.: 시월애 :.

II Mare.

"How do you hold on to someone you've never met?"
:: Lake House ::

時越愛.

6.48pm Malaysian Time

.: Have a heart :.

Give a little.

There's a saying, beggars can't be choosers. You see a beggar, begging for alms. What do you do? Walk away? I've been told numerous times that I shouldn't offer alms to beggars. That by doing so, I am encouraging them to beg. That they are actually a syndicate of beggars who are not really beggars. And they are really using their beggar appearance to gain sympathy from me. Then again, how sure are you that these beggars are not genuine? How do you differentiate whether the person is genuinely a beggar or a scam? What if by walking away you are rather depriving him from probably the last meal he will ever have in his lifetime?

I try not to judge a person base on appearances. 'You are downright lazy thus you beg.' That is just being overly judgmental. We do not know what difficulties the person may have. Even if it is just a bit, a little offering goes a long way for some. Be empathetic; compassionate and for once, try to walk in their shoes because you never know if you might actually be in it.

To each their own.

9.12pm Malaysian Time

.: Compassionate moments :.

Are made to last forever.

I wonder whether everyone feels the same way. Like, whenever you do a good turn to others, you'll tend to have this warm feeling inside telling you that you have done the right thing and that come what may, things will eventually work out for both of you.

An advice passed down from my grandmum to my mum and now to my siblings is:

"Biar orang buat kita, jangan kita buat orang."

Literally translated as "Let others do us but don't do others." In context it generally means no matter what, we should do good and never ever be unkind to others. Of late, my mum stressed a lot on this but I guess that as we grow older, we tend to be caught up with the rat race and I presume that she figure we might just crossover to the dark side and become Darth Vader. *Anakin, I am your father.* The irony.

Remember the good feeling I just mentioned? I have that feeling too when I see people doing good deeds to others. Like when I take the public transport and I find people giving up their seats to the elderly, kids, pregnant ladies, the disabled or assisting the blind to cross the road or giving alms to the poor and etc. These are little acts of kindness that always bring a smile to me. A reminder that the world is not as ruthless as it seems to be and there are people that do care, regardless of the race, religion and creed.

If I may quote Anakin Skywalker::

"Attachment is forbidden. Possession is forbidden. Compassion, which I would define as unconditional love, is essential to a Jedi's life. So, you might say that we are encouraged to love."

So spread a little care and love.

6.38pm Malaysian Time

.: Cab drivers :.

To hate or to love?

I'm sure everyone in Malaysia regardless whether they are Malaysians or foreigners have had their fair share of "wonderful" experiences. *oh joy!* From taking the long way to overcharging the fare topped with the exemplary rude behavior. There really isn't any point in highlighting and repeating the same old story so I'll let it pass for the others to blog on it. *tip: google it up, it works ... always*

A few of the kind souls I came across with:

First Scenario:: Dentist appointment

It was 1.30pm. My appointment is at 1.45pm. No cab in sight. Miraculously, a cab came by.

Cab driver: "Adik mau pegi mana?" -|- Where do you want to go?
Me: "Itu dentist dekat Ong Tai Kim sana." -|- The dentist at Ong Tai Kim (name of the uhh... hypermarket)
Cab driver: "Aiya ... saya tak tahu macam mana mau pegi sana lo." -|- I don't know how to get there.
Me: "Ohh ... tak apalah. Saya tunggu lain teksi." -|- It's ok. I'll wait for another cab.
Cab driver: "Adik tau jalan ka?" -|- Do you know the way?
Me: "Sikit-sikit saja." -|- A little.
Cab driver: "Adik naik lo. Saya cuba hantar." -|- Get in. I'll try and send you.

Although we got lost due to my 'impressive' sense of direction, we eventually managed to find the dentist, and he cracked jokes throughout the journey. ^^

Second Scenario:: Going to unfamiliar territory

It was 11am. Took the cab from KL Central and ended up at Plaza OUG. Couldn't find the office. Last resort, hailed a cab.

Me: "Uncle tau ini mana tak?" -|- Do you know this place?
Cab driver: "Oh, itu dekat saja. Mari saya tunjuk." -|- That's near. Let me show you the way.

--- Reached the place and it's a housing area. ---

Cab driver: "Adik, itu address betul ka?" -|- Did you get the right address?
Me: "Kejap saya check. Ack, salah! Itu tempat ikut address ini, sorry uncle. Lepas itu boleh hantar saya balik KL Central tak?" -|- Let me check. *I got the wrong address* Please follow this other address, sorry uncle. After that, can you send me to KL Central?
Cab driver: "Tak apa. Boleh boleh." -|- It's ok. Sure sure.

