Beautiful Words

Lightning, thunder, darkness and rain dancing in unison

I sit alone, with you my newfound friend at this second

As I explore the intricacies of life, sounds and sights accompanied our liaison

But none more comforting than these beautiful words

 

These beautiful words, they are my voice and sense

Like you my new friend, they are my companions                       

Thank you god for not taking them away from me

Like they have taken my old friend into oblivion

 

But you can’t heal these scars, beautiful words

For that I am glad I have my kin and peers

Thank you and sorry are all I can say with these beautiful words

For your concern, worries and all those fear

 

I am smiling as I finally understand

That this island is not the place I want to live

I am waiting for that yacht to take me to another land

Where my sanctuary lays, a place of solace and peace

 

Thank you beautiful words for accompanying me

You have helped me built this door on these walls

These walls will stand forever as they are my strength and life

But perhaps it’s time to open the door; don’t you think so beautiful words?

 

chiewee

Dauntless

Have you ever wondered why is life full of disappointments? There are times you wonder if it is true that every cloud has a silver lining, when all you have stumbled upon are clouds accompanied with thunderstorms and lightning. Well I say, ride the cloud, and brave the thunderstorms and lightning!

Life sucks because things do not always go the way you want it to be. You hate the suprises that life have been dishing out to you as not only they have caught you off guard each time, but they have made your life more miserable. You wonder if the guy up there is playing some kind of perverse games with you as the paths that you have chosen are often filled with booby traps.

But life is a choice, not a chance. Life is not all about luck, but it’s about making the right move. If luck has its way in life, no amount of determination, perseverance and pure hard work will make a person successful.

We do not seek the silver lining in clouds, but we should empower ourselves to create those silver linings.

I am now standing on some very dark clouds, with fiery lightnings and thunders around me. I cannot see the sun yet, but it doesn’t mean it is not there. The day will come when the clouds around me will have silver linings, all painted by me, and those beside me. I will live to see that day.

The Story of a Misanthrope

The world is a theatre and your life is the play

The play is scripted in such a cynical way

There were times when you thought you have lost the plot

As you tried to comprehend the complexity of this knot

 

Judas, Brutus and Cassius rule the Earth

It’s unfortunate but you’re surrounded with such filth

Where is the truth and who do you trust?

You view the society with full of disgust

 

Little wonder why you live in recluse

You wish that one day you will meet Zeus

And ask him why he made the world such

It has been overwhelming, a little bit too much

 

You tried to understand the rules of the game

Join them to beat them, that was your aim

You became a pretender, someone you despise

Now you are sick of your own disguise

 

It is time to return to where you belong

Where you’ll regain your sense of right and wrong

Now wish upon the stars with one single hope

That one day, you’ll stop being a misanthrope

~

Dedicated to all pretenders and misanthropes

chiewee

Beyond the Frontier

There was once when I stood before a frontier

Unsure and afraid of what lies ahead

I was apprehensive to step in to that sphere

For I was afraid of being misled

 

Now I have crossed the Rubicon, I shall stride forward

If I ever fall down, I’ll pick myself up and say

I will not to give up or give in, as I am no coward 

Nothing can stop me, come what may

 

This journey is tiring, but it will be worthwhile

I have started this walk, and I intend to finish it

Even if the path is as long as the River of Nile

Even if I have to make it through bit by bit

 

If I ever run off-course, please guide me back

If I ever forget my destination, please remind me of it

I know I cannot do it alone, not on this track

I know I cannot do it alone, that I will admit

 

When I reach my destination I shall not forget

Why I started the journey and how I got there

I’ll remember all the obstacles I faced and the people I met

I promise that my life then will not be a vanity fair

 

chiewee

The Price of Happiness

“Many people have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification, but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.”

Helen Keller, The Simplest Way to be Happy

Sometimes, it is the simple things in life that make your day worthwhile. Sometimes, being happy is not really so much about making yourself happy, but by making others happy.

