The end has arrived!

This blog was created with the sole purpose of obtaining marks for my IT paper. I never thought creating and maintaining a blog would be this challenging yet it had been exciting. It required commitment and this is something I given out to too many things actually…  ;)

The class was asked to create at least 20 original posts with a minimum of at least 100 words each. A video must be uploaded and about 12 flags accumulated if these criteria were met, it ensures us marks.

I had completed as instructed with 20 original posts of more than 100 words. I had uploaded a video on dogs way earlier than had been required of us and had collected a total of 15 flags in a day, thanks to help of international friends of my boyfriend and I.

The Times magazine had helped me as it had given me something to write about. I decided to feature a few of the people in that issue partly because I had no idea of what to come up with to achieve the 20 posts. So I read that issue and wrote what I understood from the features done on them in that magazine. Times was the life saver.

As for the future of this blog well I don’t know if I can afford to continue as it requires commitment and a daily allotment of time. Moreover I am not much of a writer. This blog no doubt will help me in various ways. It can help create the discipline and perseverance which I so lack and improve my writing skills. I did not see many comments on the posts as many would have probably thought that I was trying too hard anyway…

Whatever it is I’m glad I have reduced the lists of assignments due. One down and seven more to go..

Cheers

Although Gloomy….Thank God it’s Friday! 

A gloomy Friday morning but I’m grateful that it had reached the end of the week alright. I am however a little reluctant that the end of the month is nearing. For now the biggest burden it the coursework that have yet to be completed.

The year end is also nearing and before you know it, we are ushering in a new year. I wonder if I can consider myself having achieved anything great this year…hmmm

I was planning on taking on a part time job maybe sell unit trust or something so that I can do more than just make ends meet. But my current position with college makes it difficult and actually impossible to juggle an extra job...unless of course I did not have to worry about coursework and assignments and stuff. But for now I have to sit still and try to push towards completing this.

The rationale behind looking for another job?? To perhaps pay the house bill as usual, so more for my mum, pamper myself a little by getting the chance to travel more and saving for a future plan to further my education and oh yeah renovate my little home.

Come 31^st October it would be my first year of owning my own property and I am glad I had made such a move. Come to think of it I have achieved a little this year!

In the coming year I intend to actually do more than some leaps- secure a better job in a bank perhaps, provide more for my mom (if she would only allow me to take her on a holiday..hmmmm) and also to be a better Christian and partner to my fiancé to be.

All only possible through Christ!

Bitter Jams!

Traffic jams are a norm for every travelling individual Malaysian. Jams on roads, human traffic in trains and on buses, what else isn’t there?

I travel to work by car…We car pool simply because if I were to opt for public transportation, I will have to take a bus to an LRT station, then take the train to another station and from there a bus to the place of work…hence I car pool.. As we travel to work we always wonder where on earth do Malaysians get their cash.

Undeniably we are facing inflation as the cost of living increases almost without fail. Cars have a price tag with tax of about 300 percent yet you see only one person in these Beemers or Hondas and Toyotas and there are more cars on the roads than ever before..which boils down to the initial question..Where do they get their cash??

I recently saw a politically inclined video that spoke of these taxes and the high costs involved in purchasing a property. It mentioned that an average Malaysian usually has high debts with little to no savings at all.

To top it all one only becomes the rightful owner of the property after a minimum of at least 15 years or so for houses and at least 8 years for cars. That video spoke of how Americans and Australians can own a house within 3 and 6 years respectively. Us? Well by the end of our working life, we can actually call our home ‘our home’ for real.

So back to the jams...is there ever going to be a solution to this? Even weekends on the roads are just as crazy and what more at 12am or 1am..Do people sleep anymore? And why aren’t they staying at home no more?? Gone are the days where Sundays were family-at-home days (more like family-all-out days) We seriously need a solution to this daily chaos

Terrifically tiring Tuesday

Yesterday had been an extremely long day. I had actually utilized every minute with some activity or another (or at least I think I did). It had been a productive Tuesday so to speak.

The day had started off with work as usual and the initial routine of dosing my boyfriend, boss and I with caffeine. Then I went about checking my boss’ and my email and worked on to do the list of things pending on my To Do List. I had worked on that until lunch.

After lunch seeing how I had completed my office work in the first half, I had decided to seize the opportunity to get down with my college work for real. I had not touched it for I had been too busy with work. And I had managed to start on two coursework and plan the layout for toe presentation.

I had felt accomplished as it had been very difficult sitting starting it due to social and work responsibilities.

After that it was off to college at 6pm for another day of mind-filling lessons (and pressure of the college assignments keeping haunting). After college I had to rush off to cheer my boyfriend and his buddies at his futsal match. The game ended at 11.30pm and then I had one more even before I could call it a day.

