I have not been in the mood to blog this week.
I don’t know why.
Or maybe I do know why.
I’m thinking of the short story for the MPH Short Story Competition. The deadline is this Tuesday, 31 March. And I told everyone I would be joining. Except that my story is half-written and blah. Blah meaning my inner critic says it sucks.
Sometimes being a writer isn’t all that’s made out to be. But anyway, like Phua Chu Kang says, don’t play play. I shall just have to get the damn story in story mode and submit. After all, it is a promise I made to myself (and bloody announced it to the whole wide world).
Now that I got it out of my system, another thing bugged me.
Actually it was a call from a friend. She tells me that her daughter in Upper Six is almost completing her studies but the poor girl doesn’t know what she wants to do! (Yes, I’m Aunt Abby to all my friends)
I’m not shocked. Actually by the look of our education system today, it’s not strange that the poor girl is at a loss and doesn’t know what she wants in life except that “she really likes Biology”.
When I was 16, I already knew I wanted to be a copywriter and I wanted to study Communications in USM. That was my goal. Of course, I did end up doing all that I aimed for but then again, I KNEW what I wanted to do, even back then when the Internet was non-existent.
She’s not the only one. As I’ve helped organise talks and spoken to young people, I realise that more and more youths these days have no idea what they want to do.
And I surmise it to this: our spoonfeeding education system makes youths depend on teachers and parents for major decisions in life. And when it truly comes down to a major decision (what course to study, where to study, what career choice to make) they go all weak in the knees. For the first time in their lives, they need to really be accountable for themselves. And this is where the sticky puzzle starts.
Not having choices in life can be blessing – I think. I didn’t have a choice, unlike youths of today. My dad was a teacher and mom was a housewife. I had 2 younger sisters. Of course I had to go to Form 6. There was NO CHOICE. Then after Form 6, it was public university.
But today. Today’s world is mind-boggling. Lots of options. You can do Form 6 (but that is so old-fashioned – methinks people don’t dare to challenge themselves with STPM, the mother of all crazy tough exams), you can do matriculation, you can go to college, you can work.
And that’s the worst part of all. With so many options and choices and factors, one gets bewildered. Shall I do this or shall I do that?
And if one has never had to make tough choices in life, then when one does come face to face with a BIG choice like one’s career or ambition (and I don’t mean the stuff you scribbled in school about being a doctor or lawyer or engineer), it is puzzling. It is difficult. For one gets to the crossroads and does not know which path to follow.
I told my friend that we all need not worry. (Heck I have been telling lots of people not to worry. I am the exception to the rule that I knew what I wanted to do from the time I was 16). She worries that her son who is now in Form 5 wants to study an obscure course like environmental science and worries that there’s no job prospect. I want to tell her the story of Nic, yes, Nic my autistic husband (and I say this with utter positivism about autism, not with oh-god-he-is-autistic-i-am-doomed tone), who studied Art and whose parents also thought there’s no future in art and look where Art led him – his own web design business!
Teenagers of today will become adults of tomorrow and no matter what they study, they will eventually survive and thrive. And the course you study may not be what you end up doing. I know people believe that if you study Management, you must end up in some business organisation.
Not really.
Many of my uni friends ended up doing stuff they didn’t or couldn’t imagine back when we were undergrads. So life paths can change and it can be positive change. A degree these days is a stepping stone to better opportunities in life but in order to make it a life YOU treasure, you need to be smart enough to grab those opportunities when they arrive. A degree in medicine does not automatically make you a doctor for life. Just like my degree in Communications with a major in Journalism did not make me a journalist. I run the web design business with Nic but I don’t have an MBA. In fact my Masters has got nothing to do with business but I did it nevertheless because I enjoyed finding out things.
Most people connect tertiary education with better salary, promotion and status. Fine if that’s what you want. But learning for the sake of learning and unintentional learning is also important. These will help you navigate life better.
Maybe one day I should set up a youth consultancy business – to advise parents (not youth) why they should not worry about their children. Like Will Smith says, children are little people with less experience. They’re not there to be controlled by you the parent. As parents, you can only guide them but the end decision is theirs.
