Showing posts with label dreams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dreams. Show all posts

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

All psyched up

Every day is a test of my ability to stay optimistic. 

Sometimes I tell myself that I'm in this to learn. Bersusah-susah dahulu, bersenang-senang kemudian. Work hard early on so that later on, life becomes easier. Sometimes I tell myself that I'm doing this for my family - I've been on the receiving end for the past four years and it's my turn to give back.
And sometimes, I tell myself that I'm doing this for my imaginary kids. At the moment, I'm working 6 days a week without much complain in the hopes that my struggles will take me one step closer to seeing them.  

And the cycle repeats itself. Week 8. 

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Deeper Conversations





To be grilled about love, life and everything else in between is something that I have to deal with whenever I hang out with the guys. Funny how it was only a while back when it was just us guys - no girls in the picture.

Conversation over Oreo McFlurry ended. The brain went into thinking-mode on our way back home. There's no room for distractions, I thought to myself. That night, in the middle of a dream that does not make sense, someone appeared and said two words:

"Thank you."

That face. And that smile. And then she went. And then Mama wakes me up for Sahur. The heart screams, "WHYYY?". Sigh.

I ate. Prayed. Read Surah Taha. I'm approximately 60 pages behind time. School assignments at the back of my head. Tutorials. Need to pack my bag. Her face. Her smile. Her thank you.

I smiled, and went to school.




Monday, April 4, 2011

Thoughts



Sometimes,
little events,
little little things that people say,
jokingly or not,
mostly jokingly,
but you know I feel about jokingly,
that it often always mean seriously subconsciously,
blurted out unknowingly,
but obviously,
to me.

Most time,
I'm wrong. But who cares?
No one does, coz if they do,
wouldn't they have watched what they say,
or do?

Yeah,
these little things,
make me retreat into my dark little cave and hide for days, weeks;
Sighs,
7 days of not writing usually means,
no thoughts, lots of thoughts,
kept all to myself.

Things are all fine,
and happy,
and dandy,
but for how long,
can one hide behind a facade,
behind one mask,
after another mask,
after another mask,
you get the idea.

Be calm,
prayers,
give good advice,
a pure mind,
a pure heart,
but then we fall,
and hide in our caves,
ashamed,
because we find it so hard to be good,
because we question ourselves,
by asking questions like why try so hard to avoid music,
when many others are not,
coz afterall, there's nothing wrong,
right?

Frankly,
I don't know,
for music, I,
just hate it when it gets stuck in the head,
hate how it distracts me,
how not listening to music for a fair while suddenly,
made me click on one link after another,
and another,
like as though,
I'm in total control,
I'm free,
to do as I please,
but really I'm not,
coz I consistently think about the can, cannot, better not to,
and so on.

And how I miss conversations,
and talking,
and how I fear talking,
all because of the little things,
the little little things that people always say,
or do,
without,
thinking about how,
the other person might feel,
or do,
as a result of what they say,
or do.

I really do.

Thoughts,
they get pretty circular sometimes,
most times in fact,
and when they do,
that's when I know,
I'm ending.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

The Extended Journey



The Journey.

It's filled with hopes and dreams and sweet distractions that sometimes, we distract ourselves from the bigger journey. I know I do.

Ramadhan came 11 days ago. I wasn't excited. I wasn't reluctant either. Life was pretty much the same except for the fact that I had to wake up early for my meal, I couldn't eat or drink for the rest of the day until it's time to break my fast. And after Maghrib, sometimes a trip to the nearby mosque. Most times not.

During the days before the coming of Ramadhan, I read with doubt the excitement of my friends of the coming of this Holy monthvia their Facebook statuses. I asked myself why am I not feeling likewise. Or should I say, why do I no longer feel likewise?

I remember my younger days where I would rush to the mosque on my rusty yet faithful bike. I recall seeing friends sitting at the back of the mosque while the others prayed and I asked myself questions like, "Why come in the first place?". And when crowds left after 8 rakaats of prayers, I asked myself, "Why the rush? It's Ramadhan. The more we pray, the more we read the Quran, the more we listen to recitations of the Quran, the more rewards we get. The easier our passage to Heaven."

