You don't have to say cheese to smile

Not saying cheese at Cristo Rei, Dili.

And I say it again: You don't have to say cheese to smile.

It's just a bit hard to smile these past few days and I need a reminder. Already failing my new year resolution? Nooo! The washing machine is broken, I just dropped my newly bought watch on the street and scratched it, having fever and flu for the past few days. OMG, the list of things gone wrong just goes on and on (talk about complaining...). The only time I smiled today was when I passed by a friend I worked with 4 years ago at the escalator this afternoon.

You don't really have to climb a hill to watch a beautiful sun rising over the sea to make you smile. But hell yeah it helps! Urmm... the hill in question is like a thousand miles away, so that's not going to happen anytime soon, haha.

Still not saying cheese on the Swiss Alps.

So maybe I need to go to a beach somewhere or climb something to free my ever-occupied mind. I've probably been thinking too much these days; I almost forgot to pay for my food at a restaurant today :(

Sun chasing

Sunset near Devil Mountain, Western Sahara.

Amidst all the hubbub of the just-past party-filled hedonistic celebration of a western New Year and the looming paint-the-town-red Chinese New Year (it's going to be the year of the water snake), I hardly had the time to come up with my own new year resolution... until now that is.

To be calm, happy and to smile always. Not asking too much, I would say. Recently, I watched a video of Tony Blair's sister-in-law on her conversion to Islam in which she mentioned how calm she feels afterwards - a feeling I noticed is shared by many new converts. Indeed, the word Islam itself relates to being peaceful, and that is how I believe I should be. Zen is the way forward :)

Sunrise over Cristo Rei, Timor Leste.

Another thing I believe in is the notion that a happy team is a good team. As the leader among my colleagues, I shoulder the responsibility to bring out the best in all of us, and to do that I cannot have a bitter group of people. While acknowledging my bosses' reliance on the organisation's productivity-driven vision and mission to achieve success, I also noticed that an unhappy team tends to fall apart and therefore fail. Now I would not let that happen under my watch, would I?

Afternoon sun at Salerno, Italy.

And it goes without telling that a smile is the by-product of being calm and happy inside. A smile is charity, and it definitely makes you look more attractive :)

I hope all goes well this year, as I have plans to chase the sun in places I have never been before (as a reward for my upcoming successes)!

Fantasy of fear

I know this is old news to some, but hey, I hate liars. Human lives were lost in an instant and my fellow Muslims were branded 'terrorist' because of nothing. Plus now I can't bring an innocent bottle of mineral water past the scanner at the airport. Whose fault is that?

Such is the power of fear spread through an inflated lie, exaggerated and manipulated to some people's own ends. Conjuring imaginary fear to the extent of unnecessary paranoia, a laughable one at that (watch the videos). What a waste of emotions and loads of money nonetheless. I'm not sure what those liars gain in return, other than enemies and haters. Guilty until proven otherwise, I say.

And what's with 21.12.12 being the end of the world? I hope that lie was not deliberate...

To be demode

"The only reason I do not wear skirts is because I would look like my mother." U betcha.

... is an undesirable state for one to be in according to the fashion authority of the here and now, Karl Lagerfeld. Imported from the French démodé and used since 1873, the word simply means out-of-date, no more fashionable, or passé (yet another French word). Mr Lagerfeld, in his personal blog which liberally features the word, has memorably called Louis Vuitton fashion's McDonald's - it's now too popular to an extent it seems to be losing its exclusivity. And in a recent remark, the luxury brand admitted to that claim being the truth and it is the reason behind its made-to-order offerings.

While flaunting an LV monogram bag is your idea of proclaiming to others of your financial prowess in a highly fashionable manner, you might have noticed more than a few other ladies are toting bags of the same design - fake or not fake being irrelevant. By following the herd, it inadvertently tells me that yes, you may have the money but no, you don't have the fashion sense (especially if the rest of what you're wearing do not complement the luxury that bag exudes). Apparently, the same fate of becoming demode is threatening the highly coveted Hermes Birkin bag - our luxury-laden first lady Rosmah Mansor be warned ;)

Personally, I prefer if people complement, ask about, or turn to admire what I am wearing without recognizing the item's brand from 100 feet away. That way, I can never be demode.

By the way, I do own an adorable red velvet Louis Vuitton neck tie which I bought from their flagship store in Paris and a silk one in deep purple I bought here in KL, among other things. So I don't really dislike LV, you know, just as long as it's not 'monogrammatic'.