Musings
Prowling the Garden
While I have been missing from the blog, my other activities continue onwards.
One of them was the MNS Get Together which I attended two Saturdays ago at Botanical Garden. I’ve been an MNS member for 2 years now and though I am subscribed to the YahooGroup and am in the loop of information, I am frankly not a big birding fan. A lot of them are birding enthusiasts but not me. (I am a botany fan though.)
Just like Nic has his PHT (Penang Heritage Trust) membership, I have mine as a result of having a soft spot for animals and nature and conservation. So I think my membership dues will help MNS do its bit for the eagles, tigers, tapirs, owls,elephants, monitor lizards and the whole jungle fraternity!
But last Saturday really opened my eyes to what a bunch of nature fans the rest of the MNS members are. They were armed with binoculars and Nikon and Canon cameras. Not my compact type of camera. Those professional cameras complete with separate bazooka-like lenses.
After a rather yummy buffet dinner, we were all herded into groups of 10 to take on the night walk in the Botanical Garden. What’s special is this – you cannot go into the garden at night without special permission. That’s why so many MNS members turned up. Not for the dinner, splendid though it was.
We were there for the WALK.
Yes, a night walk! What a fascinating idea, right? That attracted me to the gathering in the first place.
Nic and I were in the first group and we strolled, not knowing what to look for. The rest were true nature lovers – they came with powerful torches to shine into the big leafy trees. Mrs Hum told me we were looking for the reflective shine of the eyes of creatures such as owls. She described seeing a pair of owls nesting in the garden.
Being the first-timers that we were (and the urban creatures that I am), we didn’t spot anything. The veteran members were the ones who spotted everything – from frogs in the drains and ponds to owl and colugos in the trees! And they go to extremes to take that snapshot of the animals.
But the night walk was so amazing because when the night’s quiet and there are no joggers in the garden, it’s special.
It’s special and fascinating when the garden is shrouded in darkness and finally I got to listen to tiny frogs making big noises, watch termites busily going somewhere on the cannonball tree and really look at the tadpoles in the pond. The night was not totally dark as my eyes grew accustomed to the night and I saw shapes of trees and saw a bright night sky above.
I was also in awe of the water system in the garden especially when we decided to walk up to the reservoir and Tajul regaled us with stories of the clever British who dug special underground ducts for irrigating the garden.
What a lovely way to spend a Saturday night!
By the way, the amazing animal photos are not taken by me. They are courtesy of Oo Choo Yee and Dr Khaw Chun Sien.
Oh yes, tomorrow is Car Free Day while on Saturday night you are supposed to join the movement to switch off your lights for an hour between 8.30pm to 9.30pm. While some critics call this hypocritical, I always think that any little support and contribution we do to raise awareness is better than none at all. Starting small is nothing be ashamed of, it’s doing NOTHING that kills us all. I know for some people that it is virtually impossible to NOT use their car for a whole day tomorrow but how about switching off your lights on Saturday? At least you can enjoy what darkness is all about.
If Your Cat Is Your Master, Read On….
Got your attention didn’t I?
Well, really, I always feels that Margaret is my master more than I am hers.
Because I feed her, I clean her poop and I make sure she is comfy and happy. And I tickle her chin, scratch her fat belly and play ‘catch my feet’ games with her.
I wonder sometimes who owns who because our cat seems to think we’re her slaves the moment we come home. Or the moment she thinks we’re going out (she knows when we get all dressed up!) and she starts her continuous mewing until you give her food – half a cup of Friskies – and then she becomes quiet.
Anyway, Siew Yean who is the volunteer webmaster of the Penang SPCA website emailed in this and my blog is rather like a public service announcement place so I’ve put it here.
A photo contest is being held for March and you can send in your gorgeous dog or snobbish cat poses. More details of this contest is at the SPCA website.
Oh yeah, hurry coz it ends 31 March 2009.
What The Judge Is Looking For In Your Short Story
If you don’t know yet (gosh where have you been?) there’s an ongoing short story writing competition organised by MPH. If you know about it, you will surely know that the deadline for submission is 31 March 2009.
