Never say never to learning

This week has been somewhat enlightening in some ways.

Learning never stops. The wealth of knowledge is not measurable - if learning stops, the wealth shrinks over time too. It is as if we are programmed to keep on learning.

It's hard to describe in detail how learning affects the psyche. First bouts of ignorance stepped in already when the mind decides that it can't hold the new anymore, perhaps unless if absolutely necessary. Then it starts getting picky. 

Do I really need to know this - let's pause...whilst the lesson flashes before you and - gone. Too late.

The mind has to be eager to be open about what's out there. Funnily, I get to discover what's in me, too. It's a self discovery...activity, shall I say. Could be rewarding in ways probably never known. Again, think psyche.

what this could imply on certain skeptical audience: 

'Are you saying that you can't know yourself without external influences?'

'Isn't that relying on the external - weak?'

It's about discovering what's out there other than your great/good/good-looking self and knowing the differences of kaleidoscope sceneries out there and what defines each pixel. We would know how different our great/good/good-looking self are, which otherwise might be unnoticed and unappreciated as a uniqueness that sets us apart from the rest.

As if the domino effect of learning, or lack thereof, has not come to it's end...

Having said that, we all want a certain longing to be with those like us. Or perhaps more succintly put, to have a sense of belonging. 

In the absence of sense of belonging, the soul is without companion. No other interaction satisfies. 

Chinese cuisine

The term 'globalization' is now so weaved into our everyday lives it's no longer a wave but a journey. Sort of like an imminent circumstance the world moved into due to the best inventions perhaps, in the last 100 years. 

Moving to London (even for an ethereal period) was a childhood dream - eating fish and chips and having wonderful tea with all kinds of English sweets. If I'm lucky I might be able to catch a fairy princess or the people of the Faraway Tree. 

These Chinese dumplings are yummy! (oops I've finished them hence no photos!) - next time ;).

There's a great deal of awesomelicious food here in this area - Wangsa Maju is famous for the kaw kaw burger and BRJ mamak. Apart from that, there's three different pan mee eateries; pork & fried egg with noodles and dumplings; hot pot restaurant that recently opened; two homestyle-cooked mixed rice stalls by the LRT; fried breaded chicken; chee cheong fun. 

Sift thru the list again for there is a common thread: Chinese. Hey Fish & Chips, no hard feelings. The Chinese just seem to enjoy things of the palate (and health for that matter: think pig organs) and must have had extensive experiments over the thousands of years of pleasing emperors and concubines. In retrospect, it also sees a similar cause-and-effect of the Richard Nixon era when man first landed on the moon. The sparks of such achievements were to send future generations aspiring for more. 

Peep into some of the metropolises or large established cities today. There's bound to be a bright red Chinatown somewhere - someplace you can get the exotic Oriental, the odd cure for a disease (or so they claim), imitation (but not necessarily cheap) Rolexes and the ubiquitous Louis Vuitton faux leather wallets with American Express softcards inside them. Most of all, they're known everywhere for great food.

Some of us are surprised that China will take over as the trendsetter, as some have predicted long before. Okay well it's a little premature to say so for fashion. They'd be regarded as the trendsetter for consumerism of everyday goods and for the needs of the masses, and how consumer spending behavior here could determine the economy waves all over the world. Definitely amazing to think about. 

Perhaps we haven't realized that the Chinese are already very much part of some metropolis communities, penetrating the Western and Eastern cultures with our exotic Oriental diversity, as diverse as the list of foods found in my area, if not more. We have somehow adapted i pockets all over yet never really lost our originality, always believing that our roots should not be forgotten entirely but help to shape us just by us knowing how our ancestors evolved over years and geography. 

Having all said, it's alright if I don't get to stay here in Wangsa Maju forever. I've always wanted to move to someplace foreign and experience different people, climate, cultures. It's the only way to experience the world and gain fresh perspectives books otherwise can only help to visualize, not experience in soul and body. The air, the views, the temperatures, skiing on snow or eating freshly-picked berries everyday are all things I must do before I die. 

Give me a cozy duplex amidst skyscrapers anywhere in the world, as long as there's fresh berries easily available at 3am and various Chinese cuisines even more ubiquitous, I'll make myself at home with much ease.