Annihilation!

Admiralty Pri Staff: 1
Evergreen Pri Staff: 7

Scorers: Kai (3), Alan, Alfiyan, Hirman, Imran

Hey. Don’t rub your eyes. You saw it correctly. I scored a hat-trick. Couldn’t remember the last time I enjoyed football this much. Something about playing with your colleagues I think. We heard rumours that our hosts had training sessions to prepare for this game. They came decked in white and green. Unfortunately, we had the same colours and as visitors, we had to wear whatever red shirt we could lay our hands on.

Our opponents looked trim, slim and fit. Our team were kinda lumped together. Some had spectacles on, some were short, some were too tall, some had a huge tummy to carry (that’s me by the way). From the outlook, it seems that we were gonna have our asses handed to us. But by the end of the game, it was a huge surprise that we were the one who dominated.

Personally I enjoyed my hat-trick. Who wouldn’t. I scored the first goal after receiving a pass from Rizal. From about 30 yards out, I hit a firm grounder that their goalie had no hope of keeping up. After that goal, we were more relaxed. Some superb goalkeeping by Samy and a solid defensive display by Alan, Soffian and Mr. Majeed gave us confidence. Alan scored a superb solo effort and we led by two goals at half-time.

We were caught napping in the second half. They were very fired up and they pulled one back. Were we going to let the game slip from our grasp? Fortunately, Alfiyan scored a third goal, thanks to my assist of course, hehe. He returned the favour back to me soon after. Pouncing on a loose ball, I let loose a powerful shot that rocketed into the roof of the net at close range. No chance.

Hirman scored a good goal. Great composure in controlling the ball under pressure and flicking it past the keeper. It almost reflected himself as a person. Cool and deadly. Imran scored his customary goal too. Typical Imran, when given the time to shoot, can produce a superb finish.

However, my favourite goal has to be the last one of the day. Alan played a chest high ball towards me in the box. I chested (or did I use my huge tummy?) the ball past my marker onto my left foot. The angle was not favourable. Surely I couldn’t score from there. I aimed for the far post and my finish it its target. Keeper rooted to the spot. No way he was going to get it. The game ended immediately afterwards. Gamebreaker!

I scored a hat-trick as a midfielder! Possibly only with my Predators.

Woohoo!

Say Yes!

YES.

One word made up of three letters. Carries so much meaning and significance. Can bring a myriad of emotions in so many different situations. I was at the movies a few days back and I stumbled upon this upcoming movie starring Jim Carrey untitled “Yes Man”. It looked interesting enough but one phrase during the trailer captured me.

“It’s time to put a YES in your life.”

Roughly, the story is about a man who has said NO to pretty much everything in his life. He says no when people ask him out to a party, says no when someone asks him to do something, says no to any sort of activity. A no-man in its truest form. It seems that over the course of the movie, he begins to say YES instead and some interesting things happen.

1) His life begins to get a little more fun and exciting.
2) People began to like him better and enjoy his company.
3) He seems to be enjoying himself a lot more.

Although I’m just guessing the premise of the movie, I believe I have the gist of it. Somehow, it made me think about my life in particular. Am I a yes-man or a no-man? Do I take risks or am I happy staying in my comfort zone, worried about what would happen should I expose myself to others? When I think back, there has been many instances where I chose to say no and sit by the side while I watch things go by in my life.

Nowadays I realize that there is much to gain by saying yes. Yes to a new experience. Yes to a potential life-changing choice and yes to self-fulfillment. Saying yes opens up doors of opportunity and self-growth. Saying no just keeps you where you are. You stagnate. What have you got to lose by saying yes? At the same time, what will you gain by saying no?

But don’t be a yes-man all the time, that would be silly. All innovators should take calculated risks. They don’t agree blindly. Try something new, but don’t jeapordize your principles. Still, the word yes has given me much to be happy about lately.

Yes to the risk that I took.
Yes to the belief that things will turn out good.
Yes to this new adventure we’re taking together.
Yes to all the possibilities.

Yes, yes oh yes! Yabadabadoo!!!

