Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Art of War

I have heard of Sun Tzu (孫子)'s "Art of War" book on military strategy and how applicable it is even in the corporate world, but have never gotten round to reading it. For more details, click here. What brought about this post on the art of war? Recently, some pieces of "public information" were made available, and then, previous pieces of "whispers in the wind" of certain actions by some individuals suddenly made greater sense.

And it got me thinking of an adage I heard before: "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer". Looking it up, it brought me to Sun Tzu's "Art of War", and looking at other notable quotes, I have observed situations in which they were being practiced in the corporate world:

1. What is essential in war is victory, not prolonged operations.

2. Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate.

3. The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities... It is best to win without fighting.

4. A military operation involves deception. Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent. Though effective, appear to be ineffective.

5. All men can see these tactics whereby I conquer, but what none can see is the strategy out of which victory is evolved.

6. All warfare is based on deception.

7. For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill. Hence to fight and conquer in all your battles is not supreme excellence; supreme excellence consists in breaking the enemy's resistance without fighting.

8. It is essential to seek out enemy agents who have come to conduct espionage against you and to bribe them to serve you. Give them instructions and care for them. Thus doubled agents are recruited and used.

9. Now the reason the enlightened prince and the wise general conquer the enemy whenever they move and their achievements surpass those of ordinary men is foreknowledge.

10. Of all those in the army close to the commander none is more intimate than the secret agent; of all rewards none more liberal than those given to secret agents; of all matters none is more confidential than those relating to secret operations.


There are actually more quotes, and these are but a sampler. The higher up you go, the more intense the "war". Of course, there are people who are actually genuine with their intentions in the corporate world, but for the most part, one would practice some semblance of the above quotes in one form or another.

Not sure if you would agree with me, but the machinations of war will always be prevalent, and the victor, typically will be the ones who make the silent strikes.

Monday, January 29, 2007

Do you know your “piggies”?

With the onset of the coming piggy year, my colleagues and I were trying to figure out the different types of “piggies” during lunch, and were slightly amused at some of the definitions:

















Pig = domestic swine
Swine = stout-bodied short-legged omnivorous animal
Hog = castrated male pig
Boar = uncastrated male pig
Sow = adult female pig
Piglet = young pig
Piggy = young pig
Shoat = young pig

And have also seen it defined as Sus scrofa, Grunter, and Squealer. I guess the context in which it may be used to refer to others may not be of the complimentary kind. Can get more details from here. The next time you decide to call a person a pig, make sure you hurl your verbal repartee correctly and don’t simply malign the poor pig.

Now then, do you know your piggies? :P

Friday, January 26, 2007

Of cherry blossoms and many things red

Pinkish cherry blossoms unnaturally do spring,
around malls and many a revellers’ lodging.
Of a coming new year, a celebration to usher,
the jolly boar, piggie, or “oink-oink”, with a golden blusher.

Of many things red, we certainly do see,
associated with the Chinese, for greater prosperity.
A colour of passion, of dominance and of fire,
For lanterns, packets, clothing and many more, to desire.

And in this season of coming merriment,
with loud crackers, visitations and frolicky lion dances,
To thank, to love, to cherish and to accompany,
with family and friends, and well wishers aplenty.

But forget also not the lonely single beings,
Of deprived love, and solitude constantly preying.
Spread a resounding cheer, or maybe just a simple call,
to show your bounteous care, and earnest generosity of soul.

Saturday, January 20, 2007

Hectic Week – Part 6: Meme

As though I didn’t have enough on my plate, some “evil” soul tagged me for this meme. :P

But of course, it is also self-inflicted as I am responding to it. Literally, an "Oh, beat me! Beat me!" kind of scenario. So, here goes my 5 all time favourite movies:

1. Pretty Woman – YEAH! I can’t believe it myself, but have seen it like seven times already. The last time I watched it was eons ago, but I still remember the story. What is the appeal? Well, you tell me. There's love, there's misunderstanding, there's bits of this and that. And of course, there's Julia Roberts with the fabulous legs! Have you seen her wearing those leather boots? Mamamiaaaa! A must watch for all. Fairy tale, anyone? :P

2. Silence of the Lambs – Wow!, the intensity of the entire movie. What better way to find a killer than to put yourself to think like the killer via another complete sociopath! Two memorable scenes which were simply very, very well done. The first, the way Dr. Hannibal Lector escaped from the prison cage, and the second, in the darkened hideout beneath the house when Clarice Starling was hunting, and in turn, being hunted by a serial killer.

