The Donkey

One day, a farmer's donkey fell down into a well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do. Finally, he decided the animal was old, and the well needed to be covered up anyway; it just wasn't worth it to retrieve the donkey.

He invited all his neighbours to come over and help him. They all grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well. At first, the donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly. Then, to everyone's amazement, he quitened down.

A few shovel loads later, the farmer finally looked down the well. He was astonished at what he saw. With each shovel of dirt that hit his back, the donkey was doing something amazing. He would shake it off and take a step up.

As the farmer's neighbours continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, everyone was amazed as the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and happily trotted off!

Life is going to shovel dirt on you, all kinds of dirt. The trick to getting out of the well is to shake it off and take a step up. Each of our troubles is a steppingstone. We can get out of the deepest wells just by not stopping, never giving up! Shake it off and take a step up.

Remember the five simple rules to be happy:

1. Free your heart from hatred - Forgive.
2. Free your mind from worries - Most never happen.
3. Live simply and appreciate what you have.
4. Give more.
5. Expect less.

*Thank you Dr. Chan - for sharing this with me.

The Falling Rain

Listen to the rhythm of the falling rain,

telling me just what a fool I've been,

I wish that it would go and let me cry in vain,

and let me be alone again ...

~The Cascades~

Listen ... listen ... to the rhythm of the falling rain, roaring in the rain does the lawn mower make ... hehehehe, it's abt 16-17 degrees now, and it's been raining cats and dogs since early morning sampai la skrg. But the abg-abg mat saleh here are still trimming the lawn, yes, dalam hujan. Awal-awal pagi dah mula tau. Sejuk siut, basah plak tu, tak boleh aku bayangkan kalau aku ni kerja gardener, sah-sah merana pokok-pokok tu semua. Time gini, memang best kalau dapat peluk bantal busuk, but I am wide awake ok, dah mandi dah pon. Am having a blast of fun with Mr. Creswell's book ni ha, yeahhh riteeee, poooraahhhh!

Many things happened for the past few weeks, but the keywords are these - work, flu, cold, Ron, Chris, books, flu, cold, work, dinner, Lolly, Aboo, Christophe, Beethoven, work, stress, flu, Insp. Rex, Big Bro, Hugh Jackman, work. There's a longer list, but I thought a summarised one would do just fine. Right now, teramat la busy going through my work. Huhuhuhu, datelines to meet and things to sort out before the end of the semester. Ada till end of June, tapi mcm byk je yg nak kena settle, so within that time frame, I'll be as busy as bee ;) So I'll see ya when I see ya ....

Sleepless in Perth

I didn't even notice that I have very obvious dark circles under my eyes until Lolly pointed it out yesterday. Not that I don't see myself in the mirror everyday, but I am not the person who likes to scrutinise every single inch of my face. It's true that I go to bed quite early these days, however not into good slumber. It's either I'll wake up in the wee hours with a mind that's ready to participate in a marathon, or I'll be having difficulties to just doze off. And becoming a light sleeper these days doesn't help at all - even the footsteps of my flatmates can wake me up. It irks me when my nights are quite sleepless as my mood swing the next day can be intolerable. In short, I can be (more) annoying ok. Duhhh ... You know what, there's another thing that has been bothering me for quite some time now.

• Why can't other people not do things that I do?
• Why can't they pave their own trail?
• Why can't they, for once, do things that are original?
• Why can't they just go elsewhere, and not make me their yardstick?

I'm tired of running MY (yes, MY) mile with some people tagging along. I really do. I charted my "new territory", faraway from those I do not want to be associated with, the one that you have NEVER thought about at all, and now out of the blue, you are calling "my territory" as your destiny too? Alooooooo, chart your own course for once la! Welcome abode??? NO - N, O, - NO ... the whole shebang sucks ok mate. The skipper is going sky-diving. *sigh* must be the sleepless night (again).

Lift (by Shannon Noll)

I know you're hurting
Feels like you're learning
'Bout life the hard way
And it ain't working
Seems like forever
That you've been falling
It's time to move on
Your life is calling, yeah

* This was never meant to be the end
Close the book and start again

** Cos i know how hard it can get
But you've gotta lift
you've gotta lift
And sometimes that's how it is
But i know you're stronger
Stronger than this
You've gotta lift
You've gotta lift

When you can feel your
Whole body's aching
What's left of your heart
It won't stop breaking
You've got to let go
you took a hit
Time to pick up now
move on from this

[Repeat * , **]

You've got to lift yourself up above all the hurt
Don't give in
Wipe your eyes and remember you're better than this
let them know that they took their best shot and they missed
Come on and lift

[Repeat **]

Pick up now...
Pick up now...

No One's Home!

Ari nih cuti kat Msia, tapi tak de cuti kat sini. Hmmm, dalam my last post aku ada cite pasal raksaksa geram kan. Kepada sape-sape yang terasa, *nasib la*. I am not sure if there are other people out there who would understand what this post rambles about. I just want to share how I feel. The only person that I could think about who would probably relate to this post is K. Zill agaknya. This thingamabob abt the Raksaksa thingy has been going on quite some time starting earlier this year. Most of the times, we are just so much into our own realm of the shoulds and the should-nots, withdrawing any consequences of what others around you might feel. Fine, I am guilty of that. I always know that I am such a loud person. But that doesn't mean I do not have any compassion at all. I thought I'd loosen up a bit and start to listen more. Hey, I did try ok, but am I at fault too when I find things are taken for granted, thus becoming more annoying? Did I ever encourage it to form part of a routine? Maybe. But don't we need to know when to linger around or when to back off a bit? Not all do, I suppose. That reminds me of K. Nora's post on sindir menyindir. Kalau dah cakap tak nak dengo, dah tunjuk tak nak nengok, ateeeee mcm mana ke gayanya?? What about the respect to others of their privacy?

Yes, I am a very private person, esp. to those who merely know me. There are things that I have kept so deep in me that I will not share with any souls, ever. Yes, I am a very sensitive person too, for I can sense and read most of the intended & unintended meaning(s) in most situations. I can also be the opposite if I find a person is beyond the acceptable limti. Come on, you need to be aware of the given situation too. Contohnya la, it doesn't mean if you like blue, the others would be too. It doesn't if you are in love with Tom Cruise, the others would love him to bits too. It doesn't mean if you are bored, the others would feel the same. It doesn't mean if you like gulai lemak labu so much, I would too. This is just a simple and logical reasoning. Take a look around you - Are they the same like you? OR are they different than you?

Well, the point that I'm trying to establish here is that, I can be selfish in putting a value to my "sanctuary". Really, it's nothing outlandish, nothing bizarre at all. By that, I meant my very own SPACE. The space, my friend, is my most treasured retreat here. My sanctuary. I might be living like a hermit, but that gives me the peacefulness and the strength that I am looking for. I admit that no man is an island, there are times when I need the company of others too. Yet my recluse also has provided me with some kind of positive self-refuge --> to nurture myself, to hold me up. Call it whatever you want, but it is my hide-out, be it cool or bleak. I choose that, SOME SPACE just to collect my sanity and to reflect the hustle and bustle at the end of each day. No frills added. Just me. So, please do not expect me (*or anyone else for that matter) to issue you the "invite" to my (*or his/her/their) sanctuary(ies). Some things are better left unsaid for what you will see/hear might not spell paradise.

Now, is it you who' s "knocking" on the door of my sanctuary? Read this: NO ONE'S HOME. Hahahahahahahaha ... Selamat Hari Buruh dari Perth :)