Read. Inquire. Scrutinize. Question.

This post is specially dedicated to my fellow friends.

With the upcoming general election in Malaysia (speculated to be held in March), parties have been busy campaigning and bloggers like Lim Kit Siang and Raja Petra just can't have much break. Local newspapers like Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian, and The New Straits Times also have started to warm up for the election. Well, while these people are busy preparing for the election, I wonder if we are doing the same.

Although most of us are students, be it local or abroad, I just felt the urge to write this post because I do believe that a lot of us do not really have much interest to know about what is going on in our country as far as politics is concerned. It is well understood that we are all busy with studies and personal matters, but lately I also think that being 21 and over has brought us a new responsibility that we should not take for granted - and this is the responsibility to vote.

And because of this new responsibility, I feel that we need to start at least know what is actually going on in Malaysia. Therefore, I'd like to encourage all of us, myself especially, to get to know at least the basic stuffs that we need as voters.

We need to know the procedures on how to register as a voter. We need to know the basics of a government and what it does. We need to know what parties are involved. We need to know expectations of what we should get from a government and also government's expectations of us. We need to be realistic enough to think that no administration is perfect, but at the same time know our rights as citizens. We need to read - Read the local newspapers, watch news on the televisions, read blogs on the internet, read people's comments on the blogs, find useful information and get to know what people are talking about nowadays, be it from the opposition side or the ruling party.

I'd say the best move for us is to read a lot and read from all kinds of sources, and not to stick to just one biased source. Why? Because the best judgement that we can make is after considering all kinds of information that we have acquired. Knowing about current issues are just vital. Therefore, inquire. Be critical. Ask questions. Get involved.

One more tip when reading news, blogs and reports is to always scrutinize the contents. Humans write according to their perspectives, so sometimes even the best bloggers could be wrong. Sometimes they make mistakes, but sometimes their ideas is just undeniably genius. I personally like Farish A. Noor of Othermalaysia.org due to his neutrality in his writings.

If you need other recommendations, I would say use Google and type keywords like Utusan, NST, The Star, UMNO, Pemuda UMNO, MCA, MIC, Barisan Nasional, PKR, DAP, PAS, Malaysiakini, Harakahdaily, Jeff Ooi, Lim Kit Siang and OtherMalaysia.org, Malaysia Today. These are all good sources to read from. Youtube is another interesting source. Whatever it is, just keep an open mind when you're surfing.

Well, I do not intend to sound too smart, or sound like I know about everything - because I don't. In fact, I actually regard myself as a newbie to this. Bus as far as knowing about the goings-on in Malaysia, I should say that I've learned more now than I ever did before. And I think it should be a really huge benefit for all of us to learn some basics and issues in Malaysian politics. I would therefore again, urge all of us including myself to equip ourselves with some useful knowledge about the country, especially now with the election coming close.

Anyway, we're Malaysian citizens, so aren't we the ones responsible to care about our own country and make it a better place to live?

Letter from a Desperate Housewife

I got this joke from Dr Azwan's blog page. I'm re-posting it here to share it with you guys. This is a must-read..

Dear IT Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a slow down in the overall performance, particularly in the flower, gifts and jewellery applications that had operated flawlessly under boyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1.0 un-installed many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, but installed undesirable programs such as Formula One 5.0, NBA 3.0 and World Cup 2.0.

And now Conversation 8.0 no longer runs and House Cleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system. I've tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.

What can I do?


Signed,

Desperate Housewife


------------------------------------------------------------------

Reply:

Dear Desperate Housewife,

First keep in mind: Boyfriend 5.0 is an entertainment package, while Husband 1.0 is an operating system.

Try entering the command C:\ I THOUGHT YOU LOVED ME and download Tears 6.2 to install Guilt 3.0. If all works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewellery 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.

But remember, overuse can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Late Night Teh Tarik 6.1. Late Night 6.1 is a very bad program that will create SnoringLoudly.wavfiles.

Whatever you do, DO NOT install Mother-in-Law 1.0 or reinstall another Boyfriend program. These are not supported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have a limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider additional software to improve memory and performance. I personally recommend Hot Tasty Food 3.0 and Tongkat Ali 6.9.

Good Luck,

IT Support

The Economics of Love

From a combination of economics theory, love, relationship failures and success stories, I came up with quite a simple theory that finds a connection between attention and attraction..

It's called "The Economics of Love". And here what it's all about..

My theory says that Attraction works more of like a "price", and attention works more of like the "quantity of goods available". Let's say our example is a girl and her name is Siti. Being the only person with the name Siti who has her own unique personality traits that defines herself, she can then declare that she's the world's only supplier of brand-name "Siti's Attention", thus making her a monopoly in the market since her product is unique. Now, "Siti's Attention" is always produced under her own control and conscience..

Now let's get a typical guy's name to be Siti's partner. Let's just name him Ali.. Since he is Siti's partner, thus we can assume that Ali is the target audience (or the market consumers) of the product called "Siti's Attention".

Would you agree with me if I say this -- If "Siti's Attention" is produced in huge numbers every single day, in amounts that far exceeds what Ali can consume every day, flooding Ali's mind, time and energy, thus the price to get one unit of "Siti's Attention" has now decreased...

This is the reason why -- If Ali can earn something like "Siti's Attention" all the time without having to put hardly any effort, then the price of "Siti's Attention" will drop. "Siti's Attention" has now become less in value. And the market surely doesn't crave for something that's easy to get.

Being a monopoly, how can Siti increase the price of "Siti's Attention"? -- The answer is by controlling the supply. Siti needs to produce a smaller amount (or just the right amount) of "Siti's Attention" for Ali so that the price of "Siti's Attention" will go back to the appropriate level. As the availability of "Siti's Attention" is lower (and harder to obtain), it's price will increase. With this, Ali will become more attracted to it (Ever wonder why people are much more attracted to a Mercedes than a Kancil?)

If you ask me if it also works the other way around (A girl and A guy's attention) -- I believe it does..

So, what have we learned here? Take this example and see if we have been pouring too much attention towards our partners. If some of you are doing this, notice if your partner is "suffocating" a little bit or not. If he/she is "suffocating", then you might have been producing too much Attention for him/her. The price of your attention has gone down. He/she doesn't have to do much effort to get attention from you. You definitely need to stop the "suffocation" immediately before your actions will cause him/her to start losing the attraction that your partner once had towards you before..

