And I said: “I pray, Lord God of heaven… *a very long bla bla bla*... and let Your servant prosper this day, I pray, and grant him mercy in the sight of this man.” For I was the king’s cupbearer (Nehemiah 1:5-11).
Here is an example of a lengthy prayer by Nehemiah. He began by saying “I pray, Lord God of heaven.” And he went on and on, mentioning all kinds of things under the sun. As I scanned the contents of the whole prayer, I asked myself, "Is there actually a request in here? When is it finally going to come out?"
Ah… After 6 long verses, the request finally popped out. All he wanted was for God to “grant him mercy” in the sight of King Artaxerxes.
Mercy? Mercy for what? Apparently, Nehemiah wanted to go Judah to rebuild its walls. He wanted to ask for permission from King Artaxerxes. But being the king’s cupbearer, it was not going to be easy. That was why he asked God to grant him mercy from the king when he makes his request known to him.
One thing that struck me was, although Nehemiah was lengthy in the front part of his prayer, he was starkly brief when it came to making his request. He didn’t even bother to explain to God what he was planning to do, how he was going to do it, when he was going to do it, who the king was, how the king’s behaviour was like in granting favours, or what kind of outcome he desired from his negotiation with the king. All he asked from God is that He would grant him mercy in the sight of King Artaxerxes.
That shows something about Nehemiah’s mature understanding of prayer. He prays, knowing that an omniscient God hears him. Therefore, he does not pray condescendingly towards God, explaining details to Him as though He doesn’t already know them. He just keeps his request simple, and he entrusts the mechanism to God. He doesn’t tell God what to do, why He should do it, or how He should do it. He just presents his petition to God, and lets Him deal with the outcome. Because he knows that God knows better.
Nehemiah has taught us something about prayer. We often have the habit of approaching God as though we are approaching man. When we want to ask for permission from the boss to take a day off, we have to explain why, provide a rationale, persuade him of the necessity to do so, convince him of the urgency, or fill in a formal, written application.
I remember the kind of red tape one has to go through when organizing an event in campus. Even though your motives for doing it are pure and its benefits are obvious, you have to do all kinds of things: Fill in forms, write a proposal letter, explain your objectives, answer all the who, what, how, when, why, and where questions, book the facilities, and most of all, persuade the authorities to give you a smooth clearance so that your project run without any hindrance. Sometimes, you may feel as though you’re explaining things to a child. Because protocol will not assume that the unmentioned things are negligible. EVERY detail must be documented, so your every action can be tracked down and their approval of your project can be justified!
Sometimes, we mistakenly bring the same kind of attitude when we approach God in prayer. But God already knows everything, even before we pray. So let us approach God with simplicity in our requests, lest we come across as being condescending towards God.
Once, Peter tried to walk on water. When he started to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!" (Matthew 14:30) No explanation needed.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Friday, July 14, 2006
Sex Education 101
Yesterday, I entered a Form 4 Arts class for a relief period. I used to teach that class PJ one week ago. Now, I’m shifted to teach Form 6 Chemistry.
That class is the bottom class for the Arts stream. When I entered the class, a few boys were missing. One boy had his shirt half buttoned, and he was playing with a bandana over his head. A few guys at the back were just starting to break into a rowdy football game with an empty 500ml bottle. Some were pushing chairs around.
“Apa la sir… Bila ada PJ, kamu tak mai. Bila habis PJ, baru kamu mai…”
“Apa boleh buat. Mereka sudah promote saya. Sekarang saya ajar Chemistry Form 6…”
“Sekarang siapa akan ajar kami PJ?”
“Tak tau lah. Saya sudah kena substitute. Last week, saya main defense. Sekarang, saya main attack. Bila tukar lagi, saya main right wing.”
I stopped the football fiasco at the back, and got them to quiet down a little.
