It's already Thursday... today is Hari Raya. Selamat Aidil Adha semua!! :-)
Aidil Adha... aka Hari Raya Qurban. I guess the time is ripe untuk membuat pengorbanan... to let go... and start fresh...
Despite desires to leave all behind, I find myself revisiting. And each time, repeatedly, the truth stares back at me... mocking me. Although it is not direct, it's the reality on the other site that pulls out the red flag telling me stop. But still I find myself there... why am I putting myself through all these? Today for example (and on several other occasions in days past)... the tales, the images... what more do I need? Why can't I just let it go?
I suppose having suppressed such things for a long time also makes it harder to let go. Which is why when I heard this song, I smiled cynically (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fqzLclWPY_w). Ooh... how this perfectly describes the quandary that I find myself in. The last verse struck the chord... it's as if the song was written with me in mind...
But things are getting better. I've stopped entertaining the thought. Nonetheless, discovering a bloom also withers me. I'm being green over matters which I can't lay claim on. Despite unearthing all those hurtful reality, I continually find myself there. Someone... anyone... get me out of this limbo!!
I guess the answer lies with me... only I can get me out... one way is through pengorbanan. Dear Lord... give me the strength...
Over the weekend I did my spring cleaning and yesterday Bita came to collect her bounty... three bags full! I korbankan things which have been used as well as fresh new items. Time to stop hoarding... Something that has not been on me this past 12 months deserves a new owner.
I almost had to korbankan my cuti on boxing day and the penultimate work day of the year... for work. Fortunately, despite all the hoopla... the getting minds together to prepare for the visit, it's postponed to 2008. Date still unknown. That project itself is not without "tearing hair out" situations. Deceived... indah khabar dari rupa... talam dua muka... hoodwinked... all those would describe the state of affairs. Nak tak nak kena step into first step (how ironic?)... before things get worse.
Already some noises from the big kahuna (over a matter which could have easily been avoided had the smart aleck described things better) last Thursday. Tak pasal2 je kena... With these latest developments, we can't leave things to chances anymore. Boss is obviously disturbed by it all. I would be too if I were in his shoes. Kesian dia... Now BB expects more. The gap between expectations and reality is like langit dgn bumi. Silap2 ada yang terkorban...
it's not everday
that i find a person quite like you
perfect every way
i finally found the nerve to confess that it's you
that i want
i don't care if i act a fool
i would damn near beg for you
put aside, all my pride
so don't keep me hanging here
cause this girl is falling stupid for you..
stupid for you..
the proper thing to do
is for me to act like a lady and wait
for you to make the first move
but i don't think you're getting the point
that it's you
that i want
i don't care if i act a fool
i would damn near beg for you
put aside, all my pride
so don't keep me waiting here
cause this girl is falling stupid for you
oh, oh stupid for you
why's it always feel like i am
chasing love when nothing's there
and here i go just making the same mistake...
i've fallen stupid for you..
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
tales of beedle the bard... part 3
Jo's amazing story telling never ceases to keep me in awe. Even as I read through another person's description of her tales, sangat terasa teruja...
Granted, I didn't find her final book that great, it was the story telling of the whole series that made the journey worthwhile.
Three stories here (there were 5, so far, that has been released)... each with their own lessons...
Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump
A large tree stump (with twenty growth rings—we counted) squats atop Rowling's fourth and longest fairy tale. Five tentacle-like roots spread from the base with grass and dandelion clocks sprouting out from beneath them. At the center of the base of the stump is a dark crack, with two white circles that look like tiny eyes peering out at the reader. Under the text is a small narrow paw print (with four toes). Not as horrific as the bloody, hairy heart of the last story (and this time we do see bright pixie dust on the facing page), but we don’t entirely like the looks of that stump.
"Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump" begins (as good fairy tales often do) long ago and in a faraway land. A greedy and "foolish king" decides that he wants to keep magic all to himself. But he has two problems: first, he needs to round up all the existing witches and wizards; second, he needs to actually learn magic. Just as he commands a "Brigade of Witch Hunters" armed with a pack of fierce black dogs, he also announces his need for an "Instructor in Magic" (not too bright, our king). Savvy wizards and witches go into hiding rather than heed his call, but a "cunning charlatan" with no magical ability at all bluffs his way into the role with a few simple tricks.
