Do it, even though you may not get the credit

I really like this video, even though it is in Thai, and not English. The short midget in the video is the embodiment of the "never say die" attitude that we need among the citizens, and his selfless efforts are enjoyed by all.

It is true that in life, we sometimes sacrifice for others without them even knowing. And other people, who may know it or not, often take credit for the work that we do. But if you want to do something for the good of the people, do it, even though you may not get the credit.

Too often, we hear others grumble that this isn't good enough, or that isn't as it should be. And if you should catch them in that moment when they grumble in response to something that has just happened, it is the right time to ask, "What will you do about it?" And you shouldn't be surprised to hear the response, "I will not do anything...."

Why do some people insist on doing nothing?

Because it's easier to do nothing, than to do something. Just stay put.

Because doing nothing costs nothing. And you don't believe in being generous.

Because when you do something, you risk doing it wrong. And getting criticised for it.

Because there are just too many things that need doing. And so it's easier to leave it all aside and let it sort itself out.

And because doing nothing frees up time for doing something. Because when you decide to do something, you cannot do nothing.

But there's a misconception there.

Because by doing nothing, it costs you nothing today. But that doesn't mean that it will not affect you tomorrow.

Because what you do (or don't do) today will affect you, tomorrow.

And because doing nothing when you could have done something means having forfeited your right to take positive action to save yourself.

So do something.

Save the country. Save yourselves. Don't just stand there....

Pergi Bala, or How I Misheard A Song

Recently I was attending an official function.

We wanted to celebrate our athletes who had done well in Rio. And so we invited them to come for a special dinner. All the athletes who had gone to Rio came, including the silver medalists.

Their names were called one by one, and they marched in to jubilant cheers. Even the ones that weren't so famous got the cheers. But not many people were clapping, because many people were taking photos.

We need to learn how to hear the important messages in life.

We stood close to the red carpet, and one of my friends asked us to turn our backs to the carpet so that he could take a group selfie with the athletes walking in the background. But once the athletes started walking in, lots of people started crowding behind us, and blocked the view of the athletes. So we stopped trying to do that.

My Last Will and Testament

Why Now?

Because life is too short, and we don't know what's going to happen.

And because it might not be the final one. Every will is going to have that phrase "the last will and testament", but who knows when you'll make another one.

But if I were to die tomorrow, I would want my family to honour my wishes.

These wishes.

Remember, we are stars wrapped in skin.

Career That You Want

As I struggle on in the journey of life, I find that many people of my age group (late 20's, early 30's) are asking the same thing: "Great, you're on your way to making it as a _________ (fill in the blank). Is this what you wanted?"

To many people, the thought of doing something that you don't like for the rest of your life, may be tolerable on one of the following grounds:

(a) Fulfilling your parents' dreams.
(b) Making your family proud.
(c) Somebody in the family has to do it.
(d) You've got the brains for it, so why waste talent?

In Malaysia, the triumvirate of desirable jobs for middle class families will certainly encompass: Doctor, Engineer, and Lawyer. Of course, other notable choices that have figured in "Top Three Choices of Careers" have also included: Accountant, Architect, Dentist, CEO, Software Programmer, Web Developer, System Analyst, Chartered Financial Analyst, and many many others. It may be a fair statement to say that these are frequently choices made to please one's parents, or perhaps these choices were made by one's parents!

Somehow, in their early 30's, many young adults (who are no longer as young as they would have liked to be) wisen up, and figure: "There's only so many years left in living my own life, before I start wrinkling up and move to the old folks' home, subsisting on my children's pity. When am I going to start living the life that I've always wanted?" To these individuals, they choose more avant-garde options, such as: Animator, Photographer, Actor, Writer, Scientist, Activist, Singer, Pilot, Lecturing, Speaker, et cetera.

Many of the choices that our parents make for us are to compensate for their lack of opportunity, for the dreams that died, for the rainbows that never ended in a pot of gold. They are still hopeful that somehow, in some way, a small part of them can live that dream. Perhaps they were living in squalid conditions, with rife competition from peers -- a diamond cut diamond situation. Perhaps, they were robbed of the chance to shine despite showing great promise, simply because of their family's great poverty. And how unfortunate it is, that for you, the scion of the family, to be lavished with such opportunity to enjoy education and the chance to live your parents' dreams!

Actually, if you read the above paragraphs and agree with every word, you probably fit the description of: A person working as a professional, holds a respectable job, is drawing a reasonably good pay, and is admired by people, but is not truly happy with life. Think about it: You have had a wonderful childhood, thanks to your parents' sacrifices. You have had an education that not many others of your age have had, because your parents, or someone close to you, cared enough to slog hard enough to send you money for educational expenses. And you studied it -- whatever course that was picked out for you -- because you had the opportunity and the brains, and did not wish to waste it. Does that describe you?

