Contrasts Abound

In one part of the world, families are suffering from cold weather, injuries, lack of food and personal losses after the Pakistani quake. In another part of the world, others are gaily shopping and preparing for a celebration (Deepavali/ Hari Raya). In yet another part of the world, people are making so much money in showbiz that you wonder whether they'll be able to spend it all in 1 lifetime. In still another part of the world, wars are being waged and peace remains a dream.

I can't help but be thankful for the life that I have. Yet there is a feeling of helplessness when families have to face such a tragic disaster (referring to the Pakistani Quake). There was a photo in the newspaper this morning- of a family in the quake-affected area breaking fast outside their tent. I can't help but to notice a little boy in the foreground (about 9 or 10) and he has a beaming face, despite all the hardship. To me, that represents the strength of the human spirit. It's beautiful. My prayers go to those facing the daily odds in the rough environment.. and on my part I'll what I can to create awareness of the situation.

The Meaning of Hari Raya

We'll be leaving for Johor on Monday afternoon. The children are really looking forward to spending Hari Raya at their Grandma's. I got a little excited myself while packing their clothes just now. Hari Raya in our house was always celebrated with great happiness and gratitude.

This year we're facing a little personal challenge yet the spirit of Hari Raya endures. Celebrations like this always brings out the best in people. Maybe this year we should celebrate it a little bit differently. Instead of focusing in ourselves and our own set of challenges, maybe we should open ourselves up more and do some charity work. I was always known as the crazy one in the house, so.. why not?

Welcome to My Pity Party

It's been a loooooong week! I am rightfully tired by all the 'excitement' of this week alone. I actually copied some templates from work, thinking that I could work on them this weekend but apparently I have no such luck. The download failed. Looks like I might as well enjoy the holidays after all.

I'll be leaving for Johor on Monday, and I have this funny feeling that the highways will be jam-packed with vehicles. Apparently Monday is a school day. That was one item that I did not take into account when I bought the tickets back. Oh well, so long as I am not the person behind the wheel, it's fine. I tend to get stressed up & agitated whenever I am caught in the traffic jam. Especially in KL where the traffic's simply brutal.

Talking about traffic and drivers, I have made some observations about Malaysian drivers (and motorcyclists) from my 13 years of driving experience:-

• Some drivers switch on their vehicles' hazard lights during heavy rain. My question to them: How would other drivers be able to distinguish a car that has broken down (and not moving) from the moving ones in that scenario?
• Motorbike riders does not seem to want to stop so long as they still can help it. Be it at traffic lights, stop signs and ESPECIALLY zebra crossings.
• Emergency lanes are used as of right, especially during morning traffic.
• Where there is an actual emergency with blaring sirens, the ambulance will almost always be tailed by a group of other vehicles taking advantage of the parted traffic. The source of the entourage remains a mystery to me. "Kiasu"ism at its best? Maybe.
• Foreign words in certain driver's dictionary consist of: "Beri Laluan", "Berhenti" and "Jalan Sehala", among others.
• Signals are almost never used by some drivers, especially when turning into a junction and another car (or a group of cars) are desperately waiting to exit that same junction.
• Despite the unpopularity of use for signals (and in certain cases, brakes) the car horn appear to have greater appeal. Uses for horns include: to warn the car in front the SECOND the traffic light changes to green; to mark a territory where another driver gives a signal to switch lanes (or even thinks of doing so); or as a method of greeting in front of a friend's house, in a residential area, at midnight.
• Some cars will tailgate and harass you to no end when you are on the fast lane, driving at the speed limit sanctioned by local traffic laws.
• A yellow fire hydrant next to a 'no parking' sign may be read by some drivers as "Park Here" (because nobody else is).

Having said that however, there is a beacon of light in the drivers who come under the "Exemplary" category. To them I say keep the light shining dudes! On my part, I have reduced my driving requirements to the bare minimum.

I hope and pray that all drivers will keep a level head when driving home this Deepavali/ Hari Raya season. Patience, after all, is indeed a virtue and may make a difference between life and death on our Malaysian highways.

A Right to Copy

I was at the public discussion for Malaysia's proposed adoption of the Creative Commons License. In the bigger scheme of things, it would appear that I was one of the little voices that contributed to the drafting of a legislation. Now I'm feeling rather important... hehe..

Personally, I'm choosing not to register with cc for now. I'll take my chances with copyright because I do want people to ask my permission to use any part of this blog. You could say that I am a skeptic or simply old school. Or just someone with self interest. Isn't anyone? Definitely it's important to be attributed as a writer of a work, but it doesn't hurt to get paid for it either.

