rawakramblings: life

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Normal human beings dream of having nice body, nice cars, good job that pays well, etc. Well, do we know we can get those dream things easily if we are born rich , good genes or smart. However, do u think everyone is lucky? Guess not. Do u know most people strive and work hard to active something in their life. Most people just stop when they don't see any results. Hell yeah. How to achieve success when they stop? HOW? So that's the difference between success person and average joe. Average person dreams. They have big dreams. Big desires. BUT in reality, they are just greedy. Greedy for success but stingy in effort. BIG DREAMS must come with BIG EFFORTS as well. Sometimes we forget one thing. The first step of success begins with the FIRST STEP. Yes! Get moving for the first step. People who starts can be considered as a medallist in life. They are better than the other person who wishes/ dreams but not able to take actions. One thing to remember. There are 3 types of medal, gold, silver and bronze. A winner will go through all the way till the end. Till they reach their goal. They are the goal getter. Nothing can stop them. None can defy them. ONLY they themselves can defeat them. NONE others. So for the one who starts with the first steps and stop along the way, they are not losers. They are just the group of people who are not winners. AT least they moved. They tried. Only thing they are not there with the package of a winner.

FIRST STEP. SECOND STEP. THIRD STEP and it continues till u reach the top.

WHATS the LIMIT? The SKY!

Secret recipe of success - you, dream, motivation, believe, support system and actions.

WHAT HAPPENS IF FAIL? Try again with a better action plan. Remember one thing. GREAT people are not created in a day. one action. They try and try till they forgot they have achieved what they wished for.

If you guys are reading this, do take note that you are at the first point of reaching the success.

NOW grab a paper, a pen and draw what you wish for. All the best!

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I came across one article regarding Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhari and I find it interesting to be shared with others.

50 facts about his interesting life and principles.

ORANG MELAYU TERKAYA DI MALAYSIA-semoga ianya dapat memberi teladan dan inspirasi buat kita semua dalam memajukan diri dan ummah,InsyaAllah..

1. Ada sebab kenapa saya bekerja seperti tiada hari esok. Agenda sosial dan kerja-kerja kemasyarkatan itulah antara sebabnya. Saya mahu meninggalkan WARISAN UNTUK ANAK BANGSA YANG KEKAL BERPANJANGAN.

2. (berkenaan know who) Bangsa lain tak mengapa tapi orang Melayu kena berdamping dengan orang politik sedikit-sedikit. Tapi masalahnya kita tidak mahu melalui kesusahan; banyak yang mahu senang dengan mendampingi orang politik semata-mata.

3. Tiada apa-apa rahsia. Saya ini hamba Allah biasa, budak dangau macam saudara semua juga. Tuhan jadikan manusia ini sama sahaja. Proses kematangan saya yang membezakannya.SAYA PERCAYA SESIAPA PUN BOLEH MENJADI APA SAHAJA ASALKAN MEREKA BERUSAHA DENGAN TEKUN . Tetapi tentulah ia memakan masa. TIADA JALAN SINGKAT.

4. Saya MENGENALI KEKUATAN DAN KELEMAHAN SAYA. Apa yang tidak mampu buat saya akan minta orang lain tengok-tengokkan. Saya melalui jalan yang susah tapi itulah jalan yang kekal.

5. Kita perlu menggunakan kepakaran mereka (bangsa Cina) kerana mereka jauh lebih maju dan mahir daripada kita. Apa yang kita kurang faham kita berkongsi dengan tujuan untuk belajar dengan mereka. Apabila sudah faham baru kita boleh menjaga kepentingan kita.

6. Saya sedih melihat sistem sekolah pondok di Kedah. Saya ada cita-cita mahu memodenkan sekolah pondok. Kita kena maju.

7. Saya terlibat dalam perniagaan ini kerana saya tiada pilihan lain.

8. Untuk memajukan perniagaan,MEMANG KENA BANYAK SABAR DAN KUAT BERUSAHA .

9. Tidak ada jalan singkat. Saya belajar tentang perniagaan ini sejak kecil lagi dan saya juga biasa kena tipu.

10. Saya pun suka kemewahan. Saya pun suka tengok dunia, ke Tokyo , New York dan London . Saya pun suka pakai baju elok. Tapi kita hendak bermewah setakat mana, hendak pakai baju banyak mana, hendak tidur dalam berapa rumah satu malam, hendak makan pun sampai larat mana ?

