Online or offline buddies?

When I was in states, I missed-out some events that happened kat tanah tumpah ayaq. Tapi dengan adanya internet, (ok, facebook ler tuhh), macam sentiasa akan dapat update di samping YahooMsg, Skype, Blogs dan email. Just 3years back, not many of my friends and I used/had Facebook. But of course those were the days when Friendster ruled, and even that, Friendster trend came only at the end of my undergraduate final year .

Before that, campus life was free from social networking sites (well... almost. The trend was beginning back then with forum sites and forum groups, but wasnt a major hype). Anyway...Those were the days. It seemed nice and simpler come to think of it now. I'm glad that I have experienced campus life without too much of this internet-based chaotic world.

But can u imagine if right now, we dont have all these social networking services? (lets not imagine time before internet, it just seemed too long ago, unlikely and prehistoric :P). Imagine we have internet but without social networking (SN).

If until now, lets say we have internet and smartphones that connects to internet, but online social networking were unheard of, how would it be? Haha... Hey, of course lah we would be just fine, we will survive just fine, ye dok :))  Btw, even at present, not everyone is connected to internet frequently, and not everyone registered to SN kan....


Speaking in general, for regular users of SN... how would it be like without SN?
On postive note,

• Don't have to think of having to update our activities (status), or not thinking of what our frens (or even anon/strangers) have to say about our life described OnLy in words n pictures.
• Not as much judgements... or get affected by judgments when dat happen
• More privacy in life, which, is very important....not having this medium, u wont be tempted to showcase every single thing you do, or some information that was supposed to be private. Temptation is evil... they seduce you :)) Haha
• Your phones wont be buzzing all the time with updates (for mobile SN users)
• Spend more time with real people in front of you rather than eyes locked to the laptop/phone screeen... (Or: keep on tweeeeting / checking phone for updates when u are suppose to spend quality time with someone who is right in front of you. This scenario can vary from a date, lepak-lepak or even family bonding time)
• We won't be so nosy or kaypoh-chi as well... of other people's life. HAHAHA.

But then...

• most likely... you wont keep in touch with your friends as much. Once you finish school/college, you will move on.... and keeping in touch would be hard n tedious.
• When u are far from home (outstation/overseas), you depend on direct communicati like phone, email, online chat/call (but with SN, i.e. I can log in to facebook and get many updates from many people at one go)
• How to share pictures taken especially with those who are in those pictures with u? email em? pheww...such a hassle.
• where to channel ur narciscism...(bila time tgh syok sendiri) and sudden excitement? Not sure if this is 'healthy' though, hahaha... but ouh well... :P
• When u have things/ events to share, whether initiating it or found one that your friends would be happy to join.... should I call them one by one? ok.. maybe I can use email... but still..

(bab-bab list nie, mesti ada byk lagi... just throwing in some)

I do miss the times when I had 'less-online' life. At the same time,being online is just as important for me.

Recently, I did try to deactivate my facebook.... and that lasted for 21days! Wow.... it was so liberating. I almost didnt want to activate back my facebook.

But, one of the strongest reason to go back was: the contacts. Some of them, I only have fb as the bridge to connect us. That shows how I rely on such services too much. What would happen if one day, Facebook (since its the most widely used SN) goes haywire, and decided to go down? Haha like wat Friendster did... tiba-tiba jadi gamesite, and all data was wiped-out, even their blogsites. 

Do you have a backup contact of your friends that you interact with, through FB? I do have some friends who I interact with frequently in facebook, but I dont have their handphone numbers, or email address... especially those who are not geographically near. (so, ok I have to make effort to have some other options). I dont really have online friends who I don't know in real life... so somehow I can find them eventually... as long as I know at least one or few of the mutual friends' contacts. But I did have a few online friends back then... from early blogging years and then added to friendster. So when friendster decided to "evolve", some friendships end up dead... (just like how dinosaurs died with evolution :P)

Kesimpulannya... no matter how fun and trendy SN is.... its so unpredictable, who knows if this december 2012, facebook decides to commit suicide? jeng jeng

Kesimpulannya lagi... dont rely on it too much. Make sure we have backup or other ways to contact a friend, if that friend matters to you :-) If u have time and opportunities, make time to meet friends offline too :D and most importantly dont get stuck with being more online while doing so :P

sekian :D

in the midst of insignificance...

Just one of those insignificant events - I parked my car, went to settle some matters/work, came out, approached by the parking attendant, he charged me, I paid, he issued me a receipt, and I was out of there.

But that day was quite different.... I was greeted by this much older man... Very old, his frame looked fragile. Very old you would imagine he would prefer to sit at home and relax in this golden years of his. Instead, he was all energetic and lively and seemed to enjoy his job. When he first approached me, I didnt know he was the parking attendant. He had the "friendly-neighbour" aura...

"Helllo Miss... going back already?" in a happy, joyful tone.

I was like "ermmm......" didnt know how to respon, huhu... a bit weird for someone u didnt know to be that friendly out of nowhere...ritee? to top that, I can't see his face clearly at that time.

"Going back? Do you have your car here, miss?" and as he asked and came nearer, I saw him taking out the parking ticket book from his small sling bag. Oooo.... parking ticket rupanya...

"Ooo just here... haa there..." pointing towards my car, 4-5 metres away. He followed me and took the yellow ticket and gave out a small laugh, "Haha, not very long...Hmmm, ok. that'll be only 30cents, miss"

uncle ni.... friendly and speaks english in a very polite manner..I handed him the coins and said thank you.

"Wait a minute ya, miss.. I will write you the receipt" wrote and gave it to me "Okeyyy, done...here is your receipt... Have a nice day, miss..."

"Same to you, thank you....thank you yaa" went into my car and lifted my hand as a gesture of appreciation and he waved back at me and then to the next car behind me, stopping the fella's car, to issue the ticket.... all with smiles and the consistent "friendly, happy" face :D

That uncle, he reminds me of the good old days... 15-20 years back, when people are friendlier... Well that uncle actually brings me back a lil more to the past, through colonial times, clearly shown from the way he speaks english which is different from our generation these days :P But above all, worthy of note.... is how his positive attitude made me smile that day :-)

From this so called insignificant event, I learn that if you are happy with what you are doing, or stay positive, you project positive energy to only to yourself but also people around you. Memang betul lah bak kata pepatah,

1. Senyum itu Sedekah
2. A smile is a curve that sets everything straight ~ Phyllis Diller

  

terkuhik-kuhik ku ketawa pabila demam sebab....

sebab....

