Dear Reader,
"Happy Birthday Luqman!"
Yeah. I've been hearing that a lot. In case you didn't know, my birthday passed by recently, on the 18th of July.
Got a lot of wishes. And a lot of gifts. ;)
Woo! Finally 15 baby! In your face!
Unlike last year, I didn't have a birthday party. Now I'm not complaining or anything, I'm just saying. Since it was on a Saturday, many wished me the day before. Even Tuck Chee got me a scale model ship on Friday.
Neat huh?
Hmm... I never watched Pirates of the Carribean 3...
Anyway, the next day, I went to tuition in the morning like normal until 2:30 PM. On the way home, I knew there was no party waiting at home for me. My sister was sick at her campus while having her exams. It was impossible! I kept telling that to myself, but some part of me was so hoping I was wrong.
I entered my home, and as anticipated, an empty living room had greeted me. The old sofas surrounding the coffee table were vacant, and nobody threw balloons at me.
*sigh*
Look, I'm not complaining OK? It's just that it's hard to go back to eating potato chips when you've been served a sizzling steak.
Which, oddly enough, was what I had for dinner.
My father brought the us to Victoria Station, this restaurant with a cowboy-Texas-he-who-tames-the-iron-horse kinda theme. We've went there before, but the last time we did, it was many years ago.
After dinner, my father presented his gift to me. Dang, it was awesome. Let's just say I was excited over it.
On the 24th, I celebrated my birthday (and other guys' birthdays) at Melanie's place. That celebration was a hoot.
You know, apart from all the gifts, celebrations and wishes, there is a grander present that I'm most thankful for. In fact, I have too much to be thankful for, that I really think I don't deserve.
You know what the gift is?
This life.
I am not retarded. I'm not blind, deaf or mute. I have all 5 senses.
I am not psycho, though I tend to act like one.
I am healthy. No diabetes, high blood pressure, swine flu, etc.
I have a good family. No divorces or elopes.
I have a comfortable home. I even have a room to myself when my brother is away.
I am middle-class. Not too rich to blind me, but not too poor to suffer.
I have decent grades in school.
I am surrounded by family and friends. I can easily get their help and support.
My country is peaceful and not at war.
I can get food easily.
I can get water easily.
I can get education easily.
I have shelter.
I am not handsome, but not ugly.
I am not a good person, but I am not bad. (shamone! Lol.)
I have no major problems.
I am not sad.
I am happy.
And I am content.
And greatly thankful.
Alhamdulillah! All Praise be to God! I have so much to be thankful for. And yet, I suck at using my advantages. If I were to switch places with another boy, my age, who lives in poverty and has a broken family, he would work hard like heck and be nicer to others. He would be more disciplined and obedient. He would be more caring, and maybe, just maybe, be more awesome (though highly unlikely. Lol.)
I have a very good life. And to me, that is the greatest gift a guy could get. For all of my shortcomings, I deeply and sincerely apologise.
I do not intend to show off. I am just saying that I have a lot to be thankful for.
What about you?
Peace. Love. Joy.
P/S : To all Muslims, please don't think of me as being a worldly person. I said that this life is a gift, meaning I got it without doing anything. Whereas success in the afterlife is a Reward, something you have to earn. Peace be upon you.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
From QWERTY to CVBNM
Dear Reader,
Boy, do I have a lot to say. I don't even know where to start.
Firstly, I'd like to apologise to all for not composing an article in a really long time. Secondly, I was kinda shocked to see my brainwashed minions grow from 2 to 6, which, for a small-time blogger like me, is quite a big leap. Moving on...
Let's start with something recent, but not too recent.
Michael Jackson. Anybody know he's dead? If you didn't, I'll slap you in the face for living under a rock. It's been all over the news. They keep playing his songs on the radio. And to top it off, roughly 30 million viewers were watching his memorial.
Some people even complained that the media was paying too much attention to the King of Pop's sudden death. What's my opinion?