11. Dalam hidup ini kita sebenarnya TIDAK ADA STATUS,ADA MASA DI ATAS ADA MASA DI BAWAH.

12. Ketika Allah memberika kemewahan, kita kena turun ke bawah, tengok mana-mana yang boleh dibantu.ALLAH BERI REZEKI MELALUI KITA UNTUK KITA TOLONG ORANG LAIN.REZEKI ITU BILA-BILA MASA SAJA DIA BOLEH AMBIL BALIK. Jika ada orang korporat Melayu yang tidak mahu turun ke bawah mungkin kerana bayangan duit itu lebih kuat daripada yang lain.

13. Korporat Cina turun ke bawah membantu. Orang Cina ada pelbagai persatuan. Kita tidak ada; kalau ada pun berpecah.ORANG MELAYU KITA TIDAK MAHU BEKERJASAMA KERANA PERASAAN DENGKI MENGUASAI DIRI.SUDAHLAH TAK MAHU BERUSAHA,APABILA ORANG LAIN BERUSAHA MEREKA MARAH.

14. Rezeki yang ada itu sebenarnya untuk orang lain. Memang dari segi hukum pun begitu. Kita kena keluar zakat dan fitrah. Tetapi zakat fitrah banyak mana sangat. Islam agama yang adil; ia minta sedikit saja. Oleh itu, kalau ada duit yang lebih ia seharusnya dibelanjakan dengan baik.

15. Saya tak kisah kalau saya tak buat semua ini. Saya boleh tak buat apa-apa dan balik ke Alor Star. Tetapi saya rasa hidup ini sia-sia. Orang Kedah kata kalau mati nanti mata tidak tutup rapat kerana tanggungjawab depan mata kita tidak buat. Orang lain ambil kekayaan kita, ambil hak kita dan pergunakan kita, kita masih tidak buat apa-apa !

16. Saya ADA EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT KEPADA AGAMA,BANGSA DAN UMMAH. Saya bukan individualistik. Diri saya tidak penting. Pangkat dan gelaran ini kepada saya tidak mustahak .

17. Saya sedih media tonjolkan saya begini. Saya malu kerana orang Cina kaya beratus-ratus kali ganda daripada saya. Tapi saya tahu orang Melayu kalau hendak berjaya kena kerja kuat tidak kira siang malam. Kita ada kekuatan yang tuhan beri melebihi daripada bangsa lain. Tetapi untuk maju kita perlu berusaha.

18. Saya asal daripada tidak ada apa-apa.APA YANG SAYA TIDAK TAHU SAYA BELAJAR MINTA TOLONG DARIPADA ORANG LAIN.SAYA TIDAK MALU . Saya bukannya mencuri. Saya usaha sendiri.SIKAP PEMALAS DAN PEMALU INI ORANG MELAYU KENA ATASI .KITA KENA BERANI KERANA BENAR . Apabila kita dapat keuntungan dan rezeki lebih, bolehlah kita menolong orang.

19.KAYA ITU BUKANLAH KEPADA DIRI SENDIRI. Kaya itu adalah kepada kumpulan perniagaan ini,KEPADA BANGSA DAN KEPADA ORANG RAMAI .Saya hanya memegangnya untuk sementara sahaja.

20. Saya tiada keinginan untuk menyimpan kekayaan ini untuk anak dan isteri. Duit ini tidak akan kekal. Saya percaya HANYA PERKARA YANG BAIK YANG KITA LAKUKAN AKAN KEKAL. Bukan duit yang akan melindungi saya nanti tapi apa yang saya lakukan sekarang.

21. Saya perlu terus mencari peluang dan perniagaan lain supaya kita terus dapat bantu orang lain mengembangkan diri masing-masing. Saya bukan buat semua ini untuk diri saya semata-mata.

22. Ada juga yang saya usaha tapi tak dapat dan orang tak tahu. Apa yang saya dapat itu yang jadi masalah kononnya Syed Mokhtar sapu semua. Bangsa lain memegang pelbagai kepentingan dalam ekonomi, siapa pun tak kata apa. Ini masalah orang Melayu.DI KAMPUNG ORANG MELAYU BERPECAH KERANA POLITIK,DI BANDAR BERPECAH KERANA WANG .
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23. Saya percaya kalau rezeki itu Allah beri kepada saya ia bukan untuk saya tetapi untuk orang ramai juga. Orang tidak tahu banyak syarikat yang saya ada ini gagal dan tidak maju kepada saya tetapi orang tidak tahu.

