She said! She said!

She said to them, "Oh, so nice of you all to come".
She said to me, "I wished they didn't come".

She said to them, "You all look so much better now".
She said to me, "They look like they had plastic surgery".

She said to them, "You all look fat but happier".
She said to me, "They look swollen and out of shape".

She said to them, "So nice to hear the latest news".
She said to me, "They are the biggest gossipers".

She said to them, "Finally, I get to meet you all."
She said to me, "Finally, the troublemakers are gone."

Then,

She said to me, "I don't trust them."
I said to her, "Hmmmm".

They say, "Man speaks with forked tongue".
I say, "Woman, too!"

Sigh....

Well, folks, Be Calm In Your Heart!

(pics from photobucket)
Got to run now, owe someone down under a reply, wink! wink!)

Already Two Years Old and Counting

Two years ago, I began my blog without really thinking of where it would lead me.  I don’t really know why but having a blog made me look harder and deeper at everything that was happening in my life.  

I began to scrutinise and analyse what people said.  I watched TV and listened to the radio as if it was a homework assignment.  I scoured other blogs and online news portals to see what others were saying and thinking.  Always at the back of my mind, unconsciously or subconsciously, I thought of my blog and wondered, “to blog or not to blog”.

As luck would have it, less than a month from the birth of my blog, I found a “cause” I believed in.  My involvement in the anti-I.S.A. vigils that followed, gave me a weekly topic to promote and to write about.  It helped build up my confidence when people responded and commented. 

I had other bloggers guiding me, helping me, nudging me along the way.  Without their advice and support, I know it would have been more difficult so I really am glad that they shared their knowledge so unselfishly. 

Today I celebrate 730 days in existence and just over 150 blog posts.  It’s a drop in the ocean if I compare with others who have been blogging since before blogging became fashionable.  It’s a tiny scratch on the surface if I look at the top bloggers who have hits in the millions.  So I don’t do that.

I look at my blog and don’t compare with anyone.  I don’t compete either.  I feel proud that my stats are what I believe to be reasonably high.  I’m a blogger.  There have been times that people have stopped me in public to say, “Hey, I know you, you’re a blogger, I read your blog”.  At the beginning, I used to feel embarrassed but not anymore.  I am a blogger and I say that with pride.

As STEEST reaches two years, I look back and I can tell you that the highlights have not been that some posts were featured on Malaysia Today or that I’m listed under “Fabulous Blogs” or even that Global Voices invited me to write for them. 

The highlights are the friendships I’ve made. 

If I hadn’t started blogging, I’d never have found the warmth and kinship of other bloggers.  I’d have missed knowing the camaraderie of a “friend” or that of “a friend of a friend”.  Who would have guessed that great friendships could blossom from the least likely places?

I think when we write, we share a part of ourselves.  In some small way, it is a window to our soul.

To those of you who have peeped through the window, reached out and touched my life during these last two years, in one way or another, I just want to say

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

MALAYSIA DAY

Happy Malaysia Day!  

(and it's a holiday)

Finally, an all-inclusive celebration.

(Not exclusive, all are welcome!)

THE JOURNEY SO FAR

Date: 

16th September 2010

Venue: 

Rumah Anak Bangsa Malaysia - no: 66, Lorong Setiabistari Satu, Bukit Damansara, Kuala Lumpur (Map - here)

Programme:

6.30 - 7.30pm - Registration

7.30 - 8.00pm - Welcome speech and video presentation

8.00 - 9.00pm - Rakyat Voices

9.00 pm onwards - Makan2, Minum2 and Cakap2


You need to be registered to attend this event.
For registration, please Email events(at)sayaanakbangsamalaysia.net

50,000

How long can 50,000 last?

If you use 2,000 a month, it will only last 25 months.  That is just about 2 years.

If you use 1,500 a month, then you'd be able to stretch it to 33 months.  That's just under 3 years.

