To Go The Distance

Friends and relatives back in Asia do remind me of their relative convenience when accessing food they want at any time. It is often a maximum of driving out for only 30 minutes one way, before they are already physically in their eatery. Piping hot, freshly made and with appetite to be fulfilled. Staying in a large metropolitan area in Australia can mean very different circumstances. Getting to do anything in the course of daily life can mean the no choice but to commute for long distances. Whether it is to get to the latest shopping buzz, hyped restaurant, art gallery, preferred medical provider, niche grocery, not to be missed live concert, international flight, seasonal international cricket game, beloved relative or latest sensational bakery, one has to make effort and allocate time in travel before arriving at the destination and then again, before arriving back home. Several people I know with kids and elderly present book into accommodation close to their purposed venue - instead of having to drive several hours all in one day. Vehicle parking availability is increasingly a growing problem as well when one arrives at the destination. Australian mainstream populations continue to love their sense of spaciousnes, even if it can get increasingly expensive and not so practical to do so. New housing continues to spread out on the fringes of metropolitan areas. Those who live in units in the high rises in more densely packed city suburbs can on the other hand just take their elevators down to drop by the cafe or eatery that are commercial tenants in the same building. These same individuals can now also hop on to nearby street light rail ( even in Canberra) or sparkling underground Metro stations ( only in Melbourne and Sydney) to commute to all the fun out there. The two dominant supermarkets operating across Australia have branches in many suburbs. Such is their commercial power that it is easier to locate a Woolies or Coles than to find a post box, bank branch, butcher, pub or taxi stand. I must reiterate that I can find a refreshing and well maintained Nature's park in any Australian suburb, more easy than walking past a duopolistic supermarket. I am grateful that I can walk to several parks, small or large, near a forest or by the sea, within a 2km radius of my abode. It is important to carefully select the suitable kind of local community for your or family needs. Is it more significant that you do not need to use your private vehicle to travel to fulfil your variety of needs and daily use? Do you enjoy driving long distances or commuting for hours just to do things in your social profile? Do you make the long journey locally only once in a while and not on a regular basis? Levels of mobility, purpose of trip and easier means of travel do figure a lot in your decision making on these matters. Or do you commute only for work purposes? I know of individuals wh0 never venture beyond their residential precinct, except when going overseas for holiday or on a family reunion. More and more of today's population transact on line and in a virtual world, physically confining themselves to a particular site - getting food delivered to the door, obtaining stimulation through artificial intelligence and earning money on clicks and clacks. They do not have to commute much, except when they occasionally relocate internationally for better jobs, influencer nomadity and because of falling in love. #yongkevthoughts

Lowered Expectations

We are brought up mostly to see and think of the best in other human beings. My expectations on this has made me experience good encounters, but not entirely. In the current turn of the contemporary society and world, I now begin to mindfully lower my expectations in how people, community, society, government, authorities and well funded powers behave - this is especially towards the disenfranchised, the public and those who do not count in the larger scheme of things. Concurrently running along the seeming path to more meanness is the strong observations of individuals, businesses, politicians and organisations increasing self centredness. Commerce may have led the way, in the messages of only ensuring their own well being and having less concerns about the customer who buys and brings in the cash flow. Many large corporates have people at the top who do not even appreciate or understand the view points and experience of customers in the various stages in the journey of buying from such businesses. The falling emphasis in less human contact and rising use of device screen methods to sell or service has added to the lost art of consideration, civility and character when dealing with each other. In the process of dealing with residents, consumers and others who are the linchpin of how an economy works, the top down approach adopted by more and more operators seem to be to avoid meeting with them, send mass messages online, reduce communication access and enhance the importance of investors and highly paid management. In the process, such powers that are and can be, dehumanise the majority in human societal structures. This is especially evident when institutions and corporates dominate the market in an overwhelming manner, for example in New Zealand and Australia, with less competition and choice. Taking customers ( in the broadest sense of the word) for granted looks like the forte and rationale of increasingly more modern society structures, modus operandi and institutions. Why so? Because they can do so. So that is why it is significant that many people ( and not just me aha) are lowering our expectations. And that is critical - by lowering our expectations, we also begin to lose our attachment to such bodies. Do we really need to interact or buy from bad service and product providers? There in lies a potential solution. By decreasing our attachment to many useless things, irrelevant humans, aggressive businesses and impertinent structures, we allow our energies, time and hard earned monies go to more worthwhile causes and activities that truly do enrich our soul and inner joy. Life is a journey of change. When we change our expectations and attachment, we do not absorb the negative energy from parties who just want to take advantage of us - and who are not worth our energy to bother about. And the bottom line I must say, is that it is more meaningful and rewardinv to raise expectations of our own selves - not for the sake of others, but in our own personal journey. #yongkevthoughts

