I Am Hungry

There is a futsal competition organized by Rakan Muda due to be held at Dataran Merdeka on 2nd Jan, 2010 at 8am. I contacted alot of old teammates to form up a participating team. Sadly, only one person responded positively while the others gave excuses that they couldn't make it either because they are busy or they are just not up to it.

That only person who had replied me back showed a great deal of enthusiasm. He was eager to participate despite not knowing where is Dataran Merdeka in the first place & whether we have a good chance of winning or not. That is what I want to see in a teammate, passion & courage.

I guess that what I'm trying to say is, you gotta show that 'hunger' if you really wanna achieve success in life. You gotta show passion even in the little things that you have been doing for years. If I have to cycle to my local gym in Sunway Lagoon Resort Club for training all the way from my house in SS14 then so be it!

I maybe 20 years old now, but my passion for sports will never fade. Even if all of my usual kaki bola friends have 'retired' in order to focus their time & energy on other things, I will still be playing at the futsal court infront of my house. Surprisingly there were people asking whether will I ever get bored of doing the same thing over & over again. The answer is no. Simply because this is what I love to do, which is football. Even at the age of 50, I can still see myself playing at the same old court together with a new generation players. In my opinion, any Tom, Dick & Harry can start on something new but to develop consistency, one needs passion.

I know that at my age, I'm suppose to own a car by now. But instead, I'm travelling around Subang Jaya relying heavily on my bicycle. It's not that I don't want a car, it's just that I can't afford one okay? However, I don't mind if I have to cycle every Thursday night for cell group (CG) to meet up with my church friends.

No doubt it's dangerous for me to be cycling at night. But as long as I can experience a little of God's presence at CG, I am willing to take up the risk of being mugged or even being attacked along the way. Some might think that this is crazy shit, but I would prefer to call it as passion.

I'm writing on the first day of 2010. I can imagine only endless possibiblities of greater things to be achieved this year. For too long I have supressed this 'hunger' of mine of which have lead me to avoid taking bold risks in life & 'safer' pathways instead. I say no more! It's time to feed that 'hunger'.

Jon Bon Jovi once wroted a song entitled "It's My Life". It's now or never. I'm not gonna hold back & listen to other's opinions on what is 'acceptable'. I'm not talking about the rules of society. I'm talking about reaching your dreams despite how unusual or unconventional it may be.

You can't expect to distinquish yourself from the rest if you are unwilling to do something different. You can't expect to be unique if you refuse to put yourself in an uncomfortable position above everyone else.

So the next time when I call you guys up for an upcoming football or futsal competition, please show me a little bit more passion as well as commitment that you really want this badly. Learn from the MINT cluster. Our VU cluster is just as strong as them but what made them special was their hunger for success. Therefore, 'starved' yourself with goals & ambitions. Be 'hungry' to win!

Option B - Fitness Instructor

Option A - Professional Football Player

Option B sounds nice, but let me try to achieve option A first ~

Kiasuland

How was my trip to Singapore? Kinda exciting I guess. At the same time, not really. My family & I stayed at my uncle's apartment in Tampines after landed at Changi Airport. Nothing much to see at Tampines except for their local shopping complex which is plainly named Tampines Mall. Maybe things can be a little bit more interesting if I were to travel to Sentosa Island or Merlion Park instead.

Nevertheless, I went to destinations like Bugis Junction & Orchard Road which are a must for shopping lovers. By the way, I'm too lazy to upload the pictures so there won't be any in this post. Holiday break!

Singapore is a good place to shop because some of the things over there are actually cheaper compared to M'sia. Here, a good quality fedora hat will cost me around RM50-RM60 but I got it at Singapore for just S$15 (RM37). This is just one of the things I've bought. If you wanna get a good deal especially in electronic goods, then you better fly over there right now!

There are alot of things in Bugis Junction which are nearly impossible to be found here in M'sia. Like my sister, she got herself a device that can warm up a person's beverage.

To travel around, you can choose to take the MRT (like our M'sian LRT) or the public bus. Either way is pretty much the same because you can move from point A to point B within a short time at a rapid pace. The MRT is so smooth & silent, not to mention much faster too than the speed of our LRT which is ironically noisy & bumpy. If you're in a real rush, then take a taxi.

Whenever I want to take the bus in Singapore, there will be a shuttle within 5 minutes. But in M'sia, it took me around 20-45 minutes of waiting for a bloody shuttle to arrive. If a bus in Singapore ever comes late, it will not arrive more than 15 minutes. On the other hand, M'sian buses can take up to hours if they ever experience traffic jams or whatever reason that causes them to be late. In a nutshell, public buses in Singapore are very efficient & fast. M'sia, apalah you ~

However, it is advisable not to dine in Singapore. If possible, you should bring your own food supplies & cook in Singapore unless you're loaded with cash. This is because the food in Singapore is twice or thrice more expensive than dining here in M'sia. For example, having a McChicken Burger Meal over here will cost you around RM7 but in Singapore, you may have to fork out around S$8 (RM20)!?

I try not to spend all my Singaporean Dollars because I know that the more I save, the more Ringgit Malaysia I will have to exchange for when I fly back to KL. For every S$, you can redeem back RM2.46.

Now this is the thing which really puzzles me. Why on earth that a small country like Singapore, has a stronger currency than our RM? I mean c'mon our country is rich with resources man! We have petroleum, palm oil, land & talented brains. It should be the other way around! Our RM is suppose to be stronger than the S$. Due to their limited natural resources, Singapore relies on the services, electronics & chemicals industries as it's main source of revenue. So why despite Singapore's disadvantages, their S$ is still stronger than our RM?