Laughter is the best medicine
~ it heals souls
~ it brings joy
~ chases away sorrows

how to laugh... or how to make people laugh?

=

u joke... u do funny things... u talk funny talks...

When there's a clown among us (among us friends)... someone lighthearted to cheer us up, color the atmosphere with hilarity.... we laugh our hearts out... don't care how these humors are effortlessly made... they are funny... we laugh... and laugh...

We watch sitcoms... waahhaa.. so funny pecah perut... we laugh...

We watch comedians perform... kahkahkah funnyyy gilos... wahaaha... again we laugh....
We watch them again... then suddenly euwww.. wat's that? that's not funny... hey.. he's not funny at all.. quit ur job, clown! we say

Behind all the hoo hoo haa haas... all the so called joy it brings... jokes can turn rotten bad in just a slip of a tongue. Sarcasm is another form of humor. Some people can take it, some people can't.

Hmmm... talk about jokes and humor... Am I funny? or maybe sarcastic? am i :O

Hehe… I don’t think I’m the type yang bagi orang gelak sampai berguling-guling atas ayaq mata tahan ketawa punya funny and also, I’m not good with playing around with words and turn em to razor-sharp sarcasm. Well.. I think la :P

Some people are funny… and very natural at that. Good comedians, good jokers can make people laugh really hard, whether it's 'intelligent jokes' or the 'silly jokes'... they just crack em out.

Some make up stories that are funny, some make fun of themselves... some make fun of entities like an organisation, and some make fun of people... and some opt for sarcasm. Those who are good in manupulating it, even though every word that is used to deliver the humor is wrapped with pure sarcasm, they still sound funny. They make you laugh, of course, unless you are the subject of the joke or sarcasm or somehow connected with the subject matter.

Being a comedian or the 'class clown' is not easy. If you are Not good at it… Never try hard to be one, coz you may end up causing more hatred than humor. Some people are so good at it, even those who are victimized as the joke material don’t realize it… or they don’t take it too hard and accept it as just for laughs. It’s a matter of how they are delivered, kan... and also depends on how well someone handles a joke.

How funny can we get/be?

I don’t think I would dare to do it in public, pulling out joke thingy. Among friends, ok lah kan… comfort zone what. Usually it just flows in, depending on the circle of friends we are with. When we sooo clique n kamcheng gitu, humor just invites itself, especially with close buddies who wouldn’t mind being laughed at and with whom you wouldn’t mind to be the center of a joke. Sakat menyakat la kiranya. Hehe.. but kan… kadang-kadang tu, you cannot reuse the same joke to different circle of friends. They may sound funny to some group but not to others. See, Joke and Humor’s kinda unpredictable.


Is it possible to be funny without making fun of someone? Of course there’s issues, there’s rules, there’s theories or concepts etc that you can joke about. But you wouldn’t know, some people may be worshipper of a certain concepts that you are ridiculing and they might get offended. In a smaller circle, we are usually more aware of people around us therefore we have control over what may be right to be laughed about and what not to. But bigger crowd? Can We pull it? As for me, I don’t think I can. Takut end up tergelak sorang-sorang plak, huhu, SS-ness plak.

Comedians are brave people, seriously… they have guts. Shows like ‘last comedy act’ or the local version ‘raja lawak’, some really have that joker talent in them. But when it’s not funny… I’d wonder ‘how do they feel about it eh, when people do not response according to their expectations’. Must be nerve-wracking kan. Daunting job it is.

Last year, ada one local comedian (muka baru) performed in campus, I was kinda annoyed, irritated and geram. He was not funny and most of his jokes were criticizing people in a very senseless way, and people actually laughed. Huhu… So I can be kedekut ketawa sometimes…

But, in general, I gotta say I respect their confidence and guts. But what I can’t tolerate: mocking sensitive issues, awfully mimicking some illness (esp mental illnes) or bad/misled representation of people from certain group or level.

In certain cases, in a big crowd... or among your friends… you make fun of yourself so that people around you get to have some taste of laughter. If you are excellent at it… then Yes… you are a clown. And when you are a clown… at times, people only see the happy side of you.. which is a good thing. But then… Sometimes, people never take you seriously just because you are… yes.. only a clown in their eyes… a mirage of a clown muka berbedak sejuk with the red roundie nose, wide-angled lips and a pencil-drawn mascara of three piece of eyelash. (erkk… aiseh… who created this stereotype look for clowns eh? Sungguh la menakutkan sebenarnya)

Friends said I was funny, am funny? Maybe I am getting less humorous? Even my blog is kinda serious *yawn… haha. Is it because I am getting more serious or am I becoming more reserved of what I say around people? Yes, I tend to be more careful not to say wrong things at the wrong time. Trying to bring some humor to the atmosphere is a noble thing but it can also be disastrous at times. Yes, I don’t like the idea of people having that clownly mirage of me… but above all… I am more concerned if I’d hurt anyone by trying to pull off this tricky and complicated thing we all call The Joke.

“Haha... Just Kidding… LOL”

Can everything be back to square one just by flashing this sassy phrase?

can aar?


iyoooo… okay someone! knock me now!! Why so serious aaahh ini blog entries saya punya lately? Must check back the antibiotics the doctors gave me masa demam aritu lah. Maybe had some aku-serious-weh-dose in it. Ayayay… must take chill-pills dah ni.


Kesian kan pikir balik, imej-imej joker and clown yang diberi kat people who actually work hard to TRY to make people laugh kan.

So supaya saya tidak meneruskan pembebelan saya yang seriously boring itu... ini recap... kan senang baca points ni jer daripada bebelan2 di atas.

