As November Draws to a close

2009, a magnificent year.

It's full of ups, downs, and everything in between.

As November draws to a close, its hard to comprehend that the end for this year is actually only a month away, and a new year will loom in place of the phenomena that is two thousand and nine.

This year had been an all important journey of self-discovery. Don't you agree?

It is true that as we leave our teens, we start to dabble in new and different things. We mature and we think a lot differently.

As the age of nineteen is slowly leaving me, I am more and more convinced of this fact coming to fruition.

For example, it will always be the 'way we say it', not the 'what we say'..

And then, there are people called friends, and there are people called beneficiaries...

Some more, there is never a 'right thing' in doing something. Only the most appropriate action at that particular point in time.

And then, unless we make some noise, what we do will always go forgotten and be taken for granted.

But then, real friends are the ones who will always tell you the things you don't want to hear.

And if it does not break your heart, it isn't love.

And if we want to speak to any one, speak to God, for God will always listen. 

These lessons in life are things that colour our life most because we don't stay stagnant at a particular place in time. It is these lessons that give us something to hold on to in life, because we know we can improve. And that, is what 2009 is all about. 

'Self discovery is a journey of the mind, body and soul. But it goes without saying that self discovery comes only to those who seek for it.'

"Be Natural"

 "..not only in your actions, but in your talk, your speech, your mannerisms."

"...be natural, meaning be yourself. When you play the piano, or when you play the violin, when you hear a beautiful piece of music, you try to conform it to your style of playing, based on your interpretation."

"..no two hands are the same. That is why no two people playing the same Beethoven will make it sound the same"

"....when we are natural we tend to have a certain kind of personality, that when people think about it, they immediately think of you".

"...you know you have personality when other people can immediately point you out when thinking about it. It's your own unique character."

"...every figurehead in this world has their own unique character. Every iconic band has their own identity that appeals to people. Every magician, politician, philosopher, architect, that people know have their own personality."

"..be natural."

Mr One Hundred

When the going gets tough and the tough gets going and theres things to tell and theres stories that need writing,

When life gets harder and problems get tougher

When there are stories that matter and experiences to be shared

When there are lies to be told and truth to be suppressed

When there are tricks to be played, and pranks to be pulled

When there are heroes to be sung for and liars to be discredited

When there are tears to be cried and laugter to be shared

When there is love to be spread and hate to be kept

Where there are still secrets in the world and sleights to be played

When nothing else matters,

Keep on Writing..

One hundred posts does not mean a thing. But one person who looks through this will make all the difference

Keep on writing....

"The Right Time"

There is a right time for everything. I have said this before and to serve this as an important reminder to myself, I will say it again.

There is a right time for everything:

I let my guard down and I lost my cool. I was to rushy, and I was persuing don't know what, at such incredible speed, that I start to not think anymore when I'm doing it. Fact is, everything has a right time, and never you forget that!. Forgetting this invaluable fact is a death blow to oneself, and any failure that results from this is a result of my own undoing. Its time to slow things down, and keep things comfortable, and then see what happens when we take our time in things. A lot of work is never enough, but the comfortable pace of work is another aspect altogether. Take it slow, slow and steady, and in the end there will be the Hikmah that comes with it.

Again, there is a right time for everything. Slow things down, and lets see what happens.

Overwhelming Distance

"Jauh di mata dekat di hati (far from our sight, close to our hearts)"

My life is starting to take its toll. I'm starting to feel bored of the same everyday routines and I long for my sweet escape far away in my home country, back in Malaysia, where the weather is more bearable than the scorching heat-laden days and nights at Adelaide.

But distance fails my journey.

Malaysia is just too far away, and getting there takes time, money, and energy. Sure, I will be able to afford all those some day, but for now, I just have to live with this overwhelming distance between me and my home country that I love so much.

When I think about it, distances are always present in our everyday lives.And consequently, distances can have whether a good or bad effect on our lives, depends on how we look at it.

I used to have a friend I know, who was in a long distance relationship. He was here and his girlfriend was in Malaysia. In the end things did not go well and they broke up.

But I also have other friends who are in the same situation like he was, but they turned out fine. Goes to show that if you are willing to work it out mutually, then the negative effects of distance can be minimised and all problems can be worked through.

Sometimes distance can bring good benefits to a relationship. It keeps people from getting bored, and like a person close to me once said, "every meeting was like a first date", ironically enough as they already had more that 50 first dates, and they are actually living on the same piece of land in the same continent and in the same country.

But looking at a bigger scope than just boyfriends and girlfriends, distance is also beneficial to ones' livestyle.

For instance, how many people who come and live overseas do not know how to cook? Eventually, however rich we are, eventually we will learn how to cook a meal or two on our own, because we really can't live on just Hungry Jacks for four years anyway. Living away from home brings that realisation that we have to carry ourselves on our own feet no matter how hard things get, because otherwise no one will want to care for us, so we have to do it ourselves.

Aside from that, living away from home also brings about trust and reliability from our parents to us. We live far away, and though we are not living under their noses all the time, they trust us that we wouldn't go against their trust by indulging in lewd and illicit activities. Although this does not apply to everyone living overseas, a right state f mind will always live by this trust that our parents bestowed upon us.

