Tip 107: Do not jump lights when mummy is around

Its funny when you look back at possible disagreements that could happen between husbands and wives. Maybe, it can be less funny sometimes when you do not look at it with a sense of humor, objective mind, realistic mindset and calm heart. If one tends to hang on to an idealist view that two distinct individuals can read minds and have perfect knowledge of each other and agree to be at peace with each other at every moment in time, constantly consulting with each other on every possible suggestion and idea, constantly behaving based on each other's preferences and expectations, having the same ideals, beliefs and cultural habits, then such disagreements should never happen in the first place. But, we do not live in a perfect world, and as much as idealism can make this world better, we need to learn to be kind and accept one another all the time. Sometimes though, disagreements are meant to wake us up that we are wrong. Like when I crossed the road after watching that there was no traffic, even when the pedestrian crossing traffic light showed red. I did save 3 seconds before the light turned green. Or sometimes, my mind may have became one with the traffic light that my leg would move at the change of the signal light but technically, it was still red when my wife watched me crossed the road. So, I got the scolding and rows of disagreements on why I need to be nagged on the same issue over and over. Such happens in the daily life of a married couple.














Interestingly, the road crossing methodology is different in different countries. In Japan and sometimes Singapore, everyone follows religiously the pedestrian traffic light signal. They would wait patiently and only when the light turns green, a big group of pedestrians would cross the road quickly at the same time. Later, there is a warning sound and blink when the light is about to turn red again and everyone still on the road would hurriedly go over the other side of the road and countless others, would not attempt to cross the road even when the signal has not turned red yet. This does not happen in Hong Kong or Malaysia. One simple reason is that Malaysia do not have so many pedestrian traffic lights or overhead bridges. So, the pedestrians have gotten more brave to navigate the traffics on their own instincts on what is safe and what is not. They have more experience crossing busy roads and gained a spatial sense of how far the car is, at what speed it is travelling at, the possible reaction of the driver on whether it would stop or slow down and whether it would be safer for the pedestrian to run faster to cross the road when the car would not stop or its safer to step back and attempt to cross again. Same goes for Hong Kong even with more pedestrian traffic lights available. The citizens there have less of a law abiding mentality, a greater desire to gain on the extra seconds spent not waiting at the traffic lights and a generally higher propensity to take risk. A Japanese friend of mine who has lived more than 1 year in Hong Kong, even could flexibly adopt this law breaking habit of jay walking. So, its really a difference in cultural mentality, rather than what is right and wrong. But, I agree with my wife. Wives are always correct. If I have a baby in my arm, I need to wait till the light shows green. At least to avoid another long lecture, or having my wife threaten to go home after we have taken the train out to sightsee London. Hopefully, I would not forget that. Hey, all men have short term memories, right?














Do all men have short term memories of their wives' nagging or is it just me? Wives, are your husbands the same? Do console me. :)














(Photos show Regent Street and Oxford Street, London city).