1. Respect people regardless of how ‘funny’ they are. When they are not in their usual happy-happy ceria mood… do understand that they are just human. Maybe it’s time for us to try entertaining them instead :)
2. If we are not good at making jokes.. don’t simply make one… the consequences can be devastating… disastrous… catastrophic… (yaa.. all those tragic terminologies lah)
3. If we are trying to help make the world a happier place, it’s good… by all means :-) but don’t mock people who are less fortunate... its disheartening
4. It may be seem trivial or easy-peasy for some… but some people do take up this ‘funny’ business as a serious career… and from my point of view, it’s not an easy job to be an entertainer.

Akhir kata...
Why Sooo Serrrioussss....
oh ya lupo plak...
SELAMAT BERPUASAA yaaaa... Katakan Taknak kepada melantak ketika berbuka ye ;-)

The Yin and Yang

Events take place in around one week…
Not following any order…

Randomly:

Scenario #1: Queue at a supermarket cashier, a couple in front of us.

The woman accidentally dropped some of her items. I helped to pick it up for her, put it back, alongside her other items. Stoned face, she didn’t say thanks… it’s ok, I didn’t ask anything in return. But she could have smiled or at least looked back at me, a simple gesture. What happen to “Budi Bahasa Amalan Kita” isssh…

*****************


Scenario #2 :Hanging out with friends in Prangin's McDonalds.

After meal and chats, went to Surau for Zuhur prayers. My phone rang.

PenyiasatMisteri: “Hello… ada kat mana sekarang?”


Miss Dompet Itam: “Uhh.. Siapa ni ye?”


PenyiasatMisteri: “Saya jumpa dompet akak…Akak kat mana sekarang?”


Warkhhhh… I left my wallet and I didn’t even realize that
I am Lucky that:

1. I was thinking of going back straight home, but then changed my mind, went to the Surau instead for my prayers. If not, I would have been half way home and had to come back for my wallet
2. that young guy, who works in McD made to effort to trace me. McD is lucky to have honest staff like him :D Marilah makan di McD… chewaah promote plak!
3. earlier that morning, I went to Petronas to fuel up my car. I presented my Mesra Petronas Card to swap for points, the cashier asked me to write my name and phone number behind the card. In case I dropped my card, people can return it to me. Hahahha.. Did she have premonition that I was going to misplace my wallet later that day?? Uuu…. X-Files!

***********************


Scenario #3: Driving alone, at night.

I stopped at a traffic light, a smooth stop, I wasn’t speeding anyway. The car behind me stopped, then suddenly, it jerked off and hit my bumper… kebooom!!! It was quite late at night, and was quite a distance away from campus. The driver, a woman around 40 of age. We got down, she gave me her number to contact her to claim for the damage. Since both of us are woman, I didn’t want to risk attracting attention from possible road gangsters, I took her words since she looked trustworthy.

2 days after that, after some negotiations…. I was losing. The woman is kinda nice, but when her husband got involved, he didn’t want to pay for full repair, insisting that he would only be responsible for the part where it got hit, meaning not agreeing to pay for the whole bumper repaint.

They did agree to pay for the repair if we send to their mechanic… How can I be convinced when the mechanic said he would only paint on the spot it hit (the bumper will look hideous ok)… and with the husband saying that he can pay lesser price to this mechanic, it certainly didn’t give me an impression that it'll be a good repair. (more like cukup makan oni). Plus, it was not convenient for me to send my dad’s car to his mechanic at that time. My dad was in KL, and I had no one to fight for me. I hate to fight or beg, therefore I had no choice but to settle for the half compensation. I feel so helpless. Please tell me I should not give up on being nice to people.

*********************************


Actually there were several other things happened, and I was rushing the whole week. So many things happened unexpectedly that I had hard time adjusting and trying to settle as many things as possible. At one point, I was constantly whining in my head…

Scenario #4: In the midst of all the rush…

Drove into campus. 4.30pm. I needed to get to the office to take some forms by 5pm. The Pak Guard stopped me… I was like “ooooh no….Not now……”

PakGuard BerUniform: Student ke Staff?
Gadis Gabra: Student

PakGuard BerUniform: Nak pergi mana?
Gadis Gabra: Nak pergi Skool di bla bla bla

PakGuard BerUniform: Boleh tak tumpangkan student baru yang nak mendaftar? Ke Indah Kembara (hostel area)

He asked whether can I take a new student to Indah Kembara. I looked at where he was pointing. I saw the mom, with some luggage… but where’s the student?

PakGuard BerUniform: Student Warga Emas…
pointing at the elderly woman, about late 50’s / early 60's)

Gadis Gabra: Boleh… Masuk-masuk

= In the car. =

Gadis Gabra: Makcik datang dari mana?
Makcik_yg_Tenang: Dari Kuala Selangor…. Naik bas pagi tadi…

We chatted... But I can’t help but wonder, why was she all by herself? She took a bus all the way from Kuala Selangor... Why didn’t someone accompany her or send her here?

Reached Indah Kembara. I took down her luggage - a trolley luggage bag and medium sized plastic bag. The trolley bag, it looked liked it just waded through rain and had some dried weed particles across it. It's like depicting the journey Makcik_yg_Tenang went through…. Ya Allah, I felt so ashamed. Makcik_yg_Tenang didn’t even show a sight of tiredness nor complained about coming here all by herself, changing buses and apparently she was waiting for a bus down the hill at the guard house, but there were no buses in campus during orientation week. She looked all set and ready for the new challenge… So much energy for a woman her age…

So I whined a little there didn’t I? (scenario 3) To respect Makcik’s will and power, I’ll stop whining in here about the other so called series of unfortunate events…. I am back to being motivated! I owe that to Makcik_yg_Tenang. Terima Kasih :-)


In conclusion:
Sometimes the world (or people) can be harsh… yes… we need to stand up for ourselves… But never use that reason to be BAD or discourteous. It's a Yin and Yang world... Which one is YOU?

P/S: I can be nice... in some cases, to certain limitations only ;-)

Kopi campur Susu = Otak dan Jantung sihat?

Are you mixed blood?

Surprisingly, I still get that question. Why? Because I have small and pointed eyes a.k.a. Sepet! Mixed blood? Yes, I am! I’m mixed of O and B. My dad is an O blood type; whereas my mom is a B blood type :-) I am mixed.

Normally, people won’t take that as an answer… why oh why?

