Eldon-Online

It Really Is Just a Numbers Game

I used to think it was only older people who developed a fixation with numbers - in particular focusing on age, with this thinking now being developed to even further degrees as the latest "miracle" drug or cure shows promise. The "fix" becomes even more pronounced as we are encouraged, at any age, to read the numbers on the packet of anything you have picked up off the supermarket shelf to see if it has too much sugar or salt or not enough meat.

But this age thing, in particular, is a worry on a number of counts. I have been surprised recently at the number of people who have become seriously worried, depressed even, at the prospect of turning 40. I am not knocking it - you can get depressed by whatever number you like, but 40 is still young. You still have - given a fair wind, decent health, reasonable genes, no world war or a road accident - over half your life to go. I have to say, turning 40 certainly didn't phase me - neither did 50 nor 60 although I confess to getting somewhat skittish at 70. But I wasn't about to bury my head in my hands and give up, say it was the end, and please bring my armchair and some slippers while I waited for the grim reaper. Particularly in my case where my hobbies (non-existent in the conventional sense) have revolved solely around being a part of the world at large, as my active interest in sport slowly succumbed to muscle tears and strains, and ultimately gave way to disinterest because I wasn't involved anymore. But that said I do have some ideas about what to do with my future time :-)

I read last week about the amount of discomfort being expressed in some quarters because the pensionable age is rising in Britain to 66-67. The protesters were saying that they had worked hard all their lives and it wasn't fair that they now had to wait longer until they retired and were able to take a break. So let's try and put that into perspective. When pensions were first introduced by Bismarck towards the end of the 19th Century, when the majority of our forbears worked until they were carried out feet first in a box if they hadn't been caught up in a war, and life expectancy was in the low 50s, it was decided that people who made it to 60 and were still working should actually be entitled to be looked after by others and allowed to stop working. I understand that if we applied that principle to today, where longevity in the developed world is well into the 70s - and with the developments in medical science probably making it a good deal higher, then we should probably only allow people a pension when they reach 105!!

But look, it is what it is. The media are fully of advertisements extolling the latest means of living longer and longer. This involves it seems exercise in various degrees of vigour, with which I do agree, but depending on the particular week you are in, it extols the virtue of a particular product that has been described as a miracle towards living longer, but which is found two weeks later to be the complete opposite. And on that subject I was only reading today about a miracle cure for cancer that nearly killed the user!!

Really, we are blessed by being given an opportunity to live - and yes, I agree some are more blessed than others by virtue of where they are born and to whom. And if we can stop Messrs, Trump, Kim, ISIS and Al Qaeda from waging war on the world at large we stand a reasonable chance of living longer. And does the body become more frail? Yup. Do our brains become less active? - Well ... maybe. In some cases yes, but in the case of our bodies and our brains there are things we can do to assist. Miracle foods? Supplements you take daily? The latest exercise craze? For me - moderation is a word that comes to mind. In just about everything. You look at what gets served in restaurants these days in the developed world - portions that are too large. We are eating because it is there - not because we need it. Everything we do, should be done in moderation although I do confess to having trouble finding a suitable definition from time to time.

But stressed about age? Is there a great deal of point in doing so? Every day when you wake up you should expect to get through it and to make the most of it, at whatever age you are. Even if you have been dealt a rough set of cards - make the most of them. Be brave and look forward. Add the two numbers of your age together. If you are 65, think of yourself as being 11. Wasn't that a good time? Re-live it, and live for the day.

We're Drilled and Dressed and Disciplined ...

Something of a surprise today to be alerted by a friend to an article in Hong Kong's free English language newspaper - The Standard - (Page 13), about my old school. This was the establishment that taught me many things: the good the bad and naturally the downright ugly. Of course, and honestly to my eternal regret, I wasted the (free) education I was offered, and yes okay life did not turn out too badly for me in the end.

The thing is, I hardly ever see the old place mentioned in anything at all and it is only a few people who even know where I went, so my eyes opened a little wider when I read the article. A sort of shadow of what it was when I attended, but nevertheless still providing at least some of the virtues I experienced when there. Self-reliance, leadership, and a pledge in some ways to equip students to do something useful once they have left school. And delighted to see from the article that there are currently six students from Hong Kong.

