A case of mistaken identity

Yesterday, I was in a news agent in Singapore. I was buying a few envelopes and a newspaper. The total was quite small and involved two one dollar notes, among other denominations.



I took the money from my wallet, identifying them by their colours, from above and placed them before the shop assistant at the till.



He took up one of the notes, but, oddly, left the other two on the table before him. He looked up at me then, expectantly, saying nothing with his voice, but everything with his eyes. His message was clear: "This is not right."



After about 30 seconds of him staring at me, in silence and I becoming gradually aware of his gaze, I looked down at the notes to see why he had left them there.



Both were 50 RM notes, not 1 RM notes. I had nearly overpaid by 98 RM!



"Thank you for your honesty.", I said, thankful indeed, because he could easily have taken the money and I wouldn't have noticed.



Now, you may be thinking me foolish to make such a mistake with money, but perhaps I should explain how easily this can occur in Malaysia, to a newcomer. You see a 1 RM (Ringgit) note is blue in colour - so it may seem easy to pick it out, in a wallet. However, the problem is a 50 RM note is ALSO blue in colour. This is really confusing, since they look rather similar. There are ways to distinguish them, but these can easily be overlooked: the 1 RM note is somewhat smaller than the 50 RM note (though this is not obvious to someone new to the money) and, of course, 1 and 50 are written on the notes, though not in a manner which stands out, at all. Basically, without close examination, they can easily be confused and used, for each other.

It is just a little suggestion, by an outsider to Malaysia - but would it not be better if ALL Malaysia's banknotes were of different colours, designs and sizes? Or at the very least, they should be coloured differently. Were this so, my mistake of yesterday would be unlikely to occur. As it is, I have to wonder how many visitors to Malaysia are, unknowingly, being very generous with their tips!

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to:http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

We are the founders of Genghis Can, a copywriting, editing and proofreading agency, that handles all kinds of work, including technical and scientific material. If you need such services, or know someone who does, please go to: http://www.genghiscan.com/ Thanks.

IMDB is the Internet Movie Database for film and tv professionals. If you would like to look at my IMDb listing for which another fifteen credits are to be uploaded, (which will probably take several months before they are accepted) please go to: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3438598/ As I write, the listing is new and brief - however, by the time you read this it might have a dozen or a score of credits...so please do take a look. My son, Ainan Celeste Cawley, also has an IMDb listing. His is found at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3305973/ My wife, Syahidah Osman Cawley, has a listing as well. Hers is found at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm3463926/

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication prohibited. Use Only with Permission. Thank you.)

"Valentine Cawley", Stoned Tales, Stoned Poems.

Now, I have a doppelganger, it seems. There is, in this wide world, someone else ostensibly with the name, "Valentine Cawley". I find this somewhat irritating, I must confess, since this other someone is writing poems under the name Valentine Cawley.

I would like it made clear, here, that these poems are not mine. I didn't write them - and I don't know the one who did, though he bears my name.

The poems that I didn't write are to be found here: http://www.stonedtales.com/stoned-poems.html

Please don't think that they are mine.

I used to write poems, yes...when I was in my twenties. My own poems are very different from these ones. I prefer my own ones. They have more rhythm, they are smoother, the ideas are denser, yet fluid - at least, that is how I would describe them now. They each expressed something of myself.

Whatever you might think of the poems of this other "Valentine Cawley" - if that be his real name, I would like it known that they are not mine. This is important because otherwise confusion would be created as to my identity. Each poem embodies something of its author - and the fragments of personhood to be found in those poems, are not mine - they belong to someone else.

When I first read his poems, I thought they were very bad. He has since added another which seems rather better in some ways. It has a couple of interesting ideas. Now, that I look at them again, I can see some creativity in them - just a different sort to my own. I still prefer my poems, however. By comparison, I feel that his poems give a poor impression of my writing skills.

So, please realize that I have a doppelganger out there and if you come across something which doesn't fit the persona you believe me to have, that may be because it isn't by me, but by another of the same name (whether or not that name is really his, or not).

Incidentally, the site manager of Stoned Tales/Stoned Poems has been written to, twice, on the matter of whether or not Valentine Cawley, the "poet" is using his real name. No answer has been received, despite the fact that the first letter was sent about three months ago.

According to "Valentine Cawley"'s friend, he drinks a lot. I don't drink at all. So that is one way to decide which is which and who is who. Another is the fact that, according to his friend, this doppelganger smokes a lot - and I don't smoke at all. He also supposedly does a lot of drugs - which again, I don't do at all. So, no, I am not a heavy drinker, smoker and drug addict - I go near none of the three habits. So, again, don't confuse me, with him.

I am a different Valentine Cawley: a sober one, with three kids and a lot of responsibility. However, I do write books and have written poems. I also create in other ways. So, there is room for confusion, I suppose.

I hope the differences are now clear.

Thanks.

(If you would like to learn more of Ainan Celeste Cawley, a scientific child prodigy, aged eight years and seven months, or his gifted brothers, Fintan, five years exactly, and Tiarnan, twenty-eight months, please go to: http://scientific-child-prodigy.blogspot.com/2006/10/scientific-child-prodigy-guide.html I also write of gifted education, IQ, intelligence, the Irish, the Malays, Singapore, College, University, Chemistry, Science, genetics, left-handedness, precocity, child prodigy, child genius, baby genius, adult genius, savant, wunderkind, wonderkind, genio, гений ребенок prodigy, genie, μεγαλοφυία θαύμα παιδιών, bambino, kind.

We are the founders of Genghis Can, a copywriting, editing and proofreading agency, that handles all kinds of work, including technical and scientific material. If you need such services, or know someone who does, please go to: http://www.genghiscan.com/ Thanks.

This blog is copyright Valentine Cawley. Unauthorized duplication prohibited. Use Only with Permission. Thank you.)