What Did I Do?

Hey! August is coming to an end...and I only have TEN posts this month (Eleven...including this crap)? What did I do all these time? Hmmm....

Dude, I'm not trying to compare myself against all the other hot-shot Bloggers, okay. Nor am I trying to become like one. But if I could...that'll be great, eh? Hehe. I'm measuring myself against myself here. You see, when I started to become an avid Blogger, I wanted to share my life's experience and the experience of others. I want to inspire people or at least to make them learn from any of the experiences. So if I don't post anything here regularly, how'd people learn...

Ugghhh...in that case I gotta pick up from now onwards. For those who regularly read and check on my Blog (I know there's a few of you out there...and I thank you very much! Muaahhsss!!) my sincere apologies for the lack of updates. I'll do my best to do it more regularly.

Heck...how regular can a 'more regularly' be?? Huhuhu.

Being Independent

Tomorrow, Aug 31, 2010 Malaysia will celebrate her 53rd Independence Day. I've celebrated this day together with the country for as long as I lived. Apart from the history of how Malaysia gained her Independence, my only thought about this auspicious day is the celebrations on the day itself - parades, parades & parades.

Lately, there'll be performances, concerts, stage shows or even TV shows...during the night before. But perhaps because this year it is celebrated during the month of Ramadhan (fasting month for the Muslims), these performances would not happen.

As for myself, I've thought of being independent a long time ago...since I was a teenager. Because I was rigidly controlled by my parents; that I became a silent rebel. So when I finally gained my 'independence' back in 1987 (when I went to college), I realised that I can't be totally independent. And that independence could mean these three things:

Mental

I've taught myself to be mentally independent when I started working. That's when I started to adopt my own philosophies of life. So far, they have been proven to be the right philosophies (except one). I've never let anything or anyone control my mind. People can tell me what to do or how to do it...but whether or not I'll do it, is entirely up to me. So most of the time people would say that I'm hard-headed. I am who I am, what else can I say. Those who knew me well wouldn't say otherwise.

Spiritual

When I was fighting to get free from my parents, I started to think...how free do I want to be? That's when I found out that I can't be totally free. For a Muslim, I am still confined to the teachings of Islam...the Al-Quran and the Al-Hadiths. Those are the two guides that I have to follow, whether I like it or not. But it is good. To have these guides. Because they would ensure that I shall not become astray from my purpose of living. So, yeah...I am NOT spiritually independent.

Physical

When I became rebellious, I've always thought that if I get married I would be physically free from my parents. But then again, I would still be confined to a husband. As a Muslim, the place for a wife is beside the husband. And she must do as he says. That's part of the reason why I married at such a late age. Haha. But since I'm married now, I realised that I can't be physically independent from my parents anyway. Because I would still need them to guide me and shelter me, sometimes.

But this year...I am embracing the meaning of 'Independent' in a whole new way. I am now independent of the 9 to 5 working hours...I am now independent of the corporate mentality....and I am now independent of the dirty and scamful 'office politics'. Finally...I gained my Independence...of some sort.

MERDEKA! MERDEKA! MERDEKA!

P/S: How do you define your 'Independence'?

DO YOU REALLY WANT IT?

It's the Cup of Life...Do you really want it? Pump up the adrenalin and let's go for it!! Keep your eye on the GOAL...

It's THE Game

I'm not a fan, if that's what you're about to ask me. But yeah, I do watch football or soccer or whatever the game is called. I'm sure some of you aren't either. And some are die-hard fans...especially to this Red D*&^$ (can't say it out loud) team.

When you're watching the game, do you realise that football or soccer or whatever the game is called, relates closely to our life?

In life, we need to have strategies. Because we need to develop ourselves, we need to be from here to there and always, we need to be better off tomorrow than we are today. Strategies would provide us with the means to achieve what we want to achieve.

Strategies need to be aligned with the goals that we want to achieve. What are the goals you want to achieve in your life? You wanna be successful? Wanna have a mansion facing the Caribbean Sea, perhaps? Or wanna marry the most beautiful girl in your hometown...or the most eligible bachelor? Maybe. Goals are usually derived from dreams.

What do you dream of becoming in 5, 10 or 20 years' time? You dream of being rich and famous? You dream of becoming the most popular artiste of the Century? The most respected person in your hometown? Dream a dream...today. And set your goals to make that dream come true.

Be the Captain of your own life. Chart your own course towards achieving your goals and realising your dream. Nobody should tell you what to do except you yourself. A famous quote says "You are the Master of your fate and the Captain of your soul". And Donald Trump says "No one should care about your money and your success more than you do".



But sometimes you need to refer to someone to do it properly. So that you can avoid making mistakes along the way. So look for someone who has the experience and the expertise and who's willing to share with you their knowledge. Make him/her your coach or your mentor to whom you can always refer to, whenever you're in doubt. Remember that great sportspeople like Tiger Woods, Nicol David, David Beckham or even Asafa Powell...wouldn't be who they are today without their coaches.