There’s this boy in the class who has a good body. He knows it, and he’s proud of it. He will take off his shirt after PJ, and he will walk around, parading. Even in the canteen, he will be flaunting it. “Dia sudah overgrow, sir…” His friends will taunt him. And he’ll still be posing…
This boy sat on the teacher’s chair at the teacher’s table, and he suddenly asked me, “Sir, you sudah ‘buat’ kah?”
“Tarak lah. Mana saya ada ‘buat.’”
In case you don’t know what “buat” means… Ask yourself, what does every adolescent wonder about all the time at this age?
“Kenapa kamu belum buat… Semua orang pun sudah buat…”
“Apa… You tak boleh tahan kah? Tak boleh tunggu sampai kahwin kah?”
I grabbed a chair and sat adjacent to him.
“Tak boleh lah sir… Kalau tunggu, banyak lama lah sir…”
“Apa lama… Mana ada lama…”
“Sir, sekarang saya 16 tahun. Saya mau kahwin 28 tahun. Kalau nak tunggu… Banyak lama lah, sir…”
“Eh, hanya lelaki sejati yang boleh tahan lama. Kalau kamu tak boleh tahan, kamu bukan lelaki sejati.”
Now he’s listening. You challenge his testosterone, then he’ll listen. Same wan. Last week, when I asked them to go through their basketball drills, they don’t want. When I said, “Siapa boleh buat 3-pointer, saya belanja minum.” That guy sunk 3 baskets.
A group of guys started to gather around the table. Amused at the direction the conversation is taking, they grabbed their chairs and sat around.
I pressed on. “You ingat kalau buat banyak-banyak bagus kan? Kalau perempuan itu sudah pregnant, macam mana?”
“Tak boleh mia lah… Guna protection…”
“It’s not about protection… Kamu tau ah… Dalam satu marriage, apa yang paling penting? Bukan wang. Bukan apa-apa benda lain. Paling penting ialah trust…
Kalau kamu tak boleh trust one another, tak boleh work mia… How can you say kamu boleh pergi buat sex dengan siapa-siapa saja?”
“Dia tak akan tau punya…”
“Mana boleh cakap macam itu. Ok, saya tanya kamu satu soalan. Sangat senang punya. Kalau satu hari, bila kamu sudah kahwin, kamu find out dia sudah tidur dengan 5 lelaki. Lagi teruk, 5 orang itu kamu kenal punya. Lagi teruk lagi, mereka ni jiran awak. Macam mana. Masalah besar tak?”
“MASALAH BESAR!!”
“Ya lah! Ok. Kalau, satu hari nanti, isteri kamu find out yang kamu pernah buat dengan banyak orang perempuan. Masalah besar tak?”
“Masalah besar…”
There you go. Always thinking from one point of view, but never from the other.
“Kamu tau tak apa itu emotional baggage?”
He stared silently.
“Emotional baggage itu ialah… Katakan, kamu sudah buat sex dengan perempuan itu, dan dia pregnant, lepas itu bapa dia cari awak. Dia bagi masalah kat you, dan kamu kena tampung dia pula… Itu baggage tak?
Kalau dia tak pregnant pun, tentu ada masalah punya. Tentu ada orang yang rasa bersalah. Tentu ada orang yang rasa sedih. Itu lah emotional baggage. Itu, saya cakap tentang satu orang saja. Kalau kamu pergi buat dengan banyak-banyak orang, lagi banyaklah emotional baggage. Kamu boleh tahan tak? Mana boleh handle? You ingat senang kah nak handle begitu banyak baggage?
He nods.
“Kalau begitu banyak problem, bila kamu jumpa orang yang kamu really really sayang, macam mana boleh jalan? Tak boleh jalan mia…
Kamu sudah buat, bukan? Jadi kamu tak ‘fresh’ lagi la. Tak tulen. Macam ini, harga sudah turun. Siapa yang mau?”
“Sir, sekarang perempuan pun sudah banyak buat la…”
“Ah, kalau kamu tau perempuan itu sudah ada buat, kamu masih mau dia tak?”