From KL Central to Plaza OUG it cost me RM15. The kind driver charged me RM15 although the meter stated more than that and he didn't charge me for getting lost. On top of that, he even told me information on OUG residential areas, commercial areas and public transportation. How sweet is that?

Mankind is still saved.

5.36pm Malaysian Time

.: Acrophobia :.

Look out below.

Rummaged through my folders and found this shot of Subang Jaya taken in May. I don't normally come here and I doubt I'll be coming again anytime sooner.

A random post.

9.51pm Malaysian Time

.: Journey to the south :.

That my friend, is a railroad track.


Hop on board the choo choo train...

The choo choo train... the choo choo train...

Straight on to Johor Bahru!

Alright, that's just lame. *and has got to be one of the most ridiculous libretto I had ever conjured*. Moving along, I took the train back to JB with my aunt and sis *candid shot of her... she doesn't read my blog so I'm still safe... the latter is my aunt... she doesn't read my blog either... double safe XD*

I have always preferred the train than any other mode of transportation. Perhaps it's because I can laze around, be a couch potato, enjoy the view, chomp at my food, washroom availability *when nature calls, it's best to have it close by* and catch a casual stroll once a while just so that my body doesn't stiffen itself due to excessive slouching in the comfort of my own time and space. During my student days, I actually did a study on which transportation suits me best. But that post shall have to wait for another day. *too lazy. :P*

In all honesty, I'm going to spare everyone the details of my journey simply because I didn't do much. The only thing worth mentioning is that I reorganized my stuff, threw @ donated away some of my other stuff and tagged along my mum to the baking store and the market; aside from getting the bolt from the blue on the massive change of interior design courtesy of my parents. Home didn't look like home anymore. Some of the furniture were shifted to the other house so my current home seems pretty bare. At least it doesn't emit a congested ambiance anymore. I'll quit yapping and post some photos.

Is this the stairway to heaven? Not close. It's really my wardrobe. :P

The road to my primary school. Spent 3 years there (1993 - 1996). Too bad I can't recall much.

That's it. Told you I didn't do much. Presently, I'm still trying to convince my family to celebrate Eid there. It had been ages. I failed miserably during my first try. Then again, with perseverance I might just nail it.

Off to bug my parents. ^^

9.01pm Malaysian Time

.: Blood + :.

Irony.

Back from JB (Johor Bahru). Can't blog much. Still have a slight taste of blood in my mouth and a major migraine. Owh, and my MC was extended. *and i'm checking my work mail instead of resting ... ?*

I work too much.

12.54noon Malaysian Time

.: Painful :.

The one word.

Describing my visit to the dentist.

• Did the surgery.
• Removed the wisdom teeth.
• I cried.

4 hours later... I am still bleeding & dangerously hungry. *can't eat... I can't even swallow my mum's congee... NOOO!!!*

This is NIGHTMARE!

10.40pm Malaysian Time

.: Billboards :.

Finally, I can read without my glasses.

One Utama shot.

I was on my way back from One World Hotel and snapped it during a traffic congestion. Figured that I haven't been featuring any photos in the last few entries. One of the many shopping malls that I rarely frequent to. *I'm a frugal. That should explain it.* I find the following statement to be astonishingly false. *perhaps it's because I don't spend*

"One quarter of what you buy will turn out to be mistakes." - Delia Ephron

Now I'm just being cute.

5.28pm Malaysian Time

.: Heading south :.

To home.

Mum, dad ... I'm coming home and this time around, I'm doing the visiting. Friends ... after my 3rd year, most of my childhood friends stopped asking when I'm coming back. I don't blame them. Now then, how long has it been? 5 years? *cries of "ungrateful brute" echoes in the background*

Irregardless, I am proud to be a southerner. ^^

True blue southerner.

4.16pm Malaysian Time

.: Baby steps :.

One at a time.

Due to my tight schedule at work with trainings and other misc tasks, I haven't gotten the time to blog about anything. *alright, that is just a pathetic excuse for my tardy and procrastinating nature.* But I have been busy. And am still busy. *coughs*

For the whole of this week, I will be engaged in training and briefings. Meanwhile, I have no idea on what is in store for next week but based on my acute sense of observation, *coughs again* chances are I might be going places. No confirmation on that yet though I do look forward to it. Pretty much want to absorb as much knowledge as I can. ^^

Truthfully, usually I do not blog about work but this is the only subject that happens to crossover my mind. *this is not good* Apart from work, I have quite a number of things in my mind however, I prefer not to disclose it for now. Still in the early stages. Will reveal it once I've sorted it out. For now, it is back to cramming all the information in my puny head. *pure torture for a forgetful person... like how do my colleagues do it?*

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around."

Leo F. Buscaglia

Mine is still turning. ^^

5.45pm Malaysian Time