24. Banyak orang percaya bahawa dia mesti ada RM10 juta atau RM20 juta dalam tangan baru hidup boleh selamat. Ini yang menyebabkan mereka HANYUT DARIPADA MENOLONG ORANG LAIN . Mereka lebih takutkan diri sendiri. Mereka lupa bahawa kekayaan tidak boleh membantu selama-lamanya.

25. Orang kata saya takda duit tapi banyak hutang. Orang berniaga mana yang tak berhutang. Tapi MESTI TAHU BAGAIMANA HENDAK MEMINJAM DAN MEMBAYARNYA SEMULA . Ada cara boleh kita buat. Tapi sebelum berhutang RM100 juta mesti sudah fikir bagaimana hendak membayarnya balik. Mesti ada tanggungjawab. BANYAK ORANG MAHU SENANG TAPI TIDAK RAMAI YANG MAHU BERTANGGUNG JAWAB .

26. (perasaan setiap kali mendapat rezeki) . Saya ini kata orang Kedah, lebai kodok bukan lebai pondok. Tapi saya tahu hal-hal asas. Kalau mahu saya minta terus dari tuhan. Tuhan beri manusia akal dan fikiran. Kalau hendak pakai baju dan seluar biarlah padan dengan badan.

27. Kesenangan yang saya perolehi ini datang dengan tanggungjawab (bila pinjam bayar balik dan buat amal jariah). Kalau hendak dibandingkan dengan bangsa lain, perniagaan saya ini tidak ada apa. Tetapi walaupun sedikit tetapi yang sedikit itu ada berkatnya.

28. SAYA SUKA KALAU NIKMAT SEDIKIT YANG SAYA DAPAT ITU ORANG LAIN BOLEH BERKONGSI BERSAMA.

29. Saya kadang-kadang kecewa dan sedih melihat anak orang alim yang sesetengahnya lupa diri setelah mendapat kekayaan. Saya pun sama seperti orang lain suka hendak ke luar negara tetapi kita tidak boleh lupa kubur kita dan asal usul kita. Di kampung kita mungkin ada jiran-jiran yang perlukan bantuan

30. ……kalau tidak mungkin saya sudah ke Haatyai dan jadi nakal.SAYA MANUSIA YANG BANYAK BUAT KESILAPAN. TETAPI SAYA INSAF,BERISTIGHFAR DAN TERUS BERJALAN LAGI . Sejak awal saya ada kesedaran mahu mengekalkan hak kita sebagai orang Melayu.

31. Saya kata kepada diri sendiri kalau kerana itu saya terpaksa bersusah sedikit pun tidak mengapa.

32. KEKAYAAN INI TUHAN BERI KEPADA SAYA UNTUK SAYA MENOLONG ORANG LAIN PULA.SAYA PERCAYA KEPADA KEBERKATAN REZEKI.HARI INI KITA TOLONG ORANG,ESOK LUSA ORANG AKAN TOLONG KITA PULA DENGAN CARA YANG LAIN.

33. Kalaupun tidak sanggup tunggu 34 tahun seperti saya berilah sedikit masa untuk faham selok belok perniagaan, Insya Allah boleh maju.

34.KITA JANGAN CEPAT PUTUS ASA.PUTUS ASA BOLEH TAPI KENA CEPAT-CEPAT KUATKAN SEMULA SEMANGAT UNTUK BANGKIT BALIK.JANGAN JADIKAN AGAMA HANYA SATU TEMPAT UNTUK KITA BERGANTUNG APABILA KITA SUSAH . Tanggungjawab ibadah adalah tugas seharian.

35. Lifestyle ? Saya tidak ada lifestyle yang kena masuk kelab sana dan sini. Tapi tak semestinya saya tidak boleh turun ke kelab. Orang Melayu kalau hendak ke depan mesti ada cara hidup yang fleksibel, boleh naik dan turun.