There goes an old saying, that absense make the heart grow fonder. This is especially true, because with absense, our hearts start to miss the person we love, and I don't think I need to emphasize more about that.

And a beautiful thing about distance is that while there is physical distance present, mentally and emotionally, distance might not matter as much. Anyone far away can be close to our hearts, only the physical distance promotes the challenges in meeting one another.

It's like God being close to our hearts even though we cannot see God, but we can feel God. We can feel God watching over us and blessing us with the everyday bounties of life. Who knows how far physically God is away from us, but we know for a fact in our lives that God is watching over us, all the time.

So as an endnote, I would like to finish with the following summary.

Distance is not as bad as we think it is. It depends on how we think about it, how we take it and how we handle it. It will be hard to handle physical distance, because we tend to appreciate most the physical presence of any person towards us, but remember the ironic saying that distance will finally bring us together. And with that I end this note.

"Never Undermine His Abilities"

Those who suppress their speech does not mean that they cannot speak

Those who do not show their strength does not mean they are weak

Those who are scared does not mean that they cannot be brave

Those that do little, does not mean that they cannot do more.

Never Undermine His Abilities, said the wise man to the tyro

For he is worth more than what he shows.

For he knows more than what he claims to know

For even if you have met him for a minute, someday his abilities will find you again, whether directly or otherwise

Never Undermine His Abilities, he is worth more than what he seems.

Looking for Hikmah.

Everything has a hikmah. Every bad thing, every good thing, etc. Everything that is good and bad, has a goodness attached to it.

things happen with reason, and God endown us with good and bad things with hikmah.

If we are always willing to learn from what happens to us, then we will always find hikmah.

Consequently, we can safely say, that not all bad things is what it seems. Not all bad things seem bad, only if we are able to see the good from it.

So therefore, we really must tr not to complain if bad things do happen to us. I know that facebook and blogging makes this point hard to execute. But if we really think about it, complaining about stuff kind of admits concedes to yourself that the bad thing that happened is really bad and there is nothing good about it. (confused yet?? =p)

So, whatever happens in life, always look for it. The hikmah. It won't come to you unless you look for it.

Thing i come up with part 2

1. When chaos becomes a desirable thing.

2. Human interaction is a practice of psychology, speech, and attitude.

3.In every person, effort marks the difference

4. If you want a friend who is perfect, you will never have a friend. (paraphrased)

5. It's only hard if you are not used to it.

6. It's like you are with me, but actually you are not. You were always travelling alone. You went away and returned suddenly. It's okay, as long as I don't lose you. (paraphrased)

7. never underestimate those who never speak

8. If love is the answer, could you please rephrase the question? (paraphrased)

9. It's not in the move, it's in the moment (paraphrased)

10. There is a fine line between passion and obsession. (paraphrased)

The Fear For The Future.

I am someone who is very close to my family, especially my parents.

And they will always tell me stories that I like to hear. They like to tell me things throughout their lives, and how now and then used to be different.

But hearing the stories of their generation, I sometimes get a cold chill thinking about how my generation is going to turn out, not to mention how the next generation is going to turn out, because every preceding generation governs the outcome of the next.

In simple terms, our parents determine what we become, and in turn, we determine what our children become, and etc. Same goes in the bigger scope I call a generation. It's like a cycle of life.

But in today's world, things are changing rapidly.

Today, children are being more and more outspoken day by day. Before this, parents govern the family and children have less say. Some people might see it as a dictatorship, which is true if children are not at all given the space to think themselves. But like I state countless times before, everything has a right timing to it, and it some instances parents need to be initial dictators to their children's life while they are still growing up, of course practicing liberalism at the same time for the children to be independent.

So children nowadays develop their own way of thinking earlier on in life, which is good. But what if their way of thinking is still too immature due to lack of experience, and can result in a decision that will be regretted later?

How many teenage pregnancies are present in this world today? How many underage drinkers and drug doers are present in the world today?

And in the future, what if there comes a point where the parents do not exercise control over their children anymore, and things will get out of control at some point where the older and wiser no longer determines what the younger does? Wouldn't it be chaotic for this situation we have right now to get out of control?

Hmmm, I fear for the future.

And more specifically, I fear for how future generations will regard the negative things today. A code in life that I hold is that everything starts small in the world, and then it amplifies and becomes something big in the end. (Note: Chaos Theory and Chain Rule).

For example, specifically for Muslims, drinking and drugs and sexual relations before marriage is a big big sin. But I do know that even people who are about my age who actually drink, do drugs, and have sex before marriage, although maybe not in the open.

But imagine that this situation is not remediated. In the future, they might actually have the balls to say that "hey, smoking is Haram as well, but we still do it. So why not go the whole way and do other bad stuff as well. It's just like smoking right?".

Also, online 'gambling' games are of concern as well. I learnt how to play poker when I was 9, of course without the money and the bets. I took it as a game of chance and luck, and not a means of making money, coz that is gambling. But today, the popularization of online casino games such as Draw Poker, Texas Hold Em and BlackJack really gives you the feeling of actually gambling in a casino, and although the 'money' that we win is virtual, we actually feel the joy of winning and the frustration of losing.