Leaning back, taking your own time and doing your own stuff will really help. This projects security and confidence (which are really attractive to just about anyone). Plus, by paying less attention (or giving just the right amount of it) towards your partner, it will give the other person the chance to think about you and miss you when you're not around. This really makes the relationship healthy because both people will have to put at least some effort to get each other's attention (there is BALANCE)..

But how can we know how much is TOO much of attention? Well, I should say that any amount of attention would be good, as long as we're not at the level of being clingy and needy.. Why? Because being clingy and needy indirectly projects insecurity..

So, if your partner seems to be suffocated by you clinging around all the time, then you probably want to give him/her some space to breathe by starting to do your own stuff. If there's no third person in the picture, then it is definitely not their fault that they now feel less interested to talk to you. Most probably you were the one to be blamed.

Now, I'm sure there are also other factors that comes into play when we talk about relationships and love, but what I'm trying to explain here is just the connection between Attention and Attraction.. Plus, this law might not be applicable to married couples due to the change in the relationship's dynamics..

To wrap up, I'd like to rephrase this theory into one line:

"In a pre-marital relationship, given that everything else is constant, if Partner X's projected Attention increases to the level of "clinginess"/"suffocation", Partner Y (the receiver) will start to feel less of Attraction towards Partner X.."

Now, do you agree with this theory? Or you have another way of explaining it? What's your personal opinion? I sure would appreciate to hear from you..

Til my next post, Cheers..

Malaysian's Young Professionals Speak on the Economy

This is a very interesting 7-question short survey on Malaysian economy and it is done by the Young Professionals Chamber Malaysia (PROMUDA). Therefore, credits should be given to them. The survey was first started on new year, and after 12 days, approximately 400 young, professional Malaysians including students local and abroad have participated in taking the survey.

If you do not know economics that well, you can just read through this post and still understand most of the questions because they're kind of understandable from a layman's view. And if you do care about Malaysian economy, take the survey now before you continue reading this post because I'm afraid your judgments will be skewed after reading this post, thus affecting your responses. You can take the survey by clicking the link below:

PROMUDA Survey on the Economy


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

Here are the results of the survey as of January 12, 2008:


Question 1

In view of globalization, do you feel Malaysia is getting more or less competitive as a nation?

Answer	Responses	Percent
Less competitive	312	78.00%
More competitive	78	19.50%
I don't know	10	2.50%

Question 2

Do you think Malaysia is on track to achieve a developed nation status by the year 2020?

Answer	Responses	Percent
No	298	74.50%
Yes	73	18.30%
I don't know	29	7.30%

Question 3

What is your perception of the state of Malaysia's economy?

Answer	Responses	Percent
The economy is stagnant	249	63.50%
The economy is in a recession	74	18.90%
The economy is doing well	57	14.50%
I don't know	12	3.10%

Question 4

Please estimate the increase in price level of basic commodities you have experienced in Malaysia over the last 3 to 4 years.

Answer	Responses	Percent
20% - 50%	206	52.80%
50% - 100%	119	30.50%
Less than 20%	32	8.20%
I don't know	17	4.40%
More than 100%	16	4.10%

Question 5

How do you view the level of graduate unemployment problem in Malaysia following MIER's statement below?

"The Malaysian Institute of Economic Research (MIER) said the country is now experiencing “jobless growth” where the economy grew at 5.9% in the last five to six years, but few jobs were created."

Answer	Responses	Percent
The problem is getting worse	259	66.60%
The problem is the same as before	94	24.20%
I don't know	26	6.70%
There is no such problem	10	2.60%

Question 6

How do you view affirmative action policies such as NEP?

Answer	Responses	Percent
Skewed implementation and subjected to abuse, thus policy should be reformed	304	79.40%
Effective implementation benefitting target groups, thus policy should be maintained in its present form	43	11.20%
I don't know	36	9.40%

Question 7

Please choose the best 3 options below which you think can help the nation to be more competitive in the future.

Answer	Responses	Percent
Have more quality leadership	320	84.20%
Ensure effective implementation of policies	284	74.70%
Reverse the 'brain drain'	235	61.80%
Encourage more foreign direct investments	104	27.40%
Encourage more transfer of technology from abroad	93	24.50%
Hire more skilled foreign workers	7	1.80%
Other	1	0.30%

Look at the results and make your own conclusions.

I personally feel that either something is really wrong in the country, or the validity of these responses is questionable. But if something is wrong in the economy, some changes need to be done by the administration. I myself do not know much of the statistics, so I can't say that Malaysian economy is in a bad shape.

Now, what do YOU personally think? Feel free to share your comments below. I'd be glad to hear what's on your mind, because every opinion matters...


Source: PROMUDA State of the Nation 2008 Survey - Part 1: On the Economy

Things Malaysians Might Wanna Know

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on December 6, 2007.

I've only been in the United States for two years and a couple of months. To say that I know a lot about this country, I really don't. But no doubt I did learn a few things since I first came here in August 2005. So I just thought I need to share some things that Malaysians might be interested to know about the United States.

#1 Not everyone dress up or behave like what we see in Hollywood movies

Well, this country still have a lot of normal people like us, and they dress NORMALLY. I've seen people in Malaysia that are "dressed to kill" and some maybe even inappropriately dress up too much that it exceeds what I normally see here. Yes, I know that we all have individual freedom, individual rights, bla bla bla.. But you know, wearing a thick jacket under the hot Malaysian sun is probably~ not really a good idea..

#2 Not everyone know and talk about Malaysia

Thanks to the government, our media has really brainwashed us to believe that the world revolves around Malaysia. We're taught this way even since we were potty training. No, not everyone know Malaysia, my friend. Please quit thinking that people REALLY care about what we do in Malaysia, like all the time. They just don't.. To them, Malaysia is just another country (in Asia, or if they're pretty good in Geography, in South-East Asia). Plus, they have a lot more important things to think about than to care about what's happening in Malaysia..

#3 People hold the door open for the person walking behind them when entering a building (if that person is not too far away, of course)

And the person walking behind will usually say "Thank you" for that person holding the door. This is just one way people are being curteous towards others. Well, you don't wanna do this if it is automatic door..

#4 Cars stop for pedestrians to cross the road

Well, this one was quite a culture shock to me when I first got here. But they only do this on small, not-so-busy country roads, of course. Cars don't stop in the middle of highways. Malaysians in Malaysia might wanna try this. But don't be surprised if the pedestrian freaks out because he/she might think that you're just getting ready to run over them as soon as they walk in front of your car.

