Mind Over Matter

As I am typing this post, listening to the enthusiastic cries of a little boy to his parents next door, I am wondering what my friend in her "kampung" is doing. I am inspired by her decision to remove herself from the hustle and bustle of the city to indulge in the tranquil and freshness of her "kampung". If I had the place and opportunity, I would not hesitate at all in spending a good three months in a "kampung", a real "kampung". Taking in the natural scent of Mother Earth, embracing the beauty of a simple life of giving and sharing. I have never been to a true "kampung" so perhaps my thoughts of what one really is are not accurate, but I hold conviction in its wonderful simplicity no cities can offer.

While I am here in KL thinking of, discovering and trying ways to be a contributing child of Mother Earth, my dear friend is reaping joy and fun from her chilli planting project. It is not a major one, as it is obviously shown in the pictures (which also show the other larger planting grounds), but the moral profits she would and is already gaining, are, I believe, very precious. To watch something grow from a seedling into a fruit-bearing plant, to foster care and attention on the wellbeing of it, is definitely an enlightening experience. What is more, she is giving back to the soil we have all taken so much from.







I may choose to blame circumstances for not being able to accomplish what I desire - in this case, to spend time in a "kampung", to give back to Mother Earth like how my friend is doing. On the flip side, I may choose to gather the resources that I have now and shower my concern on feasible projects with the tools and materials I currently possess.

Circumstances are mere excuses, a means of escape.
There is always something that we can do HERE and NOW.

From Where You Came, You Shall Return To

Orang berbudi, kita berbahasa,
Alam memberi, manusia menerima.

Namun sejauh manakah manusia mampu menerima sekiranya alam sudah tiada apa-apa lagi yang mampu diberi?

Explanation: I am speaking to a Malay friend of mine as I am typing this post hence the urge to use the Malay Language. =)

My father did a pretty decent job trimming the tree in our so-called garden today. As I was helping him to clear away the beautiful green trimmings, it was almost painful to just imagine them being carried away in a truckload of other trash from around the neighbourhood (the "trash", I believe, really are mostly recyclable material and organic wastes which deserve far better treatment than to be dumped in a landfill, taking their time to decompose to release the absolutely unnecessary methane gas - which reminds me; I am still thinking of ways to reduce the amount of trash produced in my home). So we proceeded to act green - taking the trimmings to a roadside land near our house and spreading the greens over the greens and browns of nature, where a little tree stood, nodding in thankfulness as it pondered upon the abundant nitrogenous nutrients it would, in time, obtain. (Perhaps a little too heavy on the personification here.)

As grateful as the little tree is, I bow to it in greater humility and gratitude for it is with it that I began my green adventure. It is my prayer that my adventure would blossom with the fruitful growth of this little tree.

Someone on the series "Big Ideas For A Small Planet" once said that being environment conscious is like catching the flu bug. There is no cure to it.

I wish not for a cure. There should not be a cure anyway.



Going green generates genuine goodness!

Thou Shalt Cross The Finish Line If Thou Hath Chooseth To Begin The Journey

I began reading "The Harmony Silk Factory" only to pass my time, never thinking that I would actually finish the book anytime soon. Not one to leave an author's work halfway interpreted, I intended to finish the book, but perhaps over a longer period of time, simply because I kept falling asleep after every few pages, regardless of time and location. My initial thoughts of the book - pretty long-winded, a little too much elaboration. But I pressed on, knowing that if I wrote a book, I would appreciate it if my readers chose to swallow the contents up till the very last word. They need not digest them, but leaving a plate of food unfinished is definitely quite a blow to the chef in me. An unfinished book is analogous to unfinished food left to rot, oxidised by the air and moisture. Unless of course, if the food is exceptionally bad or contains inedible poison. "The Harmony Silk Factory" is definitely not in that category. In fact, now that I have finished the book, I would justify the fiction by saying that the reader would need to swallow all of its contents to allow them to be digested. One needs to read the whole book in order to comprehend the essence of the entire story. And that essence is a strong one. Having experimented with multiple first person's point of view throughout a story myself (which I failed as I ended up confusing my readers, but I still take pride in the fact that I made an attempt =p), Mr. Tash Aw basically managed to manifest himself into three different persons as he wrote his story. The emotions and state of mind of the three first persons are very marked and very distinct from one another. One is of a child of a father who was a communist, one is of the child's mother before she had the child, another of a close English friend of the communist father. Three completely different characters who have greatly varied personal lives, but all of whom are telling their stories which revolve around that one man who chose communism as his belief. The whole story is very properly inter-related, despite the fact that the story moves back and forth along the timeline, which could be rather confusing but it would not take long for the reader to settle into comprehension.

