Thursday, September 9, 2010

The Real Meaning of life ( Fundamental Values)

Since the dawn of civilisation, human are perpetually seeking the real meaning of their very existence. The quest for enhancement of life can be mind-boggling and perplexing at certain times. The inception of religion such as Christianity , Islam, and Buddhism all aim at unveiling the myth surrounding the issue of the true purpose of life.In the same vein, moral codes and values are created and conveyed through either philospher or the so-called messenger of god. There are complex phiposophy, thick bible and religious book to propound and advocate the values and purpose of life, which can be very complicated and confounding.The values of lives is not static, it could be evolving according to changing circumstances. For example, modernisation has ushered in new values such as materialism and individualism.

Hence,it is incumbent that we dwell on the meaning of lives to discover our inner potential and know what is essentially good for us , by not succumb to the pressure of modernisation. I have commence on the journey to self -discovery since the beginning of this year as i felt that there are more to lives than just striving for good grade in examinations and winning in my endeavour.

Basically, i had read a few books and did a lot of introspection. Initially, i did not plan to share this with others. However, i was compelled to do so after i discover that sharing and giving is part of the process of self growth and i believe that we could succeed best by helping other to succeed and in this context, i believe that i could be a better person by helping others to be a better person. Below are the list of book i had read. Moreover , i also downloaded hundreds of the most essential quote from the internet which i will share in this post.

1) Harl Urban - Life's greatest lesson ( 20 Things That Matter)
2) Harl Urban - The 10 commandment of Common Sense
3) The Secret- Rhonda Byrne
4) The law of Attraction
5) 7 habit of highly effective people- Stephen R Covey
6) The path to peace- Buddhism quote
7) Weakness of Human Nature- Dale Carnegie

After reading all these books, i discover that all of them profess the dame fundamental values that had withtood the test of time. Harl Urban further corroborate this by stating that the values of life can be simple. The old school values is always true. I had studied the bible and the philosophy of buddha teaching and a dozen of moticational books and i found that they all try to convey the fundamental values of life, whether explicitly or implicitly. We dont need to follow complex theory and philosphy or rituals to be a good person. The fact is we need to retrace and breath new lease of life into the fundamental values of life to be a good person. The world is chaotic because human had forgotten or choose to ignore all there values and instead try to subjugate each other by pronouncing that their values and ways of life are valid and noble.

Having said that , what are the very essence of life?

1) Respect for life and each other.
I put this at the top of values of life as it is the lack of respect and reverence of life and humanity that lead to the chaos in this world. To respect life and humanity is to restrain from judging each other in negative light and tolerate each other differences. In other word, we need to look for the good in others instead of finding fault with them. It mean tolerance for religion, cultural and racial diffences. Failure to adhere to this result in racial conflict and religion clash, as exemplified by the recent furore over the suggestion to build a islam memorial and mosque at the premises of 911 tragedy. It is also reflected in the killing of jews under Hitler reign and the terrorist attack.

I found this quote very appealing : " I may not agree with you , I may argue with you , but i vow to protect your right to say and practice what you belive in, even to the extent of sacrificing myself.

We dont need obarma to be the middle man to resolve israel palestinian stalemate and conflict. We just need the people and leader of both country to cherish each other differences to ensure that peace prevail in there ares.

Basically , all the books i read enunciate this values

Harl Urban - The life greatest lesson- chapter 8 ( respect for life)
Dale carnegie- chapter 1- ( Fulfill others need, Do not criticise others and make others feel important)
Buddhism - The right thought and concentration ( two of the eight noble path)
Christianity- Commandment 4- Do not judge other people.

By the way, i learn to respect each other difference ever since i study in J7 and get to know people from other races as well as joining MUN conference where we need to respect the policy of other country.

This are a few more quote to guide you in practicing tolerance and respect for each other

1) Give so much to the improvement of yourself that you dont have any time to criticize others.

2) Everyone can criticise, but few can suggest better

3) The fault of others are easily perceived but that of oneself is difficult to perceive

4) When you want to be honoured by others, you must learn to honour them first.

5) It is wise not to judge others, lest we ourselved be judged and found wanting.

6) He that never changes his opinions , never corrects his mistakes and will never be wiser on tomorow tha today

2) Love and kindness.

It is true that hatred entangled and love disenfrancised. Love in this context transcend personal emation to each others. It means the love for all human and creature in this world, regardless of appearance, status, race, religion. It is to love everyone you see and emphatise with people who are underpriviledged. I believe it is pure love that propel great human such as mother terressa, Dr scheweitzer, Albraham lincoln, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandella to make the world a better place. It is also true that all religion teaches love for each other. However, it is the failure to comply with the teaching the sow the sead of hatred. By the way, the commandment no 10 in bible is about doing everything in love.

Kindness cost little but achieve much. The very essence of life is to be kind to each other. However, more often than not, human regard it as something "cool' to be sarcastic, cruel and indifference. Many people think that being rude and sarcastic to each other is the best way to proclaim that they are superior and serve as the best way to protect their fragile self esteem.However,this may backfire.Many people are hurt by abusive language and sarcasm.

The best way to love and be kind to each other is to watch our manner and language. We should be polite, courteous , thoughtful and considerate. We have to treat people with dignity, respect and love.

We also need to be sensitive to the language we use when communicate with each other. we need to use gracious word instead of destructive one.Buddhism clearly teach us to practice the right speech ( One of the 8 noble path ) and the third commandment of christianty is to refrain from using destructive language.

Listed below are positive language

a) Praise
b) Sincere Compliment
c) Encouragement
d) thanks
e) Truth / honesty
f) Symphatise and Emphatise
g) Advice
h) greetings
i) Support

Listed below are negative language
a) Put down others with discouragind words
b) Swearings
c) Biting sarcasm
d) Name-calling
f) Laugh at other failure
h) Complaining and lamenting
i) Gossiping/ rumour
j) Yelling
k) Insincere Flattery
l) Racist and Sexist insults
m) Lying
n) Blaming.

Below are a few quote to guide us to be more loving and kind.

1) Where there is love, there is life

2) Life is the flower for which love is the honey

3) You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection

4) To love and be loved is to feel the sun from both side

5) Love is the beauty of the soul

6) Love conquers all ; let us surrender to love

7) To be loved, be lovable.

