Walk the talk.. walk and talk...walk and laugh...walk and run...walk while looking somewhere else...
Tuesday, 21st October 2008 marked an important date in our lives, especially to Ikhwan. It was the day when he made his first steps on his own, willingly, without being encouraged or forced upon. Yes, he started walking that day, witnessed by my parents who were in town last week and my wife. I was not at home due to working.
True, Ikhwan started walking rather late. But we are proud of him nonetheless. This was only one of his shortcomings, which could (or could not) have something to do with genetic, since both his parents started walking late too. Surely, as a human being and as he grows up, he will have and discover other flaws. As long as hopefully, none of those flaws would impede him from becoming a soleh Muslim; an obedient child; a smart, intelligent, caring and responsible person etc etc.. you know all those things that any parents with a sound mind would want their children to become.
Other than his walking development, in other areas, he develops normally, if not quite fast, compared to other kids of his age. He already has a full set of teeth, he knew how to sip his drinks using straws since only a few months' old, and he's always full of energy and with such intensity whenever he crawls as shown in this video clip which was taken at my folks' house!
I'd say that his crawls are equivalent to walking and running, while his walks are equivalent to.....ermmm... driving a car. Why? Because on the first three days after he started walking, he already tried running a bit (like speeding while on the road), walking with his eyes wondering about instead of looking straight (ok, this could be equivalent to a hazardous driving hehe..), encircling us (like making a 6 o'clock turn at a roundabout) and walking for a distance, then making a U-turn (I mean, literally, the way he turned his body around was like making a U-turn). As though wanting to catch up, not a day is missed without him walking (because I read there are babies who after discovering their ability to walk, may skip some days without wanting to walk at all).
He also discoverd on his own, that instead of struggling to stand up from his sitting position, he can use the palms of his hands to push himself up... Now, he's learning to throw some rubber balls while standing up, although at the moment, we try to discourage him from doing so frequently, especially if he's looking rather tired and unstable.
On another development, Ikhwan has always been amazed by cats. In fact, 'cat' and 'meow' are two of the early words we taught him. Now, he knows where to point at whenever we ask him to show which one is cat from his alphabets chart.
My parents own a cat (of American Shorthair breed), bought by my sis back when she was in the States. I mentioned about him quite a number of times before in this blog. The cat goes by the name Sky. The thing about Sky is that he gets easily intimidated by strangers, especially noisy and active small kids. Well, you can pretty much guess how Sky would react to my son! In this video, my son was looking so curiously and intently at Sky who was having his meal. The 'peeking' made Sky rather restless of course, but a cat's gotta eat when a cat's gotta eat right? :))
In this final video of today, we really enjoyed his laughter and would like to share that moment here... (I think he got the idea to laugh that way, probably from the way I peek-a-boo at him). As seen here, he was standing by his car which was a birthday present from my parents-in-law.
UP NEXT:
1. The 'little' things about me.
2. The 'little' things about Ikhwan (P/S: How about the 'little' things about my wife? Hmmmmmm.......maybe I shouldn't go into that....)
We'll be going back hometown tomorrow for a relative's wedding which happens this weekend. It's been about a month since we last went back, and Ikhwan's four grannies can't wait to see him and miss him so much.
I learn from parents that our beloved cat, Sky has been sick for about a week now. He's 13 years old, and that is considered quite an old age (not to forget, wise) for cats. We love Sky very much. I..... love Sky very much. It's just that lately, I hadn't been able to spend as much time with him whenever I was in hometown - being a family man and all...Sky is such a unique cat - his characters can't be found in any other cats I've known and seen. I hope he'll recover fully soon enough.
I remember the first cat my sister and I owned. His name was Nit. The day he died, I was crying my eyes out. I was 12 years old at that time, if I'm not mistaken and that day marked the first day I started having a diary. Now, I no longer write, as in by hand, in a diary anymore. This blog is more or less a diary of mine too...
Meantime, David Cook wins the American Idol - a difference of12 million votes between him and the 2nd place winner, David Archuleta.... way to go Cook!!!