I miss the innocence of old. The innocence of new is a dream to pursuit a degree in law one day.

What's the point of dreaming of becoming a better someone when I know my relationship with God is getting worse by the day. This past 11 days, Ive let slipped by blindly. Worse still, knowingly.

Today, after morning prayers, I logged on to Facebook. Checked my notifications. Added a new friend. Looked through the newsfeed. A video caught my eye. I sat through the 80 mins Youtube video and for the first time is a very very very long time, I cried. I've never felt so ashamed and embarrassed of myself. I know there's nothing I can do about the 11 days that Ive let slipped pass. I just need to make up for lost time.

I want to be a better person. But why can't God just make my prayers come true? Why is it so hard to be someone good?


Oh my Lord I know I don’t deserve your heaven
And yet your blazing wrath I could never defend
So Lord rain down upon this lowly soul your forgiveness
Lord you and you alone forgive and wash away the most grievous sins

My sins are countless as the sands on the shore
Accept my repentance, O Lord of Majesty
For my life grows shorter with each day
While my sins increase with each passing moment

O my Lord, Your sinful servant approaches You
Continuously sinning while steadfastly beseeching You
If You forgive, You are most capable of doing so
And if You forsake me, then to whom else can I turn…

Here's the abovementioned Youtube video:








Sunday, August 8, 2010

The Journey




We're on a journey, each one of us.

What started out as a chase(or a non-chase depending on your perspective) has just turned into a quest to make it into the school's floorball team and maybe even be captain one day. Granted, I've probably the least experience amongst all of them but slowly and surely, I'm absorbing as much as I can from my teammates who seem to be more than willing to teach. Also, it doesn't hurt to dream, does it?

I've spent a decent amount of dough on a floorball stick and shoes - to the displeasure of my sister who thinks I'm spending money unnecessarily. At least she knows what it feels like to see siblings "wasting" money away now that she's the sole breadwinner. Little things like this tells me she's finally growing up.

I digress. The stick and the shoes are my way of committing myself to this sport. I'm fully aware that the chances of me getting the sack is high. But I shall hang on till the very end.

If this chase falls apart, I know I could still go back to recreational and non-chase whoever it is that I'm not non-chasing. This is my journey.


Saturday, July 3, 2010

Some stories do come true



The Oreo Cheesecake Boy - he managed to get the cheesecake he wanted with the help of an awesome baker friend. It was a story that came to mind as I was writing the previous entry. An MSN conversation followed and 5 days later, my story became real. So, I guess some stories do come true.

*Opens the book he bought in December 09 and continues with THAT story*


Sunday, June 13, 2010

The Real Dream





I had the realest of dreams today.

It was a dream created from little thoughts I've been having for weeks now. In the dream, I was on MSN when someone quoted me a long list of quotes taken from this blog of mine - quotes that I found pretty "interesting". It was interesting as I never actually wrote those words down coz you know, sometimes, some thoughts are best kept as thoughts.

But when thoughts are kept as thoughts, they become dreams that ask the question: Which is more real - your dreams, or the life you're living?

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Extreme Optimism





O Extreme Optimism, will you be my downfall?

In life, we make decisions that will make or break us. If a decision breaks us once, or twice or even thrice, do we stop listening to our hearts and minds? Do we lose faith in our ability to decide? I believe we should keep making these decisions and pray that one day, the decisions that we make slowly go our way. Faith? Or am I simply extremely optimistic?

Effort and Approach

These are two key areas that I need to work on. At the end of every semester, I reflect. I write about how I intend to mend my ways. And I also write about how my intentions always fail. Complacency at play? I think so.

Now I write about my intention to eradicate complacency and introduce consistency. I'd like to maintain the extreme optimism and add a little bit more purpose to my life in school.