The school started life in 1803 as a military school for the orphans of soldiers (not the children of Officers), and even when I was admitted it was only open to the children of the "Other Ranks", with priority being given to orphans, then one parent, and then others. Hence my arrival at the school, as both my parents were sergeants in the army - only one surviving the war.

I won't bore you with my experiences of wearing military uniform every day from age 9 when I went to board at the school, marching to the dining hall at mealtimes, nor the sense of relief I felt at age 16 when I finished my full-time education - two years earlier than perhaps I should have done.

But the headline of the article brought it all back. "Learn to show some respect" it read, and in the world of today it seems to me it is a quality that is sorely lacking. There appears to be a conflict between what people see as their right to express their views versus a lack of respect for the feelings and views of others. If I, for example, have a point of view I have to accept that others may differ. Not, so it appears, in some quarters where the speakers consider their view is the only view and they are not prepared to accept that there are alternatives.

Such a view is evident on a daily basis, and seems to revolve mainly around political commentary and the interpretations of a media that claims to be unbiased. Sadly it, particularly in our world today, also extends to religion too where diversity of opinion exists not just from religion to religion but even within religions. Degrees of intolerance are becoming unacceptable and somehow or other we have to get this right. I am not at all sure that the current drive to nationalism and some of the unpleasantness surrounding that direction is helping the process. If we cannot practice tolerance with one another, understanding the views of others but also respecting the fact that there are alternative beliefs, we are as in many other things heading down that slippery slope I have alluded to previously.

When you consider we are moving into an era of robotics, AI, and technology generally where jobs once done by humans are going to be carried out by others of an inanimate nature, you are creating a potential problem. Unless you can find worthwhile things for those displaced to do, you are going to have many young, able-bodied individuals who are highly intelligent but totally bored. And as the old saying goes, "the devil makes work for idle hands". It adds to the already growing discontent of the disadvantaged and plays into the hands of the bullies, those people with great powers of persuasive oratory and a desire for either absolute power or total disruption.

And how do we get this current process back in sync? It has to be from the very earliest interactions we have with children. If you cannot teach them tolerance and understanding - although yes you do also have to teach them to stand up for themselves too, then nothing will change. In fact it will only get worse.

So, back to my school. The title of this Blog is part of the opening line from my old school song, the full first line of which reads "We're drilled and dressed and disciplined and proud of our great name ..."

And we were all of those things. The school, despite the odds they faced with me, provided the strong foundation from which I guess I survived, even without taking proper advantage of the education on offer. The fact is, being disciplined in my approach (alright, I admit to being a pain in the backside at times!) has helped me get through life - so far.

And if we lose things like being properly drilled and dressed and disciplined, and do not show respect for others, I am not confident as to where we go from here.

Ambitious Dreams - Never Let Them Die!

In this increasingly chaotic world, it is nice to know that there are still people willing to follow their dreams, and not get sucked into the treadmill of routine and job-security - whatever that is these days!

Our daily news sources, no matter what your favourites may be, are constantly regaling us with tales of the outrageous from Syrian acid attacks, through political shenanigans and so much uncertainty in many countries around the world (French elections today), rampant corruption, and down to United Airlines sinking to the lowest depths of customer engagement, and then on down to the pathetic - such as verbal foul-mouthed and racist tirades from a once revered tennis star who should know better – even though when he was playing he had something of a “brat” reputation.

As a result, there’s actually often enough out there that would make the saner people that still inhabit this planet say “What the hell; I give up!” and go seek some quiet corner of the earth (preferably one that has a likely ongoing supply of water) to live an orderly life.

But happily I know people who still wake up in the morning with a dream in their head; with an ambition to do something that is different. I don’t, in writing this, mean just people who want to better themselves in their chosen profession. That of course is ambition and it is a totally worthwhile cause. Ambition in my view is something that should be pursued by everyone who is alive. An ambition to better their own lives in some way – and look, it doesn’t have to be financially driven or all about status although heaven knows there are enough people around who seem to think that is the only reason to be ambitious. And if they improve other peoples lives in the process then better still.