Random thought #1: I am turning this post into a book review. Did I intend to? I don't suppose so.



Anyway, I personally felt most connection to the third part of the story, which is the English man's first person's point of view. The reasons are vague but I suppose I was more engaged in the story here because of the type of writing used by Tash Aw in this part. Cynicism, symbolism, abrupt transitions, all of which are highly representational of the emotional state of the "I" in the story. Again, I myself love to write in such a manner, so perhaps that is another reason why. However, Mr. Tash Aw is, undoubtedly a qualified writer in every sense and I am just an occasional amateur.

Random thought #2: I think I need to change my title. Amateur but without the occasional.

Random thought #3: I have been typing away, reflecting upon a book that I read, and yet no words come to me as I try writing my personal statement for a pre-tertiary education institution application. Could it just be human nature that when we are required to do something, it somehow becomes more difficult than when we do something out of our own free will? If so, I must not succumb to human nature then. It is really not "difficulty" but rather, "procrastination". I choose, out of my own free will, to not procrastinate anymore.

Random thought #4: Green living, enlightened living. I really need to focus and get myself working. The vastness is still there, waiting for me, but I am not moving away from the plateau. Well, no, it is not "not now". It is always now. It has to be now.
(My Mighty Father Above, please grant me the strength and motivation to move in the direction of pursuance. Amen.)

I heard this on the series "Big Ideas For A Small Planet" by the way. I paraphrase, "One of my friends said this, 'If you ever wonder what impact you, as one individual, can possibly make in this world, try sleeping in a room with a mosquito.' We need to be that mosquito."

Every little effort amounts up to something.
The only question left is, when are we beginning ours?

No, Not "Not Now". It Is Always Now.

Ta
Ta - Ki
Ta - Ki - Ta
Ta - Ka - Di - Mi
Ta - Di - Ki - Na Tum
Ta - Ki - Ta - Ta - Ki Ta
Ta - Ka - Di - Mi - Ta - Ki - Ta
Ta - Ka - Di - Mi - Ta - Ka - Di - Mi

This is the South Indian Rhythmic Solfege which I learned yesterday during the YKLS practice. A truly enlightening hour of Jazz 101.

Thanks to this guy in this video below, I was reminded of my musical inclination towards jazz.

Salutations, Mr. Az Samad,



A little knowledge makes one hunger for more. Will that hunger ever be satisfied? That is a question I have yet to answer.

One thing is definite though. Mine eyes have seen the glory of the creations on Mother Earth. The creation of humankind, the creation by humankind. Music, food, literature, artwork, places, buildings, technology, medicine, illnesses, fears, pollution (physical and non-physical), disasters.





What are we creating today?

A Moment Of Silence, Please.

"Your works on the lands and waters, I may not comprehend.
But if there is One Definite Truth, Your children are my brothers, Your children are my sisters."

We are all connected by an invisible spiritual blood vessel.
The pain and agony that flow in the veins of our brothers and sisters flow in ours.
The hope and quiet prayers that flow in our veins would flow in our brothers' and sisters' too.

For our brothers and sisters in Haiti,



A moment of silence, please.

Morning Theatre

I wouldn't fake my appreciation by saying that the housing area I live in has a beautiful backyard. Two rows of houses which backsides face each other, separated by a narrow tarred lane with gates for security at opposite ends is pretty much the only way I can, at this moment, think of describing it. Since my room is located at the back of the house, the backyard is pretty much the first thing I see every morning (excluding whatever that comes into sight the second I awake from sleep). It has been a little more than a month since I began my day by stretching, looking out of the windows at whatever that my eyes choose to wander to. But it is only yesterday that I realised I have been, unknowingly to myself, recognising and becoming accustomed to the presence of a family of four birds in the backyard. Actually, I am not too sure myself if they are a family. I doubt they are. I am not too sure even if they are always the same four birds. This I think they are. But I am not into ornithology so I am not able to tell with conviction. Anyway, every morning, the four birds would always be around, perched somewhere along the electric cables or on the roofs of my neighbours' houses. Perhaps there are more than four of them, but four is always what I see. If I could speak animal or even speak bird, I would love to say a word of gratitude to these four birds. As I do my morning stretches and twists, my room windows serve as a television box, and I am tuning into the backyard channel with the daily broadcast of "The Antics Of The Four Birds". I do not know how many of us actually take the time to watch the birds near our houses, but I think it really is quite a pleasant entertainment. More than that, it simply brings a sense of tranquil. Not all of us have the knowledge to understand their actions and behaviours but we all possess the power of imagination, the beauty of creating. So I took the liberty of composing my own interpretation and truthfully, allowing our minds to enter a state of fantasy first thing in the morning is a pretty awesome way to start any day! We could even take a step further by listening and paying attention to the sounds of the morning, incorporating the audio elements into our self-generated stories of "The Morning I Woke Up". In my case, the chirping of the birds is my morning sound. I am thankful for a quiet neighbourhood (or rather, a quiet backyard) because that allows me to direct my focus to the natural songs sung by the natural flying family, which I now acknowledge as a company to my morning routine. There really is nothing more calming than paying attention to the sounds of our surroundings, wherever we are. Even in the noisiest of situations, if we choose to shut off sight and enlarge our hearing capacity, we could still gain some form of tranquil. Perhaps when we master the art of listening,we would also learn what I would term as selective hearing. Then we could shut off sounds which are disturbing and amplify sounds which are pleasing and Feed Ones. But this is, of course, just another one of my random wandering thoughts. For now, I am grateful for my mornings simply for being the way they are.



