Sway
Sometimes in life, people will blame bad luck when things do not go their way. Be it about money, business and especially in gambling. They say it is bad fortune and they try to rearrange the furniture so that bad vibes will not flow in and got trapped there. Some gamblers believe that they should not change their underwear. Haha. With two casinos here, such superstitions will only increase but they do not realise that the only way misfortune will not strike them is simply not to gamble.
The casinos will being in thousands of jobs but I can't think of the costs to people's lives in the next 10-20 years. One argument is that the gamblers were already gamblers even before the casinos were here. They would travel to Genting, Leisure World in Batam who lure old folks here with free meals (this is true as I used to golf at Batam in the past and we were the only golfers in the ferry with the rest adjourning to gamble on arrival, mostly old folks). Are many of our senior citizens who retired have no hobbies or other purpose or they are so bored they have to find thrills in gambling? Or are they already gamblers but haven't enough time in the past?
Sales in whatever form is one of the world's oldest institution. So they say prostitution is the world's oldest profession. I think so too gambling. I know people who could bet by turning a telephone book and the one whose page was turned having the highest number when added together wins. In my childhood days, I remember a man who sold braised pork and duck. He has a bowl where you can throw dice into it for a bet if the customers wanted to and see if you could get some free pork or duck or he would win without even selling you anything. But having the casinos here means it is much more convenient for people to gamble. Then again, those who do not gamble will not. After all the hype, I have not even visited these places and quite many people told me the same.
Then there is a gaming and gambling freely accessible on the Internet. Soccer, sports and whatever. People do it at stadiums watching soccer or when playing golf. It is common to do so at golf where golfers bet among friends for lunch or dinner or some small money. These are usually friendly banters more so for bragging rights than to make money and also simply because only a few mad guys will seriously try to play better without hurting them with small bets. Even when you are on to a double bogey, you need not strive to do better but when there's a small stake, you will probably try to ensure it will be a double bogey and not a triple.
Some golfers will bet a fortune each time but I would not recommend it for very simple reasons. Firstly you want to enjoy nature and your golf game. You are not there for the money. Imagine, if there is a heavy bet on and a golfer drops a ball at a wrong place, it could become cheating even if he makes an honest or careless mistake. What happens when you win big and but the next few weeks you are not available to play? The others might think that after winning much you are into hiding. In any case, what joy do you have when you win and your friends suffer big time?
The Gambler - Kenny Rogers - You must know when to hold them, know when to fold them. Know when to walk away, know when to run. You never count your money when you're sitting at the table. There will be time enough for counting when the dealing's done: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw5LaEzEcJw. Life itself is a gamble isn't it? Who you should marry, which job, what business, should you change job or switch industry? To do or not to do? But these considerations are more decision making than gambling.
Once at a prestigious golf course I overheard this man talking over his cell phone perhaps boasting to his friend his fine taste for music: "Oh, that was Michael Boober lah". I nearly spilled my drink. He was of course referring to Michael Buble (pronounced Blooblay). Now if you were a gambler and a punter you wouldn't like this song by Michael Buble - Sway:
While it is cool to sway, in Chinese dialects "sway" in Hokkien means unlucky or misfortune. A former Fort Wayne mayor is getting some national attention at one time. Thousands of people voted online to name the new city-county building in his honour but that won't happen because of his name - Harry Baals. Sway (unlucky). Cantonese would say "Mak kum soy kah" (why so unfortunate). "Soy" is Cantonese for unlucky. Watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BScrP-lW60E
If you are driving in a desert and you crash your car into a tree that is "sway" because in a desert that may be the only tree in a vast expanse of land. Just like how you will hit your golf ball into a tree or with a wide fairway your ball not only lands in a bunker but is found in this position. "Sway!'
"Sway" is when you hit your golf ball on a par 3 and it looks like rolling into the tin cup for a hole-in-one when lightning strikes and split the ball in half.
"Sway" is when you waited for a month to golf and the previous two days were sunny and hot and after applying for leave you get down to the club and it rained cats and dogs.
"Sway' is when you played soccer for the last time and you score two own goals or given a jersey number of 6 and a half (half past six).
"Sway" is when of all people you got abducted by aliens and they decided to experiment but to go vegetarian, took out your brain and replaced it with a pea then send you back here.
But truly the best way to sway is to take a nap by lying in a hammock somewhere at a beautiful beach. If you took time to sit in a rocking chair or to lie in a swaying hammock, chances are that you will fall sweetly asleep. They used to put babies in a folded sarong hung from the ceiling on a spring - this works wonderfully as babies feel like they are in a womb and naturally falls asleep very quickly. Babies love to be cradled and swayed. Having trouble sleeping? Sway in a hammock! This beats gambling your life away. Do not trouble troubles unless troubles trouble you. Then you will "sway" with blessing and good fortune and not be "sway" with misfortunes.
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