With a matching black heart

The three black ducks of Danu Bratan, Bali. Birds of a feather do flock together!

Today I woke up late and arrived late for work, because yesterday my flat had no water and I had to wait for the water tanker to arrive at 1 in the morning. I felt so bad :(

Haven't you heard? Rumour has it that the next election is just around the corner. The propaganda of a certain political party flying around is that the party running a particular state fails to provide enough water to the people, and voila, last night I came home only to find out that our whole block of houses (which to my knowledge is very rarely struck by the misfortune of water shortage) has no water! An unlucky coincident, you might say. But wait, while the bunch of us grumbling citizens - with buckets and whatnot - were waiting out in the street for the water tanker to come to our rescue, two friendly figures in T-shirts bearing the logo of the accusing party showed up just in time when the water tankers arrived. I smell a rat...

We Malays have a saying: rambut sama hitam, hati lain-lain (we may have the same black hair, but our hearts are never the same). We can never be 100% certain of what the person next to us is thinking about, or what his/her political leanings may be. To the political parties concerned, I urge you guys be as transparent as you can be (could be quite difficult in politics, I guess), as I truly hate liars and pretenders. Or else you might just be another black haired person with a matching black heart (who may or may not get my vote).

And oh, happy 55th birthday, Malaysia. You'll always be a part of me wherever I may be!

Unconditional love, unyielding friendship

The fasting month of Ramadan is here yet again and whoever calls him/herself a Muslim should feel truly blessed at this very moment because Ramadan doesn't just brings with it God's command for us not to eat and drink during daylight for a month (which to no surprise is a brilliantly cheap and effective way to lose weight), but also the discipline of abstaining ourselves from doing blatantly bad things and doing more good thing instead. Yes, the no eating, no drinking part is quite a challenge, I admit, but it takes practice from young - if my cute 6 year-old nephew can do it, why can't I, right?

On another note, whoever has watched Malaysian television for the past decade or so would notice that this month also ushers in a handful of TV commercials-cum-festive-greetings for the upcoming Hari Raya (Eid), among others things. Unlike other commercial ads, I always look forward to watching them, as they are usually the best local TV commercials, conjuring a myriad of emotions from the viewers and reminding them of the good values in life - festive joy, melancholy, local humour, selflessness, humility, interracial respect and appreciation, et cetera.

Heart warming festive commercials have been a relatively unique trend to Malaysia thanks to the late Yasmin Ahmad, a great film director whose magical touch had given birth to a series of well-loved TV ads for Eid and Independence Day celebrations over the years. Since her 'untimely' death a few years back, I don't really expect anything superb to come along anytime soon.

But hey presto, this ad by the national rice authority BERNAS has swept me off my feet and touched the hearts of many this year; I'd find it very odd if it didn't touch yours too. And to you people who clicked the 'dislike' button: exactly, why?

"Two special children build a beautiful relationship based on genuine care and understanding. On the eve of Hari Raya, these orphans, Ahmad and Fizi embark on a journey and encounter many challenges along the way. Through their perseverance and determination, they overcome all odds to fulfil their obligation of unconditional love."

Before I forget, I would like to take this opportunity to wish all Muslims out there Eid Mubarak (or Selamat Hari Raya as we say it in Malaysia)!

The art of bullshitting

Hill-climbing bulls in Timor-Leste. Don't worry, I'm not referring to your droppings, it's just figurative speech :)

"We are well taught in the art of bullshitting," said my friend who had gone through med school with me one fine day. It was during a morning coffee break I wasn't supposed to have (I told my colleague I was going to the loo, but really, it was time for my caffeine fix) and it was an accidental meeting with her at the open-air cafe. She was asking me how my first few weeks in Radiology was and I replied that the Ultrasound posting I was in was not well received by my stomach, dreading that I won't do well in the upcoming exam next year. Obviously some level of bullshitting is needed in any exam according to her, and I concur ;)

Well taught bullshitters - really? Well, maybe not me, not at med school at least. In med school we were repeatedly taught to be well versed in the art of showmanship - to act like we know about things when we actually don't know much about them :)

Bullshitting came later during my housemanship, the first year of being a proper medical officer. A senior colleague tutored me on how to lie to the radiologists to get their approval for an urgent CT or MRI scan. But then again I usually get their approval just by telling the truth most of the time.

