You're Lucky Enough If You Meet One Of Them

The best part of living on a string of randomness is, you're never going to know who you're going to meet. Somewhere around the world, there are strangers who are waiting to know you. Somewhere at this very moment, there are strangers who are yet to be friends of yours. Billions of people will encounter you, some of them will know you, a few of them will be close to you, but only a very small number of them will define you. And it's very hard to say which one of them is the real definition of being somebody. But I can tell you this; you're lucky enough if you meet one of these people, at the very least.

1. Those who listen.

Believe me, you may not want to hear anything from anybody. You may not want to get any attention from those around you. But you will definitely want someone to listen to you, and make every word you say worth every minute.

2. Those who tell.

When you're in need, they appear and give what is best for you. They should not tell what you should or shouldn't do, but they should tell what you're supposed to do when you want to. A piece of neutral advice, or thousands of suggestions, they are the ones who provide them.

3. Those who comfort.

It's not necessarily portrayed in a form of physical contact or abstract words. Sometimes it is merely enough to know that they are there for you. When you know they exist somewhere, even though you don't see them, you're already comforted. That's them.

4. Those who walk with.

Be it into the brightest day of your life or the darkest shadow of your fright, life will never be so threatening when you have someone who always walks right beside you. If happiness and sadness don't have any effect on them, what makes you think it will have any on you?

5. Those who stop.

The greatest friend is not the one who always says yes to everything you say. Instead, the greatest is the one who dares to say no to you when you want to jump into something you're not supposed to. A friend who always praises will kill you, and a friend who mocks will make you remain awake.

6. Those who love.

Everyday you wish to love and to be loved. But have you ever thought about a day when you meet people and you never know that one day you're going to fall for them. It's the easiest type of people to meet. You will encounter them sooner or later, and you will feel so great. But remember, the easiest and the greatest don't promise you the best. Nevertheless, they complete you perfectly.

7. Those who inspire.

It is the hardest one to catch. Hear my words carefully. There will be people whose words and wisdom never cease to amaze you. There will be people whose talks and writings never fail to bless you. There will be people who sing songs and poems to you, and not even one bit of regret penetrates you. The only questions are, do you even realize that they are around? And if you do, what are you up to?

That's why I said you're so damn lucky if you're able to meet one of them, and you're luckiest if you have all of them beside you. So, have you met one today?

Edisi Khas Bahasa Melayu 1: Peta Minda Sang Penulis

Maka dimulakan inti pati karangan enam perenggan berunsurkan intonasi serba mengarut khas untuk Bahasa Melayu tercinta. Mengapa? Khas untuk Bahasa Melayu tercinta. Mengapa? Sekali sekala mengarut dalam bahasa ibunda seronok juga. Maklumlah, pengaruh rakan sebaya.

Hatta tersebutlah sebuah hikayat sang penulis yang hobinya sudah tentulah menulis, pencinta keindahan bahasa dan kata-kata ditegur oleh rakan-rakannya. Mengapa? Sebab dia sangat suka memikirkan sesuatu yang bukan-bukan. Hendak dijadikan cerita, suatu hari dia bercadang untuk menghasilkan sebuah karangan yang dalamnya bukan sekadar kata-kata tumpul sebaliknya...alahai, istilahnya tidak dapat dijumpai.

Andai kata seorang manusia itu malas bernafas, maka ratusan tahun dahulu kaum Mayan pastinya tidak sempat menghasilkan kalendar tepat lalu para saintis dan cendekiawan sekarang juga tidak terbayangkan ramalan tragedi 2012. Andai kata seekor katak itu tidak pandai melompat, sudah tentu penggubah lagu kanak-kanak terpaksa memerah otak menggantikan lagu 'Lompat Si Katak'. Pendek cerita, perubahan sesuatu norma akan mengubah keperibadian seluruh alam.

Ribuan tahun terdahulu pelbagai legenda kecantikan sang puteri dipropagandakan sehingga kecantikan wanita hari ini dibanding-bandingkan dengan mereka. Tetapi jika dua wanita cantik ingin dipertandingkan kecantikannya, haruslah kedua-duanya diletak bersebelahan supaya perbandingan tepat dapat dilaksanakan. Dalam erti kata lain, sang puteri yang hidup pada zaman dahulu patut dibawa ke sini dan ayuh nilaikan keindahannya. Dalam erti kata lain juga, kalau sang puteri yang disebut-sebut itu masih hidup pada zaman sekarang untuk dibandingkan, tentunya dia sudah menjadi wanita tua kerepot dan tidak lagi jelita seperti dahulu. Terang-terang si gadis sekarang akan menang. Tidak begitu? Jadi mengapa harus dibandingkan lagi?