I got to know of this through Derek (as always, the footie fan keeps me updated on movies and books and now, writing competitions).
Derek is always urging, no, egging me to write that fabulous story of all time. Derek dear boy, I am on a race to find that bloody muse of mine. I don’t know if she’s gone for good or if she only re-appears when it is 2 days to the deadline. Somehow, if I haven’t thanked you, I thank you (Derek, not the muse) for somehow egging me along on my writing adventure.
I don’t know what’s worse – not finding my muse OR finding out that my ex-creative writing lecturer (and present client) is going to be one of the judges of the MPH Alliance National Short Story Competition!
Robert Raymer (of the Lovers and Strangers Revisited fame) will be one of those people judging the submissions! Arrrrrgh.
But he does give a lot of clues as to what sort of stories he is looking for. The kind of best-of-the-best stories. Not soppy. Not cliched. Not rehashed from movies we like. Not set in Paris or LA. Not another drama of Wah Lai Toi.
If you are in Sarawak or Miri to be precise, you can ask Robert all the silly questions of writing as he’s going to hold a workshop on 8 March. Lucky you.
Or hop over to his blog and fire away.
It’s a lovely long post on what judges are really looking for in a damn fine story but Robert tells it best. Plus the downloadable entry form is also on his blog.
How to get a scholarship
Dear friends,
Mensa Penang will be organising a talk on “How to get a scholarship to study in the USA” by Mr Yeoh Chen Chow on 7th March, 2.30 pm at the Caring Society Complex, Jalan Utama. RM10 per person (inclusive of refreshments).
Email (info@mensapenang.org) to register as seats are limited.
Highly suitable for students who are currently in Form 4 and Form 5.
Please help forward and spread the word about this excellent speaker (Mr Yeoh) who is the head interviewer in Malaysia for Cornell University (USA) and who is himself a JPA scholarship recipient many years ago.
He gave a similar talk last year to a full house of parents and students. This year he is back again (he is based in KL so this is really a great opportunity to hear him give tips on what to do to apply for scholarships!)
Trumping Benjamin
I am glad that Danny Boyle came out of nowhere and trumped the would-be winners at the Oscars.
By now, you know that Slumdog Millionaire took 8 of the golden statuettes. And for a good reason I suppose. It’s the kind of movie you want to watch because it is about overcoming the odds to win in life.
Of course the story jars at some points but it could only be me. It could be that I think it’s highly insulting for the host of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire to keep buggering the poor kid (Jamal) about his slum life. If that’s how the game is played in India, who the hell wants to be on that game show?
Slumdog Millionnaire is a feel-good Bollywood type of movie despite the hue and cry that the focus is on the slums and of course being upset that the slum dwellers are called slumdogs.
Well then people can’t be pleased all the time – if one did a film on the rich in Mumbai then the poor will cry,” But what about us?” And when one does a film about the poor in Mumbai, they start getting upset that they’re portrayed as such.
If you have not watched this movie, now is probably the right time to go do it. At least you can be quite satisfied that you did watch a film which garnered 8 Oscars.
Coincidentally I’d watched Millions, another film by Danny Boyle a few weeks before I watched Slumdog Millionaire.
If you have not caught Millions, I suggest you do. That film is a bit like Slumdog, only funnier and better in a whimsical way. As you can see by now, Danny Boyle is a man who makes movies about money and nothing less than a million!
Some similarities between Millions and Slumdog Millionaire:
– Both revolve around money. Millions is about finding a duffel bag of British pounds. Slumdog is about winning a million.
– Both involve siblings or 2 brothers. The brotherhood theme is one that makes the story heartwarming, funny and as real as this relationship goes.
– Both involve trains.
– Both involve a woman. In Millions, the woman in question is the boys’ father’s new love life. In Slumdog, it is Latika, Jamal’s love interest that gets between him and his brother.