I once got acquainted with a conman (actually he got himself acquainted with me to get to my money, of course) when I was window-shopping in a market. Being a rather professional conman, he bluffed his way to the wallets of too-many-to-mention army personnel by telling them he's a doctor in the army - he even had an army officer's uniform with a name tag bearing his name to make everyone believe him!
Even worse, he's gay and not only he got his way to their wallets but into their beds as well. Wow, now that requires another special set of skills!

Luckily I figured out his true form in time (thank God I'm not his 'taste', haha) because of his shady qualifications and apparently dismal command of the English language. But before disclosing that fact to him I managed to tease out from him the ways by which he makes people believe his every word and persuasion. Yes people, I learnt from the best (sorry Whitney, no pun intended).

It was quite a long time ago and I don't intend to bump into another conman anytime soon, or ever. So guys, don't trust a stranger straightaway, have your suspicions checked, and don't be oblivious to potential danger before it is too late - just like the old Malay saying sudah terhantuk baru terngadah (literal translation: you look up only after your head has hit something). Trust me, or would you trust a conman instead?

Malays and their English (language)

Schoolchildren in Dili, Timor-Leste - cannot speak a word of English but I like the fancy footwear :)

11 years of studying English and cannot speak the language. That's my comment on the level of most Malaysians' grasp on the English language. And that does not include the ones who graduated from universities and still cannot speak the language confidently. OMG, so embarrassing...

It saddens me to think of my own people who wasted spent so much time studying something and gets nothing out of it. So whose fault is it? Inevitably, the big fat finger will point to the students and/or the teachers. Students for being lazy of course, and the teachers for teaching for teaching's sake. Once when I was in Form 5 at secondary school, our beloved English teacher was baffled when she found out no one in our class knew when to use an apostrophe after an s (our class was made up of students with the best marks in English, and our school was one of the top in the country). At that moment I realised that my grammar really sucked, and I had a sneaking suspicion that apostrophes were not part of our English syllabus (not sure if it's true, though). My teacher dutifully taught us about it there and then, and I remember it until now :)

I still believe a lot of the nooks and crannies of the language need to be explored by English teachers and taught to their ignorant students. Raising the standard in English doesn't necessarily means extending teaching hours and setting up more difficult exam questions, which the government is doing. It's about bettering the quality of the teaching - better syllabi, better teaching methods to make the students understand easier, et cetera. Of course I am no teacher myself, but I tutored my younger brother for his SPM (equivalent to the British O-Levels) many years ago using my unconventional technique and his English improved by 3 grades in under 2 months!

I'm not saying my English is perfect, because I don't speak it on an everyday basis or even at home. Plus, I personally know several Malaysians whose English is notably superior to mine ;) But I guess if you're a university graduate, conversing in English shouldn't be an agonizing torture you would rather avoid. Not to mention the 14 year-old relative of a Chinese patient in Penang who cannot speak Malay in spite of all the schooling... Well, that's another (sad) story.

Humble barbershop versus swanky hair salon

Does that come in shocking pink as well?

Which one would you prefer, guys? I can still remember when I was a lot younger, my dad used to take my brothers and I to the town every now and then to get our hair trimmed. My dad used to be in the navy so having a long hairdo in our schooldays was a definite no-no. Sometimes to a Malay barbershop and sometimes to an Indian barbershop - they're all rather good but I find the Malay barbers a tad gentler most of the time.

When my dad was posted to the HQ in Kuala Lumpur and budget was tight, he would take us to this elderly gentleman who would cut our hair at his makeshift barbershop a stone's throw away from our flat. Well, you could hardly call it a shop, more like a chair under a tree really.. Come to think of it, the outdoor experience was not so bad after all - well shaded, breezy and cheap!

Nowadays even the humblest of Malaysian barbershops have stepped up their game by including a quick neck and shoulder massage at the end of every session! But the best part for me must be the hair washing in any respectable hair salon - love it when they massage the shampoo into your hair. Give them some complements and they will massage for a bit longer, hehe ;)

A reminder for reconnection

It's a new day (in Timor-Leste)!

 According to the Chinese, this year is the year of the water dragon - whatever that means. According to me, it's the year of reconnection - reconnecting with old friends, reigniting the joy of past hobbies, reestablishing the roots that made me who I am today. It's quite easy to live life in the fast lane, enjoying the breezy ride and at the same time ignoring that bumpy road you've tread and left behind just a minute ago!

Mind you, it's not about living the past and lamenting upon things gone by. On the contrary, it's all about evolution and innovation - utilizing the past for betterment of thy future. As I used to say to myself, you can glance to your past but never go back there ever again! Oh well, have a brilliant year everyone..