Setiap kali 31/8 kita akan menyambut hari kemerdakaan negara. Tahun ni masuklah 59 tahun usia negara kita. Masih muda, jauh lagi perjalanan Malaysia. Kadang-kadang kita take things for granted. Our people, our food, wonderful & amazing places - islands, rainforests, mountains. Bila sekali-sekala ke luar negara, baru kita rasa rindu :)

Tak semua perfect, tuh perlu diakui. Tapi kalau setiap dari kita memainkan peranan, banyak lagi yang  boleh dicapai. Nilai patriotisme tuh bukan sekadar terletak pada bendera yang dikibar, pada laungan merdeka atau mercun yang dibakar pada ambang merdeka. Kalau setakat itu, macamana dengan pejuang yang berjuang mendapatkan kemerdekaan tanpa bendera untuk dikibar, tanpa lagu untuk dinyanyikan. Maka mereka berjuang atas dasar apa? Itulah semangat yang mungkin tak terjangkau oleh kita yang lahir pasca merdeka nih. Yang kita tau, kemerdekaan ni perlu dikekalkan.

Kita mula dengan perkara-perkara yang kita boleh dan mampu buat dulu. Bukan semua boleh menyumbang ide yang hebat, kita bukannya semua profesor. Bukan semua boleh menyumbang jutaan ringgit, bukan semua kita ahli perniagaan yang kaya-raya. Tapi kalau kita ada rasa cintakan negara, setidaknya, kita boleh jaga kebersihan tempat-tempat pelancongan di Malaysia.

Sedih tengok kebanyakan tempat pelancongan awam tak terjaga kebersihannya. Macam masa aku pergi hiking bukit batu putih lagi harituh. Kat atas puncak bukit tuh bersepah sampah. Ikut jalan turun yang lain, ada private beach pun sama, bersepah botol plastik. Tempat tuh agak secluded. Bukannya ada tukang cuci sampah kat situ, tong sampah pun takde, tak boleh ke angkut sampah sendiri?

This topic just came about as I was thinking about the mistakes or wrongdoings that I have done. The moment where you are scolded because you did something wrong although you did try your best, heck it was your first try anyways, but no, people are more result oriented. So if you do something wrong, most of the time you will be penalized in a certain way. Sometimes, even if people say

“ That’s a waste of time” or  “Don’t you have anything better to do” even those words can make you feel a bit down.

People ignore the fact that human learn from their mistakes. It is said that Thomas Alva Edison tried 1000 times before he came out with his ever so famous invention, the light bulb. There is only one way that you will never fail and never make mistake and that is by not doing anything, by not trying a new thing, by not pushing yourself to a certain limit, by doing the same routine.

As we get older, we don’t embrace change easily, we fear new things, and we want stability and comfort. When I continued my studies, I remembered how nervous I was sitting for the exams and taking tests. Beats SPM, Matrix & Degree for sure haha.

One of the main reason is because we care much about the perception of others. We feel embarrassed when people point out our mistakes. I feel the same way too. And it gets worst if the perceptions come from the people that we already know. I rather embarrass myself in front of complete strangers then in front of family members/friends/colleague.

So sometimes what I do is I turn to social media. I join certain groups that can benefit, encourage me and share new knowledge. Try to find new friends who have similar interest, so in that way, they won’t ridicule you! So for those out there trying new things, reach out for those who can give you a hand & support you and mute the negative sounds around you.

I really am jealous of people who can find their passion in life and pursue it. No matter what the field is – fashion, sports, art, design, writing etc. The fact that they know what to do and do what they really want to do is a huge thing. For most of the people it is their childhood upbringing that sparks the interest – Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, just mentioning a few figures that their stories have been told before.

The inspiration not necessarily comes from the parents, it might come from peers, siblings, neighbours and so on. But the main thing is why does childhood gives such an impact? For me, maybe because during childhood we don’t have anything to fear, free against any judgement, not afraid to try things, and not being afraid of failure and scepticism. It is the age where they are supposed to explore everything, find their interest. They are only children once.