36. Lifestyle ini sebenarnya satu penyakit. Saya biasa pakai Mercedes tapi sekarang saya pakai Proton Perdana untuk sokong kereta nasional. Kereta itu pun cukup untuk bawa saya ke mana-mana.

37. Tiada sebab kenapa orang Melayu tidak boleh maju. Ini saya berani perang dengan sesiapa pun. Orang Melayu boleh maju . Kalau saudara jadi wartawan saudara kena tanam semangat suatu hari nanti mahu ambil alih akhbar ini. Tidak ada sebab kenapa ia tidak boleh berlaku.

38. KEJAYAAN DAN KELEMAHAN ORANG MELAYU BUKAN DISEBABKAN OLEH BANGSA DAN AGAMA KITA.TETAPI IA BERKAIT DENGAN SIKAP DAN CARA KITA BERFIKIR.GIGIH ,TEKUN DAN TIDAK PUTUS ASA MERUPAKAN KUNCI KEJAYAAN KITA.SAYANGNYA PERKARA INI KURANG WUJUD DALAM CARA ORANG MELAYU BERFIKIR .

39.TUHAN MEMBERI PELUANG KEPADA SESIAPA SAJA YANG BEKERJA KUAT. Apa yang ada pada saya ini hanya usaha. Kalau anak dangau macam saya boleh, tidak ada sebab orang lain terutama mereka yang dari pekan tidak boleh.

40. Kita tidak usahlah selalu mengulang-ulang perkara yang boleh memberikan kesan psikologi negatif kepada orang Melayu (kereta dan rumah besar). Kita kena kurangkan bercakap tentang kereta besar dan rumah besar . Sesiapa pun mahu pakai kereta mewah tapi bukan itu matlamatnya.

41.ORANG MELAYU SEBENARNYA KENA BANTU DIRI SENDIRI,KENA BEKERJA KERAS DAN FOKUS .

42. Sikap merendah diri perlu sentiasa ada dalam diri seseorang walau setinggi mana pun kejayaan dicapai.

43. Apa yang saya buat ini (kerja-kerja sosial) semuanya bermula daripada didikan orang tua saya sendiri.

44. SAYA SENDIRI BERHUTANG SAMBIL BERNIAGA DAN BUAT SUMBANGAN AMAL JARIAH.SAYA TAK MAHU TUNGGU HUTANG HABIS BARU HENDAK BUAT SEMUA NI .Saya takut kalau hutang habis saya pun mati dan apa pun tak sempat saya buat.

45. Saya biasa saja. Hidup saya tidak berubah, dari dulu beginilah. Saya terima apa saja nikmat yang diberikan oleh Allah. Tidak ada segelas air, ada setengah gelas pun saya bersyukur.

46. Kalau kerana sedikit bantuan itu mereka lulus peperiksaan dan hidup mereka menjadi lebih baik, saya sudah gembira. Saya tidak boleh buat banyak. Alhamdulillah,LEBIH BAIK BUAT SEDIKIT DARIPADA TIDAK BUAT LANGSUNG.

47. Saya tiada minat untuk beli kapal layar atau kapal terbang. Saya fikir kalau saya beli sesuatu biarlah orang ramai boleh pakai. Saya suka kalau saya beli sesuatu yang mahal, biarlah orang ramai boleh pakai.

48.SAYA GEMBIRA DAPAT MEMBANTU.SAYA MAHU ORANG LAIN MERASAI KESENANGAN APA YANG PERNAH SAYA RASA.Saya tahu bagaimana perasaanya. Saya kata kepada diri saya, apa yang saya dapat saya mesti beri orang lain merasainya sama. Jangan beri kurang, lebih tak mengapa. Itu yang membuat hati saya seronok.

49. Saya rasa saya ingin menyumbang lebih daripada ini. Saya kata kepada kawan-kawan ini baru warm-up saja; kita belum berjalan lagi.

50. SAYA RASA KITA SUDAH TERLALU BANYAK KETINGGALAN.

Note:

When I read this article, I just realized that there are some statements which I have told my wife and some of my friends.