8) We can do no great things, only small things with great love

9) Sincerity in love engender trust, sincerity in thought engender pure living.

10) When we are kind and generous to others, we will receive thoughdfulness and love

11)Just as dews refreshes the wilting flowers, tenderness restores the grieving heart.

12) Only when we have compassion for all beings , will we have peace.

13) Unkind speech can destroy that which is kind can bring peaces and change the world.

14) The mind of compassion knows no bitterness, no judgement, no good, no bad, no right, no wrong,no you , no me, only the wish for all beings to be happy.

3) Honesty is always the best policy

Honesty is a prerequisite for a peaceful mind. It is the most essential ingredient for success. Honesty is integrity. It mean being truthful and frank with ourselves and others.

We need to discard the attitute that " Every body is doing it, So did i, Somehow being a little dishonest is OK"

Somehow, this is what exactly we often refer as Malaysian Mentality. We often tolerate minor disonesty and turn a blind eye on scandal and mismanagement of fund. It cannot be denied that this is one of the reason why corruption is so rampant in Malaysia.

We need to be honest for 6 very good reason

1) Peace of Mind

We would save ourselves from feeling guity and embarassed when we relect on dishonest thing we have done and said in the past

2) Character and reputation

It make us a good person

3) relationship

Dishonesty will ruin relationship as there is the lack of basic element of trust

4) Allow us to be our real self

We dont need to hide behind a mask.We can be who we really are. We will then begin to respect ourselves and feel good.

5) good career

We would gain more by honest mean rather that cheating. A honest lawyer ( I hope to be..hehe) will gain the trust of his client and build lasting relationship and ensure stable source of income. His client will inturn recommend him to others, this is a multiplier effect.............

6) World peace

The world is chaotic because many leaders are corrupted.

4) Being thankful

I have to admit than more often than not, i always try to look for somthing better in life without being grateful for what i have.It is always true that we seldom think of what we have but always what we lack.hence, we always complain and lament about life.It is time that we focus of what is right and good in this world, instead of what is wrong and bad.

being Thankful is always link to contentment. We need to be contented and enjoy what we have. The world is in chaos because countries are greedy and yearn for each others resources. Rich country engage in unfairn trade practices to get richer , at the expense of other poorer countries.People try to manioulate and con others. The society become more engross in greed for material withour sparing a thought for the underprivileged and disadvantaged,

In addition, being thankful is synonymous to always express our appreciation and gratitute to others, in simple buy magical phrase: " Thank you". We need to say thank you for others who do us a favour, in order to show our gratitute. This would in turn make others feel good . We need to tell others that they are special and important to us and we appreciate them. This would certainly make the world a better place as each person would feel good being appreciated.

This is perfectly why thanksgiving is once held every year. But we dont need to wait till that day to express our gratitute, we could make each day a thankgiving day, but simply saying thank you and express our deep apreciation for each others.

Below are a few quote to help us to me more grateful and content.

1) We never appreciate the value of water until the well runs dry

2) The biggest lesson i learned from my experience in Africa was that if you have all the fresh water you want to drink and all the food you want to eat, you ought never to complain about anything- Eddie Rickenbacker.

3) I Look at the world every morning and be thankful to all the beauty around you and for the fact that you are still alive.

4) An Attitute of gratitute opens the portals to a richer, more abundant life.

The section below are more incline toward self motivation and help us to be a more holistic individual as i believe we must be the change we need to see in this world. The change in then world must start with the changes among individuals.

5) Positive Thinking/ Optimism.

In this section, i wish to focus on the law of attraction. The fundamental value of this law is the underlying need for positive thinking. Please refer to my ealier post to get more idea about this law. The law of attraction basically require us to focus on positive aspects of life in order to allow the law to reciprocate by sending positive energy back to us to achieve positive/ intended result. It is basically like a reflection of light from a metal. The law will reflect what is inside our mind. If we think negatively, we will get negative result in return.

hence , we need to focus on the intended positive outcome.It is imperative that we do not have any doubt about what we intended and make sure that we form a positive mental picture inside our mind.

The best way is to use the phrase " I am in the process of"...achieving something as the use of phrase like " i must " will cause us to doubt ourselves.

We could make a postive statement and focus on it everyday to get a positive outcome

This is my personal statement, just for reference.

I am in the process of

becoming

a) Patient
b) kind
c) caring and compassionate
d) optimistic
e) thankful and not complaining
f) calm and not worry about the future
g) courteous and use kind language
h) funny and humorous
i) tolerance and open to new experience
j) a person who smile everyday
k) self - confient
l) a person who devoted to help others to succeed
m) a lawyer who has integrity and passionate in upholding human right
n) A rich lawyer
o) A student in Queensland University
p) a student who score ter 97.5 in SAM exam

Remember : we could always choose our own attitute. The option is in our hand. We can choose to be postive and reap the benefit , or indulge in negative thinking and languishing in constant worry and negative outcome.

Below are a few quote to help us to be positive

a) The more you praise and celebrate life, the more there is in life to celebrate

b) Begin each day as if it is on purpose

c) A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity while an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty

d) The positive thinker
1) Sees the invincible
2) Feels the intangible
3) And achieve the impossible

e) Wherever you go, go with all your heart

f) it is your attitute, not just your aptitute, that will determine your altitute.

g) I am not what has happened to me, i am what i chose to become

h ) Make a game of finding something positive in every situation.

Self confident and self- esteem

It is surprise that even the best among the people, the creme de la creme often seek approval and praise from other. We just need to look at the shenanigans of the superstar to understand their desperate desire and need to bask in the limelight. people do everything to be in the centre of attention. They basically live on others approval. They need other's praise to sustain their lives. How sad and pathetic that is in the sense that they have all their happiness in others keeping and they enslave themselves to the comment of others.

We need to know that we are unique and worthwhile , and that each of us has special talent and deserve to be who we are and be respected by others. We need to maintain our composure in the face of insensitive remark by others and remind ourselves that we are who we are there is no point compromising our real self to adapt to what other's want from us.

Self esteem and self confident invlove the courage to demand others to respect who we are and the courage to voice our disapproval on others.It involve assertive behaviour, which is the ability to state our need and wants appropriately without offending others.

