The PERFECT Dream

29th September 2011

Most of us have dreams. We dream about many things. We dream about having nice cars, big houses, a prince charming or beautiful princess, lots of money, having a good and healthy life etc. But how many of us are living our own dreams?

Taken from http://chris-bradley.org/2011/02/02/awesome-houses-inspiration-bedrooms/

When I was young, I dream about going to school to play with my friends.

As I grew up, I dream of becoming a smart student and becoming a scientist, among other occupations such as sailor and astronaut.

Then I realized that I like numbers and finally I chose a course which have to do with humans.

Dreams change and my point is, are we living our own dream? Or someone else's dream? Who puts the idea in our head that we need to have lots of money and have new nicer cars, new bigger houses, the latest handheld technology, lots of money and plenty of booze?

Those dreams are the dreams of the world and if those are your dreams, then you are not living your dream because it can never be satisfied, as the world will always have another dream they are selling.

In advertisements, the advertisers sell this concept of the perfect dream. The family buying a new house suddenly lives harmoniously and happily. The dude who used the perfume suddenly becomes a hottie. Having a new car would make you weave your way effortlessly on the road (although this will never work in KL). We buy into these 'dreams' and once another product comes out, the perfect dream is imperfect and we are fed with more of these 'perfect dreams'. We slave ourselves with long working hours to achieve these dreams in exchange for less time with friends and families.

So, are you living your dream? Or the dream of the world? Is there really a perfect dream? There is, for those who believe in heaven. For those who don't, a perfect dream can be as easy as living with dignity by making the world a better place.

We often forget, that often, the most precious things in life are free.

God Bless~

Consumerism

25th September 2011

Consumerism is chiseling away the life of our planet. While some of us are eating awesome food here, others are dying of hunger.

Taken from http://www.chrismadden.co.uk/eco/consumerism-illustration.html

I got this thought when I was in church today. With the advent of group coupons (groupons), we can get so many exciting deals and the demand for things is on the rise with the so called 'deal'. We can get buffets, exciting adventures but what are the cost of demanding so much?

While we may eat to the brim of our stomach for RM 40 - RM 60 with the deal, we are demanding more food to be put on the dining table in the restaurant. And with about 2000 plus people buying it, you can surely bet there would be a huge demand for animals, plants and seafood to be slaughtered, harvested and fished. And that's just for 1 of the restaurants. Multiply that by the constant deal and the wastage at the end of the day, maybe the picture is not as colourful anymore (for the life of our world at least).

What about the travel industry? With the cheap flights and discounted prices of holidays, there would be an increase of pollution, from airplane, to nature being invaded to more food being provided for tourist.

I for one, admit that I do purchase these deals every once in a while but where are we heading to with such rampant consumerism? Surely the world cannot consistently supply us with our cravings as it is never ending and always on the rise. But if we don't put a stop to it, then sooner or later, our world is going to be so barren that we are gonna starve ourselves. (ok this might be a slippery slope argument. sue me).

Taken from http://sal.am/tag/consumerism/

I guess all of us should take a step back and think a little before purchasing things. The most important thing would be to be contented with our lives and what we have. If we are contented, we wouldn't think that a buffet or a discounted travel package is such a great thing because we are simply happy and satisfied with how things are and need not look for 'extra' things to complement our life. It's pretty simple. Things work in a demand and supply dynamic. When the demand goes down, so does supply.

Taken from http://www.herdarkmatter.com/2008/12/two-thousand-eight.html

On another note, why not use consumerism in a positive manner. Another idea which popped into my head when I was in church is how companies like Groupon can utilize the people's purchasing power. If only they could feature a home (refugee, autism, spastic, old folks etc.) every week, I think it would be of great help to the home. I think Malaysians are a good lot and are willing to help. Just maybe we are caught up with everyday work and the awareness is low as to how to help. By utilizing this vast network that is already established and the ease of donating by just a few clicks, this could be a great power to be leveraged (or at least I think so). Positive consumerism anyone?

God Bless~

Years gone by

10th September 2011

I am feeling nostalgic and contemplative now. A feeling which I have not felt for quite some time due to my busyness I suppose. Was it because of the weather or was it because of the departure? Looking back at the years gone by, I would proudly say I love my life and I am very blessed even till this day for having good family and friends by my side.

So many memories made and cherished. Were there regrets? Yes, but I can count them with my fingers. If I could turn back time, I might not make the same mistakes, but oh well, such things made me realize what I shouldn't do in the future.

Today I sent one of my friends at the airport. My first time sending anyone away. Will there be more to come? I kinda like airports.

