Silver Lining

Are low-rise jeans the 'in' thing now? Because I had a torturous weekend shopping for jeans suiting my fancy. Now people with big butts would probably share my sentiment concerning this but how does one wear low-rise jeans anyway? How do you stand or even sit comfortably knowing you have jeans clinging to your butt and not your waist?

Oh I'm sorry, you probably have a cute butt and low-rise jeans probably fits you just nice. That only leaves me and a handful of others at no mercy.

During my booth shifts of our newly formed Tourism Club, I learned that manusia ni memang macam-macam ragam. I can only imagine how people who deal with customers on a daily basis feel.

We had people yang datang sampai 3 kali, asking of the same thing thinking we wouldn't recognize them. Then there were those who came in clans, where one registered satu clan pun register sekali. Then there were also the pessimists and skeptics who not questioned out of interest but of putting us down. Ada yang no questions asked, terus register and bayar.

Ada tu yang sibuk-sibuk nak compare club yang sama tapi dengan campus lagi satu yang dah lama established. Sometimes rasa nak gelak pun ada, geram pun ada. Some would pretend to be interested but after all the talk and coaxing, they would claim to want to 'walk around' first and visit other booths before deciding. Of course, tactic la tu. Mostly never came back and well... we used to do the same thing so we basically knew what went around in their minds.

Dulu irritated dengan orang bagi flyers kat campus. Kalau boleh nak elak-elak. Dapat yang menarik takpe, tapi kalau tak... baca pun taknak. Sekarang bila sendiri kena bagi flyers and orang tak appreciate, baru tahu rasanya macam mana.

Same goes with people. Some people will never appreciate what you do. You give your best, show them your efforts but it doesn't seem to be enough, they just don't appreciate you. My advice, don't feel bad and risk of acting like a fool from trying to impress people. There are others who'll appreciate you more than you can imagine, who will catch you with a bed of roses when you fall and who'll love you more than you can ever love them.

To all, appreciate what you have before all is lost. Treat a person like he/she deserves to be treated. Seize the day!

Present your family and friends with their eulogies now - they won't be able to hear how much you love them and appreciate them from inside the coffin. --Anonymous

My dad is a man who believes that whatever you put your mind to is achievable. A man of discipline, a man of wisdom and a man you just don't argue with, not because he won't let you but because you'll never win. A fundamentalist, a go-getter and believes in striving for the best within his capability both for himself and family. Yet despite his strong disciplinary nature, his heart can be softer than a mother's, his wittiness could make you laugh to stitches and his generosity endless. A responsible son, brother, husband and father... the man of my life.

My dad has always been a perfectionist, a trait that somehow seemed to have brushed off a little to my family as well. At the age of 2 or 3, back when we resided in Singapore, I remember how I was expected to draw a perfect circle. Constantly failing to do so, he'd make me draw another followed by another and another... until my open-looped circles became closed-loops and looked remotely close to a circle. His disciplinary rules have always existed and practiced ever since I was born.

When I was switched from a French kindergarten(more like playschool) to an international school, he spent hours on the computer typing out grammar questions for me to practice on so I would fit in (but then he got addicted to Digger - you remember that game don't you?). By 2^nd Grade, I had memorized all my 12 times tables where I triumphantly earned my very first Sony walkman as he had promised. So on most weekends, I'd be sitting on the dining table, sulking as he made sure I completed my math and grammar exercises.

He is also the reason my love for reading was instilled. I remember trips to WH Smith where he would spend hundreds of francs on books. I would come home truly contented and start reading them all before nagging of going again.

I used to wonder why things rained harder on me compared to my brothers because as the years went by and my brothers were born, he became slightly lenient on them than he was on me. Maybe it was because he got busier or maybe age had caught up with him. But looking back, I'm ever so grateful for all the things he did or I wouldn't be the person I am today.

You see, my father didn't come from a well to do family. He sent his scholarship money home whilst studying and even had to forget his dreams of becoming a lawyer as financial support was tight. But he was never visionless. He always knew where he was heading to and what to do with his life. He had aims. Always prepared for the unthinkable yet extremely determined for positive outcomes. Thus whatever he has and earns today is solely based on his efforts and determinations alone.

My dad sacrificed a lot ever since he was young. Being posted to the US at the ripe age of his mid 20's, he could've easily spent away and lived lavishly... but he didn't. He never failed to put a certain allowance aside for his future family thus why we are able to live comfortably today.

I could go on and on about my hero but still, it would never do him justice. He's just simply... my dad. Happy Father's Day Abah.

"Ismail, you're a genius!" -- Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary on my dad.

Got this from Lolyta's.

In a brief conversation, a man asked a woman he was pursuing the question
"What kind of man are you looking for?"

She sat quietly for a moment before looking him in the eye and asking, "Do you really want to know?"

Reluctantly, he said "Yes."

She began to expound...

"As a woman in this day and age, I am in a position to ask a man what he can do for me that I can't do for myself. I pay my own bills. I take care of my household without the help of any man...or woman for that matter.

I am in the position to ask, "What can you bring to the table?" The man looked at her. Clearly he thought that she was referring to money. She quickly corrected his thought and stated, "I am not referring to money.I need something more. I need a man who is striving for perfection in every aspect of life."

He sat back in his chair, folded his arms, and asked her to explain. She said "I am looking for someone who is striving for perfection mentally because I need conversation and mental stimulation. I don't need a simple-minded man.

"I am looking for someone who is striving for perfection spiritually because I don't need to be unequally yoked...
believers mixed with unbelievers is a recipe for disaster.

"I need a man who is striving for perfection financially because I don't need a financial burden.

"I am looking for someone who is sensitive enough to understand what I go through as a woman, but strong enough to keep me grounded.

"I am looking for someone who I can respect. In order to be submissive, I must respect him. I cannot be submissive to a man who isn't taking care of his business. I have no problem being submissive...he just has to be worthy.

"God made woman to be a help mate for man. I can't help a man if he can't help himself."

When she finished her spill, she looked at him. He sat there with a puzzled look on his face.

He said, "You are asking a lot."

She replied, "I'm worth a lot."

Men who don't like girls with brains don't like girls. --Mignon McLaughlin, The Second Neurotic's Notebook, 1966