A Wise Man Once Told Me

A wise man once told me what another wise man once told him.

There are three bones you should have in life:

A back bone.

A funny bone.

And a wish bone.

Thanks very much, Mr. C, for everything you told me.

You would always be here for the ones who love you.

A Wise Man Once Told Me

Lesson Number 1001

One important lesson to learn in life:

The only person you can rely on in life is yourself.

Lesson Number 1001

Fifteenth Day of Chinese New Year - Chap Goh Mei

The fifteenth day of Chinese New Year is more popularly known in Malaysia as Chap Goh Mei. The celebrations of the fifteenth day is no less splendid; on the night we would make sweet glutinous rice balls (tang yuan) served in a ginger syrup soup as a symbol of unity (round) and the good things in life (sweetness). Chap Goh Mei is also the Chinese version of St. Valentine's day, with unmarried girls throwing mandarin oranges for the man of their dreams to pick up.

I worked on Chap Goh Mei, of course. This Chap Goh Mei turned out to be the most eventful one of my life so far. The pharmacy I worked at was robbed and I was held up by a man holding a sharp knife. Thankfully no one was hurt. I left the pharmacy feeling angry, angry that there are people who feel that they have the right to rob and steal from others just because they feel themselves to be underprivileged. This man is neither physically impaired, and certainly not mentally impaired, considering that he is clever enough to orchestrate a hold-up on two defenceless ladies. Indeed.

I left the scene feeling detached and wary, too. I can't stop these things from happening. One of the things in life. It's a valuable lesson for me to be always vigilant no matter where I am. My rose-tinted glasses have faded now.

To that man: You may escape without being caught this time, count yourself lucky. I do believe in karma. What goes around comes around. It's a valuable lesson for you, too, not just for me.

I saw the full moon on Chap Goh Mei night. I wished that I was carrying a Chinese lattern as when I was young, playing beneath the moonlight, blissfully unaware of the ugly reality of the world.

Sadly, I no longer live in a beautiful world.

Fifteenth Day of Chinese New Year - Chap Goh Mei

Let It Be Worthwhile

"It's easy enough to be pleasant;

When life flows like a song,

But the man worthwhile,

Is the one who can smile,

When things go dead wrong.

For the test of the heart is trouble

And it always comes with the years,

And the smile that is worth

The praises of earth,

Is the smile that shines through the tears."

Ella Wheeler Wilcox

"The Man Worth While"

"Let me not pray to be sheltered from dangers,

But be fearless in facing them.

Let me not beg for the stilling of my pain,

But for the heart to conquer it.

Let me not crave in anxious fear to be saved,

But hope for the patience to win my freedom."

Dr. Rabindranath Tagore

"A Prayer for Courage"

Let It Be Worthwhile

Kundun

Kundun, Tibetan for "the presence", is the title by which the Dalai Lama is addressed. The 14th and current Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso visited Australia from 06/06/2007 to 16/06/2007. We had the opportunity to listen to the Dalai Lama's talk in The Domain, Sydney.

We arrived late at the venue, so we walked around looking for a good spot to view the screen and listen to the Dalai Lama. The first thing that struck me as we made our way past the throng was how familiar the Dalai Lama's voice sounded. I could have heard his voice on television; I don't remember. It is the voice of Buddhist monks - calm, soothing, yet compelling you to listen - the sound of gentle waves lapping. On a deeper level, it is the voice that I imagine my paternal grandfather had - the grandfather I have never seen in life but in photos, whom my grandmother and parents speak of with such admiration.

Incidentally, the Dalai Lama's tinted glasses and face shape remind me of two people, one of which is my paternal grandfather.

The Dalai Lama spoke on the power of compassion. It moved me so much that I cried. The Dalai Lama talked not of religion but of what could bring people inner peace and what could make the world a better place.

The Dalai Lama didn't pretend to know all the answers, too. The host asked the Dalai Lama to describe the meaning of life in the Dalai Lama's own words. The Dalai Lama scratched his head, and looked absorbed in thought, and yet genuinely perplexed, and replied a simple "I don't know".

