il-bloop!

Parah nak explain cerita ni

2012-02-02T17:44:00.000+08:00

It’s been some time since I’ve been to KLPAC, and I was there yesterday to watch an opening night performance of ‘Parah’, a play in Malay that touched on issues of race and identity. I was struck by how dark the drive through KLPAC’s grounds was in the evening. It felt like there wasn’t anyone else there to watch the show, my car being the only car rolling through the dimly lit path. That’s

Free Translations 3: Anak perempuan aktivis Nigeria Ken Saro-Wiwa mengenang bapanya

2012-01-02T16:00:00.000+08:00

Anak perempuan aktivis Nigeria Ken Saro-Wiwa mengenang bapanya Jon Henley 31 December 2011 Laman asal: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/2011/dec/31/noo-saro-wiwa-kens-daughter-nigeria Untuk ramai di kalangan kita, Ken Saro-Wiwa seorang pejuang dan syahid, seorang pengkempen berani dan mengagumkan yang mengetuai pejuangan kaumnya, kaum Ogoni, menentang penodaan berdekad-dekad tanah

Free Translations 2: Berjenama seperti Rock Star

2012-01-01T12:34:00.000+08:00

Leave a comment if you want to help with translations --- Ketulenan v. Kesempurnaan : Cara untuk berjenama seperti rock star Oleh Steve Jones Dis 30 2011 Lama asal: http://www.fastcompany.com/1802129/authenticity-vs-perfection-brand-like-a-rock-star?partner=rss&utm_source=pulsenews&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fastcompany%2Fheadlines+%28Fast+Company+Headlines%29 Balada

Free translation 1

2011-12-31T13:35:00.000+08:00

Rough version, needs editing. Peter Thiel: Kita semua di dalam sebuah buih dan ia tidak datang dari sektor internet. Ia dari sektor pendidikan tinggi Laman asal: http://techcrunch.com/2011/04/10/peter-thiel-were-in-a-bubble-and-its-not-the-internet-its-higher-education/ Ahad, 10 April 2011 Sarah Lacy Amaran awal: artikel ini akan menimbulkan rasa tidak puas hati di kalangan ramai pembaca.

overheard by a friend

2011-12-26T19:45:00.000+08:00

"Yelah, you sorang je betul, orang lain semua salah, you sorang je pandai." I dont get it. I had said nothing offensive, at least I don't think so. I didn't cuss or abuse, I didn't even raise my voice, but apparently I had said something wrong. "and you thought this because?" ...she started speaking in Malay, she never speaks Malay unless she's upset. Its always a bad sign when she goes

christmas in kt

2011-12-24T22:22:00.001+08:00

its is christmas eve here in Kuala Terengganu, though you would't know it without a calendar.This is not KL. There are no xmas buntings hanging off lamposts, no fake trees with tinsel coiled on it, come to think of it, if there were banners wishing road users 'Happy Christmas' in jawi (which might be a requirement by law, or not), that would be ridiculous bordering on controversial. How would

emo-ammo

2011-12-23T16:00:00.000+08:00

You could say that a lot of the things we do, they're not grounded on thought but run almost exclusively on emotions. Trends and fashions, for example. Sometimes the trend appears rational, sometimes not, but when a trend blows up and gets adopted by the masses, you can be sure that its success owes a lot to emotions: to fit in with peers, to be seen as a trend-setter, etc; these feelings act as

budaya

2011-12-22T10:43:00.002+08:00

As usual, the issue of Malay identity continues to be a hot topic here in Malaysia. Just thought I'd share with you guys a couple of videos I found of YouTube that make for interesting observations. In this clip from 1952, we hear R. Azmi singing in a jazzy, big band style identical to what was in vogue in Hollywood. A couple of years later, we see a shift. Though male characters

probably the best lines in Tropic of Cancer

2011-11-16T16:46:00.001+08:00

"I had not found a single friend in Paris, a circumstance which was not so much depressing as bewildering, for wherever I have roamed in this world the easiest thing for me to discover has been a friend. But in reality, nothing very terrible had happened to me yet. One can live without friends, as one can live without love, or even without money, that supposed sine qua non. One can live in Paris