3. Return of the King – Actually, I liked all three Lord of the Ring movies. As for the book, I read quite a long ago, good, but difficult to get into. For the movie, there was this one scene in the final instalment, when Aragorn said to the hobbits, “No, it is I who should kneel to you”, and he knelt, and all around him knelt to the hobbits in acknowledgement for their courage and inner strength. What little hairs on my arm literally stood on end.

4. Ghost – The one where Demi Moore sported the short hairdo, and spoke with a slightly husky voice. Oooooo-la-la! The whole movie was good, there was sadness, love, humour, murder, etc. And the final scene when she was crying tears of happiness because she managed to see him one more time before he “had to go”… awwwww. If you have seen the movie, hope you cried buckets… yeah, I am a romantic at heart.

5. Star Trek: The Next Generation – Been a follower of Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s adventures on the starship enterprise, even from the tv series. So, how not to “don’t like” the movie? Actually, I didn’t think it was brilliant, but more of a “package deal” from all the trekkie series I followed which made it great for me. “Captain’s Log 2682308 – blah, blah, blah - To boldly go, where no man has gone before”.

So, there you have it. My 5 all-time favourite films. There are many more which I liked, but not necessarily considered as favourites. And here’s to tagging laymank, eddy, schola, and bryan for this very same meme. Enjoy...

Friday, January 19, 2007

Hectic Week – Part 5: Changing Numbers

Although I was not born yesterday, I finally realised:

1. how picky I was when it came to numbers. My desired number was not available. And no, although being a banana type of cina apek, was not aiming for 8888888 or 3333333, but more for a number which has meaning to me.

2. how a sales representative can mislead information, either due to their own ignorance or on purpose.

3. how Digi’s leaflets have “English” errors leading to different interpretation of a particular statement. I don’t even want to think which moron wrote or proof-read it for them.

4. how hard-up Digi’s sales representative was to close a deal. They probably earn heaps loads of commission.

5. how troublesome it was to inform all of a handphone number change.

As the saying goes, “If it ain’t broken, don’t fix it!”, but of course, to get a cheaper package from my current one, or so I would like think, and still remains to be seen, itchiness got hold of me and finally swapped from 019 to 016.

Hectic Week – Part 4: Car-less

When my car was still in the workshop, and being car-less for a few days, it certainly opened my eyes to how reliant I was, and still am, on my mobility for convenience. During the period, I experienced:

1. the gratefulness for friends and colleagues, and family members who offered, and actually did, to transport me somewhere.

2. the gratefulness for my younger sister to help with my car issue and temporary loan of her car for the weekend.

3. a fresh viewing of the city by taking the monorail. Yep! Finally tried the monorail during one of the weekdays as I had a morning function in the city centre.

4. jam-packed putra line and monorail from certain stations heading to, and out of the city centre.

5. that although for all the talks of inter transportation connectivity, I had to walk out of KL Sentral main station and cross the main brickfields’ road to get to the monorail station. Thank goodness I didn’t have any heavy luggage with me.

6. helpful and informative monorail guard at the monorail KL Sentral station as I wasn’t sure which was the nearest station to alight for my desired destination. He also specifically told me which exit to take when I reach the station.

7. that a RapidKL bus charges differently from a metro bus to the same destination. At least the RapidKL bus driver was kind enough to reopen the bus door for me to take another bus instead.

8. how generally unfit I was by using my own two-legged mobility.

9. the gratefulness for a handphone to communicate for onward transportation. It boggles the mind how we lived through the era of no handphones and missing appointments or meet ups and being unable to inform.

10. the gratefulness that it didn’t rain when I was car-less, and had to rely on public transportation, and my own two-legged mobility. It finally rained on the evening after collecting my car. I would like to think that someone up there is smiling on me.

And of course, the gratefulness of having a car, and for mobility.

Thursday, January 18, 2007

Hectic Week – Part 3: Il Divo

What can I say? A one night show, with sky high ticket prices, yet the hall was simply packed, with many more wanting to catch the act live on stage. Nope I didn't have to pay for my ticket. My one ticket was complimentary, and even that, it was not complimentary to me, but to my boss who was kind enough to pass me the ticket. And for that price, I was already like at the back of the hall.