I had to attend a small birthday gathering amongst close friends. This was an obligation and hence had not much of a choice. Stuck around until 12.30am and the headed home.

I reached home at 1am while my extremely exhausted boyfriend had reached home at 1.20am.

Had to head off to bed to wake up at 5.45am this morning… with sleep of about 4 hours or so!

What has become of me!

As I sat and waited for him to pick me up to start off our daily routine, I had actually taken a moment to assess myself and wondered why I had become the person I am. I am a competitive soul, though many might think that as a good trait, it is eating into my personality. I used to be a person who would mingle without judging and always tried not to judge a book by its cover. I always tried to make the other person feel comfortable in my company.

Somehow I have lost all that along the way. I have been to places where only the fittest survive and I have seen people take advantage of the kindness of others and repay those good deeds with absolute malice. I am ambitious and driven especially to perform academically, yet I always wonder why do I have to push myself so hard to get that A while other are just born intelligent with the path to success already carved out for them.

I know this is no excuse as to why I have turned out to be a girl that is all out for herself and the ones she loves. I have also forgotten to appreciate the smaller things in life and the little gestures of good deed a person does for me. I place everything on a weighing scale. What good I do, I compare it with what others have done and value mine as being of greater worth. Basically I have become selfish and that is really not me. It’s not the person I have been brought up to be. I need to change this and appreciate the good people do for me and never value it against my deeds  because there is not right measurement for this sort of weight..

Change my heart O Lord!

Reality starts to sink in

I have just realized that I have loads of assignment and presentations due. These submission dates are creeping in on me like an army of fire ants. And I don’t know which area to stand on guard or where to attack first. There never seems to be enough hours in a day and the daily hustle and bustle of work and city life takes a toll on me. By the end of the day I weary and too exhausted…all that calls to me is the bunker of the dumb box…telling me I need to switch of work-mode and go into lazy-mode, because I deserve to do so.

Then there are my weekends…they come and go like they never did come in the first place and the next moment I’m wondering “what in the world did I do that it went so quick?”

The next you know it, the week has passed and the month and soon the year and you’re getting older….but before all that…Yes I have assignments due..haven’t forgotten that..how could I possibly!

Man I seriously need a break!

Times Feature

That wraps up the feature of some of the 100 most influential people in the world today.  They range from thinkers, leaders, heroes and artist. There are many that I had not covered. Jet Li, Didier Drogba, Serena Williams and more, these names speak for themselves and the achievements and fame attained in the process. .

There are however those who silently influenced many –Liya Kebede, the WHO Goodwill Ambassador to maternal health; a child bride, Reem Al Numery in Yemen fighting for her rights; or even Rahul Singh for his relief provisions to the earthquake stricken Haiti.

All these people have impacted a society or nation, be it theirs or otherwise, their efforts and achievements deserve an applause.

Examplary Chen

Chen Shu-Chu a grocer with a small stall in the central market of the county of Taitung has made a large difference to her community with  the modest living she earns selling vegetables. Chen had contributed to various children’s funds, built a library for a school, aided for three kids in an orphanage and the list goes on.

Despite her philanthropist act, Chen refuses to take any credit and is full with humility claiming  that her acts of kindness are not much to brag about.

Chen’s next ‘small’ move is to establish a fund to help poverty stricken families with education, food and health care.

Her greatest gift to everyone else? The example she has set.

Ice- Kim

A combination of athleticism and art and being inspired by the 1998 Olympics champion, Michelle Kwan, Kim has turned the pages of figure skating into a whole new chapter. With her epic 6 1/2minute epic performance on the ice, Kim has skated her way into the book of world records and has also awed and inspired many young aspiring figure skaters.

This young Korean had dream of making her mark like Kwan since the early age of seven and now,Kim Yu Na has paved a dream journey of her own at the same time carving the road head for others to follow suit.

Bill of Humanity

Having been in love with Haiti for a very long time, Clinton was chosen to coordinate the support given by the US to Haiti in 2009.

He also continues to work for the country’s restoration and improvement for the betterment of the people there.

Clinton having spent many a years in Africa, extreme poverty, AIDS and debts are no stranger to this 60 year old. Clinton has helped in the reduction in the price of AIDs drugs for those who can hardly afford them. He has also aided in the cancellation of debts and much more. Will all this and more to add to his belt, humanitarian work is a norm for this former President.

In the eyes of Amy!

The developing world needs many innovations to help them develop and help some of these poverty stricken nations. Amy Smith knows this best. Former Peace Corp volunteer, founder of MIT’s D-Lab and also an engineer cum teacher, Smith had created the hammer mill to grind flour and also a non-electric incubator.

Having spent many years growing up in India and Botswana, she had crated many ‘friendly’ machines and also had them manufactured and assembled locally, in turn helping the nation’s economy and creating jobs for some.