Once installed as the head sorcerer and private instructor to the King, the charlatan demands gold for magical supplies, rubies for creating charms, and silver cups for potions. The charlatan hoards these items in his own house before returning to the palace, but he does not realize the King's old "washer-woman," Babbitty, sees him. She watches him pull twigs from a tree that he then presents to the King as wands. Cunning as he is, the charlatan tells the King that his wand will not work until "your Majesty is worthy of it."
Every day the King and charlatan practice their "magic" (Rowling shines here, painting a portrait of the ridiculous King waving his twig and "shouting nonsense at the sky"), but one morning they hear laughter and see Babbitty watching from her cottage, laughing so hard she can hardly stand. The humiliated King is furious and impatient, and demands that they give a real demonstration of magic in front of his subjects the very next day. The desperate charlatan says it is impossible since he needs to leave the kingdom on a long journey, but the now suspicious King threatens to send the Brigade after him. Having worked himself into a fury, the King also commands that if "anybody laughs at me" the charlatan will be beheaded. And so, our foolish, greedy, magic-less King is also revealed to be both prideful and pitifully insecure--even in these short, simple tales, Rowling is able to create complex, interesting characters.
Looking to "vent" his frustration and anger, the cunning charlatan heads straight to the house of Babbitty. Peering in the window, he sees a "little old lady" sitting at her table cleaning her wand, as the sheets are "washing themselves" in a tub. Seeing her as a real witch, and both the source and solution of his problems, he demands her help, or he will turn her over to the Brigade. It is hard to fully describe this powerful turning point in the story (and any of these tales, really). Try to remember the richness and color of Rowling's novels and imagine how she might pack these bite-sized tales full of vivid imagery and subtle nuances of character.
Unruffled by his demands (she is a witch, after all), Babbitty smiles and agrees to do "anything in her power" to help (there’s a loophole if we’ve ever heard one). The charlatan tells her to hide inside a bush and perform all the spells for the King. Babbitty agrees, but wonders aloud what will happen if the King tries to perform an impossible spell. The charlatan, ever convinced of his own cleverness and the stupidity of others, laughs off her concerns, asserting that Babbitty's magic is certainly much more powerful than anything "that fool's imagination" could dream up.
The next morning, the members of the court gather together to witness the King's magic. From a stage, the King and charlatan perform their first magical act--making a woman's hat disappear. The crowd is amazed and astonished, never guessing that it is Babbitty, hiding in a bush, who performs the spell. For his next feat, the King points the "twig" (every reference of this cracks us up) at his horse, raising it high into the air. Looking around for an even better idea for the third spell, the King is interrupted by the Captain of the Brigade, who holds the body of one of the King's hounds (dead from a poisonous mushroom). He begs the King to bring the dog "back to life," but when the King points the twig at the dog, nothing happens. Babbitty smiles inside her hiding place, not even trying a spell, for she knows "no magic can raise the dead" (at least not in this story). The crowd begins to laugh, suspecting that the first two spells were just tricks. The King is furious, and when he demands to know why the spell failed, the cunning and deceitful charlatan points at Babbitty's hiding place and screams that a "wicked witch" is blocking the spells. Babbitty runs from the bush, and when the Witch Hunters send the hounds after her, she disappears, leaving the dogs "barking and scrabbling" at the base of an old tree. Desperate now, the charlatan shouts that the witch has turned herself "into a crab apple" (which even at this tense and dramatic point draws a snicker). Fearful that Babbitty may turn herself back into a woman and expose him, the charlatan demands the tree be cut down--because that is how you "treat evil witches." It is quite a powerful scene, not only for its "off with her head!" drama, but because the charlatan's ability to whip up the crowd is evocative of the all-too-real witch trials. As the drama builds, Rowling's handwriting appears slightly less polished--the spaces between letters of her words widens, creating the illusion that she's making the story up as she goes along, getting the words down on the page as fast as she can.