He shook his head.
“Itu lah. Kalau dia tahu kamu sudah ada buat, dia masih akan mau kamu ah?”
He shook his head again. Bingo. Another point proven. Always thinking about himself, but never from the other way around.
“Benda sex ini, banyak orang tak tau control. Ada control problem. Kamu tau tak, kalau kamu tak tau control ah… Bila suka terus buat, bila suka terus buat… Ada problem mia. Saya tanya kamu satu soalan. Kamu paling suka makan apa?”
“Nasi.”
“Ok. Kalau kamu tiap-tiap hari makan nasi, kamu boleh bosan kah?”
He thought for a while…. “Tak.”
Cis. Backfired.
“Macam inilah. Katakan saya suka makan chicken chop. Chicken chop mahal, bukan? Mana boleh makan tiap-tiap hari? Katakan saya ada banyak duit, jadi saya boleh makan tiap-tiap hari. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper, semua chicken chop saja. Lama-lama, saya akan bosan kah?”
“Ya.”
“Sex pun sama la. Sex itu satu benda yang sangat bermakna. Kalau kamu tak tau control, kamu pergi buat banyak-banyak sesuka hati, lama-lama jadi boring la. Jadi tak bermakna lagi. Benda yang begitu special pun, sudah jadi tak ada makna lagi. Mana syok?”
He nodded in agreement to the logic.
"Ada lagi satu. Kamu tau tak, kenapa sex tak baik kalau kamu tak control? Saya bagi tau kamu. Ahli anthropologist ada buat kajian. Mereka kata, bila mereka bandingkan tamadun yang suka buat sex suka-suka, dengan tamadun yang hanya buat sex lepas marriage, ada perbezaan yang besar...
Dalam tamadun yang suka buat sex suka-suka, tamadun mereka macam kurang developed. Selalu fikir tentang sex saja. Bila orang suka buat sex banyak-banyak, tentu ada banyak problem, kan? Bila ada banyak problem, jadi semua tenaga orang akan digunakan untuk solve problem-problem itu saja lah. Jadi, tamadun itu tak boleh develop.
Dalam tamadun yang hanya buat sex lepas kahwin, diperhatikan bahawa tamadun itu lebih developed. Ada lebih kreativiti dalam art, architecture, sains dan technologi, semua itu. Kenapa? Sebab, bila orang tahan lama-lama, tentu ada sexual tension, kan? Jadi, mereka ni channel mereka punya energy ke tempat lain. Mereka focus energy mereka untuk buat lukisan, binaan, sains dan technologi… Sebab itu lah mereka lebih developed.
Macam kamu lah. Kalau kamu suka buat sex saja, tentu tak boleh develop punya. Semua tenaga you digunakan untuk fikir panjang-panjang tentang sex saja. Kalau kamu tau channel tenaga kamu, tentu boleh maju.”
Everyone was in rapt attention. Even those who didn’t gather at the table fell silent. Maybe they were eavesdropping :)
I continued, “Kamu tau ah, cara lelaki dan perempuan tengok sex, sangat berbeza mia. Untuk lelaki, ia macam instant gratification. Kalau letih, kamu pergi tidur. Kalau lapar, kamu pergi makan. Kalau thirsty, kamu pergi minum. Kalau mau sex, kamu pergi buat sex.
Macam business la. Bila ada demand, tentu ada supply. Kalau ada supply, tentu ada demand. Kamu nak sex, kamu pergi cari perempuan. Kamu bayar dia, dia pun buat sex dengan kamu. Kamu tak perlu sayang dia. Kamu tak perlu care untuk dia. Kamu don’t care siapa dia. Kamu don’t care dia macam mana. Kamu nak service dia saja. Kamu bagi dia duit, dia bagi kamu product. Nothing personal, just business.
Macam pergi hair cut la. You don’t care dia siapa, you don’t care dia macam mana. Kamu mau haircut, kamu bagi dia duit, dia buat untuk kamu.