I3BM

It must be the food from last night that have been keeping me up. Yesterday’s TI Night was memorable for the food. It was rich, tasty and high in saturated fats. I couldn’t pay attention to any of the festivities that were going on stage. In fact, I felt a little detached from everyone else. Actually, the Muslim toastmasters were segregated. Sardinah, Jaz and myself in our quiet little corner for us to relax in. It was alright though. The company was good and the stories shared were juicy.

Just thought of sharing something I heard from the morning sermon at the masjid this morning. Sometimes I wonder why I try so hard to seek out answers to some of life’s questions when they are pretty much in Islam. The ustaz was discussing on how we could improve our ibadah by using the acronym I.I.I.B.M. Let’s call it I3BM for short.

Ikhlas – Sincerity. What are our reasons for carrying out a task? Is it for personal gain or recognition or do we do it because we genuinely want to do something useful in our life. Too often, we do things with a certain objective in mind. An ulterior motive. When we don’t achieve that objective, we are not able to enjoy the task and become a little dissatisfied.

Ilmu – Knowledge. Whatever task we undertake we need to have knowledge. Knowledge is power as they say. How are we expected to do something well if we don’t have the expertise to carry it out? For example, I aspire to be a good writer but I do not bother to learn the sublime skills to make my stories interesting. Would I be able to become a great writer? No matter how good we think we are, a little more knowledge will always be beneficial.

Istiqamah – Continuous practice. Forming a good habit. One who constantly donates $2 a week is deemed better than one who gives a one-time donation of $1000. Doing things continuously helps you to make it a way of life. When it becomes second nature to you, you become involved in it and you gain intrinsic motivation. That’s how people change, by doing things over and over again.

Bimbingan – Guidance. We always need someone more experienced and knowledgable to guide us in our journey. Be it a teacher, lecturer, tutor, parent, any figure of authority. There will always be someone who knows better than us. On top of that, guidance also provides us with motivation. No man is an island. If you are sincere in improvement, you need someone to show you the light.

Muhasabah – Review, reflect and evaluate. At the end of the day, you need to ask yourself how close you are to fulfilling your goals. How well have you gone through the day. Are you on the way to becoming the person that you strive to be? What did you do well? What can you improve on? How do you ensure the next day is a better one? Always ask questions to gauge how things are going. It helps to keep you focused.

This set of tips have been preached to us by many Western motivational speakers and philosophers. Somehow, we get the impression that it was they who came up with this formula when in actual fact, Allah has already provided in the Quran. Yet, we Muslims are blind to the wonders that the Holy Book hold. Another Sunday morning, another eye-opening experience.

I should really make a more concerted efforts to find more answers. Should really develop on these points and market it as a program. What do you think, Jaz?

rising stocks

last wednesday, jaz made another appearance on tv. with the recent fall of the financial market, he was approached to give his take on the situation. he is really becoming some sort of an authority on the issue. such involvement will only bring prominence and credibility to him. it can ony benefit him further as a bonafide financial planner, not the flash-in-the-pan types that many people encounter these days.

this time, i was fortunate enough to be interviewed as well. that bro of mine recommended me to the reporter as one who is not too concerned about the declining stock market. i think he was just curious to see how i would look when i appear on tv. still, it was quite an experience. it was quite challenging trying to speak in malay for prolonged periods. i should try to read some malay novels every now and then.

my appearance made me some sort of a mini-celebrity over the last few days. colleagues kept teasing me, calling me a financial expert. teachers from other schools who i don’t interact much with before have been coming up to me and socializing. when i went for friday prayers, some gave me quizzical looks. i’m just wondering how do real stars deal with all the attention. i found it a little uncomfortable at times, especially when it intrudes on my personal, quiet moments.

jaz said i cracked him up with my mannerism on the show. actually, i was quite surprised when i refered to myself as the third person. didn’t realize it. why didn’t i just say, “Saya” (I in english)? maybe i have watched too many promos of the rock where he always refers to himself in the third person. maybe i’m trying to project a friendly image. whatever it was, it did crack me up to when i saw myself on the telly. was a bit surreal.

i’m just glad that i was projected in a positive image. seeing my diploma and family pictures beamed to thousands of homes across the island was a surprise. perhaps in one of those houses, a mother was thinking about what a good candidate i would be for her daughter. who knows, a certain someone’s mother might be thinking that. however, it’s more important that the certain someone thinks of me as a possible mate. notice a recurring theme in my entries lately.

just like the financial market, you must always be prepared for anything.