So what am I? Indian? Malay? Chinese? Bidayuh? Minah Salleh? Latina? When I was young, I get nicknamed ‘Japanese kid’. Mom said, I got a lot pinches on my cheek because I was chubby and fair. Grrrrr….

I still remember, it was distressing… people kept saying I was fairer than my sisters. I didn’t like to be differentiated from them. I looked into the mirror and kept wondering, why was I fairer than my sisters? I kept praying I’d become darker. (~wish granted, haha) Why were my eyes so small? I wanted big round eyes (~i love my sepet eyes now). I wanted to look like my elder sister and have my younger sis’ hair (~ tamak kan aku?), so that we looked like a team. Oh gosh… Lucky me, the dilemma ended when I began to accept myself just the way I am at quite an early age.

When people get curious about my ethnicity; it’s fun to share because I am somehow promoting mixed heritage. But sometimes, it does feel weird, asked in a wrong way, they’d make you feel as though as “what” you are, is more important than “who” you are.

So if you are wondering What am I? I have one simple answer for you:

I,
I am a Malaysian.

Yes, I wanted to be darker when I was younger, and maybe I’d prefer to date a guy darker than me, I dunno about that yet… Haha :P But… I have no issues about people with dark or fair skin, or whatever their preferences towards this. For me, my concern about my skin is not the color but the complexion which I’m having some problem with. *acne*acne*kill*kill* (bimbo mode :P)

I don’t mind if some people try very hard to make themselves look fairer and use tones of whitening products, simply because it’s their choice to make (and tanning products to get tanned :P). And it’s not an issue too when someone prefers to look for life partner from certain race or color because this too, is related to preferences, familiarity and taste. Well, some ppl just fall in love regardless; and everything becomes fuzzy, hihi.

Moving to a wider scope…

What makes it hard to accept is… when people use skin color to differentiate people, to judge, or look down on people and so on.

It’s hard to change society and people, but we can change ourselves and our mindset. Do have faith and believe that even a small entity can make changes for a better tomorrow *I sound preachy lah pulak!* Mwahahaha… ok.. back to serious mode!

Before we start accusing people for being oppressive… ask ourselves, how nice are we? How good are we, in not being judgmental and prejudice towards people based on color, race, religion, economical status, standards etc. Just stop pointing fingers only to overcome your own frustrations.

If you are a Malaysian, be proud to be one and to declare as one (no matter which part of the globe you are in). Instead of bashing here and there, you can start spreading some love by living in the society and not separating them even more. Hate is not going to get us anywhere…


Black or white, Yellow or brown… we are all the same = we cannot live or function without a heart and a brain ;-)

Akhir Kata...

"Tepuk dada tanya selera."
(psst.. selera saya adalah nasi kandar kari banjir... hohohohoho)

Lompat si katak lompat...

Sometimes I blog-hop. My definition of blog-hop, is visiting blogs by people outside my reallife network of friends. Out of boredom, there are some blogs I randomly hop into from links etc. I visit some of these blogs occasionally, whose owners are witty and funny in their writings. Do I leave comments? Yes… once in a blue moon (when I feel like doing so), using my ID. But I'd try avoid from commenting on controversial issues, coz I hate getting entangled in online-debates.

I gave up on political blogs, no matter which side/party/ideology they are on. I especially hate the parts where some anonymous or some hardcore of some groups will comment/bring out sensitive issues like racism at every possible chance they get. I still believe in semangat muhibbah, so please spare me.

There are blogs that blogs about being cool and happening, and usually they revolve around Partying and alcohols in abundance… Would read a few posts, and I’ll never go back. Of course, they are free to blog any way they like. But since I can’t relate to anything, I won’t be going back, hehehehe…

Blogs about photography… amateur or professional… love em. Hehe…

Some bloggers devote themselves to cursing. In order to show their emotions and anger… they curse more than any south park series could offer, or use some bombastic devilish words. Then again, they have their rights over their own blogs. We are aware that there’r no predefined rules in blogging, so it's our choice: to read or not to read. If we don't like the blogger's way of presenting a blog, I think we just have to click "x" and leave the site, rather than condemning them (comment space / chatbox etc). Commenting / leaving opinion is ok, but condemning usually just heat things up or become even worse.... unless u memang love controversies n fight-fight :P haha

Comment space… Some are colorful with debates, fights… As mentioned, there are no particular rules as to how to go about in the blogosphere. The only rules are usually set by the blog owner, if applicable.

What do I get by blog hoping? Reading so many thoughts and opinions about certain issues… they can be pretty knowledge packed but at the same time, can be waste of time. Then again, nobody forcing me to click and read it, kan :P Recently, I have limited my readings and commenting to list of blogs written by my friends, which now becomes my daily dosage :D I bloghop once a while, but this habit is predicted to be decreasing since my workload is mounting these days.

The reason I blog is the same reason why I read my friends’ blog. To keep in touch, read/write updates, to share some stories or issues with them. Since it’s a public blog, it is open and accessible for everyone and any one. I doubt if I have returning readers that I don’t know personally. If there are, I warmly welcome you and thanks for reading or viewing this ordinary, nothing-glamorous-blog :P The purpose of this blog is merely to write my thoughts and updates. They may be insignificant, but it has been serving me all these while for a good cause = siok sendiri :P Hahaha…

I write from my personal views but usually, I don’t write much about very-verry personal stuff. I can be critical at times, but I definitely hope they are not harsh. Througout my blogging years, If I had in any way hurt people's feeling in my writings, I sincerely apologize.

Well, that’s my take;-)

Happy Blogging you all.

Pssst... I am powerful... I am noble... but it's a secret yaa... :P

Humility is a strange thing, Once you think you got it, You Lose it ~ anon

This was mentioned at the recent V.C’s yearly memorandum. Wow… how true, kan. Humility or to be humble is a tricky thing. The moment you congratulate yourself for being humble; you just lost it by contemplating over it.

I guess, technically, a humble person do not talk highly about their nobility or show it out with smug expressions. In some cases, people tend to blurt things out with no intention of showcasing their talents, nobility or achievements. So does that mean a humble person has to be super secretive or quiet all the time, not talking about past experiences? No, Not exactly. It goes back to the way we deliver our stories or share our passion over certain things/ issues.