Apart from that Smith being a teacher had trained students and took them over to Africa and Haiti to aid in the production of bicycle gear and pumps.

Amy Smith continues to give back to society!

The Medicine Men

To have been told that one has cancer is something so chilling. With that news a person suddenly loses almost complete control of his life and perhaps some may not even be sure they will pull through. Not many make it while those who do usually have recurrences. My mom was a victim of cancer and all methods were used to no avail.

Science and medicine had always been seeking a cure or better treatment for cancer. Drs. Douglas Schwartzentruber and Larry Kwak are moving on their own individual ways towards a vaccine for that disease.

This had given cancer patients all over the world a ray of hope and possibly freedom from the common yet deadly disease and its recurrences.

One day chemotherapy and radiation will be a thing of the past and being a ‘survivor of cancer’ will be a label buried in history for these studies may completely free people from it.

Standing Ovation for Oprah Winfrey

Having inspired million-over ambitious young women and still doing so, Oprah is a household name of her own. Having made her mark in media history, she stands on a platform of her own and is a motivating factor to many women thriving in a 'man's world.'

I had personally been inspired by her courageous journey through life and how she had turned the tables round and became successful. And in her success she has not forgotten her routes and had become a philanthropist, as she continues to give back to society.

She is not only been successful with her talk shows but has also made remarkable achievement on Broadway, movies like the emotional 'The Colour Purple' and her own publishings.
She has given facelifts to daytime TV shows and had brought humor, awareness and awakening to all walks of life.

She continues to inspire and is a living legend!

The Potrait of Lady Gaga

Cindy Lauper once said, 'She is the art. She is the sculpture.'
Having said that Lady Gaga never fails to seize the attention of anyone..be it for the better or the worse. Some may like her work, some may wonder which planet she had come from but all must agree that when you hear her music, even if you're not a fan, you will at least listen to the first verse to make out what she is singing about this time.
Her music grabs your ear for sure. Its the drama and the uniqueness in the song.
Gaga has inspired many artists alike to go further in their work.
She has had rough patches through the fame, being only 24, and vulnerable to influence from all directions.
Lady Gaga is a performance artist and not so much a pop act.
I remember reading a part where it mentioned that now anyone can sit next to anyone else without having to worry about looking like a freak when you have Lady Gaga who had made 'freaky' so chic.

The vision of a Palestinian advocate

Salam Fayyad, the PM for Palestine is a man with conviction and integrity. This remains unquestionable as he is a strong advocate towards a non-violent path of statehood for the Palestinians and peace with Israel.

Being in office for about 3 years now, he has strengthen the competency of the government ministers and security services. He has however done so with mcuh physical and political contrains.

With the efoorts made, there has been

There had been astounding changes in the security and economy of the West Bank. It had also enabled the Palestinians to move about more freely and more safely, securing jobs and also ensuring civil servanst are paid regularly.

These tremendous accomplishments have been applauded by the international commission and even the allies of Isreal.

JT Wang, driving Acer all the way to the top !

It has been said that Asian companies are known for their competence and manufacturing valiance. And since they have excelled in that they are now focusing on the ‘soft’ elements of business, making their growth a great trend in the coming decade. They will indeed become fierce competitors in the near future and are already steaming up to that direction.

One such example is the Taiwanese PC maker Acer and its current CEO. When he had taken over, Acer ranked 5th in the global PC market.

Now it has moved up the charts to no. 2, taking the global market by storm by more than 14%, behind HP and ahead of DELL. Wang worked with Acer for almost 3 decades and has a knack for tapping into consumer trends and hence Acer had 'pulled the bull by the horns' by venturing into the craze of notebooks.

Times- 100 Most Influential People of Today

As I was reading the Times Magazine, May 10, 2010, there was a feature of 100 most influential people in the world today. In my next few postings, I would like to feature a few of the 100 people that awed me as I read about them. It’s their passion, commitment, strength and raw talent that had placed them there. Some of them are real life stories from a nobody to somebody through sheer determination. From leaders like Acer’s JT Wang to singing sensations like Lady Gaga, Dogbar and Winfrey to heroes like Clinton and many more. All these people have affected the world one way or another for them to be featured in the Times Magazine.

Guided by Day and by Night

Author  H.W Mclaughlin tells of visiting Israel and talking to an old shepherd. Thinking about Psalm 23, he had asked the shepherd how he used his staff to comfort and guide the sheep.

The elderly man said that in the daylight he always carried it across his shoulders so the sheep could see it. It seemed that this reassured them of his presence and protection. He further explained that if darkness had approached before he had brought the sheep safe to their resting place for the night, or if they were caught in a heavy fog and the sheep could not see the staff, he would walk slowly while tapping it on the ground. Although the sheep could not see the staff, they could hear its tapping and they would follow the direction of the sound, knowing that their shepherd was just ahead of them.