I started playing these online games when I was twenty, when I was already matured enough to think on my feet and set what is right and what is wrong. But what if in the future, people who are five years old start playing these games, and consequently they are used to the idea that playing these games in the outside world, even with money, is alright? They wouldn't know it is gambling right? They just know that it's a game. So consequently, even gambling will become an acceptable thing even in societies that once regarded them as a hugely sinful act.

Take all this and add the non control mode exercised by parents, the world can surely be chaotic.

So, in writing this long piece, what is the point I am trying to point out?

All I am saying is that ay preceding generation will determine how the next one is going to turn out. It is a cycle of life, where the child learns from the parents and will endown what they know to their children, and so forth.

Also, everything in this world starts small. What starts as a small bet, will eventually turn out to be a fully fledged gambling game, if they were not confined to what they should only be.

So, if you are reading this, please realise. Every generation is vital to the next. Think about it.

Poker Face

I just love it when I can read people's expressions.

I have to say that I'm not good at reading people's emotions though. Sometimes I am oblivious to even the most obvious of expressions that people show.

But an observation that needs to be made is this:

Some people are good at hiding their emotions, and some are better than others. I just can't get into their headspace and try to think like them.

Some people have magnificent poker faces, and you really think that they are okay when they tell you so, when in fact they are really not.

Like in poker, we will be able to read an expression through experience, and through years of trial and error. Experience is the best teacher, and reading people's emotions proficiently is a skill that does not come in a day.

Unlike before, now I am more sensitive (at least I try to) to other people's feelings. There are of course, some people who are oblivious and continue to do so, because they just don't care about what people think.

They gamble in the game. They don't play with skill.

And at times, I try to be a poker face my self. I am brought up in a way that I do not show how I feel at times. Everything has a moment, has a right timing to it. Therefore being outrightly 'out of place' with emotions can be deadly and even destructive to the game.

So when in life, play your cards right. Being a poker face is the best.

Two Hours Of Sleep.

Drowwsy....
My eyelids' feelin really drowwwsy.
I need some darkness fill my vision.
I need some sleep some juvenation..

Walking..
I'm walking fast i'm walking weakly..
I'm feeling weak I'm feeling empty.
I'm falling down I see a small glimpse of light,
And darkness fills my sight..

Two...hours of sleep
Two hours of snoozing
In the peaceful slumber
Forget what the world can offer

Two hours of sleep,
Is enough to make my day.

Energy.
My veins is filled with gritty energy
I feel the power lifting up my body.
My head is light and filled with glee.

Two...hours of sleep
Two hours of snoozing
In the peaceful slumber
Forget what the world can offer

Two hours of sleep,
Is enough to make my day.

Two hours of sleep...
It's the best you give to me.

91st post.

To commemorate the 90-post milestone of this blog, there is really nothing I can write that is any more serious or meaningful than the 90 posts prior to this one. So I'm just going to post mortem this whole thing...

The blog is extremely young. It is really unpretentious. It is my deepest thoughts and my deepest observations. My greatest angers and my deepest concerns.

What I write is important. Important for whoever who is writing this. This is a time capsule. One day I am going to look at this again and see the way I think before back in the day. This blog is not a diary. It is not necessarily personal. But it is a good reminder. It is a sticky note.

What I write is relevant. It is relevant in life, and afterwards. But it is also an opinion, and consequently opinions are not necessarily correct. But opinions are made based on deep thinking, and also by observing other cases and scenarios. But there are also opinions that are based on emotion, that is done at the spur of the moment.

But preserving these thoughts and ideas and observations, somehow, someday, they might come to use again. I have a belief that when we read again what we have written before, it gives a certain amount of satisfaction in that it was ourselves that came up with what we write. A simple line that we write ourselves is a lot more meaningful than what others write in books or what not.

My blog is also very secretive. I never disclose names, just situations, because only that is what matters. Maybe in years to come, I will forget who was in those situations that I described, but I will know what happened, and in the end that is what matters.

But on the most part, whatever my blog is like and however I write, I am dead proud of what I write. I am partly an artist, and I really like to see works of art form in my hands. I like to see things that I thought of in what I write, and that is a work of art in itself.

So as a 91st post, I'd like to say thank you. It's been an achievement. It's been a journey. But it won't stop yet.

Happy 90 posts! Lets see what can come up in my little head next..

Imperfections.

Imperfections are evident everywhere we look.

Imperfections are the non-ideal things that we see in everyday life. To put things in context, lets analyze perfections first.

Perfections are things that are flawless. Things that have no trace of wrong in them. Things that are, well, perfect, in any and every way. Simply put, perfections are things that are 'all right'.

So, imperfections are things that have flaws in them. Things that can go wrong.

To me, even the most carefully planned creation of man has imperfections in them. Even the most carefully built machine will eventually break down. Even the strongest man can be the weakest follower of God. Fact is, nothing is ever perfect. Nothing man made of course. And of course, man itself is not perfect.

For example, the smartest person I knew in school, does not really do well in human interactions. He studies all the time but he forgot to mix around with friends. Ends up he does not really have that much friends.