The tree is chopped down, but as the crowd cheers and heads back toward the palace, a "loud cackling" is heard, this time from within the stump. Babbitty, smart witch that she is, shouts that witches and wizards cannot be killed by being "cut in half," and to prove it, she suggests that they cut the King's instructor "in two." At this, the charlatan begs for mercy and confesses. He is dragged to the dungeon, but Babbitty is not finished with her foolish king. Her voice, still issuing from the stump, proclaims that his actions have invoked a curse on the kingdom, so that every time the King harms a witch or wizard he too will feel a pain so fierce he will wish to "die of it." The now desperate King falls to his knees and promises to protect all the wizards and witches in his lands, allowing them to perform magic without harm. Pleased, but not completely satisfied, the stump cackles again and demands a statue of Babbitty be placed upon it to remind the King of his "own foolishness." The "shamed King" promises to have a sculptor create a statue in gold, and he heads back to the palace with his court. At last, a "stout old rabbit" with a wand in its teeth hops out from hole beneath the stump (aha! The source of those tiny white eyes) and leaves the kingdom. The golden statue remained on the stump forever more, and witches and wizards were never be hunted in the kingdom again.
"Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump" highlights the winking ingenuity of the old witch--who should remind fans of a certain wise and resourceful wizard--and you can imagine how old Babbitty might become a folk hero to young wizards and witches. But more than just a story about the triumph of a clever witch, the tale warns against human weaknesses of greed, arrogance, selfishness and duplicity, and shows how these errant (but not evil) characters come to learn the error of their ways. The fact that the tale follows so soon after that of the mad warlock highlights the importance that Rowling has always placed on self-awareness: Babbitty reveals to the King his arrogance and greed, just as the Hopping Pot exposes the wizard's selfishness and the Fountain uncovers the hidden strength of the three witches and the knight. Of the first four of her tales, only the hairy-hearted warlock suffers a truly horrible fate, as his unforgiveable use of the Dark Arts and his unwillingness to know his true self exclude him from redemption.
The Wizard and the Hopping Pot
As in her Harry Potter series, garnishing the top of the first page of the first fairy tale, "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot," is a drawing--in this case, a round pot sitting atop a surprisingly well-drawn foot (with five toes, in case you were wondering, and we know some of you were). This tale begins merrily enough, with a "kindly old wizard" whom we meet only briefly, but who reminds us so much of our dear Dumbledore that we must pause and take a breath.
This "well-beloved man" uses his magic primarily for the benefit of his neighbors, creating potions and antidotes for them in what he calls his "lucky cooking pot." Much too soon after we meet this kind and generous man, he dies (after living to a "goodly age") and leaves everything to his only son. Unfortunately, the son is nothing like his father (and entirely too much like a Malfoy). Upon his father's death, he discovers the pot, and in it (quite mysteriously) a single slipper and a note from his father that reads, "In the fond hope, my son, that you will never need this." As in most fairy tales, this is the moment when things start to go wrong....
Bitter about not having anything but a pot to his name and completely uninterested in anyone who cannot do magic, the son turns his back on the town, closing his door to his neighbors. First comes the old woman whose granddaughter is plagued with warts. When the son slams the door in her face, he immediately hears a loud clanging in the kitchen. His father's old cooking pot has sprouted a foot as well as a serious case of warts. Funny, and yet gross. Vintage Rowling. None of his spells work, and he cannot escape the hopping, warty pot that follows him--even to his bedside. The next day, the son opens the door to an old man who is missing his donkey. Without its help to carry wares to town, his family will go hungry. The son (who clearly has never read a fairy tale) slams the door on the old man. Sure enough, here comes the warty, befooted clanging pot, now having captured both the sounds of a braying donkey as well as groans of hunger.
