the reporter why he said that, the Malaysian Minister replied, " Well of course lah, what you think? You see ... the Dalai Lama ... sudah Lama lah. Now we need the Dalai Baru. So please tell the Dalai Lama to go lah - dah lama daah!"

Note: - The above is a joke. for those who couldn't understand it please consult a malaysian friend what it means. Cheers!
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Game anyone?

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I am not a sportsperson and the last game that I ever played was golf. To me I regarded it more like a social outing rather than a game where I only enjoyed the beginning and the end of it.

In the beginning all the energy and excitement came out shining with so many things to achieve. But along the way as the strokes got weaker and the ball was lost in sight; all the interest and excitement had gone down the drain.

Pressures mounted as I was the only one left behind struggling just to hit the ball in whichever way and in whatever style I can. To make it worse behind me there stood another flight that couldn’t wait to hit their ball - if given permission I think they would want to it straight at my head to knock me unconscious so that I could be out of their way.

I have tried to love the game but I just couldn't find the interest in it. It was always alright in the beginning but in the middle it was more like a torture than a game.

I said it earlier that I liked it in the end because in the end all of us in the group will have our drinks and relaxation commenting on our achievement and mistakes in the game played earlier. As for me I always tried to avoid that kind of talk.

And the thing is whoever got the least points in the game will be the one to pay for the drinks. Not much anyway. But lucky me I never had to pay because my team players are all friends and they played just for the fun of it.

Before that I used to play badminton and tennis also in a group of friends. But now those days have long gone and may never come again. Of course there are thousand of excuses to give as to why I don’t play these games anymore.

But now I am left ‘sportsless’. The only form of exercise that I care to do is a slow walk around the neighbourhood or the nearby sports complex.

I know this is bad for me because my age is catching up. Soon a walk to the clinic may no longer be because of a common flu or a slight fever. And judgding by the body weight which has far exceeded the standard acceptable scale, I may be looking at a very gloom future.

Of course if you ask any doctors they would give hundreds of advices of what to do and not to do. It is always easier said than done so to speak.

But at this very moment I don’t have any plan or idea of a suitable game or sport that may be good for me – not too harsh and not too easy. Once I have been advised not to strain myself by jogging because who knows those veins and blood vessels may explode causing irrepairable damage and perhaps loss of life. Talk about an advice!

But I do take all the views and advices seriously. And I am very aware of the necessity of having a healthy lifestyle. This is no laughing matter.

So I am now putting my thinking cap on and I will choose if not invent a type of game that is not only suitable for me but also interesting enough for me to play over and over again.

Personally I feel swimming would be good for me but to get in a pool with a suitable swimming trunks on me - at my size may offend others. So I may choose the ocean instead but who swims in the ocean? The last time I was there at the beach, there were less people in the water. Everyone was busy playing beach football and making sand castles. And those who did go in the water prefer to stay afloat like a hippo in the African rivers.

Yes I did try to swim but only a couple of strokes. Maybe I need to practice more or maybe this body need some overhauling first like – losing some weight.

So, having said all the above it is not that I don’t have any game to play. At the moment I do.

And this is not a physical game rather a mental one. No I am not talking about mind game where you go and stalk people around you for whatever reason there is.

I am talking about a game known as Chess. Yes. Now I am addicted to it so so addicted. I can’t remember when or how I started playing chess but I do remember that this was the only game that you could play with anybody who knows how to play it no matter how old or young or how big or small they are. And you can play it for hours.

Now with the internet, the game gets even better with online chess where you can play for hours and for free with anyone from all over the world. It sounds exciting indeed and at the moment I am really hooked on it.

Of course if you do read this and you have no clue about chess you wouldn’t understand what I am talking about. It is just like talking a different language altogether.



Now the best part is my daughters are learning to play it and when I asked why - they say because they like it and the game is interesting. That’s good enough reason for me.

So my advice to them is – practice, practice and practice a lot. And don’t expect to win because the more you lose the better you get. Yes this is how I learn to play chess and the reason I think that I am good at it.

So for those of you who are interested to know, just drop by and visit this link to have a look. Who knows maybe we will meet each other.

Until then.

@ the Office.

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