Tapi untuk perempuan, lain punya. Untuk mereka, sex itu macam satu relationship. Kalau relationship itu ada kualiti, baru mereka akan buat dengan kamu. Untuk mereka, ada banyak emotion dalam sex mia. Bukan macam kita. Kita suka tengok perempuan macam object saja. Tapi untuk mereka, mereka tengok sex ada kaitan dengan orangnya.
Kalau kamu nak sex, kamu tak perlu handsome. Kamu tak perlu ada banyak duit. Kamu tak perlu ada body yang cantik. Kalau kamu sayang dia, kalau kamu care kat dia, kalau kualiti relationship kamu bagus… Dia akan MAHU buat dengan kamu!”
Silence. All eyes wide open.
“Eh, saya tanya kamu satu soalan. Bila orang pergi cari perempuan, bila sudah siap buat, kamu ingat boleh rasa happy punya kah?
“Tak…”
“Ya, tau pun! Kalau 1st time atau 2nd time, bolehlah… Mungkin you rasa syok sebab sudah dapat try, kan? Tapi lama-lama, kamu tentu terasa punya. Kamu tak akan rasa happy. Kamu boleh rasa angry. Macam not satistfied. Kenapa? Sebab, lepas kamu habis buat, kamu tengok perempuan itu… Kamu ingat dia sayang kamu kah? Tak… Dia hanya tunggu diam-diam. Dia tak mahu tengok you pun. Dia tunggu kamu bagi duit saja. Kamu boleh rasa gembira kah? Dia bukannya mahukan kamu. Dia bukannya sayangkan kamu. Dia hanya buat macam dia sukakan kamu. Tapi sebenarnya, dia mahukan duit kamu saja. Kamu tentu akan terasa, ‘Saya ini teruk sangat kah? Dia tak suka pada saya kah?’ Tentu kamu rasa frustrated… Kamu akan rasa empty…”
In the end, the conclusion. “Tahan lah. Kalau kamu lelaki sejati, kamu boleh tahan mia.”
“Sir sudah berapa tahun?”
“24.”
That class is the bottom class for the Arts stream. When I entered the class, a few boys were missing. One boy had his shirt half buttoned, and he was playing with a bandana over his head. A few guys at the back were just starting to break into a rowdy football game with an empty 500ml bottle. Some were pushing chairs around.
“Apa la sir… Bila ada PJ, kamu tak mai. Bila habis PJ, baru kamu mai…”
“Apa boleh buat. Mereka sudah promote saya. Sekarang saya ajar Chemistry Form 6…”
“Sekarang siapa akan ajar kami PJ?”
“Tak tau lah. Saya sudah kena substitute. Last week, saya main defense. Sekarang, saya main attack. Bila tukar lagi, saya main right wing.”
I stopped the football fiasco at the back, and got them to quiet down a little.
There’s this boy in the class who has a good body. He knows it, and he’s proud of it. He will take off his shirt after PJ, and he will walk around, parading. Even in the canteen, he will be flaunting it. “Dia sudah overgrow, sir…” His friends will taunt him. And he’ll still be posing…
This boy sat on the teacher’s chair at the teacher’s table, and he suddenly asked me, “Sir, you sudah ‘buat’ kah?”
“Tarak lah. Mana saya ada ‘buat.’”
In case you don’t know what “buat” means… Ask yourself, what does every adolescent wonder about all the time at this age?
“Kenapa kamu belum buat… Semua orang pun sudah buat…”
“Apa… You tak boleh tahan kah? Tak boleh tunggu sampai kahwin kah?”
I grabbed a chair and sat adjacent to him.
“Tak boleh lah sir… Kalau tunggu, banyak lama lah sir…”
“Apa lama… Mana ada lama…”
“Sir, sekarang saya 16 tahun. Saya mau kahwin 28 tahun. Kalau nak tunggu… Banyak lama lah, sir…”
“Eh, hanya lelaki sejati yang boleh tahan lama. Kalau kamu tak boleh tahan, kamu bukan lelaki sejati.”
