Life's too short?

I've just got around reading my best pal's emails and one really caught my attention. Love conquers all? You decide.

The girl in the picture is Katie Kirkpatrick, she is 21. Next to her, her fiancé, Nick, 23. The picture was taken shortly before their wedding ceremony, held on January 11, 2005 in the US . Katie has terminal cancer and spend hours a day receiving medication.In the picture, Nick is waiting for her on one of the many sessions of chemo to end.

In spite of all the pain, organ failures, and morphine shots, Katie is going along with her wedding and took care of every detail. The dress had to be adjusted a few times due to her constant weight loss.

An unusual accessory at the party was the oxygen tube that Katie used throughout the ceremony and reception as well.The other couple in the picture are Nick's parents. Excited to see their son marrying his high school sweetheart.

Katie, in her wheelchair with the oxygen tube, listening to a song from her husband and friends

At the reception, Katie had to take a few rests. The pain did not allow her to stand for long periods

Katie died five days after her wedding day.

Watching a woman so ill and weak getting married and with a smile on her face makes us think. Happiness is reachable, no matter how long it lasts. I mean, remember A Walk to Remember? Gees..we should really stop making our lives complicated.

Life is short

break the rules

forgive quickly

love truly

laugh constantly

And never stop smiling no matter how strange life is

Life is not always the party we expected to be but as long as we are here, we should smile and be grateful.

Wise Man : Part 10 'Seeing the best in others'

Me : I need to ask you something.

WM : Shoot.

Me : Should we always be suspicious and cynical to protect ourselves from cheats and swindlers?

WM : It ain’t life, babe if there are no cheats and swindlers. The question is not about whether we have to keep our eyes wide opened thinking about not-so-good things about people.

Me : You’re saying?

WM : I mean, people are not perfect. And truths to be told, some mortals we know possess more flaws than positive traits inside. And please, am not talking about myself. (chuckles)

Me : A ha! I get it. So it’s better to always look for the best in others and shut our eyes to the perfidy and manipulation that are certainly 'out there'?

WM : Smart girl.

Me : A serious-looking yet very nice lecturer back in college once told us in class that focusing the good things in other people would take you far. It also makes you feel better inside and out.

WM : You have to keep in mind tho’ that seeing the best in others is actually not, I repeat, not about pretending that everything in the garden is rosy and all is smooth sailing. It's about recognizing the shared humanity of all of us.

Me : Cos’ we are all just human.

WM : It means acknowledging that we ourselves have weaknesses and faults, and we know that we are doing the best we can, whatever others think. The best thing would be that you’re more relaxed and gain deeper psychological understanding of human motivation.

Me : Wow. Sometimes I wonder why I keep swerving around cracking my neck looking for answers from you. Now I know for sure.

WM : You can just simply tell me that I am one smart-a** guy, babe.

Me : Lol. Yeah…I give you that alright.

Times when I can't play my best cards

A quick break (coffee! coffee!). It's the mid term break and the whole week is the ISO thingy and all seem gliding on water. I mean one second I thought I saw that guy bending over the printer machine then when I blinked, phoof! he was gone.

*grins

I’ve learned something since I started working. In some places where I’ve been, it seems that ‘playing stupid’ is considered a workable tactic to be well accepted as a colleague. Not so cool, uh? Am not sure other workplaces require such tricks but then again, why should I think of other places rather than mine? Ha ha.

Thing is, it sometimes pays off. I mean 'playing stupid' that is. I give you an example. I may ask a question even when I already know the obvious answer in order to verify the accuracy of my counterpart’s information or to simply test other colleague’s honesty.

This tactic works because people in my department (especially the ones who think they’ve mastered and achieved so much in life) tend to want to help me more when they actually think I am somehow abit handicapped by a lack of skills, knowledge, or information.

In other words, there are times when playing dumb is smart. Not always tho’, that I have to warn you..lol.

Which is bizarre.

But I guess once in awhile I’d be keen on playing stupid. As well as you know, in some way exposing my weaknesses( but never too much). In doing both I am actually showing my strength. And it is so much fun downplaying myself, knowing what I have in reserve. You’ll see that soon enough people won’t take you for granted.

I try not to play my best cards. A wise man once told me that too. At least not until someone really knows me and I fully trust them.

It’s your call. Either you’re not sure about anything and ‘act stupid’ or you’re a master in your own game and ‘playing stupid’ would transport you way up further than your colleagues.

Enough, enough.. Suria, back to the unfinished paperwork now!

Back to work

It's a challenge, am tellin' you. After splurging the earlier days in total relaxation and bliss, coming back to the workplace is a major effort. Especially when you had so much fun and happiness, worrying mostly about... err..nothing!

But like always, I'm putting a big smile on my face. Ha ha.

People are dying.

Let me rephrase that title. Malaysians are dying. There. Scarier, right?

