I can’t help but to feel rather depressed when I had to change my summer duvet to a winter duvet last week. I have been trying to convince myself to look further than the winter but then, hey, the winter hasn’t even started! And I am already suffering the blues!
Autumn seems to set in really quickly this year. Last year we had a warm November and people were still wearing shorts. I remember boasting about playing tennis in the open late autumn and not having to turn on the heater till late November. That was definitely the most bearable winter I had.
I am not so positive about this year though. I had to turn on the heater last weekend and spent on an electric blanket to cheer up myself that winter isn’t too bad after all. Talking about electric blanket, I will definitely rate it as one of the greatest invention after a breadmaking machine There’s nothing more cosy than crawling yourself into a warm bed during the winter. I still remember the dark times when I had to warm the bed using my body generated heat! It’s just not right!
If there is one thing that I should cherish about winter, it’s the fact that I can start wearing my boots which have been gathering dusts in the shoe shelves for the past few months. Perhaps it is almost time to invest in another pair too!
Here’s a short video clip found on youtube that reminds me of how wonderful the policemen in Malaysia are It’s not a real candid shot, but I’m sure a lot of Malaysians, based on experience, will agree with me that this is indeed what used to happen in Malaysia, if not still happening now.
To survive in the current business environment, efficiency is no doubt absolutely vital. But for supermarket chain like Tesco to record �1.15bn profits (for the first half of the year), we are talking about more than just surviving! Money has to come from somewhere, to make up the figure. So naturally, consumers are the one who pay, as they purchase products from the supermarket. However, the consumers are not losing out here, as a trolley of 100 common items bought at Tesco would cost only 74p (according to The Grocer) less at Asda, which claim themselves to be the cheapest supermarket chain in the UK. The clear losers are the producers and farmers. According to the Welsh dairy farmers �supermarkets are charging up to 57.5p per litre for milk with farmers receiving around 17p. Ten years ago supermarkets were charging 44p and farmers received over 24p�.
I understand that public listed companies are designed to deliver performance to the shareholders. But for these supermarkets to (partly) booze their profits by squeezing money out from the farmers make Microsoft looks like a saint. At least Microsoft’s biggest shareholder, Bill Gates, is making good use of his wealth and set up one of the largest charitable foundation in Bill and Melinda Gates foundation.
It’s never been a problem for me, grown up in a muslim country, lived in a house without a chimney, with a rather traditional Chinese upbringing, to know that father Christmas does not exist. In fact, I don’t think I believe his existence in the first place anyway when I was a kid. I remember very well once I suggested to my neighbourhood friend, infront of his mum, that maybe the present he found in his room was placed there by his parents rather than Santa Claus. The disapproval look from his mum is still vivid in my memory. I have to admit that I wasn’t very tactful at all, wasn’t I? Oh well, I was less than 10 years old, and I was curious as well, even though I was convinced that the fat guy could have not the slightest chance of squeezing through the Jalousie window that was common in Malaysia’s houses back then to deliver the Christmas gifts! I suppose his mum must have put a lot of effort in convincing her three kids the existence of Santa Clause, and very successfully so, as they were all full of excitement when Santa was mentioned, as well as the wishes that came true, the presents etc. For a period of time, I even contemplated giving it a go and hang a sock in my bedroom so that maybe my wishes will come true as well. Such were their excitement and influence.
No wonder the practice of giving young children a surprise with Christmas presents remains very popular among parents. But what amuses me a lot from what I heard is the headache parents have when they are asked about Santa’s existence, and their answers to something they themselves don’t believe in. It can be quite an awkward situation, luckily it’s not something I will likely be put up with.
October 12, 2006 
There’s nothing more cosy than crawling yourself into a warm bed during the winter. I still remember the dark times when I had to warm the bed using my body generated heat! It’s just not right! 
Posted in Sophie's World 
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