Now he’s listening. You challenge his testosterone, then he’ll listen. Same wan. Last week, when I asked them to go through their basketball drills, they don’t want. When I said, “Siapa boleh buat 3-pointer, saya belanja minum.” That guy sunk 3 baskets.
A group of guys started to gather around the table. Amused at the direction the conversation is taking, they grabbed their chairs and sat around.
I pressed on. “You ingat kalau buat banyak-banyak bagus kan? Kalau perempuan itu sudah pregnant, macam mana?”
“Tak boleh mia lah… Guna protection…”
“It’s not about protection… Kamu tau ah… Dalam satu marriage, apa yang paling penting? Bukan wang. Bukan apa-apa benda lain. Paling penting ialah trust…
Kalau kamu tak boleh trust one another, tak boleh work mia… How can you say kamu boleh pergi buat sex dengan siapa-siapa saja?”
“Dia tak akan tau punya…”
“Mana boleh cakap macam itu. Ok, saya tanya kamu satu soalan. Sangat senang punya. Kalau satu hari, bila kamu sudah kahwin, kamu find out dia sudah tidur dengan 5 lelaki. Lagi teruk, 5 orang itu kamu kenal punya. Lagi teruk lagi, mereka ni jiran awak. Macam mana. Masalah besar tak?”
“MASALAH BESAR!!”
“Ya lah! Ok. Kalau, satu hari nanti, isteri kamu find out yang kamu pernah buat dengan banyak orang perempuan. Masalah besar tak?”
“Masalah besar…”
There you go. Always thinking from one point of view, but never from the other.
“Kamu tau tak apa itu emotional baggage?”
He stared silently.
“Emotional baggage itu ialah… Katakan, kamu sudah buat sex dengan perempuan itu, dan dia pregnant, lepas itu bapa dia cari awak. Dia bagi masalah kat you, dan kamu kena tampung dia pula… Itu baggage tak?
Kalau dia tak pregnant pun, tentu ada masalah punya. Tentu ada orang yang rasa bersalah. Tentu ada orang yang rasa sedih. Itu lah emotional baggage. Itu, saya cakap tentang satu orang saja. Kalau kamu pergi buat dengan banyak-banyak orang, lagi banyaklah emotional baggage. Kamu boleh tahan tak? Mana boleh handle? You ingat senang kah nak handle begitu banyak baggage?
He nods.
“Kalau begitu banyak problem, bila kamu jumpa orang yang kamu really really sayang, macam mana boleh jalan? Tak boleh jalan mia…
Kamu sudah buat, bukan? Jadi kamu tak ‘fresh’ lagi la. Tak tulen. Macam ini, harga sudah turun. Siapa yang mau?”
“Sir, sekarang perempuan pun sudah banyak buat la…”
“Ah, kalau kamu tau perempuan itu sudah ada buat, kamu masih mau dia tak?”
He shook his head.
“Itu lah. Kalau dia tahu kamu sudah ada buat, dia masih akan mau kamu ah?”
He shook his head again. Bingo. Another point proven. Always thinking about himself, but never from the other way around.
“Benda sex ini, banyak orang tak tau control. Ada control problem. Kamu tau tak, kalau kamu tak tau control ah… Bila suka terus buat, bila suka terus buat… Ada problem mia. Saya tanya kamu satu soalan. Kamu paling suka makan apa?”
“Nasi.”
“Ok. Kalau kamu tiap-tiap hari makan nasi, kamu boleh bosan kah?”
He thought for a while…. “Tak.”
Cis. Backfired.
“Macam inilah. Katakan saya suka makan chicken chop. Chicken chop mahal, bukan? Mana boleh makan tiap-tiap hari? Katakan saya ada banyak duit, jadi saya boleh makan tiap-tiap hari. Breakfast, lunch, dinner, supper, semua chicken chop saja. Lama-lama, saya akan bosan kah?”
