Writings Of My Other Self

Dear blog,

It has been a very very long while since i last wrote an entry. I tried writing a few times but i was just too busy to write. Either that or i wasn’t in the mood to write. (Wrote half way and then felt that it was boring so i deleted them).

Today is a Saturday and my friends and I are taking care of the office since the office caretaker went back to his hometown for ‘Lebaran’ (Holiday - Idul Fitri).

Now, on to the juicy part of this entry: My Experience in Jakarta, Indonesia.

I came to Jakarta for two purpose that is firstly to undergo internship and secondly, to seek a different life experience. I can proudly say that i have not only achieved both objectives but also gained so much more. My stay here has been a great source of inspiration.

Food Wise:
Jakarta is filled with food. In Malaysia, we have hawker stalls, over here they have ‘Warungs’. Everything in Indonesia is spicy. (They even put ’sambal’ into their porridge, something i’m not used to). I will never forget Nasi Pecel, Pecel Lele, Gado-gado and my favourite, KEROPOK Go Pek (it costs 500 rupiah).

In Indonesia, food comes looking for you. There are food vendors that either walks or cycles around the neighborhood with their carts until around 2am in the morning. That holds true until Idul Fitri arrives. Everyone ‘mudik’ (goes back to their hometown) and food is scarce (except Mc Donalds and Dunkin Donuts).

People:
In my opinion, the word ‘manners’ here means a lot. That’s what i’ve learned throughout my stay in Jakarta. I don’t really mix with the rich but most of my friends come from humble origins. They are not materially rich but they are rich in their cultural values.

Over here, i learned that there are several ways of greeting. Shaking hands (and then put it to your heart to show sincerity), taking an older person’s hand and touching it to your forehead and etc. I even learned that in Bahasa Jawa, you have special callings for older people. My friends are all well mannered people and i was just so blessed to have met them. I learned a lot from them culturally.

FAITH:
Then there’s my new found family in Christ here. The church is just located behind my office, so it is very convenient. (I have no excuses not to attend prayer meetings and bible studies)

The church here has taught me a lot of things. I managed to join their worship team as a backup singer and i learned a lot of songs in Bahasa Indonesia. They are all really awesome songs. It has been great knowing the people at church and it’s good to know that you can find a ‘family’ even though you are in another country. Oh yea, the worship team here sacrifice half of their Sunday at church. Why? Because there are two services, and if you’re in the worship team, you have to serve for both service, that means coming to church at 7:30am and serving until 12pm. After that there’s practice which last from 1pm to around 3:30pm. Even the guy in charge of the sound system needs to stay until the practice is over. Every little thing is important. During worship, each and everyone of them serve wholeheartedly. Even the person in charge of the projection does his job with almost perfect timing. THAT is what i call worship and THAT is the way Christians should be serving God.

On to some witnessing. I managed to talk to an older guy who is serving full time. He told me about a lady at church who is blind. That lady has a master’s degree in Theology, is a wife and mother and is able to serve God. Last year, she led a Christmas session at the church here where only blind people attended. Every single one of the attendees were blind. From the musicians (yes, MUSICIANS!) to the speaker, to the congregation. All these people though they were blind are serving God so faithfully. It brings shame to those of us who are not disabled in any way. Then there is another story of a guy who is both blind and deaf. He works as a massager. He is faithfully preaching the gospel. Next up is an Indonesian actor (forgot what his name is) who is also a preacher. Imagine that your pastor is a super star (O_o’) [and here some of us always say that we have no time to contribute to the church]. Then, there are my friends here who are around 17 or 18 years old who are studying at seminaries. I was shocked… they have given their lives to God at such a young age… I really do not have the grace to do so. Anyhow, all these amazing stories really inspires me to really buck up and serve God with reverence. In Indonesia, i saw how flexible Christianity is. People are not interested in the Laws of God. They are interested in the Grace of God. It is just so awesome to be seeing and experiencing all these things in Indonesia. THANK YOU GOD!

Oh yea, bible study has taught me a lot. That includes learning the Bahasa version of the chapters in the bible. Basically i am getting the same message that i’ve heard before but this time it’s in Bahasa. So, it is really interesting. The awesome thing about the bible is that when you read it at a different age, you get to understand deeper things. Things that aren’t revealed to you when you were still a kid. I think i get it now why it’s called the Living Word.