Memory

I hate committing myself to remembering formulas. This mind of mine loves to think, understand, analyse and most importantly, remember. It hates memorizing. Time for a diet of raisins (and someone to sit infront of me with a rotan and force me to memorise).

I should be somewhere and writing something else right about now. Then again, I don't think there's much that I can write anyway. I'm unwell. And I'm giving myself another chance. I will not disappoint.

Wednesday, April 28, 2010

The Last Minute





I looked at him and asked a meaningless question. I asked what he thought could be the reason why the family of six suddenly cancelled their dinner booking.

His reply was: Death in the family.

Somehow, in my dream, I knew death was the reason why that family cancelled on dinner - one of the six had passed on. But Dad didn't. Out of curiosity, I asked him why death was the first reason that came to his mind. Of all the reasons that one can come up with to cancel a dinner booking, why did Dad mention death.

His simple reply: Guess why?

I gave it some thought. The phone rang, but I ignored. After several rings, I was told me to answer the phone up. He told me he'll wait for me. But the moment I opened my eyes, I realized I had fallen asleep too early - I was supposed to rest my eyes for 5 minutes. ONLY.

I killed the alarm on my phone. Prayed Fajr. Prepares for Structures 1 at 1PM.

... Guess why. Guess who.

Thursday, February 11, 2010

When dreams come true...





If smiles could light the whole night sky, he'll flap his wings and fly. Just fly.

-M


Fly he did that starry night. He flew up high with all his might when suddenly he remembered his fear of heights. He fell. Wakey wakey! No smile can light the whole night sky. No man can fly. A dreamer could, but he knows he shouldn't.

I used to think that a dreamer's dream knows no boundaries. I've always believed in even the slimmest of possibilities. I hope and I wait no matter how long it takes. But that starry night, I realized that there are boundaries that a dreamer can't cross, gray areas that he shouldn't tread and Pandora boxes that should never be opened.

That same starry night, I realized that dreams do come true. Along with that night, came a gentle reminder that I can write all the stories I want but at the end of the day, I know a story has already been written for me.

Sunday, January 3, 2010

A tad too much





I woke up this morning from one too many dreams.

Chaos. Hostages. Suicide bomber. A freezing ocean. A yatch. A break dancing competition. Saw people from 3 years ago. A child burning a match. An old lady. I was running away. My shoes were dirty. My shoelaces were undone.

I woke up. The last thing I'd told my friend before I slept was "I need to sleep. My mind needs to stop thinking."

I believe my mind's overheating - the stories, writing and thinking about floorball, frisbee, soccer, the sweet distractions.

I then took a deep breath and slowly made my way back to the day when it all began.

Thursday, December 31, 2009

Back Home



We left for the hospital as soon as the kids left. We met my mum's sister. She's only a year older looking very weak. She mentioned how healthy-looking my mother was.

"Who asked you to move to Malaysia?" Teased my mother. Her husband looked on - smiling.

"Apa nak buat kalau jodoh kita orang Malaysia," she said weakly with a smile. Her husband added that disease knows no boundaries. If one's fated to fall sick, one will no matter where one is. They spoke and I could see that my sick aunt was glad that my mum dropped by - even if it was just for an hour or so. I guess it's little things like this that makes the difference.

As we're about to leave, we met her eldest son and youngest daughter. Again, it's funny though how warm they are with my mother. Afterall, it has been many years since the last time they visited us in Singapore.

I couldn't even recognize Aimi. I vaguely remember the little girl that came to our place a couple of times nearly a decade ago. And I only found out that she's 4 years younger than me. I found out coz somehow, I managed to speak to her. The me a decade ago would never. I asked her about school, talked about her course and stuffs. I asked her why we never spoke those many years ago when she came to stay over at our place with her mum and elder sister.

"Awak sombong," she said with a smile.

I simply smiled. I guess my introvert nature can easily be misread as arrogance and anti-social. I'm not surprised. I had always been the shy guy and still am I guess. But I'm talking more now though - I need to. Opportunities to talk such as this one comes once in perhaps 10 years so one has got to make every minute count.

