goose pimples

imperfection. lovely.

Good morning.

First thing first, I just want to say that I hate getting "Because it's just wrong" or "God loathes it" to every questions asked. Especially if you were in the middle of a discussion to begin with. Especially even after sensing the dissension of the group in a whole, those exact statements are still being repeated over and over again by the same person who I think, had failed to grasp the fundamental meaning of a discussion, defined by one dictionary as "consideration of a question in open and usually informal debate," .. God, it's just freaking annoying, period.

I personally refuse to think the universe - the rules, way of life and everything in it, works in such ways, to be taken for granted as it is. The human mind is created to ponder upon stuff, not to follow blindly, Taklid namanya. Yes, sometimes we already know the facts, the wrong(s) and right(s), but truly there must be logical explanations to all the whys and how's and whens, regardless of whether it makes any sense or not, which is healthy to be put into discussions, for further understanding of it, right? Right.

"Do you believe in karma? I do, 60%"

"How do they do it ey, when people believe in percentage, I thought when you believe, you would stand for it wholeheartedly, like, 100%"

"Well, for instance, I believe in Judgement Day, where sinners got punished for misdeeds. As for karma, the concept of "what goes around comes around" doesn't really crossed my mind the minute I act upon something. Maybe afterwards, kalau rajin nak fikir la. I think that if you believe 100%, you'd do things just because you expect something in return, not because you want to.. "

Adakah itu jawapan yang tepat? Or should I just say that I don't believe in karma, like zero percent?

"Religion is always associated with not just the word Believe, but also the word Faith. Faith means putting your 100% trust towards this entity without having to have reasons. So if you come across a question with no answers and no contest, this is when you need to have faith" - Nadiah, quoting her father, "man of few words". Thanks Nad!

My point is, yes I question stuff, out of confusion, or curiosity, or just plain stupidity. Not because I am angry, or trying to challenge God The Most Powerful, the Most Merciful. I have faith, it's just sometimes I need convincing, in certain areas. Do help, don't hate.

Oh btw, the movie 1957 : Hati Malaya was such a downer. No goose pimples on sight, a total disappointment for a highly anticipated movie (by me). Lousy effects, messy shots - there was one moment where they focused on Douglas Lim's double chin for what seems like a minute too long; jumpy scenes and script.. sigh. A great history lesson nevertheless, just technically retarded I supposed. Namun siapalah saya untuk mengkritik, hanyala seorang kaki wayang yang tergoda dengan tajuk cerita yang meremangkan bulu roma.

Oh well. Happy Saturday schmerday.

TOMS shoes

Chief Shoe Giver at TOMS : Blake Mycoskie

"Comfortable shoes with a passion. For every pair sold, a pair of shoes are given to a child with no shoes. They're getting ready to go on a 50,000 pair shoe drop in south Africa this November! Vote and support a great cause!"

"TOMS are great shoes with a very special cause... giving shoes to children in need. This is a trend to support!"

"The Cooper Hewitt is where I find inspiration, innovation and artistic appreciation. TOMS design concept exemplifies all the qualities above and does so without trying too hard or making a fuss. Without pretention, they provide comfort for both our soles and our souls. "

"With these shoes, Blake makes more than a fashion statement. He proves that fashion sense and social responsibility go hand in hand. Not only are the shoes stylish, but with every sold pair, you help a child in need directly. It is an amazing project worth all of our support!!"


What's a TOMS shoe? Read more at TOMS Tour blog.

To for vote TOMS shoes : Cooper-Hewitt People's Design Award

august 25

can you spot me?

Last weekend I found my long lost love again. This 'old flame', caught me off guard, reminding me of how much in love I was and still am with it. One year, one freaking year of having to watch from the sidelines, only God knows how much I miss doing it. I was overwhelmed by the whole experience, devouring every minute with hunger and passion I've never known existed, feeling great about myself despite the sunburned and aching everywhere, not caring whether I win or lose, as long as I get to do it.

The Perhentian Island Challenge was definitely the first of its kind for me, as my previous races have never involved the seawater and beaches in general, swimming in particular. Plus this time around I was in an all-female team, in the mixed-category, where we have to compete against men as well. My new teammate and I, we managed to team up quite well with all odds against us. I don't really know how to swim, she doesn't do kayaking, in fact that was her first time during the race. So we sucked in water.

I learned a lot about myself from the experience, my strengths and weaknesses, on how to lead, how not to get discouraged by injuries or glitches or the heat for that matter, how to push myself further, and not just give up. At the end of the day, I came to appreciate my old teammates better, as now I realised you guys had worked much harder compared to me, who was pretty much just a follower, the one doing the easiest tasks or none at all. I realised how depressing it is to watch someone quitting when you know and believe that she has so much potential, and that she can do much much better and offers so much more by not giving up. I was spoiled, I feel bad now, I will work harder next time insya Allah.