I don't know how to jump from one prestigious job to another. I know less about jumping from one highly coveted profession to a more gung-ho, idealistic profession that better tickles your fancy. But people like Albert Schweitzer, who took up medicine at the ripe old age of 30 (thirty!) to reach out to the poor and dying, certainly do inspire confidence. There are heroes for every type of person on this Earth of ours. It certainly does not mean that people like the following are any less worthy of being admired: Alan Greenspan, Dr Mahathir, Jose Rizal, Bill Cosby, Bill Gates, Kenichi Ohmae, Chin-Ning Chu, Benjamin Graham, and a host of many others. The adulation and adoration shown by the whole world for Michael Jackson, and the great mourning that ensued at the news of his death, testify that mankind does have all sorts of heroes.

Whatever choice that you may take, the choice is yours alone. But your choice will affect the lives of many, many people around you. The fact is that every person makes choices, leading to the detriment of some matters, and to the advantage of others. From those simple choices, a series of events have been unleashed. Some scientists call it the Butterfly Effect, frequently described by the possibility that the flapping of a butterfly's wings can have on the rain pouring down in another country. Robert Frost recognised it early on when he wrote eloquently about the road that he did not take.

And thus, the choice to change your career, to do something different, to break out of the mould, is your choice alone. But such choices may well bless the lives of many. The story of Billy Graham's life, for example, is the story of a man whose life has influenced the lives of those around him in a profound way, enriching and liberating them from the shackles of their mind. Perhaps you are destined for such greatness? Yet like the poet in The Road Not Taken, it must be acknowledged that not every choice is reversible; not every road has a way back. A journey may fork into an unexpected series of events, simply because of one little choice. Events lead to other events, and before you know it, that fateful day that you made the choice, has become a point of no return. You have to live with the consequences of your choices.

Today, that choice for you is to decide whether you are happy in the job that you already hold -- or, would you be happier trying out another job, somewhere else, doing something else? It's a bit like the choice between renovating your existing home, or selling it off to buy a new home. Russell Conwell, of Acres of Diamonds fame, suggests that you may find your life's riches and satisfaction from your existing station in life. Prospero, in Shakespeare's The Tempest, says these meaningful lines:

These our actors,
As I foretold you, were all spirits, and
Are melted into air, into thin air,
And, like the baseless fabric of vision,
The cloud-capped towers, the gorgeous palaces,
The solemn temples, the great globe itself,
Yea, all which it inherit, shall dissolve
And, like this insubstantial pageant faded,
Leave not a rack behind. We are such stuff
As dreams are made on, and our little life
Is rounded with sleep.

It is to the last line that I turn my attention to. The meaning of our lives are sometimes lost in the hubbub of everyday mundanity. So much, so that we are nothing more than the "stuff as dreams are made on" -- stuff, which vanishes in a puff. Our short and eventful little life is ended with an eternal sleep -- death, upon which all our endeavours end. Make the most of life!

I wish you good luck in the choices that you make.

Note: This piece was also posted here.

A More Candid Post

Dear Reader,

Thank you for dropping by my blog to read. I have made it a policy to write verse, rather than to air my personal thoughts, because I have thought that it would be better to say less, rather than antagonize certain parties who may be slighted by my views.

In this rare mood, I find that it may be a good time to start over, by writing more candidly -- and speaking out my mind. I will not be deleting the older posts that I have in the archives -- those serve to remind me, one day, of my journey. When I first started this blog, I did not put any personal details and wrote only fiction or verse. I felt that it was an outlet for me to experiment with my writing skills, but at the same time I did not wish to expose my identity.

In recent months much has been happening. Momentuous events, both personal and around me, have been taking place. I have become convinced that a blog is an extension of one's self -- one that serves to show the world, if it only cares to see, what a person is like. It is an opportunity to examine and understand a person's mind.

In recent months, events which have impressed me, are as follows:

