A little thought

It's the semester break now . Every morning I woke up with a smile on the face , realizing that I have the freedom to do almost anything , unhindered by any restrictions of studying responsibilities or other commitments . Every day is like a Saturday / Sunday , in the way that most working people get to enjoy their lazy weekends relaxing , I get to enjoy the same feeling of relaxation , stress-free life everyday , well almost everyday.. for some times family duty calls and I have to be a driver for my bratty , irresponsible younger sister. Ah , and who could forget the indispensable , occasional hang out with friends , sometimes a little too many to reconnect and mend those broken bonds , to catch up and have fun . Nevertheless , save for those times , I could say that I am totally in control of my life and for that I am eternally grateful .


So , as always , on a lazy Friday morning , I have the privilege to wake up late , unobstructed by any calls for driving duty or any other commitments . Then , after finished accomplishing the mundane daily routine of bathing and eating breakfast ( brunch in my case ) , I switched on my computer for my daily dosage of entertainment ( comprising of Facebook , some web surfing and a lot of youtubing ) . Now, I have to clear up one point . Contrary to popular belief , Internet is quite a productive tool for teenagers like us . No, it is not a dangerous, evil-inducing , porn-infested , mind-twisting tool as feared by many of the parents and adults.


Despite all the bad rumours circulating around and being notoriously famous for a dangerous tool for teenagers and kids , the fears of using Internet are unfounded . In fact, one can learn a lot from the web . Being a powerhouse of information and knowledge , one can virtually learn anything , acquiring any information or knowledge on any specific or general topic instantly and best of all , at no cost whatsoever !

Anyhow , I digressed . As the blog title suggests , my inspiration to blog today came from a few youtube videos , 2 of them to be specific . One of them is this video , depicting the lyric ( pin yin , chinese characters and the translation ) of a song called 超人不会飞 ( Superman Can't Fly ) by acclaimed  pop star, Jay Chou . I am sure most of you would know this famous name that needs no explanation , but what I want to highlight here is the lyric of the song , that depicts his 10 years career as singer-songwriter , constantly being chased by paparazzi , judged by countless other people, strangers included on every single action that he takes. The lyric of the song basically reflects what he thinks on all his achievements so far . So, if you care and have some time to spare, do study the lyrics and ponder about it :) .


So many people waste their time on the wrong thing such as gossiping , judging people , making presumptions , allegations and accusations , even before they really know someone . Why ? What has this world become ? A world where people focuses more on people's bad points and weakness instead of their strength and good points , where a single wrongdoing and bad action would be ingrained in people's brain forever , while their countless other good deeds and action would be forgotten instantly , where too much time,energy and effort are being spent popularizing , discussing and glorifying every action of the rich and famous , while the good deeds and actions of the commoners who did so much more are left untold , being swept away by the relentless march of time , remaining as unsung heroes.

Another video is about this CNN interview with another International superstar, Wang Lee Hom . Again, I believe people like him needs little or no introduction at all . Wang Lee Hom is one of my idol . I seriously admire people like him , the perfectionist that truly has the passion for music ,and given his good looks and musical talent , he still works equally hard, if not harder than the rest to compose and sing his song with heart and soul , something that's undeniably impressive and worth noticing . One of my personal truth is that people who makes good music are good people , and I strongly believe in this . This is because , anyone that has passion in doing whatever they are doing are definitely good people , much more so if the person in question is spreading goodwill and inspiring countless others to do the same.


Also, it struck me a little while ago , that life is naturally unfair . Some people are better and more talented at something else , while some people aren't . Some people are more well off , came from a better family background and etc, while some people are just struggling to even survive. However, if there's one thing that's fair in this world, it is that every single one of us in this world are given the same amount of time a day , 24 hours. And it is up to us , how we want to spend it . We can either waste it away doing some nonsensical , unproductive stuff , or spending it in a manner that will get you one step closer to your dream !  

Take some time to ponder about it :) And while you're at it , you can spare some time to watch this talented Sungha Jung . Cheers ! 

Jogging

At first it was a gentle, warm breeze that slowly caresses my cheek . Then , the nature ,as if conspiring against me , the warm breeze turned into a gust of wind , stopping me from going any further . Nevertheless , I persevered , with my heart palpitating at a above average pace and legs moving more and more swiftly . As I approaches the destination ,my mind slowly turning blank , leaving behind only one thought : Faster . The synapses traveled from my brain to each and every body part of mine . An adrenaline rush radiated within my body , and I ran, with a speed much faster than I thought I could possibly capable of , and it finally happened . Sweats dripping down from my cheek , and leaking out from virtually every sweat pore in my body , then a feeling of liberation and relief filled me . TOUCHDOWN! 10 laps , finally being completed at last !

***

Jogging , according to Wikipedia , is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase physical fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running. 


But for me however , the definition of jogging extends far beyond that . Jogging , is an  exhausting , tiring , stamina-sapping yet fun and liberating physical activity that provides an unique experience to every individual person .

On the way to the park behind my house.