And did I enjoy it? Yes, I must admit, I did. I liked their voices, although for a life act, and given the cultural differences in speech and actions, there were obvious places where things didn’t “flow” as smoothly. It’s interesting to compare the three different tenors, and baritone in terms of singing technique and showmanship. Some were obviously stronger in this or that aspect than others. Here’s just some quick observations, purely subjective of course:

1. Sebastian - I prefer his voice on the CDs. He actually has a wonderful and superb voice, but could be due to the mics. Showmanship, well, with Carlos, he’s good... grooving along, etc.
2. Carlos – dynamite voice, probably because he has power in personality and is a strong baritone. And of course, he’s Spanish.
3. David – wow! Those high notes just keep getting higher and higher, yet can be distinctively heard and still sound melodious. Wonderful voice. Yet, there is something "missing" from his voice. Possibly my own ignorance though. No way am I anyway near his category of singing. Simply miles, no, make that planets apart!
4. Urs – I personally liked his voice the best. But I felt he was kind of “detached” from the act.

But still, vocally, they were all very good, with so much emotion in their singing. I guess the difference in their voices and their different personality, which is what make their appeal – and of course, song choice. How I wish I could sing like them one day. And yes, I picked up something from listening to them, about "sitting on the support" to drive the notes. They made it seem so easy.

Staging, well, for a world class act, I think it could have been better. After going through “lessons” for our own show, it does open the eyes to these details in terms of positioning, etc. Hey, but what do I know… it’s very subjective. One note though, the orchestra and band were good. So much feeling and dynamics in the interpretation of the music.

And incidentally, for some who are more inclined, you get to “rub shoulders” with the rich and famous, even royalty.

And relating to events happening this week. Yes, I was grateful for the opportunity to enjoy the show.

Hectic Week – Part 2: An Old Lady

As I was driving around the area behind Kota Raya on the way to collect a document earlier this morning, I chanced upon seeing an old Chinese lady standing at the intersection of the walkway. Now don’t get me wrong, I don’t go eyeing old ladies up and down wherever I go, but this particular scene struck something deep in me.

You see, she looked like she was at least 80, and had a sling bag which I think was blue in colour (like the ones you see in movies portraying china scenes). She didn’t look like a beggar, but more of a traveler. She was alone, holding a small piece of paper, looking around perplexed as aged lines furrowed her face, lost in thought and possibly just simply… lost.

As I sat in the car, my heart literally felt saddened:
1. Why is she alone?
2. Why doesn’t she have anyone to help show her way?
3. Is she living on the streets?
4. Where are her children?

I almost wanted to stop my car and assist her or at least lead her to the nearest policeman. But didn’t do so because:
1. I can’t communicate in Chinese well, and I personally doubt is she spoke English.
2. The traffic lights turned green, and there was a long line of cars behind me, all ready to honk me down should I hesitate to drive on.

Even now, thinking about it, just be grateful for what you have – you are not on the streets, you have someplace to sleep, you have the skill to use a PC, you have friends around you (just don’t take them for granted and abuse the friendship) and many more countless blessings.

There I was previously getting upset over my experience whilst making a certain report, but there are more things happening around which is more upsetting.

Just count your blessings instead.

Hectic Week – Part 1: Did you know?

What a week it has been. A few “first”s for me this week in terms of happenings, and some very poignant things I saw. I don’t know where to start, but will just plop down whatever as I recall them.

Did you know?

1. No matter how careful you drive, someone will still bang your car. I hesitate to resort to name callings as I have been in that position myself.

2. Accident reporting is divided by jurisdiction. If happened in Selangor, have to report in Selangor. If happened in Kuala Lumpur, have to report in Kuala Lumpur. And all this while, I had assumed their IT systems were linked. Perhaps it is something else which I am ignorant about.

3. They let you key your data into their system personally. Doesn’t matter if the whole thing is in Malay, and one’s Malay may be “a bit” rusty, and heaven forbid if you are PC illiterate. And if you are “unlucky”, and when you ask for the translation or meaning of this word or what to fill in here or there, the personnel attending you will give you the evil eye. And even worse, if you are really unlucky, the personnel will be more preoccupied sweet talking on the handphone as opposed to explaining things. However, if you have been blessed with things falling at your feet, the personnel will kindly explain what and when you asked with a pleasant smile.

4. They have a standard report template in Malay and English for you to follow. Woe to you if you do not know English or Malay. Doesn’t matter if your story may be different, as they will tell you to “ikut ini”. So, some initiative with grey matters will have to be employed to change the story a little bit for personal customisation. However, thinking back, their template covered the pertinent points. So, there is some value there at least.