In true fairy tale fashion, the son is besieged with more visitors, and it takes a few tears, some vomit, and a whining dog before the wizard at last succumbs to his responsibility, and the true legacy of his father. Renouncing his selfish ways, he calls for all townspeople far and wide to come to him for help. One by one, he cures their ills and in doing so, empties the pot. At the very last, out pops the mysterious slipper--the one that perfectly fits the foot of the now-quiet pot--and together the two walk (and hop) off into the sunset.
Rowling has always made her stories as funny as they are clever, and "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot" is no exception; the image of a one-footed cooking pot plagued with all the "warty" ills of the village, hopping after a selfish young wizard, is a good example. But the real magic of this book and this particular tale lies not just in her turns of phrase but in the way she underlines the "clang, clang, clang" of the pot for emphasis, and how her handwriting gets messier when the story picks up speed, like she's hurrying along with the reader. These touches make the story uniquely her own and this volume of stories particularly special.
The Tale of the Three Brothers
If, like us, you raced through your first reading of "The Tale of the Three Brothers" on your way to the finale of all finales, then you missed quite a tale (one that we think can stand among the best of Aesop). Lucky for you, you can open your copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to Chapter Twenty-One and read it any time you like.
A trio of toothy skulls stare out at the reader at the top of the last of the five tales (oh how we wish there were dozens more). The skull in the middle has a symbol carved into its forehead--a straight vertical line in a circle, enclosed by a triangle. Underneath the text is a pile of fabric, upon which lies a wand (spouting a swirling stream of sparkles), and what looks like a small stone.
This spooky tale about three brothers, three choices, and three distinct fates begs to be read aloud--in fact, the first time we meet the three brothers is when Hermione reads the tale to Harry and Ron (and Xenophilius). Three brothers traveling along a deserted road at "twilight" (midnight, according to Mrs. Weasley's version of the story) come to a "treacherous" river they cannot cross. Well versed in magic, they create a bridge with a wave of their wands. Halfway across they are halted by a "hooded figure." Death is angry, and tells the brothers (in a funny moment from Hallows, Harry interrupts the story here "Sorry, but Death spoke to them?") that they have cheated him out of "new victims" since people usually drown when they try to cross the river. But, Death is shrewd and offers a reward to each of them for being smart enough to "escape" him. Our favorite fairy tales have this same kind of "choose your fate" plot--you can learn so much about a character from a single choice, and the best stories, like this one, lead you away from where you think it's going toward an ending you never expected.
The oldest brother, a "combative man" asks for the mightiest wand ever created--a wand that will win every duel for its owner, one befitting a wizard who "conquered Death." So Death creates the (fateful) wand from an "Elder tree" (capitalized in our copy) and gives it to the quarrelsome, boastful brother. The second brother, an "arrogant man" who is determined to demean Death further, asks for the power to summon others back from Death. Picking up a stone from the ground, Death tells the brother that it holds the power to bring back the dead. The youngest brother, the most humble and wise of the three, did not "trust Death" so he asks for something to allow him to leave without being "followed by Death." Knowing he may have been outsmarted, Death, hands over "his own" invisibility cloak with a "very bad grace". Each brother's choice reveals so much about his motivations: the oldest brother wants the Elder wand to make him powerful over all others; the second brother wants to have power over Death; and the youngest brother wants to leave Death safely behind him.
Eventually the brothers take their gifts and go their separate ways, toward very different fates. The first travels to a "certain village" and tracks down a wizard with whom he had fought to challenge him to a duel he "could not fail to win." After killing his enemy, he retires to an inn where he brags about the Elder wand, how he won it from "Death himself," and how it makes him all-powerful. That night, a wizard sneaks up on the oldest brother and steals the wand, slitting the brother's throat "for good measure." The haunting refrain, in which Rowling describes Death as taking the brother "for his own," helps both anchor the story as a cautionary tale as well as teach a lesson about the inevitability of death. One of the most important messages from this tale, and from this particular brother, is the notion of using power for good (advice Rowling clearly takes to heart).