You know you have found satisfaction in the things you do when you go home smiling even after having to do “hard labour” for whole morning, plus another 8 hours work.

So, a group of us from Rotaract Club of ATC went to Chrestus Home, the home for neglected and abused children that we have adopted last year to do some painting work, together with the Rotary Club of Ampang.

So, while others are painting the rooms;

I made the children do this to keep them occupied so that they wouldn’t distract the painters. Keeping thirteen hyperactive kids occupied, is very energy-consuming I must say.

But it was fun!

We can’t promise to make everything alright for them…

But we promise to make things a little bit better than before.

Because not only Rotary cares; but Rotaract cares as well!

p/s: I would like to thank all the people who made this happen (including my collegues at Body Glove who are willing enough to take over my morning shift so that I could be there).

*photos courtesy of Daniel

The Will inside You

I have been working with an injured ankle for close to three weeks. My job requires me to stand for eight hours everyday. I realised that I have been able to do it not because of any physical superiority, but the will inside me.

There is a Malay proverb; hendak seribu daya, tak hendak seribu dalih. It means that if you intend to do something, you will have the will, and if you do not intend to do something, you will find excuses not to do it. The closest proverb in English I can find is when there is a will there is a way.

Lance Armstrong, after winning a battle against a life-threatening cancer, won Tour de France for record-breaking seven times. In the 1999 Champions League Final, Manchester United scored two goals in stoppage time to beat Bayern Munich 2-1. In 2005, Liverpool came back from 3 goals down in the first half to beat AC Milan in the same competition. Some attributed these achievements to pure luck, but I think that luck plays no part if there is no will in the first place.

I would say however, the relationship between will and excuses is ironically connected yet contradictory. To have a will, you have to have an excuse; to have an excuse, you must have no will. It simply means that if you want to have a will to do something, you must have a reason to do it (in other words, an excuse); but if you are seeking excuses not to do something, you must have not have any will to do it in the first place. 

We often find excuses when we cannot (or more precisely, do not want to) do something; I am too busy; I have no time; I am occupied by more important things; I don’t have the capability to do it.. and the list goes on.

But it all comes from your heart and head. If you have set your heart and mind to do something, and you are dedicated to it, you will beat the odds and achieve something that many would have thought to be unachievable.

The will to make changes, go further, climb higher and dive deeper; it is all that separates the failures and successes. Only when you can find the will to do such things that that you’ll find the strength to do simple, yet extraordinary things.

Stop giving excuses; start trying and try hard. If a toddler can survive under piles of earthquake debris for more than one week, I am sure all of us is capable of doing such extraordinary things. Even if you eventually fail, at least you know that you have tried. Sometimes, it is not reaching the ultimate destination that is important, but the journey itself and if you have tried your best during that journey, you will live your life without regret.

Oh Life!

When will people stop judging me? Perhaps when I stop judging them.
When will people start to be honest and frank with me? Perhaps when I stop being too honest and frank.
When will I be able to satisfy everyone? Perhaps when I stop seeking satisfaction from people.
When will I not be lonely? Perhaps when I realise that I have never been alone.
When will all my problems go away? Perhaps when I learn to let go.
When can people start trusting me? Perhaps when I learn to trust them.
When will everything be perfect? Perhaps when I stop seeking for perfection.
When will my life be complete? Perhaps when I have accepted that life is always indeed incomplete.
Oh life! 
Why is life so tough? Perhaps we made it so.
Why are people so irresponsible at times? Perhaps I am being too responsible.
Why are people so sensitive? Perhaps I was being insensitive.
Why do we need people? Perhaps they need us too.
Why do I feel that I have not done enough? Perhaps because I am only human.
Why do I find it hard in expressing myself? Perhaps that is why I have My Three Dimensions
O all the whens and whys. That’s life.