We reached Singapore at around half past nine. As soon as we reached my place, we received an SMS from across the Causeway. Kak Bibah asked if we've reached home safely and said that she wanted to let us know that her dad's been warded into the hospital due to heart attack. My mum felt sad. I guess we'll never know what's going to happen next. I prayed for the both of them to recover soon.

Earlier, I received an sms that informed me that my faculty's floorball team didn't make it through to the quarters. I logged on to the Internet to check my examination results. I saw an F in a module that I found doable. But I smiled when I saw an A in Magical Realism. My GPA maintained. Alhamdulillah.

After a day of mixed emotions, I realized that the setbacks that I've experienced are nothing really. I took a deep breath, replanned my timetable and wrote about my trip. There's so many lovely things in life and I find it foolish to feel down because of a minor stumble. I just gotta pick myself up and move on. I've got dreams to make me study hard coz right now, I'm far from good. And not only that, I must study smart too! Insyaallah I will.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

The Day






A philosopher once asked, "Are we human because we gaze at the stars,
or do we gaze at them because we are human?"
Pointless, really...
"Do the stars gaze back?" Now, that's a question.

Today's the day when I destroy the boundary between the real world and the unreal. I've always wanted to destroy this wall ever since I wrote Unreal Realism (27 Oct 09).

Could thoughts and stories come true in reality? Do wonderful stuffs only belong in books and films? Do opposites really attract? These are questions a thinker thinks about but never will he find the answers unless he embarks on a personal quest to find the answers - himself. The eventual answers may not be what he had hoped for them to be but at least now, he has answers instead of questions.... Answers that will come in useful in later parts of one's journey in life.

Today's the day when words translate into actions. It ain't going to be easy but he has gotta start from somewhere, right?

Friday, December 18, 2009

Few Options






I entered the police station. My youngest brother was in detention.

"What was he doing working at the petrol station at such young age?" Asked the investigation officer.

Time stood still. Everyone stopped whatever they were doing. All eyes and ears were on me. "He has to work. Both of them need to. They've got no choice. We've got few options."

She looked straight at me - as though looking for signs of lying. I looked straight at her - not because I was afraid I might give my true feelings away. But because her eyes were windows to what seemed like a beautiful world that I simply had to see what lies within that world. Her world.

Satisfied with my answer, she ordered for my brother's release. She was right. What was a one-year-old child doing working at the petrol station? I teared a little as I carried the little child in my arms. As he wrapped his arms around my neck, I whispered whispers in his ears.

As much as I wish for you not to work, you have to. Both you and your twin need to. You've got no choice. We've got few options.

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

The Sense of Purpose





I read and hear of people around me complaining about school - to the point of giving up. Whenever I hear such stories, I pray to Him that I, as well as my siblings, will never think of giving up at any point in our lives. I pray that we'll be as strong, if not stronger, every time we meet an obstacle. And I shall not let anything stop me from believing in myself - even when my results say otherwise or even as I'm not doing as well as the rest around me.

I believe the key to my optimism is faith. Having faith that insyaallah, things will turn out fine as long as I keep on trying and doing my bestest. Besides faith, I believe that having a motivation or two and a sense of purpose have helped me stay on the right mental track.

This semester, my motivation has primarily been someone who do not know of my existence. While walking to class this afternoon, I questioned my purpose of being in school. I asked myself what REALLY keeps me going - whether it's her, or is it something bigger. And I realized that my sole purpose is to be able to graduate, find a good job and to support my family. And only after I successfully achieve this mission of mine will I make known of my existence to her.

Would that be too late? Am I being foolish? Should I make myself known now?

Haha ... And rhetorical questions such as these never fail to keep me going day after day after day.

"We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves strong. The amount of work is the same." ~ Carlos Castaneda


Sunday, October 18, 2009

Happy thoughts








Tonight's one of those nights where I let my mind run free and think about things.