Actually, I think most of us love to hear stories of people with great achievements, right? How they started and how they bloomed. From greatest achievers to some noble folks around us, Stories need to be told, examples need to be set, motivations need to be passed on. We need inspirations, don't we :D


Back to humility, we don’t have to try hard to show our humility.

Humility need not be proclaimed, it is self-defined; tied close with our personality, with every word we utter, every action we take. The way we treat people and the way we react to people. It comes alongside another value known as respect. To receive respect, first, we need to know how to give them to people.


Hihihi… I am not perfect. Writing this as a reminder to me, when ever I get lost in narcissism :P


Last year, in V.C’s memorandum, I was captivated by the idiom Resmi Padi: semakin berisi, semakin tunduk. It is a Malay idiom, derived from the nature of rice paddy plant. The more the grains grow, the lower the plant bows down. Hihihi... I hope I get this translation right :P (macam direct machine translation jek bunyinyor.. huhuhu)

Message/the Challenge: The more powerful you turn out to be, the more humble you become.


Can you? Can I? Can we?


It makes all the difference when your subconscious mind work in these 2 different ways

• “Ahoy… I’m doing this because I’m humble, dude…”
  vs
• “Ouh… it’s ok, dude… it’s nothing much, this is all I can do…”
  
  

So… can tell which one is humble which one is not aar?

opppppssie....my entry's title definitelty isn't!!! :P:P gimmick plak

Cap Ayam

Things which are not listed as branded, exclusive or cool-stuff, are known as “cap-ayam”. I never had problem with cap-ayams as long as these cap-ayams serve as much as what I have paid for. In any purchase, the more you pay, higher expectations you have for an item.

I do not crave for branded-stuff. Sometimes I can be totally uneducated about these things. Example?
“Gurllsss… Miss Lola has a new coach bag… yaddaa yadaa”
Coach… whose coach? Sports bag ker tu? Like a bag where a coach usually wears in a sporting event ke?

When others are impressed about the brand, I would be imagining something else… but of course… the female gene in me would quickly get excited as well with the fact that something female-ish has been purchased, and it’s new… regardless of the brand!

I buy branded stuff when the amounts of money I pay still make sense to my budget. Branded not for the sake of popularity but quality… then yes, I would grab it!

I’m a simple shopper. If a product I bought happened to be some branded or exclusive stuff… there’s nothing to be showcased about. If that product happened to be some cap-ayam, there’s nothing to be hidden or ashamed off. Most of these cap-ayams are locally made...kiranya, menyokong barangan buatan tempatan laah kan...

I do not have anything against anyone buying things any way they like.

But It makes me wonder… when

• Some people make a big deal out of a purchase especially the brand... It's not like it's in everyone's priority list... :P they'll make some ppl confused about the whole big deal
• Some people feel so shy about what they put on when they think it’s assumed not to be chic, what worse… to some… their confidence level tend to be affected by that
• Some people look down on others who are not as 'branded' as they are
• Some people trying too hard to catch up with trends, or buy things off their budget. Some even berhutang or berikat perut… huhu… sayangilah perut anda.. makan mesti kenyang dulu yaa :P~

I go for cap ayams.. but I have problem with things like Adidas translated as Adidos / Abibas… or Chanel as Channel or Guess as Guest? Wearing them just makes me feel pirated. Hihihik…

But all in all,

People have different tastes. You can’t force someone who loves LV to buy some local brand, and you can’t force someone who loves selipar cap ayam to switch to Adidas.

What matters, we should be happy with what we have/wear/use. Not too happy until you need to brag about it… but just happy enough to make you feel comfortable and confident having them around.

p/S:
With the current uncertainties in economy, we have to remind ourselves to spend wisely. If you can afford certain things… just proceed. If you can’t, do restrict yourself… (Eee.. but some items are just irresistible)… tahan.. bertahanlahh saya…

mulakan dengan Bismillah...

At times when you are busy chasing your dreams, busy climbing up your career or busy with everything else so worldly, you tend to overlook some of the things close to your heart – Iman. i'm gonna touch about Al-Quran.

How often do you read your Quran? You believe in Quran but you seem to have no time to read it. You are not obliged to read it and before you knew it, you start neglecting Quran as a part of your routine. You have the Kitab with you all the time, in your room, placed at the highest shelf… at times it becomes too high for you to reach, what more for you to open and start reciting the wonderful words that not only guide you through life but also shower you with peace and serenity. Or do you only read your Quran when you are facing problems, when every thing else seem to fall apart? InsyaAllah, if you read at crucial times, you will feel at peace while reciting it… and MasyaAllah, if you recite it regularly (especially every day), regardless of your frame of mind... it feels even better.

At times we forget, at times we overlook… but you must always remember that it is never too late. If you are not well versed in Arabic, get the translations and comprehend while you are reciting verses from the holy Quran. Even if you are not so fluent in reciting it or even if you are not fluent at all; it is also never too late to learn or improve. “Malu bertanya sesat jalan” … apatah lagi ilmu agama kita :) Shying away is not the resolution; you have to put away age or status from being the barrier to learn…

Mulakan dengan Bismillah....
:-)

~ just a reminder.. (for u and me)~

Jazakallahukhairank athira
"It is better to try and fail, than not try at all"

:)

It takes 2 to tango

Gender Issues > Had 2 series of conversations that lead me to write this :D

Can women be good leaders?
Women can be leaders among women, also among both men and women. But more often than not, when one of our friends comes back miserably from work ; and when informed that his/her boss is a ladyy... our immediate response will be “no wonderrrr” or “wrong timing of the month laa :P” or “the tigress has finally attacked” etc. Among women, we get offended when guys don’t trust on our leadership, but we also go against our own species when we comment on a lady-boss :P ironic, huh?

Men, are they better cooks?
In most restaurants, be it 5 star hotels, mamak or tomyam stalls; they are dominated by male cooks. Hmmm I think most of the time, men cook to cater for commercial values whereas women cook to cater for personal values.