#5 They're not superior to us. They just THINK that they are

Yes. A lot of us might have inferiority complex when seeing a white person. But you don't really have to. Like I said, they just THINK that they are better than the others, so they act like one (and they usually perform like one, too). If we can also THINK and see ourselves as just as good as them (or even better), then we WILL also be just like how we see ourselves as. It's all in the mentality..

#6 You will appreciate "maple"s (or the mamak restaurants) so so much once you're here

Since I'm not a nighclub person, the nights are not so entertaining here. I just miss "maple"s so much. I don't even have to go over the details about the football (or soccer?) matches we watch on those big screens and the lively crowd that stays til 2-3 a.m. I'm sure you guys know what I'm talking about.

The small town that I live in here will literally "die" after 9 p.m. No kidding. It's no fun. The only closest thing to maple should be this 24-hours restaurant called Denny's. But it really is not like maple at all. The place is too neat and you'd usually have to spend around $12.00 after tax and tip. So expensive. So please, appreciate what we have in Malaysia..

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

Well, that might be it. Some of the cultures here are good and I personally think that we should learn these things from them. But of course, we don't follow whatever that's bad.

But overall, probably the most important thing that I got from here is that I learned to appreciate more of what we have in Malaysia (except for the political scene, corruption, and crazy drivers). We might think that they have a better place to live than us. Yes, it might be for them, but definitely not for us. We are Malaysians, and Malaysia is where we live..

It's just like how they say it - "There's no place like home"...

10 Reasons Why My Mom Is The Best Mom In The World

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on October 16, 2007.

This morning I got a parcel of kuih raya so I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my mom by writing this..

Alright. Let's keep this short. Here's ten reasons why I vote my mom as the best mom in the world:

1) She loves me like how a great mom would..
2) She's been a good friend of mine, telling me some things nobody would say..
3) She's a gorgeous amoi so I believe she's 'installed' pretty useful chinese genes in the family..
4) She runs a small business and it's taken good care the whole 7 children of hers for a good 17 years..
5) She's been thru hardship in a lot of years before this to take care of us and still got thru it all..
6) She's taught me profound ways and realities of life... Like when I was around nine, I got fresh cili padi shoved in my mouth when she overheard me saying the word ba**.. (and so I learned a lesson)
7) She's been the reason I travel halfway around the globe to go home - 2 years in a row now (and counting)..
8) She got my dad (a.k.a the Sri Menanti Chick Magnet) as husband..
9) She sometimes act inappropriately too-cute for a 50-year-old..

And the last reason and the most important reason why I vote my mom as the best mom in the world, is...

10) Simply, because she's my mom...

Well, I'm sure in your case, your mom would be the best in the world to you - even if you don't have any reasons why you would think so.. in fact, I just think all of us should make our moms the best, because they simply deserve to be the best for all of us, don't they? (yes, even if she's britney spears or a yakuza head or something)...

And to that special lady - I love you mom, and I will always do.. ;)

That Last Day of Ramadhan

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on October 12, 2007.

I have NEVER - in my whole life - felt this way, but when this year's Ramadhan ended yesterday, somehow I had this feeling that I wasn't actually ready for it..

Well, I admit it that I'm definitely not the most religious, but when Ramadhan ended yesterday, for the first time I was actually wondering if I'm gonna have the chance to meet next year's Ramadhan (especially the terawih prayers - even though I missed half of them this year ;P ) Later last night, for some reason I felt like a sense of warmth and calmness wrapping me thru the night.

Perhaps it's because I'm halfway-around-the-world far from home and the calmness is actually sadness? Or is it because since I got a bit older, some things now seem to make sense to me? Well, who knows..

Whatever it is, I'm glad I got thru this year's Ramadhan, and I look forward to having another one a year from now..

And before I forget, I'd like to take this opportunity to wish Happy Eid to all of you who's reading this.. I apologize for anything I've done that could've hurt anyone's feelings in the past... I'm not perfect, and yes, being a human, I don't know everything and I do make mistakes..

Til my next post, have a good Hari Raya, guys... Assalamualaikum :)

Twenty-four

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on August 31, 2007.

*This post is dedicated to someone special to me

It took me seven point six
To get a ten
Well, a ten to me at least...

And for a solid ten
I had to give a hundred
For a ten will always be a ten...

And it was true
I was right from the beginning...

So seven witnessed it all
From the other side of the world
To the other side of that big road
Seven witnessed it all...

Seven plus twenty-four equals thirty-one
Eight is gone so another twenty-three to go...

Patience is key
So just bare with time
For when zero comes
We will have another great twenty-four... ;o*

Hadapi Dengan Senyuman

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on August 25, 2007.

I previously wrote about the importance of differentiating what we can actually control from what we can't whenever we're tested with difficult situations. Well, an Indonesian band got it figured right on the bullseye. Read the lyrics below and if you have the song in your computer, try listening to it carefully this time.

Artist: Dewa
Song: Hadapi Dengan Senyuman

Hadapi dengan senyuman
Semua yang terjadi, biar terjadi
Hadapi dengan tenang jiwa
Semua kan baik baik saja

Bila ketetapan Tuhan sudah ditetapkan
Tetaplah sudah
Tak ada yang bisa merubah
Dan takkan bisa berubah

Relakan saja ini
Bahwa (Bahawa) semua yang terbaik
Terbaik untuk kita semua
Menyerahlah untuk menang

The lyrics is really simple but it holds truly important messages regarding life realities. And I really like this song for a few other reasons:

1. It tells us to face difficult situations (hadapi)
2. On top of that, it also reminds us to face those difficult situations POSITIVELY and CALMLY (dengan senyuman, dengan tenang jiwa)
3. It helps us assure ourselves that everything's gonna be just fine (semua kan baik-baik saja)
4. The song says that some things just purely CAN'T be changed and can't be controlled no matter what (tak ada yang bisa merubah, dan takkan bisa berubah)
5. It teaches us to accept fate (relakanlah saja ini, bahwa semua yang terbaik)
6. It introduces the concept of "giving in to win" (menyerahlah untuk menang)

So, props to Dewa for doing a great job. To my friends out there, I strongly recommend you listen to this song whenever you face hardships or whenever you're feeling down - because it helps. Well, I don't know if it'll help you guys, but at least it's helped me before that's for sure ;)

Becoming More of Yourself

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on May 29, 2007.

We often talk about how we should just be ourselves. This is true, but of course it is easier said than done. Well, maybe we should ask this - how does one become more of his/herself?