Aziz Bari Demo 21 October 2011, UIA

2011-10-22T03:00:00.001+08:00

tullamarine, on the way home

2011-10-12T22:45:00.001+08:00

I like to think that endings don't make a story. Instead, it's Plot that makes for a good tale.That's all a good story really needs: a beginning, a strong middle, and an appropriate ending.Thank you for making my middle strong---Could you put an expiry date on friends?When maintaining a friendship feels like a chore, should you start thinking about throwing it out?Our values, after all, evolve.A

some mountains would be nice

2011-09-09T13:40:00.001+08:00

except for the really fortunate, most of us would have been there. A long stretch of time doing and fixing things to move ahead, but each attempt fails. The more you try the less things change, and you feel powerless, helpless, pathetic.It might be school, or it might be work, or it might be a relationship. People around you say, 'be grateful,' and they are right. You might be in a good school,

make something better

2011-08-24T00:27:00.001+08:00

I'd bet a lot of this blog's readers fit the brooding, moping, creative demographic.You're the ones with the most to say about a movie, or an album, or a painting someone else has made. You'd probably have made comments like, "that was five minutes of my life I'll never get back," or "I've seen better colours in a can of tuna,", etcYou might even have some idea of entertainment as being something

be the ambulance that says yes

2011-08-22T18:10:00.001+08:00

no,no,no,no,no,no.A siren, a distress call, doesn't it sound like?That, and the unfortunately's, and but's, and it's just that's, makes me wonder if the world's vocabularies have shrunk.If you know someone living under a streak of bad luck, help them make things turn round, and say,"here","why not","ok"."yes"

unproductivity

2011-08-15T13:40:00.001+08:00

there's a stack of notes, there's half a pot of coffee left, and there's a blank page that remains untouched.The clock mocks loud as each second passes, as though you weren't aware that things aren't moving. Why won't you die clock? A sudden abrupt end so I can concentrate without your judging face looking down on me.The stapler feels so light, and you can see in your mind a trajectory from table

morality as god-given

2011-08-12T15:23:00.000+08:00

Many people, for instance, believe that morality is a deliverance of God, and that without God there is no morality—that in a secular world “everything is permitted.” You can hear this on Fox News; it is behind the drive to have the Ten Commandments displayed in courtrooms. But philosophers like Kitcher remember what Socrates tells Euthyphro, who supposed that the good could be defined by

took two years to die

2011-08-01T13:03:00.000+08:00

my phone’s battery seem to dying sooner and sooner these days. Make a few calls, it’s dead. Take a few pictures, it’s dead. Any period of activity on it, and it’s dead. I think it’s because the phone’s more than two years old now. For some reason, my electronics never fail to give me problems once they get to that age. My 2 year old laptop melted its graphics chip. My previous phone fell apart

just my ducking luck

2011-07-19T08:00:00.000+08:00

what do you call a duck that refuses to be called a duck? I here refer to that popular line, if it sounds/walks/looks like a duck to end. Real ducks don’t talk back (at least not in a language we humans can comprehend) so it really doesn’t matter what they think. But what if said duck finds the term ‘duck’ offensive, and reacts violently to its use? Placating terms like ‘waterborne fowl’ or ‘

subbed people

2011-07-18T08:00:00.000+08:00

with apologies to the migration agents in the audience, I’m not going to pay an extra cent than I have to for a visa. With graduation over, the next thing to achieve in the goal trinity is a job. A task that warrants its painful reputation; first because of scarcity, and secondly because it is so damned hard to figure out how to get work rights. No, sniggering agents, be off. Try to figure out

provincial Melbourne

2011-07-15T08:00:00.000+08:00

a Westpac document calls Melbourne a ‘provincial global community.’ I would say I’m inclined to say the same, being here for some time now. Melburnians are proud, with a very strong sense of identity, which is good. They take the city’s issues to heart and there’s a strong sense of responsibility expressed. This pride can feel a little inward-looking though. Melbourne invites people from all