Man + Woman = best friends?
A man and a woman can be friends but can they be best friends? Yes definitely, but to a certain extent. You can be best of friends when both are single. But when one of you or both are committed with a special relationship (especially marriage), you should downgrade to being only good friends or just friends. No more the best. I strongly believe your spouse should be your bestest friend ever and not someone else from the opposite gender. Maybe you guys can still reunite with the presence of both spouses, so this brings you to a new level of friendship = being family friends! (ouh, but please don’t make match-make your kids laa, let them have freedom of choice maa kuikuikui)

Women are too emotional, Men are insensitive
Women have to be emotional because this is the ultimate strategy to manipulate men haha… Men have to be insensitive because if you are too sensitive, people will start to speculate that you are gay. So maybe we should just accept this fact and live with it… hmmm… or maybe this is why men and women complete each other :P but do be careful haa… toooo emotional + toooo insensitive = cyclone lah jawabnya!


Women spend too much money on shopping?Women shop to be gorgeous maaa… At times women shop for the household maaa… Lovey-dovey couples don’t face much problem as they tend to compromise or try to compromise a LOAD during this period. But when it is married couple we are taking about, this issue suddenly begins to be very serious and important. Let us try to put it this way then. Comparing to the “few” ringgits men have to forego with the sweats women shed and initiatives that women make in order to get the best stuff with the best price (see, still considerate about money); the few ringgits means nothing actually :P So I think men should go easy on women about shopping ;) (ahaha… gender-biased)

Excerpted from Padayappa :D
“Women who are too emotional or raged and men who are too greedy will never prosper in their lives.”

What I agreed to understand: So women can be greedy, that’s why we are allowed to shop anytime we want!!! Hahhahaa… No lar… seriously… I think the excerption is a good one to be pondered upon.


Issues on gender will never meet an end… there are so many issues that I decided to pick and prick on some of the most talked about issues. As far as all of us are concerned, no matter how many issues we have or we may have in future, we just can’t live without each other. We are dependant on each other and of course complement each other. Long live XX and XY !

aku sekeh kang....

Summarised/shorten from previous blog

aku terstumble upon this page. It was a forum, ada org2 dok citer masalah, then ada satu post dari seorang lelaki, beginilah isinya:

=quote =
baru2 nie masuk club cari kawan dptler kawan dgn 3 awekz nie so skg x tahu nak pilih yg mana satu. nak jadikan cite yg satu nie ok keja pun bagus but muka tak berapa ok n yg nie ler yg kerap contact i. so at this moment i conpius apa yg nak buat.i pun ada buat sembahyang tu sama dgn yg lain2 xda mimpi2 pun tu yg jadi lagi bingung. so my question utk kekawan lelaki ok ke kalau dpt gf yg x lawa nie. coz 4 me kekadang tu rasa ok kekadang rasa x ok.
=unquote=

Helloo!! cantik itu very subjektif tau!


Yang meng-annoy-kan aku adalah orang2 yang obsess dengan mende ni. Bagi aku la, as long as kita dan org sekeliling masih boleh tolerate dengan identity kita sendiri… tak perlulah nak make too much effort to be someone else…

The key to happiness starts with being happy with who you are

Pasal fizikal ni… jgn la nak komplen2 sgt… (bersyukurlah dan always be POSITIVE)

Pasal yang nak cari2 calon ni… jgn la letak kriteria2 yang terlampau fizikal… sbb fizikal ni, satu ari nanti akan deteriorate jugak. Kalu leh, utamakan iman dan akhlak org tu, cantiknya orang tu biarlah dari hati dia.

aku lebih suka kalau orang tu gembira dengan diri dia tanpa terlalu bangga-riak dengan keistimewaan diri dia atau obsess

Kisah Bilik A.H.U

In this unpredictable world we are living today, we can barely trust anyone; can we trust those who are not listed in our list of ‘people I know’? Everyone seems suspicious these days. So who should or should not we help??

2 recent incidents made me write this.

1. I was driving, a woman waiting to cross the junction on a wheelchair. She seemed quite unnoticeable if you choose to ignore/if you speed, but luckily I saw her and stopped the car. It’s a t-junction. A motorbike from the other side stopped and started to become a jump-in traffic police by stopping cars from the other 2 sides of the road. The woman crossed the road, and the motorbike made a U-turn just to ensure the woman get to the other side safely. He pulled a thumbs-up to me and a very happy smile. From my interpretation, he was satisfied he could help!
2. Late night.. we stopped for supper after picking Kak Farah from the airport. After makan, we went inside the car, and since Kak Ilah’s car has an automatic lock, it was locked right away. Suddenly a man, maybe in his 40s knocked on the window. He gave signal asking us to pull down the window, wanted to ask something I guess. We were only few yards away from the mamak restaurant, but anything can happen. So kak farah and I asked kak ilah to just ignore him and start driving. He could have asked someone from the restaurant if he really needed help, not 3 young girls in a car in the middle of the night! No way we are falling for that!

Ok these 2 incidents we can clearly tell the do’s and don’ts. I think in a situation where it is obviously safe for us to help someone… why not just lend a hand. But do be cautious, at times things happen when we most unexpected it to happen.

= the Dos =
The most unbearable scene is in the buses, or LRTs. I used to take public buses a lot last time. Trillions of times, I came across situation where I was seated faraway, somewhere back or tersorot in an overly crowded bus. Then came in someone who needs a seat more than the “more capable of standing” people do. At times it was very annoying to watch… and I’d be feeling very guilty of sitting at the very far end.

You know, there was even once, when I stood up to give a place to elderly who was at the front, trying to get the person’s attention. But before I knew it, someone was already sitting on my seat. Waaa seriusss geram.

There was another time, in the similar situation; I gave my seat to a very old nyonya as no one nearer to her offered her a seat. Later she asked me to sit beside her after the seat next toher was emptied. We had a brief chat, she pointed out the qualities the youngsters have today, many of them are rude and insensible, she said.

Another incident that I can still remember until today. It was during the 2005 convocation, my friends and I were just lepaking as it was Friday, and most of our friends who graduated went for friday prayers. The pesta site was still crowded. There was a Chinese family of 3 - very elderly parents, the father need to be supported, and the mom quite fragile. The daughter has a bandaged leg and using an orthopedic walking aid. The daughter and the mother were holding the father’s arms to support his steps.