“Ya.”
“Sex pun sama la. Sex itu satu benda yang sangat bermakna. Kalau kamu tak tau control, kamu pergi buat banyak-banyak sesuka hati, lama-lama jadi boring la. Jadi tak bermakna lagi. Benda yang begitu special pun, sudah jadi tak ada makna lagi. Mana syok?”
He nodded in agreement to the logic.
"Ada lagi satu. Kamu tau tak, kenapa sex tak baik kalau kamu tak control? Saya bagi tau kamu. Ahli anthropologist ada buat kajian. Mereka kata, bila mereka bandingkan tamadun yang suka buat sex suka-suka, dengan tamadun yang hanya buat sex lepas marriage, ada perbezaan yang besar...
Dalam tamadun yang suka buat sex suka-suka, tamadun mereka macam kurang developed. Selalu fikir tentang sex saja. Bila orang suka buat sex banyak-banyak, tentu ada banyak problem, kan? Bila ada banyak problem, jadi semua tenaga orang akan digunakan untuk solve problem-problem itu saja lah. Jadi, tamadun itu tak boleh develop.
Dalam tamadun yang hanya buat sex lepas kahwin, diperhatikan bahawa tamadun itu lebih developed. Ada lebih kreativiti dalam art, architecture, sains dan technologi, semua itu. Kenapa? Sebab, bila orang tahan lama-lama, tentu ada sexual tension, kan? Jadi, mereka ni channel mereka punya energy ke tempat lain. Mereka focus energy mereka untuk buat lukisan, binaan, sains dan technologi… Sebab itu lah mereka lebih developed.
Macam kamu lah. Kalau kamu suka buat sex saja, tentu tak boleh develop punya. Semua tenaga you digunakan untuk fikir panjang-panjang tentang sex saja. Kalau kamu tau channel tenaga kamu, tentu boleh maju.”
Everyone was in rapt attention. Even those who didn’t gather at the table fell silent. Maybe they were eavesdropping :)
I continued, “Kamu tau ah, cara lelaki dan perempuan tengok sex, sangat berbeza mia. Untuk lelaki, ia macam instant gratification. Kalau letih, kamu pergi tidur. Kalau lapar, kamu pergi makan. Kalau thirsty, kamu pergi minum. Kalau mau sex, kamu pergi buat sex.
Macam business la. Bila ada demand, tentu ada supply. Kalau ada supply, tentu ada demand. Kamu nak sex, kamu pergi cari perempuan. Kamu bayar dia, dia pun buat sex dengan kamu. Kamu tak perlu sayang dia. Kamu tak perlu care untuk dia. Kamu don’t care siapa dia. Kamu don’t care dia macam mana. Kamu nak service dia saja. Kamu bagi dia duit, dia bagi kamu product. Nothing personal, just business.
Macam pergi hair cut la. You don’t care dia siapa, you don’t care dia macam mana. Kamu mau haircut, kamu bagi dia duit, dia buat untuk kamu.
Tapi untuk perempuan, lain punya. Untuk mereka, sex itu macam satu relationship. Kalau relationship itu ada kualiti, baru mereka akan buat dengan kamu. Untuk mereka, ada banyak emotion dalam sex mia. Bukan macam kita. Kita suka tengok perempuan macam object saja. Tapi untuk mereka, mereka tengok sex ada kaitan dengan orangnya.
Kalau kamu nak sex, kamu tak perlu handsome. Kamu tak perlu ada banyak duit. Kamu tak perlu ada body yang cantik. Kalau kamu sayang dia, kalau kamu care kat dia, kalau kualiti relationship kamu bagus… Dia akan MAHU buat dengan kamu!”
Silence. All eyes wide open.
“Eh, saya tanya kamu satu soalan. Bila orang pergi cari perempuan, bila sudah siap buat, kamu ingat boleh rasa happy punya kah?
