" An Eye for an Eye makes the world all right. " - David Alan Bates

The Story

"An Eye for an Eye" is first quoted in the Book of Exodus. It basically points at laws that deal out equal punishment to the offence caused. If you blind me, you should also blind yourself etc etc.

For example, today I had a meeting which went no where. It was with one of the egoistic fools who works for one of our largest Supermarket chains. His demands we ridiculous and on top of that his word is as law, there is no way to argue or no way to negotiate and since that was the case... I decided; "why should I be the only one to leave this meeting feeling angry when I have no choice but to abide to his demands anyway?"

So what did I do? I pissed him off on purpose by pointing some blame back to him and on top of that I called him impolite for not replying my email. He asked for it, since he said we didn't revert back to him soon enough. I emailed him 3 weeks ago, and he had the nerve to say we should have called if it was important.

"Fine," I said. "But don't you think that it's really impolite not to reply an email, irrespective of whether you agree with the contents of it or not?" I added.

His face immediately turn black. Haha... Score!

This is my story and my take.

Mahatma Gandhi on the other hand preached that "An Eye for an Eye... would make the whole world blind." And he is right, I do not dispute that. But what I DO dispute is this: what is so wrong with a blind world as long as everyone is equal? Equality is what breeds harmony, we aren't talking about the Communist form of equality here, which was obvious not really all that equal at the end of the day.

Anyway, back to point. Are we supposed to turn a blind eye (pun intended) to wrongs done to us? I am not talking about accidents, I am talking about deliberate wrongs. Should we not NUKE an opposing country if terrorize our people? Should we not put fear into their hearts so that they know how it feels like cower in darkness?

If there is no retribution or FEAR of retribution, lawlessness would run wild. If they do not experience first hand what they do onto others, do you think they would stop?

Without retribution, the bad guys will take advantage of the good guys and the world will be in chaos.

As much as Gandhi preached forgiveness (which has its time and place), I preach fairness.

We want people to be good, definitely, and inherently, everyone IS good. That is my belief.

But that doesn't mean that we shouldn't stomp on the bad eggs.

" Bisexuality in Children is the leading cause of Gayness online. " - Rot. in Battlefield Heroes

The Story

Rot. is a Commando in the National Army in the game Battlefield Heroes. (by EA/DICE)

This hilarious quote was made up when both the Royal and National Armies were having good fun 'flaming' each other in 'Seaside Skirmish'.

The Royals (my team) lost that bout :(

" Those with naught a shed of honour or pride will only act with shame. " - David Alan Bates

The Story

This is all about how people with 'no shame' cuts queue.

" Both a Prince and a Pauper would describe wealth in vastly different terms. " - David Alan Bates

The Story

For the first time in my life I have colleagues who are from a vastly different class as my own. I would like to think of my 'social standing' has comfortably average. I don't get to own everything I want, but I do live very comfortably in all respects.

But after 3 weeks in working in this new office, I have come to realise that somethings which I find nothing out of the ordinary is quite beyond the grasp of these colleagues of mine. Well actually they aren't even colleagues in that sense, they are my staff.

For example, I am in the market for a 2nd hand Volvo S40. I expect to get it in the next 6 months or so. It's not often that someone in my 'social standing' would consider buying a second hand car. In fact it is very rare, but the fact that I plan to buy a luxury car of sorts, does make it 'not so bad'.

On the other hand, buying a new car is somewhat out of the ordinary for my staff. During our free time we do often chat about cars; boys being boys :) What I have come to realise is that their budgets are usually around the RM20,000 region, meaning to say even the cheapest national car is out of the question if they were to buy it new.

To them, buying a 10-15 year old Japanese car like a Toyota Corolla or an even older Nissan Bluebird is the height of achievement. Granted, those are good cars, but it's not something I personally would be caught dead driving as my daily car. At least not if I remain in the standing I am now.

All this just got me thinking, my 2nd hand Volvo as compared to a 2nd or maybe even 3rd hand Corolla. We each have a 'standard' which are vastly different, but determined by not only our upbringing but also our level of education and consequently the size of our pay cheques.

But ponder this.

Is it wealth that allows you to buy something better, or is it the DESIRE to buy something better that propels you to look for greater wealth?

A point to ponder.

" If money grew on trees they would be worth nothing. " - David Alan Bates

" Empathy is not about being in another’s shoes. It's about picking it up, smelling it and understanding where it has been. " - David Alan Bates

" Spontaneity is what you call acting stupid on purpose and getting away with it. " - David Alan Bates

" Life is not particularly bad when bad is not particularly part of life. " - David Alan Bates

" The brain is a squishy thing, hence its perspectives are not set in stone " - David Alan Bates

The Story:

I was reading a friend's blog and I realised how his perspectives of life has changed so much over the course of a year or two. He plans to save up for marriage, buy a house, have children... Amazing. Who would have thought?

What is also amazing is how my priorities has changed over the course of these two years. The things I want and the things I dream about are so very much changed as well. On the surface level people would say, "wow he sure has achieved something." On the deeper level, I am not so sure if I have become somone who "isn't me". Just like how people who have known the friend I have mentioned for years who stare and wonder, "is that really Julian?"

Anyway, I guess wants, needs and desires are always in motion and in the end it brings to some people peace and contentment and to some others; eternal damnation.

" If pens were mightier than swords, it would be the scribe who is exalted and not the warrior. " - David Alan Bates

" Goldfish, unlike dogs are most pitiful creatures; they cannot walk out on you just because they dislike their bowl. " - David Alan Bates

" I cannot emote "

I was reading some online comics and I came across a wonderful quote which I thought I'd share.

by www.jeffandceleste.blogspot.com

" The truth is as subjective as the rain is wet. " - David Alan Bates

" Feelings are like poetry, they can be interpreted any which way. " - David Alan Bates

" Breaking Up is like Breaking In, there is a lot of damage and you take what you can. " - David Alan Bates

" If water is described as an organisation, then the boss is surely the bottle, for the water has little choice but to follow the shape of the bottle it's in. " - David Alan Bates

The Story

For almost a year and a half now I have been my own boss, and while I still have my own business on the side, I am now also working full time for one of my previous clients. Being hired back into the workforce after having enjoyed so much freedom is no easy thing but what I find most intriguing is the different leadership styles of my employer and myself.

And I say leadership is because I am not the right hand man, the handful of staff that we have are mine to direct if I so wish, but then that's not what I do. I find myself to have always been a rather liberal boss. Why push the staff to annoyance? Yes we want productivity but I find that friendship also cultivates loyatly and loyalty does translate into productivity. I want my staff to do things for me because they feel that they want to, not because they HAVE TO.

This is how my boss and I operate very differently.

I like to ask opinions, get feedback and also ask my staff's feelings towards certain things. If they don't think its something that they would enjoy doing... why make them do it if there is another choice. If there isn't another choice, I want my staff to do the work because they feel that I 'asked' them to and not because I 'commanded' them to.

Currently the organisation is rather constrained and overly shaped by its boss and owner. His bottle, shall we say is a shape that no user would really appreciate. There is little I can do about that at the moment, but as his right hand man and as a person who can make decisions to some degree, I think I should not be a bottle, but be a handle to his bottle.

With a good handle, whatever awkward shape the bottle may be becomes just so much more easier to hold.

" Illustrator 10 is the cannot pakai... " - Confucious

The Story
WTF is wrong with my Illustrator? Outline also look like shit, don't outline also look like shit. Where did my CS3 go?!?!?!

David: Thanks Confu for your most wise wisdom thing.

" Clothes may make the man, but it's men who make the clothes. " - David Alan Bates