The Simpsons is no stranger to many of us. In fact, we may know the characters among the Simpsons' family members and Springfield, the place where they live in, far better than our own next door neighbours or hometown.
The creator, Matt Groening has one of the most unique spelling and pronunciation for a name. Some of the things associated with The Simpsons and the rest of the Springfield folks - Homer's constant craving for doughnuts and beer; Homer's D'oh!!! and Arrrrrrggghhhh; Bart's eat my short and aye carumba; Marge's blue 'high' hairstyle; Lisa's wit and saxophone; Maggie's constant sucking on the pacifier; Patty's and Selma's body hairs; Mr Burns and his sinister plans; Barney's burping; Nelson's ha-ha; Otto's bus and headphone; Smither's infatuation towards Mr Burns; Skinner's reliance on his mother; Wiggum's under-trained police skills; Mayor Quimby and his political agenda (if any); Terwilliger's vengeance towards Bart; Apu's Kwik-E-Mart; Moe's bar; the nuclear plant station andthe Springfield elementary school.
But behold! There is a new neighbour in Springfield. He lives opposite of Homer's house to be exact. He goes by the name Abon. Many Springfield folks think that's not his real name; while some think it's a rip off of Akon. Apu is glad however, that his new customer's first name also starts with the letter 'A'.
There are some who think Abon is an Asian descendant (judging from the shape of his nose) or perhaps his parents are mixed Asian and caucasian (due to his rather yellowish complexion, much like the skin colour of most Springfield citizens).
Homer has a hard time adjusting to having the new neighbour, considering that Abon doesn't drink Duff Beer or any types of liquor and Abon doesn't enjoy senseless and meaningless entertainment, like Homer does. However, Abon does like doughnuts too and during such time when Homer and Abon devour on doughnuts, Homer picks up some weird languages used by Abon, like 'opocot', 'alapak', 'apa-apa ajalah', 'oh kisah', 'eh' and 'ek'. Abon also uses a lot of 'laahhhh...'sat the end of his sentences.
Abon is married but his wife and kid are yet to relocate to Springfield. Marge is looking forward to meeting Abon's wife, so that she can share her hair tips or tips of her hair. Abon's kid is still a baby, so Maggie will now have to suck on that pacifier a little harder and louder.
Abon is spotted here at Kwik-E-Mart with Skyball II, his pet cat whose appearance resemble that of Snowball II, Bart's pet cat. Spooookyyyy.....
P/S: If you want to be Simpsonized and be a part of Springfield and perhaps, the Simpsons' family, do it here.
I've also decided to START tagging people on this entry. As a start, here are the people:
Manal, Ryzah, Pugly, Esah Jolie, Ija (the friend one, not my wife, haha), Getty (I know this may deviate from your blog theme, but perhaps you can use your creativity mate), Kak Red and Alvin.
For those who have been selected, there's no pressure on your side to do this whatsoever. But for those who do wish to participate, that would be great. Just follow these 3 simple meme rules:
1. Simpsonize your self by visiting the aforementioned site. You don't necessarily have to go through this stage in view of you need to have a close-up photo of yours for you to be Simpsonized. Also, it seems that for those wearing head scarves, your photos may not be Simpsonizable. I've tried on my wife's photos over the weekend, even the close-up ones failed.
In the case of no Simpsonized version of you is available, you can substitute with a hand-drawn cartoon version of you or your real photo or whatever photo suitable.
2. Describe what you think of The Simpsons. You may love it, hate it, or may be neutral about it. Even if you have no opinions or have no knowledge about it, just write something laa.....
3. Now name your cartoon character and introduce him/her to us. The more cartoonish the name is, the better. Then, describe what's your character is like. It can mirror your real self or you can make them all up entirely.
4. Lemme know when you've done it... Easy, ain't it? Hehehe... For those with no blogs but wish to contribute, you can comment in this blog. Tq..
These things make me wonder and my wise cat, Mr Sky (real name: Luke Skywalker) took the liberty of answering some of my wonderments.
