It was Vesak day yesterday and the city central was hit with a little rain in the afternoon.

Having completed my yearly rounds, I was heading towards the city central when I remembered the World Book Fair 2007 that was running in Suntec Convention & Exhibition Center, Singapore.

I toured the exhibition and concluded that it was the usual exhibitions and nothing new and interesting again. Funny thing is, Suntec is jammed pack with people. Nothing unusual because it’s public holiday right?

Wrong!

These people looks very geek to me but I did not really pay much attention. Later, while I was leaving, I realized that the crowd is swamping in like crazy! It did not hit me that how come Singaporeans have turned so well learned…

I mean, are there so many book lovers out there like me? These books are mostly from Mainland China and Taiwan so I doubt many of these geek looking young people like them.

Furthermore, the completion of the “Food Republic” eating center has these people (including me of course) sandwiched between the walking lane. Movement is extremely slow, carefully dodging the hot soups people are carrying to their little “tables”. Food Republic has itself decorated with lots of “fake books” on the walls, trying to create a library-like theme among food.

That sorts of compliments that World Book Fair 2007 right? Hmm… and I thought it was nice…

Until I heard the broadcast and realized that it was 31st May 2007! Ah ha! No wonder the crowd is building up! It’s the first day for the PC Show 2007! Later, I learnt that there were over 150,000 visitors to the exhibition… and boy did I missed it completely because I thought the day was 30th May. ;-(

Anyway, I’m on holiday again today so I may be dropping by the PC Show early in the afternoon today (where it’s not crowded) after I have completed some important errands in the morning.

As I reflected over the significance of Vesak day, and the lust of people over cheap electronics goods on the same day, it makes me wonder if it is a good idea for the organization committee of the PC show to entice maybe Buddhist devotees to crave over cheap bargains before the Government start running an extra 2% taxes on all goods after July 2007. Impulse buying may be in fact bad in this case?

Did young Buddhists not remember the lessons on emptiness and the importance of detachment from craving? Maybe just for the minorities…