Spring has Sprung

China has 24 distinct solar terms recognised, emphatically for agricultural guidance and echoing historical and cultural significance and sophistication. The fourth of February in 2026 marked the arrival of Spring or Li Chun. In Japan, this same day is called Risshun. The Japanese celebrate Shunbun No Hi in March, also to signify the start of the Sakura or Cherry Blossom flowering season, first starting in Kyushu and spreading north to Hokkaido. Li Chun day has a touch of fun when it is said eggs can be placed standing up, but only on that particular date. Have you tried doing this? Zurich youngsters traditionally publicly burned the Boogg, an eleven foot straw effigy to mark the day of the Spring Equinox (21st March) in Switzerland. The widely used English word "bogeyman" comes from this effigy. Indians celebrate the arrival of Spring as Holi, a colourful riot of celebration marked by street festivities and the use of dyed powders. Persians celebrate Nowruz, a significant feature of Zoroastrainism, when an intensive and purposeful home spring cleaning exercise called Khaneh Tekani is carried out before the important date. Druids and Pagans gathered at Stonehenge in England. The Great Sphinx, ever mysterious south of Cairo in all its stone splendour through the ages, has the setting sun behind her right shoulder on the first day of Spring in the Northern Hemisphere. Human groups and cultures instinctively welcome the transition to warmer temperatures, especially from this current winter with blizzards and record snowfall in Canada, Siberia, northern Europe, western Russia, northern China and north eastern USA. The Festival of Scrambled Eggs takes place in Bosnia to mark the change to a warmer season. A bit later than in most nations, Canadians have a Tulip Festival to remember the gift of the Dutch flowers to Canada at the end of World War 2. Indigenous practice is to welcome the Serpent of the Light in equatorial Mexico on the day of the Northern Hemisphere Spring Equinox. Easter indicates rebirth and renewal. Bulgarians tap hard boiled eggs against each other in a game like atmosphere, but these have colourfully painted egg shells in the practice of Orthodoxy. Romanian and Maldovians exchange gifts of bright red strings craftfully tied up in a bow. Smigus-Dyngus or Wet Monday involves splashing of water in an affectionate and cleansing way by Poles to herald the arrival of Spring. It reminds me of the perhaps more boisterous water splashing in April on the streets of Thailand to celebrate Songkran. Meanwhile the largest ever annual festive migration of humans occurs in the two weeks before and after the Chinese New Year, not just in China but amongst the diaspora especiallly across South East Asia. Reminding me of salmons who swim back to where they were born in Canada, Scandinavia or New Zealand, the importance of family reunion is echoed in the massive movements of human beings on planes, trains and on the roads. The aim is to sit down and have a meal together as a family on that most sentimental of evenings - New Year's Eve. Chinese New Year is referred to as the Lunar New Year in Western media, as the same festival is also celebrated in Thailand, Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia and in Central Asian republics. When Chinese New festivities end on the 15th night of the celebrations, the Chinese farming calender indicates a change into another solar term - Yu Shiu or the period of Rain. #yongkevthoughts

Sundays Are Not the Same Anymore

Sunday mornings often offered a regime that sparkled. The schedule started with reading on paper, tangible sheer natural product that stimulated our fingers, coupled with the sheer pleasure of leafing through various content that contained more than just adverts or petty news in a thick weekend edition of a newspaper. The newspapers came to our front door early, often at dawn. If we went to the newsagent, its shelves were stacked with a sufficient stack of magazines. Today, Australian newsagents can be a sad shade of lotto gambling, limited stationery and a range of knick knacks. Going outdoors early in the day - or for that matter, anytime - was a sheer pleasure, whether as a pedestrain along footpaths or soaking in the freshness of a park. Although public spaces are to share, these days human walkers along footpaths do experience higher risks of confronting with dangers seen and unforseen. Battery powered e bikes are ridden fast whizzing past close to pedestrains by riders who do not have to register their vehicles or be licensed to operate. Human walkers these days notice more pet poo left deposited on public realms. Across Australia, there are rising casualties and fatalties reported of pedestrains unfortunate enough to have been hit by moving oversized vehicles with hyped up frontages. Even if I am just minding my own business, the other day I was vehemently told off by an obvious mental racist or mental case to walk on the left side along a public pavement. There were just two of us on a wide pavement in north west of Greater Sydney. Many public places are still relatively well kept in Australian suburbs. Occasionally, I still come across the illegal dump on an unassuming creek, a hidden bushy corner or in the wrong type of garbage bin. Beaches along the Illawarra are provided with complimentary pet poo plastic bags. Massive playing fields and public grassed areas are kept mowed and looking attractive by various Councils. The state of toilets for use by the public across Greater Sydney continue to cause concern. Bosses of eateries can drop the importance of ensuring washroom cleanliness when the going gets tough with the lack of workers, problems of ingredient supply, rising rents and financial pressure. The maintenance of toilets at T and M stations across the Sydney Rail network seems to have improved. Sunday mornings can be oppprtunities for pleasurely drives. These days operating your private vehicle on highways or suburban roads can be exasperatimg experiences instead of witnessing how oversized and self centred egos can transform driving into acts of putting others down in aggressive behaviour. If a Sunday happens to be a part of a long weekend, in Australia, be prepared to pay more when eating out - these can be to compensate eatery staff more on a weekend or public holiday, on top of whatever surcharges when taping a card. Busy dates at popular restaurants can also mean limited seating time when dining. Weekends were times to encourage greater socialisation in communities and generally across society. Now there can be greater congestion on the roads, less dependability and regularity of public transport schedules and a greater reluctance to go out on Sundays. So that is why I have sentiments for those beautiful Sundays many years ago. #yongkevthoughts