I don't know. On one hand, you have a superstar pop-icon who revolutionised the pop genre with his singing and dancing, not to mention composing an album that ultimately sold 100 million copies worldwide.
On the other hand, you have a man who passed away.
Online, if you watch YouTube videos of him, you'll most likely see comments like:
"RIP Michael Jackson" or
"We love you king of pop" or
"Michael Jackson was awesome!".
Now some people would say that these people are hypocrites, in the sense that they would make references to his child molestation cases, call him a paedophile, or call him a plastic man, all when he was alive. But after his death, they say stuff like the comments above.
I don't agree with that. You know why? Because these people might be like me.
I was a fan of Michael Jackson's songs ever since I was small. Ever since I saw the video tape Moonwalker, "Smooth Criminal" has been my all-time favourite. My father was the one who introduced my siblings and I to his music through that very tape. But sadly, over the years, I've been in "fan hibernation", if you will. I occasionally listened to his music (usually thorugh my sister who is a big fan of his, and was devastated when he passed away), and didn't even know about his planned "This Is It" comeback concert in London.
But when he died...
I was shocked. Seriously.
So those people who give comments like the one above, might have been in fan hibernation.
Anyway, let me just say that my music taste spans a whole lot. I can listen to Westlife and Sum 41, a piece by Mozart and Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift and Guns N' Roses, Miley Cyrus and Gorrilaz, Michael Buble and Linkin Park (Shut up Tuck Chee). So if you're listening to a song right now, chances are, I won't ask you to change it.
PMR. Yup, it's coming alright. Day-by-day, the anxiety grows stronger. Like a venom that has just been inserted into your body by a poisonous serpent. It slowly devours you, body, spirit, mind and soul. You try to fight, but the more you move, the more it hurts. You're experiencing nausea, you're seeing double, you're getting tired. On your knees, you throw up on the ground, and fall backwards on the other side. You see your life flashing before your eyes, trying to prepare for your inevitable doom, when suddenly...
"Luqman! Bangun! Sembahyang Subuh and get ready for school!"
Wait, what?
Look, I never had that dream OK? I'm just nervous. Because PMR decides your SPM, because you can only take a stream you're good at. And SPM usually decides the rest of your life. Yes, I know that you can succeed greatly in life without being school-smart. In fact, many people do. But I've accustomed myself to the classroom. I'm incapable of going beyond my comfort zone, which, is a characteristic I really dislike.
Speaking about education, can you believe the Government now wants to convert Science and Mathematics back in BM? What the heck man?!
I mean sure, you want many of those living in the 'kawasan pedalaman' to pass in SPM, but what about the rest of Malaysia? What about the rest of Malaysia's next generation that will go on to college and try to get jobs which require people to know Maths and Science in English? Don't tell me they'll have to learn it in English over there. College is tough enough, but learning your subjects in a language you haven't mastered yet? That's lethal! I should know, since my mother once studied Medicine in Deutsch.
Why don't you train them with Mathematics and Science in English during their school years so they know what they're talking about?!
And sure, you might say that they've already learned English as a separate subject, and that English has already become a compulsory pass for SPM, but they need training in English for the two subjects. There are loads of Mathematical and Scientific stuff on television taught in English which they can broaden their scope of both subjects. From shows like Backyard Science, The New Inventors, Maths Mansion to shows like The Universe and friggin Mythbusters! You'd need to understand and tame English and integrate it into Mathematics and Science subconsciously, so that it's not a problem later.
Aiyo, Malaysian Government ni...
Anyway, whether you agree with me or not, I'd like to hear from you, the humble reader, for your opinion.
Thank you.
Peace. Love. Joy.
Boy, do I have a lot to say. I don't even know where to start.
Firstly, I'd like to apologise to all for not composing an article in a really long time. Secondly, I was kinda shocked to see my brainwashed minions grow from 2 to 6, which, for a small-time blogger like me, is quite a big leap. Moving on...
Let's start with something recent, but not too recent.