Reasons for me to be rich :-

1. To share my wealth with others who has no chance of having it. I want people to be able to sit in my luxury car, nice house, eat and dine and go to mosque together with me;

2. I want to help the poor, unfortunate and elderly.

3. Islam is simple. God asked us to pray only 5 times and to give some of our money through zakat and charity. BUT, the question is, is it sufficient to give so little when u are capable of giving more? Everything will be questioned at the end of the day. People want to be rich. Very rich. Do they know that being rich is not easy and once u r there, can u do more good deeds? The key to enter paradise to do more good things while we are still here. Being rich is one way to do more good things. That's a fact. Some of the world billionaires is practicing this. Giving more as they believe more will come in.

4. I want to build a mosque. A mosque where the muslims can pray and sleep. A mosque which is 24 hours. Unlike the current mosque in Malaysia which close at certain time. The mosque should have a place where there'll be people teaching, preaching and practicing what they want.

5. I want to spread dakwah and motivate/ inspires others to be great. Great in the sense of a weak muslim as what has been taught by Prophet Muhammad. My achievement is just a platform to attract more people.

6. I want to create businesses for poor people. Charity alone does not help others to get out from their poor life. If given a chance, I think those people can do better and improve their life.

7. Life is short for us to be selfish. God creates human for each other to learn and help each other.

8. I want to travel. Travel to see the greatness of Allah.

I hope one day, Allah will help me and guide me to the path which will lead me to paradise. Ameen.

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'You've got to find what you love,' Jobs says

This is a prepared text of the Commencement address delivered by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, on June 12, 2005.

I am honored to be with you today at your commencement from one of the finest universities in the world. I never graduated from college. Truth be told, this is the closest I've ever gotten to a college graduation. Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That's it. No big deal. Just three stories.

The first story is about connecting the dots.

I dropped out of Reed College after the first 6 months, but then stayed around as a drop-in for another 18 months or so before I really quit. So why did I drop out?

It started before I was born. My biological mother was a young, unwed college graduate student, and she decided to put me up for adoption. She felt very strongly that I should be adopted by college graduates, so everything was all set for me to be adopted at birth by a lawyer and his wife. Except that when I popped out they decided at the last minute that they really wanted a girl. So my parents, who were on a waiting list, got a call in the middle of the night asking: "We have an unexpected baby boy; do you want him?" They said: "Of course." My biological mother later found out that my mother had never graduated from college and that my father had never graduated from high school. She refused to sign the final adoption papers. She only relented a few months later when my parents promised that I would someday go to college.

And 17 years later I did go to college. But I naively chose a college that was almost as expensive as Stanford, and all of my working-class parents' savings were being spent on my college tuition. After six months, I couldn't see the value in it. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life and no idea how college was going to help me figure it out. And here I was spending all of the money my parents had saved their entire life. So I decided to drop out and trust that it would all work out OK. It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back it was one of the best decisions I ever made. The minute I dropped out I could stop taking the required classes that didn't interest me, and begin dropping in on the ones that looked interesting.

It wasn't all romantic. I didn't have a dorm room, so I slept on the floor in friends' rooms, I returned coke bottles for the 5¢ deposits to buy food with, and I would walk the 7 miles across town every Sunday night to get one good meal a week at the Hare Krishna temple. I loved it. And much of what I stumbled into by following my curiosity and intuition turned out to be priceless later on. Let me give you one example:

Reed College at that time offered perhaps the best calligraphy instruction in the country. Throughout the campus every poster, every label on every drawer, was beautifully hand calligraphed. Because I had dropped out and didn't have to take the normal classes, I decided to take a calligraphy class to learn how to do this. I learned about serif and san serif typefaces, about varying the amount of space between different letter combinations, about what makes great typography great. It was beautiful, historical, artistically subtle in a way that science can't capture, and I found it fascinating.

None of this had even a hope of any practical application in my life. But ten years later, when we were designing the first Macintosh computer, it all came back to me. And we designed it all into the Mac. It was the first computer with beautiful typography. If I had never dropped in on that single course in college, the Mac would have never had multiple typefaces or proportionally spaced fonts. And since Windows just copied the Mac, it's likely that no personal computer would have them. If I had never dropped out, I would have never dropped in on this calligraphy class, and personal computers might not have the wonderful typography that they do. Of course it was impossible to connect the dots looking forward when I was in college. But it was very, very clear looking backwards ten years later.

Again, you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something — your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.

My second story is about love and loss.