However, we need to be aware that we do not let our self confident get overboard.

After reading the book written by Harl Urban ,' the life greatest lesson , ( can find in taylor college library and major bookshop ) , i come to realise that self -confident is engendered by self -respect. In other word, self confident can only be achieved when we respect ourselves and accept who we are.

To have self respect , there are several guideline:

a) Be kind

It is impossible to feel good about ourselves when we are mean, selfish or insensitive. The better we treat others, the better we feel about ourselves. The more we affirm people, the more we grow as human beings. Still remember earlier i talk about the need to be kind and respect others?

b) Be honourable

This involve being honest and uphold integrity i mentioned earlier. We will feel good when we are honest

c) Be productive

We would feel good about ourselves if we work hard and being productive in whatever endeavour, be it learning or working.

D) Be positive

We cant feel good about ourselves if our head is full of negative thoughtt. We need to give ourselves credit. remember what i mentioned earlier? we can choose our attitute and be positive

Below are a few quote for self -help

1) No one can make you feel inferior without your permission

2) the biggest mistake in life is to think that we work for someone else but ourselves

3) Trust yourseld that you will know how to live

4) You deserve others attention and love

5) If you cant get a compliment from anybody, pay yourself one

6) Never bend your head; Always hold it high. Look the world straight in the face

7) They cannot take away our self respect of we do not give it to them

8) There would be nothing to frighten you, of you refuse to be frightened

9) Someone's opinion of you does not have to become a reality

10) Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow

11) Dont let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.

12) Today you are you, that is truer than true . there is no one alive who is youer than you

13) Never bend you head, always hold it high . Look the world straight in the face

14) Too many people overvalue ehaty they are not and undervalue what they are

15) when people say no, tell them yes

16) If you dont see yourself as a winner, you cannot perform as a winner

6) The courage to accept that life is hard and is not always fair.

Many people live in dillusion that the world is a bed of rose. It is not, It is a bed of thorn instead. Life doesn't work the way we like it to. The world will not devote itself to make us happy. Life is full of difficulties and obstacles. This is also the very reason which make life interesting. Imagine the world being wothout any challenge...Wouldnt life be dull and boring then? The difficulties and obstacle in life is also a great teacher. It teach us to persevere and be strong in the face of adversity. It build up our character and resillience.

Life is not always fair also. Bad things might happen to good people. As the bible says" The sun rise upon evil man as well as good'. We live in an imperfect world with other imperfect people . No one promise that we would always get what we strive for and that life is fair.

Gautama Buddha realsie this hundreds years ago when he introduce the 4 noble truth, with the fist one being" Life is full of suffering"

hence, we need to accept the reality of life. Many people who fail to do so will always lament and complain about how the world is harsh and things dont work out for them. Things will get worse the more they complain. ( remember the law of attarction?)


Below are a few quote for guidance


1) If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome

2) Its is kind of fun to do the impossible.

3) experience is what you get when you do not get what you want

4) The price of excellence is discipline, the cost of medicrity is disappointment
Failure is a norm

5) Character cannot be developed in ease and quiet. Only through experience of trial and suffereing can the soul be strengthened , vision cleared , ambtiion inspired and success achieved

6) I have nothing to offer, but blood, sweat, toils and tears

7)Live in the present.

Too many people are bogged down by guilty feeling of past experience or are traumatized. Hence, this hamper their future. Most important, we need to live in the present to the fullest

1) The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn about the past or anticipate trouble, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.

2) Dont worry, be happy

3 ) 99 % of what we worry does not become reality

4) And in the end, it is not the years in your life that count, it is the life in your years

5) Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorow

6) there is no future in the past



7) Failure is a norm
It is okay to fail. Everyone does . thomas edison fail 9999 time before inventing lamp. We need to be courageous in face of adversity and failure. we need to pick oursleves up when we fails and try again next time. We should not let failure defeat us . Failure is a soure of renewed energy , It teaches us

a) humility- that we are not invincible

b) to correct or course of action

c) about the need to persevere and build up the strength of character

It is also okay to make a mistake. It is a learning process. If we did not make any mistake, we are not learning anything new.

Hence, the next time we fail and make mistake, we should not be frustrated . We need to muster our courage to try again the next time, till our last breath.

Here are a few quote for guidance

a) Our greatest glory is not in never failling, but in rising everytime we fall.

b) Dont be afraid to fail, dun waste energy tring to cover up failure. learn from your failure and go on to the next challenge. IT's okay to fail. if you're not failing, you 're not growing.

c) A quitter never wins and a winner never quits.

d) Dont cry because it's over, smile because it happened.

e) Anyone who never make a mistake has never try someting new

f) When you get to the end of the rope, tie a knot and hang on.

g) You dont lose of you get knocked down, You lose if you stay down.

h) we work to become, not to acquire

j) Courage is the discovery that you might not win and trying when you know you can lose

k) Courage doesnt always roar; sometimes, courage is teh quiet voice at the end of the day saying :" I will try again tomorow"

l) everyone and anyone can give up, it is the easiest thing to do, but to hold on when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength

m) Obstacle does not need to stop you, if you run into the wall, dont turn around, and give up. figure out how to climb it, go throught it or walk around it

n) The game isnt over until it is over

8) Live life with passion and determination to succees

Passion is the zeal in doing something. It is the conviction we deeply held and believed. When we do anything with passion, we achive great things. We also engender belief among others. People always like to work along side individuals who are full of energy and passion. We could inspire other to great success with our passion. With passion, we would also put in our best and not tolerate anyhthning less. hence, it is not wrong to say thatbPassion is the source of great achievement

We must also be determined to success. It is the detrmination to be succesful that fuel our passion

Below are a few quote for guidance.

1) It is kind of fun to do the impossible

2) Empty pocket never held anyone back, only empty head and empty heart does

3) Live as if you are to die tomorow, learn as if you are to live forever

4) The more you praise and celebrate life, there is more in life to celebrate

5) Wherever you go, go with all your heart

6) Man can live 40 days without food, about 30 days without water, about 8 days without air, but only for one second without hope and passion

7) Begin each day as if it is on purpose

8) Live with passion

9) It is passion and commitment that get us out of bed

10)You were born to be a winner, but to win , you must plan and prepare mto win.