I know for myself I always held the view, wrongly on reflection, that I was not particularly ambitious. My upbringing was unusual, as people who know me will testify, and I was taught to behave in a certain way that manifested itself in a large supply of insecurity and diffidence. I was unlikely, therefore, to take ambition to an “all-conquering, let nothing stand in my way” level, which is what I used to think ambition was all about. Anyway, to cut a long story short – I got kind of lucky at various points in my career that meant my “ambitions” were being satisfied almost without my being conscious that I had them.

But ambitions aside there are also the dreamers. Not in the woolly-headed sense of not having their feet firmly on the ground, but dreamers who have visions. And again, for clarity, not people who want to become a Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg, but people you will meet on the street, or perhaps at a social gathering of some sorts. I would describe them as “ordinary” people, but they are not. There is something that drives them along a path that is somewhat different from the one they had perhaps intended.

I am lucky enough to have three wonderful children who are all very different. I’m not about to discuss their various qualities here, but our second child falls somewhat into the “ambitious dreamer” category. University degree, talented musician and performer, linguist with varying degrees of fluency in Mandarin and Spanish, and his English isn’t bad, so what does he do? With his husband in Australia he has a café, wine bar and bookshop. No business experience to begin with, but a wish to do something different; to follow a dream. It won’t make him rich but he’s making a real go of it.

I am finding more examples of people like this, the most recent of which has been the revelations of (now former) FT Lex writer in Asia Lucy Colback who, despite having already done a few interesting things has chucked it all up to pursue the ambitious dream of writing a book. If you are able to get hold of a copy of the Weekend FT for 14 April you will find in the Life and Arts section a piece written by Lucy on “why ….”. She writes much better than I do, so explains it more clearly than I could. Oh, and as an aside, if anyone reading this has contact with old war horses from the Second World war who would have seen action in and around China and might be willing to share experiences, do please pass on contacts.

Lucy is an old friend, and I wish her well in this latest endeavour, but as another friend said of the venture “I would say that is a bold move, or as Sir Humphrey Appleby (Yes, Minister!) might have said “very brave” !!

And the point of all this? Never ever think that you are too old or too young to follow a dream, an ambitious dream. If you do it and it fails, you put it down to experience and you go look for something else. If you don’t do it … you will never know!

Oh No ... Not Him Again!!

"After Puckoon I swore I would never write another novel. This is it."

                                                                                Spike Milligan.

 

I have used this quote once before in a Blog, but it is so appropriate to the situation in which I now find myself I just had to use it again. When I stopped writing this Blog on 31 July 2015 I did so on the basis that I had insufficient time to continue writing regularly, and of course there were some critics out there who thought I was past it anyway. Perhaps the latter is true ... but I am of an age where I don't actually care! What does make me humbled and energised to give it another go are the continued notes I have received from a wide variety of people, some of whom I never knew read the Blog or were even aware of it, that have asked if I would reconsider, and write again.This has become especially true during the last few months, and I have found myself writing longish emails to a variety of people who have asked for a view on this or that.

And on that particular point I must reiterate something I have always maintained, which is I am not an "expert" on anything in particular. Sure I've been around, go to many places, and have an opportunity to meet many different people from all walks and at all levels of life. I guess it gives me a perspective that happily I share and in which some people are interested. 

When I stopped writing I was putting in a few more hours on work than perhaps I should have been - depending on who you listened to ... and I had suffered from a powerfully debilitating virus (all now long gone) that had left me a tad drained. And, frankly I was getting fed up with the world.

Fast forward to today and guess what, I am actually doing more than I was doing even back then. I am even more involved in business in the Middle East than I was and in more countries, although for the avoidance of doubt I am still very resident in Hong Kong. I also have increased my involvement with a couple of roles in Hong Kong. 

The upshot of all this is that after quite a number of weeks of debate about whether I can/should/want to do this all over again I have decided to give it a go and see what happens. There is, after all, much to concern us all - and it is not just a regional thing, it is global.Where does Asia go from here; remember that Asia, as if you would forget, is just not all about China. Asia is huge, young (in most places) and growing. Europe is not exactly dead yet, but seems to need some serious surgery and one has to question whether the "doctors" are up to it. North America - okay, the USA - is currently an unknown quantity and the world is holding its breath to see what happens next - while Russia and China seem to be making the most of uncertainty - and are a lot stronger than they used to be. Latin America, where I spent a few weeks in the latter part of this year (happily on vacation), has continuing political problems but some bright spots in some of its economies.