I’ve also learned that the most important thing for a Christian is not to preach the gospel. There is no use in just preaching the gospel when you’re not living it yourself. Nobody will believe you.

WORK
People at the office have taught me a lot of things Every single day i learn new things. I am on the same floor with 3 product managers and the director himself. I am always getting indirect lessons from them. From the way they handle their customers, the way they talk on the phone, the way they negotiate and the way they manage people. Seeing them work is a lesson in itself. This is so much more effective than learning managerial theories.

My director sometimes invites me over to his house. I really like to go to his house. Why? It’s because he will then talk to me and tell me about his life experience and teach me life lessons. He likes to give me a lot of advice and i listen with an open mind.

“If you live life without a goal, you are like a vehicle with limited fuel. You drive around aimlessly and halfway through, your gas runs out and you have yet to reach your destination.”

“If you are old, always feel green. Never once think that you have matured. Once you feel matured, that is the time when you stop learning and start decaying”

“No man is an island. We all need each other. Nobody is perfect. We were born to fill in the gaps that others have and likewise others are needed to fill the gaps that we have. That is why even though you might not like a person, it doesn’t mean that you should totally ignore them.”

“What you are in the future depends on the books that you’re reading today, the friends that you’re hanging around with today and whether you have determined a goal to achieve.”

“Always smile!”

The above are some of his favorite sayings. My boss is a really great guy. I think 50% of the changes that happened to me was due to his contribution. He really broke down my walls. When i came here, i had a lot of defects but i think i am a better person than i was before. Thank you Mr. Aloys! I will never forget my time here at PT MultiIntegra.

Life has graced me with a lot of wisdom since i set foot in the Republic of Indonesia. It has been almost 4 months and my time here is almost up. I am grateful to be here. (I haven’t visited a lot of places but in return, i learned a lot). That’s it! See ya!

Recently, our new Prime Minister announced this extravagant concept called ‘1Malaysia’ which basically means that all the races in Malaysia are united as one but seriously, I think the concept will not materialize if the mindset of the people continue to dwell on the past. More specifically, if Malaysians were to continue to dwell on the period between 1960s, the concept of 1Malaysia can just be thrown into the thrash can.

Now you ask why do i say such things? Well, it is simply the facts. May i quote the stand up comedian Mr. Russell Peters, “We are all racists”. Honestly, we are. The only difference is that we are racist on different levels/matters. Ironically, most Malaysians are friendly towards foreigners but are hostile towards their own countrymen (Oh, i forgot, if you’re a foreigner, they’re only friendly to ‘white people’). It’s just sad and not to mention stupid…

Just two weeks ago, my friend was warded in the hospital and what she saw was how racism was instilled into a young boy. Briefly, this was what happened:

1) Chinese boy was in the room
2) Malay boy was in the same room eating Rocky (you know, that chocolate biscuit thing)
3) Malay boy offered the Chinese boy a stick of Rocky
4) Chinese boy was about to take it when suddenly…

“Son! Don’t take that! It’s dirty!!!” (Guess who?… … … … ) <- Chinese Boy’s Mother…

Logically, if it’s dirty, do you think the Malay Boy’s parents would allow their son to eat it…

I mean, come on! That’s just a little kid offering to share his goodies with another little kid, it’s not as if little kids know how to purposely plan to poison strangers. Nope, they don’t, that would be the knowledge that society as a whole instills in kids as they grow older. I think if the boy were to face similar scenarios, he’ll definitely grow up to be a well-groomed racist and he’s gonna subconsciously think that things offered by other races are dirty.

Anyway, the scenario above shows the root cause of racism which is PARENTAL TEACHING. Seriously, those of you who’re reading this post of mine, have you ever heard any racist remarks made by your parents? Have you yourself learned how to stereotype people based on their race?

As an EXAMPLE:

Malays = Laziness & Mat Rempits
Chinese = Gambler (that’s why you see so much ‘Hutang Ah Long’ cases) & Promiscuity & Gangsterism
Indians = Violence & Poverty

Parents are supposed to teach their kids the good stuff, but most of the time, due to their own upbringing, they instead teach their kids to be racists. To all Malaysians out there, i plead with you to forget what your parents say about the other races and experience building relationships with them yourself. “Belum cuba, belum tahu.”
And you know what? The crazy thing is, racism does not happen among the aboriginals. Seriously, you don’t see the Orang Asli of Peninsular Malaysia hating the Ibanese or Kadazans living in Sabah and Sarawak, and you sure don’t see them hating the Chinese or Indians or Malays. They just don’t!