The Dalai Lama said that perhaps the meaning of life is happiness.

I looked around. I saw adults listening to the Dalai Lama, children playing in the mud, babies in their prams. Everyone seemed happy. I thought of myself, am I happy?

My reply is a simple "I don't know".

Kundun

The Painted Veil

This time on the plane, I watched a grand total of THREE films back-to-back - "Music and Lyrics", Because I Said So, and The Painted Veil.

For starters, I was glad to pass the chance to see "Because I Said So" in the theatre... I couldn't imagine sitting still in the seat without wanting to jump up and run towards the big screen to strangle BOTH Diane Keaton's character Daphne Wilder AND Mandy Moore's Millie Wilder, as a result knock myself silly against the screen AND get escorted by the theatre attendants for portraying violent behaviour in the screening of a M-rated film (M for Moderate Sexual References, NOT Maniacal Nutcase Portrayal).

"Why did you watch it in-flight, then?", you may ask. I am a masochistic person, after all... I have read the reviews on this film, I know that it's bad to say the least, I just wanted to know for myself just how bad it is. Yes, it's bad. There are two saving graces, though. After watching it, I am most grateful to have my mother as my mother and not a persona of Daphne Wilder breathing down my neck. The other saving grace is Gabriel Macht. His smouldering gaze and enigmatic personality was the driving force for me to endure 1 hour and 41 minutes of paranoid mother-daughter behaviour.

The surprise film was "Music and Lyrics". I was told that it's not so good, but I personally found it to be pretty good. I especially liked the parts where Drew Barrymore and Hugh Grant get together to compose the song and sing it together, and the ending where Hugh Grant sings a different song to win over Drew Barrymore. I really like the two songs, and Hugh Grant's singing voice sounds like a cross between John Lennon's and Elton John's. :)

(Way Back Into Love theme song from "Music and Lyrics" sung by Hugh Grant and Haley Bennett)

I watched "The Painted Veil" last. I didn't know what to expect, but the title intrigued me, as did the synopsis. The opening musical theme swept me away, as it faded to open the first scene, I just couldn't stop watching. Come turbulence, toilet breaks, air sickness, this film had me under its spell. Everything from the cast (Edward Norton, Naomi Watts, and even Anthony Wong Chau Sang!), the dialogue, the plot spoke volumes to me.

I would get "The Painted Veil" on DVD for remembrance. Good films are hard to come by, and it's worth it to get it for collection. :)

"Sometimes the greatest journey is the distance between two people."

(The Painted Veil Poster (taken from http://z.about.com/d/movies/1/0/p/z/N/thepaintedveilposter.jpg)

(A La Claire Fontaine - ending theme song from "The Painted Veil" - sung in Chinese by Shang Wen Jie)

The Painted Veil

To Learn

I frequently read Kenny Sia's blog, and I am very sad to read his latest entry on his encounter of a car accident which claimed the lives of the driver and passengers.

I do not wish to elaborate on details. What I wish to point out is that there are so many things that we can learn from this car accident.

Accidents happen world-wide, and, unfortunately, this won't be the last accident that would be reported in the newspapers.

We need to take care of ourselves and our loved ones. Drive safely. This can never be emphasised enough. Don't think that it won't happen to the best of us; therefore, we need not take heed.

The sad fact is, accidents can happen to ANYONE of us. If we can do in the best of our ability to reduce the chances of accidents happening, then take those precautions.

Stick to the speed limit. Don't drink and drive. Make sure we are well-rested before embarking on a journey, and have frequent breaks in-between. We see and hear government campaigns on these issues, and it's not something to be taken lightly. Let us not jeopardise our and others' lives.

If we should ever encounter an accident, the main thing is to try and stay calm. Assess what needs to be done in order of priority. First aid training is essential, because the main thing is to ensure that the casualties and involving parties are not in any further danger, discomfort, or harm before medical help arrives. I know that health care professionals are encouraged to have first aid training; I think that the community at large should be encouraged to learn first aid, too. It helps to know how to deal with an emergency.