How I wish I.....

Thinking about things that make me wonder what the future holds for me.....

Wondering what it feels like to.....

Seeing all the smiles, I just can't help but smile and wonder.

It's been a while since I wrote about family and dreams and stuffs that are serious and boring. Perhaps it's the sweet distractions. Perhaps I'm becoming less serious and boring. I think its her. I think Ive found myself a distraction that shall be my motivation.

Tonight, I really can't help but smile and wonder.(:



Monday, September 14, 2009

Looking forward looking back





"Of course, now I wonder where I had gotten the idea that for you to participate in a gathering, the other people had to really, really want you to be there and that anything short of rabid enthusiasm on their part meant you'd be a nuisance. Where had I gotten the idea that being a nuisance was that big a deal? Sometimes now I think of all the opportunities I didn't take...and of how refusal became a habit for me..."
-Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld


The old man... He regretted all the invitations he'd rejected.


He regretted thinking - despite the thinker that he was. He had chosen to dream - being the dreamer that he was. And when his journey in life feels as though its reaching its end, he saw a lonely wooden bench all alone that lonely cold morning. He knew exactly how lonely the bench was for that was exactly how he felt.

And as they watched the sun rise in the distant, he thought and dreamt for one last time:

If only God could grant me my final wish. I wish for Him to turn back time so that I do not grow old thinking and dreaming about things that I could have done but didnt. If he cant,then a little bit more of life would do just fine.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Amusing parallels



Ive been spending countless hours this past 3 days on a piece of article for one of the school publications. Putting thoughts and reflections into an entry for a magazine is a different ball game compared to the writes on my blog. The datelines, the word limits, worrying about how others might find and react to it can be pretty exhausting. Giving up seemed like the easiest option but it'll never be the case. A part of me wants to see it published and perhaps, be heard and be known. Or perhaps its simply the joy of writing - from entries to articles to simple comments - that makes me want to keep on writing. Or perhaps I see it as my baby steps to something bigger and better.

Here's something I found amusing:

"Like many great writers attending college for a subject they despised, García Márquez found that he had absolutely no interest in his studies, and he became something of a consummate slacker. He began to skip classes and neglect both his studies and himself, electing to wander around Bogotá and ride the streetcars, reading poetry instead of law. He ate in cheap cafés, smoked cigarettes, and associated with all the usual suspects: literate socialists, starving artists, and budding journalists.

One day, however, his life changed -- all from reading just a simple book. As if all the lines of fate suddenly converged in his hands, he was given a copy of Kafka's The Metamorphosis. The book had a profound affect on García Márquez; making him aware that literature did not have to follow a straight narrative and unfold along a traditional plot.

The effect was liberating: "I thought to myself that I didn't know anyone was allowed to write things like that. If I had known, I would have started writing a long time ago." He also remarked that Kafka's "voice" had the same echoes as his grandmother's -- "that's how my grandmother used to tell stories, the wildest things with a completely natural tone of voice."


Am I about to follow the footsteps of Gabriel Garcia Marquez? Instead of law, would I want to abandon Civil Engineering for writing? Could that explain the piles of tutorials and lecture notes I've yet to read?

Yesterday, I felt Kafka-esque when I read what Ronald Gray wrote in his critical interpretation: "The formal excellence is striking enough in itself. Whereas very many of the stories are incomplete, or rambling and repetitive, The Metamorphosis shows all the signs that Kafka was able both to portray his own situation and to achieve artistic mastery over it."

Today, I amuse myself by drawing parallels with Garcia Márquez. Could I be going through a metamorphosis of my own when I printed a copy of Kafka's The Metamorphosis for my elective: HL808 Introduction to Magical Realism?


.........Pablo smiled to himself as he dreams of taking the road he knows he'll never take. He knows that as soon as this dream end, it's back to Soil mechanics, Mechanics of Materials, Fluid dynamics, Probability and Statistics and Physics 1.

He cant help but feel as though he's a prisoner of societal conventions and expectations.