“Is it because I’m black?”

Yesterday, I had my first taste of a Division Toastmasters Contest. What an experience it was. When I looked at my competition, I realize that I was in the presence with some truly great speakers. As I paced around the small auditorium, I didn’t feel as much nervousness as I did at the Club and Area Contests. I wondered why. Unlike the other contests where I was one of the favourites to win, things were different with this contest. I was a dark horse at most. Making my first appearance at this level, I was an outsider, a pretender to the throne. For people like Richard Sng, Benjamin Cheng and Kelvin Thiang, this was just another appearance.

The speech delivered by Joni Seah was difficult to evaluate, simply because she’s a good speaker. The topic she chose was controversial but at the same time thought-provoking. I recalled some lessons from Dr. Ng regarding our society as being too result-oriented. She questioned the “competency” of the Competent Communicators and how “distinguished” our Distinguished Toastmasters were. Are we churing out the promotions just to meet the Club’s goals? Are we being fair to the development of our members who really need the Toastmasters Programme to become better speakers? I leave it to you to decide.

Waiting for my turn to evaluate was painful. Simply because I never like waiting around. I get bored easily and have a really short attention span. One by one, they went in and finally it was my turn. Time stood still for me. After completing my evalution (which I suspected might have gone overtime), I stepped off the stage feeling happy with myself. I did the best that I could and I couldn’t have asked for more. James Keok happily assured me that I was good for a top three place at least. I wasn’t expecting anything, after all, we just plan and predict, Allah is the One who grants and gives.

When the results were announced, I didn’t make the top three. The Humorous Speech section threw up a big surprise. Imagine, just before the result was announced, the Contest Chair got everyone to clap/do a drumroll and when the winner was finally announced, stunned silence enveloped the room. You could tell from the reaction that the result was a shock. Some toastmasters murmured unfairness, saying that the judged “didn’t know what they were doing” and that there was “something fishy going on”. But let’s not be drawn into conspiracy theories. In a close knit society such as Toastmasters where reputation is build and relationships are reinforced (another controver-sial statement), can we truly have a impartial judging system? This is the real world, not one dreamt of by civil rights activists and behavioural psychologists. But take no credit away from my fellow competitors and eventual winners. Their worked hard and did well.

I walked away from the contest feeling a little sad but I accepted the fate. All this means is that my best is not good enough yet, to the eyes of the judges at least. Still, I recognize that I have grown throughout the contest and the years as a Toastmaster. That, above all else, is the most important thing to me. I’m keeping my eyes on the big prize: to be a prominent professional speaker one day. When will that happen if it ever does? Only Allah knows. Every step I take is one closer to my goal and I would never let such a thing like losing a contest hold me back.

The highlight of the afternoon happened just after they announced the champion of the contest. Joni, who was seated behind me, patted my shoulder and whispered to me, “If I were one of the judges, I would have placed you in the top three.” Coming from the speaker, it meant a lot. Probably more than the trophy, because I knew that my evaluation has been useful to her.

I’m looking forward to the next contest already: the International Speech and Table Topics contest. I’m aiming to do the best I can as always. Let the judges decide on who should win. I’ll just make sure I do so well that they wouldn’t have much of a choice and that if they award it to someone else, the whole room would run riot. Tralala..

It’s all about loving your Ma…

I think I might have revolutionized the saying:

“He has a face only a mother could love…”

Those familiar with the saying would know that it’s meant to be a deragotary one. As in, “He’s so butt ugly that only his mother can look at him and love him.” However, if I may, I think I can change the saying to:

“He has a face only MOTHERS could love…”

Last week, I decided to meet up with someone to do assignment together. She was coming back home from class when I suggested the idea. She told me that she had trouble starting on her assignment. Being the wise man that I am so obviously am, I told her, “Why not I help you get started. Usually the problem is starting but when you do, it will flow.” Like a bottle of chilli sauce.