But as always it is a matter of perspective. I have always liked the quote from English author George Eliot (1819-1880), when she wrote "It is a narrow mind which cannot look at a subject from various points of view." It is one of the issues particularly I feel of a  generation younger than mine that seeks instant news, and takes what it receives as the final word even if it is a view from a few, without it being properly and widely aired. This, of course, is a generalisation but for my part I will continue to try and bring perspective to what I write, even if I do express a personal point of view.

This last year, 2016, in the Chinese Zodiac has been the year of the monkey. And what a mischievous little brute he has turned out to be. I hope that 2017 and the Year of the Rooster will be better.

Happy New Year.

The Time Has Come ...

"The time has come," the Walrus said,


"To talk of many things:


Of shoes--and ships--and sealing-wax--


Of cabbages--and kings--


And why the sea is boiling hot--


And whether pigs have wings."

 (From Lewis Carroll’s The Walrus and The Carpenter 1872)

 

“The time has come" the walrus said - a sentiment now echoed by this old elephant and so ...  to my final blog.

When I retired from full time employment ten years ago, and people including a number of competent Hong Kong journalists with a reporting style that was more factual than fanciful, were seeking my views on a variety of issues I thought the easiest way to keep them informed without having to deal with them individually was to write a Blog, which I started in 2007. There was much to write about ... and of course there still is if you are not brain dead. But writing has to be a pleasure and not a chore and I have always maintained that if you have the luxury of doing so, you should only do the things you enjoy and when the enjoyment passes, stop! In a similar vein, with regard to the things I still do professionally, I want to be the one who is smart enough to say "time to go", before someone sidles up and whispers in my ear saying "isn't it time to go?"

I was getting frustrated by the lack of time I have had to write the Blog recently, although it was for all the right reasons. Being retired doesn't always mean you do nothing, but it just seems pointless to carry on unless you can maintain a regular commentary. It's also a question not of just what I find interesting, but also what anyone reading it other than family and friends is going to find interesting.

There are many experts around these days whose commentaries are genuinely informative and who make it their business to inform. My Blog is not a business and was never designed to be, so I decided I should quit while at least marginally ahead and turn my spare time thoughts to the weighty concerns of ships, and sealing wax, of cabbages and kings.

I do though have a couple of final thoughts - as you might have expected.

I echo the dual sentiments that say firstly it is the duty of every generation to leave it a better place for the next generation, and the second sentiment that reminds us life is not a dress rehearsal. The minute that has just passed is gone forever; no second go at it.

Sadly, I don't think we are on course to leave this world a better place for the next generation. Our world has become one where perspective has gone out of the window, where respect for ones fellow human being has been eroded, where the gap between rich and poor has continued to widen not narrow. A world that is selfish and greedy in some quarters; a "me" generation of perceived entitlement. A world that is rapidly running short of resources, particularly water.

I am getting heartily sick of having my own integrity questioned by people who have no idea what I am like, or what I believe. And I don't get the worst of it; that is reserved for others, but it takes away any pretence of human decency. Others who become used as a "point-scoring headline-seeking" target for people who seem to seek notoriety and to hell with the damage they do in the process. In one particular case very recently not to me, but to decent, honest, colleagues.

Someone said to me the other day that I was in the most pessimistic mood they had ever seen. In my last Blog I wrote that I still maintain an air of optimism because it's generally better than the alternative. So, optimistic yes but also sad. We are choking ourselves by silly things that can be put right, but that's a story for a whole new Blog writer.

I have enjoyed what I have written, and regret nothing in that regard. If I have shared insights that you have found interesting, useful, or thought provoking then I have achieved something. If I have upset you I am sorry for that, but we all have points of view that we should feel free to share as we should be prepared to accept alternative views, though not uninformed intentionally inflammatory comment.