I believe that it has a really strong relationship with our confidence level.

Theory: There's a linear relationship between confidence level and the ability to show one's true self - i.e. Higher confidence level helps project more of one's true self.

This theory could be true, but it might be wrong too. However, based on every observations and analyses that I've done (especially when I'm taking a bath, that is), this should be a pretty solid argument.

Confidence is not about being better than the others. It is just all about being more comfortable of ourselves. It is about behaving like your true self and being honest towards yourself. Being confident could also be described as having most of our insecurities thrown away until almost none is left. In other words, the pursuit of confidence is actually a race of getting rid all of our insecurities..

One simple example of being comfortable of one's true self is by admitting his/her own imperfections. Say "I don't know about this... and I don't know about that, too.. Please show me how" (and they're okay with it). Rather than not knowing something and pretend to know just about everything, mature confident people tend to admit their own imperfections without having any inferiorities..

Another example could also be a boyfriend/girlfriend who's hanging out with his/her friends. If he/she's good enough, he/she'd be able to talk on the phone with his/her significant other without any feelings of discomfort. This is because he/she has enough confidence to give permission to his/her own self to show his/her lover-behavior in front of his/her friends. Otherwise, one would feel insecure to talk-lovey-dovey in front of his/her friends, thinking that his/her friends would tease him/her aferwards for acting so differently..

When we have truly gotten rid all of our insecurities, that's when we'll feel the confidence coming. We'd feel comfortable with everything that we do. We'd feel okay to not know something, and to not be good at everything. It's also important to know that it's okay to do things our own way. There's definitely no need to follow everyone else. We are who we are, and being yourself, is in fact, the key to all success in most parts of our everyday lives, especially social matters...

Better Keep That Passport

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on May 11, 2007.

I am less than three weeks away from going home, and yesterday I just found out that I couldn't find where my passport is. To my horror, I have misplaced that very important document. I tried to search for it in my room and I got to a point where it's confirmed that it's not there..

Sh*t..

The US refers outsiders coming into the country as "aliens". Without my passport, I guess I am now the most defined and true alien of all time. No doubt..

All these thoughts came to my mind. Having to contact the embassy, the sponsor's representative in D.C, MSD in L.A, International Office, and all of the other administrative people to help me get the right documentation to AT LEAST help me get out of the US.. If not, I'd be spending my 3 months of summer here - and that'd be more horrifying than death itself (well, at least that's how I felt during that time).. And even if I get to go home, it'd be such a hassle to go to the hardest-to-get-in American Embassy to make a new passport, plus lose some more money to pay another $100 for the hardest-to-get US-J1-Visa..

Since the passport is gone, I planned to search for it at school, but I had no idea where to go first, and I don't even know why I should start there. I couldn't remember what I was doing with the passport after I took it out to school for an errand last week..

Damn...

But well, lucky I was..

Later that night, I found the passport sitting in one of my friend's house after I almost started to faint due to some breathing difficulties (only an exaggeration)..

Alhamdulillah..

Well, I still can't remember why it's there, but the important thing is, it's there.. Actually, I wasn't even searching for it when I went there..

I guess it's true that when you're not really trying to search for something, that's when you'll find it..

So, my fellow friends (ESPECIALLY the ones that are outside of Malaysia), please reset your mind to know enough that your passports are such valuable (and irreplacable) assets, that if you lose them, only God knows how true of an alien you would become..

Til my next post, have a good summer everyone..

What's Your Self-Value?

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on May 8, 2007.

How high do you see yourself as?

Are you a valuable asset towards the others?

Are they lucky to have you? Or are you lucky to have them?

These are the questions in which I never got an exact answer up until now...

Whenever we value ourselves as being high and good, we'd serve the others with the best things possible. Because we're very good people who treats everyone right, giving the 'best service' all the time, sometimes we tend to expect the best treatments coming from the others towards us too. Whenever their treatment doesn't match ours, we'd become frustrated and the it seems illogical when you think of why should these other people do such things to you. Thus, the issue of "since-I-did-it-for-you, why-can't-you-do-the-same-thing-for-me-too?" arises... or, another version could also be called "since-i-didn't-do-it-to-you, why-should-you-do-it-to-me?"

But if we value ourselves as being too low, we tend to do things without our willingness. Since we're at a lower level than the other person, then they deserve everything from us. Being at the lower level also makes it impossible for us to expect anything fair from the other party. We'd end up being mistreated and abused. Being low means lack of confidence as well...

Which one should we go for? A higher self-value but always end up unsatisfied with treatments coming from others, or a lower self-value and end up being mistreated?

Perhaps, a higher self-value is a better option, but when we think that we're too good for others, we also tend to think that we never make any mistakes.. We'd never think or expect that we would do any mistake since we've done our best to satisfy everyone around us.. Things become bad when we don't see our own mistakes and blame others every single time.. "We're good people and we're on the right side, so why should we be wrong?".. Yes, but think again, bad things won't happen when only one side is guilty.. Most of the time, more than one side is guilty.. Just be ready to admit your own faults..

I have been very childish and I did so many mistakes to think that I'm always on the right side since I always expect the best out of myself to keep treating others good and right every single time.. I ended up thinking that I'll do no wrong since I've always been "the good guy who'll try his best" all the time.. When things go wrong, I kept hanging on to my favorite line of "I already did my best, what else can I do now?".. Sometimes that line seems valid to me but I know that there should always be another side of the truth..

Even now, when some conflicts occur or bad things happen, I still think that it's confusing in terms of which side should I stand on - Defend myself and everything that I've done to make things right, or just claim responsibility every single time without saying anything else?

The Ultimate Approval

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on May 2, 2007.

I believe that our lives are surrounded by approval-related matters - ALL the time. People seek approval from others even if it requires them to do stupid things. When we're not given the approvals that we think we deserve, we'll try harder.

It's so bad we even seek approval beyond our knowledge. For example, did you know that laughs could represent an approval-giving action, too? (Besides a reaction to something that's funny) Let's say your boss says something that is really really stupid (and lame), but he/she thinks that it's funny, you'll laugh when you see him/her laugh.. Without knowing it, you just gave him/her the approval of yes-sir/ma'am-you-were-right-and-that-sure-was-funny..

When our closest friends say that they like/do something (and it's not cool TO NOT like/do it) , we might still end up "liking" that something in order to get the group's approval even when we're not willing to do it.. Well, high school teenagers smoking has a lot to do with this, of course..