i like what you say but since no one else will, I disagree with you

2011-07-14T08:00:00.001+08:00

even conformists will come across people who disagree with them at some point. It is impossible to live a life where everybody agrees with you all the time. My personal feeling is that a conflict-free life breeds complacency, and its malformed cousins like entitlement, idiocy, etc. Healthy conflict is, well, healthy. Repressing all conflict is sick. It also makes you weak

time to par-tay

2011-07-13T08:00:00.000+08:00

two and a half years after my B.Com studies self-destructed, I received my final results for my Comms degree at RMIT. My academic transcript won’t be stellar but to be honest , I really can’t be bothered with that. What is important to me is that it’s done. Now I can move on. The door’s now unlocked. Time to start walking

drone driving

2011-06-25T08:00:00.001+08:00

good drives are meditative in a way. You pretty much sit still, but you see the earth move around you. Faster and faster it goes, but you don’t

'in slavery time'

2011-06-24T08:00:00.003+08:00

Harriet Smith used to be a slave, but you wouldn’t know if she didn’t tell you. You can listen to her in the interview above. She sounds old but cheerful, sharing stories from her life just as any grandmother would. NOrmal, except for the fact that someone used to own her. If slaves talk just like any other people do, how do you know you’re not one? No one may own you, but if you think and

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxx

2011-06-23T08:00:00.005+08:00

Jerry Seinfeld is attributed with this interesting productivity method called, ‘don’t break the chain.’ His idea behind it is simple: to be a good comic, you need better jokes. To get better jokes, you need to write better. To write better, you need to write every day. So to make sure he wrote, every day, he hung a large calendar on the wall, and after every time he wrote, he drew a red cross

leaving perfection

2011-06-22T08:00:00.000+08:00

We will never see perfectionOr touch it, taste it, feel it, hear itWe are condemnedTo have dull covers,Loose bits,Pungent odors,Which we can live withDay by dayLearningMaking the most of itUntil we live entire livesWith our dull coversLoose bitsPungent odorsSatisfiedWe made itSomething greatNot perfectBut we touched it,Felt it,Heard it,Loved it,Have it

Glorious Rachel

2011-06-18T08:00:00.000+08:00

Rachel McAdams, Jeff Goldblum and Harrison Ford, Morning Glory's biggest selling point is its stellar lineup.The plot was fairly anemic and predictable. Naive Jenna accepts a job as an executive producer at a failing morning show. To prevent the show from being cancelled, Jenna has to improve her ratings, make the show interesting, and of course appease her cranky new anchor, respected jouralist

dips

2011-06-17T20:12:00.001+08:00

it's almost mid-day and the sand's starting to warm.The waves touch your toes now, and you're only starting to realise the burn on your chest.No calls on the phone. There's a fine layer of sand on it. Charming, you think.The waves crash and climb as they always have

hark

2011-06-15T08:00:00.000+08:00

It’s like time has appeared to me as an empty canvas. It’s huge, and wide, but not too big that I can’t see where it ends. Yet large enough to make me wonder, ‘where to start?’

hi atus

2011-06-06T08:00:00.001+08:00

now miss me

make your own way

2011-06-06T08:00:00.000+08:00

if you want to do something new, stay away from the shiny lights. Glamour is stale, a dead stump layered with extreme amounts of perfume and paint to make it appealing, but ultimately meaningless and uninteresting. Status does not disrupt to make things better. It’d rather things get worse, so its value grows higher. And that little trickled-down wealth that you get? That comes with

on repeat

2011-06-05T08:00:00.000+08:00

"and fellas, this will be the last time you see me. I will be on my way to supermodel matrimony."This caught us by surprise. He's said plenty of ridiculous things before but never this firm. This whole idea, marrying a girl who's hung on his wall for god knows how long now, would have sounded ridiculous if not for the steel in his eyes. He's only just said it, but we knew. We werent ever seeing