Friends will know where to find me, of course, and just let me say this is not me giving up on life. I will continue to carry out my professional commitments at least for a while longer because despite the irritations I face I still feel my experience has value and, so far, so do others. I would like to try and ensure that organisations like Room to Read and The Global Institute For Tomorrow get a fair hearing and support. I have grandchildren who need to understand about the world around them although I am sure my own children will support that task, as they have all grown up into genuine caring individuals. Decent people I am proud of, and there is nothing stronger than a supportive family.

I may have a significant birthday fast approaching but most of me still works, and I will hope to put what's left to good use.

Thank you for your past readership, and please do your bit for the world.

IN MEMORIAM - MARY FORBES ELDON

Death is a very personal thing, affecting the immediate families the most of course - but during a long life touching many others too.

Since I wrote about my Mother in a Blog in February 2009, the number of people who read the story and who have enquired about her health and her life has been amazing. It just demonstrates that you don't have to be born on the "right street" to be successful. You can still be bright academically and with more than your fair share of common sense, even if you were born in a deprived area or country. And you don't have to count success by the number of pennies you have accumulated more than the next person, or the titles that you have. You can achieve that and more by being a down to earth, honest, loyal, loving, hard-working and caring individual.

By now you know where this is going.

Sadly, my wonderful Mother passed away this morning, the 27th of January, Her passing , in her 96th year, was peaceful and with no pain. I was happy to be able to spend the last day of her life at her side and say goodbye. She was happy too. It was what she wanted - she was ready for another life but of course we will all miss her terribly.

She has instilled in all of us a sense of believing in everything that she stood for and practiced. Her values. She was practical to the end. She told us all we were not to grieve for her life, but to celebrate it. A life that was not always easy, but had to be lived, as she had done, to the full and without regret.

Celebrate we will, in due course, as instructed! Life must go on, we know - as will her memories live on in all of her family and, it seems, in the many admirers that she never knew. 

Requiescat in pace!

December 2014 - and still good for a party!!

 

 

 

 

 

If You Did It Again - Would You Do It Differently?

September 21 in 1964 was a Monday. I remember it well. It was the day as a painfully shy, newly tall (I had grown almost 8 inches in two years, much to my Mother’s dismay!), rather ungainly young man that I walked into the doors of 49/50 Berkeley Street in London to commence a clerical role in banking with the Commercial Banking Company of Sydney. The start of what on this day has become a fifty-year anniversary in banking.

It was not my first full time job. I had been employed as a clerk for 18 months at the now defunct Union International Group in Smithfield, London and for those of you who are still trying to work out my age by making certain assumptions based on the foregoing, let me help you by telling you I was born in 1945, and because my engagement with school was somewhat unsatisfactory – on both sides – I started my working life early.

And neither was that date in September the only time the number 21 would feature in my early banking career because it was also, on 21 January 1968, the date I started my first day in the British Bank of the Middle East, Dubai Office.

Over the last few years I have been often asked whether, if I could live my life again, what would I do differently – if anything.  Apart from the fact that I think it’s a fairly pointless question, I do nevertheless think about it sometimes, if only for a reality check.

So, would I want to have changed my life? You know, even with the benefit of hindsight the short answer is no.

Life is not perfect, unless you are extraordinarily fortunate, but I can honestly say I have had the most amazing and wonderful experiences. I have been lucky enough in life to have started from the most humble of beginnings, taken opportunities without trampling on people or stabbing them in the back, worked hard and constantly to the best of my ability. I am not a rocket scientist in mental capacity, or anywhere near. I try to understand my own limitations but use my strengths. I have achieved more than I could have expected, or dreamed about. I have met such a diverse range of people, travelled to many continents around the world, experienced living in a number of different countries ... what could I, and why would I want to change?

Now, do I wish I had actually worked harder at school and then gone to University to achieve a greater level and rounding of my knowledge? Yes and no. Luckily I’ve done very well without it, but I recognise I wouldn’t even get invited for an interview today with my lack of academic qualifications.