11) It is no use saying ' We are doing our best", you have got to succeed in doing what necessary.

to be continue

1) Dare to make a difference
2) dare to dream
3)) Life is fun and full of happiness

Friday, August 27, 2010

BN Youth Lab

When the term laboratory is used, the first thing that cross our mind is the science laboratory. In Science laboratory, all sort of experiment can be conducted. Hypothesis is formulated and tested; chemicals are mixed. Having said that, the BN youth lab is analogous to the science lab, except that the chemicals are being replaced by feedback and ideas from the youth; and the process of scientific discovery is being substituted with the process of identifying the aspirations of the people, particularly in this context, the youth.

The political tsunami that swept across the whole country has certainly sound an alarm bell to the leader of Barisan National.It represent a cornerstone and milestone for our country as for the first time in history , the rakyat dare to voice their dissatisfaction toward the ruling coalition which in previously perceied to be impregnable and invincible; resulting in the downfall of bn in 5 states.It signifies the rejection of the people toward the playing of racial card to score brownie point and the demand for more transparent and efficient governance.

It is certainly a bitter pill to swallow for all the leaders of barisan national. Not only did they lost their stranglehold on 5 states, they now found themselves in a dilemma.They waver between the options of carry on with the old ways of doing things or embrace the new changes. Many choose to stick to the old ways, reminiscing the old glory days where they could manipulate racial sentiments and turn a blind eye to the plights of the people as the proverbs goes: ' you cannot teach an old dog a new trick. Many of them even try to shift the blame to the new media( bloggers, internet ), citing them as bias and distort the truth. Some sore losers even went to the extent of suggesting that the government punish the non-bumi for their lack of gratitute. It is an ironic that the servant(leader) demand to punish the master(rakyet) for pointing out their wrongdoings with good intention.

It is in the midst of uncertainty that a visionary leader emerge , casting a silver lining amidst dark cloud. Datuk Seri Najib take over the tenure as Malaysia fifth prime minister. He introduces the concept of 1 malaysia, which prmote racial unity and live up to his stand admist cynism and scepticism. Undaunted by the opposition from PERKASA and within the parties member, he introduced the New Economic Model ( NEM) to propel malaysia to achieve the status of developed nation in 2020. It is certainly admiring that he has the gut to admit the crippling effect of NEP and promote genuine partnership among races, thereby replacing the ' ALI BABA' business partnerships.

However, it is his willingness to listen to the pligts and concerns of the people that won him most applause. It is awe-inspiring for a prime minister to state in his speech during the youth lab that the era of government know best is over and it is now an era of contest of ideas, in which the parties with the best ideas will prevail. It shift the battle ground from petty racial politicking to the battle of ideas and ideologies. This is certainly beneficial for the country.

All scepticism is dispelled when it is annoucned that all the members of the lab os apolitical and do not involve in any political parties.Listed below are a few important findings by the lab:

1) Approximately 80% of the youth are satisied with the status quo of the countries

2)52% are optimistic that the country will be better in the future

3)47% Aknowledge the fact that despite the inherent weaknesses in the government, the govenrment members are trying hard to rectify the problems and improve their peformance

Listed below are a few notable suggestions by the youth lab:

1) give more emphasis to vocational schools

2) Provide more flexible choice for the combinations of subjects in secondary 4 and 5

3) Provide minumum wage rates for the workers.

4) Baucher for food and other basic necessities, citing MYkasih as an example

5)Contribution of 30% of the overall price of the house by the government for all middle and lower middle earners who wish to purchase houses.

6) Allow the graduate from other cources to practice as teachers for one or two years to fulfill their passions for teaching, and cancel off the ptptn loan for those who wish to be a teacher .

7) Tax exemption for company which hire employers from all races.

8) Financail grants for individual and organisations which wish to promote the concept of racial unity under the banner of 1 malaysia.

9) Amendment to ISA and Auku 1975.

The suggestions by the youth lab is both appropriate and practical.It acknowledge the need to reform the educational system to cater to the need for youngtsers who are not academically inclined and promote holistic education by allowing students to choose a combination of art and science subjects in secondary 4 and 5 to mould them to be more well -rounded.

However, one main concern is the inability of the students to adapt to the teaching of science in english when they further their studies in pre-u or tertiary level as they learn in BM in secondary 4 and 5. Hence, it is suggested that science and mathematic be taught in english for secondary 4 and 5.

The minimum wages rated is timely as many of the workers live below poverty line. However , we need to bear in mind that high wages would deter FDI from coming to our country as the cost of production would be too high. Hence, it is imperative that the government gather feedback from the employers before they set a minimum wages rates.

The intention of the food baucher program is noble. howeber, it is open to exploitation. The government need to set up proper mechanism to ensure that only those who are in dire need of assistance will receive the baucher.

The most distinct suggestion is the amendment to ISA and univesity and univesity act.The amendment will certainly foster better freedom of speech in malaysia and enable youngster to involve in politic since young to enable them to be a better politician in the future.

One very important issue that the youth lab appear to miss is the open tender system. I suggest that all contract is openly tenderd by bumiputera tender as this would help to promote heatly competition among them as well as providing incentive for them to improve.

Another important issus which is not covered is the highways toll rates which is considered to be exorbitant. I propose that the government pruchase the equities of the highways companies of even attemot to gain full control of the company and try to abolish the toll charges gradually. This would certainly reduce transportation cost and help to stimulate business effciency and confidence.

Besides, the youth lab member could have survey the view of the youth PERKASA to gauge whether they support the stand of the NGO. This would certainly give more impetus to the government to sever any link with PERKASA if the youth voice their disregard to it.

Another possible survey is on the view of the youth regarding the combination or all the component party in BN to form a big multiracial party to gauge whether it is feasible and acceptable. This is because the race based party structure give a false impression to the people that all the parties in BN only strive to protect the right of their race, at the expense of other race.I suggest direct membership as an alternative to enable youth who wish to represent malaysian, not just one race, to join BN.