Having said that however, I do agree with the cc licensing introduction in Malaysia. With globalisation and the Internet, everyone's words and works are 'published' in all parts of the world. It's a significant development and the youth of today are embracing the culture more readily compared to 'oldies' like me. It would be interesting to observe the impact of the cc licenses once it's implemented in Malaysia. I personally hope that it would create an environment of trust, reliability of information and responsible copying of materials.

The Boy Who Fell Down the Lift Shaft

It was in the news yesterday.. how a boy fell down 11 floors to his death. His younger brother only notified the parents only after he got back from school.

That must have been a scary thing for a 9-year old to witness, and he did try to inform the bus driver (who did not pay attention) and the teacher (who dismissed him as a liar). I suspect that the living kin will need serious therapy to get over the shock and grief. It is one thing to lose someone close, it's another thing to lose him/her in the most unexpected of circumstances.

The management company remarked that they'll "donate some money" to the family and claims that they have been efficient in maintaining the lifts all these while. In fact, the management company stands by the fact that their technicians will attend to the repairs between 20-30 minutes from the time any report is made. Hmm.. the mind ponders..

A Lazy Saturday

Looks like another Saturday spent by lazing around. It rained a little last night and this morning and it feels very much cooler today compared to yesterday. I actually have a lot to accomplish today. First thing that I have to do today is to sort out my bookkeeping, if we can call it that. It's basically a depository of monthly expenses.

My kids are screaming in the background, that's typical. That's another thing that I have to take care of. My kids' education. I'll have to tutor my eldest son & set the timetable. OK, studies first.. bookkeeping later..

The month of Ramadan is almost ending and I'll miss it when it ends. There's something beautiful about it all.. it's a lesson in humility in the global sense. I may not have been as patient as I would like but at least I tried :-)

An Exercise in Futility

I've just finished moderating an intake's work for Practical English. The previous lecturer, who has since left our employment, gave a rather interesting topic as the students' writing assignment "Religion is the opium of today's society": Do you agree or disagree?

I have no problems with the question since the lecturer had her roots in sociology and is probably very interested to invite a discussion of the Marxian statement. However, when such a question is handed to a youth of 17-18 years of age (without any prior guidance or exposure to the background OR the context of the statement) the result was a personal attack on specific religious practices and a misguided discussion on terrorism and mass suicides. It's funny (haha-funny, not strange-funny) that such a serious question are discussed in a simplistic & non-objective manner. And it would definitely need an essay beyound 300 words to discuss the merits of that (deceptively) simple statement.

I would say that's a difficult thing to teach.. about how to argue objectively and avoid personal or emotional attacks. One other thing that struck me was how a student readily deduces a conclusion without having ALL (or at least MOST of) the facts disclosed. There is indeed a danger there, when our future leaders do not perceive these issues with depth and strength of character.

Maybe I'm having too high an expectation on them? Well, shouldn't I? They should be able to think for themselves and make valid arguments based on facts. An advice that's repeatedly hammered into their brains but the effect of which remains a mystery till today.

Maybe I'm getting a little old & conservative. There was a joke once that you know that you're getting old when your sentences start with "In my time.." haha.. Some of my sentences DO start with that phrase, especially when speaking to my kids regarding the virtues of being frugal yada yada yada..

Oh well, here's a toast to old age.. and wisdom (I hope)..!

Pie in the Sky

We'd all have heard of the story of 'overnight' or 'runaway' successes. Yet we do not have access to the REAL story behind these successes. I guess it's part of human (and positive) behaviour to select the beautiful bits and discard the unpleasant experiences.

We can't help but feel a tinge of envy when observing certain people.. just this weekend I watched E! about how Hollywood's rich & famous spend their money- it's mind-boggling.. and they spend using Amex black card.. hmm, would that be a good thing or bad? There is a possibility of even the rich & famous going bankrupt, isn't there?

I suppose when they've worked as hard as they did, they deserve it. Yes, that'll be putting things in perspective. I am lucky & blessed in my own right too.. and I can't complain. Life in itself is a wonderful experience & I enjoy every minute of it (even when I'm broke & can't pay my bills.. haha). I guess the good things in life really are free. Blue skies and afternoon breeze. Rainy days & rainbows. Love and sunshine. Happiness & laughter. Wonderment and (the elusive) peace & quiet. And at the end of the day happiness is a choice that we each make.

Connected to the Wired World

We recently got connected to the www using broadband.. after years of deliberating. Hubby seems very keen to stay home to play his online games. I am happy with that :-)