I’ve just read my daily dose of H1N1 website; http://h1n1.moh.gov.my/ and geez… 59 died already! I was like...'Whoooaa..' Like I said in my earlier entries, truth hurts but the thing is, whether we like it or not, we are, in fact even right now, exposed to the dangerous pandemic. Every single minute.

Just imagine, Malaysia’s death toll from the flu has topped to 59 since the first fatality just three weeks ago.

I remember this one time while chatting away with a college girl on my way to Kuantan and as we were solemnly recollecting our schemas on H1N1, suddenly this one tough-looking(with moustache and all) guy started coughing in the bus. He was just about metres away from us. At that point straightaway, both of us jerked ourself up on the seats, and robotically covered our nose and mouth.

Our life is so freakin’ fragile uh?

Early this morning while getting ready for work, I caught the news as the news presenter smoothly said that this rather ‘deathly situation’ would continue up ‘til 6 months and not surprisingly, a year onwards. *sighs.. there goes my backp-packing adventure across Australia. I know, I knoe. Australia is one of the critical countries. Even now they have hundred unreported cases there.

I even cut short my classes last week. Can you really blame me when most of the students, even tho they had masks covering their face and all, were coughing and sneezing all the time? I didn’t want to take the risk, man. We here have been reminded again and again by both the Vice Chancellor and his deputy to remind the kids before lectures to ask them to go to the university’s health centre if anyone at all faces any discomfort while breathing and high fever.

To be quite frank though, most students are keeping the problem to themselves cos’ they’d rather feel sick than being quarantined at the centre. Stupid? You tell me.

Check out this website about what the other countries are doing to control the spreading of the pandemic; http://www.channelnewsasia.com/fluoutbreak/gallery_20090428095443.htm

Please take extra care of yourself, y'all. Drink alot of water.

Other things that we should do to protect ourselves and loved ones from the flu? You know better.

Peace and out.

Up, up and away

Dear Diary,

It is now exactly 1.51am and I formally proclaim that I can barely close my eyes even though my weary body was squealing for total nerves and muscles hiatus. As always you would be asking why (if you could talk that is), and I’d tell you that my mind is mulishly working; mulling over things, non-humdrum things I must say.

I’ve been thinking, and thinking I’ve been doing for a jiffy now.

I’ve never thought that watching hungry-looking fishes in greenish, sugar caned-coloured pond would pull a cord in me. I’ve never thought that gazing at someone’s devilish grin means the world to me. I’ve never thought that a simple motion of familiarity would make me feel like a million buck. I’ve never thought that such mundane episode of savouring sweet dokong leaves an incessant craving in me(lets drop the part where I had to pay recurrent visits to the loo afterwards..lol). I’ve never thought that ramming my teeth into yummy fresh bloody red plums would put a smile on my face. I’ve never thought that just merely hymning a name would make my heart beat 3 times faster.

O boy..I guess I’ve never thought of lots of things before.

With You’ve Got To Read This Book! by Jack Canfield and Gay Hendricks (a book which I suggest to all for pure motivation and restoring the wounded inner self, courtesy of the other half) held and clutched close to the upper left side of my body, my heart is soaring. Yeap. Just like a bird. Not just any bird. A strong one.

Up, up and away.

Movie Review #8: The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3

As you might have guessed it, my so called movie marathon did not happen. *sigh.. I didn’t get to watch any of the movies that I’ve mentioned before. Am still counting for it though, at least a quarter, for some of them are still rolling at the cinemas.

Instead, last Thursday I watched The Taking of Pelham 123. First reason would be Denzel Washington. I mean come on, he is an Oscar winner right, so surely he only acts in well-scripted, cool movies.

He stars as Walter Garber, a transit control supervisor who’s been demoted to dispatching duty while under investigation for allegedly accepting a bribe on a business trip (which is not entirely his fault). When a group of criminals led by a man named Ryder (John Travolta) hijacks a New York City subway train and holds its passengers hostage, Garber is the unlucky dispatcher who receives the call. Kinda scary uh?

With a bag of popcorn in my hand, once the interplay between the two leads started, the film had me pinned to my seat. Both of these men give great performances in the film. Travolta with his goatee looks abit vulnerable and rough at the same time. Pretty cool. But Washington is the one I prefer. I mean Travolta was at his best in Grease (smirk as much as you like but I love him playing Danny..and that scene when he sang Sandy…oh Sandy..)

As we all know, Denzel has played many wise characters in his past films right, ones that know the answer to a conflict. The know-it-all kinda guy. But in this movie, he plays more of a reluctant character and gives deeper depth to the character, Garber.

Denzel doesn't make himself seem like a big time movie star, but instead a flawed man which really adds to the drama. I could feel his twisted emotions while he’s at it. I was touched big time by this one particular scene where he has to break down after being provoked but Ryder and reveal his guilt in a pending court decision.

Nice one. He said the storyline would be a lot better if they have the lead hijacker stays alive though. Opps.. a spoiler? Naah…lol.. Go and judge it for yourself.