I definitely feel grateful to have the chance to speak to Datuk Seri Koh Tsu Koon, president of GERAKAN. From our fruitful conversation, i learn that it is imperative that a leader serve the people conciesntiously. He mentioned that a leader should focus on delivering his promises to the rakyat, instead of playing up issues and gain popularity. However, he also agree that there is a lack of communication between the leader of GERAKAN with the rakyat, resulting in the rakyat being misguded. He mentinoned his success in keeping the toll rate of penang bridge at 7 dollars, but never appreciated by the people as the government did not announce their success and achievenemt. He also stress that despite all the weaknesses, the room of improvement are there and hence demand our contribution and effort. His humility certainly inspire me to me more humble and his composure teach me to be calm in weathering the storm in my lives.

I definitely learned alot from this experience. I now believe that Malaysia can be more prosperous and harmony. It is my deepest conviction that i will come back to malaysia after i graduated with a law degree from Australia under JPA scholarship to serve my beloved countries.

Sunday, June 13, 2010

Kudos to BTN camp MERU

When I was informed by sponsorship unit of Taylor College that it is compulsory for all JPA scholars( Australia law and accounting scholars) to attend BTN camp (Kem birotatanegara) during semester break, I was overwhelmed by a sense of foreboding and trepidation. This is probably due to negative perception formed as a result of negative report and comment from the mass media as well as seniors. Hence, I braced myself for the worst. I am pretty sure that my friends feel the same.

However, my negative perception on the whole program was shattered after I successfully completed the whole program. Not only is the activities inspiring, thought provoking and informative, there was no racism or racist remark implicitly or explicitly throughout the whole events, contrary to what alleged by certain quarters. Most importantly, all the facilitators and speakers stress the need for unity in diversity based on tolerance and understanding on others culture as well as the need to respect the differences between difference races. Perhaps this is due to the fact that half of the participants are non-bumiputera. But the fact that effort are taken to promote racial unity should be given compliment.

Some of the most memorable and informative activities are the Federal Constitution adventure (Kembara Perlembagaan) and introduction to the 1Malaysia concept. As most of the participants are not exposed to the content of the constitution beforehand, the clear exposition and explanations by the facilitators help to foster understanding and appreciation of the content of the constitution meticulously drafted by the REID commission after taking into account the plights and concerns of all section of community consisting of different races. The fact that all religions are allowed to be practiced in peace and harmony with Islam as the religion of federations as prescribed in article 3(1) of the constitution is a testament that the federal constitution is vibrant as it protect the right of the majority and at the same time do not neglect the need and rights of the minority. Moreover, the cultural historical root of the country is also manifested in the constitution. Articles 181 of the constitution recognize the legitimacy of the monarch which has been the rulers of each state since Malay sultanate and as a symbol of the sovereignty of the country, even though part of their original power has shifted to the executive.

Another interesting topic which spark off heated discussion among the participants is the social contract ( kontrak sosial) . The discussion revolve around whether the social contract is still relevance and the need to inject new meaning breathe life into it. While many agree that the exchange of citizenship (article 14) for non-bumiputera for the special right of Malay (article 153), Malay language as federal language (article 152) , the recognition of Malay ruler(article 181) and Islam as federal religion ( article 3 ) is relevant and significant, the argument center upon the relevance of the special right for Malay when they are on even ground with non-bumiputera. In this context, this means that Malay has attained the 30% equity, and able to compete on a fair basis based on meritocracy in the field of education, trade, and economy. It is heartwarming to know that many non-bumiputera participants emphasize with the Malay who are denied their economic rights and repressed by the British from involving in trade. Many of them voice their disapproval toward the divide and rule policy by the British and agree that special provision should be made to elevate the Malay to enable them to survive in their own country amidst fierce competition and dominance from other races. However, it is even more enlightening that many of my Malay friend voice that the provision of the special right for Malay should be amended once the Malay races are competent to compete on level playing ground with their counterpart as provision of quota would render the Malay race complacent and lack survival instinct and ability in the face of globalization. Moreover, they claim that the crutches are a gross insult to Malay races which was once revered for their resilience and resourcefulness during Malacca sultanate. Whether or not the amendment will be made to article 153 or the parliament may pass law to prohibit the amendment of questioning of that article as prescribed in article 10(4) of the constitution, the fact remain that discussion among different races in an amicable atmosphere is capable of fostering mutual consensus and understanding on critical and controversial issues.

On the other hand, the explanation and discussion on the 1 Malaysia concept allow us to understand the concept and its importance in uniting Malaysians. Despite the fact there are many cynics in the society who question the effectiveness and relevance of the concept and some even try to point out the ulterior motive of the government , it is imperative to take note that the concept is based on goodwill and aim to foster unity in diversity and once it is successfully implemented, it would act as a catalyst to spur Malaysia in the strive to achieve vision 2020 into becoming a truly developed country revered by the world for the tolerance among people of difference races .

After the camp, my perspective was widened. I start to realize that even though our country is beset by many inherent problem and weaknesses, there is much room for improvement and support should be given to government agenda to address the problems without being cynical and see all the government policies in negative light without offering better alternatives. Instead of being swayed by emotion and remarks from politicians who have no qualms to play racial card to score brownie point for themselves, subjectivity must give in to objectivity and we should see things as they are, not as what alleged by certain quarters without substantial evidence and proof. Let not waste our time and energy in squabbling among each other on trivial issue and along the way jeopardize the harmony and peace in the country. Let us discard all our prejudices and muster our effort to make our country a better place for the future generations.

Lastly, again I would like to congratulate the facilitator and speakers for making this BTN camp a success. Their dedication and passion will always be remembered by all of us and all the participants certainly benefited from the camp by becoming more patriotic and mature. Many of the facilitator has sacrifice their time and family in the sense that many of them has not gone home to meet their family for days or weeks due to tight schedule. Hence, better remunerations should be allocated by the ministry of prime minister as a token of appreciation for the sacrifice and efforts My deep appreciation goes to the ministry of prime minister for providing such good facilities especially with six meal a day and comprehensive program. However, I recommend that non-malay should be hired as facilitator and speaker to better reflect our multiracial society and the 1 Malaysia concept. For the future participants, I recommend that they shed their bad perception and look forward to engage in the program as it is really a life-changing experience.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Doubt

I am filled with doubt after attending church services and surmons as they are contradicting themselve.Following are my doubt, not to denounce christianity, but to seek for clarification.