The second brother arrives at his empty home, where he turns the stone "over thrice in his hand", using it to "recall the Dead" (capitalized in our copy). He is thrilled to witness the return of the girl he once wanted to marry, however she is "silent and cold" and suffering because she no longer belongs in the "mortal world." Desperate and filled with "hopeless longing" the second brother kills himself so that he can join her, allowing Death to win back his second victim.
The youngest brother uses the "Cloak of Invisibility" to hide from Death, until at "very old age" he takes it off and gives it to his son. Then, he greets Death "gladly" and "as an old friend" and departs from "this life." Such a satisfying close to this tale--it still packs a punch even after a second reading. Simple, powerful, and poignant, "The Tale of the Three Brothers" introduces theories about the use and abuse of power (also strong in the series) and shares important messages about life and death. There are many ways in which this tale informs and enhances Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (the curious should reread Chapter Thirty-Five, "King’s Cross" and discuss), but our favorite is highlighted by the message that Dumbledore himself imparts to Harry about accepting Death and embracing life: "Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and above all, those who live without love." The youngest brother did not try to cheat Death or harm others with his power; instead, he used his gift to live simply and without fear of Death, so that at the end of a long and happy life, he was able to go willingly from this world.
It is a true testament to Rowling’s talent that her fairy tales carry such a strong message, but never appear preachy or overtly didactic (this goes double for her books, and is in part why they are so special). The Tales of Beedle the Bard imparts several of the same lessons as the Harry Potter series, and the stories reverberate with Dumbledore's warning about choosing "what is right and what is easy." Whether she is warning against arrogance and greed, revealing the responsibilities that come with immense power, or extolling the importance of love and faith in oneself, Rowling's boundless imagination and masterful storytelling keep her loyal fans (young and old) coming back for more, ever eager for the next lesson.
Granted, I didn't find her final book that great, it was the story telling of the whole series that made the journey worthwhile.
Three stories here (there were 5, so far, that has been released)... each with their own lessons...
Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump
A large tree stump (with twenty growth rings—we counted) squats atop Rowling's fourth and longest fairy tale. Five tentacle-like roots spread from the base with grass and dandelion clocks sprouting out from beneath them. At the center of the base of the stump is a dark crack, with two white circles that look like tiny eyes peering out at the reader. Under the text is a small narrow paw print (with four toes). Not as horrific as the bloody, hairy heart of the last story (and this time we do see bright pixie dust on the facing page), but we don’t entirely like the looks of that stump."Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump" begins (as good fairy tales often do) long ago and in a faraway land. A greedy and "foolish king" decides that he wants to keep magic all to himself. But he has two problems: first, he needs to round up all the existing witches and wizards; second, he needs to actually learn magic. Just as he commands a "Brigade of Witch Hunters" armed with a pack of fierce black dogs, he also announces his need for an "Instructor in Magic" (not too bright, our king). Savvy wizards and witches go into hiding rather than heed his call, but a "cunning charlatan" with no magical ability at all bluffs his way into the role with a few simple tricks.
Once installed as the head sorcerer and private instructor to the King, the charlatan demands gold for magical supplies, rubies for creating charms, and silver cups for potions. The charlatan hoards these items in his own house before returning to the palace, but he does not realize the King's old "washer-woman," Babbitty, sees him. She watches him pull twigs from a tree that he then presents to the King as wands. Cunning as he is, the charlatan tells the King that his wand will not work until "your Majesty is worthy of it."
Every day the King and charlatan practice their "magic" (Rowling shines here, painting a portrait of the ridiculous King waving his twig and "shouting nonsense at the sky"), but one morning they hear laughter and see Babbitty watching from her cottage, laughing so hard she can hardly stand. The humiliated King is furious and impatient, and demands that they give a real demonstration of magic in front of his subjects the very next day. The desperate charlatan says it is impossible since he needs to leave the kingdom on a long journey, but the now suspicious King threatens to send the Brigade after him. Having worked himself into a fury, the King also commands that if "anybody laughs at me" the charlatan will be beheaded. And so, our foolish, greedy, magic-less King is also revealed to be both prideful and pitifully insecure--even in these short, simple tales, Rowling is able to create complex, interesting characters.