5. After keying into the PC, a print out slip will be given to you. And the personnel will circle a destination (what floor, what room) for you to go. Never mind if it is in a different building and they don’t tell you so, or why you even need to go there. After all, wasn’t a report just made? Apparently no. Need to give a “statement”.

6. When you come to a door which says “Tunggu DiLuar”, you should go straight in. Don’t be a plonker and wait for someone to come a calling.

7. Need to make report within 24 hours. Otherwise, may be fined. And they have a knack of shoving the legal “Act” at your face for not knowing or ignoring this fact, and read you the “riot act” out loud. Never mind if you are a victim in the traffic accident. Incidentally, I was aware of this fact, but situations changed which required me to make a report.

8. They charge (here I am using a politer word) RM1 for taking a photocopy of your ID and license.

9. Need to bring your damaged car for them to take pictures and verify your report for potential insurance claim. You will be read another “riot act” asking what’s the purpose for making report if you don’t even bring your car for them to see. Never mind if your car is already in the workshop and the workshop personnel won’t allow you to take pictures or take the car as they have already started working on it. Best case is, if the workshop is used to such incidences and has taken the precaution of taking pictures “before” and “after” even for their own records. Incidentally, being charged RM2 for each of the 9 coloured pictures printed out on normal A4 paper is not exorbitant. At least it helps ignorant folks speed up reporting requirements and for potential processing of insurance claims.

10. They can be sympathetic and pleasant if certain requirements are met.

11. Took me about 2 hours altogether.

12. Have to return to pick up report after a few days – at this floor, this door. At least he was kind enough to inform that it was in the same building.

13. They charge RM4 for the report. It took less than 5 minutes to get the report.


All in all, it was certainly a learning experience. So for those ignorant ones out there, be aware of what you need to do if and when the situation arises.

Sure, I was “a bit” miffed that I had to go through all these, but I prefer to see it as a blessing instead. As a result of this incident, I got to see other things which I would not have been aware of, or think about, for me to feel and be grateful. Will blog about these other things subsequently.

Saturday, January 13, 2007

The Three Things In Life

Three things in life that, once gone, never come back -
1. Time
2. Words
3. Opportunity

Three things in life that may never be lost -
1. Peace
2. Hope
3. Honesty

Three things in life that are most valuable -
1. Love
2. Self-confidence
3. Friends

Three things in life that are never certain -
1. Dreams
2. Success
3. Fortune

Three things in life that are most appreciated -
1. Generosity
2. Humor
3. Forgiveness

Three things that make a person -
1. Hard work
2. Sincerity
3. Commitment

Three things in life that can destroy a person -
1. Alcohol / Drugs
2. Pride
3. Anger

Three things that are truly constant -
Father - Son - Holy Ghost

-- Author Unknown

Of things that can go wrong, and does

Today was not a good day for me. It started bad, salvaged somewhat, and ended bad. Was initially disinclined to blog about it, but somehow, I do not want to let it fester within me, and make me continue to be unhappy. I hope writing it down will somehow lessen my negative feelings contained within me, so that I can achieve a calmer self.

I had a cup of coffee late last night, and sort of wanted to test whether my system could sustain the intake, and sleep immediately. But no, what I could have done previously, I can’t do anymore. A cup of coffee before sleeping does keep me awake at night.

So, it began with me catching only about four hours sleep at best, and left for work 15 minutes later than normal. Of course, traffic would be heavier, and the federal highway is well known for its congestion. At least the traffic was moving, although at a “move, stop, move, stop” kind of rhythm at certain stretches. And would you know it? At one of the “stop”s, a lorry had to hit my car from the back. Don’t really want to go into anymore details, but luckily, my car doesn’t look damage, but the boot cannot open. The spare wheel at the back of my car sort of absorbed the impact and protected the back lights and stuff from being damaged. There is a dent though from the spare wheel being forcibly knocked, and somehow must have jammed the clasp to open the car boot. But thank goodness, no serious damage to persons.

At this point, I was troubled. What a rotten way to start the day, and I had to calm myself down. Seriously, it was an accident, and definitely not intentionally. As a good friend put it, somehow, no matter how careful you drive, other people’s recklessness or carelessness somehow will also affect you.

It was a busy day at work, with many reports due and various interruptions to solve ad hoc issues. Lunch break was shortened due to meetings (although I still took slightly more than the normal 1 hour timeframe), and yes, I did bitch about the accident to my colleagues, but I wasn’t angry. Just have to deal with it, get it fixed, and move on.

