Thoughts…oughts…blogs

Change…a simple yet powerful word. This is an interesting article by Davin Arul in The Star today which I want to share with anyone who hasn’t had the chance to read it.

The line must be drawn HERE

KIRK or Picard? I’m a Kirk fan, and not just because I grew up with Classic Star Trek. I have always preferred the man’s two-fisted, bull-by-the-horns approach to interstellar diplomacy over his (eventual) successor’s negotiate-first-and-try-not-to-shoot style. 

Plus, James T. Kirk got all the hot green chicks.   

But wait – there was one moment when The Next Generation’s Captain Jean-Luc Picard shook off the negotiator’s cloak and stunned everyone with his fanatical single-mindedness.   

Faced with the prospect of a victory by the robotic, soulless Borg in Star Trek: First Contact, Picard snapped at his comrades with Ahab-like frenzy: “The line must be drawn HERE!” (Or, the way he said it, “HEAH!”) It was a truly defining, or rather re-defining, moment for the character. 

I wish, oh how I dearly wish, that such zeal would one day manifest itself in the hearts, minds and souls of the people tasked with maintaining law and order in our land. How do I know that it hasn’t yet? Because we still hear far too many stories about senseless acts of criminal violence being perpetrated upon innocent citizens. 

Not content with grabbing purses and bags, or perhaps because more street-smart people have taken to guarding their possessions better, the petty crooks these days have taken to slashing or hitting (often with crash helmets) their victims as a pre-emptive strike before robbing them. 

Barely into the New Year, we read a story about a robber in the Klang Valley firing off a gun because he was unhappy with his meagre haul (The Star, Jan 4).   

That same day, we read about a toddler who was abducted because the men who robbed her mother were dissatisfied with their loot. 

Fortunately, the little girl was found and reunited with her parents.   

And of course there was the truly lamentable incident where the Klang Municipal Council health director had to resign out of fear for his life and his family’s safety.   

So now, in effect, thugs have a say in the composition of our local councils. No smart comments, you there in the back. 

But we can’t blame the man for putting his family’s safety first. Nor can we fault the victims of assault and robbery for taking better care of their possessions. And as much as we like to dream of Utopian worlds, we can never hope for a crime-free society in reality. 

What we can ask for – nay, demand – instead is an environment where it is the CRIMINALS, and not the people, who live in fear.   

Where it’s the crooks that are constantly looking over their shoulder, that dare not step outside of their den, that cannot sleep soundly at night, and that wet their pants whenever they hear a motorcycle engine. (I refrained from using “who” in the previous sentence so as not to humanise them too much.) 

It is not so hard to achieve. 

It takes many things, but we can start with: 

I totally agree that it is the criminals that should be in fear…not us law abiding citizens. The solution seems so simple yet so tough to achieve. Again…all we need to do is just play our part and responsibilities as a Malaysian citizen. We certainly can’t stop the complaining (maybe because it feels good) but why not take action as well. We need to shed attitudes like avoiding making a police report just because it is too much of a hassle and because the police are not going to do anything anyway. How can they do anything if we help the criminals hide their crimes? The issue of whether they will do their work is beyond our power but we must do our part first. Don’t just blame and sit back. You never know, someone will actually do their work…but how can they if they have no help. Don’t you think so? It IS very difficult to change our mentality…that is one thing we all have in common…but let us change together in 2007. I can start with myself…you?

http://www.thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2007/1/11/focus/16520740&sec=focus

Who would have thought that a year has come and is ‘going’ soon. I have only posted 2 entries for the year 2006…how sad. But it is definately not reflective of my state whatsoever be it social or academic wise. So, first question…have I stuck to my so-called fun-filled and healthy activities? Ah..well, I did take up swimming lessons. So far only went for 4 over a span of 2 months and because of the convocation recently, didn’t have time to continue. Nevertheless, I’m resolved to continue learning and not stop here. Actually in 4 lessons you can learn alot. We (Sarita and I) can float relatively well with some basic hand strokes and leg movements. Initially I thought I needed ALOT of time to even attempt to float. So now our next quest is to learn how to tread on water. For those in the dark, treading on water is where you can float upright in deep waters. Right now I can only float horizontally in shoulder-deep water. However we really need to practise first before we embark on our next lesson since it has been quite some time we haven’t been to the pool.