simply decide

2011-06-04T08:00:00.000+08:00

faced with difficulty, we sometimes offer people excuses.But we also offer those same excuses, and maybe more, to ourselves.We blame the world, god, the universe instead of rolling our sleeves and doing the hard work of finding our way out of those difficulties.One day, you'll run out of excuses to give out, even to yourself.It'll be very sad if that's the only person left on that day to hear them

you don't strike up conversations in emotional wastelands

2011-06-03T08:00:00.000+08:00

did a radio interview recently for 3zzz, my first for a long time now.What I like about playing an interviewer on radio is the expectation to make the interview exciting.You feel it, the interviewee feels it, so you both work under this great pressure of making the chat interesting for all the listeners out there.Even the nervous guests, i find, fight hard against their nervousness to present

YouTube camp

2011-06-01T08:00:00.001+08:00

I’d definitely go to a YouTube camp, if there were one being held nearby. But what would make you go? Besides the requisite how-to-shoot-a-video tutorials. I think there should be a session on seeding, at least an hour’s discussion on video length, and of course, commercialising your passion. Then again, a talk on monetising might need more than one day.

be proud you asked for help

2011-05-31T08:00:00.000+08:00

It's not wrong to ask for help.You need three hands to hold down a cat and bathe it, but you only have twoYou need four eyes to keep guard in different directions, but you only have twoYou need two backs to lift a heavy box, but you've only got oneOn your own, you'll be frustrated. So many things, alone, unsated.There's no shame in asking for help, because sometimes you need to

nice work, yes it's nice

2011-05-30T09:31:00.000+08:00

this is a piece played by Thelonious Monk, titled 'nice work if you can get it' The sound is typical Monk, Dissonant, complex, aggresive. Would you believe that the song was originally for a cheesy Fred Astaire movie? Goes to show that beauty can be found in humble origins. So always keep your mind open

love

2011-05-29T08:00:00.001+08:00

why don't we teach young people how to love? Love is an overwhelming sensation. It's a wave of emotions that collapses over you. The danger can be felt from the very beginning. You sense it, but the pull is so strong that you can't swim away. Without advice, young people have to figure out for themselves how to deal with this situation. They grasp at straws, guessing out solutions based on

we thought it was real

2011-05-28T08:00:00.006+08:00

thought I'd share this final reflection piece for my pop music course. This is an opinion piece and in no way researched, so rip into it! My early teens in Kuala Lumpur coincided with the explosion of Malaysian hip-hop and R&B in Malaysia.The early 2000s were a time where groups like Too Phat and VE ruled the airwaves, kids dressed in baggy t-shirts and baseball caps, and trying to sound

ditch your friends

2011-05-27T08:00:00.005+08:00

unless you’re going out with some industrialist’s daughter, chances are no one you know from school is going to be a lead to a job. Look across the table, do you think that guy eating $2 dollar sushi three days in a row to be any help in gaining employment? So stop spending so much time with him. Go somewhere where people can afford haircuts. Try to look inconspicuous; at least buy a shirt.

pictures from KL

2011-05-26T08:00:00.002+08:00

in a fit of artiness, I rented Fellini’s Roma from the library. Too high brow for me unfortunately, with its streaming sequences of Rome alternating between the past and the 1970s. I couldn’t find a plot to latch on but I managed to watch it anyway, gently dragged by the luscious depictions of food, people, and places of Roma throughout the 20th century. Would a ‘KL’ work? The city may not have

it's worse than writing love letters

2011-05-25T08:00:00.006+08:00

the most anxiety-filled task in a job hunt, in my view, is writing cover letters. there’s so much pressure! The cover letter has to make a powerful first impression. The cover letter has to address their needs. The cover letter has to address your needs. The cover letter has to leave a powerful, staying, impression. you wouldn’t think so from reading examples of cover letters on the internet,

this card thing may not be such a bad idea

2011-05-21T08:00:00.001+08:00

a new acquaintance handed out his ‘personal’ card in the middle of our coffee session. He’s not working yet. He’s still in school like the rest of us, though soon graduating. At this point, I must say I don’t like cards. They’re so... ‘business’-y. Starched-up, formal, tucked in, shoe shined, effective, ‘hello I’m a businessman, and I’m here to do business’. Anyway, he saw the face I made and

a video cv

2011-05-20T08:00:00.005+08:00

I'm not sure if I should make a showreel or just send out this playlist link to people.

