Random Thoughts by Pauline

January 20 2015, Tuesday            

 Old Couples

Have you ever been touched by the scene of old couples holding hands? I have! Their hair might be thinned and skin all wrinkled but the calmness of their countenance simply induces my admiration!

In this age when relationships can be so flimsy, we tend to wonder whether people do still hold hands and grow old together in health and sickness! And when we do see or know such couples, we become green-eyed monsters saying “how lucky you guys are!”

As in all matters, “luck” plays but a small part – that no “third person” has ever appeared in their life, that no major hardships have ever put them to test etc. Even when life is uneventful, to be able to grow old together and yet still cherish or at least care for each other is not in the hands of the Almighty!

I don’t know if there are some odd old couples around you or you have heard of. By “odd”, I mean though they remain together living under the same roof and sleeping on the same bed, they hate each other’s guts to the extent that the wife drives the husband out of the apartment in the morning, gives him some twenty dollars allowing him to come back only at dinner time! Such arrangement is not for a day but is a routine!

There is no equality in a relationship, no “win-win” situation but one yielding to the other for whatever reasons! So next time when you envy a happily married couple, ask yourself how far you can bear for the sake of a life together! 

Random Thoughts by Pauline

January 14 2015, Wednesday                

So close and yet so far! 

This New Year break, my friends and I went to Shanghai for 3 days to visit an old friend. The flight to Shanghai takes less than two hours but I cannot say it is convenient. 

 

We departed for Shanghai on December 30. It was the 0830 flight meaning we had to check in not later than 6:30. I had to get up at 5. If I took the airport bus, I would be late. Arriving late has never been my habit. I left home at 5:45 and took a taxi.

 

It was my bad luck that I got on a taxi with a sulky driver. I greeted him nicely. Not only did he not reciprocate my courteous greeting, but he also did not help me put the suitcase in the boot!

 

So I arrived early at the airport, met up with my friends, checked in, took our breakfast and boarded the plane. All these were uneventful! 

We landed punctually at 10:30, took our luggage, went through customs and immigration and were warmly greeted by our friend. We got on the coach at 11.

 

 

Guess when we could sit down for lunch? At 2 in the afternoon! The 30-minute drive to city centre had become 3 hours! Absolutely ridiculous! That was my first-person experience of the terrible traffic jams so notorious of mainland cities. And because we were late, we had to eat dishes left cold if not icy. The waitresses were also very blatant in their expression of impatience!