ON PEOPLE AND PUBLIC TRANSPORT
Q: Hey Sky, I wonder why while waiting on platforms, some people would chase after a particular door when trains arrive, instead of standing still at where they are, until the trains stop? I mean surely they can walk if eventually the nearest door is a few steps away from where they stand right...
A: Hmmm... Master, there are many possibilities as to why the humans behave like that. One of them is probably because they just saw someone who was sitting or standing in one of the coaches and immediately fell in love at first (speedy) sight with that someone. Fearing that they might miss the chance to be happy, off they go, chasing after the door to that particular coach. Hmmm... speaking of the love of my life, I wonder how my ex-wife is doing back in the US. If only we could keep in touch via cat mail, sigh...
ON ROAD USERS
Q: Sky, when drivers slow down or completely stop their vehichles to make way for pedestrians to cross roads, how come these people walk so very slowly, with no indication to rush a little bit, especially if there's no pedestrian crossing anyway? Shouldn't they be thankful these drivers are considerate enough to let them cross? What? Do they think they are royalty? Do they think those drivers have all the time in the world to watch their as**s pass by?
A: Hmmm... unless they are cats, who happen to be rather clueless on how to cross a road, humans should know how and be aware of the risk of being hit by a moving vehicle. I think this has something to do with their attitudes - i.e. their mindsets. Most probably, they have a don't care attitude. They don't care if the drivers have to wait, they don't care to even show a gesture of gratitude, as long as they can cross 'safely'. Okay, so there are drivers who are willing to stop, but what if some motorcyclists don't realise this and run them over? Guess, they also don't care if they lose a limb or a brain, meow, meow, meow, meow... (translation: hahahaha....) Don't be surprised Master, some of those pedestrians could also be fuelled with jealousy, who consider themselves as unlucky, for having to walk, compared to others who could just drive off.
In another possibility, this also shows how movies and TVs influence us. The pedestrians could be thinking that they are superheroes or something. Like, should a truck hits them, their titanium armoured bodies would protect them from any injuries or death, or their quick reflexes would propel them to the nearest lamp post or they'd fly off to the sky and by that, no, I'm not referring to my name, meoowww, meow, meow, meow... the only place that they are likely flying off to is into the grave (me and Sky laughing together).
ON SOCIETY Q: Sky, each TV station has their own talent search shows. Surprisingly, it seems that for every talent show, there are always new faces who turn up, indicating that so many of human young generations are into entertainment and chasing after fame and glory of being an artist. But the question is, do we need THAT many entertainment AND artists? Also, are these aspiring artists strong enough to withstand the usual allurances and vices that are easily available when you enter the industry?Are they well equipped with knowledge and most importantly, iman? I mean, we've heard before how some of these artists make statements that are so stupid, lame and against the Islamic syariah, it's like they have nothing up there. I'm not saying all singers or actors are vile characters. It's just that, I find labels such as icons or idols that are given to them deem inappropriate. I mean just because so many girls are jumping up and down upon seeing them, does that qualify them to be role models for our children? I mean what have they contributed to the country anyway other than having sold these many albums and those many concert tickets? Contrary to contestants from shows like Akademi Al Qur'an or those nasyid groups or those scientists, professors, ustazs, motivators, national heroes and such, not much publicity is given to them. I think it is these people whom our children should look up to. Well, at least we know they are following the right footsteps. A: Hmmmm, my Master, this is a tough question. Luckily my children are cats. The only rather bad influence that they may be exposed to is Garfield... Huhuhu, how I miss my children.... meowww...
If we want to over-publicise those people in Akademi Al Qur'an or those others you have mentioned, chances are they would refuse to be paraded the same. People have always associated entertainment industry with gossips and publicities. What with so many exposures given to celebrities, the young ones can't help but starting to idolise them, hero-worshipped them, even though some of these celebrities are not that good.
