Dec 1st is World AIDS day.

Let us remember all those who have died of AIDS and those who are struggling to live on.

It's funny how sometimes your past and history come back to haunt you, like the dementors in Harry Potter, or the lizards in your kitchen.

Back in high school, the prefects would patrol the school grounds during recess to catch students who were breaking any of the school rules. It was so annoying but I pitied them more that I hated them. They had to do such silly work when they could be resting or eating or socialising.

I was glad because I never had my name taken down by the prefects, until Form 3. I remember that day when this prefect, a male, walked in and came up to me. He told me my fringe was too long and I should cut it. Then he took out his "little booklet" from his front pocket and gave me his pen. I had to write my name and ID down because I had violated a school rule. A stupid school rule which I argue until today is still ridiculous. I have facts and evidence to show why it is a silly rule.

Anyway, I remember that prefect. I remember his face. I remember what he did to me. That guy annoyed me because he was the first prefect to ever ask me to write my name on that stupid "little booklet". I remember him very clearly. Very clearly.

Then after high school I moved on - went to college in KL, and life was good. Until my year-end holidays came and I was taking my Air Asia flight back to KK. Free seating, that's how Air Asia works. So I rushed in the plane to get the front row seat so I could stretch my long legs. I got it, and was happy. Until, all of a sudden, I see this familiar face walk in the plane. It was that prefect guy, that very same game. He saw me and smiled, then so lovingly decided to sit next to me, as if it was for "old time's sake". So for the entire flight I had to sit next to the guy who ruined my plan: my plan of never ever getting my name recorded down in that dreadful "little booklet". It ended up, however, as a pleasant flight because we chatted a bit about hour high school days, and asked each other what we were doing in college, and then I closed my eyes and went to sleep. I woke up just before landing, and we both smiled and kept quiet. No, I don't despise him. We just weren't friends to begin with anyway.

The last night, I was out with some friends at KLCC. We were at the entrance of Chili's when I saw that same face again. He was there with some of his friends, also queuing to get into Chili's. We smiled at each other and he gave me a pat on the back. "Long time no see", he said,.I smiled and asked him how his life has been. "Civil engineer" was his short reply. Then the whole conversation ended. He walked in. We walked away down to DOME Cafe instead.

Funny how I never bump into anyone from high school. I have never bumped into old classmates who are now working in KL. But this guy, who isn't even a friend per se, bumps into me twice in KL.

I still remember his "little booklet" - how he told me my fringe was too long - how he walked off proudly as though he had reached his quota for the day.

Music can be a rather gender-biased thing, interestingly enough. Though most people do not realize it, deeper studies into music theory actually raises some very interesting key questions on how gender-related terms are used, and why.

Take for example,
the terms Masculine cadence
and Feminine cadence.

In music, a cadence is (in the most basic definition)
the last two chords (sometimes three) of a musical phrase.

It is the ending of a phrase (musical sentence) and it can determine the mood of the following phrase or even shape how the piece moves on further or ends.

Apparently, a cadence is referred to as a masculine one
if the final chord of the phrase occurs on a strong beat.

A feminine cadence refers to one that falls
on a weak beat.

See what's going on here? Even in music, the strength and the impact of the cadences get represented by gender. The feminine gets the weak beat. And the masculine gets the strong one.

In poetry there's also a feminine ending.
Again referring to a weaker ending.

Tsk tsk.

Lately, and I don't really know why, I've been thinking a lot about my college years since it began several years ago and ended just early this year. Oh wait, come to think of it, I think I do know why I've been thinking about this lately. I think it's because I am waiting - waiting - and waiting for a response from my uni application, and I am very anxious to know if I have been accepted to do my Masters/PhD in Boston. I am told that I will know by end of this month, and right now they are still reviewing my application documents: my recommendation letters, my research papers, my essay, my CV, my interviews etc. The waiting is killing me. I am getting paranoid, which is probably why I cannot sleep so well at night. It's getting rather annoying, but I enjoy waking up at 7am nowadays. Don't ask me why.

And oh, three light bulbs in my living room don't light up anymore.

But anyway, waiting can be such a torturous experience, but it can also bring about very meditative thoughts. I have been gathering all sorts of thoughts and insights lately: about my future, about life, and about everything around me. Very intriguing, I know, but it's not like I have very much else to do.