Throwing Your Hat In

If we are not at the table, we will be in rhe menu. Taking part, doing our part and having our say is more significant in an age of lowering ethics, more aggressive making use of others and rising manipulation by those we think we can trust. At times it can be mental, physical and pyschological fatigue we experience, if we dare walk up the hill of opposition to us when we purposefully have to make things right. At the same time, we can discover our hidden resolve, unexpected positive fulfilment and a twinkle in our eye, when we do the right thing. We meet roadblocks, devious games, toxicity and sheer fraud when we persist. On certain days we have disappointment on our shoulders or our hearts dampened, but it is a true adage that tomorrow is another day. We may be abandoned by some or encouraged by others. It can be a lonely journey - but it can be experiencing episodes of fellowship on the same weary road. The bottom line is that it is always a personal sojourn. The fascinating thing is that we can understand and see others better along the way. We do not expect the level of passion in others to be the same as in us. We know that it is all just a game with varying levels of intensity. We fall at times, but we get wiser. We are more mindful when others stir, gaslight or provoke us. We also have moments or stages that uplift us. We discover that we have set up personal boundaries and values for others to acknowledge. What is the vulnerability or weakness of the individual or group that opposes, harasses and bullies us? Perhaps we have found their Achilles Heels in their facade and behaviour. There are more than sea shells in the sand when the tide goes down. Such is the state and nature of the process, whether in politics, small organisations, social movements, making an invention or in promoting an idea or good cause. If you do not throw your hat in the ring, you can only watch from the side. Hear no evil, say no evil and see no evil? It is burying our heads in the sand, but the matter asking for our attention and help will not just go away. #yongkevthoughts

The Irony and Paradox

The Irony and the Paradox. To constantly use our eyes each day from screen to another screen. To not recognise that those in power and influence may not reveal the full story to us. To not allow for consumers to change preferences and think that if they buy a product or service once, they will keep using it in the future. To become so dependent in old age like an infant. To realise that pets are more reliable and comfortable company compared to some human beings lurking to inflict toxicity. To not use our limbs and mind in regular activity and continue to degrade them in illusionary comfort. To wake up from the propaganda disguised as entertainment. To feed ourselves in daily doses of sugar, fat, microplastics and artificiality of over processed ingredients in our daily habits. To not use our own intelligence and protect our trust when roped in by manipulators, dishonesty and selfishness. To treat only symptoms and not the root causes. To not use it can mean losing it. That the human pysche and mindset can wallow in circuitous enmeshment of problems that can never be resolved. To not build up the resilience of our future generations and continue to pamper them. That continuing to take more than give upsets the flow and rhythm in so many things - politics, religion, Nature, relationships and more. To be in denial that addiction can be in so many disguises and forms. To not recognise the so called proverbial train wreck that is likely to happen. To not see that misuse and abuse of policies and rules do happen, especially with no effective monitoring. To allow our personal time use be dictated by others. To service our private vehicle more than our health. To not acknowledge and realise the opportunity waiting in front of us. To not have the courage to change instead of embedding ourselves on the obvious wrong track. To not realise that some business sectors are essentially finance accumulation commercial mechanisms, rather than purporting to take care of their human customers. To not see that many things remain the same in human and world affairs. To be not able to personally step back and see the disillusion and distraction of contemporary society. #yongkevthoughts

Will It Still Matter?

Will it matter, after all is said and done? The hydrangea shrub has its leaves and stems roasted after three days of extraordinary temperatures in summer. I cut the damaged parts off and await new growth. There are moments when one does not feel like having a full meal. This is an opportunity to fast and do other things away from the kitchen. There are also occasions when our appetite is spiking up so well, that we eat more than usual. We have found the optimal time to treat our culinary desires, so why not? We may not have all the ingredients on hand when cooking, so we improvise with substitutes and experiment with other techniques. We may create a new recipe, or we make do with whatever on hand to use up what is available right now. What does it matter, when we open our mindset and just move on? When our known and usual routes we take are blocked or hindered, we can go on the path less trodden. When we have unexpected spare time, we can dabble in something our inner longings have pondered upon. When wifi supply breaks down, we can read a book instead of device screens. We can walk when the car is not available. We can consciously choose to have fresh produce instead of manufactured and processed packaged food. We can opt for not following the masses and not worry about missing out on what a herd mentality demands. What matters at a single point of time can differ in various individuals, but when we take a longer view over time, a lot of things truly do not matter. At the end of the day, many things are forgotten, the heat of opinions dissipitated, the relevance of matters no longer there. This is especially for transactional matters in micro politics, social interactions and irritating inconveniences. Like delays at airports, machine breakdowns and on the road. When touchy episodes involve religions, there is a different kettle of fish. Things that then matter can fester in individuals because of long held beliefs, so called education and hardened attitudes. While one realises that some matters do not matter due to the grace of time and distance, such matters dissolve into less and zilch importance. When and where it still matters, the human pysche and wiring makes us do something about it - challenge, flee or accept. #yongkevthoughts