Thanks to the media,our country has been shaped the hedonism way. The influences of Hollywood, Bollywood and Chinawood are penetrating into the minds of young humans, making them forget and neglect their values and religons. What we fear of is, should the nation be facing with real danger or threat, whether from outside or within the country itself, your young ones that you all rely on to defend this country, are still jumping up and down, banging their heads listening to music, or too addicted to drugs, they have become hopeless beings. Now THAT would be 'hodoh'nism (ugly).
ON THE NATION
Q: I remember in the past, how this country used to work from Sundays to Thursdays, and Fridays and Saturdays were the weekends. Then, when the Cabinet tried to fight changing the working days to the current system (Mondays to Fridays, with Saturdays and Sundays as the weekends), this one 'wise' minister said this one 'wise' thing that I could never forget. He said, there were Muslims who took the opportunity to go for holidays on Fridays and thus, some of them (Muslim males) had skipped Friday prayers at noon.
If only I had the chance to tell this minister that what people were doing on Fridays was not his business. It was not up to the minister to control or decide what people should do on their weekends. Furthermore, how could he know how many Muslim males had skipped Friday prayers, out of those who travel that particular day.Chances were, those travelling Muslims would still perform their Friday prayers at mosques despite being on vacation. Furthermore, hadn't he heard of the word and concept musafir? Did it also never occur to him that most of us would rather just spend time with their families at homes instead anyway.
Now that the majority of states in Malaysia work on Fridays, many Muslim workers have to skip Friday prayers every now and then, and to some, on every Friday, due to the nature of their jobs. I wonder whether this minister is feeling a little concerned at all, if not obliged, now that it IS within the government's control and responsibiliy to ensure their fellow Muslim males perform their duty to Allah? A: Pardon me for saying this Master... but, do you think the minister gives a dang? Meowww.... I'm feeling a little sleepy now and would like to nap. Purrr... purrr..
Creativity thinking - A cartoon side OR a child(ish) side?
An acquaintance had asked, how come there are cartoons (drawn by me) nowadays in my blog? Though he did not comment on the quality of the cartoons (mind you, I'm not a pro!), he did say some of them tickled him.
Well, as they say, there are two sides in every human being - the good side and the bad side. It's up to you how you interprate what's good and what's bad. But logically, donating to earthquake victims is a good deed, while attacking other countries on baseless reasons other than to fulfill one's vendetta and greed, is way way, a bad deed(s).
As for me, I'm glad to say that, there is another side of me. A cartoon side. I don't think I am feeding my childish side though, since liking cartoons (whether reading or watching or drawing them) doesn't have anything to do with our level of maturity. Look at those famous cartoons out there, in prints or in screens. They are created by adults and liked/loved by people of all ages.
How you interprate what cartoon is, is also up to you. A cartoonised version of a human being may have one arm bigger than another, eyes looking like they are about to pop out or a hair style so retro, the tip of the hairs may reach the ceiling.
But on the other hand, a cartoonised version of a human being can also be so detailed and true to nature. The fine lines on the forehead are visibly drawn, brownish body hairs on parts not covered by clothes or eyes so glassy, we are almost fooled into thinking that we are looking into a mirror.
The way the cartoons are drawn and the punch lines they utter can tickle our funny bones (depending on how many bones of that type you have or whether you have any funny bones at all haha).
The (hidden) message behind a cartoon strip may make us ponder (unless the message is so well hidden, we don't get what it means).
Cartoons can also make us understand certain instructions or guidelines better, since they 'say' straight to the point (like a cartoon flyer that explains the benefits of leading a healthy lifestyle).
A well thought-of idea of a novel-length story can be delivered to readers via cartoons. Unlike authors, a cartoonist can clearly describe a poorly lit and dampy alley with some stray dogs digging through a large dustbin at one corner and a homeless man lying motionless at another, in a two-by-four-inch box, compared to maybe more than a page of a book that an author needs.
Cartoon animations (2D's or 3D's), especially those which are realistically portrayed, can make us, children and adults alike, eagerly wait in line for cinema tickets and stay glued to the screens.
Whatever the reasons may be, we can all agree on one thing - that cartoons affects us emotionally. They make us laugh, feel sad or simply feeling awed.