It get's worse if we think about how we're willing to hold huge and massive "Kenduri Kahwin"s and spend so much just to make sure that we're on par with everybody else's wedding party we attended since the past couple of months.. And the dowry payments, could be described as "taknak kalah" and on the bride's family side, there's this idea of "if we ask for a dowry too low, i'm afraid other people would think that my girl is 'cheap'... so let's ask RM15,000"... so there goes that poor dude's money just avoid other people talking behind our backs eventhough the religion forbids people from overspending, and supports "kesederhanaan"... Yes, you and me know this, but most of us (including me) might still end up doing it when the time comes...

God please help us dudes...

Okay, reality check...

Now, let's think about this in a deeper level, whose approval do we actually need the most?

Isn't the ultimate approval is the one that's from God? Aren't we supposed to please Him, instead of other people surrounding us?

It might be acceptable when the things that we do (to please other people) don't conflict with God's words but what happens when it does? Isn't it awful to think that the things that we do sometimes leave us not approved by God, just to get some little tiny bits of approvals from our friends?

Whose approval really matters, anyway?

Bad Boy Attraction

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on April 29, 2007.

For this post, I'd like to give the props to David Deangelo for the basic idea from his theory of "Attraction Is Not a Choice"

Why do bad boys attract girls? Some of these guys don't LOOK attractive at all. They could be hideous, monstrous, short, skinny, scary-looking, double-amputated, anything, you just name it.. but they get the most gorgeous girls in town.. Isn't that amazing...

Perhaps it has something to do with confidence and approval...

Bod boys do things their own way, and they're confident.. They don't really care about what the girl thinks about them, and they often disapprove the fact that if-she's-beautiful-then-she-must-be-perfect.. They even pay lack attention to these girls..

While all of the "good guys" flock around these attractive girls trying to kiss up by giving endless compliments, dinners and gifts, bad boys rarely do so.. They turn the tables around by making the girls seek their attention and now the girls are the ones who are seeking approval from the bad boys..

Since they have the "attraction mechanism" that works this way, thus they have more power to choose (and usually get) any girl that they desire.. But with the power that they possess, some of them turns out to be abusive, as in, abusing the "power" that they have.. They go to the farthest distance in even ditching the most beautiful girls you could ever imagine..

But even after some girls have read this post, I'm sure they will still fall for the bad boys.. Why? Because they're much more fun to hang out with than the good guys!! Why again? Because good guys only know how to say "Yes my lady.." or a much much more smoother pickup line by saying "I hope you're happy with what I've done so far. Is there anything else that I can do to please you?"..

So girls, just beware of the ABUSIVE bad boys, i.e. the crooks.. And guys, if you're one of the bad boys, just remember, "With great power, comes a great responsibility"...

p/s: Do "responsible" bad boys exist? Of course... OR, Can good-looking guys be bad boys too? Sure, why not?...

Justifiable Jealousy

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on April 27, 2007.

I was discussing this with a friend and we agreed upon something that's kind of profound to me.. I think it's kind of interesting so I'll try to explain our opinion.. and here's what me and my friend believe is true..

WE HAVE NO CONTROL OVER OUR HEARTS... THE HEART IS COMPLICATED...

Yes... Basically, I'm pretty sure that we never know EXACTLY how we feel.. there's a famous song called "More than words", talking about how feelings is undescribable.. we also can't control what we like.. A pickup-artist, Deangelo describes it as "Attraction is not a choice".. Basically, he says that when you're attracted to someone, there's nothing that you can do about it... (and of course, when someone else likes you, he/she can do nothing about it too..)

No, you don't choose to like someone, even when you think you actually made a decision and even when you can list the reasons why you like them... You just like someone because you're attracted to him/her.. For example, if a guy sees a hot blonde walking by, he doesn't go "Okay, this girl is 5 foot 6 inches, blonde, blue eyes, thin, and her skin is fair.. I think I'm gonna start liking her now".. NoOo, it doesn't work that way... He's already attracted to her within a fraction of a second..

For this reason, I'd say that some types of jealousy is justified, and thus, reasonable.. But HOW? In a relationship, if the guy/girl talks about how he/she doesn't like his/her significant other going out with someone else (usually these people call themselves "just friends"), there is a chance that it is not a TRUST issue.. It is not him/her not trusting the other party.. But instead, it's an act of not trusting what the HEART would feel.. and that, I think, is definitely reasonable..

When a boyfriend says to his girlfriend "You know, I think it's better if you could avoid going out alone with another guy even if he's just a friend of yours.." , there's a high probability that it might cause a chaos since the girl might feel that the guy is not trusting her (and trying to be controlling).. and so she yells "He just wants to be a friend laaaa..." ... But, you see, if the girl understands the fact that if she spends too much time talking to another guy, it ACTUALLY could cost her boyfriend a relationship..

Basically, I do believe that when we spend too much time with another person, we'll form so much new 'connections' with that person.. as time passes by, we'd slowly feel more 'connected' to them.. by the time when there's just overwhelmingly too much connection forming, mr. love uninvitedly comes by knocking the door.. without even knowing it, we now like this new person, and now there's nothing that we can do about it... if you're skeptical, think about the Malay proverb "Tak kenal maka tak cinta"...

But, don't get overjealous, either.. it's not a good thing to practice overjealousy... Some NORMAL jealousies are justifiable but this one is not.. It is purely based on insecurities and it is unhealthy for the relationship.. (as in, now it has NOT-TRUSTING-HIM/HER issues involved in it)... If there's no trust, things won't work.. So, I suggest not to get jealous 73 times a day since that's not good too..

Now, what's left not to trust? The only good thing I could think of is NOT TO TRUST our naive hearts... The heart will only feel something based upon our actions.. Therefore, since we can control our actions, it's best if we could avoid being TOO CLOSE to another person from the opposite gender while being in a relationship (well, only if you'd like to take good care of it, of course)...

Now, if you think about it, doesn't it make sense when doctors say, "Prevention is better than cure?" :)

The Sunday Theory

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on April 1, 2007.

Every Sunday, an emotional stir would come to me and make me feel like sleeping all day.. Thanks to the genius idea of sleeping all day, it just makes me feel worse..

I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel this almost every Sunday (daytime only - amazingly, it dissipates at night).. Some might also describe it as the feeling of having to get back to that boarding school (or college, or workplace) after a weekend spent at home.. If you have been feeling this, just read on.. I have indirectly carried out an in-depth study about why this is happening, and I think I kind of identified a few reasonable reasons.. (Yeah I know I think a lot - You'd be amazed at how I could turn into a nerd sometimes..)