Assuredly Reliable

is the embrace of family. Perhaps it is stirring competition. Sometimes it feels like the fear of missing out. Or is it the special someone who always stirs our hearts and constantly nurtures our inner joy. Can it be having a passion and interest? Having a good social network makes us enjoy each day. Is it having a purposeful preoccupation each new day? Or coming across an unexpected, delightful encounter? Or returning to embrace Nature, soaking and swimming in the ocean and feeling the fresh vibes of the outdoors? Things, experiences and opinions can be fleeting. The human condition can be to grasp the ever changing, especially of matters inherently external to our inner selves. Human societies create wealth no longer from just tangible stuff, but make financial gains and create floating values out of churning, differences and speculaton. We no longer in contemporary society can interact in life's routine with the same human being at the shop, clinic, service provider and so forth. Constancy, familiarity and comfort can take a plunge as to whom we can rely. What we can really depend upon are all found within ourselves. Our own integrity, values, character and personality. Our realisation of our core strengths and to think for ourselves despite accelerating changes outside us. Our ability built up to recognise diversions and distractions in our personal journey. Our effort to step back and see what really is meaningful in the long term. #yongkevthoughts

At the Cinemaplex

I have not been to cinemaplexes for a long time. From being devoted to super embracing screens, some of us have instead moved on to watch videos on smaller screens, trying to multi task while doing something else - taking long commutes, while having a meal or when waiting for something. There can be no focus on just savouring a movie, with nothing else to distract us, except maybe for the crackle of popcorn and the hum of airconditioning in a large darkened hall. There were the years when audiences could sit through a few hours of a movie that knew how to combine music, artistry, emotion, expression, sensibilities and audio - all to stir our thoughts, enjoyment, speculation, amazement and questions in the way characters, storyline and inspiration were portrayed. Being able to stop a playing movie somewhere in between can be convenient, but does not provide the completeness watching it all in one sitting. Strangers, spouses, partners and friends watching together at one same venue gave a shared collective experience. Very few now bother with looking at the rather useful trove of information in rolling credits. Data about a particular movie and cast can be checked on the internet. Spectacular and well made movies were scheduled during festive seasons, school holidays and community events - but they still are.

Personal Boundaries

The Obvious Cannot be Hidden by the Silence, the Silence Cannot be Hidden by the Obvious. Every detail, every sweep and every nook are so clearly revealed when the tide goes down. When you always take, you get some - give and you receive much more. That is the Law of the Universe. When greed permeates a human being, every new comfort is never enough - and that person is trapped in a spiral of attachment. It is not worth an iota to waste energy on a person who cannot rise beyond the fog embedded hopelessly inside. There are individuals who can see when injustice is inflicted on them - but not when they carry out the act of injustice on to others ( or they pretend about it). Those who can sleep soundly after stepping on you deserve to be ignored. Step back from the noise, hype and distraction. The world will carry on no matter what - but honestly, are you going to remain silent in the face of obvious incivility? What you do not practice can be lost forever. Time is not like money. There is no return on more time stowed away, it simply passes and that time is literally lost. So value your own time and the people who give up on their time for you. One can be polite, but not at the expense of our integrity. #yongkevthoughts

Apparently Weird

 The Seemingly Weird Things I Observe

Individuals with agitated facial expressions talking loud to themselves in public - as they cleverly hide their ear pods, they are really chatting loud on their mobile phones.

High tech wifi service that breaks down more often than landline telephones from 40 years ago.

So called annual flora breeds that go umderground each cold season and rise again in the warm season.

Prices of shares and other investments which cause a media uproar with a violent rise or fall but really keep on growing in value over the long term.

People who remarkably recall what I uttered many years ago, but in a good way.

To be in the right place at the right moment - and catch up with someone truly missed.

To hear or witness governments or authorities express regret over unresolved matters when any one could already see the proverbial train wreck coming.

To see the delusion of addiction of several things in society being encouraged in media - and to continue to see the spiral such addicts find themselves in without care by society.

To observe the over the top obsession with weather forecasts in some cultures.

To not realise the best things in life are already right infront of us every day.

To not be mindful that when an aircraft crashes, it does not matter which class of seating one is in.

Individuals who emphatically must use a particular seat on public transport.

#yongkevthoughts

The Great Leveller

 Death is the great leveller, the most certain thing for every human being.

