Ping Pong Diplomacy

Ping Pong diplomacy was coined in the old days when Chinese and Ameerican head of states met diplomatically. This became a way of promoting friendship. The Chinese are so good at their chosen sports that today especially in ping pong or table tennis, they have nationals that have migrated and became a new citizen in a new country. Let's say you look at a competition schedule and it stated UK vs France and then the game is beamed live you would see two Chinese players at each other.

When the greatness and mystery was unveiled, the world saw two of the greatest badminton and China's most legendary players in Tang aka The Thing and Hou who took the world by storm. The same could not be said of their soccer team but given their size and population, probability tells us that they could find Pele, Maradona, George Best, Lionel Messi, Beckanbauer there and possibly all at the same time too. But they would need to be imparted experience and knowledge from the best pros and their training methods.

This brings us to our own experience when we engaged Chinese coaches in Badminton and Table Tennis. I say Badminton not Bedminton. The Singapore Women's team won the nation's top sporting achievement award after securing Silver in the Olympics, something not done for a very long time but not coach Liu Guodong. Though he is no longer in association many felt he has contributed and should be named Coach of The Year. Rightly so and whether you like his face is a personal matter. Leaders need to know that people are watching how you treat others in situations that is why Singapore is a long way from being gracious. Even if the coach were not perfect or did not go round kissing asses, we need to accord him that grace. Or was it a fear of being snub? Why was he given a contract renewal in the first place. That is the problem, we are not dealing with the real problem and all shadow boxing. Arghhhh...the human race.

As if one wrong is not enough, I thought then that the award should go to Tao Li's swimming coach but no they said none was suitable.

Singapore is no. 1 in many fields and areas 0f expertise. However, in terms of being courteous and gracious we are seriously lacking, is far behind and has poor EQ.

Perhaps most successful economic pressure cooker countries are found wanting in these situations and Hong Kong was a lot worse but now has become so much better.

When will Singapore learn? Let all parents unite and pledge to impart to their children about social graces. For example, it does mean that if you get to that lunch table at the food centre later you have lost. You just get to eat a bit later. I was surprised that some people regard using tissue packets to reserve seats at public eating places is a good and clever system. I'm apalled.

If you are in a group, why can't one of you get seated so that the rest could go get their food?

I had a very unique and recent encounter. I was having my lunch late, close to 2pm and after ordering I found a nearby seat. While getting seated I saw a couple of name cards on the table and thought nothing of it as sometimes you will find them everywhere anyhow when you get people peddling credit cards and others and passers-by would casually accept them trying to be polite only to dump them shortly afterwards. So I thought they were.

I begin consuming when my food came. Then two gentlemen with their food tray walked past me to another table, put down their food and trays, calmly walked over to my table, picked up their name cards and back to their own table without saying a word.

Welcome to Singapore!

If you have been piffed or pissed on and feel changes are needed let us first change ourselves to begin with. Let us be more conscious of oure every action sometimes subconsciously.

I have seen parents in their big cars shouting at school volunteers on rainy days calling them stupid for not letting them in right in front of their children. What doe that tell us? What if you are the parent volunteer? Relate such stories among friends, share our views, remind one another. From dust we were made and back to the dust will shall go, sooner or later.

You can be superior but you do not need to show a superior attitude. The truly superior person is superior but doesn't show it. It was just left to the people to talk about it.

Go read up some great philosophers like Bertrand Russell. Well, I could dedicate a column on him the next time.

Happy Holidays!

Ciao!!

P.S. Would have love to go down to the Premier Pitch (Bukit Timah) for a soccer training session but have to give it a miss as I haven't fully recovered from two tackles which sent me to my knees and now recovering a a deep abrasion (from astro turf) on the left knee which left me limping for a few days. Though I could really play a good game and the stamina wasn't too bad, the knocks and injuiries are harder to cope. This should be the last hurray with the mini-tourney on 30 May. Swan song before it hurts my golf game.