First, is the theory of "Monday blues comes a day earlier". As we all know, "Monday blues" is a normal psychological instability that occurs to most of us. But to me, I'm specially "gifted" to feel "Monday blues" a day earlier.. I can't help it but to think that since Monday comes after Sunday, then Sundays suck too.. ;P Sorry, Mr. Sunday..

Second, is the theory of "My happiness level on Sundays are proportional to that of my productivity level during that particular weekend". Well, this is easy to be understood. If I got more assignments done on Fridays and Saturdays, then I'd feel better on Sundays. More work done means a higher level of happiness.. LOL

Third, is the theory of "Because everything is due on Mondays and Tuesdays, then that makes the whole Monday-blues syndrome sucks even more". Well, I don't need to explain further on this - the name explains it all..

Okay........... now I'm out of theories, and I don't know what else to blame..........

Hmmm, I think I'm done..........

......

Haha.. Well, you know what, I'm starting to think that ultimately I just have to blame myself for letting things get to me... Isn't that simple?

Yeah, what the heck was I thinking.. That was a waste of time... but hey, at least I'm glad I wrote this because I feel better now... LOL ;P

Oh, well.. Thanks for bearing with me.. Til my next post, have a good week guys.. Ciao!!

A Car & A Girlfriend

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on March 26, 2007.

Owning a car is equivalent to having a girlfriend. Well, that's what I think...

Cars need to be maintained. Girlfriends need to be maintained too. Some girlfriends cost you higher maintenance "costs" than the others, but on average, maintenance is a must..

Cars need regular checks. Engine oil, steering fluid, windshield liquid, coolant, etc. etc. Same goes for girlfriends. Regular checks and consistent attention is a requirement..

If you don't regularly check your car, it'll break down before you know it. Well, when cars break down, it costs you a whole lot of time and money to fix it. Same goes to "fixing" your girl's heart. LOL. If you give no proper attention, they'll "break down". Time goes to the numerous hours of talking on the phone trying to stop them from sulking, and money goes to the bill that comes at the end of the month (or the prepaid cards you pay every 2 days)..

It might sound that all you get from both a car and a girlfriend is nothing but trouble and headaches. Well, that's not really the case actually. Both should give you the peace of mind, and a sense of stability..

So, does that mean a girlfriend is worth no more than a car? No. In fact, here are some big time differences:

• if you have a girlfriend, it helps you tell others that you're not gay..
• when you kneel down and propose for marriage to your car, they'll never say yes no matter what you do..
• when you cry, you car will just ignore you..
• your car won't think your crappy jokes are funny..
• girlfriends don't need gasoline to function..
• when you hug your car, they don't hug you back...
• you definitely can't make love to or make out with you car..
• if you own a car and have no girlfriend, you still can't change your Friendster status from "Single" to "In a relationship"...

So, considering these differences, ultimately, I think a girlfriend should definitely worth more than a car... LOL ;P That was fun...

Is Spring a Special Season?

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on March 13, 2007.

I once heard an American proverb that says:

"In the spring, a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of love".

Now that it is almost spring time, I suddenly recalled this very proverb. So, I'm just curious to ask if this is true - that love often occurs around this time of year - when these young men's imagination is starting to change to romantic thoughts..

Or don't you think that love could occur at just about any time of the year? That it does not depend on time. Winter, summer and fall sounds like good seasons to start a relationship too, aren't they? Can't we just replace the word "spring" in the proverb to all these other seasons? As if love only happens in March and April? Why did they pick spring when the proverb was created, then?

(You know what, I'm starting to think that this proverb must be created by some dude who just fell in love with a cute girl in one of those ancient spring times - so that's why...)

Hmm, so, now, what do YOU think? Feel free to leave your comments on this one, alright.. It'll be much appreciated ;) Thanks!

Are You Missing Someone?

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on March 11, 2007.

Ask yourself this - are you missing someone?

If yes, smile now - because having the feeling of missing someone is actually a gift from him/her to you. Even you have the power to give the same kind of 'gift' to him/her. And that is called "the gift of missing you"...

It might sound like a snappy comeback, but if your significant other is asking "why didn't you call me?", you could just say "hey, i was just giving you the gift of missing me" :P

When you always talk, things might get boring. Someone might feel 'suffocated'. So, take a break. No, not for a month (if you want him/her to dump you, yep, stop talking for this long). Take one day, or two days off. And enjoy the feeling of missing him/her...

It's true, I admit that I'm no love doctor, and yes I'm not currently in any relationship (still, this doesn't mean I can't miss someone), but trust me, this concept is healthy for any relationship. When you start talking to him/her again, tell them you missed them (and mean it). There's a higher chance that you two will get closer this way compared to non-stop phone calls 24/7 or boring daily dates until time with your special someone is no longer appreciated as it has become so abundant and easy to get (this is also why economists agree that almost all rare items are valued at higher prices)...

So, again. Are you missing someone? Don't feel bad, 'cos hey, it's a gift!!! ;)

When All You Have Is You

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on March 2, 2007.

I've been pretty much offline for almost two weeks now. My laptop got sick - the LCD screen went dark for some reason. I did some research, called the repair guy and he said it'll cost me $120 just for the service, not including the brand-new $200 Widescreen Dell LCD screen. Whoa - I thought to myself, "Man, you're officially broke again."

While doing further research regarding the problem, I read online manuals on how to take my laptop screen lid apart but I wasn't sure if I should give it a try. I can still remember being a computer geek in the past but that was like lightyears ago. I've stopped paying attention to computers (Maybe because I'm starting to pay more attention to girls now).. Being a poor, low-income college student, I really had no other choice. With no experience in laptop repair skills, I was determined to trust myself for the sake of saving $120 (I figured I could use those for souvenirs for this June's trip home). And so there I was - I had nothing else but only myself to help me get thru the problem.

Courageously, with my bidan terjun "skills", I changed the FL Inverter (costed me $51) myself. Unfortunately, the first 'operation' didn't solve the problem - reason: replaced the wrong 'organ'. But I didn't have to pay $120. And the good thing was this - I learned a new skill; a skill that's worth $120. Even better, I now know how to even replace the keyboard myself should there be any problems in the future.

Since the FL Inverter killed my hopes, I had to finally replace the whole LCD screen set. I got one from Ebay. Costed me $175, and it arrived yesterday. I replaced the 'organ' right away. Thank God, that was the right organ my computer needed. Saved another $120 on the second repair service. So, in total, I think I just saved $240. Yeay!!!