Sang penulis wajib membaca demi memperkayakan ilmu dan bahasa di dada. Namun berapa ramaikah yang sudi meluangkan masa mengeja setiap perkataan dan seterusnya mengeja semula perkataan yang lebih susah? Seperti belasungkawa, fata morgana dan logamaya? Malah si penulis ini sendiri tidaklah sehebat mana. Dia baca kesemuanya, kecuali perkara yang tidak ingin dibacanya. Mengapa? Tepuk dada tanyalah selera.

Dalam halaman ilmu pengetahuan wujud sebuah gerbang yang terbuka luas. Tapi bukan semua mampu menjumpainya. Seperti seorang guru yang pernah menghasilkan peribahasa aneh berbunyi, 'Bagai meletakkan telur goreng di mulut orang mati', jawapan sebenar tidak mungkin diketahui semua. Oleh itu, fikir sebelum berfikir.

KTMB: A Love Story

So it was a very bright morning that day. I could see clearly everyone's face, the way they moved and adjusted their shoes. The sky was like a shining crystal that allowed me to walk with my eyes closed. The lights were dazzling my sight but I could smell the niceness of their perfumes from so far, indeed. Thank God, because if I couldn't see a thing but suddenly smelled something so fragrant, well, it would scare me to death. And I realized that eyes and the ability to smell don't really relate. But who cares?

Then suddenly there was an announcement.

"Attention to all passengers. Not for your own safety, do stand in front of the yellow line. Because the train will be arriving at platform number two. Very soon. Do get in first before the passengers inside the train get out. Do not hesitate. If some you died, then the place would be less crowded. Thank you."

Nobody listened to the announcement. Nobody followed the order. A minute later, they announced another.

"Attention to all passengers. Due to some technical difficulties, the train from Rawang to Seremban will be delayed for 40 minutes from schedule. I am very sorry that I joked around about your death just now. I do hope for all of you to live. I want y'all to survive and arrive late at respective workplace. I want you to get fired. I want you to suffer, alive. Thank you."

Everyone panicked. The horror of being late was unbearable. But there came in another voice at the station.

"Attention to all passengers. The train has departed from Rawang station. It will be arriving in 25 minutes time. I apologise again for wanting y'all to get fired. I did not mean to mention about it just now. It was too soon. I'll save it for later. Thank you."

Everyone stopped looking at each other. Honestly I had no idea why they looked at other people every time they heard something weird. For that did not matter, a final announcement was made.

"Attention to all passengers. The train from Rawang will be arriving at platform number two. For your own safety, please stand behind the yellow line. Please wait for the passenger inside the train to get out first. Thank you."

Now we know why they were always late and why they always announced something so nicely. Love story? Well, I witnessed that couples didn't really care about the train being late. They were in a different world.

When Will You Unleash Your Worst Feeling?

Allow me to go straight to the point this time. When will you unleash your worst feeling? A simple question and I believe a lot of us can produce more than one answer or situation that leads to our damnedest emotions. Well, I can suggest some predicaments. Let us see if any of these hits a bullseye.

Predicament One - Losing Your Best Effort

Imagine you're working on something. Be it an assignment or some other work, you do it with your best concentration and determination. Then you finish it, and save it in your computer. The next day when you're about to print and submit it, you realize that the data has been corrupted, or accidentally deleted. Tell me how you feel.

Predicament Two - You Don't Score

Examination is just around the corner and you have been studying and preparing yourself to ensure that you will come up with the best possible result. When the time comes, you enter the hall, refresh your mind, and suddenly you realize that it is blank. You panic, and you don't do well. When the paper ends, you go out and curse yourself, while all of your friends are laughing and telling each other how easy the paper was. Tell me how you feel.

Predicament Three - You Kill Your Pet

You always spend your time playing with your favourite pet. You never miss a day. Then one day your family plan for a seven-day trip and you excitedly join them. Well, you can't bring your pet together, which means you have to leave it. After seven days of thrills, you come home just to see your pet lying in the cage, not moving. You forgot to leave some food and drinks. You even forgot to set it free. Tell me how you feel.

Predicament Four - Someone Dies

This is the regular basis of everyone's emotions. Everyday you love someone, a family or friend or partner, and life is never complete without any of them. But one day you have to face the reality, that people will die and leave you waiting for your turn. When someone you care leaves the world and never comes back, I can imagine how you feel.

