Wednesday, May 27, 2009

The circle of life

                Soon we be coming to the mid year, my how time flies. Soon my daughter will be 4 years old..sigh. anyway just to write on this rather depressing day. Depressing why? Its hard to say, its more like trying to achieve something that is beyond your reach? Many at times I had thought that it would be achievable but alas I was wrong…so here is my 2 cents

 

                Certain times in life, humans look for many things, many people question the meaning of life and the purpose of us being on this world.  For those who has lost loved ones at a young age, the question digs far deeply in once’s mind. The goal of life as someone once told me is to find that place in the circle. To understand your function and keeping up with the function. Therefore, however we think that we are in control, in actual fact we can only plan and let god and fate takes it course. Some makes decisions and stick with it while some makes decisions but change their mind half way, often hurting others around them. Is there a safe way out?is there a book for the newbies out there? Sadly not. We take advise from our elders, close friends and family as they guide us on this journey. Of course for me, there are times, I wish I could escape to the old glory days when I was in entertainment or during the high flying corporate times when I was running my IT firm but I chose this route and know that come what may, I will have to be here and make the best of it. Making the best of it is perhaps the hardest  thing to do. Its easy to run away and escape while convincing yourself that it is GOD’S will or this is the best avenue but we don’t see or miss something that would mean far more important to us in the future.

 

                Certain parts in my life, I missed many things, decisions that lead me away from my sick brother and losing him forever still haunts me in my sleep (heck even waking times) therefore what is our purpose? Our goals? The cycle is

·         child (study, obedient and all rounder good)

·         Youth (Family values, improving ourselves)

·         Young& Free (Time to try everything, safetly knowing that someone will catch us when we fall)

·         Career (work work and more work. Build up )

·         Love (Husband and Wife time, the love and tribulations of this part of your life is important as it is the building blocks for the future generation)

·         Family(pace slows down as you start to have family, putting the family above everything else)

·         Retired(This is the fruits of life, relax and let the family take care of you and enjoy the comfort and love that you have built in your life)

 

Though it looks easy and clear cut BUT there are 1000 million ways that things could go wrong, if not the world wont be filled with divorced people, infidelity people, runaway kids and what not. This are the hurdles that we have to focus as once we lose sight of our objective then  we will lose those that are so dear to us. Should life pushes you to hard, take a moment, take a deep breath and ask yourself “Why did I chose this path ?” then you will find your niat (purpose) and you will find your way. Many a times, I get too stuck on something such as my online game (times till wee hours and $$ ) but nowdays, thanks to path of god, love of the family I am able to sit back, and look at it. Gone are the days of working till morning, sacrificing family time for that extra 1000 or closing a deal, I know now that what ever $$ is not worth missing the joy or smile of my kids and once missed it will never come again.. Izzany,I wished I was there with you, I would trade everything I was doing (material work) and just pack and go by yourside without thinking what I will do once I got fired BUT yeah I would be really worth it, for only to hear your voice and smile for one last time.. love you bro.

 

 

Peace.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Your childs mind..

               

All children, whatever their age and ability, have the potential to be better at thinking and learning. You, the parent, can help your child by providing greater richness and diversity to your child.

"Your child will use many different kinds of thinking to help her achieve success in life. There are at least nine kinds of intelligence that power her thinking mind. Each has a physical location in the brain, and provides a distinctive way of thinking. Each one enables us to solve different kinds of problem and achieve different kinds of success in the world. These different intelligences enable your child to engage in different kinds of learning. Usually we think of ourselves as having one mind, but our minds are more like an orchestra in which different parts contribute. We are sometimes aware of the need to bring these different parts of the mind to bear on a problem. Your child's mind does not just have one voice and one set of thoughts, but different voices and different sorts of thinking. To make the most of her mind we need to be aware of these and of the abilities which derive from each kind of intelligence. Every child, male or female, from whatever background, has each of these nine intelligences.


http://www.familiesonline.co.uk/ezimagecatalogue/catalogue/variations/23-250x250.gif

Intelligences



The old view of intelligence is that it was fixed thing like a sort of motor of a fixed capacity that you were born with and which never changed. When they measured the power of this mental motor they called it your IQ. We now know that those ,with high IQs do not necessarily end up richer, happier or more successful than those with lower IQs. The brain is less like a motor of fixed capacity but more like a series of engines whose capacities are unknown. What counts is making the most of the engines (or intelligences) that power your child's mind, and home life plays an important role in achieving this. None of us has a brain that is working at full capacity; we all have mental capacities that are underdeveloped. We do not know what we might have achieved with the right help, enough time and sufficient stimulus.