But what will happen when these children are burdened with responsibilities at such young age? What will happen if they are scold and condemned because of their fault? They are children, they make mistakes, they fail if they try and that’s ok. It’s a learning process. Parents and in general the society expect kids to excel in their exams, as if, if they don’t get straight A’s it is the end of the world for them. So the kids are afraid, they become timid and shy especially the “non-performing” students. They don’t want to fail, so they quit trying things. They focus on drills and force themselves to become excellent. Because when they do, that’s when they get praised, that’s when they get the compliment that they wanted to hear so much. The media also lends the spotlight to students who scores the most amount of A+, the best school, the best state.

Well some of them might succeed, yes they will get great results in exams, yes they may turn out to be that picture perfect student in school, in universities. But then what? Will they be joining the rat race? Can they still succeed in life after the college years?

Bottom line is, find a way to find your passion. It’s still not too late to try new things. Finding passion comes from the process of trial and error. So get inspired, try new things and remember to find and cultivate the passion.

I just love to ramble, hence this section labelled ramblings. It’s just something that I wanted to write about and share with 1-2 guys who are reading this blog. Ok so back to the topic of discussion, when did I realise that I am an adult? What is the definition of an adult? For me being an adult means that you are independent, you can live by yourself and be responsible for your own life. Of course parents will always want to help you anyways, but being adult is about standing on your own feet.

I remembered when I got my first job, and rent a flat with a few friends. It is not that far from home, but still, that’s the moment when I realise that I am an adult and I have to do things on my own. It is different life compared to school life or university life. To sum it all up, this poem If by Rudyard Kipling. I rarely read poems, but this one is truly a really inspiring and explains what adulthood and maturity is all about

If you can keep your head when all about you

Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

But make allowance for their doubting too;

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream — and not make dreams your master;

If you can think — and not make thoughts your aim;

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

And treat those two impostors just the same;

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone,

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,

Or walk with Kings — nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,

And — which is more — you’ll be a Man, my son!

 - Rudyard Kipling-

Sometimes it is easier for us to think about the past, to question “What if…” We regret things that we did wrong or we didn’t do. But the past is just a history as some people say. It’s over and its time to move on. Sometimes we always think about the future. We also ask the same question “What if…” We become afraid of the uncertainties, of things that might happen or might not happen. 

But what about the present? We forget about it? We let it slip away until it becomes the past. I have to admit, sometimes I am like that. So I’m trying to balance things out. I’m not saying that thinking about the past is totally a bad thing. We learn from the past so we don’t repeat the same mistakes. We reminisce the sweet memories that are dear to us. And of course we have to think about our future, we must be prepared for what lies ahead. But, the present is most important. Live in the moment, live in the present. The present is a gift after all. Carpe diem!

I think that most of you will agree if I say that we always think that other people have a better life than us. The grass is always greener on the other side, as the saying goes. So we chase after that happiness. Wanting to achieve the kind of happiness that we think they have. But what is happiness? How can it be defined? It certainly can’t be measured. Happiness comes in different form, that giddy feeling when you stumble upon someone you have a crush on, that proud moment when you received you degree, when you cried after delivering your baby, that ecstatic state you’re in when your football team won a game.

But how long does it last? A year? A month? A day? An hour? Definitely it is not forever. Feelings are never constant. That ‘happiness’ is just a temporary high. Who wouldn’t be happy to buy something? For instance a car, a sports car. Of course you’re happy but it’s only for a certain moment. Will you still be happy a day after that? A month? A year after that? So you keep on chasing, searching for ‘happiness’.  The thing is, life is not ALWAYS about being happy. Life has its ups and downs so you’ll never catch up with happiness. Maybe what we should be looking for is a balanced life. When time gets hard, just remember that it will past, and some kind of happiness will come

Bila korang start ambil lesen kereta? Well normally orang ambik after SPM kan sambil2 tunggu result tuh, kita ambik lesen. Same goes for me, ambik lesen after SPM. Fail untuk ujian memandu haha. Nasib ambik kali kedua lulus barulah seronok boleh drive ke sana ke mari yeehaaa. TAPI after dapat lesen dapat masuk matrix yang jauh dari rumah makanya, tak drivelah selama setahun lebih.