I arrived at her place at midnight and after waiting for a few minutes, she asked me up to her place. She was copying some notes from her computer and reasoned that it was much better for me to wait in the warm comforts of her home instead of being at a cold void-deck with nobody but a frisky black cat. I was very hesitant coz I have never gone to anyone’s place at such an unGodly hour.

“It’s ok. My mum is at home.” Relief. Or was it?

I managed to hide my trembling hands as I stepped into the cosy home. True enough, her mother came out to greet me. After overhearing her voice over the phone and seeing her photos online, it was a pleasant experience to meet the lady in person. I always held strong women in high regard, especially those who had to raise their children on their own. My bro’s mother is one of them. Always admired the strength of a woman when faced with difficult circumstances.

Although I was a stranger who stepped into her house at about 12.20am, she was very warm and friendly and helped put me at ease. While somebody copied her notes and made me a drink, her mother talked to me. The topic of the conversation turned out to be about televisions. Or rather, how come she had two televisions in the living room. Of course, the usual topics such as what I did for a living and where I stayed and when I was going to propose to her daughter popped out as well. Eh, sorry. Was imagining things again. After a few moments, I bade her farewell, hoping that I have left an impression on her.

A few days later, that somebody told me that her mother had something to say about me. I trembled at what she would say. Being a typical Asian brought up constantly having my shortcomings highlighted, I was naturally expecting the worse. But what came afterwards literally blew me away.

“She found you handsome.” Yup. That’s what she said… She asked her daughter (who is also an outstanding young woman herself. See what good upbringing produces?) if I was the boyfriend. Gosh, she should have asked me that question. I would have shook the earth with my answer! Haha.

It’s amazing that mothers usually found me attractive. I just wished it was the same with younger women. I do wonder how does that kind lady’s daughter think of me.

There were instances where mothers of some of my lady friends have mistaken me for their daughters’ boyfriends, much to the chagrin of the real ones! Perhaps all the mothers have one thought in common, “He seems like a good boy. Wouldn’t it be great if he is my son-in-law.” The real question is, how many women would ask, “He’s a great guy. Wouldn’t it be good if he is my husband?” Har har har.

Haha. Chill Kai. Too imaginative as always. Then again, imagination gives birth to dreams that become reality (Cool quote, I better trademark that as my intellectual property).

I’d like to think that I always get along well with parents. Even when ex-girlfriends tell me of how difficult their parents can be, I’ll find a way to get warm with them. Some friends ask me how is it that I get along well with older people. I don’t have any specific advice really. I just be myself. But there is one thing that I always subscribe to:

“Treat other people’s parents how you want your parents to be treated.”

Then again, there are people who treat their parents badly. In which case the following would apply:

“Even if you treat your parents badly, it doesn’t mean it’s alright to treat others in the same manner.”

A sahabat asked Prophet Muhammad pbuh once,

“Who should we be kind to?” to which Prophet Muhammad pbuh replied, “Your mother.”
The sahabat asked again, “And who else?” to which he got the same answer, “Your mother.”
The sahabat asked yet again, “Who else?” Prophet Muhammad pbuh replied, “Your mother.”
After asking for the fourth time, the sahabat finally got a different answer: “Your father.”

That goes to show how highly women and mothers in particular are held in Islam. Those who accuse that Islam oppresses the rights of Muslim women are sadly misinformed. Islam, in my opinion, protects the honour and modesty of women and hold them in high regard. Mothers, above all.. are sacred.

With a simple statement that I seldom hear from women my age, that lady made my day. Such is the power of mothers. They can bring you comfort in the simplest of words and give you love in the most discreet of methods.

Thank you mothers one and all. For all that you do.

Jangan Masuk Entry..

My title don’t make sense? Yeah. That was how I felt when someone uttered those words.

This is an entry of randomness of epic proportions.

I have an assignment to do and my siblings want to go Hari Raya visiting. Don’t feel like doing the assignment and don’t feel like going out. Weather is so good to be sleeping in.