Do I wish that I had expanded what musical ability I might have had, into something more tangible or professional? To the extent of perhaps providing entertainment. Yes I do but hey, I’ve sung solo in front of 1200 people in a concert hall, and a Prime Minister, and in a few bars and clubs – and I am thankful for all of that. The fingers still work on the guitar, albeit a little less quickly than before, and the voice hasn’t totally cracked up yet. Besides, as a folk singer you can get away with a lot!

Do I wish I was or had been a better person? Sure, but what’s gone is gone. You learn from the mistakes too, and after that it’s only today and what follows thereafter that you have to worry about. And you still have some control over that.

You cannot change what has passed, so the question about doing thing’s differently is redundant. But can you do things differently from now on? Yes of course you can. If you want to learn to read music, speak a new language or take up a new hobby, you can. It might take you longer than it would have done when your brain was more receptive but that should not be a hindrance to trying.

50^th Anniversaries are a milestone, a time for reflection, and for thought of the future. What you can still do becomes important, and I have to say that on a personal note – with apologies for the apparent morbidity of this – the older you get the more you realise your own frailty. The more you should realise that each day is a bonus and that you should live it well while you have the chance. 

Too many young friends have passed away these last few weeks, and will be remembered for the laughter and the joy they brought to others – not for the sorrow involved with their passing, sad though it is.

And lest people think that last paragraphs are somehow a subliminal message that all is not well with me, I must dispel that notion immediately. I am well, thank you and still looking for things to do. However, if I get run over by a bus tomorrow (God forbid – although He probably looks at me with some suspicion), I can only quote you a favourite piece of mine from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar that reads:

“Cowards die many times before their deaths;

The valiant never taste of death but once.

Of all the wonders that I yet have heard,

It seems to me most strange that men should fear;

Seeing that death, a necessary end,

Will come when it will come.”

Would I have done things differently? Nah! It might have been fun at first but could ultimately have led me up some dark paths, and some very different conclusions. Be thankful for what you have. Live each day to the best of your ability and if there are things you want to do, or things you want to change, then go for it. It is never too late!

Fate - Out Of Our Hands

How do you deal with life? An odd question, perhaps, but every day when one goes to school, reads the newspapers, watches television, talk to people, you are dealt a huge amount of information to filter. Information that is subject to individual interpretation, the “spin” of the teacher, the writer, the presenter or the author.

Read any newspaper today and in every daily edition you will read the stories that start  “…in a survey of 127 people …”, or “scientists have now concluded that …”, and goes on to say that such and such a product is now good/bad/healthy/unhealthy for you. Or common “wisdom” suggests you shouldn’t fly a particular airline because it is jinxed. Malaysian Airlines for example where an aircraft has gone missing and when the same airline has had one of its planes shot out of the sky through absolutely no fault of the airline - and don’t say they were “wrong to take a short cut” – there was a procession of luckier aircraft that went through that very same air space in the hours before Malaysian Airlines.

And the food surveys, “best” diets, wine studies, chocolate reviews, but also parenting, fashion, political and economic forecasts – whew! The list goes on and on and on. Surely this information, or perhaps misinformation or half –truth overload will get you in the end. Red wine and chocolate were supposed to be positively good for your health. Recent studies – at least by headline – now suggest they are no longer so wonderful. But the evidence in the reports actually seems to say that while they are not bad, they are actually no better than anything else comparable. Oh, and today we learn that sitting is more harmful to your health than smoking. Really? I am now standing up to write this.

Of course the business world has found the answer to all of this in “Big Data”. Always assuming of course that you have the right person or team to ask precisely the right interrogatory questions of that data!

But the information dispensed doesn’t stop with things like food, health and safety!!  It also stretches to broader political issues. For example the “black warning”  (just recently reduced to “amber”) imposed by the Hong Kong Government on travel to the Philippines because of the shooting of a tourist bus carrying Hong Kong tourists in 2010. A tragedy, for sure, but if the tourists had been from another country, would the shooting have also prompted a travel ban to the Philippines by the Hong Kong Government? I think not.  And if such bans are purely on grounds of safety and security, the same HK Government should perhaps issue at least an amber warning in its own country for the way mini-bus drivers operate their vehicles!