They were heading to the toilet, and there were so many people around, some sitting/waiting at the area, and everyone just watched! I watched too… and told my friend… that was a very heartrending situation. “I feel like helping him, should I go? No one is helping him” and she said “are u sure, he’s a man…or maybe someone will help him later, don’t worry”, she was hoping someone would help first as we were quite a distance away from the scene (which would be our normal reaction, right? Thinking other people might step in).

So we waited… but nope, no one. So I approached them and offered help. They were surprised but just replied with a big smile and sincere thanks. I think I helped him move 5-6 steps when some of the audiences finally realized the situation. Just before I nearly enter the men’s toilet, some other men came to help out. After that I left with a satisfaction for I don’t have to feel guilty for just looking but doing nothing about it. Actually it was rather disappointing that no one actually came to help first.


Ok…. Now… examples of when u shouldn’t be so helpful?



= the Don’ts =

Shimah, Azah and I were walking from our rented house to the campus; we were stopped by a man who was around 45-55 years old. Cut the story short, he came up with the story that his motorbike broke down and needed to get to hospital to visit his admitted daughter. He wanted to “borrow” rm 10 or 20 , can’t remember…

He was very good at convincing but there was some loop holes in his story, so Shimah and I keep on questioning him… u know… just to verify his stories. When we offered suggestions that he could actually use… he came up with reasons… until finally his stories didn’t make sense anymore… the plot keep changing to fit our queries. We tried not to be rude, as we were afraid of what he was capable of doing.

So we “politely” excused ourselves and apologized for not being able to help. Then he said to us “its ok… just do not mention this to anyone” his tone changed and he seemed anxious too. So we apa lagi… cepat2 cabut!

And guess what, nearly one year after that, that incident happened again... the same guy. Luckily shimah was there with mas and remembered him… and apa lagi.. cabut awal2 laaa…



Another story… from my friend actually… lets call her Miss An (for anonymity). Miss An and her friend was shopping in BJ complex, and they were passing by the lift and the AHU room area, when they suddenly heard some noise from the room. Someone was pushing/knocking on the door vigorously from inside… and the room was locked from the outside.

Both of them panicked, someone was locked in and they wanted to help out. So they tried calling the person to get some response, they used bahasa and also English, in case the person couldn’t understand them. When the person didn’t respond, they imagined all the worst things that could have happened. Was the person tied? Dumb-folded? Both of them were worried sick. Miss An was ready to call the Rakan Cop at that moment, but then they decided to look for the security guards around there that might be of help.

So they went down the lift to the next floor down. And to their horror…. There was another person trapped in this AHU room as well… oh noooo….. what was happening around there??? then… of cos… later, they realized it must be the room! Miss An called someone who could clarify this (from Archi background), and yes… AHU rooms do “run out of control” once a while because of the pressure kept inside the room. Ok… so much for trying to be super helpful! Hihihihihii…. But at least… now they are aware of how AHU operates! and also now you know, so beware of AHU rooms aar people :P :P


So... when to help and when not to????

i think we should ask ourselves... and look at how we response to things happening around us... everyone has different level of sensors... some insensitive, some extra sensitive (cam kes AHU tue kuikuikui..)

So u decide on your own level laah... hahaaa.... but always remember... what goes around comes around... so takleh la ignorance dengan keadaan/org sekeliling kita.. at times... we might be the one who need help from people who have no idea whether or not to trust us.... jeng jeng jeng.....


AHU - means "air handling unit" a big air cooling machine which supplies cooled air to the room via air ducts and supply air grilles and air diffusers.


~ ciao cincau ;)

A Tale to tell

Scenario 1:
You see… those days were difficult. There are 8 of us and as a teacher and the sole distributor; my father had to really restraint our financial. We were only given 10 cents the most or at times we bring food from home to school. I remember cycling to school.

Scenario 2:
This area was remote those days. You know this Taman Selamat… I used to follow my grandma to bring the cows to graze grass at that area. I used to walk from my house at the other end to this area to wait for the bus here. Must be extra early, if I miss the bus, I had to wait for another one hour, and of course I’ll be late to school.

The 3 of us were in different era when we were in our teenage years. The 70’s, 80’s and 90’s respectively. Christina and I were car-pooling with Dr.Ooi and we came up with this topic.

The first scenario took place in the early 70’s, she’s a doctor, but from her story, it did not happen with a finger snap. She went through hardships and knew how it feels to strive hard with limited resources.

Second scenario was in the early 80’s. She’s now a lawyer who came from a humble background.
Myself… from the late 90’s… still climbing in the career world… and yes I came from a very humble background too.

After having that conversation, memory of my mom telling us stories of difficult times that she had to endure and somehow managed to survive through, came back to me. I loved her stories… no matter whether they were sad or happy stories, I really loved listening to her tales.
Nowadays, our conversation is more haha.. gossip-alike… But going back to her stories back then, I think I grew up with her stories… as I can clearly remember most of them. When I was young, I promised myself that I would remember all her stories so that I can pass it to my kids in future; I wanted to be her extra memory disk ;)

Both my parents wish the same for us – they want us to be better-off from them. Knowing how much my mom loved education but couldn’t get a proper one, I would feel bad about it. I know she wants us to achieve her unfulfilled dreams…. until now… my parents constantly encourage us to achieve whatever we could /want since opportunities are just beyond grab these days.
I have my own share of tales to be passed on to the next generation. Born in the early 80’s, the 'conversion' era; when our country starts to bloom in terms of development and the time when middle-class group start to materialize.

I can be very passionate when I tell my friends about my childhood. We were not rich, but very happy. Despite the hardships we were in, my parents manage to pull through and things got better for us as my sisters and I reached our teenage years.

At this age, after going through different phases of life… when I look back, I’m able to put a smile. A smile… remembering those times…

I miss our humble-shack. Come to think of it, I can never stop if I start listing all my memories, be it the wonderful ones or the hardships. I find it interesting to have tales to be told.
It is the same like the grandmas or grandpas stories that we listened with awe, and become even more compelling when we were told about how different things were… turning into a motivation when they start to tell us how they manage to survive the difficult times.

Everyone has a tale to tell….

