Mom: Son ah, what is this letter about?
Me: Oh looks like the government is planning to upgrade our hdb block.
Mom: Oh! Issit? Maybe we will get to move to the nice new blocks they are building across the road.
Me: Mom, they are just going to do an upgrading. Maybe they are going to add in a balcony or something. They are not going to give us a new flat!
Mom: They are going to tear down the whole flat and rebuild it right? Its going to be such a hassle to move.
Me: Mom, its just an upgrading! We are not going to have to move out!
Mom: Really ah?
I'm still not quite convinced she believes or understands what I was trying to explain to her. I can hear her muttering to my dad outside about where are we going to move to. And no my chinese is not that bad. I mean, considering that numerous blocks in my area have already undergone upgrading in one form or another, plus the fact that my blocks lifts have recently been upgraded to stop at every floor, where on earth did she get the idea that upgrading = getting new flats or completely rebuilding our existing block?
Oh, and General Elections are coming!
The secret cause of flame wars - It is way too easy to misunderstand someone when the message is being sent over msn, email or when posted on an online forum. The study quoted in the article showed that the chance of the recipient correctly discern the sender's correct tone is a mere 50%.
The cause of this is, not surprisingly, egocentrism. This would explain my countless epic arguments with this silly mauritian, and the constant (and often very entertaining) flamewars on many online forums.
Moral of the story? Be careful of how and what you write via electronic means. It may lead to pointless arguments, expensive litigation, or even worse, lost friends.
From Ctrl Alt Del. (Click to see the full version)
Ethan's such a sweet bastard. Happy Valentine's Day everyone.
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