Looking to "vent" his frustration and anger, the cunning charlatan heads straight to the house of Babbitty. Peering in the window, he sees a "little old lady" sitting at her table cleaning her wand, as the sheets are "washing themselves" in a tub. Seeing her as a real witch, and both the source and solution of his problems, he demands her help, or he will turn her over to the Brigade. It is hard to fully describe this powerful turning point in the story (and any of these tales, really). Try to remember the richness and color of Rowling's novels and imagine how she might pack these bite-sized tales full of vivid imagery and subtle nuances of character.
Unruffled by his demands (she is a witch, after all), Babbitty smiles and agrees to do "anything in her power" to help (there’s a loophole if we’ve ever heard one). The charlatan tells her to hide inside a bush and perform all the spells for the King. Babbitty agrees, but wonders aloud what will happen if the King tries to perform an impossible spell. The charlatan, ever convinced of his own cleverness and the stupidity of others, laughs off her concerns, asserting that Babbitty's magic is certainly much more powerful than anything "that fool's imagination" could dream up.
The next morning, the members of the court gather together to witness the King's magic. From a stage, the King and charlatan perform their first magical act--making a woman's hat disappear. The crowd is amazed and astonished, never guessing that it is Babbitty, hiding in a bush, who performs the spell. For his next feat, the King points the "twig" (every reference of this cracks us up) at his horse, raising it high into the air. Looking around for an even better idea for the third spell, the King is interrupted by the Captain of the Brigade, who holds the body of one of the King's hounds (dead from a poisonous mushroom). He begs the King to bring the dog "back to life," but when the King points the twig at the dog, nothing happens. Babbitty smiles inside her hiding place, not even trying a spell, for she knows "no magic can raise the dead" (at least not in this story). The crowd begins to laugh, suspecting that the first two spells were just tricks. The King is furious, and when he demands to know why the spell failed, the cunning and deceitful charlatan points at Babbitty's hiding place and screams that a "wicked witch" is blocking the spells. Babbitty runs from the bush, and when the Witch Hunters send the hounds after her, she disappears, leaving the dogs "barking and scrabbling" at the base of an old tree. Desperate now, the charlatan shouts that the witch has turned herself "into a crab apple" (which even at this tense and dramatic point draws a snicker). Fearful that Babbitty may turn herself back into a woman and expose him, the charlatan demands the tree be cut down--because that is how you "treat evil witches." It is quite a powerful scene, not only for its "off with her head!" drama, but because the charlatan's ability to whip up the crowd is evocative of the all-too-real witch trials. As the drama builds, Rowling's handwriting appears slightly less polished--the spaces between letters of her words widens, creating the illusion that she's making the story up as she goes along, getting the words down on the page as fast as she can.
The tree is chopped down, but as the crowd cheers and heads back toward the palace, a "loud cackling" is heard, this time from within the stump. Babbitty, smart witch that she is, shouts that witches and wizards cannot be killed by being "cut in half," and to prove it, she suggests that they cut the King's instructor "in two." At this, the charlatan begs for mercy and confesses. He is dragged to the dungeon, but Babbitty is not finished with her foolish king. Her voice, still issuing from the stump, proclaims that his actions have invoked a curse on the kingdom, so that every time the King harms a witch or wizard he too will feel a pain so fierce he will wish to "die of it." The now desperate King falls to his knees and promises to protect all the wizards and witches in his lands, allowing them to perform magic without harm. Pleased, but not completely satisfied, the stump cackles again and demands a statue of Babbitty be placed upon it to remind the King of his "own foolishness." The "shamed King" promises to have a sculptor create a statue in gold, and he heads back to the palace with his court. At last, a "stout old rabbit" with a wand in its teeth hops out from hole beneath the stump (aha! The source of those tiny white eyes) and leaves the kingdom. The golden statue remained on the stump forever more, and witches and wizards were never be hunted in the kingdom again.
"Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump" highlights the winking ingenuity of the old witch--who should remind fans of a certain wise and resourceful wizard--and you can imagine how old Babbitty might become a folk hero to young wizards and witches. But more than just a story about the triumph of a clever witch, the tale warns against human weaknesses of greed, arrogance, selfishness and duplicity, and shows how these errant (but not evil) characters come to learn the error of their ways. The fact that the tale follows so soon after that of the mad warlock highlights the importance that Rowling has always placed on self-awareness: Babbitty reveals to the King his arrogance and greed, just as the Hopping Pot exposes the wizard's selfishness and the Fountain uncovers the hidden strength of the three witches and the knight. Of the first four of her tales, only the hairy-hearted warlock suffers a truly horrible fate, as his unforgiveable use of the Dark Arts and his unwillingness to know his true self exclude him from redemption.
The Wizard and the Hopping Pot
As in her Harry Potter series, garnishing the top of the first page of the first fairy tale, "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot," is a drawing--in this case, a round pot sitting atop a surprisingly well-drawn foot (with five toes, in case you were wondering, and we know some of you were). This tale begins merrily enough, with a "kindly old wizard" whom we meet only briefly, but who reminds us so much of our dear Dumbledore that we must pause and take a breath.This "well-beloved man" uses his magic primarily for the benefit of his neighbors, creating potions and antidotes for them in what he calls his "lucky cooking pot." Much too soon after we meet this kind and generous man, he dies (after living to a "goodly age") and leaves everything to his only son. Unfortunately, the son is nothing like his father (and entirely too much like a Malfoy). Upon his father's death, he discovers the pot, and in it (quite mysteriously) a single slipper and a note from his father that reads, "In the fond hope, my son, that you will never need this." As in most fairy tales, this is the moment when things start to go wrong....
Bitter about not having anything but a pot to his name and completely uninterested in anyone who cannot do magic, the son turns his back on the town, closing his door to his neighbors. First comes the old woman whose granddaughter is plagued with warts. When the son slams the door in her face, he immediately hears a loud clanging in the kitchen. His father's old cooking pot has sprouted a foot as well as a serious case of warts. Funny, and yet gross. Vintage Rowling. None of his spells work, and he cannot escape the hopping, warty pot that follows him--even to his bedside. The next day, the son opens the door to an old man who is missing his donkey. Without its help to carry wares to town, his family will go hungry. The son (who clearly has never read a fairy tale) slams the door on the old man. Sure enough, here comes the warty, befooted clanging pot, now having captured both the sounds of a braying donkey as well as groans of hunger.
In true fairy tale fashion, the son is besieged with more visitors, and it takes a few tears, some vomit, and a whining dog before the wizard at last succumbs to his responsibility, and the true legacy of his father. Renouncing his selfish ways, he calls for all townspeople far and wide to come to him for help. One by one, he cures their ills and in doing so, empties the pot. At the very last, out pops the mysterious slipper--the one that perfectly fits the foot of the now-quiet pot--and together the two walk (and hop) off into the sunset.
Rowling has always made her stories as funny as they are clever, and "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot" is no exception; the image of a one-footed cooking pot plagued with all the "warty" ills of the village, hopping after a selfish young wizard, is a good example. But the real magic of this book and this particular tale lies not just in her turns of phrase but in the way she underlines the "clang, clang, clang" of the pot for emphasis, and how her handwriting gets messier when the story picks up speed, like she's hurrying along with the reader. These touches make the story uniquely her own and this volume of stories particularly special.
The Tale of the Three Brothers
If, like us, you raced through your first reading of "The Tale of the Three Brothers" on your way to the finale of all finales, then you missed quite a tale (one that we think can stand among the best of Aesop). Lucky for you, you can open your copy of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to Chapter Twenty-One and read it any time you like.A trio of toothy skulls stare out at the reader at the top of the last of the five tales (oh how we wish there were dozens more). The skull in the middle has a symbol carved into its forehead--a straight vertical line in a circle, enclosed by a triangle. Underneath the text is a pile of fabric, upon which lies a wand (spouting a swirling stream of sparkles), and what looks like a small stone.