My dad is the most respectable person in my book. He is confident, clever and responsible. Except for one thing: He smokes. Now isn't that a bummer.

Furthermore, do not think ever, for a second, that people with good looks have everything. They might be good looking but are all of them religion-abiding people? Are all of them independant enough to live in this world? Do they have wits about them in order to make it in the world?

There are some people who are pretty, but they have really bad attitudes. They sulk and are really arrogant. On the other hand, their 'average' peers are a lot more humble, easygoing, and can be really good friends.

Do you think rich people have it all? Are rich people really happy living in life, knowing full well that at anytime of the day, their riches can turn into rags given the correct circumstances. I've seen reach people who drop out of school, who are still in uni not graduating. I've seen rich men holding their heads high and being really arrogant, and in return the sea of onlookers consisting of the average men despise them. Can rich people be good friends? Do they have friends who like them for who they are, and not for their money?

So we can see. Imperfections are evident everywhere we look. In every person we meet, they are never perfect. I think perfections and imperfections are perceived things, and are really subjective to the eyes of the beholder. A beautiful girl might seem so in the eyes of one man but not the other. A perfect partner in the eyes of a person might be in the characteristics and not necessarily the looks. And it can be the other way round as well.

Point is, no one is perfect, and no one ever is. We can strive to get close to being perfect. We call it self improvement. But in essence, nobody is perfect. If someone is perfect, you can be too, in one way or another.

No one is perfect. Nothing is perfect.

Smiling: What are the effects?

Recently a study has been done on the effects of smiling. Study is not rigorous and not scientific as done by scientists or psychologists. Instead, the study is done purely by observation and experience.

1. Increased happy hormones to the brain.

2. Increased optimism.

3. Increase in confidence, bravery, (and sometimes, stupidity =D )

4. A 'radiating' expression on the face.

5. Pleasant thoughts and positive minds.

6. Reduction in stress.

7. Good sense of humour

8. Loose face (muka tak ketat)

9. Healthy ideas

10. and last but not least, a positive aura and a positive effective presence.

So, what are you waiting for? smile mate. hahah.

Perfect Storms.

It's really fun to be in a storm. It's were you learn things. It's where challenges come to your doorstep. It's painful, wearying and tiring. But it's the way we learn things.

In relation to Murphy's law, isn't it funny that once in a while, all the wrong things will go wrong, all at the same time. And I mean ALL things go wrong. Nothing works out. Nothing goes right. And all at the same time. One problem comes after another..

Interesting? Why do I say interesting?

Interesting coz it's fun to see how people get their way out of situations. I lie to see solutions, but there will never be any solutions without any problems to start with.

As a person i really respect said once.. Bad choices lead to good experiences, and in the end good experiences lead to good choices. In the end all experiences be it good or bad, will be good in the long run. We just have to welcome the Perfect Storms around us.

Sang Kancil memasak Tom yum

Little does everyone know that Sang Kancil's favourite dish is the Tom Yum. Kancil really likes the succulent chicken, cooked in tom yum soup, with the blistering hotness enough to tenderise the tastebuds of many. But there is one problem though.

Sang Kancil likes to eat Tom Yum. But he does not really know how to cook tom yum. In Malaysia he used to hang out at a place called Gerai Pak Chiken Thai. Here they serve the best tom yum ever. He can stay at this place for a long long time and just eat tom yum all night long. Sang Kancil loves hot food. The hotter the food, the sweatier his forehead, the better he feels.

But now, Sang Kancil is in Australia. He boarded the Kancil Airlines to Adelaide to study Kancil Social Studies for four years. After a year without going home, he starts to reminisce his good times hanging out at Pak Chiken Thai eating Tom yum with friends until their throats can no longer give way.

But today, everything will change. Today he will, for the first time, attempt to cook tom yum. Kancil Style....

First, the ingredients. Sang Kancil went to Kancil town in Adelaide to the Central Market to get the best ingredients for his long awaited soup.

What did he get of the rack?

"Tom yum paste [check]. Onions [check]. hmm.. nope. no daun sup. nope nope. no lemongrass. Yep yep. Chillies. Chillies are good. OMG who sells instant kancil!!??? nope nope definitely not. i hope we're not related". =D

And he trotted home using his little car also called the Kancil. (Thats the reason he bought it).

And he was ready to cook.!!

Nervous. Nervous. This is the first time he cooks. Damn. What if its not as good as pak chicken's tom yum? What if its not good at all? Would his friends laugh at him? Would his parents look away in disgrace? Would pak chicken laugh out loud and say he is a useless chap even after all the long hours eating tom yum and watching football at the stall?

"No...I will not give up. I must cook!!"

Sang Kancil looked around. Left. Right. Yup. Today is the day. Today is the day I cook tom yum.

Would he succeed? Would he finally endure to cook the best tom yum he had been aspiring since he as a freshie in uni? Would he finally get the succulent taste of chicken on his lips again, with the tenderising blast of chillies hitting his taste buds??

Hmm..I guess, we will never know.........

Murphy's Law.

Definition: "Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong."

My understanding: " Things will go wrong at the worst possible time".