Eyes are so tired. Why? Coz I was at MacDonald’s Khatib early this morning. Only got home at 3.30am. Didn’t sleep when I get back and could squeeze in with a few minutes of msn-ing. All was well until I fell asleep in front of the macbook.

Introducing my new pair of soccer boots! Since nobody bought the boots for my birthday, I decided to reward myself.

Aren't they sweeeeeeet....

Hope the weather would be suitable for me to unveil these babies. I swear on my holy Predator Absolutes that great things are in store. Got a good deal on them too.

Watched a movie on the telly. I don’t know the title but it starred Steve Martin and Claire Danes. I will always remember Ms Danes as the Juliet that made Jaz go gaga many years ago. There was this particular line which stood out for me:

“How could he miss someone that he kept at a distance all his life when he lost her?”

What do you guys make of that line? How about this one?

“At the moment, Jeremy surpassed Ray’s (Martin’s character) role as a lover as what he offered Mirabelle (Danes’ character) was pure and true.”

True love conquers, and when you give all of yourself, you’ll get all of someone in return. Well, at least that is what they show you in the movies.

The Proper Malay Man

First of all, is there such a thing? Yesterday, someone tried to define the proper malaY man. Naturally I was interested to know more. I’m trying to recall the things she told me. I wrote down some notes yesterday but I left them at home (I’m at the office now. Should be marking but hmmm…). On top of that, I didn’t sleep a wink last night so the brain isn’t functioning at optimum performance.

Here we go in no particular order.
1) How he speaks – A man mUst be able to speak well and communicate his thoughts and feelings clearly. Maybe this is why women always refer to attractive men as sweet talkers. “It’s only words, and words are all I have to take your heart away..” – Bee Gees

2) Self-image – How he looks, how he dresses. He must cArry himself well. “From head to toe,” a man needs to take pride in how he looks like. He can’t be a slob.

3) Socializing skills – I can put this dowN to one word – CHARISMA. Every woman would like a man who can get along well with her parents, family and friends and everyone in particular. He can’t be the sort who would just “relax one corner” and try to act cool and stuff. He needs to be likeable.

4) Global Mindset – There is a maly saying, “Katak bawah tempurung”. Literally means frog under the coconut shell. The deeper meanIng points to one who is not in tune with the world around him. Someone who is not far-sighted and enterprising. I suppose Malay dudes are guilty of that. Always fail to see the big picture of life.

5) Sense of direction – He needZ to know where he’s going with his life. A man of principles. One who is ambitious and is clear of his goals. Malay men, according to this lady, can be like dry leaves in the wind. Wherever the wind blows, that is where the leaf will go. Not to mention the fact that many people are content where they are and are not willing to go beyond their comfort zone.

6) Actions – No Action Talk Only (NATO) not welcomed. You can say all sort of things about what you want to do with life but if you don’t do it.. What’s the point? Just do it!

Now is the most challenging requirement, in my opinion.

7) A GENTEL-MAN.. eh.. GENTLEMAN. I suppose that word is self-explAnatory. So guys, treat your ladies right.

Too much to ask for you say? That’s what I thought initially but upon closer scrutiny, I believe that the abovementioned qualities are something that every self-respecting man should aspire to. How do I measure up to these qualities? Not for me to say but if I say it’s not that difficult to achieve, I think you have a pretty good idea where i stand.

She was quick to point out that these qualities are among many more which she can’t remember. Gosh, that woman is hard to please. A huge task on my hands I have.. Hahaha.. Just who is this woman? If you look closely at my entry, you’ll know who she is.

One liner of the day: Come one, come many, I’ll make you see that I’m THE ONE for thee…

I’m thankful…

“My life sucks…”

How many of us have heard those words uttered? Perhaps we are just one of the many people who have been guilty of verbalizing those thoughts. I’m no different. At any given time, I could be lamenting on how bad my existence is. Some of the reasons that make me believe that my life truly sucks include the following:

1) The lack of cash stemming from my career of choice…
2) Which makes me feel like a nobody in life, which I see as the main reason to why…
3) I compare myself to other guys and affirms the belief I have that no woman wants me…
4) That leads to loneliness and the feeling that I…
5) Don’t have enough friends.. which makes me feel miserable.. causing me to…
6) Vent out my frustrations on my family members and friends.. This makes me believe that..
7) I’m a bad person who nobody wants to be close with.. So I thought the cure of my solutions would be..
To earn more money.. but that’s not possible since I’m stuck in my current job..