Predicament Five - Being Unwanted

Personally, I believe this is the worst. The worst feeling in the world comes out when you see the one you love, is loving someone else. You watch and meet them, you sit right next to them, but you know you can't have them. They talk about other people. They miss other people. And the best part is, you're not good enough to try and win them, and you're not even bad enough to sabotage and turn things around. How would you feel?

Love Love Hate Hate

Purity of mind is a state that influences humans to act or react in the lives of a society. And yes, it also affects the way one deals with personal emotions. When the mind is crystal clear and fresh, everything goes well and what is not can be made right. But when the mind darkens, not a single thing can define glory and happiness.

Love is one factor that alters this state. When we love doing a thing, then every moment spent on it is never a waste. When we love someone, then all the lights around us turn brighter and put a smile on our face. When we are loved, then there is not a word that scares and makes us feel unsafe.

However, hate is another factor that changes our purity of mind. When we hate a job, then every second feels slower than normal. When we hate a person, then the darkest heart seems to grow. When we are hated, then there will not even be an ounce of joy hiding behind our soul.

But no matter how much we love to love and to be loved, no matter how much we hate to hate and to be hated, we can't choose to only have one of them. We need both. Because despite everything that contradicts our wish, we must first feel them in order to understand them, and finally learn from them.

Love and hate can never be separated. Love and hate can never be terminated. We have got to know the right way to make them work with us. We have got to do the right thing.

Love is the feeling we should love, and hate is the feeling we should hate. And that is why, ladies and gentlemen, we need both of them.

Aliens Are Afraid Of Us

On the 3rd of December 2009, five aliens landed on our beloved Earth. They had been observing our world for years and they believed that was the right time to come down and infiltrate the planet. They thought that we had been very ignorant and forgetting about the definition of being prepared.

They entered a museum, they gave a look at all those pictures and stuff, and they talked. Now, what you are about to read is the translated version of their conversations. It is way above classified.

Alien One:

"You know, one day I saw a couple of humans watching a movie together in their house. In order to learn about their culture and everything, I secretly joined them. I watched the movie with them. Seriously, the movie was damn good! I was emotionally touched! The title was 'The Notebook'. Now I feel like crying, man."

Alien Two:

"Stupid! That kind of movies only makes you become weaker! They give you emotions, they make you cry, they make you become sensitive! We don't need those things! Look at me, last month I stole a DVD titled 'The Dark Knight', and I have been very brave since. It was about a superhero who fights bad people who steal, murder and whatever. And there was The Joker, the craziest super villain you can ever see!"

Alien Three:

"I watched 'The Time Traveler's Wife' the other day, and I just wept. Oh my God, you have no idea how tragic the movie was. Can you imagine, what will you do if you have an ability to time travel, but you can't control it and you keep disappearing like, everyday? And your wife has to wait for you, bear the pain of having another time traveler in her stomach. Honestly dude, it was effing good! And the moment when he knew the day he...he...uuhuhuhuhuu! (burst into tears)"

Alien Four:

"Okay, stop it already! Let me tell you a funny movie that I watched last month, 'Night At The Museum: Battle Of The Smithsonian'. It was so stupid, yet it made me laugh, mate! Can you believe it? All the statues, pictures and other exhibits in the museum came to life at night! Whoa! Now look around us. Imagine if these things suddenly start moving and talking and attacking us. What's the time, now? Yeah, another 20 minutes. Haha!"

Alien Five (The Captain):

"Okay, let's move out! The mission is canceled!"

Alien One, Two, Three, Four:

"Why???"

Alien Five:

"Are you guys stupid? Have you not listened to what you said just now? They can make you cry, they have a superhero who fights bad guys, they got a time traveler, and their museum becomes alive at night! They are more dangerous than I thought! We need to come up with a better plan! I also heard there will be movies about the most intelligent detective called Sherlock Holmes, and about two great warriors titled 'The Storm Warriors'! You want to wait for that? Don't be stupid, and don't you guys ever watch them! Let's move! Damn, these humans are good!"

Alien Two:

"They also got another alien race that is big and able to transform into any sort of technologies. And they fight for humans, too."

Alien Four:

"Hey, maybe we should find the One Ring that can destroy everything, right? Let's go to Mordor! Or maybe we should create a perfume that makes everyone else bow to us!"

Alien Five:

"Shut up."