What is musical intelligence?

Every kind of musical intelligence is different, and this is a different kind of intelligence from any other. Some musicians are good mathematicians, but some are not. Some research suggests that learning music will help your child be better at maths and reading. If your child concentrates on music it may help with other kinds of concentration. Playing an instrument may help physical co-ordination of hand and eye. Playing music with others may develop social skills. So developing musical intelligence may help develop other kinds of intelligence. But the best reason for bringing music into the life of your child is to develop his unique musical gift, his ability to make music and appreciate music.

Seeing more - Developing visual and spatial intelligence

"We should talk less and draw more," said Goethe. Drawing, copying, tracing and making pictures can help a child make sense of the world around her. Drawing also enables a child to make visible what is imaginary. Drawing and artwork can help to celebrate pleasures such as birthdays or parties, or enable a child to express worries and anxieties such as the ghosts and monsters of imagination. Drawing stimulates visual intelligence and can be a way through which a feeling for beauty, harmony and order is developed.

It is never too early to introduce your child to works of art, or to visit art galleries. We live in a visually rich environment, surrounded by images that clamour for our attention. The flickering pictures on the TV screen and the endless spectacle of adverts, signs and symbols create a visual overload that stimulates the eye but does not instruct the mind. Some children grow up never paying attention to anything. They don't have to. They are used to being force-fed by the televisual world that surrounds them. Children need help in attending to what is important in their visual environment. They need to be taught how to look, to sustain attention, to take in information, to see details, to learn from what is seen. They need to stop and look.

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

It is Time..

To all Malaysians: Stand up for Perak on May 7

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Tuesday, 05 May 2009 15:30

By Wong Choon Mei, Suara Keadilan

Pro-democracy groups are calling on all Malaysians to dress in black wherever they are and whatever they may be doing on Thursday, May 7 - a day that will surely go down in history as one of the darkest in the country’s history.

On May 7, Thursday, Prime Minister Najib Razak’s Umno party will disregard all democratic rights, including the laws of the land, when his appointed chief minister for the northwestern Perak state, Zambry Kadir, pushes through motions in the legislative assembly to seal his party’s hold on power.

After three months, the coup d’état that Najib orchestrated in February, with the help of the Perak Sultan, has failed to gain the acceptance of the Perak people.

Instead of abating, their demands have intensified for fresh election to re-determine their state government. But to no avail! And this is the 21st century!

The Pakatan Rakyat administration led by popular PAS leader Nizar Jamaluddin was toppled as a result of the power grab, although it has the same number of seats as the Umno-BN coalition.

The peoples’ rights were clearly trampled on and ruthlessly suppressed.

Nizar has vowed to attend Thursday’s sitting and to fight on for the Perak people. His Pakatan coalition has vowed to support him all the way.

The Pakatan Rakyat leadership of Anwar Ibrahim, Lim Kit Siang and Abdul Hadi Awang asks all Malaysians to stand up for Perak.

Stand up for democracy and insist on your right to choose your own leaders!

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Suara Keadilan appends below comments from civil society leaders and human rights groups on the Perak debacle

Ramon Navaratnam, director of Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute
The whole chaotic situation has come about because the basic fundamental right of free and fair election was not observed.

Those at the very top must recognize this and take heed that this chaos and unhappiness is real and is caused by the peoples’ deep distress that their wishes have not prevailed.

Freedom of expression through fair and free election is being thwarted by the lack of political will on the part of many. There is only way way out of this chaos and confusion - free and fair election.

Only when the people of Perak are satisfied that they have been allowed to go through a process of utterly free and utterly fair election, then only will they be at peace.

P Ramakrishnan, president of social reform and human rights group Aliran
Rest assured that Perakians will long remember this hypocrisy and they will punish Umno without fail. The rallying cry for the next general election will be 
Remember Perak – Remember the Injustice!

Gavin Khoo, political analyst
My question is “Is Malaysia a rule-based society?”. What is the value of the constitution and rule of law if the guardians of our democratic rights can easily manipulate and misinterpret these rights to serve their own interests?

If we have to spend scarce resources on a good cause such as preserving our democratic rights then it has to be done e.g. the power grab and illegitimate government in Perak. It is clear and without a doubt that the BN installed Menteri Besar and state government would lose a state wide election if one is called. Simply, this was not the government elected by the people. Hence, to ensure our democracy works, it is important to go back to the people.