I remember when I was in my pre-teens, I had 'published' this one monthly magazine of my own, called Ragam A. Nizar (A. Nizar's Antics). By published, I mean every month, I would use a new exercise book (plain pages or with lines) and would draw and write any ideas that came to mind. There were even columns like Letters From Readers, comics series, advertisements and contests, in addition to the many one-page cartoon strips. The only difference was that, all drawings and writings were contributed by me. As I can vaguely recall, they were not that bad and quite funny too.
Each month, the mag covers carried different themes. I remember the cover I had for one December month. It showed a Santa Claus slumped on a chair in his flooded house with all the presents floating around him. Fyi, towards end of the year, particularly in December, Malaysia is a wet season with flood in certain areas, thus the reason behind that particular cover.
The covers even came complete with price tag, circulation no, name of month, etc... just like how usual publications would look like. I published them without fail for about a year or a year plus, mainly for my safe keeping and with friends occasionally reading them. Just think of it as my version of Gila-Gila (a local publication) and Mad magazines....
For more than 10 years, I had somehow lost touch with my cartoon side. Not only that, I had even completely forgotten about my 'magazine.' When I became a guest speaker for Cedko'sCartoonist Conference a year ago on a non-cartoon related subject, I somehow had this deja vu feeling, that I used to like to draw before. Talk about having amnesia huh?
The memory snapped back at me after my wife relayed the conversation she had with my mum one day. She said that mum regretted the fact that she had thrown away all my Ragam A. Nizar magazines. Otherwise my wife would have gotten the chance to read them. No wonder I had suppressed memories on cartooning. Only since then, had I remember how artistic, creative and perhaps, entrepreneurial I was. And since then also, I've started to stay in touch with my cartoon side.
For me, creativity breaks ourselves from the norms of life, from all those typical stuffs we encounter with daily. For example, a factory worker may need to do soldering work as his routine. But his creativity, or rather, imagination, can spice it up by imagining those transistors, capacitors and resistors come to life.
I also value creativity greatly, something that is outside the box and out of ordinary. For example, don't you just hate it when another typical car advertisement is just showing you the clutch, the seats and the headlights? But an advert about a father fixing the seatbelt of his bubbly and talkative daughter from the outside of a car, and the father then runs a little bit to get to the driver's seat, not wanting to miss what the daughter is saying as she still keeps on talking, gives you a refreshing look on the car AND father-child relationship.
Another close example that we may all relate to - compare a dull power point presentation with all long-worded texts to complement a monotonous speaker, with the one that comes with animations and sound effects (as long as not overly-done).
Creativity also lets ideas flow and helps form solutions to problems. For example, I've read from many sources before, that for an aspiring author to succeed in his writing endeavour, he/she should just keep on writing when ideas pour in. Don't stop and think too much, for the ideas might stop or the stories lose creativity. Screw the grammar, screw the sentence structures. Those can be dealth with/edit later.
As our cute and slightly overweight member of the family, Mr. Sky (photo above) had said the other day, when he quoted the words of Edward Albee and Gerald G. Jampolsky, "Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow, meow........" which meant, "The thing that makes a creative person is to be creative and that is all there is to it," and "A truly creative person rids him or herself of all self-imposed limitations." What a wise middle-aged 'man', Mr. Sky is. :-o
P/S: If drawing own magazine was something that I openly let other people see me doing when I was younger, how about imagining having own TV cartoon series while taking a shower (well, for most of the times)? Each episodes would revolve around the characters that I created, with dialogues that I scripted. They even came with sound effects (yep! this mouth can produce such effects haha), with hand movements and all, to represent the flow of the stories.
Guess, now you know I was (or am) such an introvert huh, and perhaps, the reason why I still take quite a long time in the shower (though no longer talking to myself in the room laaa...:-p)
How to survive the "Hippopotamus" (updated in green)
What shape us as a person? Is it genetic, upbringing or environment? For example, we look like the way we do because of genetic factor; like brown stint eyes, long sharp nose, thick curly hair or having dark skin.