1) Christianity promotes toleration toward other religion

doubt : Why i kept hearing pastor in the church try to undermine other religion? particularly Buddhism, where he said" what is the old monk doing with his joss stick , sitting there not praying to god? " . Another instance is when my shepard said :" Why hinduism has so many god? dont they get confused? no wonder they are confused." I can only conclude that they are try to exclude or undermine other religion to justify their religion. Such is the irony.

2) Christianity promotes fundamental human right

doubt: The pastor kept assert that christian could not marry non christian. Is he not aware that that violate fundamental human right of freedom of association? Such is the irony.

3) Christianity is a religion which encourage people to live abundantly, but not with money and ambition. You like your life for god.

doubt: Can you fill your stomach just by praying to god? You cant neglect the reality that you need money to live a good life. Conflict in family bound to happen when you dont have money.Is that called live abundantly?Such is the irony

4) Christianity - abundance is promised in after life.

doubt: What about the present?

5) Pastor- dont just live a good life, live a god life

doubt: How do you live a god life without good life?

6) Pastor:" christianity promote peace and undestanding"

doubt : " Is he not aware that the " allah " issue is spark by chuch ?
" Is he not aware that in bible, god actually intruct moses to lead the israelis to invade other nation to claim the "land of god?" Is that not amounting to agression and violence ? " Such is the irony.

7) Pastor: " you will feel empty and lonely without religion"

doubt: " it is a feeling."You feel loneliness, hence you get loneliness.if you feel happy and abundant, you will get abundant.You just need to control your feeling.feel positive,think positive and your life will be positive. That is not religion. That is law of attraction.

haiz...so confusing...No offend to anyone. Just doubt and you may help me clarify it by replying me.thx

THE SECRET

The underlying concept of the secret is the control of your thought. Your thought is the most powerful tool could dictate how the universe might manifest itself. Below are the summaries of the " secret".

1) The great secret of life is the law of attraction
A) The law of attraction say " like attract like'. Hence, positive will attract positive and negative will attract negative.

B) Thought arre magnetic and have a frequency. As you think, you sent out a frequency to the universe and magnetically attract all like things of the same frequency. Hence, when you think of good things, the universe will sent back good things to you. when you thing negatively, the universe will sent back negative things to you.

Hence, It is important to control your thought, think positively and your life will be surrounded by positive things. The law of attracti
on will not differentiate between good and bad thought. Its only task is to response to what you think and the frequency you emitted.

if you want to change anything in your life, change your thought, and you will change the frequency that you emit to the universe. the universe will then reciprocate.

The law of attraction is like the law of gravity.You cant see it, but it is always there.So believe in it

People who pray to god will get what they want usually. However, it is argued that it is the law of attraction which answer your pray as that is what is being emitted to the universe.It is alleged that it is the law of attraction which answer your prayer, not god. People do say that there is a mighty force out there which dictate your life. They are true in the sense that the mighty force is the law of attraction

2) To have positive thought, first we must have good feeling. It is imperative to control how we feel as our feeling will affect our thought. When you feel bad, you will attract more bad thing. if you feel good, you will attarct good things.To have good feeling, fill yourself with love and gratitute.The feeling of love and gratitute is the most overpowering force that will change your feeling.

3) Three steps to utilise the law of attraction

a) Ask : Ask the universe for what you want. Picture it, visualize it as if it true.

b) Believing: believe that you already receive what you are asking for.When you emit the frequency that you have already received, the law of attraction will move thing and circumstances for you to receive

c)Receive : Feel the way you wil fill once your desire is fulfilled. feeling good put you on a frequency to receive.

Start with something small. As you experience it, you will attratc bigger think.

Start and End your day thinking what you want.

4)visualization allow you to better picture what you want. think of all the details.

5) Dont focus on wrong things. For example, dont be angry when you are discriminated by governemrent policy. Think that you are about to receive equal treatment and it will come to you.

When you didnt receive, instead of blaming the law of attraction, do some introspection.Maybe you dont have enough faith or perhaps you have doubt and cast some of your energy to negative thought. Whenever you have negative thought, change it immediately by feeling good through the feeling of love and gratitute.

For me, this is what i visualize

a) I will be a successful lawyer with bigh car, big house

b) I will be political leader who will make a change in malaysia where people have equal right, chinese independent school are recognised,primary chinese school receive similar treatment.i picture myself figting against injustice and corruption while protecting the right of all malaysia

c) I picture myself get TER 95 and above and the joy

d) I picture myself getting admitted to Monash university and pass clp.

e) I picture myself with a beautiful wife and healty children

f) I picture myself being more humble, tolerant, patient , caing, loving and lovable.

g) I picture myself in abundace of wealth and health

What about you? start using the law of attarction now and you will be surprised by the changes in your life.

Wednesday, February 17, 2010

An Eye-opening Conversation

During Chinese new years, i visited my secondary school chinese literature tuition teacher.In this case, i will refer him as MR S. He is both benevolent and wise where he analysed the current issue in our country impartially besides offered some constructive advice to me in which i will commit to lifelong memory.

Tan : Happy cny new year teacher. How are you recently?

Teacher S : I am fine. Thx you.How are you too? Can adapt to life in KL?

Tan: Not so well.I hope i can finish my study as soon as possible and get away from this place, leaving behind sorrow and hatred.Traffic congestion is a perpetual nuisance and people there are snobbish and inconsiderate.( I mean some)They only care for themselves and like to isolate people with different opinion.That is very immature and the tendency to form clique only reflect the insecurity and the need for others to accomodate them.Such foolish and idiotic.

Teacher S: OIC. Nvm. When i was young, i was like you too, full of passion but hindered by obstacle.Yes, I agree,there bound to be people who are narrow minded and small minded.They are reluctant to accept others opinion and therefore they could only live within their "small world".Like pepatah"Katak dibawah tempurung".As for the traffich congestion, you have to bear with it.Take all this challenges as a chance for you to grow and become more tough.Do not budge from your stand easily. Be who you are and dont be swayed by others opinion.They are like "Satan" , waiting to engulf you and your dreams by demoralising and discouraging you.