I was lucky — I found what I loved to do early in life. Woz and I started Apple in my parents garage when I was 20. We worked hard, and in 10 years Apple had grown from just the two of us in a garage into a $2 billion company with over 4000 employees. We had just released our finest creation — the Macintosh — a year earlier, and I had just turned 30. And then I got fired. How can you get fired from a company you started? Well, as Apple grew we hired someone who I thought was very talented to run the company with me, and for the first year or so things went well. But then our visions of the future began to diverge and eventually we had a falling out. When we did, our Board of Directors sided with him. So at 30 I was out. And very publicly out. What had been the focus of my entire adult life was gone, and it was devastating.

I really didn't know what to do for a few months. I felt that I had let the previous generation of entrepreneurs down - that I had dropped the baton as it was being passed to me. I met with David Packard and Bob Noyce and tried to apologize for screwing up so badly. I was a very public failure, and I even thought about running away from the valley. But something slowly began to dawn on me — I still loved what I did. The turn of events at Apple had not changed that one bit. I had been rejected, but I was still in love. And so I decided to start over.

I didn't see it then, but it turned out that getting fired from Apple was the best thing that could have ever happened to me. The heaviness of being successful was replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again, less sure about everything. It freed me to enter one of the most creative periods of my life.

During the next five years, I started a company named NeXT, another company named Pixar, and fell in love with an amazing woman who would become my wife. Pixar went on to create the worlds first computer animated feature film, Toy Story, and is now the most successful animation studio in the world. In a remarkable turn of events, Apple bought NeXT, I returned to Apple, and the technology we developed at NeXT is at the heart of Apple's current renaissance. And Laurene and I have a wonderful family together.

I'm pretty sure none of this would have happened if I hadn't been fired from Apple. It was awful tasting medicine, but I guess the patient needed it. Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don't lose faith. I'm convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You've got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, you'll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don't settle.

My third story is about death.

When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.

About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearly showed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told me this was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longer than three to six months. My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for prepare to die. It means to try to tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years to tell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be as easy as possible for your family. It means to say your goodbyes.

I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery. I had the surgery and I'm fine now.

This was the closest I've been to facing death, and I hope it's the closest I get for a few more decades. Having lived through it, I can now say this to you with a bit more certainty than when death was a useful but purely intellectual concept:

No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don't want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life's change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don't waste it living someone else's life. Don't be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people's thinking. Don't let the noise of others' opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.

When I was young, there was an amazing publication called The Whole Earth Catalog, which was one of the bibles of my generation. It was created by a fellow named Stewart Brand not far from here in Menlo Park, and he brought it to life with his poetic touch. This was in the late 1960's, before personal computers and desktop publishing, so it was all made with typewriters, scissors, and polaroid cameras. It was sort of like Google in paperback form, 35 years before Google came along: it was idealistic, and overflowing with neat tools and great notions.

Stewart and his team put out several issues of The Whole Earth Catalog, and then when it had run its course, they put out a final issue. It was the mid-1970s, and I was your age. On the back cover of their final issue was a photograph of an early morning country road, the kind you might find yourself hitchhiking on if you were so adventurous. Beneath it were the words: "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish." It was their farewell message as they signed off. Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish. And I have always wished that for myself. And now, as you graduate to begin anew, I wish that for you.

Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.

Thank you all very much.

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Recently, I went to Bali for the second time as my photography buddy paid the ticket for me. I went there with two others friends of mine. Both have never been to Bali and were excited to see what Bali is all about.

Throughout the trip, I discovered a few things:

I always want to change others when I really don't need to. - Hey, I just noticed that people don't need to be changed unless if they require any. Accept people the way they are and we will appreciate their existence;

Everyone who believes in religion will never be shy to pray. Looking at the Hindu's there, they pray at any places. Why should we be ignorant when others do bow to their God?;

Party never ends. Someone who loves to party will not realize how different life is to compared with normal people who enjoy their life in a different manner. There's a lot of ways to enjoy our life ; Food, travelling, reading books, charity etc. getting pissed and high on drugs is just a way of life which shouldn't be practiced;

Young people tend to be rebellious if we control them. What we should do is to educate them on the life and let them decide. Human nature, we control because we are afraid but if we let go our fear, it will be much better;

One of the best ways to connect to people is to be a good listener;

Sometimes we need to look at others as they might be our mirror;

Self-reflection is good as it shows how good or bad we are;

Change is a process. If you fail today, keep on trying to change as you'll add on experience and values to your life;

The most respected person is someone that can live up to their values. They don't leave the society just because they are changing but they instill and believe that their values will eventually be the eye openers to others;

Respect others and share the love with others and you'll be blessed.