Common understanding: " Anything can go wrong".

Murphy's Law. It's the bane of life. But it is also the reason why life happens. Life would not happen if there are no problems  There would never be a bother for solutions if there were no problems to begin with. There would never be experience if there were no solutions. And we would never learn if there were never experiences.

Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. It's true. At some point in life, given the kind of people we are, even the greatest marriage can suffer the deepest problems. (I emphasize marriage because it is most of the time a turning point in ones life, where one gets to a better life with someone else). Even the best company will suffer a recession. Even the best of friends will have quarrels. Even the best of countries will face a downturn.

Why oh why must everything go wrong?

Simple answer. There is something wrong with ourselves. The way we talk, walk, act. There will always be something wrong with the deepest of cores, which is our very own character. When the smallest of things has a defect, it can affect the things that come after it, or rather, that come because of it. Hence, the chain rule and the Chaos Theory. A small change in one will cause a bigger change in another.

Everything will go wrong at the worst possible times. Simple. Humans are impatient. They tend to rush when not supposed to. They tend to slow down when the otherwise is best. Simply put, everything goes wrong and adding that to the bad timing of humans, everything goes wrong at the worst possible times. The 'Perfect Storm' as a friend of mine called it.

Anything and everything will go wrong. This is absolutely true. And bearing this in mind at all times does not change the fact that everything still can go wrong. But Murphy forgot one thing in his law. Everything can go wrong, but every wrong can be righted. Every stone stumbled upon can be turned into a stepping stone. We just need the right kind of shoe to step on it. And with that, I welcome you, O Murphy's Law...

Things I come up with...

Sometimes When I chat or call or say something, there are some things that come from me that I think are pretty cool, but I am always too daft to remember them. Therefore, it is my pleasure to write them here in order for me to remember always what I've said. The meanings, and significance, is solely up to interpretation.

1. Running away from Reality.

2. Victim of extreme Victimisation.

3. Impressions: The way we act, talk, write and walk.

4. The study of artifice and subterfuge, does not bging delight in the deception of people itself, but brings delight in the conscious ability of oneself to do so.

5. Talent is a tool.

6. Everyone hides behind a smile.

7. Equations are just instruments to make decisions.

8. Nobody really ever moves on. That's just life.

9. Be unfair because the world is not ideal? Or be fair because we want an ideal world?

....and there will be more. I'll keep on updating this thing... =)

What's your blog called?

I always think that if you want to see what a person is like, see their work...It reflects who they are. But if i'm really really lazy, I like to just scan through a few lines ~ Their blog titles. (Okay I admit I'm not the most hardworking guy in the world =D)

Dreams ~ "a reason to hang on." (Yep. Dreams are a reason to hang on. No dreams, no aspirations, no aims, no reason to do anything..)

Through the looking glass ~ "dreams are today's answers to tomorrow's problems". (Hmmm.. I take it that it means dreams and experiences are today's answers to tomorrow's problems. We learn from experiences right..)

Words ~ "Are all that I have" (Hmmm....in blogs there are words, and words are all there is to tel something to the world..)

Like a Dog Chasing Cars ~  ( According to the author it is based on the song chasing cars by Snow Patrol. I don't really understand the song so I can't say what the phrase means.. I do know it's from a movie called the Dark Knight though haha)

Mayo Clinic ~ "sometimes all you need is a DifferenT perspective" (I really like this one. Very simple. But very eye catching. It might not seem so here, but open the blog and you'll see why I like this one. )

The Real World ~ (Generic Title. But this blog is exactly like what it is named.. It tells about the author and his world)

Beyond Scribble ~ "When it starts, it never stops flowing" (This is cool as well. I guess the title came about because scribbling the the most random form of written 'art', put loosely. So something beyond scribble is something so random, that it is impossible even to call it a scribble, but it is desirable nonetheless)

B.L.O.G. ~ "Aku Ingin Bermimpi". (This is really simple. I like this author. She has a lot of ideas, and her writing is very uplifting is a sense that she never really talks about serious stuff. A good escape from the usual)

La-Tahzan. ~ "Janganlah kau bersedih" (Arguably one of the most informative blogs I come to know. Not flooded with too many posts but each one has its own morals and values)

Just let me ramble away ~ "Because it makes me happy, so let it be?" (Arguably my favourite blog to read. Very all rounded. It's a lot of things compressed in one. )

Dustbin ~ "Throwing Ideas" (This is another one of my favourites. Clever ideas. Good presentation, And unmatched sense of humor. The title itself is extremely eyecatching, and astonishingly so with only three words)

My Say ~ (This blog is really really opinionated. I like it. Very simple with a minimalist approach to things but every sentence has a sting to it. )

So you can see. When I'm really really lazy. This is the only extent to what I read. Hey it's better than nothing right?? Haha =D

The Ironic Life.

My father always tells me that God is always fair, and water will always find its level. It means that whatever deeds we do, it will always get balanced because of the one simple fact that God is the fairest of all.

But the irony of it all, is that life gets ironic and takes a twist when we least expect it to. I mean when we really really have no expectations whatsoever of life and suddenly something happens that is so ironic, that you just think "God. That's really something".