keep it shut

2011-05-19T08:00:00.001+08:00

Dude tried to run away, but five guys caught him and dragged him back into the alley. You try to defuse the situation, Man, let him go, it’s not worth it. You push the punches away, shouting at the top of your lungs so your goon friends listen to you. Stop, stop. An elbow drops you to the pavement. You’re winded, but you try to get up again. They’re really beating him up bad. He can’t stand

useful research for better ads

2011-05-18T14:49:00.000+08:00

Dan Hill explains that an ad’s recall is aided by appealing to what is important to the audience. He points to Apple’s campaigns as examples of emotionally-relevant campaigns that creates repeated success for the company. Hill’s book ‘About Face’ talks about this and other criteria of successful ads he found through facial coding research. Some findings seem like common sense. It is almost

walk, don't run

2011-05-13T08:00:00.000+08:00

Fastball's 'Out of my head' is playing.Poignant. Captures this moment perfectly.Of uncertainty.Of opportunities.Of meekness and strength.And mistakes.It's hard to look forward to the future, it's still a hazy mess.Still you see some flashes of light shine through, or you tell yourself they do.The ground is firm under your feet now, why shouldn't it be in the few steps ahead?Sure, you could fall

are your emotional weights collecting dust?

2011-05-11T08:00:00.000+08:00

Seth Godin’s description of emotional labour got me thinking: do we spend time at all to finding new ways of doing things? Emotional labour in a nutshell is the difficult work that you put effort into that creates and strengthen your connections with other people. It’s a term applicable in a variety of situations, workplaces, relationships, society, and is the mental equivalent of heavy

fans bleed too

2011-05-04T11:04:00.001+08:00

The view that fans are ‘inadequate’ or ‘other’ has the negative consequence of making them lesser people. It implicates that they are weak human beings latching on to the successes and interesting lives of celebrities as crutches to make their mundane lives bearable. This is an unreasonable and simplistic opinion, derived from descriptions and exploits of a small fringe of deranged fanatics (

the pedestrian

2011-04-29T08:00:00.000+08:00

As a lowly pedestrian, I don’t really mind cars. They’re big, noisy and easy to avoid. Cyclists, on the other hand, are a pain.The footpath is narrow, and there’s a crowd of people making their way in both directions. There’s heavy foot traffic but it’s smooth, people generally know the pace, direction, and space they’re walking on. Suddenly, there’s impatient ringing, annoying, irritating from a

the creep

2011-04-27T18:24:00.001+08:00

Um, I don't need to be told where you are every time you find a working internet connection, or a stop-motion sequence of 100 photos from that party two nights ago. I'm flattered that you think me (and your entire Facebook and Twitter audience) important enough to share your exact coordinates with but I can't say I know what to do with all that personal information. I did think of writing down

the prisoner

2011-04-17T09:35:00.001+08:00

a story goes that there once was a prisoner, who's term had endedyears in prison was spent going where he was told, eating what he was given, sleeping when he was allowedhe spent a long time in that institution, and became used to the life therewhen the time came and the warden walked in to say 'you're free to go', his knuckles went white'leaving these tall walls,' he thought, 'for the bright sun

from the intern blog : Let me tell you your story

2011-04-03T08:00:00.010+08:00

originally posted at Native's intern blog Human beings have loved listening to stories since the beginning of time. In their caves, pre-modern man gathered in their caves to listen to the story-teller. The story-teller related to them their history and tragedies, reminded them of joys and victories, and gave them hope and inspiration to live exciting lives. It’s innate to the human condition