The Ten Inevitabilities in Life

Inevitability No. 1: Birth, Aging, Illness and Death

According to the first caveat of the Four Noble Truths in Buddhism, Dukkha, birth is suffering, aging is suffering, illness is suffering and death is suffering. This is the cycle of life that we all go through over and over again as after death, there will be birth again. Even the mighty Qin Shih Huang, in his conquest to find the elixir of life as he neared his death failed to avert this invetability. I echoed the sentiments of Stephen Hawking in A Brief History of Time that since the Universe has its beginning, it will have its end too. But birth, aging, illness and death would continue in other universe and other dimensions. I am a believer that there is life outside Earth, and when there is life, there is aging, illness and death. If there is only one constant across the universe, it inevitable that it should be this.

Inevitability No. 2: Chastity, Temperance, Charity, Diligence, Kindness, Patience and Humility

The Seven Virtues, the better sibling of the Seven Deadly Sins, first made known by Aurelis Clemens Prudentius circa 410 AD (source: wikipedia). These virtues defines humanity, and it is inevitable that all of us possess them.

Inevitability No. 3: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy and Pride

The Seven Deadly Sins. I believe we are all at one point of our lives guilty of one of these sins. When we are driven by personal gains and desires, it is  not hard for us to be consumed by them. It is only inevitable because of our cravings and desires, these seven deadly sins are present in our lives.    

  Inevitability No. 4: Inflation

Oil prices rise to US$142 a couple of days ago, which made me realise that there is one thing inevitable in economics, inflation, which simply means the increase in prices of goods and services. Unfortunately for us, this inevitability is not substantiated by the rise in wages.

Inevitability No. 5: Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence and thrice is enemy action

Quote courtesy of Ian Fleming’s Goldfinger. Random events happen everyday in our lives, and those random events normally happen only once. When it happens twice, we call it coincidence. But when it happens thrice, almost invariably, someone or something is behind it.

Inevitability No. 6: The Passage of Time

Perhaps the greatest inevitability of all, parallel to the Invetability No. 1. There is no avoiding the passage of time, unless of course, we find a way to time travel.

Inevitability No. 7: Every physical object will remain at rest or in motion at a constant velocity unless acted upon by an external force

The law of inertia, as proposed in Newton’s first law of motion. While Sir Isaac Newton in formulating this theory was explaining the law of motion in the context of physics, I am quoting him in the context of how we live our lives.  We will inevitably remain idle, or constant in our lives unless affected by an external force. Everytime when we make a decision to move, or stop moving or change direction, it is due to an external force. External force comes in the form of the people around us and events occuring in our lives, that provoke and encourage us to change the way we move and act. Whatever changes our internal force, is influenced by external forces.

Inevitability No. 8: Evolution

Changes in our genetic and physical traits or our species are invetiable we go through the process of life and death. Whether it is by natural selection, mutation, adpatation or genetic drift, the process of evolution is something that is destined, and it is this process that created a diverse world we are living in now.

Inevitability No. 9: The advancement of science, and the misuse of science

I was once told that the advancement of science runs parallel with the moral decay of community as knowledge and technologies developed through science allow people commit unsavoury deeds. I beg to differ. To quote for Gil Grissom from CSI:Crime Scene Investigation;

“Everybody learns from science. It is how you use it that matters.”

Unfortunately however, the advancement in science is often and almost inevitably associated with misuse of scientifc knowledge and technologies. Power corrupts, and to us, science can often be the ultimate power as the world of science is without boundary.

Inevitability No. 10: Manchester United is still the best team in the world, with or without Cristiano Ronaldo

lolx. Aww… Can’t I take a little space off this post to take a swipe at Ronnie??