The journey of life is littered with distractions.  Ego, addictions, time wasters, expectations of others, society's control and falsities of trickery.   When a human life expires, each of these disappear as if by magic  - but it is not magic, but attachments that have somehow expired with the last breath of life.

To balance up things, it is only fair to remind myself of other matters that go with the end of life.

Memorable character, personal resilience, charming personality, generosity, a loving nature, patience, a broad based mindset and an understanding inner self - these are features we appreciate, admire and adore in any one impressive person we are fortunate to meet up with or come to know.
The passing of such a person leaves a hollow in our hearts when we miss them.

The contemporary world that we live in the 21st century continues to be amplified with negative vibes.  

Self centredness of  politicians are increasing.   The penchant for emphatic argument and articulation of personal views and rights, without considering collective community feelings and togetherness, has significantly risen, eapecially in societies that have enjoyed increased materialistic wealth.

Individuals who come into access and control of huge corporate, financial and material reaources can dive into the most ugly of perceived Little Napoleon powerful behaviours of self entitlement and privilege.

The heightened demand for instant gratification and wanting more and more, than any human being truly requires,  has impacted on a deadly growing spiral of greed, corruption and a conviction of being able to not get penalised.

Road rage is a illustrative example of bad tempered humans being able to bully others in public, with such people really believing that the machines they operate are an extension of their demented and deprived character.

The issue with software and AI operated processes in society, business and community matters is obvious - human beings reduce speaking to each  other, get more influenced by hidden powers behind a screen and interact much less losing human social skills.  

Each of us can spend more time tapping and viewing on screens than talking and facing human beings.

We can successfully undertake work, obtain our food, perform investment or expenditure transactions, chill out or exercise,  more in the presence of machines than with human beings.

Regular transactional episodes increasingly involve us using machines more than interfacing with other human beings.  Checking in to a flight, checking out our groceries, scanning a QR code to order our meal, doing an on line tutorial, making an appointment with our provider and so on - we are encouraged to not see or talk to any human being.

So the chances of each of us to deal with a problematic human being also gets less.

The annoying reality is now when a problem arises, the software we deal with pushes back the responsibiliity to us.

This brings my discussion here to my first point -  whatever bad or good points each of us humans have, death removes all and suddenly provides a clean slate.

Death in software mechanisms and hardware devices also brings things to a stop.  Has anyone not lost photos or documentation files in computers or smart phones?

#yongkevthoughts

To Declutter

 There are things I should have started long ago to clear up.

I am good at putting in one place unfinished tasks.    Written lists of questions that could not be fully answered, the last time I looked at them.
Parts of gadgets I could not figure out.
Wholesome guides that were just so not user friendly to read and comb through.

Like in a workshop with a dozen half looked or quarter baked things, they remain on the flat table looking forlorn, crying help.

Did I miss them?   Was it not urgent?   Yet I carry on each day mostly neglecting these stuff.   Perhaps they are not important at all, like clothes left hardly worn and hanging in the wardrobe.  Instead of giving them the attention they deserve, I get diverted.   It took me some time to realise I prefer to watch diversionary chatter of politics, distracting influencer video clips and check out the latest cafe opened.

And then I am in denial about the weeds sprouting up in the garden.  "Weeds" can be defined in so many layers of understanding, even sprouting within the house.

It is more relaxing to shop online, cook for therapy or go to the beach.  These episodes have their usefulness, I am sure, but may be too much time is devoted to them.

When I am supposed to clear long left outstanding tasks, I just reassign them to different schedules, or move them to another table for further transit, or refuse to throw physical things out.  Ha, that is the origin of the expression  "playing musical chairs".

If unused clothes or pending tasks are not attended to for years, it is obvious they are not important to the person.

And to add to my serial mindset on this matter, I add in new devices, food items and chores to my already accumulating list.

Should I blame consumerism, expectations of society and peer pressure for this dilemna?

Contemporary pyschology and way of life does not encourage us to prevent looking outside for blame and cause - the media can be full of whingers, dependents and an external fast solution or quick cure.

I reckon I have to look inside myself - my mindset, my habits and my attitude - to solve the matter.   This matter need not be just a problem, but an opportunity and an  awakening.

From small things, big rewards grow.   A regular little time spent in clearing my pile of unfinished tasks or device parts.   A conscious determination to dispose of things I no longer need or use.  One can shape and develop the mind as what truly is to remain  - and what clutter to not have.

#yongkevthoughts

News Over Load

 It took a while for me to realise the futility of the 24 hours round the clock availability of news.  Whether news is read, formatted on a website or chanelled otherwise,  I am mindful what that "news" is - truth, misinformation, propaganda, cherry picked agendas, opinion, advertising or lies?

You may very well know that anything said regularly to an audience -  even if unverified - can become what the reading or listening audience takes as kosher.   Mass hysteria, lemming group think or orchestrated tricks add to the useful techniques used.

News used to take ages to arrive at the ear.   Challenges in travelling distance, communication methods and practically of dissemination all stood in the way.  By the time in the past it reached its audience, the context and perspective of the information so received with delay had a higher opportunity of enhanced understanding and reflection.