there is a solution to everything except death

2011-03-31T07:00:00.002+08:00

I highly recommend Scott Belsky's Making Ideas Happen to everyone who's ever had a thought pop up in their head but didn't know how to translate that idea into reality. there will be people who say the book only repeats things that are already common sense, things like planning on paper, thinking up action steps,etc; ignore them. I've done a little bit of organising and I found the book

there's good strange, then there's bad strange

2011-03-29T07:00:00.000+08:00

a good friend keeps reminding me I'm weird not that I'm bothered by it, though I wish he didn't have to point it out so frequently. hmm self-deprecation aside, 'normal' is boring, tired and plain lazy here I mean the culture of consumption that is the 'norm', the way of life for many people fun fact: did you know that Superdry in Australia is a brand carried by the Pacific Brands conglomerate,

next on consumer theatre: the day I bought my iPad 2

2011-03-27T07:00:00.000+08:00

when you buy, you also buy a story the article's explanation of Apple's mind tricks is fascinating, and humbling. with such cunning strategists working for Apple, might as well give up thinking of work in tech advertising they have human behaviour down to a t, not to mention perfect products

Clayton Hall picture post

2011-03-24T07:00:00.001+08:00

not quite Taylor Swift levels of drama, but getting there

2011-03-22T15:00:00.001+08:00

A subject I'm doing this semester requires me to write journal entries derived from the philosophic thought discussed in the week's lecture. I can't believe how bleak my personal life sounds on paper. I wish I was hamming it up, but I'm writing it quite straight forward with little embellishments (save for style). I think after a certain point, you normalise the higher levels of drama and don't

classic video games t-shirts

2011-03-19T15:00:00.001+08:00

caution: full geek post why are there no Double Dragon T-shirts? Google hasn't been able to find one for me. Maybe I'm using the wrong search terms but look at everything else available on the web. Click on pics for the websites Gordon Freeman rules I never got Zelda this is cute this is awesome

please stick to plans made

2011-03-17T15:00:00.001+08:00

one of the biggest transitions from student to working life is grasping the premium of time when you're a student, you're time rich (unless you're in medicine) and then suddenly you're not. at work, there's so much to do, there hardly appears to be enough time this change is really apparent when your immediate social circle consists of students the casual ffking and flippant disregard for

light rambles

2011-03-15T15:00:00.003+08:00

let light bounce itself of your radiant skin let it draw more than the shots you fire through pinholes let the light consume you and burn you to embers the light is not a consumerist byproduct of techonological society the light will not be televised, tweeted, or youtubed the light will be light one light permanent, profuse, and profound

catch her and RPK here in Melbourne

2011-03-13T07:10:00.000+08:00

this week! Full details over at facebook.com/msafriends met some very interesting people over the course of organising the events, answered strangers' phone calls and listened to why they're really happy something like this is happening. think its's safe to say there is still some interest in Malaysian politics, at the very least // but where are the young Bumiputeras?

everything can change in an instant

2011-03-01T17:00:00.001+08:00

life is short

time and energy is finite

2011-02-27T17:00:00.001+08:00

in a perfect world, all good work is automatically rewarded but the world isn’t fair. More often than not you’ll have to fight for appreciation that being said, pick your fights don’t go into a battle you can’t win. That’s just stupid

Relics live in studio

2011-02-22T17:00:00.000+08:00

another guest we had over at the program. Pretty chilled out group more at myasam.net

rant on deodorants

2011-02-18T09:37:00.000+08:00

can anybody explain why men's fragrances have to smell so sharp? I feel like my nose gets pierced every time I'm in a change room. The smell is horrible. And teenagers. They smell really bad.

another place I'll be writing at

2011-02-17T05:00:00.002+08:00

check out my intern blog over at http://www.nativedigital.com.au/interns/ for articles, videos, and early career tips. and I promise no emo. I keep all that for this address

you could have told me you didn't want flowers

2011-02-15T19:56:00.000+08:00

should have kept the receipt

young, free, curious: there's still time for risks guys!