The day progressed, my mood got better. Actually, I was scheduled to go to 1U after work to meet a friend for dinner and then catch a movie “Curse of the Golden Flower”. I was initially surprised that my friend was willing to watch the show after hearing negative reviews of the show, but he did say he was bringing a female friend along. And sometime during the day, somehow, hints emerged that he purposely wanted to introduce me to this girl. Ok, I am game. His intentions were to nobly suffer through the movie not of his choice so that me, as his good friend, may get to know his other friend, with hope that we would click. Now, I have nothing against this, as my intention was just to have a good time.

So, just as I was about to leave the office at 5:20pm to meet my friend as scheduled at 6:30pm at 1U, my boss’s secretary who was compiling the reports, asked me “where is agenda 8?” which was a proposal I helped my lady boss do, and was like due the day before. Damn! Have to hunt the paper to see which boss hasn’t signed, and lo and behold, it was in the big boss’s room right in front of his desk, but he had other things stacked on top that he didn’t notice it until I asked. BUGGER!!!

Calm down, there’s still time! Was planning to go via Penchala Link from Jalan Ampang, and tried a route which was supposedly shorter, but alas, I missed a turning, and had to do a major, and I mean MAJOR detour. SHIT! Couldn’t it get any worse? And in situations like these, yes, it does. One thing my friends know about me is that I am very particular about time keeping, and I detest being late, and don’t like others being late too, but have somewhat softened my stance on this. Hey! Things out of our control can happen, so some understanding goes a long way.

But wait a minute, my hp rang when I was unsettled and unsure of directions, and the first thing I heard was, “Where are you? Why are you not in the office?”. SHIT! Work related call from a banker asking about something, but nothing major. OK. That didn’t set me off, just unsettled me a bit more, wondering where the unfamiliar highway was leading me, but later more or less found myself heading in the correct direction.

Later, about 10 minutes before 6:30pm, my friend called me asking me where I was. “Nearly there, nearly there!”, as I was just approaching 1U. He doubted my ability to get there by 6:30pm and wanted to change our meeting venue to the dinner place which I had no clue where. I asked him to wait a bit as I had no clue where the eatery was in 1U, but he initially refused as he promised to meet his friend shortly after 6:30pm and wanted to keep that appointment. I got a bit pissed and my tone of voice must have conveyed my sentiments.

Yes, I was probably going to be late, and will be later still having to search for this elusive dinner place, but it dawned on my friend that I may just not turn up, and ruin his matchmaking plans. So he waited, and yes, with my mood, I did contemplate just driving home or go somewhere else entirely. At the end, I was one miserable minute late.

So, on we went for dinner, and his friend only turned up about 5 to 10 minutes after we sat down. Truth be told, I enjoyed the dinner. Had good conversation, and the girl was friendly, easy to talk to, etc.

Later, the three of us went for movie, and he intentionally make the girl sit between us, which was fine by me. For the movie, after hearing a lot of negative news about it, I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed it. What spoilt it for me a bit was someone else sitting close by who talked a bit here and there during the show which was very disruptive. Even at the end of the movie, as we were walking about, I heard comments like “that was the stupidiest show”. I couldn’t disagree more, but that’s neither here nor there, suffice to say that amidst all the grandeur and opulence, all is not well. Yet, at the core, love is what sustains and love is what will forgive the mistakes, but beware to those that are not loved. I think a lot of people miss this message, and see the film superficially amidst all the jiggling boobs and what nots.

However, the worse feeling I had was when we were leaving. I would have thought my friend knew me well enough that I do not like to be pressured to do things. All in my own time, yet, creating opportunities for me to be alone with his friend at this very first meeting, to me, is not on. Suggesting outright that I walk his friend back to her car alone may not sound strange to him, but certainly does to me, and created an uncomfortable situation. I suggested going together. The worse thing was, the girl was smart, and I think knew what my friend was trying to do, and decided to just leave on her own. I felt absolutely terrible, and tried to tell my friend, but he just walked off. Talk about like talking on the phone to someone, and that someone slams down the phone on you. It is literally akin to that, and no, I was definitely not pleased. What a way to spoil what could have been a very good ending to an evening.

Sometimes, I just wonder:
1. Did my friend inform the girl that he was trying to match make her?
2. Did my friend take into account our feelings into all these?
3. How would you feel if you were the girl, and meeting someone for the first time, and your mutual friend asked “that stranger” to walk you back to you car?

Yes, I applaud my friend for taking the initiative to try to “set us up”, but how blatant can it be? Maybe I go by different rules, but no, I do not appreciate such awkward circumstances.