Tan: Thx teacher.I need your opinion regarding my studies. I am reluctant to go overseas for several reasons. Top among them is the need to do CLP which is not sponsored by Government.( NOTE that in contract, every 6 month extention of study amount to 1 year extra bond).Secondly, the expenses provided by government is not enough which mean you have to fork out yur own money.Thirdly, you dont have the chance to learn islamic law which has gained inroad into the judicial mainstream.Forthly, it is very hard for you to keep pace with the current judicial development in our country and the cultural difference(民情)make things worse.

Teacher S: I totally agree with you.I always encourage people to see things from practical aspects.It is true that people always think that it is glamorous to go overseas and evrything is better there.However, in my opinion, it is more practical for you to obtain your degree in Malaysia and then study do your postgraduate study overseas.Not the other way round.This especially applies to social science subject such as law where we have to take into consideration the plight and needs of the society.

Tan: But my friend all say they want to gain experience wo...

Teacher S:You can gain experience anywhere you wan .If you go UIA, you can learn how to get along well with Malay and know more about Islam.It is most useful if you wan to join politics next time.

Tan: Ya. Maybe because most of them plan to migrate overseas next time.

Teacher S: This is what worried me.People always think badly about malaysia.But for me, malaysia is a good place to live.No matter how unbearable the living condition is in malaysia, We could still live in peace and prosperity.Does our country experience eartquake, racial clash ,extreme poverty? Are we forbidden from practicing our tradition and learning our mother tongue?We could complain how unfair the government is and yet we are still rich and prosperous.So what the big deal? What seem to be bothering them? Do you think overseas country do not experience racism? Racism is everywhere.It is inherent in human nature where we bound to resist things different from what we believe and practice.Take for instance, In australia, there are alot of cases where the mat salleh refuse to serve chinese as they label us as " yellow skin".Do you experience this in Malaysia? Absolutely not.You can shout at a malay salesgirl for not serving you well and get her apologies.Try this at Australia to the mat salleh? The consequences is sure to be not pleasant.

Tan: ya, i totally agree.

Teacher S: Moreover, when you go overseas, you will suffer form inferiority complex because you are just niot up to standard.Not that you are no good, just that this is not where you belong.Malaysia need people with vision and good mentality to usher in a new era of social justice and prosperity.Overseas country dont need you to make things better for them.The onus is on us to make things better for our future generation.

Tan: Ya, i agree.But nowadays the youngsters are becoming more and more apathetic about politic and social responsibility.All the care is their own wellfare and all they want is to enjoy life without a single thought about people around them.

Teacher S : Yes, that the dilemma.You can see the different between those who graduate form chinese medium school and english medium school. For student who graduated from chinese medium school, they are more alert to the need to do their part for the betterment of the society.Whereas for student s form english medium school, they more likely not talk about politic and care about themselves more tham others.However, we cannot generalise.There are exception.

Tan :Talk about politic ( eye blinking), what do you think about the current MCA saga?

Teacher S: That is ridiculous. Ong Tee Kiat is having an suicidal attempt to overthrow Chua soi Lek. I dont know how he think. As for me, there are many ways to destabilise chua power base. Now all the power is in his hand, he could slowly erode chua power base by offering some " bait" such as postion in cabinet.In a few years time, Chua will fade into oblivion and he will have full control over the party.He is too impatient .He should not clash headlong with chua as the backlash from his supporter is inevitable.He second fatal mistake is his refusal to step down as MCA president as he promised before the GM.This is fatal because he does not keep his word.This is a worse case scenario,surely sounf a death knell to his political career.if he steps down,at least he retain some form of dignity.During this few years, he could rebuild his imej by exposing government scandal and rebrand himself as the one who dare to fight for the truth in the best interest of the people.This is how politics is played.When MCA could not find a suitable leader to replace him, they will choose him again.Sadly he missed the chance.

Tan:Is MCA still playing its role in BN.

Teacher S: MCA is ineffective, but there is no denial that we still need MCA to ensure there is a check and balance in the entire political machinery,in which decision to the detriment of chinese population would face opposing voice from within.Malaysia could not run away from racial politics.We are still divided along the racial line.Hence,we must not miss the whole forest because of a few tree or throw the cart away because of a few bad apple.Just as Pakatan rakyat has DAP, BN must have MCA, so that no matter which side gain power, our chinese community rights is still being protected .If MCA leave BN,it would be disastrous as the vacancy would be replaced by PAS, as BN now has more cabinet post to offer.This would be catastrophic for the whole chinese community as there is no opposing voice from within and the decision made bound to be bias.

Tan:So, what do you think is the criterion of a good politician?

Teacher: For me, the most essential quality of a good politician is sincerity and humility.Many politician are too arrogant and refuse to connect and interact with the grass root level.Some of them in their election campaign portrayed themselves as big lawyer and big doctors.People are not here to admire you,or serve you, they are here waiting for to to serve them, to listen to their plight.Hence, next time if you have the chance to go into politics, the first thing you must do is to walk along side the people, visit their homes once in a while. There is no need for you to visit every house. Just select a few,( including all races) and listen to their concern----words do spread.

Tan: Thx teacher.I really learn alot from you. i will remember what you said to me before. Hopefully i can be a good politician next time, the one who are about people and value integrity.thx

teacher S: Welcome.take care.hope to hear from you soon.

Saturday, January 23, 2010

Furore Over a Word

I always know that pen is mightier than sword and words can hurt especially when they smack of sarcasm. A word can have positive, negative and neutral connotation. A word with positive connotation exudes light feeling and jubilation and in the same time people tend to agitate when harsh word are hurled ar them.

What confounded me is that a word which is neutral can also spark controversy and subsequently lead to outburst or anger and general swearing of vengeance. The word " Allah " is a neutral word which suppose to be just a noun refering to god. However, people are at each other throat professing that only muslim can use the word as it is sacred . Likewise, christians stand firm and refuse to budge as giving in would mean compromising and eventually lead to more daring encroachment by the authority.

In the end, it remind me of a parable of the two goat. A white goat wants to cross the river and the only option is the bridge.As it was crossing the river, it met a black ,fat,strong,stout goat coming in its opposite way.As the bridge was narrow, only one of them can pass through which require another to retreat back to the banks of the river.Both refuse to retreat, and start hurling bad word at each other.The black goat, upon seeing his opponent as weak and thin, decided to charge forward and confront the white goat.The white goat refuse to cave in and resist the charge with all its might. The end results could happen in three ways.