God’s inspired words is to the Christian as what that staff was to those sheep, reassuring us of God’s presence, protection, and provision by day and by night, Sometimes we see His leading from Scripture very clearly. At other times, however, we must listen with special care to God’s Spirit as He speaks to us in the Scriptures. He will reassure us that our Shepherd, though unseen, is always with us.

Indeed it ain’t quite a Dog’s World

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated"- Mahatma Gandhi

“Of all the creatures, man is the most detestable. Of the entire brood, he is the only one that possesses malice. He is the only creature that inflicts pain for sport, knowing it to be pain. The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to the other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creature that cannot "-Mark Twain

These are two quotes worth pondering over.

I read the newspaper last week with great disappointment, yet again over the manner in which the dogs are treated in Malaysia. They are brutally murdered without any possible excuse.(In fact, what excuse could there possibly be?) I honestly couldn’t help but ask myself why?

Why does Malaysia, primarily the councils and authorities alike have such agenda against dogs?

One might think Im being  biased but honestly it’s only does who face such horrific deaths. As immature as some may think this is- let me just take a not-so-enjoyable jog down nightmare lane:

Dog named KTM tortured and left to die tied up against a grill with a stick shoved in his mouth, the murder of 9 pedigree dogs; inhumane killing of Johnny and the list goes on and on

My heart pours to S.Singaravelu. I for one could never bear to see such fate brought on to my puppy or any dogs for that matter.

Ask any illiterate man has at any point in his life, had the privilege(mind you) of an encounter with a dog and he will tell you that killing is not a solution. It is a never a solution. What more for dogs? They are intelligent creatures born with companionship and love in their blood.

Even children do not show such enthusiasm and delight whenever you return from a hard tiring day at work. Dogs do, and they do it more and more everyday without fail.

You want to know how to love without boundaries? Ask a dog if you could.

We have a lot to learn from them.  Dogs give all they got without asking for anything in return but the basics in life.

Reward it with  pat on its back or a cookie if you may- it will make a dog’s day perfect.

NO religion encourages cruelty to animals. The authorities should know better than crapping to us about how a dog was a nuisance or how was extremely violent and had to be shot. Malaysians aren’t stupid so cut the bollocks.

We should all stand as one irrespective of creed or kind against such atrocities.

Back in the Fairview Days!

So I got back home last night, trying to figure out what to write on this new blog of mine (still haven't gotten the hang of the blogger thing!) A whole list of things came to mind but penning it down would not be easy. I thought about writing on Dogs?? (Nah..not so soon); About my day at work? (Boring!)

Then I had an idea..Why not start where I started from...Fairview International School!

So I rummaged through my old box of keepsakes and books and brought out my FIS magazines. Sadly only a few had survived the years of childhood rebellion, moving houses and growing up. The sole survivors were the magazines from 1996 to 2000, my last few years in Fairview.

Yup, I began flipping through the pages down memory lane and it all came back to me. The happy and the sad times. The times when I was a pain to my teachers. But I guess it was all for the better :)

Looking at the class photo of Form.2, I reminisced and recollected all the fun we had growing up together. The innocence of the childhood. The fights we had because one friend joined the rival group of friends.

Hehe all those memories brought a smile to my face.

In these magazines, there was something called a class report where a couple of classmates appointed by our class teacher would have to write a thing or two about their fellow classmates. In the Form 2 report, mine had stated that I led a secretive life and enjoyed talking but listened attentively in class and that I was quite brilliant..(I believe they were just being nice when the said that)

Then I looked into another magazine and read through the class report of the 'Class of the Year 1999/2000' and the class photo. I had drawn a frame around a group of friends and labeled it 'Friends Forever'. It brought a sad smile to my face simply because we had gone our separate ways and we were now strangers to some extent.
Looking back, I kind of miss those days. Though I must say I do not miss my years of REALLY REALLY horrendous hairdos, one bob crop after another, being branded a 'boy' by Mr.Shah :) (still loved your classes, sir!) This I owe to my mum who did not know how to tie buns and to Ballet!

The sheer innocence of those days where my world evolved around the friends, school events, exams, report cards and gossips. It felt  like the weight of the world was on my shoulder. Little was I aware of what was in store for us once we hit adulthood.

Having said that, the memories of Fairview still remain as dear to me as they are to all fairview-ans I'm sure.

(Oh and a note of thanks to Mark Zuckerberg for the help rendered in locating my friends again)

Blogging Day 1: 25 Sept 2010

It's a beautiful day! I have actually created a blog of my own. Don't really know what I'm gonne be posting here but it will all come to mind eventually.
The main purpose was for this blog is for an assignment but I think I will still keep it going even after that.