Bila masuk u pun belum berani nak bawak kereta walau berlesen. Then masuk tahun kedua, time tuh kat rumah ada kereta Wira lama, jadi kereta tuh diturunkanlah kepada saya untuk dibawa ke uni. Hari first bawak kereta, memang menggelabah habis. Stereng autolock pun tak tau nak unlock haha lawak ok. Enjin mati banyak kali, maklum pakai kereta MANUAL.Yup manual huhu.

Dan standard kalau kat uni bawak kereta, mesti penuh satu geng seme nak naik kan? hehe. Kerja orang yang ada kereta adalah membawa geng  berjalan, tukar selera makan kat kolej lain, kalau tak, makan kolej sendiri or kolej yang dekat2 je kan. Tolong hantar p balik kolej tuh standard. Nak tunggu bas lambat sangat.

Kemudian ada satu kejadian ni, nak bawak geng tempat jauh sikit, so pergilah ke satu mall ni. Dah pergi parking seme ok, sekali masa nak balik dia punya corner tuh macam a bit tight. Kan ada certain mall yang corner dia cukup2 je tuh kan? Saya langgar tebing tepi tuh dan terseret lah kereta wira berwarna perak pinjaman ayah saya tuh. Aduih.Memang cuak gilalah time tuh.

Then masa kerja pun pernah eksiden kat satu roundabaut nih, berlanggar dengan lori besar. Pergi repot pun tak boleh nak determine kesalahan sape, alihnya kena keluar kos sendiri untuk ketuk & cat kereta. Sekarang kereta wira tuh pun dah dijual, dah ada kereta lain dan langkah pun makin jauh. haha. Kesimpulannya, berbalik kepada tajuk tuh, driving adalah permulaan kepada perjalanan yang panjang :) No I'm not going to show my car haha, nih bukan selfie and drive ok.

Been thinking for a while to rename my blog. Sebabnya? Sebab pada tahun ni saya plan nak buat banyaakkkkkkk benda. As in I want to try new things hahah. Inilah akibatnya masa kecik-kecik dulu tak nak try new things kan? Seriously even until Uni pun sibuk study je, tak pernahnya nak join aktiviti koko. Bila dah kerja baru macam terdedah sikit. Minat travel pun datang sedikit sebanyak sebab during my first job, kat opis ada kelab kembara gitu hehe. So on the travelling side memang dah adalah plannya sedikit sebanyak for this year.

Selain dari tuh, jika before nih hobi sekadar membaca & tengok kdrama, ingat nak try to do something productive.  Before nih adalah masak & baking. Kira luluslah kut. Pun akan dishare jugak plus lately rajin bawak bekal/bento pergi opis so ingat nak share and document the recipes. Resipi yang ringkas2 untuk bekal konsepnya. Di samping menjimatkan (save duit untuk travel hahah) lebih sihat, halalan toiyyiban.

I also enjoy DIY. So macam nak try sewing. Sewing, actually after SPM ada jugak buat sikit2. Eh saya ambil ERT ok hahah malulah kalau dak reti sikit2 sewing tuh. Tapi ni nak try jahit yang advance sikit lah.

Dan lastly,  gardening (more to tanaman yang simple2 macam sayur). Gardening nih memang tak pernah try. So kita tengoklah tangan ni sejuk ke panas kata orang. Nantilah akan direkodkan dalam blog nih. Hopefully by the end of this year, kita dapat tengok ala-ala macam rekod book la ye berjaya ke idak dalam setiap aktiviti yang dicuba.Kita belajar, try buat, kalau tak berjaya cubalah lagi kan?

Kalau ikut banyak lagi benda lain nak buat - Belajar bahasa lain (Mandarin especially) and to learn martial arts (taekwando maybe?) tapi tuh nanti-nantilah ye kita try. So for the meantime, kita buat yang termampu dulu hehe.

Dengan ini diumumkan blog bertukar nama kepada

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Drumroll

-Bilasarahberaksi-

#jangankecamsaya

#janganaksimacammacamsarah

#komampukenakbuatsemenih