Nevertheless, I swam for a distance of nearly 2km, not bad ey for such a lousy-I-Just-Know-How-to-Swim-Late-Last-Year-tu-pun-slow-cam-kurakura-pun-lagi-laju swimmer. Ada life jacket la tapi, but still, saya tau ramai yang berbangga dengan saya hahahahahaha!! note : dulu pakai life jacket pun boleh lemas ok, so it was quite an achievement, or at least to me.

Beautiful island, great food, great people, great sponsors, great race, I definitely could NOT ask for more.

I'll be back, and next time, I will win.

hope for football

Pesta Bola Merdeka

Malaysia, fronted by our U-23 players, won against Myanmar 3-1, yebedabeduuuuuuu!!

It was a much awaited victory, can't remember the last time we won against any international teams. It's funny how the juniors performed waaaaaaaay better than their seniors, physically and mentally. Baru la puas hati datang tengok, lari pun tak pancit.

"Hadiah ambang kemerdekaan" bak kata pengulas sukan. Coolness!

Yes I watch football every now and then, by watching I mean LIVE. It's more or less the same feeling I have during adventure racing, or while watching SURVIVOR - the adrenaline rush, the heart pumping along the drums beatings, watching the players, fellow racers getting ready, the feeling of being a part of something greater than you yourself. I love the atmosphere, the sounds, the colors, the unison of people and cheers and the passions in everyone's eyes, especially if your team won in the end.

There were few downers though, like for instance, upon arriving at the Shah Alam Stadium, we came across 4-5 buses of supporters of Myanmar, heading the same way. They walked in large groups, dan mereka kencing beramai-ramai di atas padang menuju ke stadium?!!! I mean, WTF?!! It's not like they were surrounding a tree or something, they just went off there and then, while talking out loud to each other, with those things sticking out like nobody's business, in the middle a walking crowd?!! How appalling is that?! Barbaric, and plain disgusting.

Our local supporters were no different. We may not wee wee in public but there were still those doing the classic pun of throwing bottles and other stuff not only into the field but to cameramen, or practically anyone walking by. Memalukan, mmg patut kene belasah dgn FRU. kerusi patah apetah lagi, dgn mercunnya, curi offside punya bendera, apa kejadahnya tuh?! Kira sopan sikiiiiit jela daripada penyokong Myanmar. Bukan semua la tapi, sebab nila setitik rosak susu sebelanga.

Nevertheless, we won!!! See, we can actually win football matches. I guess there's still hope for Malaysian football, as long as they don't let it get into their heads and end up worse than their seniors.

Happy Independence Day Malaysiaku!!!

roadtrip

jibeng's butterflies

*this was looong overdue. august 20, 2007

[KL 400km]

yau : ok ok.. kalau korang ialah erm, an international male musician, korang rasa korang ialah siapa? aku brandon boyd, uhuuuuuuuu (sambil perasan diri tough dan macho). eh tak jadilah, die cam jamal abdilah. aku mick jagger la. kaya dan fit pakcik itu. second choice lead singer all american reject. damon albarn pun boleh gak.
bertam : my first choice, mig ayesa, yezzzzzza
lebam : aku jT!!
cek mek molek : aku ariel!!
yau, lebam, bertam : ?!!!! tak valid dowh!! die kene other than malay.
cek mek molek : alaaaaaaaa boleh laaa (sambil buat muka nak nanges)

yau : fine fine, ariel pun ariel la (sambil pandang slack). kalau female singer aku booking aku ialah sheryl crow, or shakira, or celine dion. wow sedap sungguh suarakuhhhh
cek mek molek : aku pink britney ashlee
yau : britney?! nak nak!!
lebam : aku cassie, faith hill, fergi, sexayh mamas
bertam : mak nak rihanna, gwen, nelly furtado

yau : ok next, pelakon lelaki tempatan
cek mek molek : aku pierre!!
bertam : mak ko khatijah tan dowh
yau : aku nak awie la.. pendapatan 40,000 sebulan, kayanye saya
lebam : aku hans isaac, minatla aku pls, aku hensem
bertam : aku shamser, sorry korang
yau : shamser pelakon ke?!!
cek mek molek : ada dowh.
yau : fine fine. aku xmo la awie. first choice aku nak jadi, zahim al bakri, boleh? tak pun spark, si zul huzaimi
ke namanye.. terer berlakon
lebam : rempit!!!
cek mek molek : aku nak afdlin la camtu, cumel cam aku hehe
yau : kl lagi 303 km..
lebam : jom goreng pisang

[10 minit kemudian]
cek mek molek : roti HI FI, roti HI FI, HI FI apa sekaraaaaaaang (amek ko yau, jawab jawab)
yau : HI FI sdn bhd, HI FI sdn bhd, sdn bhd apa sekarang..
bertam : sendirian berhad erm.. erm.. syarikat, sendirian berhad syarikat (belasah laaaaaaaa)

[KL 290 km. kebas.kaki.tangan.perut.segala-galanya]

happy engagement to jibeng & usop.
selamat pengantin baru ghandi & suami!!
SEMOGA BERBAHAGIA KE AKHIR HAYAT