Not so bad..at least I did realise one of my resolution. The other 2 of wall climbing and paint ball is unfortunately quite impossible because of 2 main reason. One, to go there (wherever the centre is) is a hassle. Of course I can just allocate a day to either go to 1Utama or to Bukit Jalil or even in Sunway which I heard had this activities but…alone? Or even just with one friend? How fun is that? Instead it may end up as an activity which is obligatory, stress-filled and a waste of time. I mean, for these kind of sports, you need the company in a way if it is to be a one-off thing (unless you’re a die-hard fan). And it is quite hard to get like minded individuals together for an outing at a time suitable for all..don’t you think? Therefore I’m not too terribly disappointed in not fulfilling them. On the bright side, at least I now have a better idea is making resolutions. Think of the many aspects which may make it worthwhile..hehe. A lesson to be learn…albeit a small but vital one.

And now, with reference to my 2nd entry. Exam…ah..all went well, though not as I expected. Took a gamble and it didn’t pay off as I expected but it’s all part of life. Sometimes you win..sometimes you win less..hehe. But I’m grateful I passed the exam and finally obtained my degree. Somehow it doesn’t seem so useful without CLP which I am doing right now. And with the very low passing rate (which seems to go lower each year) for CLP…I really need a miracle and lots of effort…which needs to be work on right now =) One has to be optimistic so I will have to buck up and work my ass off for the next few months…

Which brings us to the recent convocation in KLCC. It was disappointingly a very costly and poorly managed affair. I think I can safely say that the consensus on the food that night was that it did not live up to a layman expectations. Mind you I’m using a layman standard and not some upper-class, posh and picky socialite..plus we are Malaysians where food is the highlight of any event! Even if they had buffet fried mee hoon, fried rice with some curry chicken would have tasted better. It was a waste of good raw food from a surprisingly weird choice of menu. I cannot find reasons to justify that dinner. Everyone was eating for the sake of not wasting it and for the price that we have paid. The food was not even warm when it reach our table…why, no money to spent on gas to keep them warm? Plus the graduates had to wait for ages before we could enter the hall. And the photography people did not even bother to line us up according to height for the class photo (which they did in the past convocations). They only did it inside the hall, last minute, in the full view of the audience. I think this is fair comment as I have volunteered in our college’s past convocation and it was more systematic and orderly…Funnily enough, the past years graduates did not come on time for rehearsal (some did not even come), the hall was much less grander, and the college used the same photography company. What went wrong? I think it basically boils down to how passionate and sincere the person is in doing it.

Of course not all was bad…what made the whole occasion meaningful and fun (and tolerable) was the company. The friends and lecturers. Our rehearsal and the lining up of graduates was fast and fun. Seeing the antics of our lecturer in teaching us where to walk was amusing. Indeed she will forever be a teacher to us. And they were extremely helpful in helping a friend to sit her parents where it was convenient for them. Most importantly…friends…who can forget them. The convocation was a success because all of you were there…I wish you all a great year ahead. And finally…the reason the convocation was held…not for us actually…but more to celebrate our family. It was very apt for Dr. Wayne to dedicate our success not only to the lecturers and graduates..but to the family and friends. I would like to thank my family for being there for me, for the support and faith in me. None of this is possible if not for them. And to the friends..thanks for the shoulders and ears you’ve lent us during trying times.

This has been a long entry…till next time. I wish everyone a very Happy New Year and may the new year bring us good tidings and peaceful times. Cheers! =)

It has been 4 days since my last paper and now I’m entering my 5^th day. Not much have been happening since then. I’ve only been out of my house’s front gate to go for the exams during the last few weeks and for the last few days…hmm…I think I only went out for a movie outing with my bro and when the Jabatan Kesihatan came to my house to fog at night. Haha…so much for the much awaited holidays. But at least I’m ready to rejoin society and I am slowly but surely taking steps to assimilate myself so as to not traumatize others and myself (bear in mind I haven’t been around people for some time and have been very much a recluse). The reason is, I’ve been couped up at home for so long. My days routine is usually wake up, have breakfast, read newspapers, study…then lunch, short nap, study…then dinner, watch the news, study….sleep, oh wait…freak out terribly and then sleep.