2011-02-08T04:00:00.000+08:00

a few years ago, experimenting was everything anyone ever talked about. Talk was always about places to go, things to try, people to see, the smoke of optimism wafting above the crowds at the uni cafeterias and coffee places, always tempered with the slightest urgency from knowing that this feeling would not last. Even so, it seemed like a time for adventures and to us then, it seemed like there

the Egyptian thugs forget that the revolution's not only in Tahrir Square

2011-02-03T16:00:00.000+08:00

excerpt from Mariam Mokhtar's article (via Dr Dzul) They see a land which has few opportunities to offer, and where only the elite enjoy power. Sounds familiar? I was describing Egypt but I could just as easily be describing Malaysia. The Egyptians are fighting the government mainly for financial reasons. Its people face economic gloom, rising prices, rising unemployment, poor living

I am the ninja in your dreams

2011-01-31T23:09:00.001+08:00

try explaining this one doctor

always give yourself some time to walk to the stop

2011-01-29T15:00:00.001+08:00

just in time for the bus at the otherwise empty stop. The best thing about poormen's travel is in it's requirement of compliancy. You have to wait for the bus to arrive, possibly delayed, or risk losing your ride home. You have to refuse any temptation to stay longer than the scheduled time, or you'll end up walking 10 kilometres. You have to have some discipline basically, or your trip gets rip

hear dead rockstars speak through book

2011-01-28T15:00:00.014+08:00

in the glorified survey taking that are radio interviews, it's difficult to come up with something new when so many people have done it so many times in so many ways. It could be said whatever new thing that could be done, has been done, if not already done to death. That's, of course, no excuse for stealing off the masters. A book that I have found incredibly inspiring is Rolling Stones

of sleepless, rainy nights

2011-01-25T22:30:00.001+08:00

blame it on that late glass of coffee drank

the only other guy in this carriage looks funny

2011-01-24T14:55:00.000+08:00

some days are more difficult than others.on hour-long train rides at day's end, you'll do nothing but think.Too tired to read, most of the journey is spent staring into the distance, watching the sprawl climb up to the city's scrapers.a blank empty waste.it's nice to talk sometimes

what if there were tution centres that taught thinking?

2011-01-21T14:32:00.001+08:00

analytical thinking is a skill, and can be learnt. Books like Bono's 6 Hats, strategic management texts, even Sun Tzu are all resources you can read through to explore this area of thought.classes are expensive, however. Which is a shame.You need more than books to really master this skill

humidity that fills the air when it rains, I miss that

2011-01-20T05:34:00.000+08:00

there's been plenty of gloomy days latelyit's grey everywhere. colours are muted, people turn bland. days like these, it seems pointless to wake up and have that coffee in the morningbecause really, what are you going to do?then it rainsthere's a bench at home I sit on to watch the rain. see the droplets trickling from the leaves of the hung orchids, probably the only nourishment they ever get,

a reset is never easy

2011-01-19T15:40:00.000+08:00

summer can be drag.right now it is. there's no one here and the weather's all mixed up; and the only thing there seem to be plenty of are farewells.each week is another person leaving for good.their success in studies is a cause for celebration, one that ends on a blue note as you watch them pack their bags and leave for their new destinations.then final goodbyes and waves

good volunteers for bad schools are good, good teachers are better

2011-01-17T15:00:00.002+08:00

on one hand the govt wants to rank and reward high-perfoming schools and teachers, but in this podcast that features the fellas from Teach For Malaysia, the organisation wants to send outstanding grads to underperfoming schools the volunteer-based organisation's activities is 'closely linked to the to the policies under the 10th Malaysia Plan', DPM Muhyiddin said actually I like the idea behind

this might be a metaphor or five

2011-01-16T18:00:00.000+08:00

sometimes you have to do boring mindless work. because practice makes perfect, and practising is never fun, because all you do is chop chop chop, trying to clear what seems like an endless forest. then the clock tells you that it's already 6pm, and you go home. then you wake up, pick up your axe and start swinging again. time passes. you're hard at work, someone passes by, comments, 'what

which Malaysians are on Facebook?

2011-01-15T15:00:00.001+08:00

Male teenagers and young adults apparently