“Tak…”
“Ya, tau pun! Kalau 1st time atau 2nd time, bolehlah… Mungkin you rasa syok sebab sudah dapat try, kan? Tapi lama-lama, kamu tentu terasa punya. Kamu tak akan rasa happy. Kamu boleh rasa angry. Macam not satistfied. Kenapa? Sebab, lepas kamu habis buat, kamu tengok perempuan itu… Kamu ingat dia sayang kamu kah? Tak… Dia hanya tunggu diam-diam. Dia tak mahu tengok you pun. Dia tunggu kamu bagi duit saja. Kamu boleh rasa gembira kah? Dia bukannya mahukan kamu. Dia bukannya sayangkan kamu. Dia hanya buat macam dia sukakan kamu. Tapi sebenarnya, dia mahukan duit kamu saja. Kamu tentu akan terasa, ‘Saya ini teruk sangat kah? Dia tak suka pada saya kah?’ Tentu kamu rasa frustrated… Kamu akan rasa empty…”
In the end, the conclusion. “Tahan lah. Kalau kamu lelaki sejati, kamu boleh tahan mia.”
“Sir sudah berapa tahun?”
“24.”
"Sir sudah ada girlfriend kah?"
"Ada..."
"Sir tarak buat ah?"
"Tak ada lah..."
He thought for a while.
“Sir bagus, sir…” Then he shook my hand.
“Kamu boleh buat macam saya kah?”
“Saya tak boleh lah, sir…” He said with a chuckle, as he got up and walked away.
The boys were still sitting around the table, still in rapt attention.
The thing that struck me was, I didn’t talk to them about the issue as their agama teacher. I didn’t talk to them as an evangelist.
They listened because I was their PJ teacher.
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Malaysia boleh
I’m teaching English to Form 1’s at St. Xavier’s Institution. I was looking through their literature component. This is what I came across.
A poem by William Shakespeare. His life and works need no introduction. One of his poems is in the Form 1 syllabus:
Life’s Brief Candle
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more; it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
On the very next page, we have another poem by a local author. He is the 1st Malay author to unite craft with art in his writing. According to the National Literary Award Committee 1985, he pioneered a new style of writing, simultaneously continuing the idealism of the Generation of the Fifties and renewing its approach to literature. Born in Malacca in 1935, he has been honored with the title of Sasterawan Negara (National Laureate). The English translation of his novel, Salina (1975), achieved international recognition. He was awarded national recognition as a Literary Pioneer in 1976 and received the Anugerah Sastera Negara (National Literary Award) in 1985.
Presenting, Abdul Samad Muhammad Said’s “The Dead Crow”:
The Dead Crow
He saw a dead crow
in a drain
near the post office.
He saw an old man
gasping for air
and a baby barely able to breathe
in a crowded morning clinic.
This land is so rich.
Why should we suffer like this?
I want clean air
for my grandchildren.
I want the damned fools
to leave the forest alone.
I want the trees to grow,
the rivers run free,
and the earth covered with grass.
Let the politicians plan how we may live with dignity,
now and always.
Haha. Hahahaha. Hahahahahahahahaha. Enough said.
A poem by William Shakespeare. His life and works need no introduction. One of his poems is in the Form 1 syllabus:
Life’s Brief Candle
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more; it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
On the very next page, we have another poem by a local author. He is the 1st Malay author to unite craft with art in his writing. According to the National Literary Award Committee 1985, he pioneered a new style of writing, simultaneously continuing the idealism of the Generation of the Fifties and renewing its approach to literature. Born in Malacca in 1935, he has been honored with the title of Sasterawan Negara (National Laureate). The English translation of his novel, Salina (1975), achieved international recognition. He was awarded national recognition as a Literary Pioneer in 1976 and received the Anugerah Sastera Negara (National Literary Award) in 1985.