Pay attention. Imagine. Create.=)

Want, Need, Should

This morning, as I began my day with a prayer of gratitude, I realised that there really is not anything in the current state of my life that I can rant or fret about. I reflected upon the "issues" that I have to deal with and finally came upon the light of seeing that the "issues" are not "issues" after all.

I attended my first practice with the Young KL Singers (YKLS) yesterday and with utmost conviction I can announce in pride that I have not made a wrong decision. Granted this opportunity to be part of a group of people who share a common passion for singing and music, I know that I have created for myself a journey which would be enriched with new friends and fresh experiences, be they be in performing or working with others, social enlightenment, or musical and artistic enhancements within myself. As time takes its course, I would also take my course of change, hopefully also inviting Ones along the way. Knowing now what the whole year plan of events is in the YKLS, I am genuinely excited to be treading upon this path which I am yet to be familiar with, wanting to participate in everything that is on the calendar. My selfishness is disillusioning me into thinking that it is possible. However, my conscience and sensibility is telling me otherwise. The "issue" is, I am in an education limbo. Still not knowing where I will be when my pre-tertiary education begins and the academic schedule which I would be attached to, I have no decision control over my participation in any of the major events which have been planned. In fact, I do not even know if I could still be in this wonderful group which I have been given the opportunity to be in. Pondering upon this situation, I did wonder if I had made a wrong decision when I set my mind upon auditioning to be a member of the YKLS.

But as I said my thanks this morning, gratitude drew upon me the light to see that what I have viewed as a potential reason for regret, anger and frustration is really an occurence which is subtly teaching me to make picometres of changes to myself and the way I perceive situations. If I have viewed my position in the education limbo as an obstacle to the path of learning and freshness which YKLS offers, I now find myself to be very fortunate because my so-called "issues" are about things that I actually love doing. One is pursuing my dream in psychology and another is pursuing my passion in music and singing, which basically means that whatever I decide, I am still embracing my desires and passions. Going deeper into the situation, my dilemma is actually training me to be more matured and sensible in making decisions which would affect the future, near or far. My desires would bring me to make rash decisions which would eventually cause anger and irritation. On the flip side, using my logical reasoning and rationale, perhaps there will be some disappointment but at least I can take comfort in knowing that the decision is the best I can make in the here and now. Who could tell, perhaps through this decision, I would somehow open my life up to far more beauty, which I could carry along in my bagpack of gratitude.

As unwilling as we are to admit this fact, there truly is a bright side to everything. If we will ourselves to ponder and to allow situations to speak for themselves, perhaps then it will be possible to convert every happening, good or bad, as an experience to Feed Ones. And our bagpacks of gratitude would be more than willing to accept more and more Ones into its family of acknowledgement and thankfulness.

We Can Heal

I always feel, even as a child, that elephants' eyes tell things. There is a certain nostalgia that is reflected by them, perhaps even wisdom. While that may only be a creation of what my eyes choose to see and what my mind chooses to decipher, this video (and a few others I have watched) gives evidence that elephants are more than just Earth's largest land animals.



Anyone could utter these words meaninglessly, "Nature has so much to offer". In reverse, what can we offer nature? Our Mother we are living on now has and still is protecting us in Its silent, noble ways. Are we, as children, doing what we could to protect Her?

She is still graciously serving Her children despite the ills which we have inflicted upon Her.

I owe Her too big an apology. It is so big that merely saying it would be pointless.
Actions speak louder than words.
I am going to live up to that maxim.