We are defined at a cellular level

You know you are a CSI freak when you can cite quotes from the characters in the show. Yes, I am guilty of that. One thing that intrigues me when it comes to the original CSI is the insightful, quirky and funny quotes it dished out to the audience (as opposed to the sappy and corny one liners by Horatio Caine in the spin-off CSI: Miami).  So, being bored to the brink of death, I have decided to dig up my CSI collections and rewatch some episodes from the first season onwards. Not suprising, I managed to pick up a couple of interesting quotes. Here are my few favourites

” An eye for an eye, and the world goes blind,” Warrick Brown

“Everybody learns from science, it’s how you use it that matters,” Gil Grissom

“Poor people are crazy, rich people are eccentric,” Gil Grissom

Okay people, hang in there. I’m not attempting to choke you with the multitude of quotes I have learned from the show for the past couple of days. Rather, I am here to dissect this one very interesting quote by a lesser-known character, Sofia Curtis, who was a CSI in Season 5 before deciding that she likes gun better than the rubber gloves in Season 6 when she moved to the Homicide Department (told ya I am a CSI freak)

“What we are never changes. Who we are never stops changing.”

We are defined at a cellular level, as suggested by Sofia Curtis and Gil Grissom. We are what we are since the day we were born. Twenty-three pairs of chromosomes (or an extra or minus one for those with chromosomal abnormalities). We are born with a genetic mapping of our own, and nothing will change that. We will always be human, at least technically. Nothing will take the homo sapiens out of us. What we are never changes

Who we are, our identity though, according to Sofia Curtis, is the totality of our life experiences. What we do every seconds, every single decisions that we make, every minor steps and strides that we take in our lives, dictates who we are. The people we meet, our relationships with everyone, the things that we touch, smell and see, the events of our life, whether we remember them clearly or not, shape who we are. Hence, who we are never stops changing.

While what we are makes us human, who we are has the capability to make us less than human.  What does it mean to be human, not in a genetic sense, but rather, for lack of better words, spiritually? What separates us from the other species of animals and those in the netherworld, if you believe in spirits, ghosts and devils?

To state the obvious, to be human is to be humane. Humane, in the sense that we not only should treat others as equal, but we should treat other living creatres with respect. Of course, I am not rooting for a Veggie Movement here. I do not believe that we should stop eating meat. Being an omnivore has always been a human nature since eons ago. It has perhaps played a big part in our genetic modification (I prefer modification, rather than mutation). Eating meat, for us, is part of the ecological cycle. Abusing animals, is however, not part of our ecological cycle. Wild animals should be left out in their natural habitat, not caged, not hunted.

As for being humane to a human, places like Guatanomo Bay and people like George W. Bush and Osama bin Laden definitely is not in the list. Compassion, and the ability to show that compassion is what makes us human. A couple of months ago, the world was shocked with news of Josef Fritzl who kept his daughter in captivity in an underground dungeon at his home for the past 24 years and repeatedly raped he. I cringed at the thoughts that I, as well as 6 billion other people in this world share the same genetics make-up as him. This simply means that we are all capable of doing things like that, and I think that terrifies us all. I guess this is where the line is drawn, being human and less human. Being human, we know our boundaries, we operate within socially acceptable standards. Our behaviours may deviate a little bit below the standards, but it is our fear of deviating, our self-righteousness if you may, that keeps us from being less human.

For people like Fritzl, however, they have taken a step too far from the boundary. They have taken the human’s ability to rationalise a level higher by rationalising all their spiteful actions, affirming them, and living with that rationalisiation for the rest of their life. Physically they are human. Mentally, they are human. Spiritually, they were, until they have bounced off too far from the line to the point of no return.

So, friends. A point to ponder upon. We are homo sapiens but, are we really human?

MARATHON

Etymology: The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometers (26 miles 385 yards) that is usually run as a road race. The event is named after the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the Battle of Marathon to Athens. (source: wikipedia)

A marathon, in many sense reflects the journey we all, undergraduates and students alike walk. Read on (the italics parts are taken from Bob Glover’s article in the New York Road Runners official website, edited by yours truly, whereas the ones in bold are my reflections)

The Start: If you are starting too fast, or surging too quickly, you’ll exceed your threshold and waste glycogen supplies. You’ll also increase body heat, contributing to dehyration which in turn increases heart rate and acclerates glycogen burning. Going out too fast sets you up for failure. Don’t think you can build a time cushion by starting faster. This strategy usually backfires. Basically, the advise you will get from people is always this, start early in your studies. Very true. However, it is essential that you do not bury yourself in pile of books from day one. Start early but go slow and steady.

