When asked if you were an animal, what would you rather be? Madonna said she’d rather be a dog. Just to be 100% precise, I think she meant to say a bitch. If the same question in reverse goes to my dog Jamie, I believe he’d most likely say: a comedian.
So, I’ve been on this writing journey for 19 months now. You’ve seen me talk fondly about building life skills and all that. To my amazement, I’ve covered quite a range of serious topics. Have I bored you to tears already? In case I have, well, now to your amusement, I thought I’d change gears and write a different type of blog post this time – a joke, a real one. It’ll serve as a reminder for me that laughter is also an essential part of building life skills.
Telling a joke here is kind of outside my genre I’ve been known for, but hey I’ve also been known for being unpredictable. To be a creative person, the only rule is there’s no rulebook to follow.
I picked the title “Can’t See The Bright Side? Try To See The Light Side!” for a reason. Let’s face it, when shit happens and when you’re in the thick of it, one of the hardest things to do is to stay positive. True? Fair enough, if it’s not possible to see the bright side, why not try to see the light side instead? Laugh at life! Laugh at your problems, laugh at your misfortunes, laugh at your imperfections, even better laugh at yourself!
Speaking of laughter, it’s funny, remember those so-called miracle cream and anti-aging skin care products you see everywhere on the shelves at a super market or some cosmetic counters in a department store? Read the instructions on the package. They all promise to give you a flawless complexion in days or weeks. Use me and I’ll reduce your frown lines, wrinkles, and crow’s feet. But, have you ever noticed that none of them claims to reduce your laugh lines? Very smart indeed. They must’ve had a team of cool copy writers working tirelessly behind the scenes. Most people don’t mind having a bit laugh lines I would say. They are like traces of happy times on the face. Why would we want to get rid of them? If their products were marketed in that direction, it’d seriously turn people off. From miracle cream to miserable cream, why would we want to use something like that?
Enough said, are you ready for the joke? Here it is:
A few years ago, an ex-colleague of mine complained to me about her new smart phone. It kept her up all night as it just couldn’t stop vibrating for no apparent reason. She’d already tried to change the settings herself several times but without success so she came to me for help. “Ted, can you please fix it for me?” She asked. I paused for a few seconds before my cheeky side started to take over. Hmmm… I held it eventually. I didn’t say a word till the next day: Are you sure it was your smart phone?
Funny or not, I hope you had a good laugh and embraced the subtle art of not giving a bark like my dog does. For now, my job is done. I’m moving on. Till next time… Keep on laughing!
Ted Tsai 