Some Things are Deceiving.

Ehleena's is an interesting place to visit. She shares her thoughts, bickers, love, fearless of judgments. That's the way it is when it comes to blogging. Many may use this medium to validate things they may have done that's not so right through masking with kind, bombastic words only to fish for compliments??

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My job enables me to be able to meet all kinds of IT and creative industry people. Recently, at a Buka Puasa event we held for our clients, I did my usual thing, making my rounds entertaining people while they eat.

Towards Isya' prayers, many left the scene. So I get to chat longer with each individual who decided to stick around much longer. One of which was a pleasant one for that moment... he's a Malay guy in his late 30's I think, who shared how he made his way to where he is now as a Consultant to a public listed IT company.

He was generous enough to share not just his successes but also his falls, he once had to close down his wholly owned company. He looked really prim and calm. I'm not judging him like a spinster evaluating a prospect, I'm just impressed that there is someone my race who can actually hold a decent conversation.

Before he left, we were distributing the left over food for everyone to bring back. He said, "Ah, good! Easier for me as no one cooks. Just pack anything for me and my two children." I didn't want to ask further. But my colleague juuust have to lift the stone, "Your wife is not at home?" And he said, "No, I'm the only parent."

Then, I started to receive a couple of over friendly SMS. I don't have any problems tackling this kind of advances. They'd usually die off or get stale out.

Then came the moment when he asked, "I'd like to ask about your company's training rate."

"Ah! Finally, something professional!" I thought. So I called him and he really got a genuine enquiry. When the pricing was delivered, he said "I don't want to do any paper work. I'll get my customer to issue you a Purchase Order, you just provide me a cheque on what's due for me. I'll provide you a separate company name."

I can't say this is another typical of people of my race who likes to make money out of doing nothing. How much value add can one put on top of trying to enrol your customers for a specialised course?

Gosh, it is that simple for someone to just manoeuvre on top of you just because he had invested some penis pennies on desperate for attention SMSs???

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Everytime we get pass the traffic police, I mean the full fledge traffic police who directs the traffic, why do we suddenly panic and try to buckle up the safety belt?

The traffic police who's standing on the road directing traffic is supposed to make sure that the automobiles on the road move smoothly. Not stop one car with someone without the safety belt harnessed and start to pull out a saman and whilst, leave the traffic haywire again!!??!!

It's amusing how we can deceive ourselves when we don't want others to do it to us.

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'Some Things are Deceiving, Until you Know them Better' is a Carlsberg's tagline.

Yeah, know them better, but to be more precise, know ourselves better, and don't underestimate who we're trying to deceive.

Might as well not do it? Yeah, of course. Might as well not.

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Finding someone who's true to themselves is like finding a gem greater than diamonds, greater than oil, greater than gold.

Sign,

Holier than thou. :P

Have a good weekend!

The Frog and the Scorpion

It's been days since I get to sit down with my peer to discuss about world issues. Kev, just came back from attending a seminar last weekend. This seminar is called 'To Lure the Tiger Down the Mountain'.

He asked me if I have heard the story about the Frog and the Scorpion. Not that I can remember among so many, but for the sakes of making him tell, I said no.

The way it was told:

Once upon a time, there's this Frog and a Scorpion both want to cross the river.

Of course for the frog it's not a problem. Of course for the Scorpion, it is impossible right or NOT?

So the Scorpion asked the frog if he can piggy back on it. The frog think-think-think... and said... "You better not bite me!!"

The Scorpion said, "I'm not stupid! If I bite you, I will die too right or NOT?"

The frog said "Ok". And they crossed the river together.

During the journey, the Scorpion bit the frog.

The Frog turned to the Scorpion and said "Fxxcker!!! You said you won't bite me!"

The Scorpion said, "Yes. But... I can't help it. It's my habit!"

Later though, the Scorpion died too, drowned together with the dead frog.

Kev asked me what the moral of the story is. I said, "Don't allow any Scorpion to piggy back on you." (Ini sebab idolise Apek Senario terlebih sangat.) Before I wanted to be serious, Kev said, "Old habits are hard to kick."

The point the instructor was trying to make is, in order to try to kick bad habits, it has to start from within, from one's own awareness. The punch phrase, ABC: Awareness Before Change.