Who knew that the tyke living comfortable far away and thus causing loads of trouble for other people suddenly comes back to the people he suddenly calls 'friends' and finally acknowledges them as friends in order to seek help?

who knew that at this very moment, the problem he once created comes back to haunt him and finally, if ever, he finally learns that life is hard enough without a roof on the head?

Who knew that the whole identity of a man can change in a moment's snap just because they need something of benefit to them. One can ask appropriately that if the benefit were to decease somehow, would they still act the way they do when the were seeking out your help?

Who knew that suddenly, a years silence meant nothing as compared to the sudden good guy image now showing, in theatres and movies..

Well, who knows? Some might never learn...

this is a continuation of this story : Good things come..

Forcing the Issue.

This is a sticky note for yours truly. 

When things are really really out of our capacity and we cannot really do anything about it, please Mr Secreteer, please don't force the issue. 

When people go out of their way, do things you don't like, Mr Secreteer, please don't force the issue. 

When you are not in your right mind, and will say things that hurt, please Mr Secreteer, please don't force the issue. 

When you feel on top of the world, but everyone's being down, please don't force the issue. 

Don't force the issue when someone else is looking the other way. 

Don't force the issue when someone eyes another day. 

Don't force the issue when some things are your fault and you don't wish it to be that way. 

Don't force the issue when something is out of your grasp and you really have no choice but to let it go. 

When you feel empty inside and you regret the things you do or you dont do, don't force the issue. 

When you feel jealous and hope for something better but it's too late, don't force the issue. 

When you know you should've waited but you did not, don't force the issue. 

When things turn out not the way you want it to be, and you hope for something else, don't force the issue. 

If you think saying things will settle situations but actually it makes things worse, don't force the issue. 

When there are things you can't bear to handle, you can't bear to hear, you can't bear to see, yours truly, don't force the issue. 

Challenging Ourselves.

No one really feels satisfied when not responding to a challenge.

When someone challenges another to do something, there is a good chance of that person actually taking the challenge. That person is under pressure, and conceding to that challenge means admitting defeat. True, this means competitiveness, but in some ways, competitiveness is a good tool to move on. 

So what is all the hullabaloo of challenging ourselves?

Good question. There are some instances where life will seem stagnant and boring. Doing the same thing all over again doesnt give any thrill anymore. 

So in the end, we will need something new to do. And in some instances, we would need something totally different from what we are used to. 

So in doing that, we are challenging ourselves to do something that we havent done before, or something that we are not used to. 

If we challenge ourselves, we feel disatisfied if we dont take up the challenge. So theoretically, we will try our hardest to do so. 

And I think people succeed doing what they do in challenging themselves. Without it, nothing new would be invented. No new heights would be reached. And boredom would become the next top hobby on the planet. 

In challenging ourselves, we can suddenly realise our potential, and realise that we can do something if we try. 

Led Zeppelin and Jimmy Page did not just invented music and hard rock if they had just keep to playing jazz and blues in the studio. 

Card artistry would not have reached the status at which it is today. 

Business and successful figureheads make what they do look easy on the outside when on the inside, the daily underlying routine of their work is to challenge themselves to create something better. 

A prime minister, not challenging himself well to do his job, would not be able to lead a nation, let alone lead his nation in the midst of other countries in the world. 

So challenging ourselves can be an important tool to move forward from the same old spot. It provides a basis of trying something new. Mind you its not and never will be easy, but the work involved is well worth it. Mind you, we cant really challenge ourselves to the point of stupidity either. If its crystal clear that what we do it pointless, then we dont do it. But in the way if we fail, at least we will know our strengths and weaknesses. 

At least, that's how it is in the ideal world.

The Man Behind The Mask

Who are we actually? Where do we come from? Do we realise who we actually are?

Without us knowing it, most of us put on a mask to shadow ourselves from the truth. Truth? Maybe our true self. 

As necessary as that is, it must be remembered that we have to realise who we really are. Who we really are behind the masks. 

Sure, we can't be truthful all of the time. Sometimes we have to 'lie' and not show our true selves in some situations, but we must always realise who we really are in this world. 

Some people are noisy, some are reserved, some are manipulative, and some are honest and straight. Thing is, this world does not run because of these various characteristics, but rather because of how these characters react to each other. 

But we must always realise, at the end of the day, who we really are. We are all humans. Removing all status and pedestals, in the end we all have our dignities, stances, and opinions. 
We are entitled to have them, and to know why we choose a certain opinion over others, we have to realise who we are. 


"We can always run away from the shadow that is cast over us. But the thing we have to realise is that the shadow will always come back for us in the end, because that shadow is ourselves. "

      

"You Will Eventually Find It. "

We all live in this world long enough, and eventually we will look for things. 

Some things are out of our reach. Others, seem desirable but not what we really want. Some things, we don't want early on but in the end we find out it is the best thing we can ever have. 

Whatever it is, I believe in a little adage that is as old as time, but today it still makes sense as it did before.

I believe that when we look for something, when we try, and our desire to find it really overwhelms every other aspect about it, then eventually, we will find it. 