That is the problem with corruption. When the government is corrupted, all sectors will be affected as well especially our RM. M'sia already has the resources to be a great country. But because of corruption, We are going backwards in our progress as a nation. I really don't know lah, should I stay here or go to overseas to further my education? I sudah fed up reading the news everyday of how taxpayers money are being misused by the ruling coalition & yet the culprits can get away with it. Obviously going to overseas will clear a brighter path for my future. But I've already made alot of good friends here & I don't think I have the heart to leave them behind.

Alright back to the topic about Singapore. Are Singaporeans really as kiasu as others claimed? I'm neither working or studying in Singapore so I don't know what is their culture like. I only know that Singaporeans are more civilized than their M'sian counterparts when it comes to taking public transportations. Singaporeans are generally systematic by lining up at the side of each door entrance & let the others through first which I find it a very rare scene here at the KTM, LRT & bus stations.

When it comes to fashion, the younger generation of Singaporeans really know how to dress up well. If you're gonna go visit Orchard Road, then make sure that you look your absolute best. That place is just full of sophisticated & cultured people. Almost everyone you see over there will be wearing branded clothing of the latest trend. Therefore don't go to Orchard Road only by wearing your sandals, shorts & singlet because most Singaporeans are bloggers plus they can & will snap photos of you.

I don't agree with people regarding Singaporeans as an uncaring society. I actually went there to attend my cousin's wedding. After the wedding, my dad drank too much & he ended up puking at the roadside. Of course it was an embarrassing situation. However a very nice lady passing by, saw us & offered me a can of tea. She told me to heat it up so that it would help reduce my dad's grogginess as well as giving me a pack of tissues. I felt touched & wanted to pay her kindness with some cash but she declined.

Here are two things why M'sians don't like Singapore:

1. Again Singaporeans are kiasu.
2. Singapore's environment is like a pressure cooker.

I want to ask a question. What is wrong with being kiasu? The world is going through an era of globalization. To survive the food chain of the corporate world, you need to be competitive as ever to stay at the top. We complain that Singaporeans are kiasu because they are too hardworking, what's up with that!?

In my experience as a footballer, I must say African players are the most difficult people to play against. They are strong, quick & determined. Even so, can I complain by asking them to lower their own standards? Freaking hell no! The only way I can compete against them is when I also train my ass off as hard as I can so that I too will be as good as the Africans. So don't complain that Singaporeans are kiasu because they have earned the right to say that they're better than us. Stop whining & start improving yourself!

About the pressure cooker environment, yes this is somewhat true because you are constantly surrounded by very bright & talented people in Singapore. I know of this fact because my cousins whom have been living & working there. This might be a rude shock especially to M'sian students that used to being top of the heap in their little schools in Segamat or Petaling Jaya will suddenly find themselves relegated to the third or fourth class in school. Therefore, if you're gonna study in Singapore, don’t freak out if you no longer find yourselves the first boy or girl in your class. This is because you are now out of your jaguh kampung and competing globally!

It's very impressive that for a small country like Singapore, they have placed their marks on the world map. What does that tells us? It doesn't matter of your size, it doesn't matter of your circumstances, it doesn't matter if the odds are pinned against you but what matters, is our hunger to succeed. I know that M'sia boleh, but does M'sia want it that badly? I always hear the same M'sian excuse for not trying to pursue their dreams, "This is M'sia lah, it's impossible one!"

I also used to think that God made me a M'sian because he is upset with me in the past life. As a Msian, you are cursed with limited capacity to succeed if that's what most typical M'sians think of. If you have a dream, then too bad lah because it's impossible to achieve excellence as this is M'sia mah, correct or not?

Seriously, how long do we wanna keep believing that we're not capable of anything when Singaporeans have already proven themselves?

Let The Fat Lady Sing

STPM, it's finally over ~

Escaping to Singapore in 8 hours time

Wishing You Well In Your Future Endeavors

I felt so emotional after watching this. Although the song is sang in Korean but you can pretty much understand what is it all about by just watching the music video. Actually I regretted watching it in the first place because once I'm in the state of emo-ing, I won't feel like doing anything at all. I wanted to study yesterday for my final papers but all I did was stoning into empty space while thinking about the past, *sigh* ~

Then eventually, the next day I came across a note posted by one of the church leaders on Facebook;


Let them go

There are people who CAN walk away from you.

And hear me when I tell you this. When people can walk away from you: let them walk... don't try to talk another person into staying with you, loving you, calling you, caring about you, coming to see you, staying attached to you. I mean hang up the phone.

When people can walk away from you let them walk. Your destiny is never tied to anybody that left.

The bible said that, they came out from us that it might be made manifest that they were not for us. For had they been of us, no doubt they would have continued with us. [1 John 2:19]

People leave you because they are not joined to you. And if they are not joined to you, you can't make them stay.

Let them go.

And it doesn't mean that they are a bad person it just means that their part in the story is over. And you've got to know when people's part in your story is over so that you don't keep trying to raise the dead.. You've got to know when it's dead.

You've got to know when it's over. Let me tell you something.. I've got the gift of good-bye.. It's the tenth spiritual gift, I believe in good-bye.. It's not that I'm hateful, it's that I'm faithful, and I know whatever God means for me to have! He'll give it to me. And if it takes too much sweat I don't need it. Stop begging people to stay.

Let them go!
-By Bishop T.D Jakes

I have decided. It's time to let go