After all these times, my close friends should know me better than this, and that I do not appreciate being put into “difficult” circumstances, and no, I do not like to be “forced” to do things. The more it is being forced, the more my nature rebels against it, and the more I don’t want to do it.

And yes, there was another time when THREE of my friends ganged up on me to “force’ me to do something with ever so flowery words, and as though I was dim witted to be unaware of what they were trying to do. In that instance, I relented but was literally seething inside. I have mentioned this before, but the message does not seem to be digested by my friends. Either that, or it had been literally digested and gone out their nether regions as unimportant. After all, they are doing what they think best for me, without considering my feelings into the equation. Sigh…

Here I am, trying to calm my troubled self as I write this, and am sort of glad the day is almost over. Let tomorrow be another day, and I am not here to hold grudges. I am also not looking for an apology from my friend as I understand his motive, but hope he apologises to the girl he put into such an uncomfortable circumstance. She didn’t deserve such treatment. Not that I do, mind you, but am still trying to learn to be more forgiving.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Laws of Marginal Return

During the heydays of studying in school, economics was not one of my favourite subject. As a matter of fact, my mind tended to drift "sky high away" (haha, when I typed this, I don't know why Bette Midler's song - wind beneath my wings - resound through my head) whenever the teacher opened his mouth to begin class, and I sometimes barely scrapped through the periodic economic tests.

However, when I was of a mind to digest the stuff, sometimes the subject does make sense. And thinking back now, laws of marginal return is foremost in my mind. You see, the more you eat, the more "jelak" you can get from the taste, but of course, there is a peak of satisfaction before satisfaction diminishes.

And yep, cannot doubt that some of these concepts do still apply, barring the exceptions or assumptions made for the various theories. Ok, where was I?

Oh ya! Went to SOULed OUT ("SO") with my colleagues last week. It has been a long time (I think at least more than 7 years!) since I was last there to have a meal. I remembered the chicken vindaloo dish (as I totally adored this dish whilst studying abroad), and loved it to bits. So, when I saw the dish on the menu in SO so many years back, of course I had to try! I recall enjoying the dish and vowed to return for another sample.

Well, the vow took more than seven years to fulfil, but somehow, am not sure if the laws of marginal return kicked in (since it's only twice I tried it there), but it didn't meet my expectations anymore.

I hesistate to say whether I am more discerning in terms of taste (ya, ya, my resolution is to be more humble - must remember, must remember - humility is the path to tread now and forever more), but probably due to being "spoilt" eating other good Indian food elsewhere that it somehow became lacking. I did wonder if it was me, but one of my other colleague who also liked the dish (and having sampled it in SO before as well), said that it's not as good as she remembered it too.

Sigh! I want to test the laws of marginal return a bit more, so do tell me where I can find a good chicken vindaloo dish!

p/s In case you are wondering, yep, that's a dollop of Haagen-Dazs RUM and RAISIN with my "Air Batu Campur". SLURPPPPPPPP!

Monday, January 08, 2007

Painting a thousand words

It is said that a picture paints a thousand words, and when I first saw this at a friend's backyard, I couldn't help, but let my mind wander in so many different directions.

It reminds me of early school days, when we were being taught "composition", guided by certain key words, to write a story of along certain lines. Yet, wouldn't it be simpler, to not restrict the minds of young ones, and let the imagination roam free by showing a picture and let a story unfurl from the deepest depths of the heart?

Towards the end of last year, had some "mind itchiness", and I submitted a story entitled "A tale of one, and of another" in a 1,500 to 2,000 words' writing competition along the lines of "a truly amazingly inspiring story" for our company's internal newsletter. Not sure how it would fare, but here's hoping for the best. After all, what better way to entice people to write than by offering a cash prize? :P

What does this picture say to you? :)

Monday, January 01, 2007

New Year 2007

As the sure as the turning of tides, the New Year dawns.
A time for reflection, a time to recollect.
Most importantly, a time to move ahead.
History remains history, regrets remain regrets.
We can't change the last hour, not even the previous minute.

At this time of the year, new resolutions would be plentiful.
Have never kept mine for the past many years.
All to do with keeping fitter and looking trimmer.
This year though, besides my usual vow for a trimmer me,
I would aim for a better me, by striving to be more humble.

Arrogance and snobbery have crept in as the years progressed.
Is it a natural occurence with age and experience?
I seek to remind myself of maintaining humility.
Only being humble, would I be a better person.
So, as the dawn of the New Year approaches,
here's to a better year ahead.