The instantaneous nature of receipt of news these days can elicit knee jerk reactions, speculative hype and making conclusions without enough time of context and reflection.

Is it necessary to know what happens every minute?   Is it vital to be informed constantly what powerful and controlling individuals say and do?   Will the world continue despite we not caring about what happens outside our own bubble and routine?

The efficient ability to transmit images around the world can add to the attractiveness of news channeling, but it can also be manipulated to evoke and elicit emotions and reaction.

Our human sensitivities can be overwhelmed with over information constantly over time.   Such a reality can aggravate physiology and pyschological mechansims in human bodies to be highly strung - whether with addictive longing, negative or positive vibes.

Commercialisation, politicisation and exploitation of news feeds are examples of the pressure on living in contemporary times.

#yongkevthoughts

Tourism Today

 What makes specific countries successful as visit destinations, in an age of easier mobility, more financially able people looking for more kicks and when relative peace still rules over noisy geopolitics?

Physical tourism is enhanced by no entry visa fees, uniqueness of the destination, long standing welcoming reputation, good infrastructure, strategic locations, low cost of currency, appetising food and a variety of attractions.

Medical tourism venues are growing, due to the divergence in quality of care, level of fees charged and patients not being able to afford paying high charges in their country of origin.

Investment tourism has grown due to the greater ability to move huge sums of spare funds across borders by institutions, brokers, individuals and financial structures.   These can be not necessarily legal, as long as the players at each stage of the process are willing to do so.  Funds transferred usually move to accounts paying higher returns, are flexible or derive payback from properties.   Individuals investing in such transactions can holiday in their properties overseas.  They can make physical visits to islands of tax havens.  Funds for investments no longer require to be in traditional forms.

Sentimental tourism arise upon cultural vibes arising from emigrants still having strong attachments to places where they were born in, or grew up in.  These individuals no longer reside in the abode of their ethnicity - but are also financially able to spend on repeated visits to their country of origin, especially when they get older.

Examples of such diaspora are from the Anglo-Saxon culture, which has a wide choice of holidaying in Canada, New Zealand, USA, United Kingdom and Australia.   Ever since China opened up in the 1990s and progressed especially in techology, economics, trade and finance,
the descendants of her past emigrants have been going back in droves to holiday in their perceived Motherland.

Family reunion tourism has spiked as a result of many adult young moving overseas to study and then settling in the foreign nation of their graduation.  The migration of working age adults to other countries has caused empty nest syndromes in the abode of their parents.   The airline, visa brokerage and tour agent sectors have vastly benefitted from these developments.

Economic tourism is my term involving people who enter foreign nations on a tourist visa, but continue to over stay by working illegally, even if under paid and not going back to their country of origin.  Specific sectors thrive to use such individuals, especially in roles that others refuse fo undertake.    Strictly speaking, such individuals are not tourists anymore but have used tourism to enter the foreign country and then make use of opportunities.

Another form of economic tourism occurs when individuals illegally set up a variety of low level businesses in a foreign nation  to service fellow country men and women touring from overseas.

Prostitution tourism has been the bane of lesser developed economies when visitors are richer and tour another country for a variety of sex related transactions, including depraved acts that somehow miss the monitoring radar of authorities.

Military tourism has historically been a tradition since Roman Empire days.   I recall Thailand being utilised for R and R during the heydays of the Vietnam War in the second half of the 20th century.   Troops require relief and it does not take long to connect the points between military and prostitution tourism.

Influencer tourism arose on the heels of widening social media.    The agendas of such individuals posting online vary, ranging from self glorification, promoting commercial products or services, personally fighting for ecological causes, sharing photography work or writing as authors of old used to do.

Retirement tourism  focuses on the elderly moving to another place permanently or for part of the year.    The impetus for doing so can be financial, economic, preference for another climate, varying costs of living, tax induced or having a partner or spouse who grew up in a different nation.    Reasons are as diverse as the number of nationalities involved.  Whether these foreign originated retirees mix with locals or just hang around their group of expats is another question.

Geopolitical tourism refers to some tourists continuing to tour selected countries primarily because of their strong convictions and belief in their preferred political systems.

Ecological tourism is growing due to the commitments of such tourists to taking more care of Nature and Earth.

Sports tourism has been popular with Europeans and Americans.   The holding of more spectacular and successful events especially by FIFA, tennis Grand Slam tournaments and the Olympics come to mind, but more viable are the visits to foreign countries by tourists for social skiing, water sports and regularly held marathons.   Access on television and other screens for sports like cricket, rugby, cycling and beach volleyball are not enough - enthisiasts need to be there, even if just as observers.

Religion linked tourism goes back for so long, whether fulfilling the Haj,  completing the pilgrim's track to Jerusalem, or visiting Buddhist holy sites in northern India.

While tourists mostly inject spending into places in dire need of regular cash inflows, there can be a dark side when visitor numbers overwhelm the local demographics.    There truly can be too much of a good thing.