Presenting, Abdul Samad Muhammad Said’s “The Dead Crow”:
The Dead Crow
He saw a dead crow
in a drain
near the post office.
He saw an old man
gasping for air
and a baby barely able to breathe
in a crowded morning clinic.
This land is so rich.
Why should we suffer like this?
I want clean air
for my grandchildren.
I want the damned fools
to leave the forest alone.
I want the trees to grow,
the rivers run free,
and the earth covered with grass.
Let the politicians plan how we may live with dignity,
now and always.
Haha. Hahahaha. Hahahahahahahahaha. Enough said.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
I am speed...
Only McQueen knows how to pose like Michael Jordan when leaping over other cars. Only McQueen can think of sticking out his tongue to win a race. Only McQueen has the guts to run the whole race without a tyre change. Only McQueen will think it’s cool to frustrate expert advice, and still be proud of it.Mei Yee watched Cars before me, and she said it was really nice. She said it’s really worth watching. She said, “You should watch it.” It’s the way she said it. “You should watch it.” Hmmm...
I went and watched it. And I came out not feeling too good about myself. Why? Because I saw myself in it. I saw myself in Lightning McQueen.
Yes, he’s a superb racecar. Arguably the best in the Piston’s Cup. He has his fans. But his fans stick around only as long as he’s still winning.
Sometimes I wonder if the people I know stick around me for what I can do, or do they accept me for me? What if one day, I cannot do the things that I can do anymore… Let’s say I get Alzheimer’s… Will they still stick around? Do they want me for what I know, or for what I am capable of doing? Or do they want me as a friend?
McQueen spent all his life chasing down Dinoco, that big-time sponsor. And he doesn’t give credit the old sponsor who has made him who he is today. And he doesn’t go out of his way to look after, or even look at other “lesser” cars to whom he is actually an inspiration.
I spent a big part of my life chasing down things that I assign value to. I work my life off on personal endeavors that I believe in. I give my time, effort, and energy to causes that I live by. But I haven’t invested much in cultivating good relationships with people, especially those who have helped me to get where I am today. I could’ve given much more to other people, been more of an impact to others, and found more fulfillment in the number of friends I have, or in the number of people who matters to me. O, have I forfeited the lasting value of investing in other people’s lives in exchange for my own Piston Cups?
McQueen has free invitations to his final race for the Piston’s Cup. He can invite his friends to watch him. But he can’t name the friends that he has.
Trust me on this one. A victory that is not celebrated is no victory at all. No matter how big it is. Especially if you can’t find people to celebrate with. I know.
McQueen hates small-towns. He hates the life there, because he thinks he doesn’t belong there. Because he is too good to waste is time in Radiator Springs. He thinks he is too good to mend the roads. Because he is a racecar.
As I’m waiting for my posting, I’m faced with uncertainty over where my future will be. I think I can become easily frustrated, and blame the place for not giving me the chance to exercise my fullest potential. I may forget why I was put there in the first place. I may not see the good that I can do in an old, abandoned place, if only I put a slight change of attitude into it.
McQueen doesn’t like to listen to advice, especially from old-timers. When he hears advice from them, he will make the advice sound really stupid. And he'll try to prove the stupidity of the advice by doing the stupid things himself.
I often find contempt in the advice freely given from other people out of their goodwill. I don’t like to listen to instructions, and humbly follow it, acknowledging that I know less. I scoff at it, making it look really silly. When the really silly one is me.
It was indeed a good movie. But it didn’t make me feel good at all. I felt bad about who I saw in me. Especially the part that likes to be aksi.
Mei Yee said her favorite part was when McQueen lit up the whole place with lights, and made Radiator Springs look lovely.
“Well, it’s good also what, to be aksi... That means you’re keng enough to be aksi. Better than some people. Not keng at all, somemore want to aksi. You’re like McQueen also... Although he is like that, but actually inside… He is good wan.” She said at the end of my confessions.
Cars is replacing The Incredibles as my favorite animation movie.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