Only recently , did I try taking up this sport after hearing about its health benefits ,which includes burning fats , strengthening bones and muscles , improves sleep and countless others. In fact, it's so popular that almost every single fitness enthusiast would recommend incorporating jogging into your fitness regimen.

The beautiful park , complete with its jogging track

So, being someone who is always eager to try new things and get out from my comfort zone, I tried it out. Not surprisingly , I got hooked to it immediately . Every single time I went jogging , it provides the same liberating experience and every jog is different and unique. It helps that there's a nice park , complete with jogging tracks and background scenery to compliment the experience.


I have the say , when you jog at a consistently slow pace , your mind will start filtering out all your worries and stresses , leaving behind a crystal clear mind , and an ability to think better and focuses on more higher priorities in life. It also helps you to focus and concentrates better .When you raised up a gear and decided to go for a faster , brisk pace , that's when your mind will completely blanked out , allowing you to focus completely on .


Better yet , jogging is like a journey to re-discover yourself and allows you to forget about the trivialities in life , to do a little self reflection and soul searching . Even now , I am still perplexed as to why people don't like jogging . It is easily one of the best physical exercise that doesn't demands much and offers a lot of health benefits all packaged in an  convenient ,easily accessible . ( Well you just have to need yourself and an area to jog in ) If you haven't try it yet , grab your running shoes ( or even barefoot if you prefer ) and start jogging/running now ! 

My starting point and also my final destination : the yellow hump

The sign reads " Caution , slow down " . The first time I saw it , I  laughed as  it would be funny if this sign was a practical joke intended for joggers/runners that ran too fast .

On the side note , time does flies doesn't it ? In a nick of time , it's already the first of July . 2 months of break seems very short now with the way time moves . Nevertheless , this is the cruel reality of life . The fact is all of us are given the equal 24 hours a day , and no matter how we choose to spend it , time will march on relentlessly . So , why not choose to spend it in a more productive way ? Here's for a better future ! Cheers people . Until next post :)

End of First Year.

The sweltering oven-like temperature at night , occasional invasion of monkeys and flies , and not forgotten the pungent smell of the toilet . That would be roughly how a year spent in my hostel sounds like . Amidst all that , however we finally lived through that hellish year . And what made all these possible ? I would have to say it’s the roommates.

I am eternally grateful for my roommate this year. You see, since this is our first year , we are not given much choice on who or where we stay . You simply accepted what you were offered . In retrospect , none of us would never expect to made it through this semester . I certainly didn’t expect it. I remember the moment I got the news that I have been accepted to University of Malaya, I screamed. I literally screamed with excitement and joy . The atmosphere was electrifying .However , when the excitement dies down, comes trepidation and sense of anxiety . Then it turned into a brooding atmosphere. Those who are close enough to me would know that I am a deep thinker , or in a less flattering term , worrywart . I mean, I can really think , sometimes a little too much about every single trivial and important things . At that time , I was contemplating the worst case scenario , I am unfamiliar with KL ,heck I never even been there before , I have to stay with 2 other roommates ? What the heck , and it will only be a small room . Dang.

Then the day of departure came . At that time , I was unfortunately having eye disease and can barely open my left eye . When I went into my room , I saw a big , tall guy with his entire family . And oh boy , the room was freakishly small . We introduced ourselves and made some small talks . Then , we were relieved , for we thought it would only be the two of us , as it’s already 10 + am at that time when we are supposed to check in an hour earlier. To our surprise , our third roommate came , 2 hours later , alone , with only one luggage bag and laptop bag accompanying him .Well , still being sick at that time and with my lousy command of Mandarin , I barely spoke much to them in that orientation week.

However, that was then . How ironic it is , over time , we found out more about each other , and apparently we are quite matched in personalities and attitude . I have to say in the entire college , both of my roommates are among the craziest , funniest and friendly bunch . Even in universities , people form their own cliques , separate from them and form new ones. There are so much dramas even in just a mere first year. But I am glad , I survived them , and learnt some hard lessons along the way. Nevertheless ,I have the emphasized that during the ups and downs in this year , my roommates have never , ever been the cause of the bad times , and that they have always been there for me ( sometimes ) .Therefore , I am grateful , I must have done something good in the past life to be blessed with such luck .

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. It came early for this good thing . Merely a year , and we have already adjusted well to each other , yet the separation has to come . I wondered how would it be had we stayed together for 2 more years?

In just a blink of an eye , our 1st year as undergraduates junior have already ended ,and the long awaited 2 months break have arrived . Come the second year first semester , we will be given the right to choose our own roommates . I wished to stay together with these two roommates again , but the choice is not mine alone . Oh well , all good things will come to an end. But know this , eventhough you may not see this , but my memories spent with the two of you roommates will be etched forever in my brain , and I can only wish for all the best for both of you in the future ;) .

Now, with the end of my first year , I have a 2 months break to tinker with my life however I want it, and I am hoping to use it productively . Having survived this tumultuous first year , I can only pray and hope for the best for my second year and ahead. Hopefully , everything will be okay and the ride will be a smooth one. But hey , that’s the stuff I should be doing when I am about to enter second year .

For now, it’s time for the well-deserved HOLIDAY!!! Cheers people ;)