My work is pretty ok. Kids in kepong are not that bad. I got a present from one of my students already in my first week there. But where is my life bringing me to? Or where am I bringing my life to? What does future holds for me?

Sometimes I feel that life is so futile. What's the purpose of having a nice life? It is going to end one day. My thinking could be a little weird since I think not many 23 years old thinks like me. I think most of them would be roaring to go, wanting to earn money or to change the world. Am I grounded in reality, or am I a pessimist?

God Bless~

Lang Tengah Day 2

So this is the second day of our Lang Tengah trip.

We woke up and went for jungle trekking. The receptionist said that her mum (or aunt I am not sure) can go up and down using slippers. I believed her and wore slippers. Dang smart.. it's not a good idea. Kena tipu already.

So up we went and these were some of the pictures which we took along the way.

This was supposed to be the peak

The other side of the island

The strong man who 'lifted' both of us

How dare you did that to us. Revenge! Shou-ru-ken

After that, we went back to our lodging place and had lunch and then we went for snorkeling. This time, we almost missed the boat and we had an amazing race part 2 to chase after the boat before it departs. What an exciting trip we had. Chase after plane and now boat. XD

We came back from snorkeling and did some other things. Of course. We will always walk the beach because it's so lovely.

We even went star gazing at night. The stars shone so brightly and it can be seen so clearly. Very nice experience :D

God Bless~

Lang Tengah Day 1 Part 2

SO here is part 2 of day 1

After our lunch we went for snorkeling and once we came back, we had tea. Tea was ok and we Sly with each other in the room until about 5 something where we went out to play volleyball. The girls walked along the beach while the guys played.

After that, we went walking also, and took pictures. Below are the pictures to feast your eyes with.

Can you see the fishes?

Sunset

Nice clear water

God Bless~

Lang Tengah Day 1 Part 1

21st August 2011

On 5th of August, my friends and I went to Lang Tengah for a vacation. Where is Lang Tengah you ask? It's an island off the coast of Terengganu and can only be reached by a boat. I have been waiting eagerly for this vacation to come ever since I started working as I have been very busy and would like to unwind and relax.

On the morning of the 5th, woke up early at 4.30 a.m and reached Shawn's house at 5. His dad fetched us to KL Central so that we can take a bus to KLIA. We got on the bus and I slept on the way and we reached KLIA. It's the first time I have been there and boy IT'S DANG HUGE!! It's so huge that it's a little crazy. And it's very beautiful too.

Checked ourselves in and went to eat breakfast at McD before boarding. We almost missed the flight as we didn't expect our counter to be the last. It's so far that it took us about 4 - 5 minutes RUNNING. Announcement was made to Mr. Yoong Mun Kiat to come quickly to the counter and go into the plane. That's us. XD Nice start to an amazing trip eh?

First time taking MAS, and the service was good. There's peanuts and drinks on board. Unlike AirAsia where I had to spend RM 3 for a 300ml bottled water. After reaching the Terengganu airport, we exited at once as the van driver has been waiting for us. The van took us to the jetty and off we went on a boat.

Me sitting with an uncle who's from Subang

Very soon, the water turned blue

After about 1 hour of boat ride, we finally reached our destination. The first thing which captivated us was how clear the water is. We were like 'ooooo' AWESOME!

The clear water ^^

This is our hotel room

How it looks like inside

This is how it looks like outside

It's a simple place but it's nice and I like the feeling. Close to nature and so un-city-like.

We checked into our rooms, had lunch and quickly changed our attire for our first snorkeling trip. I don't have photos of them, but the experience was really wonderful, especially at our second snorkeling place where there's so many fishes.

Water is so clear and the fishes seemed to be dancing around us. Simply lovely. Next post about what we did in the evening, coming up soon

God Bless~

Life is like driving

Life is like driving

Go too fast and you might overshoot

Go too slow and you might never reach the destination on time

Go too fast and you might get into an accident

Go too slow and people behind will start pushing you to move faster

Move at a nice speed so that you can enjoy the scenery on your journey

At times, the journey will be dangerous

Due to rain and bumpy roads

But most of the time, it would be sunny and smooth

There will be people to act as signboards, telling you where to go

Believe in all of them, and you might get lost

Use your experience and discerning mind to navigate your way

Along the way, there will be people who will irritate you

Be sensible and do not be irritated by them

Work too hard, and the car might break down

It's important to find the time to rest and rejuvenate, just as how you would service your car

The most important thing to know is where to go

For knowing not where to head is equivalent to wasting of time and energy.

God Bless~