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It must be one of those days when I get all analytical again. I started justifying things against things that only I know, things that connects to me lately. To sting is not a habit for Scorpions, it is an inborn trait, just like frogs can't stop themselves from jumping into water. Bad storyline to prove a point, but that's besides the case.

I have had my share of experiencing kicking off my bad habits which developed within me while I grew up. It never worked when people tell me how it can be kicked off or scold me over and over again for that matter. It's the same as for any smokers for example, when they said they want to stop smoking, it doesn't require any nicotine patch or rehabilitation plans at all. It will simply stop, that's what I noticed among my friends.

The first bad habit I get to kick was bundling worn clothes for weeks and leave them strewn all over the place.... well it is much better now although the amount of it doubles with the hobbies I lately picked up and the little time I have to spend right before I go to sleep. (Yeah! Tak boleh buat bini.) It was when I started to value them in terms of how they can last if they are protected against crumpling even after being worn. That was when I used to enjoy wearing jackets. It was rewarding to be able to wear my favourite clothes much much longer and spend lesser time ironing.

Perhaps it is also good to detach oneself from befriending someone with bad habits that affects us too. Or we'll just continue getting swept away and drown. And God it takes a lot to even realise sometimes if we're attached to a baggage. People say there's always two sides of the story. Nope, there's always three sides of the story. A's side of the story, B's side of the story and what's really within both A and B. The Scorpion has his story and then there's also what's within it that maybe even he didn't realise would still emerge.

I have had my share of hearing a story or a promise for that matter but what really happens was the same unchanged things. Human are bound to do what's easier, promise the change in the form of words to mask the real results. Later if it happens or not is something people just have to accept.

IT CAN BE KICKED! IT CAN BE KICKED!

Sorry if this may not make any sense to you.

To Love Unconditionally.

It's just been a week and to my surprise, so many blogs has been pulled out, or am I the last to know about all this?

Anyways, I managed to go back to my hometown for just two days whereby the first two days were spent here. 'Yer Yesia' (Air Asia) bad services just made me miss MAS so much. But really, for having to drive almost an hour to get to KLIA, check in 2 hours before departure, the airplane's air conditioning can go out of order, it's not worth it for a journey that only takes 55 minutes in a very upright crammed seating position... just not worth it! I would rather take the executive coach, or the train next time.

Raya trip is different this year, my family couldn't make it back with me whereas all our relatives are not in KL, semua balik kampung. The first two days were such a drag. I think the trip to Perkuburan Islam Kiara was the most memorable. It is a sprawling garden as usual, and then further coloured by the traditional Raya outfit all the visitors were wearing to visit those who are gone.

All Muslim women were there in their tudungs and bodies clothed even to hide their curves. Suddenly a different sight caught my eyes. Two ladies in pants and hair uncovered were brushing a grave laboriously. And then a very fair skinned man walked towards it with a jar of water and flower petals and pour it onto the grave.

I couldn't help but to stop and ask.

"Assalamualaikum. Is this your family member's grave?"

The older of the two ladies said, "Kita bukan orang Islam. Ini kubur anak perempuan kita, dia masuk Islam."

Aaahh, no wonder they came as themselves.

"Kubur Ceennaa (Cina), messsar (besar), tapi banyak buruk, banyak takut mau tengok aaaa. Kubur Milayu banyak cantik, banyak sinang hati mau tengok." The older lady explained while illustrating the size of Chinese grave with her hands.

"Anak aunty masuk Islam macamana? Kahwin orang Islam?"

"Dia sindiri masuk." Her family whom I assume are her daughter and son started to smile at me. They later stood together in silence to pay their respect towards the grave with shining white tombstone and covered with gleaming clean greyish pebbles.

Their daughter's Muslim name is Nafeesah binti Abdullah.

I slowly walked off.

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There are other graves which I know has not been visited since I first visited this place, there are actually good samaritans who clean the shrubs and moss from their family's grave and by the way, the stranger's grave beside it.

Is it that once someone is gone for good, the love and thought has to also end?

I must thank my Uncle Hisham for his thoughts to send a representative to perform Haj on behalf of my late father. That kind of thought from an adopted sibling is something even more rare.

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