1) Both of them slip and fall into the river. As they cannnot swim, both drown and perish. ( Malaysia decended into chaos and disoder,all malaysians will perish)

2)The black goat win and kill the white goat. However, as luck would have it, it bump into a tiger along the way.Too tired after the fight, it is unable to run for its life and become the meal of the tiger.( Muslim will win but our image at the international level will be tainted)3)

3)Both of them after fighting for the whole day,decided to seek consensus by having dialogue.( we set up a commitee for religious dialogue. )

The issue of the usage of the word " allah" by christian should not be brought to court in the first place because the issue is too sentitive and it does more harm than good in promoting religious tolerant and understanding in our country.
This is evident in the recent demonstration and destruction of church. Eventually , admist speculation that the destruction is done by extreme muslims, two mosque was attacked . The chain reaction could be dire and chaos may ensue.Sentiment and ego should definitelt take a backseat when come to religion issue .Only when we are prepare to resolve issue through dialogue , without trying to impose our values on others, then we can claim to be truly democratic and multireligious.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Monday, January 4, 2010

The Best Quote to be Learned by Heart

Zig Ziglar
1)Building a better you is the first step to build a better America


2)Every choice you make hava an end result

3)Expect the best, prepare for the worst,capitalize on what come

4)Failure is a detour, not a dead end street.

5)I believe that being successful mean having success stories across many areas of lives.You cant considered very successful in your business life if you home life is in shambles

6)If you go out looking for a friend, you're going to find that they are very scare.if you go out to be a friend,you'll find them everywhere.

7)If you want to reach a goal, you must see the " reaching " in your mind before actually arrive at your goal.

8) It is character that get us out of our bed, commitment that move us into action, and discipline that enable us to follow through.

9)Many marriage would be better if husband and wife clearly understood that they are on the same side

10)Money won't make you happy, but everyone wants
to find out for themselves

11)Success depend upon gland--sweat glands

12) sometimes adversities is what you need in order to be successful.

13)The foundation stone for success are honesty,character,faith,integrity,love and loyalty.

14)When you are hard on yourself,life will be infinitely easier for you.

15)You could have everything you want in life if you just help other to get what they want

16) You cannot perform in a manner inconsistent with the way you see yourself

17)You cannot tailor- made the situation but you can tailor-made your attitude to fit in those situation.

18) You are born to be a winner, but to be a winner , you must plan to win, prepare to win and expect to win.

19) Your attitude , not your aptitude , will determine your altitude.

Dalai Lama.

1)All major tradition, religions carry the same message,that is: love, compassion, and forgiveness and they should be part of our lives.

2)Happiness is not something ready made. It come from our actions.

3)If you can't help others, at least do not harm them

4)In the practice of tolerance, one's enemy is the best teacher.

5)Generate a good attitude, a good heart.

6) My religion is simple. My religion is kindness.

7)Old fiend slip away, new friend appear. it is just like the days.An old day pass, a new day arrive.The most important is to make it meaningful.A meaningful day, a meaningful friend.

8)Sometimes, you create a dynamic impression by saying something, and sometime create as significant an impression by remain silent.

9)There is no need for temples and complicated philosophy.My brain and my heart are temples, My philosophy is kindness.

10) Today, more then every, life must be characterised by a sense of universal responsivility,not only nation to nation,but also human to other form of lives.

11)We can never obtain peace in the world unless we first make peace with ourselves

Aristotle.

1) Law is the mind without reason.

2) All paid job absorb and degrade the mind.

3) For the thing we have to learn before doing them,we learn by doing them

4) Pleasure in the job put perfection at work.

5)To perceive is to suffer

Mahatma Gandhi

1) The weak can never forgive.Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.

2) What difference does it make to the dead,the orphan, the homeless, whether the destruction is brought upon under the name of totalitarinism or demoracy?

3)It may be long before the law of love can be recognised in international affairs.The machineries of government stand between and hide the heart of one people from those of others.

4)There is more to life then simply increasing its speed.

5)We must be the change we wish to see

6)The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.

7)The moment there is suspicios about a person motives, what he does becomes tainted.

8)Suffering cheerfully endured, ceases to be suffering and is transmuted into an ineffable joy.

Napolean Bonaparte.

1)A leader is the dealer in hope.

2)Courage is like love,it must have hope for nourishment.

3)Imaginaion rule the world.

4) Nothing more difficult,therefore more precious ,than to be able to decide.

5)Strangers are friend just waiting to happen.

6)You become strong by defying defeat,and by turning loss into gain and failure into success.

7)Cherish your dreams and goals as there are the children of your soul annd the blueprint of your ultimate success.

8)Desire is the starting point of all achievement.Not a hope,not a wish,but a keen pulsating desire which transcend everything.

9)Dont wait.The time will never be right.

10)Great achievement is always the result of great sacrifice,and never the result of selfishness.

11)It is generally true that you can succeed best and quickest by helping others to succeed.

12)The best job go to a person who can get it done without passing the buck or coming back with excuses.

13)The strongest oak of the forest is not the one that is protected from the storm and hidden from the sun.It is the one which stand in the open where it is compelled to struggle for its existence against the winds and rains and the scorching sun.

14)What the mind can conceive and believe,it can achieve.

15)You are searching for the key to unloack the door to the source of power;and yet you have the key in your hand and you may to use it in the moment you learn to control your mind.

Mother Teresa

1)Be faithful in small thing because it is in them that your strength lie.

2)God doesnt look at how much we do,but with how much love we do it.

3)I know god would not give me things that i cant handle.I just wish He didnt trust me so much.

4)If we got no peace ,it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.

5)Kind word are short and easy to speak but their echo are truly lasting.

6)There is more hunger for love and kind word in this world than for bread.

Mohammah Ali

1) Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee.

2) The man that do not have imagination do not have wings.

3)Champions arent make in gym,they are made from something deep inside them:a desire,a dream, a vision.

4)if they can make penicillin out of you, they can sure make something out of you.

5)if you ever think of beating me,you better wake up and appologise.

6)there are two things that are hard to hit and see,they are ghost and muhammad Ali.