The trouble is that this information overload is often more confusing than helpful. These interpretations by third parties can shape peoples minds into narrow channels to the extent that they cannot see a broader picture. It stifles rational and independent creative thought, and it makes people stressed and depressed. It also prevents some people moving on for fear of taking missteps, or being criticised.

A recent practical example is a question I had from someone who asked if they should still go on a trip at the end of this month for a break because they were going to a country that has a minority Muslim population. With all the problems in the Middle East (even though the country to be visited was nowhere near that region), could those problems spill over into other countries?

The purely “to be safe” answer of course has to be yes, because you can never ever guarantee that what happens in one country will not happen elsewhere. Not every single member of the global community is a decent, law-abiding, respecter of human rights and human dignity. But that should not mean that you wake up every morning afraid to go out of your front door. Or stop eating because some study of a few people has shown a particular food to be carcinogenic in 80% of mice but only if they eat 15 times their bodyweight.

By the way, my advice to the travel question? Go! Statistically you are more likely to be hit by a wayward bus in Hong Kong than being a victim of a terrorist attack.

We are being smothered by studies and statistics. We are perpetuating the dissemination of all sorts of information by means of (anti) social media, often without any consideration of accuracy. We are adopting an attitude of  “I heard it here – so it must be right”.

Well of course as an individual you are entitled to do and think whatever you want (subject to the laws of the country in which you live of course!!), but there seems to be a need for more individual thought, an individual assessment of situations and not just a blind acceptance of information because someone else has done the work. Moderation in all things is an adage that has generally stood the test of time, together with common sense and perspective.

Everyone is different. Me? I guess I am a fatalist at heart. On balance, I do enjoy life. I have ups and downs like everyone else. But I also like to consider individual situations on the merits as assessed by me in the light of the information I can obtain. It means keeping an open mind, and it does not mean that I will always get it right – indeed, far from it, but I am not going to stop doing something unless there is a good reason – and if I’ve got it wrong then it was meant to be, but at least I will have lived my own life and not one prescribed by a myriad of conflicting studies and reports.

 

The Age Of Intent

I was going to call this "The Age Of Consent Intent", but you can't mess with the titles apparently because it mucks up the "link". Anyway, being well past the age of consent it doesn't matter really because this is all about intent. Mine!

I've just had a great ten days. It included some really long flights. Hong Kong to Dubai to Washington, then to New York and straight to Beijing before heading back to Hong Kong. And it provided that most deadly sin ... thinking time. Always a dangerous pastime as you sit, bored out of your brains because you can't take in another word from the papers or the movies, and you can't sleep any more.

I must say, I do think about the future - quite a lot as it happens. Well let's face it, there's not much point contemplating the past is there - you can't do anything about it! But this last journey seemed to provide more such time than usual. Perhaps it's an "age" thing - the future - or what's left of it.

I have long considered the fact that I've never truly grown up - I've just learnt how I should behave in public. And I have tried to maintain at least mentally an "age" profile closer to my waist size (in inches!) rather than a chronological age.

All that said, and just because these last ten days were particularly good fun - if you exclude the eight hour flight delay out of Beijing on Wednesday night - doesn't mean I've gone off on an adrenalin high that will disappear as quickly as it apparently came. Although on that subject my children will probably tell you I used to be (now come on guys - used to be) subject to mood swings, but this whole "aging" thing brings a really different perspective to many things.

I acknowledge I am a fortunate individual - on too many fronts to discuss here, and I know it. I also know I'm not perfect - far from it indeed - but I am surrounded by a fascinating world that is so full I sometimes don't know where to turn next. From the growth of the Asian, Latin American and African continents to the amazing and sometime worrying advances in technology. To a world where no one knows what a bank will look like in 10 years time - other than to be darn sure it's not going to look much like it does today. Where what we eat might eventually come in packets like sweets (now that bit I'm sure I won't like!). Where people change, develop and hopefully are able to fend for themselves, given the right help and encouragement. And I want to continue to be a part of it for as long as I can. Until I am physically and mentally unable to continue.

Life is not fair, I know, so I am being selfish, but for me it is a truly exciting world out there and there are things I can do to help others. 