Also both tell the story that it isn’t really about money at all (despite their titles). Money can give you heaven but it is most surely about hell and greed too. Money complicates lives and changes people. In Millions, the boys learn that money really doesn’t solve problems. In Slumdog, Jamal had no interest in really winning the money – he just wanted Latika!
Danny Boyle also directed Trainspotting but I have not watched that but I highly recommend Millions (it was loaned to me by Derek). Thanks buddy!
What Are You Feeding Your Skin?
Business is a great teacher – and because I am in the business where I get to talk to a variety of people, I learn a variety of stuff too.
For instance, what are you feeding your skin?
No, I don’t mean the food you eat, though that counts too.
I know I am big on makeup and cosmetics. I mean, which girl or woman isn’t? I started out with Avon cosmetics because my bestie’s mom was selling this when I was a 10 year old girl. We used to try on Avon lipsticks and lip balms at her home. Then of course came other brands such as Maybelline and ZA because as teenage girls, we couldn’t afford the high-end stuff like Estee Lauder or Shiseido.
Now that I am 35, I suddenly am worried that all those years, I didn’t know what I was feeding my skin with!
You see, working with an organic skincare company means that I get to educate myself more and what I learnt is frightening! (I help guide them to blog and teach them all I know. This is a great learning experience for me too as the more I teach, the more I know what I didn’t know before!)
Frightening because all these years, I have been feeding my skin utter rubbish.
For instance, did you know that most companies touting certified organic does not mean what you think it means? Certified organic does not mean it is natural. I know this sounds mind-boggling but it is true. It is a marketing ploy as more people are concerned over their health. So if I see ‘certified organic’, it must be all natural and all organic and all safe right?
Wrong!
As excerpted from February’s monthly newsletter from Paul Penders Company, here is what ‘certified organic’ really means:
The “certified organic” ingredients in such products are more often than not simply coal tar-derived or anilines – poisonous substances that have been linked to cancer. In the U.S., in fact, some “certified organic” colors may not be used around the eyes because the FDA believes that they are dangerous to the skin. Other “certified organic” ingredients have been linked to cancer.
So what’s the alternative? What you should be looking out for is inorganic colors in cosmetics. Again, I am no expert in this area so I quote the newsletter: Inorganic colours are derived from natural sources (e.g. clay, carbon deposits, mica and silica) or are simply synthesized. Inorganic colors do not have health risks as “certified organic” colors and therefore do not require certification.
Also did you know that you have harmful chemicals in your shampoos? Dubai has banned some 17 shampoos which contain Dioxane 1.4 which is a carcinogenic agent. Worse, Himalaya Herbal – one of my fave shampoos – is one of those banned shampoo brands! Yikes. I always thought the Himalaya Herbal range was pretty good.
So these days if you see me without lipstick, you know why. Coz I am freaking scared of ingesting cancer-causing agents!
How about you? Are you worried about what’s inside your cosmetics and skincare?
Albert's 90/10 Rule
We just got home from another (yes, aren’t you tired of hearing me say this…) trip to Langkawi.
Of course, as I said this to a friend over dinner, we usually go for business-related reasons.
And it’s true.
Until I dined with another friend, Albert, who says he packs in 2 types of activities when he is travelling the world – work and pleasure.
And he taught me a useful 90/10 rule.
Albert says, when he is travelling, he tries to indulge in 90% travelling/pleasure-seeking activities and 10% business. Of course this is very distinct from the Pareto principle. It’s funny but come to think of it, we tend to do the opposite, we go to Langkawi for 90% business and 10% leisure.
So this trip, we lived by Albert’s pleasure principle. And we had a blast.
Our trip coincided with the last day of the Chinese New Year, so a Chap Goh Meh dinner was hosted by good friend and client, Paul of Paul Penders Company. That was a really good evening of Chinese food and lots of booze and meeting lots of Paul’s friends and business associates! (On the island, a can of beer is only RM1.30. You will drink yourself silly. It’s cheaper to drink beer than to drink cola.)