If genetic determines (mostly) our physical; upbringing and environment mould our behaviours. I was blessed to be born and raised in a loving environment - with loving parents, (late) grandmother and elder sister. I guess that's why I easily feel attached to someone who is nice towards me (and my family), especially if the kindness is uncalled for. Don't get me wrong! There are many kinds of love. Heck! I even love my cat, Sky, so darn much, to the extent that I always talk to him like Sky is another human being.
However, I realise there arethose who are born in a broken family. Parents divorced or killed; or the child is abused physically (like being beaten or raped) or mentally (like hearing parents fight all the time). How about those who are born in a war-torn country. They witness brutalities and atrocities being committed right in front of them even before they leave their cradles. For these children, they will encounter much turmoil and difficulties in their life paths ahead (although not necessary the case, of course).
But then, would you agree that, despite how good (or not too good) the way we are brought up, environment influences us the most. And I'm talking about environment outside the family. For example, say a child raised with much love by his family, but instead of putting him in a good school, he is sent to jail with the rest of criminals, and is labelled a criminal as well. Let him serve his 'sentence' for a few years. Chances are, the kid would eventually think and act like he too is a criminal, even though he really is NOT.
I'm just trying to make a point here. Because I think we spend many hours at school/studying and at work, and these are the environments that shape our lives.
I guess no matter how great the upbringing can be, but when certain people keep labelling you with some bad names, after a while, you'd start to believe you are who you have been labelled.
And in these environments, there are certain groups of people that you should approach with caution. These are the people whom I'd like to refer to as HIPPOPOTAMUS.
Have you ever been stabbed in the back (not literally I hope), or someone bad mouthed you so bad, it's appalling you ever knew that person at all.
They are nice in front of you, but behind you, they will tell stories about you - things you are not comfortable with, secrets that you thought would never leak and worst, lies so heinous, people start to perceive you differently (in a bad way).
Then, they are also people who are judgemental (they are just plain mental, if you ask me). They immediately judge you in a certain way, especially if you are slightly different from the rest of the crowds. And they way they judge and assume and theorise, wow..., it's like they own a few PHD's in the field.
Such behaviour (BACK STABBING AND JUDGEMENTAL) is typical among us humans. Whenever someone is (slightly) different from norm, other people start to pass all sorts of judgements; like WHAT HE'S CAPABLE OR NOT CAPABLE OF DOING, WHAT HE'S LIKE, WHY HE SHOULD BE AVOIDED AND RIDICULED AT, BLAH BLAHH BLAHHH... As though they know so much about him, making him feel bad and low about himself. What makes they think they know so much?? DO THEY THINK THAT THEY ARE SUCH PERFECT CREATURES, THEY HAVE TO JUDGE OTHERS?? Whatever they bad-mouth about the other person, those things will definitely come back to them (if not their own loved ones), in ten folds much worse. SOMEONE SHOULD JUST SHOVE SOME BAMBOO STICKS WITH SHARP ENDS INTO THEIR ASSES, THAT SHOULD SERVE THEM GOOD....
So, who are Hippopotamus? They are people who are: 1. Back stabbers 2. Judgemental freaks (or just plain 'mental').
Those who fall in the 2nd category of Hippopotamus, usually jumps to the 1st group, as they will start to BABBLE things that they have no business in and have little/absolutely no knowledge about.
Here's a story about Tom, who represents his school in a public speaking contest during his senior primary years. There is a short break prior to him giving a speech. He chats with another contestant siting next to him, trying harmlessly to make a new friend. Then all of a sudden, this fella says "Djinn is your school mate, isn't he? Well, he's my neighbour. He says you used to stammer badly until only recently, you recovered, right? Haha, surprisingly the school picks you as their contender."
Yes, it is surprising for Tom too. Not because his school picks him as a contender. But because he doesn't really know this Djinn sucker that well. What's in it for Djinn to bad-mouth him? Djinn is not interested in public speaking. He doesn't even compete at school level. So, jealousy can be ruled out as the reason. So, why the heck would Djinn make stories behind his back when he never actually harms Djinn before?