See how things become a cycle? Focus on the negatives of your life and you’ll be stuck in this endless loop of self-pity and self-centredness. It’s all me, me and me. I have the biggest problems in the world. Why should I care about the world? The only person that matters to my life is me.

Nowadays, I have a new perspective on life. Why think of all that when I can see things as:

1) Me doing the best job in the world for me. Something I look forward to doing every morning.
2) I am making a difference to those around me, especially my pupils.
3) Why compare myself to other guys when all I need to be is the best I can.
4) And that one day a woman will love me for who I am, and that I’m not really lonely. Coz loneliness is a choice, not a curse.
5) Why look at the quantity of friends when those who I have now are the best ones any man could ask for.
6) Same goes for my family, who is my main motivation in why I do things.
7) I’m not a bad person. I may be too good for my own good. But I enjoy what I do.
As cliched as this may sound, money isn’t everything. It’s the little things that matter.

When I watch the news, I do feel for the people who don’t have what we enjoy here. We wake up to an alarm clock, others wake up to gunshots and explosions. We enjoy eating our restaurant-quality food while others pick through rubbish bins for their fill of the day. We wear the trendiest clothes our money can buy, others wear the same dirty, worn-out dishcloth until they find something else. We pray for all the worldly possessions we can dream of, while others just dream to live another day.

I’m ashamed of myself at times when I lament about the things that I supposedly suffer from. The advice my dad gave our family on the morning of Syawal struck a few chords with me. I realize that I have been fortunate all this while but somehow, I have never been thankful to the blessings that have been bestowed on me.

I’m thankful:
1) That I still have my loving parents with me and that we are still living under the same roof.
2) I have siblings who have taken care of me in my younger years.
3) I’ve been blessed with nephews and nieces that I can dote on. They have brought so much joy to my life and smiles to my face.
4) That I can enjoy a night out with Jaz, playing games and drinking tea without worrying about being struck by a missile.
5) That I still have a hand to dial and hold onto a phone to talk to someone who is very dear to me.
6) That I have an ear to listen to someone’s sweet voice every night.
7) My lips and voice help me convey my thoughts and feelings to others.
And that after all that, I can still wake up the next morning and do all that again…

It’s difficult for us to understand how things are like for those who are in dire straits. And we never will coz we’re not walking in their shoes, living their lives. Gone are the days where Muslims all over the world will flock to troubled lands without hesitation to save their brothers and sisters from oppression. That’s how the world have moved. But that doesn’t mean it’s alright for us to totally ignore their plight and pretend that all is well and peachy.

The least we could do is offer our prayers to them. When you ask Allah for all sorts of things in your life, just spare a few seconds praying that the turmoil our extended family are experiencing ends soon. It doesn’t take long for us to say, “Ya Allah, please protect our brothers and sisters in Palestine, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Iraq, wherever they may be. Give them peace and happiness. Destroy all our enemies that oppress them.” Less than 10 seconds. Is that so much to ask?

Even so, I forget to pray for them. For I am so distracted by my own troubles. Subbahanallah..

Should really look at the important things in life…

light of my life

aidilfitri is always filled with joy and happiness. this year’s is no different. visiting relatives, sharing stories and spending quality time are highlights of the celebrations. this year, my family celebrated if with a new addition to the family, iman rihanna.

she looks angry at her uncle...

sometimes the travelling can take a toll on my body and my morale. it can be hard to smile all the time and be accomodating to people, but whenever i look at iman, my face just lights up. she’s only a little older than two months and she’s already a bundle of energy. cannot sit still and she didn’t cry even once during our outings. she doesn’t mind strangers carrying her, unlike some babies who cannot separate from their parents.

seriously, how can anyone keep their eyes off such an angel. one thing for sure, i’m looking forward to see her grow up. fills me with so much pride just to call myself her uncle.

imagine if it was my own child… (shivers)