If you use 1,000 a month, then you'll have 50 months.  Only 4 years and that time is almost up, isn't it?

Some people are so curious about money, even when it isn't theirs.

SELAMAT HARI RAYA

Dengan Ingatan Tulus Ikhlas

Maaf Zahir Batin


Specially to 


Mama Julie, Ibu Darling,
Lourdez Faridah, Mohd Zaini (Tony Jr),
Rindra, Irman, Greg  
and other Muslim family members,


my CBN FRIENDS


and all MALAYSIANS

 who are celebrating 


Hari Raya Aidil Fitri
With much love and hope
for a peaceful celebration!

Sleeping in Singapore

There's "Sleepless in Seattle" and there's "Sleeping in Singapore".  Yes, lame comparison since they don't have anything to do with each other.

Whenever I am in Singapore, the one thing that I truly enjoy is the peace and quiet.  At night, there is no sound of traffic or of people walking and talking.  There is almost complete silence.  It's so deathly quiet that sometimes I find it hard to sleep unless I am very tired.

In KL, I hear the occasional cars or motorbikes zipping by.  I may even hear the party people (as I like to call them) returning in the wee hours of the morning.  Occasionally, if I am not too deeply asleep, I can hear the morning azan in the distance.  I've become so accustomed to all of these sounds that, often, I don't even notice them.

It's only when I'm in Singapore that I feel the difference.  Even now as I am writing this, there's no sound except for the whirring of the fan.  It's almost like I am the only living creature on earth.  Of course I'm not since Stephen is in the next room.

How glaring a contrast this is to my usual Monday at work!  Some say that "silence is deafening".  

I like it.  Not everyday but once in a while, I like it.

(pics from photobucket)

The Inconvenient Truth

As is usual on many Fridays, I was on the bus from Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur to Novena, Singapore. The weather was bleak and the short thunderstorm caused a flash flood in Bangsar. Fortunately, I had a driver yesterday and he managed to avoid the knee-deep water. The water receded after 20 minutes and the bus left promptly at 2.30 pm.

The sun was shining again after the heavy rains.  

As I traversed the bottom length of the peninsula, I saw how the weather changed from grey skies to clear blue sky with the sun shining.

It is a long journey covering about 380 kms. I usually spend my time enjoying the scenery. It’s cheap entertainment but so good for the soul. If it's too hot, I sometimes draw the nice grey curtains and watch a movie. Sometimes I sleep or catch up on some reading. Occasionally I use my laptop. I mean really as a laptop. There's no table so it sits on my lap and measures up to its name.

These days, thanks to my Blackberry, my friends keep me company all through the journey. I'm never lonely. They send wishes for a safe trip. They comment and joke and I smile quietly. Technology can be so kind to those who know how to use it.

Since I travel so often, I've watched all the movies that are available on the bus. We each have our own small TV screen and there are more than 50 movies to choose. I haven't been browsing the choices lately because there are hardly any new shows now. Today, I just checked and found the documentary by Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth. I'd seen it before so I let it run, without the volume.

It's about global warming but it set me down a different path. Actually, the title got me thinking about how the truth is inconvenient. I guess it is the main reason why people lie.

Of late, I'd been spending way too much time wondering about the lies that people tell. I believe that this springs from not being able to face the truth. So they make up stories, moving on and beyond the boundaries of courtesy.

These pathetic liars need to get a life. I'm sure if you are reading this, you might feel that you do know someone like this. How often have you felt helpless against the backdrop of such a network of deceit? I've felt despair too but never for too long.

You ask why? What do I do? Actually nothing!

My life is full of goodness. When your plate is full of good stuff, it's not difficult to push aside the people made of bad stuff. The sad thing is that they don't even know it.

Al Gore really got me thinking again, not only about global warming but also about the people, out there, who can't stomach the inconvenient truth.  In their minds, the truth is inconvenient. 

Should I pity them? Yes.

some pics from photobucket