I enjoy waiting - and while people lose patience when they wait for a flight, or for friends to arrive during a meet-up, or for the red light to turn green, I often use that time to just relax and breathe. I find getting impatient a waste of my time because it defeats the purpose of having to wait, if that makes any sense.

Ralph Waldo Emerson said
"How much of human life is lost in waiting"

I agree.

Still I choose to wait.

Because we do not have any choice.

A lot of my life is lost.

Because I do not have any choice.

Still I smile.

And wait.

The Speed and Swiftness of life can be so unfair to us sometimes. It is already mid-November. Soon it will be December. Then just as quickly, the new year will dawn upon humankind yet again, and people will start making useless resolutions, again.

I was thinking about how fast my life walked (flew) past me before my very nose. Interestingly, I already have a full plan of what will be happening from now until the end of the year. Which means time will pass me by even faster than I can say mortifulicaxiconnicous. The scary part is, and perhaps the scariest of all, is that I don't even know what 2009 will be like. Not a clue. No idea. OK, not that scary when I think of it. More like, fun, in a risky and challenging kind of way.

Not too long ago, a lawyer friend of mine dropped by my place with some fruits. She came by for a chat, and later on we went for dinner. But, as we were talking in my living room while eating up our tropical fruits, we started talking about how 2008 has been such an eventful year. And I say eventful in a very literal way.

She started reflecting on how 2008 has been such a different year for her, and I had to agree for myself based on what I had gone through the past months. Different, indeed, very. It feels as though Life chose this very year to teach us about Life, and to prepare us for a greater Life ahead. Philosophical it may sound, but I tend to want to believe it. Not that many bad things happened this year. In fact, speaking for myself, 2008 has been a marvelous year. Could 2009 be better? Time will tell. But Time is sometimes not always on our side, so who knows what it will tell.

I know it is a bit early to start thinking about the coming year. Still, it's nice to think about it a little earlier this time. I know time will pass by so fast. I haven't blogged in so long because time just flew and I didn't even realize it at all.

I'll be here more. Online. Blogging. Reflecting. Meditating. Pondering.

Catch me if you can.

The land of Fantasia is being destroyed little by little as the Nothing slowly brings darkness into every corner of the magical kingdom. The people of Fantasia are worried as no one knows what could happen next. Would the saviour come and take them out of their disaster? Will the Empress be cured from her dreadful illness? All they have are questions, no answers, and the slow but steady winds of darkness covering their land. The Nothing is strong, but it can be stopped.

The Nothing represents the absolute absence of imagination. As the people of Fantasia grow weaker and lose hope in themselves, the Nothing becomes even more violent and cunning. As they begin to lose sight of how real their reality is, it becomes easier for the Nothing to take over their minds and let them forget about the truths they believe in.

The only thing that can abolish the Nothing once and for all is imagination, love, and hope. There is nothing more predictable than the fight against good and evil. Good always prevails; evil always loses. The Nothing gets, well, nothing.

Bastian and Atreyu are the heroes in Fantasia. Bastian comes from the parallel world of reality, but enters Fantasia using his imagination. He possess the ultimate weapon to fight against the Nothing - imagination. And with it, he brings victory to the land, and helps the Empress regain her health. Of course, along the way, Bastian becomes corrupted and the Nothing gets a bit of something out of him. But, as mentioned, good always wins. Atreyu helps Bastian because it is always good to have two heroes working together.



What is so captivating about this story?

It never ends.

There are two things I really love when it comes to Hari Raya: 1. the food...

OK, before I mention the second thing, I must talk about the food...

I have had too much rendang and curry the past two days, and my stomach has been very nasty to me. I know eating too much of that kind of food upsets my little tummy, but stubborn little me just must eat whatever is on the table. No regrets so far, except for the 20 trips I have made to my toilet bowl. Still, I got lots of rendang and serunding in my fridge. The feast is not over till I say it is over.

Now, the second thing I love about this festival is the music. Yes, I love the music. They play these Raya songs over the radio, in the malls, and everywhere you go. And I love it. These Raya songs make you want to get on your two feet and dance. I tried that once, while driving and LiteFM played some Raya song. But after a few seconds of dancing, I had to stop. I could have just stopped the car at the side of the highway and started dancing like an idiot. Maybe I should have, and gotten media coverage about my over-dramatic Raya mood. At least the media would have something nicer to talk about than good ol' politics.