Face turning red after hearing such remarks, Tom encounters difficulties delivering his speech. His stammer problem resurfaces, which affects his performance on stage.
When Tom goes for further studies, unfortunately, Djinn is the only one from his school who goes to the same college as he does. As expected, Djinn starts spreading news about his Tom Tam label (Tam as in sTAMmer). Therefore, Tom has issues blending in, since some students already judge him a certain way before they even get to know him. Quite a GOSSIP KING this Djinn fella huh? And considering this Djinn person acts like he's manly and everything, he's actually a DRAMA QUEEN. Yep, that's the correct word! What a FUC*ING BIT*H!!
Are you a Hippopotamus? If you are, please do change and ungroup yourself from these people. Why? It's because of Hippopotamus: 1. Religions are misjudged and misinterpreted. 2. Certain people are labelled wrongly and feared at (unnecessarily). 3. Truths are hidden and concealed, yet lies blossomed and revealed. 4. Friendships and marriages are broken. 5. Respected figures degraded by society. 6. People lose their self confidence and shun themselves away from society. 7. People lose their jobs/means of income. 8. People get killed. 9. Countries go to war. 10. ... many other efects that you may have seen or encountered. In fact it's not too drastic to say, that Hippopotamus has contributed much to the instability in the world.
If you ever come across one of them, here's what you should do.
Most probably, the Hippopotamus is far from being better than you. Try to imagine them looking so ugly like a Hippopotamus with boils all over the body, with stinking armpits (ugh!) and much stinking behaviours. Most likely, they are also less successful than you; lower ranking job, lower IQ, uglier, immature, have less achievements etc. etc. Not trying to be arrogant or anything, just to boost yourself back up. Heck! they make you feel so low right? So, why don't you look down on them in return; even though you're just judging them quietly and to yourself. Well, it works - trust me! However, if they ARE better in many ways (better looking, better income, better job position, etc), but in terms of faith towards God, he might not be. Although of course, you should NEVER EVER JUDGE OR ASSUME that another human being is at a lower level in the eyes of God than you are. That is between him/her and God. Who are we to judge their faith anyway, right??However, it does help, if you can still imagine them looking like the ugly Hippopotamus.
Also, try to think, is this person really important to you? Have they ever contributed a single dime (or help) to bring you to where you are now? Chances are... NEVER... so, toss them away, like how you toss filthy garbage into the bin or flush them down the toilet (not literally, ok!)... You'll start to feel good about yourself in no time. Those people are definitely NOT worth the time and energy for you to keep thinking and become all stressed out about.
But then, what if that person IS important to you, you DO need him/her, they DID help you in many things before. This is the case where your heart is crushed the most, I believe. In that case, talk diplomatically to this person, personally or with the presence of a counsellor/psychiatrist. Obviously, you need CLOSURE dudes... Or better still, just FORGIVE and FORGET, like it all never happens before. So, decide what's best. At the end of the day, it's your own life that you should be concerned about.
You can cry your eyes out all you want or scream your heart out as loud as you can. Whether to suppress your anger or to let it all out (BUT PLEASE... DON'T HARM ANY LIVING THINGS WHEN YOU ARE ANGRY, OK?? ), just bear in mind, you may NOT be able to FORGIVE someone for what they've done, but it is the vengeance that is burning inside you that you should try to FORGET. The vengeance of causing as much hurt to those people, like maybe pray bad things happen to them, steal something from them, (hire someone to) beat them up, humiliate or degrade them, cast some kind of spell on them (that can happen you know), burn their houses, rape their children and worst of all, kill them... And always remember this:WHAT DOESN'T KILL YOU, MAKE YOU STRONGER. Incidentally, I recently came across this quotation and very much like to include it here. Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741-1801), a Theologian once said, "Don't speak evil of someone if you don't know for certain, and if you do know, ask yourself why am I telling it?" We have TWO ears and ONE mouth for a reason: To speak less, but to listen more (depending on circumstances, obviously).
And in case you wonder, why Hippopotamus? It's from the word hypocrite.
