2200 hrs August 2nd 2005

I've more or less

transversed the globe.

From New York to Tokyo,

From Hong Kong to London,

From Sydney to Seoul,

From Rome to Shanghai,

From Mumbai to Manila,

From Paris to Sao Paolo,

From Frankfurt to Bangkok.

And everywhere,

I see the same blank expressions

of people in cities.

Everybody looks like scarecrows,

in suits,

or odd shaped mannequins,

in designer labels.

The same expressionless faces,

or if I'm lucky,

I get a frown

or a disparaging scowl.

Check out the faces

on our MRT,

You will see the same expressions,

in every big city

in the world.

Is urban living

making us happy?

Sure as hell

does not seem

that way.

Because the happiest smiles

I saw,

were found,

in the villages

of Cambodia,

the hill tribes

of Thailand

the rice farms

of Vietnam,

the kampungs

of Java.

Discontentment

propels city life,

Greed

feeds modern living.

Together,

they give us progress.

But have we really

progressed?

Or are we happier,

when are basic needs

were met?