Everyone leaves footprints along their journey in life. But the question is… do you track back your prints or you prefer to just rub it off?

It doesn’t matter if you are born in destitution or in affluence… You do have a Tale… In years to come… what we have today may seem to be obsolete for the new generations.
But talking about hardship? And hmm… Talking about art of survival… Will these people still have a Tale to tell? Will they be passionate about it? I don’t know… maybe when we reach the appropriate age… we will start to be passionate :P and start to go on with lines like “You know those days…..”

So … what Tales do you have in mind to be passed on to your kids (besides the story of how mommy meets daddy, of course) :P


Additional Notes:
I've recently read a good fiction on family tales. It is a wonderful book n one of the best reads i've had so far. Rice Mother by Rani Manicka. there's many thing i can relate to when i read that book... maybe that's why i enjoy the read... i passed it to one of my frens... she can't relate to the story that much... but she enjoyed reading it too ;)

To be or not to be... BeAutiLiCious...

Mia favourite quotes on beauty:

~Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder~
~Beauty is only interesting when it is debatable ~

I believe everyone is beautiful in their own way... in some ways... It can be your eyes, your nose, your body, your complexion…. It can be your posture, your words, your manner, your confidence… It can even be your gentleness, your humbleness, your shyness, your softness… or it can be your boldness, your braveness, your thinking, your intelligence… also, it can be your thoughtfulness, your kindness, your compassion, or even your outlook.

Most of us are so entrapped with beauty in synonym with some stereotypes. We think being beautiful is only on how we look attractive and perfect physically. Judging from the external, yes, it is important to make yourself look presentable. Look neat and nice to the eyes. But do not try too hard just to look beautiful. Carry yourself well and people will be pleased having you around.

I categorize myself as the ‘Average Jane’. I don’t think I have got compliments like “WAH, YOU SOOO BEAUTIFULL LAAA”, but maybe sometimes on my dress, sometimes on how I look vibrant than usual. If I get compliments, they are bizarre ones like, your lips are thin, they are adorable; you are unique, or your draculla teeth is your asset… huh what?? Haha… Actually, I am happy with my look. However, maybe I should work on my complexion, get rid of the acnes and stuff like that. But other than that, I wouldn’t ask for more.

When I look at other girls who are beautiful, I will be impressed, but I don’t go to the extent of envying them. Beauty is made so stereotype anyway. For me, beauty is just like an accessory glued to a person (be it male or female). What’s more important is the essence – who is the person inside the accessory? Does he/she carry him/herself well? (isk isk ada gaya cam ibu mertua tak?.. :P) Actually, I think I never had a crush on drop dead gorgeous guys before lah. I am more likely to be attracted to the low-profile guys. I dunno why, am I normal or not?

Some are very much concerned about beauty and about having to be beautiful.... on the other hand, some have feeling of inferiority about themselves. Usually when you are in some kind of special relationship, you start thinking about importance of being beautiful. Your mere intention is to look attractive in his eyes but technically you might think beauty can help to secure the relationship to last longer. You tend to feel inferior even with your slightest flaws. Have you ever experienced any of these? i guess it's normal, huh

I have heard people say; women are willing to torture themselves in order to look beautiful to men. We wear high-heels – not good for our backbone. We wear corsets. We paint our faces with chemicals. We go for the torturous wax sessions. We go on diets… etc. (feminists may disagree with this statement... but this is what we hear most of the time... )

Sometimes we just want to look good and feel good about ourselves. It is not all about impressing others but more of self-satisfaction. But we cannot deny the fact that: Women want to impress men (and vise versa)… or impress only the certain someone in our lives. Am I beautiful in his/her eyes? Am I attractive enough? What he/she sees in me?

But, is physical beauty the only thing you want him to see in you? Or you use your beauty to make sure he stays? So that he stays long enough to make him understand and get to know you in-person. If he stays because he loves you for who you are, you are so blessed. But if he stays because you look beautiful enough to make him stay, beautiful enough to make him stand all your kerenah, beautiful enough to make him pretend he understands you. Then what happens if one day, he wakes up in the morning, and finds that you don’t look beautiful anymore in his eyes. He can’t seem to figure out why he had put up with you all these years. What will happen then?

Beauty is appealing, but it is more important that he is attracted to your manner, your mindset, your strength and believes in you.

Some of us are so beauty- conscious that we keep on complaining about some flaws that we think are destroying our beauty. Some of us compare ourselves to some superstars or supermodels and keep on wondering why we can’t be like them. So, if it ever crosses your mind, maybe this piece will help –trying to think positively within the negative vibes you have.

10 POYO-reasons why you should be happy you are not drop dead gorgeous

1. You don’t have to serabut your kepala to choose from pool of guys going after you.
2. Not many will be jealous of you or envy you :P
3. You don’t have to worry about a ‘bad hair day’ or a ‘day of fashion disaster’, because not likely anyone will notice that anyway.
4. You will tend to work on your other strong points to make up to the good looks you think you lack in, i.e. Public relations skills, communications,...
5. You are likely to be a humble person. (but depend also laa)
6. When someone fall in love with you, you are more convinced that he fell for the-real you, your soul, your thoughts and your self, not because of your looks or maybe your popularity. (and make sure you are not “the bank”) hehe…
7. When you achieve something successfully (especially in your career), people usually look up to you, declaring it’s from your own effort and capabilities, not because of your looks or beauty.
8. You can feel safer in some ways, like maybe lower possibilities of being attacked by some stalkers, or even the Romeo(s)… haha…
9. Your lover or spouse won’t feel insecure, so you won’t be burdened with extreme jealousy. Equals to = = more freedom, hoorah….
10. You have a very GOOD and STRONG reason to buy more cosmetics, more beautiful dresses (to beautify yourself and your appearance). THIS means MORE shopping…!!! Yahoo!!!

So, let’s not be sad if we are not one of the attractive eye-candies. Cherish the benefits that we get from being not-so-beautiful.

No actually… whether you are beautiful or not (physically or stereotypically)… the most important thing is that you are beautiful inside. When you are happy with your self…. you bring out the best in you. No matter how your “accessory” looks like… you still look beautiful in the eyes of people that matters.