The Second Half: Concentration, Mental Toughness.

This is where the race begins, where fatigue tries to capture you.

Concentrate on pace, good form, and the runners around you. Keep relaxed, and remain confident and goal- directed. Occasionally change form a little to provide relief: drop your arms to your sides for a few yards, thus using muscles differently. When you hit bad patches where you are physically and mentally fatigued–and you will–hang in there. Don’t give in to periods of self-doubt and discomfort. Have faith in your training program. Think about all the work invested in the race. Accept discomfort. It’s real. Use all of your mental resources to keep it from slowing you down. Once you reach the second stage of your studies, you will feel overwhelmed by the vast amount of information that you are trying to absorb. You will feel extremely overwhelmed, wondering what on earth you have got yourself into by choosing the path. Think about the money and time you or your family have invested for your studies. Go on with it!  

Move from runner to runner to help you maintain a good pace, or “hitch a ride” when a competitor goes by you. Don’t be satisfied with just holding your place. Most likely many of the runners around you are slowing down. Move from runner to runner, in my opinion simply means that have your coursemates/classmates/collegemates/friends by your sides while you are running the marathon to keep you motivated. Some of them may slow your pace down by distracting you from your destination. Always remember to stay on course and maintain your pace at least.

Bail Out. If you are favoring an injury or bad blister, feeling weak and dizzy because of the heat or illness, or are extremely fatigued, use common sense. Bail out and look for medical help. Don’t feel you are a failure by making an intelligent decision to drop out for personal safety. You can always try another marathon down the road. If you are feeling extremely battered emotionally, mentally and physically, drop out before you go totally nuts. There is always another road not yet taken.

But if you trained properly and do not feel ill or are not hampered by an injury, keep going. Dig down deep for extra strength. Everyone feels like quitting many times; you are not alone. No one said it would be easy. That’s why so many people want to take on the marathon. But if you felt that you are mentally tough and would not be affected by extreme stress, keep going. Remember, you are not alone! Get your friends together and trash out your stress together.

The Wall. This is mostly a myth if you are properly prepared. Most likely you will experience a taste of it somewhere around 20 miles–the approximate point where glycogen supplies run low. But if you followed the Wall-beating guidelines in Chapter 21 of The Competitive Runer’s Handbook–trained well, tapered, carbo -loaded, didn’t start too fast, and took in sports drinks and gels since just before the start of the race–you will pass through “the Wall” in reasonably good shape.

The Finish. As you cross the 26-mile mark you have only 385 yards–less than a quarter mile–to go. Use the noise of the crowd and the spirit of the runners around you to energize one last push. But don’t surge too fast.

I’ve seen many poor souls cramp up within reach of the finish as a result of a sudden sprint. Keep the push steady. Work the arms and lift the knees. (hint: sudden sprint, meaning last minute study)

Keep this in mind as you’re getting close to the finish: In marathons seconds don’t count as much as minutes, but seconds can make the difference in being, for example, a 2:59 marathoner or at 3:00 marathoner. (Hmm… this sound like the old adage, one mark between fail and pass, one mark between a second class lower and upper)

As you catch sight the digital clock over the finish, use it to pull you in to your personal victory.  

Most importantly don’t forget to congratulate the runners around you who helped you in and, of course, congratulate yourself on a job well done. Way to go conquering heroes and heroines! (Well said…)

So, how about that? Isn’t it very much like a marathon?

p/s: This Blogger exludes all her liabilities with regards to all the aforesaid instructions. THIS POST.. is only a statement of opinion. This blogger will not be responsible for any losses (monetary or emotional) suffered by readers arising out of the readers’ own initiatives for following the above instructions.