1. The astounding rise and fall in the price of petrol. I was moved to record the events that shook the world, because I too was affected. Food prices, and prices of everyday commodities, also rose in tandem with the rise of petrol prices. However, the recent fall in the prices of petrol has not been reflected in the price of everything else. The price of petrol leads to a pinch in the pocket, which also translates to lesser spending  capacities for the average wage earner. This in turn, leads to a disgruntled population.
2. The political tsunami of March 8th. In what can only be described as a clear message to the Government of the day, voters throughout the nation upset the assumptions that our incumbents have had -- that the ruling coalition, which has had a two-thirds majority in Parliament, would give a commendable (and predictable) repeat performance. Instead, outcry after growing outcry has led to many, including those whose outward allegiances lie with the ruling coalition, to secretly cast their vote for an opposition candidate. Both the state legislature and the Parliamentary elections were held at the same time, taking all spectators and all those who voted, by surprise. 
3. MCA party elections. In October, I was involved in the internal party elections and successfully campaigned for a place in the youth wing. There is an uphill struggle for the party to rejuvenate itself amidst a bleak future. Every elections, there is an influx of a new generation of voters. These younger generation voters are not caught up with the politics of yesteryears. Instead, their concern is that we should progress forward. The younger generation wants change. They do not need politicians who sit there, aeon after aeon, recounting moments from their glorious history. Much less, do they need bigoted politicians who pass unsavoury remarks and discount the basic worth of a human being. And most of all, the younger generation does not need a pack of leaders, whose sole purpose in Parliament is to prop up the earlier mentioned group of bigoted leaders.
4. Prime Minister's suggestions for opening up Barisan Nasional. In a bold move, Prime Minister YAB Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, to allow membership in Barisan Nasional without actually joining any particular party. (source: The Star Online, Let People Join Barisan Directly, says PM, 11th Oct 2008) However, various persons, including Pokok Sena UMNO division secretary, Ramli Mohd Yunus, were quoted saying that the suggestion was not the right way to rejuvenate UMNO or Barisan. (Source: Malaysiakini, Direct BN Membership "A Political Gimmick", 14th Oct 2008) Malaysian Voters Union coordinator BK Ong was also quoted by Malaysiakini saying that Gerakan president Koh Tsu Koon had made the same suggestion 20 years ago, but nothing came of it. It is a pity that there has been no further remarks from the PM on the issue. It is also a pity that he will resign on March 2009 and thus fail to implement his suggestion.
5. Liow Tiong Lai proposes second deputy PM's post for MCA. In another bold move, outgoing youth chief Datuk Liow Tiong Lai proposed that a second deputy Prime Minister's post be created, and it be allocated to MCA. (source: The Star Online, Liow proposes one more Barisan deputy chairman, 17th Oct 2008) This is an idea that I have supported for some time now, and I was very pleased to see it come from the outgoing youth chairman. The fact is that there is no requirement for a deputy prime minister in the Federal Constitution. But it is also a fact that Malaysia has had a deputy prime minister for every prime minister that has served this nation. (Source: Wikipedia, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia, accessed 7th Nov 2008) Datuk Liow's suggestion is workable. In Singapore, it has been quite common to see two Deputy Prime Ministers in office at the same time. For example, in 1985 both Goh Chok Tong and Ong Teng Cheong became Deputy Prime Ministers. DPM Goh was replaced by Lee Hsien Loong in 1990 whereas Tan Keng Yam Tony took over DPM Ong's place in 1993. S. Jeyakumar took over (then) DPM Lee's place in 2004 whereas Wong Kan Seng took over DPM Tony Tan's place in 2005. (source: Wikipedia, Prime Minister of Singapore, accessed 7th Nov 2008)
6. Barack Obama became president of the USA. This momentuous event has everybody amazed. America has proven to the world that it is a land where things are possible. In this nation, however, as jubilant as we are that a "person of colour" can ascend to the seat of president, it is highly unlikely that a person other than that of the dominant party, will be nominated by the ruling coalition. This, it can be safely said, will be the case due to a healthy dose of Ketuanan Melayu rhetorics from the dominant party in the Barisan Nasional coalition. (Caution: The above link to "Ketuanan Melayu" on Wikipedia, accessed on 7th Nov 2008, appears to contain "misinformation", planted by its supporters, as evidenced by seriously bad spelling.) Malaysians must ask themselves, in cheering the successful election of a black president for America, should they not also cheer the appointment of a non-Malay to temporarily head the PKNS (ref: Malaysiakini, Chinese heads PKNS: Staff say "No", 28th Oct 2008) or a non-Malay who contests for the post of Prime Minister (ref: Aliran, Unconvincing claim that "anyone can be PM", 6th Nov 2008)?

There are surely more events that are worth examining in-depth. We are living in times which will be looked upon by future generations as defining moments, and crucial junctures, of Malaysian history. We are nearing the close of our first decade in this bold new millenium. Fifty years have passed since independence, and Malaysians have walked a long journey together. How will the next fifty years play out? That largely depends on the choices that we make today. I recall one statement from my years at Universiti Malaya, where I studied my LLM. "After fifty years of independence, it is sad that we still have to play racial politics."

The future is here, and it is what we do now that defines the tone of tomorrow. If we hope that the future will be one of peace and mutual prosperity, then all stakeholders in this nation must come together, and tear down the walls between us. We must build the future together. We cannot have tiers of rights and tiers of obligations. A stratified society will breed unhappiness. It is ridiculous when a certain segment of society expects itself to be the master class, and that other classes are its servants. In an age where slavery has been abolished and article 6 of the Federal Constitution outlaws slavery, it must be realised that talk of lordship only creates suspicion and hate. Instead we must choose to live together, and respect one another.

I hesitate to say (or type) integrate, because that may be misinterpreted as a positive stand on assimilation. But, when you come to think of it, what is wrong with assimilation? It only becomes wrong when assimilation (or inter-marriage) is only able to go one way, and not the other. Historical facts have shown that inter-marriage in this land is nothing new, leading to the establishment of various communities. The Baba Nyonya community is an example of intermarriage between Malays and Chinese. The Chitty community is an example of intermarriage between Tamils and Malays. Inter-marriage should not be frowned upon by society but accepted as the valid choice of two discerning adults.

In conclusion, let me just say that we need to move forward. We need to work together for our shared future. While it is easy to blame a particular community (not our own) for economic and political problems, it is easier to start by changing ourselves. Therefore let us start the change by changing ourselves. Let us change Barisan Nasional for the better. If we don't start somewhere, it will never happen. So let us start the change.

Thank you for reading.