So, from this event, I learned that there will be times when the going gets tough, no matter what the problem is, all you actually have is yourself and no one else. We just have to have faith in ourselves and just go for it. Eventhough we could fail along the way, I'm sure we'll get something out of it.

And Mr Dell Inspiron 8600 is now healthy as before. Hopefully it'll stay healthy until I graduate.... Whatever it is, I'm one happy young man now. Yeay!!! :D

Mix Some Imperfections in Your Relationships

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on Feb 13, 2007.

"Being happy doesn't mean everything's perfect. It just means you've decided to see beyond the imperfections"

Someone dear to me gave me the two lines above, and I think it conveys a lot of important life-tips. First, it tells you that nothing would ever be perfect. Second, it also tells you that if you decide to see beyond the existing imperfections, things will get better such that you'll gain happiness.

In addition to that, there's also an American proverb which sounds something like "You LIKE someone BECAUSE... You LOVE someone ALTHOUGH..."

This is one perfect example showing that if we only see what's good in a person, we'll only LIKE them - but if we are ready to accept one's imperfections (ALTHOUGH they are this, and that...), we will then, start LOVING them..

I personally think that when two individuals tolerate each other's imperfections, they actually will communicate in a more "human" level, where you see the other person's true self inside of them. You'll also love them as a more genuine and real person. This type of acceptance is so powerful that it'll actually make relationships stronger and last longer.

By the way, these imperfections will always exist anywhere. Thus, instead of trying to avoid them, I think it's much better for us to just live with them, don't you think so?

So, if you find yourself out there complaining a lot about your significant other, maybe it's time for you to slowly start accepting his/her imperfections. By the way, I personally think that nothing will ever be perfect (Except for God).

Plus, just realize it that none of us are anywhere near perfect, either. So, we need to start expecting some imperfections in others, so that the world will be a happier place for all of us to live in ;)

I'm Feeling Lucky

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on Feb 11, 2007.

I was with my friend the other day on the streets of Denver, when we saw a homeless guy holding a sign he was holding up on his chest with "NEED MONEY FOR HOME" written on it. He stood there at the traffic light on the corner of the street helplessly waiting for someone to give help. Well, as expected, almost no one did (I didn't help him either)..

I've seen these a few times already, but that was the first time I wanted to really ask myself "How would it feel like to be one of those guys, asking for money on the streets?" I know the usual answer will sound something like "Oh, of course it's gonna be hard, bla bla bla..." but if we think about it carefully, if we LITERALLY have no home to go to tonight - where would we sleep? How are we gonna take care of our tummies when they growl and say hi? Isn't that just awful?

Basically, all of these lead me to a better understanding that I've been so lucky myself over the course of my life, and I should really thank God for everything that I have - A lovely Mom, a great Dad, caring siblings, stable & loving family with a decent source of income, weird friends who are neverendingly fun & surprisingly supportive, dedicated teachers, a scholarship to study abroad (this is a big one), and a healthy, non-handicapped body.. etc. etc.

It doesn't matter what our backgrounds are - rich or poor, black, chinese, malay, indian or african - the list will definitely go on and on with little chance of stopping.

Last of all (and of course it's not the very least thing to thank for), I should thank God for having born Muslim.. Alhamdulillah..

Ultimately, I just think that just about all of us need to stop and think for a moment what God has given us so far, because don't you think it's true that almost all of us tend to forget to appreciate Him during most of the time?

You Get Nothing When You're Looking for Too Much

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on Feb 2, 2007.

The title says it all. Super-high expectations get us nowhere. When we do something with the intention of getting something out of it, we'll rarely get it - or even if we get some, it'll virtually NEVER be enough.

We often ask "What can I get?." How about stopping that? Now, let's start asking, "What can I give?," instead. When we look for something in everything, we'll never get enough. Yes, I assure you. NEVER.

On the other hand, asking "What can I give?" gives you so much satisfaction. You'll see the world from the lens of abundance rather than scarcity.

I have always done a lot of things because I expected to get a person to give me something else back in return, but later got frustrated when I end up not getting what I thought I should get. This is bad. After a while, I learned that until I can start giving away everything, then only I'll feel better about the world around me.

Give thanks and appreciation. Give smile. Give time. Give love. Give knowledge. Give money. Give attention. It really doesn't matter what others will give us back. So, just stop looking for what you can get, because IRONICALLY, that's when you'll start getting so much more than you could handle (Islam says you'll get tenfold). Yes, sounds like it doesn't make any sense - but that's just how it works.

Now, life is not as simple as how this post goes. This concept is, in fact, a hard one and none of us can do this in a day. Human beings aren't perfect, but we sure can be excellent. I myself am still struggling to apply this whenever I could remind myself to do so.

Growing up isn't easy - we're always gonna be in the process of maturing until we're on our deathbeds. So, just take your time, follow your own pace, and the leverage that you'll get will be priceless... =)

Life is Unfair, and That's Great News

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on Jan 25, 2007.

To me, the key to success is to JUST GET LUCKY. It's true that the world is so-called "unfair", but that's just the way it works, don't you think?

It'll never change, and for heaven's sake, don't wait for things around us to change. We'll be waiting a very a long time. How about changing ourselves, instead?

When we didn't succeed in something, that means we're just unlucky that time. So, give it another try next time, and again, and again, and again, until we GET LUCKY. The magic three words - Keep moving on no matter what.

If we went to five job interviews, the reason we got rejected the first four times is not because we suck, but we were just unlucky. Prepare better for next time, find our luck, and I know we'll eventually find it.

If there is a group of people, some will get more luck than the others. Why? Maybe they work harder, maybe they're more prepared, or have better personalities. It's just the way mother nature works. Someone has got to be better than the others. And that someone has GOT to be US!

So, if we're not being so lucky, just stop complaining and start working on ourselves. It might take a while but it's definitely worth it. Put our best foot forward, be on the top and we'll get more luck. This way, it's still true that the world is unfair, but this time we'll get the better end of the deal..

Now, Go Get Lucky, and for that, Good Luck! =)

Positive Energies, Anyone?

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on Jan 18, 2007.

Me and another twenty Malaysian dudes (approximately, lah) were playing soccer just now and I must say that it went GREAT..

There was this positive energy coming from somewhere and all of us were kinda sharing it together.. Everyone felt like laughing almost all the time and the game was enjoyable. We might make mistakes by missing the ball, whatsoever but what the heck, it won't matter - we'll just laugh it off..