Most of us who are born from 1970s onwards should do away with racism. The older generation might be racist due to the fabled ‘Peristiwa Mei 13′. They’ve seen it happen with their own eyes and felt the horror/terror and whatever else. But we as the new generation, we have never had such incidents. We’ve never experienced physical beating for being a different race. We aren’t killed for being a different race. Nope, don’t see that happening. So why are we being so racist? I don’t know… Ask yourself… Is it because of your parent’s influence? Is it because someone out there have indirectly hurt you and you decided to label/stereotype his/her entire race as stupid? Is it because you watched too much TV? Is it because you heard stuff from your racist friends? The possibility is endless but always remember that ultimately, it is your choice in deciding whether to be a racist or not.

Side Joke: I think if the Internal Security Act were to be used against people who are racist, all of us would end up at the Kamunting Camp.

Last words: STOP THE RACISM

Sighs, i really hate it when the connection becomes ultra slow… Being a Data Communication student, when the line slows down, i get all crazy and my blood pressure soars to the skies.

Sighs, but i guess there’s nothing much i can do about it…

It just sucks! (Stupid Streamyx…)

Hahaha, anyway, i was browsing the net and came across this pic and i thought it was funny.

Ok, so i got bitten by this one dog that lives nearby my friend’s house about three days ago. It was not fun having to go to the clinic and getting an injection and having to suffer pain for a few days but i guess it happened and so i’m writing it down.

Hurts in my hand, knee and stomach. Grrr… dumb dog. I even fed it ya know… Sighs, i guess the old saying ‘don’t bite the hand that feeds you’ should be taught to that dog.

Thankfully the wounds are healing. The ‘not so nice’ part would be having to take medications to ensure that i don’t get some weird disease and start going mad. Hahahaha.

Hmm… that’s it i guess…

I caaaaaaaaaaan’t sleep. Repeat after me “Stop worrying! Stop worrying! Stop worrying!”
[How can i not worry? It's crazy! So many things to do and so little time to do them... plus, i don't really have the technical know how to do them]

To help me sleep, i’ll be listing them down here:
1) FYP –> Major amounts of worry since i don’t have a single clue as to how I’m supposed to finish it
2) TCP/IP project –> Huge amounts of worry since it’s kinda screwed up
3) Client/Server project –> Very worried since it’s a 5000 words report
4) Cisco contest –> Don’t know whether it’s compulsory to join or not
5) Friend’s marketing campaign–> Don’t know whether i can still manage to help him or not
6) Internship –> Quite worried since i don’t have a placement yet

Hey, that’s not so bad, it’s just six things that i’ll have to slowly deal with. Right? Right? (tries hard to cheer myself up). Thank God i’m still alive.

(somehow i look kiddish in this pic…)

People have been telling me not to stress myself too much and more of these kind people are going to show up telling me the same thing but how can i not be stressed when I’m so uncertain about my abilities? It’s just very easy for a person to tell another person to “not stress yourself too much” but it’s another thing for the person who’s actually stressing. Hah! Well, i do appreciate the concern and i sincerely thank those kind people. At least i know that they care and well, i don’t know… it’s just nice to know that people care about you. (now i’m trying to think about all the good stuff… counting my blessings…1,2,3,4…infinity)

I was about to go to sleep an hour ago until my list of ‘To Dos’ came rolling like the credits at the end of a show. One by one they kept popping up in my head and then i went all psycho and started going zonkers about them. Now i feel all better after blogging about them. I hope i don’t burnout with so many things at hand.

I really do feel unproductive nowadays. I guess it’s time i smack myself in the face(Imagine looking in the mirror, aiming for your own face and SMACK!) for being such a lazy person. Wahahaha. (Smacks myself again for the unwarranted laughter)

Okay, okay, no more playing around and no more sleeping at 4am in the morning every single day. Time to buck up, readjust to being a productive citizen and be a Christian Student. No more wasting time and doing stupid stuff. Got it?! (talking to myself) “Yessssheeeeerrreeee!” (Answering my own question).
[This is what happens when you can't sleep and feel stressed. You pose questions to yourself and then you answer them. Weird huh? (x_x) ]

Good. Now go to bed soldier!