And because I don’t have a study room, I used my parents’ or my brother’s room because both have air con and is less noisy. Towards the end of the exams, my skin was really dry because of sitting too long in air-conditioned room and suffering from the lack of water which is purely my fault…but hey, I didn’t want to run to the toilet every half an hour…One day I tried drinking lots of water and it was a distraction. I was telling myself..’Ok, go to toilet after you’ve finished this page..hold it..’ and after that I rushed to toilet feeling like my bladders were going to burst ..a few times. There was a sense of relief of course..but don’t know whether it was from answering nature’s call or because I finished that page faster than I expected…hehe. Oh well.

Now I won’t elaborate much on the exams except to say it was…erm…ok I guess. Can’t say it was easy nor very tough..just that it was expected. Challenging questions and very limited time. But this time I was freaking out much more than the last 2 years. Almost felt like crying the night before…wait, I think I did before Evidence. Told myself that if you want to cry, cry now…not after you’ve done the paper. And hey, it felt good after that. At least I could study with less pent up emotions. I would like to say thank you so much to Lynnie, Sarita and Sammy(who picked up Sarita’s phone on that fateful night before Evidence) for their comforting words and attending to my late nights frustrations. Sorry gals for the torture I put you through. Really appreciate all you’ve done.

So since now I’m officially on holiday, I’m taking some time off to relax for a while before worrying about the things I want to do and of course work. It seems that if you want to work…it takes up all your time and leaves you with less time to take up any ‘learning’ activities. But if I want to join those activities, they’ll need money which I can only make if I work….argh, I could try to accommodate both but it’ll be too hectic…which defeats the purpose of a holiday. We’ll see…maybe I can work things out.

Well…will stop here now. Till I have something else I want to say…and not feeling lazy to type it out. Wishing all my friends who have just finished their exams a very Happy Holidays! And to those already working, Happy Working! Cheers people =)

What could be a more fitting occasion to start my first entry in my blog than the new year. I’ve been stalling this because of the lack of interesting events in my life or rather what I find interesting may not be worth the time and effort to sit in front of the computer and type it all out. Then again, this could be evidence of my laziness..no doubt about it now..hehe. And when we mention a new year, resolutions usually come to mind. Have I been sticking to my last year’s resolution…every single one…? The real question is can I still remember what I promised to do or not to? Did I even make them in the first place or did I opt to be those people who just didn’t bother making any so that when we’re conveniently asked whether we followed our resolutions…we’re not lying by giving a long philosophical lecture on the meaning of resolutions and avoiding answering…haha…

Then again my not-so-short-term memory tells me that I did do the traditional promises of trying to being a better person, trying to be more hardworking…etc. Well, I don’t think I deteriorated as a human being from the ethical and moral aspect nor am I saying I’m improving by leaps and bounds. With all the crimes going on around us in addition to the ones I’m facing daily in class…no, I don’t mean from the lecturers but the cases we are studying =P one cannot help but be a little if not very apprehensive and cautious when dealing with strangers. If you walk around Petaling Street as much as my friends and I do, you know what I mean. On the more hardworking part…hmm…let’s just say I successfully failed to keep up to it. Maybe I should make it ‘try to maintain my current level of diligence’….that would be easier to achive…I hope  =)

Anyway, this year I resolve to make my resolutions a little different. They are going to be fun-filled, healthy and productive activities (I know..I know…it sounds like an advert of an event by the Kementerian Belia Dan Sukan). Firstly…I will find time to try out wall climbing and (cross my fingers) paint-ball!! Yes, I know some of you are laughing and snickering…but if you’re not…sorry, my bad  =D Haha…sounds easy to do but I’m already doubting the chance of it happening bearing in mind there is another mock exam soon and revision later will sap any little energy I may have left. Nevertheless, let’s not start the new year with pessimism.

Secondly, I must learn how to swim. You never know when it might come in handy. Plus it is such a pity that there is a swimming pool near my place yet the only thing I can do in it is sink to the bottom…hopeless. Ever notice how good and nice things always come at a price…a steep one at that. Swimming classes nowadays are hardly cheap…and I think the wall climbing and paint-ball will not be a common feature in my extra curricular activity either.

Thirdly, studies…what can I say except to do better. I could say ‘maintain’ but since this is my last year..what the heck…all out gal!!! Erm, so far this is all I have. Probably I will make the other resolutions as I go along. There. I have ran out of things to say. Well, I will end here by wishing everyone I know and to those reading this a very Happy New Year and may it be a great one for all of us. Cheers!!