COMING SOON: 1. Num8ers: Coincidentally, this number is significant in my life. 2. Learn alphabets from movies: 'D' is for diamond (The Pink Panther); Destination (Final Destination 3); Descending (The Descent); Dick (Have Fun With Dick And Jane); Diego (of Ice Age 2); Death Call (When A Stranger Calls) and Disney (The Wild). While 'V' is for Vampires (Underworld 2) and Vendetta. 3. Also reviews on The Manly Girl (She's The Man), The Sinking Ship (Poseidon), The Impossible Mission (MI-3) and err... The Hilly Eyes? (The Hills Have Eyes).
Just came back to work yesterday. Raya was fine - 'beraya'ing to some relatives' place with my folks; playing with and entertaining those 2 cute nieces of mine; cuddling with Sky, the fattest and most eccentric cat I've ever known and getting further acquainted with my fiance and her family.
Tomorrow, I'll be leaving to New Delhi, for this one convention till next Tuesday, 15 November 2005. Do pray that I return safely and in one piece. God...I hope that was just a bad dream....Aaaamiiinnnnnnnn...........
The Oxford Dictionary says "boulevard" means wide city street, often with trees on each side. As for me, "boulevard" is the path that I thread my way through in life. At times, the trees give me protection from the hot sun above. While at other times, no amount of trees can comfort me when it pours. Come rain or shine, the road continues to provide me with the journey of life until it reaches its destination.
People say I'm sweet, kind, a gentleman, caring, romantic and observant (let's just concentrate on the good attributes). I love those who matter to me, and care about things that count. I'm a Malay Muslim and proud to be one. I DON'T think Islam should be judged by those nasty followers. Islam should be judged by the religion itself; its teachings and the purpose behind them. I mean, humans will still behave like humans right? Usually, regardless of religions that they embrace. It is also in my nature to please, since I believe that TO PLEASE EVERYONE IS AN IMPOSSIBLE FEAT, BUT NOT TRYING TO PLEASE ANYONE OTHER THAN ONESELF IS A POSSIBLE DEFEAT (own quote). Apart from sharing the things I read, watch and listen to, I'd also share my thoughts and feelings, and express my views on certain issues. Last by no means least, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM EVERYONE OF YOU OUT THERE ABOUT ANYTHING! If we knew each other 'in the previous life' and had lost contact, or we hardly contact each other nowadays, do email me or comment on my entries. Feel free to explore my blog & website (http://members.fortunecity.com/abdunmy/). Cheerio & Wassalam.
Sometimes, to boldly go (where no one has gone before) at warp speed may cause you unnecessary troubles.
Own quote, based on Star Trek
Lesson from the quote: Rushing to reach your destinations or goals may get you there fast, but may not always be the smartest thing to do!
"Note The Quote (Malay translation)"
Kadang kala, perjalanan (ke tempat yang tidak pernah ditujui) pada kelajuan maksimum boleh menyebabkan kesusahan pada diri sendiri.
Rekaan sendiri, berdasarkan dari Star Trek
Pengajaran: Terburu-buru untuk sampai ke destinasi atau matlamat hidup mungkin boleh membawa kita ke sana dengan cepat, tetapi langkah itu tidak semestinya yang terbaik!
You have to find something that you love enough to be able to take risks, jump over the hurdles and break through the brick walls that are always going to be placed in front of you. If you don't have that kind of feeling for what it is you are doing, you'll stop at the first giant hurdle.
George Lucas (Film Director and Producer)
"Favourite Note The Quote 2"
A sign in a mosque on the need to switch off handphones:
P/S: Email me if you wish to receive a "Weekly Note The Quote" newsletter, a compilation of quotations that appear here in this column or in any of my blog entries within a particular week. Please put Note The Quote in your email subject. TQ.
If you have a specific field/term to search on Islam, you can also enter your search item(s) at Islamic Web Directory, available at the bottom of an entry entitled Proofs. For your convenience in accessing the Directory, Proofs is available in "Other own (cool) stuffs" column. Thank you.
Penguin Rush