“Yes sir!”

Note to self: Hopefully i can reach church by 10:30am later else Zhou’s soooo gonna kill me…

Good night!

Once again, my little mind has wandered of from reality and into the realm of self-thought. So, I’ve been thinking a lot while people around me assume that I’m daydreaming in class.

Hahaha! Not true! I don’t daydream, I just think a lot.

Questions without answers, answers without knowing which is true and what not. Dilemma, dilemma, my constant friend… I think I need to make up my mind soon.

Class has been awefully quiet and boring this trimester. I was so bored in class that I played with alphabets.
Check this out: BORED TO DEATH —rearranged—> HATED RED BOOT

See how bored I am? Yeah, you get the picture.

Bye.

With the passing of Chinese New Year, i finally feel as if 2008 is finally over. Yeah, before Chinese New Year, it always still seem like something hasn’t ended. (I’m chinese and i’m proud of it? lol)
[Before you go "But you can't even speak Mandarin properly!", i'm telling you to "SHUT YOUR MOUTH and keep that a secret between us you idiot!"]

Fine, anyway, with Chinese New Year comes the black beautiful rings around my eyes. Yupz, the infamous Panda Rings are always a trend during CNY. In fact, it’s the first accessory that you’ll put on as soon as you return from Dream Land. Well, the above can’t be denied because i especially like to stay up late and listen into the conversations of the older generation until about 3am. They have so much history to talk about. From the times of the Japanese Occupation to Merdeka and stuff… of how they thrived and strived during those harsh times when money was nowhere to be found to tying up bundles of newspapers as makeshift pillows. That’s definitely the scoop that i want to listen to.

So you must now be thinking of the relativity between Old People and Panda Rings right? Well, I’ll tell you a little secret. Apparently, the older generation in my family only talks when there’s Chinese Tea around. Gathering around a wooden table located in the beautiful garden that my aunt diligently cared for, the Older People(OP) will start drinking tea and start unveiling the ‘hottest scoop in town’ (at least to me); all this while i sit together with them, becoming the ‘tea-pourer’ (pretending to be some professional tea pourer ) and listening to their old-old stories.

After they finish talking (which is really hard for them to stop until somebody decides to go home), then i’ll get to go back home. When i reach my house, i can’t sleep until it’s 4am (because unfortunately i have been sleeping at 4am for 2 weeks prior to CNY so my brain will only rest at 4am). So, what do i do during that 1 hour of insomnia? … … … … I play the piano! Wahahaha. It really is fun trying to explore the basics of Jazz. (Sorry neighbours! I’m sorry if i was too loud). I actually dragged my mattress from my room till it was placed neatly beside the piano. (I was literally sleeping at the foot of the piano! Talk about crazy )

Anyway, i would sleep at 4am and then wake up at around 9am for breakfast at my uncle’s place. So, after a few days of that, i literally become Viktor! (referring to the movie Underworld — Viktor is the Vampire Lord). So, that’s how i get Pandaric Rings.

Now, on to Onion Rings. Onion Bunion Minion Scallion! (Sorry, i’m just so tired that i’m not thinking straight).
What was it about Onion Rings that i wanted to say? … Hmm… hmm…  (shuts eye for a while…)

OH YEA! STUPID ONION RINGS! Brought my nephew to Gurney Plaza’z new wing’s A&W restaurant. Warning : NEVER GO THERE! The dumbos there do not know how to make Fast Food. What they serve resembles more of Fast *Toot* (Censored). Why? Why? Why? Easy peasy… They are not just slow, the food that they serve is ‘Yuckilicious’. I was sooooooo mad. I brought my nephew (From HK) to try Root Beer but in turns out to be more like Ginseng Beer (It was stupidly bitter… i think they’re Sweet Sensor in their tongue died a while ago — imagine plain water with Root Beer flavour, it’s just so dumb!)