Michael Jackson. Anybody know he's dead? If you didn't, I'll slap you in the face for living under a rock. It's been all over the news. They keep playing his songs on the radio. And to top it off, roughly 30 million viewers were watching his memorial.
Some people even complained that the media was paying too much attention to the King of Pop's sudden death. What's my opinion?
I don't know. On one hand, you have a superstar pop-icon who revolutionised the pop genre with his singing and dancing, not to mention composing an album that ultimately sold 100 million copies worldwide.
On the other hand, you have a man who passed away.
Online, if you watch YouTube videos of him, you'll most likely see comments like:
"RIP Michael Jackson" or
"We love you king of pop" or
"Michael Jackson was awesome!".
Now some people would say that these people are hypocrites, in the sense that they would make references to his child molestation cases, call him a paedophile, or call him a plastic man, all when he was alive. But after his death, they say stuff like the comments above.
I don't agree with that. You know why? Because these people might be like me.
I was a fan of Michael Jackson's songs ever since I was small. Ever since I saw the video tape Moonwalker, "Smooth Criminal" has been my all-time favourite. My father was the one who introduced my siblings and I to his music through that very tape. But sadly, over the years, I've been in "fan hibernation", if you will. I occasionally listened to his music (usually thorugh my sister who is a big fan of his, and was devastated when he passed away), and didn't even know about his planned "This Is It" comeback concert in London.
But when he died...
I was shocked. Seriously.
So those people who give comments like the one above, might have been in fan hibernation.
Anyway, let me just say that my music taste spans a whole lot. I can listen to Westlife and Sum 41, a piece by Mozart and Michael Jackson, Taylor Swift and Guns N' Roses, Miley Cyrus and Gorrilaz, Michael Buble and Linkin Park (Shut up Tuck Chee). So if you're listening to a song right now, chances are, I won't ask you to change it.
PMR. Yup, it's coming alright. Day-by-day, the anxiety grows stronger. Like a venom that has just been inserted into your body by a poisonous serpent. It slowly devours you, body, spirit, mind and soul. You try to fight, but the more you move, the more it hurts. You're experiencing nausea, you're seeing double, you're getting tired. On your knees, you throw up on the ground, and fall backwards on the other side. You see your life flashing before your eyes, trying to prepare for your inevitable doom, when suddenly...
"Luqman! Bangun! Sembahyang Subuh and get ready for school!"
Wait, what?
Look, I never had that dream OK? I'm just nervous. Because PMR decides your SPM, because you can only take a stream you're good at. And SPM usually decides the rest of your life. Yes, I know that you can succeed greatly in life without being school-smart. In fact, many people do. But I've accustomed myself to the classroom. I'm incapable of going beyond my comfort zone, which, is a characteristic I really dislike.
Speaking about education, can you believe the Government now wants to convert Science and Mathematics back in BM? What the heck man?!
I mean sure, you want many of those living in the 'kawasan pedalaman' to pass in SPM, but what about the rest of Malaysia? What about the rest of Malaysia's next generation that will go on to college and try to get jobs which require people to know Maths and Science in English? Don't tell me they'll have to learn it in English over there. College is tough enough, but learning your subjects in a language you haven't mastered yet? That's lethal! I should know, since my mother once studied Medicine in Deutsch.
Why don't you train them with Mathematics and Science in English during their school years so they know what they're talking about?!
And sure, you might say that they've already learned English as a separate subject, and that English has already become a compulsory pass for SPM, but they need training in English for the two subjects. There are loads of Mathematical and Scientific stuff on television taught in English which they can broaden their scope of both subjects. From shows like Backyard Science, The New Inventors, Maths Mansion to shows like The Universe and friggin Mythbusters! You'd need to understand and tame English and integrate it into Mathematics and Science subconsciously, so that it's not a problem later.
Aiyo, Malaysian Government ni...
Anyway, whether you agree with me or not, I'd like to hear from you, the humble reader, for your opinion.
Thank you.
Peace. Love. Joy.
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