As cliche as it may seem, it is true. There is never a result without effort. And there is never effort when there is no desire. 

Thus if we look for it, when we really look for something, eventually we will find it. 

God says that we have to search for God's love. We have to want it, and work for it. Eventually, like people that have passed us by had done, eventually we will find God's love. 

Similarly to our life on a worldly basis. If we look for something long enough, eventually we will find it. 

But, bear in mind that we have to know what we are looking for, or we will be going for a wild goose chase. Sometimes people do not find what they are looking for because in reality, they do not know what they are looking for. This might seem really2 dumb, but most people today are not so easily decisive as to make sure they know what they are looking for. 

But the old adage still stands. 

"If we look for it, if we try hard enough, eventually, we will find it. "       

Sekian,   

Emotion Vulnerable.

Actually I have a flurry of things that I want to write but I cannot really pinpoint a good heading for it. So I'm just putting up a title that first comes to mind.

So, where we at. Raya raya....

Raya to me, as a celebration like no other. It is religious. It is uplifting. It has a reason. It is a victory (supposedly so) of controlling our lust that we withhold for thirty days prior. It is a celebration that we have become a better person, closer to God and closer to our friends. 

Raya in Malaysia is fun too. People wear new clothes. We go for Eid Prayers in the morning. Come back and ask for forgiveness from our parents. It's fun. Being the not-so-emo-guy I am, my way of asking for forgiveness was simple, brief, and without tears. But trust me Ive seen more 'emotion vulnerable' people  who break down n cry at that moment. 

Raya was never a sentiment for me to tell you the truth. I've never really minded where I had Raya, nor whether or not we do things during Raya. For me I'm just glad that I was able to see and seize the day. But I also enjoy seeing friends and spending time with family, although there had never been any too high a regard in me about raya. 

Now the 2009 Raya is approaching in two days. Last year's raya, I was here in Adelaide so this year I am staying for my second consequtive year for Raya. Homesick? Yeah a bit. But I did not let that get to me. But this year's raya was interesting. Because everyone;s going home. 

See this year's raya happens to be in line with the two week mid semester break. So it is the greatest opportunity for people to back to Malaysia for Raya. Interesting. From early decisions to last minute (literally, one day) tickets. From missed flights to wrong bookings. From happy to sad, content to not. Everyone is going back for Raya. hope they have fun and remember me when they are busy eating lemang and we are having raya here with our own home made rendangs. 

Adelaide's definitely going to be an empty shell without these people who are my family. I'll miss them dearly. But also, there are things to be done here as well. 

MASCA open house is coming up. That will definitely be something to look forward to. Open houses around Adelaide will be pretty scarce this year, but nevertheless there will be open houses. Again, Raya is not a sentiment. And eventhough it's far from raya in Malaysia, it's still raya and its the people that counts. 

I'll definitely make it a point to call my family during raya morning. It will be good to hear their voices. 

Now, emotion vulnerability. 

Some people are really prone to emotions. They make decisions that are based on emotions. But it does not really happen to only individuals. Even nations make emotional decisions that result in emotional lashbacks and more regrets later on. But it happens. 

But bottom line is that if that is the decision that they make, we respect them for it. It works for them while it might not work for us. We might not like it, but that does not give us the right to stop them from doing it. We don't like it, we don't do it. 

I don't like it because it is hard to cope with. It is hard to cope with emotional stress. Although I have been more emotional than I had ever been in this lifetime, truth is emotional actions are hard. I hate to cry, I hate to feel sad. It keeps me burried from the light, but also it gives some spice to life. Hate to say, sometimes we even need it. So don't wish for it to go away.    

Back to Raya. I hope everyone back home does not miss me too much. I'm the only son, so I highly doubt that haha. 

hoping for Raya with a blast this holiday. Let roll..

The World is Temporary.

It's a known fact in life that one day, everything will die. Plants die. Animals die. And yes, human dies as well. 

Which goes to show that actually life is nothing more but a cycle of events that happen until the time when we reach a Full Stop. That is where life ends. 

Goes to show that life is outrightly temporary, and it is never meant to be forever. 

Islamic teacings preach that life, dunia, is a place where we collect good deeds so that we can go to Heaven in the afterlife. After the Day of Judgement. 


Goes to show that life is short, compared to the 'other side', where all our deeds are counted for on the scales of justice and then do we know where do we stand in terms of our deeds. 


When we crossover, we are in a state that goes on forever. We live either in Heaven or Hell, for all eternity. (And I'm going to stop here about this particular topic, because of my still shallow knowledge of the topic)


Point is, say or do whatever, life is short, and the world is temporary. At any time without warning, God can take back our lives from us. We don't even have to be sick or ill. We can die in our sleep, or choke on our vomits. We can be absolutely energetic today and die tommorow. It is dead possible. 


My uncle's brother was like that. A man in his 40s, he was still fit as a fiddle. He was not ill. He was not sick. The eve before he passed away, he ate his supper like it was his last. But there were never signs of him going to pass away. Nobody knew, until the next morning, where he died in his sleep. 


Recently the father of my friend passed away. He choked on him phleghm if Im not mistaken. 