We also joined Paul and his company for a day of boating out to the Langkawi islands, with private beach stopovers at Pulau Dayang Bunting and Pulau Bras Basah. This trip was put together for Jim and Susan, two of his Chinese counterparts from Paul Penders China International Co. Ltd (Hangzhou China) and to demonstrate to them what pristine Langkawi is famous for!
We swam in the cool and clear waters and had a private lunch onboard the Syndhu, a boat belonging to a friend of Paul’s. To cart us to the beach, we had to climb into Paul’s speedboat as the Syndhu could not berth in shallow water.
At the private beach at Pulau Dayang Bunting, we even saw a tent set up by Four Seasons for its resort guests to sunbathe and read. At Pulau Bras Basah, the water was good for a cool dip but the corals did cut my feet in a few places. I even saw shoals of tiny fish which I thought were ikan bilis (my friend later said they were not). But the sad fact remains that unscrupulous fishermen use drag nets and destroyed the corals, the very place where fish breed!
While there is a jetty on Pulau Bras Basah (an island which belongs to two private individuals), many speedboats stop on the shore. You can have a picnic and a swim here in the clear aquamarine sea water though a friend says the place was much better in its early years. That’s the problem with being a famous island. Every tourist would like to come and visit and that ruins the ecosystem.
(Just like you should NOT go to the Langkawi mangroves and feed the eagles. By feeding the eagles, you are basically ruining the delicate ecosystem. Most people don’t realize they are helping bring Mother Nature to her knees with such acts of random stupidity.)
We were terribly sunburnt when the day ended – thank God I had coconut oil to help ease the redness. I found out that coconut oil is great as an after sun skincare. If you see me now, my face is peeling and I actually have a tan! (Yvonne told me I looked healthy!) I now know what a snake feels like as it is growing out of old skin.
Catch more photos from my Facebook link.
Are You A Gila Treasure Hunter? This Is For You!
I almost forgot to blog about this. Tsk tsk.
Yeah, I know.
I’ve been back at work since Friday but you know this thing about emails and work plus we were apartment-hunting (well actually we have been looking at apartments to buy on this side of Penang island for the longest time) and such, so I almost forgot to tell you this. (My apartment-hunting adventure merits its own post!)
Especially if you are a bad, mad treasure hunting fan.
I thought I was until I met more mad people whose lifeblood is about joining treasure hunts.
Anyway, I shall stop being a tease and direct you to The Webmazers, a cool new initiative (hmm, if I may masuk bakul and angkat sendiri lah) by ta-daaaa, us at Redbox Studio and The Roadrunners, the maestros of setting treasure hunting clues or ‘tulips’ as they’re called.
I’ve blogged about it on the other blog (and to date, I’ve seen that more blogs in the blogosphere have picked up on this too) so go read.
Anticipation and excitement is building up (particularly among the treasure hunt kaki’s online) because if I know Jayaram correctly, his cryptic puzzles and tulips are damn damn hard. Gives your brain cells a thorough workout too.
And once you get hooked on this, man, there is no turning back. You’re going to want to solve more cryptic puzzles.
Did I also mention it’s FREE to join? No fees involved unlike your offline motoring treasure hunt.
(As part of the organising team, I won’t be able to join so I encourage you to haul up your friends, chee mui, colleagues, father, mother, siblings, godparents etc to enter this online treasure hunt.)
Yes, it’s starting on 10 February which is like what….6 days from today.
The prizes? How does a romantic sunset cruise in Langkawi sound to you? 3 main prizes are up for grabs with some shopping vouchers for those scoring above 50% of the marks.
Go and sign up before you completely miss out on this inaugural online hunt!
How To Be Happy Video
I first heard about Nick Vujicic through a friend whose 2 year old daughter started sobbing upon seeing the video of this incredible person.
Even at 2 years old, she understood.
Lots of people are worried, angry, disappointed particularly if they don’t get what they want. And failure can be bitter. It often is.
But what makes failure permanent is the acceptance of failure.
If you’re going through a bad hair day or thinking of wallowing in desperate self-pity, watch this video of Nick Vujicic again and again to remind yourself that you can choose to be happy, you can choose to take pleasure in what you have and you can be the best you want to be.