Football, or soccer, or whatever the game is called, is a hard game. In life, you'd always have to play it hard, if you want to be successful. So sometimes you have to defend yourself against the brutality of life. Scepticisms, criticisms, denials, betrayals, etc. In doing so, you'll always need to know your ground. "Keep your eye on the ball", some people would say. But to me, you nee to always KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE GOAL. Because that's where you're gonna score.

Teammates, in life, are those people who would support you all the way. These would not necessarily mean your spouse or your family or your friends...for sometimes they could become your greatest hurdles. If you have a very supportive spouse, family or friends; then good for you. If not, don't be disheartened. You are the Captain of your soul, remember?

In life, you'd always need to strive hard in order to achieve what you want. You must persistent and the passion to really want success. Success doesn't come easily. You have to work hard for it. And when the opportunity arise, you strike the goal.

And then you'll become the winner. But sometimes you've tried very hard and never got the chance to strike goal. Don't fret. Life's like that...sometimes you'll win, sometimes you'll lose. Every time you lose, you have to get back up and running. It doesn't matter how many times you lose but what matters most is how fast you get back up. So you always have to keep you eye and your mind on the goal.

You see, in the game of life, you are actually competing against yourself...To live a better life or to become a better person. And you deserve to be better...you deserve to be the BEST!

So start playing your own game today.

Mixed Identity

Sometimes I'd find it a bit difficult to tell people where I was from. It's easier to say that I'm from Pahang. But when they start to ask "Where in Pahang?" then I'd start to fidget.

I was born in Kuala Lipis. Then I moved to Raub where I spent most of my teenage life. Then I moved to Bentong when I was already in College and where I don't know a lot of people except for the neighbours. Most of the time I'd say I'm from KL (Kuala Lipis...duhh...). Heh. Sometimes, just for the fun of it, I'd give this lengthy answer "I was born in Kuala Lipis and now my parents live in Bentong. But I'm staying in JB".

And since I've been staying in JB for quite some time now (10 years) and I'm married to a Johorean, people would say that literally I'm a Johorean too. Initially I'd dismiss that and say "No. I am a Pahangite". And I realised that I dismissed those remarks because I was afraid that I might lose my borne identity.

Now I'm not afraid anymore. So what if I say that I'm a Johorean. Afterall I married one and I'm staying in Johor anyway...I worked here and my two kids were born here. And I'm going to promote Johor as the preferred industrial location to foreign investors, meaning that I need to know all the corners and the bends in Johor. So literally, yes. I am a Johorean.

But so long as my Identity Card shows '06' and my Place of Birth remains as 'Kuala Lipis'...I still have my Pahang identity in me. Oh! And Penang too...

Life's Analogy

Courtesy of a friend through email

When we're driving, everything out there would pass us by in a split seconds. The faster we drive, the faster they will pass us. Only when we stop would we be able to reflect back what we have passed through. If, we want to reflect. Life is like owing and driving a car. Top performance cars provide fast drive and that reflects whether you like to live on the fast or the slower track. While image and prestige are reflected on the type or brand of the car. Whether its a diamond-clad Merc like the one up there...or a BMW Sports...a Waja or an upgrade plain little Kancil...its how you perceive your life's worth.

Courtesy of Mdm Hanie Razaif-Bohlenger through her FB

Sometimes in life you might have to bend corners and sometimes it's a smooth drive. Sometimes you'll get caught up in a traffic congestion that your life seems as if it's on a standstill. But hey, it's all just temporary...Sooner or later you'll arrive at your destination. Safely. If, you know how to navigate properly.

Courtesy of pics digger.com

No matter how far you're going and how fast you're driving, at times you'll always have to look at your dashboard. Do you still have enough fuel (resources) to go on or are you driving according to the speed limit. Are you going too fast or too slow? Dashboards are to gauge your performance and where you are, in life...be it in your working life or your personal life. So that you are always on the right track to achieve your objectives.

Courtesy of blackboots.co.uk

Along the way, make sure that you are always in tip top condition. So those are like the tyres and the engines that you should have. Punctures or engine breakdowns aren't good for the ride. It'll create great stoppages in your life. Or perhaps accidents. Take good care of your health.

Courtesy of auto moldova.com

Radios provide you entertainment and information. In life, you need to have that extra energy to keep on moving. Be entertained and be informed. So that you would always feel energetic and won't be left out. The airconditioner symbolizes comfort; so you are at ease in what you're doing.

Courtesy of gettyimages.com

This one's from my friend Rabindra Dev Prasad: "The windshield is bigger than the rear mirror because our future is more important than the past". But, you'd still need to take a glimpse of the past; now and then, to learn from your mistakes and look at how far you've gone through.