In conclusion, whatever that has happened in our life, don't ever regret it. Enjoy and let's take a small step to ask ourselves why are we on earth. There's a reason for that and from there, anything we want to do will be done in a different manner.

p/s: I've always wanted to change all my life but unable to follow through. Why? Is it because of too many things that I want to change or is it because for the purpose of making other people see it?

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On Saturday noon, while I was attending Mr’s best friend’s wedding, Mom called informing me that my uncle had just fell down and was in critical condition in University Hospital.

Right after the wedding, I came back home, showered and left to the hospital with my younger sister. Uncle had haemorrhage (blood pressure in the brain) and when he fell down, it burst. Doctor informed that there was nothing that can be done that we just had to wait and be prepared.

We were at the emergency ward and the atmosphere was very sad and depressing. Only a few were allowed in at a time thus most of us were gathering outside. When I went in, I saw my aunty (Mak Teh) standing strong with a friend, talking to her. My cousin was reading the surah Yassin and so I joined her too.

On Sunday night, he passed away.

Mak Teh is a wonderwoman. I think she has very strong imaan that she accepts whatever it is that is happening. She was very calm and strong throughout the whole weekend, that none of us dared to even cry in front of her. Her strength gave her daughter and her siblings strength too. This is the first funeral that I’ve attended, where only a few teared; and mind you, only teared, and not cried. In Islam, we are not encouraged to cry in front of the deceased (in public) or even worst turn hysteria. We have to accept that this is Allah’s decision and it’s the best for everyone. We need to redha – meaning wholeheartedly accept to the decision to what Allah has decided upon. And to be redha, you need that strong imaan – that strong believe and faith in Allah.

I was also surprised with how reliable my dad’s siblings were. All of them were there at the hospital, supporting this sister of theirs. Never once, was Mak Teh left alone. When my uncle passed, each and every one tried their best in assisting wherever they can. Some read the Quran, some helped rearranging furnitures at her house and place carpets for guests, some bought food and drinks, some handled the funeral processes, some informed others about the news, some stayed over Mak Teh’s and some just supported her and her daughter emotionally.

I was also very very proud of my younger sister Mira, who did a very good job in taking care of Mak Teh’s only grandchild throughout the whole weekend. She distracted her when everyone was busy preparing the funeral. She watched cartoon, played Ipad and slept with her. She even had to answer all her questions:

“What is wrong with Tok Wan?” “Will Tok Wan come back after he jumpa Tuhan?” “Tok Wan tak miss Alya ke?” “Alya nak tunjuk Tok Wan baju baru Alya” “Alya takut laaa,”

Death is a reminder to all of us still living. All these money and power that we’re chasing, at the end of the day, none will be brought to the hereafter other than 3 things:

Son’s prayers for his/her parents
Charity given throughout his living
Knowledge shared throughout his living

We don’t know when Allah will take our life away. We need to be in a ready state every minute. Have a balance between life now and the life hereafter.

Have you prayed already?

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Yes. I have finally decided to not wear the hijab. I really felt that I wasn't ready for it. I realized that wearing the hijab isn't just about covering the head. It comes with a lot more. It's about dressing appropriately, it's about 'jaga perangai'. It's about representing and being a right muslimah.

Mungkin keimananku masih belum kuat. Aku masih lagi terpengaruh dengan duniawi.

I tried. I did. And I lasted for 5 months.

I always knew that I'd one day wear the hijab. Maybe when Mr. encouraged me, I felt excited, as it has always been what I wanted to do. And at that point, I really felt I was ready. I told myself "Just do it!" without thinking long ahead. In just one week, I started buying shawls and scarfs, and then I just wore them. Maybe I was too extreme. Maybe I should have prepared myself for it, mentally and physically. Maybe. I don't know, I really don't know.

When I think about it, those times people asked me, "Is this permanent?", I replied, "InsyaAllah, try dulu. Kalau tak ready, nanti bukak balik,". That statement itself has shows that I was giving it a try. I just didn't expect that it'll go as far as 5 months.