Over populated numbers of tourists can result in lack of reasonable housing costs for residents.   The strain of too many plane and ship arrivals has often unspoken challenges in environmental pollution, hyped up food prices and discrimination in treatment of tourists and locals.

It is never reliable to dominate your city or island's economy perilously dependant on tourism and its trappings.   Pandemics like Covid 19 and outbreaks of war wipe out the ability of tourists to arrive.  Rates of street crime and increased perceptions of personal danger can cause a dent into the presumed rising rates of arrivals.   The attitude towards earth quake risk areas - even if otherwise busy vacation sites - can impact on tourist attractions.  

Where cold climate seasons provide a reprieve for the locals from the hordes of tourists, it is a welcome break -  for example, think of contemporary Xin Jiang,  Scandinavia, Nepal, Canada, the Antarctic and the Tierra del Fuego.   For other more benign climate territories, the disadvantages can be endless -  I reflect on Spain, Thailand, southern China, Malaysia and Singapore.

The ugly face of unwanted tourism vibes to me is when I witness thousands of cruise ship passengers disembark from a giant liner at port.   These passengers seem to be comparable to ants from floating versions of hives.   Hordes have booked on ro a land based tour for the next eight hours after the cruise ship docks.  And there are several cruise ships creating the buzz, the hype and the money.

Repeating visits to the same place can arouse the curiosity of some.  Many families can check into the same hotel year after year to soak in a week or two of almost doing nothing, with meals arranged, children taken care of by hotel activities and having a new routine enjoying the sun.  Some cities have transformed much within a short space of time, like in China.   Others have not progressed much or even deteriorated.

The boom in travel has also ridden on the heels of foodie experiences.   Hubs in cities like Barcelona, Melbourne, Tokyo, Bangkok, Hong Kong, Lisbon, Vienna, Milano and Palermo have created a buzz to visitors than just sight seeing.

Schoolie and sports related fan group heavy tourism, effused by energetic youth, can at times go out of control, creating shudders in the spines of police and local residents.   They come at pre fixed times of the year.

Letting the hair down behaviour can also be witnessed during Halloween nights, eve of Christmas beaches, full moon nights on remote isles and narrow city lane celebrations.   Such touristy actions can work against the basic principle for foreign visitors - foremost of all, to respect the place one is in.

#yongkevthoughts

No Point to Visit A Physical Store

 These days, some Australian Corporates which operate huge chains of supermarkets, department stores and providers of other home goods, do provide a very different atmosphere for customers.

Customers visiting their stores or outlets are filmed on video or on other forms of image.

Customers in physical stores are strongly encouraged to self check out.

Customers taking the effort to visit such stores are increasingly looked upon by management as growing risks of theft, even when most of us do not deserve to be treated as such.

Customers visiting stores used to take the experience as a destressor or as a place to socialise.   We are very wrong to think so these days.

More variety of stock can be found available on line than on physical shelves.

Online services can offer delivery of heavy items better than for customers to carry such goods themselves.

Customers increasingly can no longer meet the same staff members at retail stores.

There can be no point in phoning up a store for help as they may lack staffing and no human being is assigned at work to attend to your phone call.

#yongkevthoughts

Eggs and Eggs

 Have fresh hens eggs been over commercialised?

Whether its grain fed, free range, cage laid, small or big size - it may be useful to hark back to basics. Some of us are still fortunate to get them from the chicken coop, while others only see them only im refrigerated displays.

What do we use the eggs for? We get them as omelettes or as runny add ons for burgers in cafes. We make Onsen eggs to accompany our Ramen or use them in making baked cakes. I love my soft boils to add to my savoury oats.

Eggs can be hard boiled and marinated to serve them inside steamed Baos or in South Indian curry puffs. Thai stir fries like Pad See Ew and Cantonese Wat Tan Hor Fun have yolk and whites lightly cooked over the noodles.

My photo shows 700 gram fresh eggs for a dozen costing AUD 3.33 per tray.

#imageke

v

Pottering Around My Garden

 

As the warmer season arrives in the Southern Hemisphere, I love to do the garden tasks where possible just after the sun rises in spring and summer.

Watering, weed removal, culling shrubs, fertilising, clearing unwanted growth around the desired plants, lawn mowing, shaping plants.

Removing cobwebs outdoors from eaves of the roof and pergola.  Broom sweeping the courtyard.  Washing down the fence.  Making sure no drainage blockages in the manholes.

Then there is the barbeque.

The air can still be perfect, without the impending humidity.    The blooms may look half asleep or not fully themselves, but I can understand.    The flora need moisture, perhaps watering them after dawn makes more sense than when they are straining under the full blast of the sun at noon.

I feel the freedom to dispose of clutter, whether unwelcome growth in old pots, invaders surreptitiously embedding themselves under otherwise decent growth.   Freeing up the space also gives me a sense of releasing good Chi as opposed to negative vibes.  Cutting up dried roots, leaves and other unwanted growth is like freeing up the burden on each plant.