A few years back a friend of mine died in a car accident, as you might or might not have known. He was the passenger. The driver was safe, Thank God. But my friend passed on, and he was only 18 at the time. 


Last year the father of my friend died as well. My friend was only 20 years old at the time and she was the eldest daughter I think. 


And if i were to mention all the deaths I encountered in my young age of 20, I think i would take all day. 


Fact is, that is just what life is. Life is short. The world is temporary. There are people who die when they were babies. My father should have had four more elders, but all did not make it. 


There are people who die when they are in the middle ages. 


And there are people who die when they are old. 


So, moral of the story?


Life goes on without warning. God gave us life, and God can take back life from us. 


So in this temporary life, it is natural to think about death everyday. Remind ourselves how it would be like. And this goes out to me as well. 

"A friend of mine said, death smiles at us all. All we can do is smile back."

Mr Secreteer, lest you forget.

What The Hell are you talking about?

What the hell are you talking about?

Well, some observations in this world suggests that some people don't really know what they are talking about really. 

Like, some people are Engineers but they don't really know their stuff. They talk like they do, but actually they don't. 

Same goes for other people as well. They talk like they know a lot of things. But actually they don't. 

And I don't exclude myself from these people. Sometimes it happens to me as well. =(

I guess it's good to make it a reminder to know what we are actually talking about. At least a bit. 

And if you don't know, ask. It doesn't hurt.

The world of dicks and nics.

There are two large classifications of people in this world. 

The Dicks and the Nices. 

The dicks are well, dicks. They are the bad guys. 

The nics, are nice. They are the nice guys. The good guys. 

The ideal world consist of six billion nices, as opposed to six billion dicks. 

But given the way the world is run until today, the proportion seems to get unbalanced somehow. 

Seems like the Dicks are finally outgrowing the Nics. 

Why?

Well, evil presidents are Dicks. They have a lot of inside jobs. They go for war. They conspire things. 

Political parties that contend for the sake of political glory rather than the benefits of the people are dicks. They live for glory, but they lack the important substance of a man. 

The sex industry is sprouting like mushrooms after the rain it seems. Every country has a brothel. Pubs, strip joints, and brothels are getting increasingly popular across the globe. Women are actually willing to work in this industry. 

The drinking of the devil's piss, or alcohol, is getting increasingly popular these days. Friday nights are used for drinking the whole night long and the following Saturday is hangover day. 

So, where are the nices? What happened to them? 

Either they are joining the Dicks, or they are simply diminishing such that what they do is no longer significant in this world. 

Given the circumstances, what choice do they have? 

The dicks, being the dicks that they are, have a certain appeal to them. The control businesses., and in turn sontrol the trust of the general population. When they do, the nics are left far behind. So how are these nice guys going to live? 

The dicks are clever. They push people in a corner and become sharks to bully people into becoming one of them. 

That is why their power and influence is so great in this world. Increasing numbers and appeal.

So in the end the question remains. If these two herds cannot live together, who will emerge as the better side? 

That, is the dillema in this world of Dicks and Nics

Talent is a Tool.

"Talent is a tool and trouble is a friend"

Talent is something special. It is our own ability. Our skill, that either come naturally or something that is trained. We polish it, perfect it, and use it, hopefully for our benefit. 

Talent is a tool. It is utilized for the best benefits imaginable. Take a good musical instinct and use that talent to construct symphonies and orchestras. Take good public relations and use it to know as many people as possible. 

But talent is two-pronged. It can go in the other direction as well. It can be to strip people of benefits. Take an excellent cardsharp at the card table who shows promising skill with sleight of hand, and this man can be the cheat during what seems to be a clean poker game. This man can be the sole ripper of benefits, namely money in this sense, and send other 'suckers' in the game to the cleaners. 


But not straying from the point, everyone has talent. And everyone can harness it, use it for whatever they need. 


But behind every talent, trouble can await. 


Talent is a tool, and trouble is a friend. And in certain instances, talent do not go well with trouble, but trouble always awaits. 


For every man who has promising talent, is open to exploitation of some sort. Where there is exploitation, where he utilizes his talent not in his own will, there will be trouble. 


Take for example the sleight of hand artist who does things purely for the love of sleight of hand. Trouble awaits at the card table if say someone employs him to be the dealer to deal him the winning hands. In short, people are using him to get the money. 


Take for example a promising new product by a university student full of vision. It can be arranged such that the product he comes up with will not be his own. It will be 'made' into someone else's idea. It will ripped off from him. 


Take individual talent of intellect, who come from one country to another to study but in the end does not go back to serve. This is because the other country is keeping intellectual talent from the parent. Malaysia is one good example, where intellectual talent does not go back to Malaysia one way or the other. 


University students who do their final year projects (This for engineering students) have to sign an agreement form, in which they declare that all findings will eventually be properties of the university, and not themselves. This is also another version of taking talent from claiming their name. 


And the list can go on and on. Point is, talent keeps on sprouting from time to time. But in the end trouble always awaits at the door to utilize the tool for something else. Something that it was not designed for. But in the end it gets done due to the mystical appeal and finesse of 'trouble'. 


Think about it. Does it matter to keep talent where it should be?