I think we take our traditional music for granted. We grew up listening to the beats and rhythms of Joget music but we forget just how special it is. That kind of music makes you high-spirited and no wonder they play it over and over again during the Raya season: to ensure we don't get depressed while eating too much food. For the past two days, every time I run to the toilet, I make sure I dance to the Joget beat, and that brings joy to my misery.

We have wonderful music that belongs to us. Our cultural music is fun and lovely.

Now I should Joget more to lose weight after all that Raya food.

Selamat Hari Raya everyone!

Many years ago, Joey Tribbiani and Phoebe Buffay had an argument: whether or not a selfless good deed exists.

A selfless good deed - a deed where you get nothing back in return, not even satisfaction or happiness; no credit, no recognition. Nothing. Nada.

Selfless good deeds - they probably exist. You just got to be dead first.

The fallen angel, Lucifer, is the "Light Bringer" and "Morning Star".

The planet Venus, is also called Lucifer, the morning star. It is the brightest star we see in the sky, after the sun and the moon.

We tend to naively think that what we see on the surface determines what is really beneath it. We see something unpleasant, and think that it must be, according to our human judgement, unpleasant because of what our eyes see. Simply put, it is what we like to call judging a book by its cover. What looks bad, must be bad. Most of the time it could be true, not necessarily always so either.

Lucifer could have been the most charming of all angels - bright lights, vibrant aura, golden outlines and enticing smile. Yet, he is depicted as the fallen angel, the angel we very commonly refer to as Satan - the epitome of evil and destruction, sin and temptation. Handsome, yet cunning. The perfect lure to sin.

What does this make, then, of those things in life that don't display any power of enticement? The things that seem simple, pure, and untempting?

Lucifer, the fallen angel, holds the beauty of light in him. Beautiful outside, pure sin inside.

Reminds me of chocolate.

Goodbye to you, as you leave for a colder place,

keep that smile always on your face.

Wake up each morning and smell the cold breeze,

but make sure not too much, or else you'll sneeze.

You'll be missed, by everyone here,

those who have been close to you, and kept you so dear.

Goodbyes are only for a little while,

so when we meet again, make sure you smile.

Always be healthy, make sure you're good,

eat every day and get enough food.

Sing and dance when you feel lonely,

or dream that you're running off on a pony.

But whatever you do, make sure you remember,

that even though now it's already September,

You'll be in our minds every month of the year,

Because seas may be far but hearts can be near,

If only you remember everyone of us here.

Yahoo! announced today the top 5 In-Demand majors to study in college now.

According to the report: "What's on employer wish lists? Based on the latest job-offer facts and findings, the most in-demand bachelor's degrees may surprise you, or even have you reconsider your chosen field of study."

Apparently, the number 1 thing to study now that will get you rich quicker, is Mechanical Engineering. You can roughly make about US$58,000 a year being a mechanical engineer in the United States. I wonder how much a mechanical engineer makes in Malaysia.


Number 2 goes to Accounting - you can make around US$50,000. "For those who delight in number crunching, a bachelor's degree in accounting can lead to occupations in financial and investment planning, budget analysis, tax preparation, bookkeeping, payroll services, and auditing." Not bad for an accountant nowadays. Still, for that kind of money, it's not something I'd want to study. I'll screw up your accounts so badly, you would lose money overnight.


Finance is the number 3 most In-Demand major. "...must feel comfortable with money markets, tax laws, and the workings of the economy, and have good communication skills to explain complex strategies and concepts." I am comfortable with money, but not really with money markets.


Number 4 - Business Administration/Management. With a degree in this field, you could see yourself earning about US$45,000.


And number 5? Civil Engineering. "Civil engineering is considered one of the oldest engineering disciplines, attracting those who are analytical by nature." I am analytical by nature. "These professionals must simultaneously be inquisitive, detail-oriented, and interested in the big picture." Inquisitive - OK for me. Detail-oriented, I could be. The big picture? Sure, why not. Earn about US$51,ooo a year? Sure, who wouldn't want that kind of money.


Guess I should have done Civil Engineering.

Also, the top 5 In-Demand majors now are either business-related, or some sort of engineering. No wonder I don't make enough money!