I know there are people who think, "Why is this old bloke hanging on - and taking a job opportunity away from a younger person?" Well, if I could teach that younger person all I know about the people I deal with, know and have experience of dealing with, and give them the grey hairs I have accumulated over 50 years of work, then fine - they can have my job! But I cannot do that in a series of 6 weekly sessions. It is just not practical. I can encourage, I can coach, I can mentor, I can support and hopefully provide them with some of the tools they will themselves need in later life, but there is no substitute for experience.

And I have friends who say - when are you going to slow down - you don't have to work at the pace you do. And that is precisely the beauty of it all. No, I don't have to - I want to. And frankly I don't fancy the alternative:

No! No! No!!

Of course, there are increasing numbers of people like me, who do want to carry on. And then there is my dear old Mother of whom I have written previously - in her 94th year according to the Western method of reckoning - who is really worried that I might one day lose my job! "And what will you do then, dear?" she asks.

I love being at home, but I also enjoy being out and about. Being an active part of the world is my hobby. It's a balance, isn't it? And I love it! Perhaps I should have called this "The Age Of Satisfaction". 

But "Intent" will do nicely, until someone knocks me on the head and says, "Enough is enough!"

What's In A Name?

Hong Kong, in common I guess with other countries, allows a system of personalising car number plates. In Hong Kong however it is a profit generator. The process allows you to apply for a number plate which is then auctioned. As the originator you rather hope that no one outbids you, but I suppose it can happen.

These personalised plates are in the English language but they seem to be largely unmonitored by the Transport Department – and can lead to some irritation or misinterpretation.

I used to have a sense of humour failure myself when I saw my family name used as a "number plate".

Only because people kept asking if it was my car. Now the only satisfaction I derive is that if someone is looking for me to exact revenge for some wrong doing I may have committed, they might plant a bomb in the wrong car first, thinking it was me!! 

But this lack of "thought" if you like when the Transport Department approves the names in the first place can lead to other rather more unfortunate consequences. For example, as my rather smutty mind was working overtime a few years ago, I commented in my Blog on the wisdom of allowing a car to be registered with the plate “Fuk Hing”. And now I see we are at it again. In the last list of personalised plates up for auction that I saw is one with the name of “Lady Kaka”. Puzzled?

Kaka, it is true, is the name of a Brazilian footballer so the name does exist in another part of the world, although it might be worth pointing out that the person concerned is male rather than a "Lady". And maybe the owner of the car that will bear the "Lady Kaka" plate has the nickname of Kaka. If so, again no real harm and I must point out that I certainly mean no disrespect to her in what follows. But in the more “slangy” end of the English language “kaka” means, politely, faeces. I am quite sure that the licensing authority really doesn't know what it is accepting sometimes, and why should it - English after all is not their first language.

While on the subject of names, and language, I had the privilege of attending a talk recently by the author Lynn Truss, who wrote a great book called “Eats Shoots and Leaves”. She is very entertaining and is known as the "Apostrophe Warrior" for her defence of punctuation and the comma in particular. If you have an interest in grammar – no matter how fleeting, the book is a wonderful refresher and reminds you of the correct use of punctuation marks.

I must say that one of the irritants in my life today is getting letters (yes, and emails) that are written badly. Now I am the first to admit I am not perfect, but some things I get to read, signed by people for whom English is their first language, should actually be taken out and burnt. The authors, I suspect, in every case know exactly what message they intended to convey, but they don’t put themselves in the position of the reader. With the result that the letters often contain misspelt ambiguity. In addition this obsession with using first names in a letter is, frankly, offensive and rude. If I am happy to be addressed as “Dear David..” in a letter or email, which more often than not I prefer, I will let you know. But don’t take the liberty yourself of assuming you are already my bosom buddy.

In fact, I spoke to Ms Truss after her talk and said that I had found her book a great “refresher course”. It was not supposed to be a “Teach Yourself Grammar” book, but it certainly put me back on track, after I had fallen off the rails by employing some bad practices. (Such as I still do in these Blogs).

In our modern technologically driven world, there is still room for politeness – and for using language that is easily understood by some of us dinosaurs. Even the younger generation will benefit. It is the sloppy use of language that leads to ambiguity, ridicule, and therefore to misunderstandings.