The society can only change for the better if everyone of us is committed to the effort of making this country better than what it was yesterday. We should decide if we wanted a better future for ourselves and our children.

Stop looking for the next politician or royalty to save us. Make all of them accountable for their words and action. You can make a difference. Do something for Malaysia.

Matthias Chang, former political secretary and adviser to ex-PM Mahathir Mohamad
Give Perak to them (the Pakatan Rakyat) and it will be their quagmire! Believe me. Don’t waste time in Perak. The Royal Household has created a big hole. Get out of it now!

From the Peoples’ Parliament
Imagine 7th May, and Malaysians from all walks of life, from Johore in the south right up to Perlis way up north, and our brothers and sisters in East Malaysia, at the train stations, bus stops, markets, offices, eating stalls, shopping malls, all dressed in black!

Imagine the youth, flash-mob style, turning fast food joints and shopping centres gloomy with their black attire!

Imagine the foreign and online media reporting how Malaysians turned out in full force throughout the country, all dressed in black wherever they were, to send a clear message to Najib and his cohorts in BN :

WE DO NOT APPROVE OF WHAT YOU HAVE DONE IN PERAK. RESTORE POWER BACK TO THE PEOPLE NOW OR BE PREPARED TO PAY DEARLY

I t will not take much for you to be a part of this effort. You do not have to give up a day at work. Heck go to work and get your colleagues to join you.

Make the effort now to call up at least 10 people you know and urge them to turn Malaysia black this 7th May.

 

Sunday, May 3, 2009

TIn LIfe..

                Its Sunday and im at work, SIGH… how I wish I could be home with the family. Nevertheless, later tonight I hope to take them to the funfair, you know the old funfair that stops by small towns for months end. My daughter is so excited to ride the ferris wheel , though looking at it, it surely doesn’t look like a ferris wheel at all but well children will be chidren.  I didn’t know what to write actually but while powering up the pc, I came across this picture (it was on the screen saver) so I thought, let me share this story with you all.

 

                The story began with the arrival of my uncle from London, he stays there now but he visits ever so often, Ami Chet is what we call him. In  my growing up years, ami chet was one of the more closer uncles to me, I was around during his growing up time and during the passing of my father and brothers, he made an effort to come back and offered his shoulder to cry on. As far, I know, ami chet went to London to study but then decide to stay on there and make his mark there. This is a hard choice because London is a foreign country and making a buck tere will surely not be easy.

 

                His effort, hardship and success story is journal on his own and I thinkit should be accorded to im to write about it but the lesson for me was that dreams and amibitions knows no bounds. He showed us that nothing is impossible, making a market in a land filled with Mat Salleh and raising his family while keeping in close touch with the family and our family values. This is what makes Shahabudin a great family, no matter how far we are, we get closer and tighter together. Anyway before I get carried away…lets go on.

 

                This event was held in Holiday Villa A.S and of course organized by our top event manager- Chik Zaa, we had gathered to celebrate Ami’s Chet daughter birthday and have a family dinner. I took the family and even Adik joined in the fun. He was far from walking stage at hs time…stumbling to most of the effect. It was Kierra’s first dinner party and she got dressed for the part, her date for the night was her uncle Ami Lah. They had a gala time together. What brings out the memory for me was the night itself, the participation by the family and the get together of all the brothers. I saw the cousins and how they interacted with each other. My wife was in pink dress with my daughter and we had a fun time with the family. That was good times, no troubles and my family was truly a happy family.

 

                This small moments was made possible by Ami Chet and it was a great night, we sang and laugh and all in all it was done without any mishaps. As my children grow up, I hope that we can do more of this, as for now, I have nephew and nieces and young cousins (ay they are still coming) with 1 more wedding to look forward to in December (my bro wedding is in May, so I guess that makes it two) In the end, as God bless us with his grace and generosity, I hope that we can remember the important things to us, as wealth distracts us, it is us that must find the strength to keep ourselves grounded and value the important things in life. There are many events and functions like this but for today, I thought I just write about this first, The values of family is not only in sickeness and misery but in happy times and celebration of each other, I am blessed that this was taught to me from young and I shall pass it on to my kids as they grow up. Do not forget our history as from this history and of memories are what our characters are built on thus pass on the message: We are family and damn proud to be one! From Ami Chet, I learned that although God gave his good fortunes in a London, it was his will and niat that he did the birthday party in A.S with the whole family and because of him, I now have a treasured memory of the wonderful night, with the family. Thank You Ami Chet..