Now, onto the worst part! I love ONION RINGS A LOT! So when people screw up my onion rings, i imagine myself being ‘John’(character from the movie SAW) and whoever prepared the food as my prey. Then i imagine this video tape playing which goes ” ‘Name of whoever prepared the onion rings’… all this while you have made bad onion rings… this time, your life will depend on the tastiness of the very onions that you make! ” (after that imagine a massacre scene when they screw up the onion rings)

So, at A&W the onion rings was HORRIBLE. Ewww… Yucks!!! Pathethic—
BUT THEN!  Just a few hours ago, my friends got some onion rings from Burger King at KLCC (the ones in Melaka aren’t that nice for some reason… same franchise but different tastes). Anyway, the onion rings from KLCC’s BK was just AWESOME! TASTYLICIOUS! Thankfully i stopped myself from eating the whole packet else i’m sure in for a sorethroat tomorrow.

Right, that’s it for Onion Rings and Panda Rings… I will write about my Chinese New Year Experience this year some time after i wake up. (Hopefully i remember)

SCHLEEEEEPY! BYE BYE, i can’t write anymore… my eyes… my eyes! AAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh~! Ta!

(Sunglasses is good to conceal the dark rings! )

Hey there!

I was just thinking about things and then suddenly WHAM! the title of this post just came to me. So, if you have time to spare, then  you can read on.

I believe people who are searching for answers can be categorized into the following Marvel characters:

IRONic Men
A lot of people out there are searching for real answers or truths. Ironically, some of them have already found the answer but chose to ignore it because the truth works against them. If they continue to ignore ‘the truth’, then logically, they will never find it and thus their quest for ‘the truth’ will never end. Either that, or they will look until they find an answer that suits their taste or an answer that agrees with them but then, that wouldn’t be considered as searching for ‘the truth’ since it’s more of ’searching for someone to agree with me’.

Having said the above, somehow the Iron Men continues zealously in his journey to find ‘the truth’ and at times will be saddened because ‘the truth’ that he is seeking for does not seem to appear.

STORM
These people are the type that says that they’re looking for answers but from their actions, they don’t actually seem to bother looking for answers. At times, they will strive to find answers and then they’ll stop looking and do other things before venturing out again on their quest for answers. They are like the weather, sometimes sunny and sometimes rain. They might look for answers and then suddenly stop looking only to continue looking later on.

WOLVERINE
These people are a little bit weird. They’re trying to show people that they’re ‘deep’ and so they go around telling others that they are searching for answers but actually they have no intention to change whatsoever. They are a bit irritating because when you question their motives, they tend to get all flared up with claws unsheathed, ready to strike at you for questioning their determination and their ‘deepness’.

Right, i can’t think anymore with the flu and all and so i am going to stop writing. Buh Bye!

What should i do? Hmm… a tough question i must say…
Argh, just thinking about it makes my head spin.

Praying is one thing, but then i can’t seem to find the answer yet. Hmm… should i do this or should i do the other thing? (I’m being very vague cause i’m discussing about a secret between my Ego and my ID)

Firstly, what am i supposed to do? I pray that God shows me something soon. I’m kinda in distress even though I’m on holiday. Somehow this holiday isn’t that enjoyable thanks to my mind which keeps on thinking.

Secondly, ‘to do something that i would enjoy doing and get paid’ or ‘to do something that i wouldn’t enjoy doing but would get more pay’, Which option is better?

Sighs, i guess i’ll just have to be patient and deal with the present first before plunging myself into ‘tomorrow’s problems’.

Kyrie Elison!

Dear God, please help me. My schedule is quite screwed up.
I’m doomed to death if You don’t help me.   0.(T_T).0

This Friday (coming in 1 and a half days time) - Network Security Exam [i just read 1 chapter out of 4]
Next Tuesday - CCNA 3 theory exam
Next Tuesday - Have to hand in whatever i can on Final Year Project thesis to supervisor
Next Wednesday - High Speed Networks Exam and CCNA 3 lab continuously
Next Friday - Submission of 2 assignments (1 of which i have no idea how to do)

The week after that = Submission of Interim Report (CRAZY! CRAZY! CRAZY!)

Dear God! Give me strength! (’Ganbate kudasai’ to myself)
Amen!    0.(>_<).0

(A pic of what i did 2 years ago in class when i was bored… this DIGI pamphlet had this guy’s face on it, so i couldn’t help but do something more interesting than paying attention to what the lecturer was saying… So, i ended up producing this splendid piece of artwork)