Courtesy of commons wikimedia

Side mirrors are like those people around you...those who would matter in your life. Never forget them, whenever you want to take a turn in your life. Those who don't matter...just leave 'em behind and move on.

P/S: The above is my dream car...which I am pursuing from the past two months onwards.

Have Faith

"Faith" is often referred to religion. So one without faith means one without a religion. But is faith only meant for religion?

"Faith' in the true sense of the word is holding firm on to something or someone that we believe in, even when others don't. But most of the time having faith is about being firm on something that cannot be seen or touched...those intangibles. So much so that when you have faith in something or someone, you need to have your own instinct, your own views and your own belief on why you have faith and it or her/him.

For example, we know that we are breathing air. Though we can't touch it or feel it or even see it, we know that it is air that we breath. And when we look at the running water, we can hear it flow and we can even touch it. But though we cannot hold it, we know that it is water that we feel. But generally, these are acceptable by others.

What about climbing the Mount Everest? Some people would say that it is an impossible feat. But to the mountain climbers...these are possible. Because they have faith in what they do. Or perhaps going around the world in a kayak? Or maybe being the most richest person in your country...or the world, even?

Have faith in all that you do..be it sports, business, work, studies, arts, whatever. For if you have faith in what you do, you would always do your best to make it through. And you would hold on to it no matter what others say about you or about the feat that you are trying to achieve.

Sense of Lost

Perhaps some of us have felt this...throughout their lives. Perhaps some have not. For the sense of lost is a feeling that leaves you wandering, searching, looking for anwers and at the same time weeping for the lost of something or someone.

It makes you feel sad...very sad..and you just don't know how to deal with it. You can't even think and all you want to do is to lie down and sleep it off. But when you wake up, the same feeling is still there...hanging..hovering inside your heart. And your mind doesn't seem to work anymore. Then it starts to make you choke...short of breath and a stinging sensation in the chest. Sometimes you could cry it out...but sometimes you can't. Worse, if you can't cry it out.

I've felt this before...a long time ago. It wasn't a very good experience, I could tell you that. And it left a very big dent in my soul that I could still feel the eeriness til today. It made me feel useless, lifeless and I was on the verge of killing myself. The sense of loss led me to depression. Prior to that, I tried to find solace in mixing around with friends. I was always out and about with them til the wee hours of the morning. At one point I was being cold storaged because I'd always arrive at the workplace very late. I had no spirit to work anymore.

But fate has it that I had a boss who was concerned about me. To him, I confided. And he helped me to find a way out. So that's how I came to Johor. I had no family and no friends out here. It was like starting a new life altogether. I chose to stay in a remote village, close to where I was working. And when a friend asked me to stay with her in town, I refused. Because that would defeat the purpose of my move to this place.

I took the advantage of that stillness and silence in the village at night to seek repentance from the AlMighty. For Him to give me the guidance to get out from my miseries and for Him to give me the strength to keep on living.

You see...when we are in such difficult situation, we need to always ask ourselves : Is death the best way to get out of this mess...or is life the best way to resolve it? I'm sure the answer is to keep on living. Because for every hardship, there would always be a way out. But we must always try to get out of it and not just leave it to fate. And before we decide to take our own lives, we need to always think of all those people that really matter to us...even though there's only one. Think what would happen to them or him/her if we're gone. And think if it is otherwise.

And now I can guarantee you that if you managed to get out from your miseries, you'd come out of it full of good feeling about yourself and you'd be stronger. If you manage to get out from the deepest pit in your life, nothing could beat you anymore after that. Trust me.

"...Say: Even if you had remained in your homes, those for whom death was decreed would certainly have gone forth to the place of their death"; but (all this was) that God might test what is in your breasts and purge what is in your hearts. For God knoweth well the secrets of your hearts" - Ali-Imran:153

Source of Inspiration

It hasn't been a good ride for me so far. Still looking for the outbreak. Still searching. And so at the same time the spirit is not in it's high mode. But until recently I found an inspiration. In terms of a person whom I'd call 'Oranje'. For whatever reason.

Oranje has given me the strength to pull myself up. Even though I don't think Oranje realizes that. But yes, until recently my spirits soared high...I was riding the wind towards achieving my goal. Can't stop smiling to myself and always in the laughing mode. The sun is shining on me again. The rainy days seem to have stopped. I owe it as much to Oranje. Oranje has become my source of inspiration...I want to be like Oranje...successful and enjoying life as it is. I've known Oranje for quite sometime, actually, but never had the chance to get to know each other this well. To my surprise, Oranje is such a gentle person. But could be temperamental at times. Heh. That's normal, isn't it. One who has a good heart....and a sharp mind. Oh, a very sharp mind.

Oranje now has my fullest respect. And thank you, Oranje. For being there for me...even when you least expect it. I will always hold you dear to my heart...no matter where you are and what you do.