Lastly, I'm not claiming to be an expert in dealing with emergency, or that I claim to be an authority in life. I just feel that I as well as whoever who reads this entry need to be reminded that life is very fragile, that we need to take care of ourselves and others, and not to take life lightly.

My prayers go out to the lives that are lost, as well as the family mourning their loss.

To Learn

Lesson

Let it be my lesson in life...

To be considerate of other people's feelings,

To not be too self-centred,

To learn to accept things graciously,

To not be quick-tempered,

To not take things forgranted.

Lesson

Support

It's a trying time for me... something that I've not experienced in my life... and I'm very touched by the support shown by my family, who've made calls to me and sent me emails and short texts, telling me not to be sad, not to despair, not to give up hope, not to lose dignity.

For my family, I am very grateful for the never-failing love and support... the pain will still linger, but I know it will pass. I will get stronger day by day....

Support

Changed

I wish... I wish for a lot of things...

One of them is to sleep well... I didn't sleep well at all yesterday... drifting in and out of sleep... even sleeping tablets carried me through sleeping spurts...

I wonder how long a person can last without food and sleep....

I wish I can go back to being me... but I think that with every change, it's hard to not become affected by it...

I wish... I wish for a lot of things...

Changed

Three Years of Eurovision

Without realising it, I have watched two Eurovision contests... 2007 being the third and most bittersweet for me... this year's winning is the most poignant at least for me; the singer sang the song with such emotion... I would really want to download this song.

Molitva
Prayer

Ni oka da sklopim
I can't close my eyes

Postelja prazna tera san
The empty bed chases sleep away

A život se topi
And my life is melting away

I nestaje brzo, k'o dlanom o dlan
And it's disappearing quickly, in a split second

K'o razum da gubim
It seems I'm losing my mind

Jer stvarnost i ne primećujem
As I don't even notice reality

Još uvek te ljubim
I still love you

Još uvek ti slepo verujem
I still trust you blindly

K'o luda, ne znam kuda
Like crazy, I don't know where to go

Ljubavi se nove bojim
I'm afraid of a new love

A dane, žive rane
And the days are like open wounds

Više ne brojim
I don't count them anymore

Molitva, kao žar na mojim usnama je
Prayer, like ardour on my lips

Molitva, mesto reči samo ime tvoje
Prayer, just your name, instead of words

Nebo zna, kao ja
Heaven knows, just as I do

Koliko puta sam ponovila
How many times I've repeated this

To nebo zna, baš kao ja
Heaven knows, just as I do

Da je ime tvoje moja jedina molitva
That your name is my only prayer

Al Bogu ne mogu lagati
But I can't lie to God

Sve dok se molim
As long as I pray

A lažem ako kažem
And I'd be lying if I said

Da te ne volim
That I don't love you

Molitva, kao žar na mojim usnama je
Prayer, like ardour on my lips

Molitva, mesto reči samo ime tvoje
Prayer, just your name, instead of words

Nebo zna, baš kao ja
Heaven knows, just as I do

Koliko puta sam ponovila
How many times I've repeated this

To nebo zna, baš kao ja
Heaven knows, just as I do

Da je ime tvoje moja molitva
That your name is my prayer

(Molitva, molitva)
(Prayer, prayer)

I nebo zna, baš kao ja
And heaven knows, just as I do

Koliko puta sam ponovila
How many times I've repeated this

To nebo zna, baš kao ja
Heaven knows, just as I do

Da je ime tvoje moja jedina molitva
That your name is my only prayer

Da je ime tvoje moja molitva
That your name is my prayer

Three Years of Eurovision

Indescribable

Life is like that...

One moment you can be very happy and content, the next day everything changes... and you feel the very opposite...

'tis life... full of ups and downs...

I'm sad at the moment, I haven't been this sad for a very long while... and I guess that it would be very long while before I feel happy and content again...

But this is life... my life... I would just have to deal with it, no matter how painful it is, and no matter how difficult it will be. Even when I feel that I've lost my heart... even when I feel that my heart is no longer beating... it will pass... just let it be over quickly...

Indescribable