Unlike SOME of the previous games (especially on previous semesters), some people will get so serious and they radiate this kind of very negative energy and it affects almost everybody else's mood..

Honestly, it sucks big time and once in a while somebody will get angry because of such silly, trivial things.. and, the game won't be enjoyable anymore..

I mean, come on guys - don't be the negative ones. It affects others too and it's no fun. Evening games aren't like competitions.. Just please don't get too serious.. Be the positive one and radiate that kind of energy so others will feel it too.. Or if you can't do that, AT LEAST just be neutral..

If you don't feel like playing, then just don't.. Go to the bathroom, smile, take a walk, or take some air for a minute and come back when you feel better (At least that's what I would do when I'm not feeling so good)..

I think almost all of us can identify with these negative-energy radiating people. You'd feel like something is wrong and you just don't feel so comfortable spending time beside them..

On the other hand, just look at all the positive people you know (or it might actually be you!), notice how others will flock around them because they're fun!

So, now, we have to ask ourselves - Which type of energy do we usually radiate? Positive or negative?

If you ask me, I'd say it better be the former.. Because it's gonna help both ourselves and the people around us..

Til my next post, have a great weekend guys! Ciao!

The Power of a Smile

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on Jan 16, 2007.

Now.. Try to smile, and notice any difference you feel going on inside your body.

You should at least feel that the smile has lighten up your mood a bit. In fact, even a fake smile will produce the same result.

If not, you might wanna pack some stuffs and return to Mars real quick..

There is actually a connection between the expression on our face with how we feel inside. Usually we'd smile when we're happy, but guess what? It also works the other way around!

This is scientifically proven, and it is amazing. So, if you're not feeling so good, just smile. Smile when you wake up. Smile when you're taking a shower. Smile when you wanna go to sleep. To get even better results, chuckle a little bit while thinking how hard human beings are trying to make themselves feel better and happier. It works!

But well, here's a reminder. Just don't overdo it or people might notice and give you that oh-that-crazy-dude/gal-is-so-poor look..

In any event, just know it that a simple smile will surely help you make up your day! ;)

Stop Blaming the Distance

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on Jan 10, 2007.

With so many relationships failing since the previous 5 months, including mine and those of my best friends', I thought I'd like to give some insight about how I look at the whole situation.

They say it's the distance.

But I hardly think so.

Long distance relationship is not the cause. Trust me. I just read some self-help books and the best bet would actually be this - relationships fail because of us. Yes, it's us. Not the distance.

It is true the physical limit makes us hard to see our significant other as often as we could compared to when we're close. But do all physically-close relationships survive, and do all long distance relationships fail? Certainly not. I personally know a universitymate of mine who's having a relationship with his lovely girlfriend since they were in high school, and I'm guessing that would be around 7 years old now. Although they are now half-the-globe apart, it just doesn't matter. I know some others who are also making it through - treating it like an adventure.

Don't believe it? Well, you simply have to.

If we have no choice but to have a long distance relationship and we don't wanna lose it, then embrace it as part of our life. Accept the reality, and find ways that work best. Stop expecting too much, and be happy in whatever situation that you're in. Tolerate. Have some control over your raging emotions. Take note that this applies to both guys and girls.

It's time for us to grow up and take full responsibility for whatever that happens in our lives.

When bad things occur, chances are it's the others' fault, and not us. It's the distance, or it's the other person not understanding us. Blame everything and everyone but ourselves.

Acting like we're the victim simply won't help. No matter how much satisfaction we get out of blaming things around us, it'll never help us get better.

Start taking responsibility and learn lessons from mistakes so that we'll grow and become better individuals with more fulfillments. Making it others' fault gets us nowhere and our growth stays stagnant.

To skeptics out there, just go out and find good books such as Susan Jeffers' "Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway". Read it and you'll get what I'm trying to say.

Forgive Yourself

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on Jan 6, 2007.

Once in a while, we make mistakes in life and they will bother us. They hold us back from making any progress when we keep thinking of them over and over again. We might just describe this as regret.

I guess we just have to FORGIVE OURSELVES for all of the mistakes that we've done. This is no time for suffering. We have to let go of what went wrong and focus on the present. Focus on what we control. Let go of the past.

Now, the only hope that we have is to improve our present moments so that we will have better present moments for our future. It's time to go out there and make something big happen for ourselves..

All the best. May God bless us..

Beauty is a Curse

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on Jan 4, 2007.

This goes to all beautiful girls out there.

Well, here's another perspective of seeing gorgeous ladies.

It's a curse. Not a gift. And you pretty-faces know it.

Why exactly?

It's true you get stared at most of the time and you often get attention, but do you agree with me that it can also be a shortcoming every once in a while? It's when you're just kept from living the real and normal life. Fewer people can relate to you in proportion of how 'beautiful' you are especially when the public sees and make you as 'the unapproachable hot stuff'.

Less people (even girls) will talk to you since they just think that they're so out of your league. Guys who talk to you will do thousands of ass-kissing techniques and you'll get annoyed or feel uncomfortable when they do it. You'd feel like saying "Oh come on, please stop treating me like a queen. I'm a normal human being too!"

Let's face it. You're being kept further away from the real world and it sucks, big time. Now, how bad is that? LOL

I'm not a girl, so I don't really know. But I do think this is true at least in some ways. Comments anyone?

Happy New Year!

*From my old Friendster Blog site written on Dec 31, 2006.

It's 2007.

Already?

Whatever it is, I'm just writing this to wish all of you a Happy New Year.

I just think time passes by so fast. Reminiscing back to the previous years, 1998 or 2000 feels like just a few years ago, especially when looking at the numbers, but it's actually been quite a while.

I must say that I really miss my childhood days, where we were so free from 'life problems' and everything seems to be SO IDEAL. We were so naive where we see everyone as only either 'very nice people' or 'very bad people'. No 'in-betweens'. LOL it sure was our fun time. I miss the 90's.

But now? More of our friends (including us) are literally getting married. No more main kahwin-kahwin, eh.

Well, each of us must have had their greatest and sweetest moments in life on certain years. I might guess my good years were in 1993 and 1998. There were a couple of special events in those years which I'll remember forever, but I guess it's better for me to keep them to myself. Now, what's your greatest year, then?

I pray that may this will be another good year for us. To those who's having new year resolutions, hopefully you'd be able to stick to them thruout the whole 12 months. No flake-outs! and Good luck!