Initially, I thought of not-wearing them outside of the office as I was afraid of what others might say, then I felt like a hypocrite. Mr. also said, "Kita jangan malu and takut dengan manusia, malu and takut dengan Tuhan," As expected, there were many weird stares and gossips around.

I will have to agree with Mr's statement. Wearing the hijab is a very good thing. People around should be encouraging each other. You congratulate us when we give it a try, but when we fail, you penalize us for it. You talk behind our backs. What you should've done is, "It's okay, you tried. Try harder the next time," and then keep on encouraging us to wear the hijab. This kind of busy-body gossip people only make it harder for other girls out there to even attempt to try covering up. It's either you wear it or you don't. No trying. No.

Maybe many are used to wearing the hijab; either in school or from small, but for someone like me, who has never wear them other than during religious occasion, it really isn't an easy change. I needed a lot of support and change in lifestyle.

Aku akan cuba, untuk menguatkan lagi keimananku ini, dan bila sudah rasa cukup bersedia, insyaAllah, aku akan mula berhijab. Please, pray for me.

No. I'm not proud of this. But I am proud that I managed to wear them for 5 months and insyaAllah one day, permanently :)

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When showing affection in relationships, men can generally be divided into:
1. Men with Actions
2. Men with Words

I have dated both kind of men and both has its pros and cons.

Men with Actions.
This kind of men shows their feelings through their actions. They hold your hands (if can, all the time!), they give you gifts, they appear at your doorstep for breakfasts, they bring you out for dates, throw you unexpected surprises, wakes you up in the morning. BUT, they rarely express their feelings. They don’t tell you how much you mean to them, and if so, maybe on occasions. You will rarely get compliments from them. They don’t tell you that they’re hurt or they’re jealous but they show it to you. When they’re angry, they show it by being cold towards you. Or by crossing their arms. When they’re happy, they show it by hugging you. Or by giving you kisses. They believe that by calling us up, it shows that they miss us. And they don’t say it. Most of the time, you will have to ask them on how they feel.

I noticed also, that these kind of men, have more of the testosterone hormones. They’re the macho ones, who find expressing feelings, a sissy thing to do. They usually have more brothers in their family, and are usually much closer to their dads.

Because these kind of men rarely express their feelings, when we tell them our feelings, they take it deeply. They remember every promises we make, they take our words seriously. Never say something you don’t mean, just because it sounds nice, they’ll take it straight to their hearts.

Men with Words
These are the kinds of men that expresses their feelings when in relationships. They're the sweet-talkers. Yes, who says sweet-talkers cannot be in serious relationships? :p

From the start, men with words, woo you through their words. Throughout the relationship, they do the same. They tell you that you look pretty, that you’re the most amazing girl in the world, and that you’re his princess. Sometimes they mean it, sometimes they don’t. But even when they don’t mean it, it’s always nice to hear, haha. They will call you up just to say that they love you, or that they miss you. But they will not be calling you often. Don’t expect them to make handmade cards for you, or propose you in the most romantic way. Don’t expect many surprises from them, because they will surprise you unexpectedly – in their cutest way. They tell you when they’re angry/hurt/jealous, they say sorry (this is precious), they send you random sweet text messages.

Because these kind of men rarely show their affection through actions, when you do something for them, it means the world to them. Even picking them up for a random supper session would mean something to them! Don’t bother so much in telling them that you love them more than the seas and the higher than the skies because they take words lightly. Vice versa; don’t put high hopes in their sweet promises.

As opposed to men with actions, these kind of men are usually very close to their mums. They usually have more sisters. No, they’re not sissy, but they are usually soft-hearted, manja, and has a reasonably amount of ego.

It’s not about which type of men loves us more or which ones are better. They just have different ways in showing their love. I think it's important to know your type of men, in order keep a considerable expectation and also to know the key in winning their hearts ;)

When dating a man with actions, his random ‘I love you’ and ‘I miss you’ would mean a lot to us. On the other hand, when dating a man with words, his random simple actions of ‘buying you ice-cream’ or ‘writing you a note’ means a lot. Like I said, both has its pros and cons.

So, which one is yours? Which type do you prefer? I have chosen mine and so far, still learning to adapt to expectations and loving the 'randoms' :D

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