I also observe the progressive stages of how buds transform to flowers and fruits.
Minute beginnings of reproduction, they catch my eye and arouse my nostrils.   The care and detail the plant makes effort with impresses me.   Pollinators help the process, miniature petals are formed and then come the start of little stalks.  

#yongkevthoughts

The Life Force in Old Things

The Japanese and some south east Asians believe even non animate things have a spiritual presence.  I generally refer to it as a lifeforce.   Antiques and non antiques can absorb the influence of past human individual or groups who used such objects, especially when they use it on a regular basis, intimately or did develop a fondness with a specific tool, utlity, furniture or ornament.

Objects can remind the human heart or memory of various degrees of experience.  Such inanimate objects, still as they seem, are viewed by some as witness sentinels to happy events, arguments, upsetting differences or significant moments.

Whether such vibes are benign, positive or otherwise, overall we humans develop a respect for such crafted things, whether metal, wood, paper or fabric.

When we walk into a room laden with old things, it is more than aesthetic presence we feel.  The visual impression may strike us first in design and layout, but we also can be sensitive to the feel of their surfaces, the sounds of opening and closing drawers, the changing of colour at sunrise or at noon and the working of tools.

Some of us can sense the love of previous owners for the furniture or sculpture.  How certain objects have been polished, dusted, admired, moved or caressed can exude from its appearance.

Traders may
emphasis on the financial value of so called old things and collections,  rather than what is referred to above.  Values traded by collectors are saddled with history, fact, legends and hype. Rarity and upkeep loom large as to how prices are set and sold.

Reusing old things can be environmentally friendly. When an abode is to be demolished, there can be interesting salvages of door frames, carved windows, floor tiles, screens, floor boards and more.  Such items taken from soon to be destructed houses can then take a separate and secondary life of their own.

It is truly in what is in the eye of the beholder for so called things.  And may I add, the purpose for such items going forward in the future.

If they are decided to be of no future use or benefit, they can be dumped on the street side once the human owner passes away - they become fodder for landfill and forgotten burial.

I reckon each of us having or keeping such old things must take the responsibility to decide letting it go or preserve their use when we are still alive.   Once such items become the responsibility of third parties, the sentiment attached to such objects are mostly lost and forgetten.

Is there any difference in how we view objects landing in a polished glass display at a musuem or gallery - or gathering dust in a unkempt antiques shop?

#yongkevthoughts

Empty Nests, Faraway Reunions

 

Empty Nest Back Home - An Urge for Reunion Overseas.

What the parents in such cases discussed with me involves a hard but significant family decision. 

Some parents opted for Permanent Residency or PR (without giving up their citizenship of their country of origin) if they are convinced to move to where their adult off spring have migrated to.

If a parent has most of the children in the same foreign nation, this can increase the chances and odds of getting the PR.  Other parents pay an investment sum, or the adult children place financial back up for the parents,  to governments of countries which offer such options.

Those who relented with taking up a PR tell me of their underlying reasons.

- Evaluation of the empty nest syndrome - why have 2 empty nests, one in each country?

- Religious group and social networking viable in new land with adult age children and their own young families.

- Flexibility and financial capability of parents to travel back to their source country for sentimental, cultural, social and climate variation reasons.

- Bonding with the grandchildren when at a young age can attract migration of the grandparents, but these kids do grow up.

- Readiness at an elderly age to adapt to the climate and temperatures of the new land.

- Acceptance that the society and nation settled in can also change in parameters of reliability, safety and other attractive factors when they migrated.

Parents who decided to not migrate with their adult children have other reasons.

- Individuals  who are more set in their ways can find more challenges, especially with lack of pass time hobbies, loss of social networks and reluctance to adapt to norms of a different culture.

- Everyone must cook ourselves as eating out can be not so accessible or are more expensive to buy.

- Parents still have a strong network of siblings, other relatives and friends back in the country of origin.

- Baby boomers can find it hard to adjust to the demands on the body and health with different climates and temperatutes.

- Adult children and their own families can be found residing across different nations and continents.

- Parents realise they must truly want it for themselves as well to migrate - and not just for the adult children and their families.

- Inheritance matters, regulations and rules within the country of origin can underpin strong reasons not to migrate.

- Acceptance in the mindsets of the parents of the socio-political changes, conditions and restrictions in the country of origin.

What is the vision of elderly parents as to how they want to spend their golden years?  

What is in the hearts of adult children overseas as they begin different lives, off spring and careers away?

Advances in technology, mobility and communication across vast distances do reduce the gap between elderly parents and adult children no longer living together in the same societies.  Does distance make the heart fonder or forget?

The grandkids brought up in a country far away may also migrate themselves to other lands to seek fulfilment in their very own careers and adventures.

The old house may still be left standing,
with memories and echoes of when we were all together.
Hopes and dreams were built in the corridors and landings,
Achieved and realised far away in distant meadows of the here after.

#yongkevthoughts