This spooky tale about three brothers, three choices, and three distinct fates begs to be read aloud--in fact, the first time we meet the three brothers is when Hermione reads the tale to Harry and Ron (and Xenophilius). Three brothers traveling along a deserted road at "twilight" (midnight, according to Mrs. Weasley's version of the story) come to a "treacherous" river they cannot cross. Well versed in magic, they create a bridge with a wave of their wands. Halfway across they are halted by a "hooded figure." Death is angry, and tells the brothers (in a funny moment from Hallows, Harry interrupts the story here "Sorry, but Death spoke to them?") that they have cheated him out of "new victims" since people usually drown when they try to cross the river. But, Death is shrewd and offers a reward to each of them for being smart enough to "escape" him. Our favorite fairy tales have this same kind of "choose your fate" plot--you can learn so much about a character from a single choice, and the best stories, like this one, lead you away from where you think it's going toward an ending you never expected.
The oldest brother, a "combative man" asks for the mightiest wand ever created--a wand that will win every duel for its owner, one befitting a wizard who "conquered Death." So Death creates the (fateful) wand from an "Elder tree" (capitalized in our copy) and gives it to the quarrelsome, boastful brother. The second brother, an "arrogant man" who is determined to demean Death further, asks for the power to summon others back from Death. Picking up a stone from the ground, Death tells the brother that it holds the power to bring back the dead. The youngest brother, the most humble and wise of the three, did not "trust Death" so he asks for something to allow him to leave without being "followed by Death." Knowing he may have been outsmarted, Death, hands over "his own" invisibility cloak with a "very bad grace". Each brother's choice reveals so much about his motivations: the oldest brother wants the Elder wand to make him powerful over all others; the second brother wants to have power over Death; and the youngest brother wants to leave Death safely behind him.
Eventually the brothers take their gifts and go their separate ways, toward very different fates. The first travels to a "certain village" and tracks down a wizard with whom he had fought to challenge him to a duel he "could not fail to win." After killing his enemy, he retires to an inn where he brags about the Elder wand, how he won it from "Death himself," and how it makes him all-powerful. That night, a wizard sneaks up on the oldest brother and steals the wand, slitting the brother's throat "for good measure." The haunting refrain, in which Rowling describes Death as taking the brother "for his own," helps both anchor the story as a cautionary tale as well as teach a lesson about the inevitability of death. One of the most important messages from this tale, and from this particular brother, is the notion of using power for good (advice Rowling clearly takes to heart).
The second brother arrives at his empty home, where he turns the stone "over thrice in his hand", using it to "recall the Dead" (capitalized in our copy). He is thrilled to witness the return of the girl he once wanted to marry, however she is "silent and cold" and suffering because she no longer belongs in the "mortal world." Desperate and filled with "hopeless longing" the second brother kills himself so that he can join her, allowing Death to win back his second victim.
The youngest brother uses the "Cloak of Invisibility" to hide from Death, until at "very old age" he takes it off and gives it to his son. Then, he greets Death "gladly" and "as an old friend" and departs from "this life." Such a satisfying close to this tale--it still packs a punch even after a second reading. Simple, powerful, and poignant, "The Tale of the Three Brothers" introduces theories about the use and abuse of power (also strong in the series) and shares important messages about life and death. There are many ways in which this tale informs and enhances Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (the curious should reread Chapter Thirty-Five, "King’s Cross" and discuss), but our favorite is highlighted by the message that Dumbledore himself imparts to Harry about accepting Death and embracing life: "Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and above all, those who live without love." The youngest brother did not try to cheat Death or harm others with his power; instead, he used his gift to live simply and without fear of Death, so that at the end of a long and happy life, he was able to go willingly from this world.
It is a true testament to Rowling’s talent that her fairy tales carry such a strong message, but never appear preachy or overtly didactic (this goes double for her books, and is in part why they are so special). The Tales of Beedle the Bard imparts several of the same lessons as the Harry Potter series, and the stories reverberate with Dumbledore's warning about choosing "what is right and what is easy." Whether she is warning against arrogance and greed, revealing the responsibilities that come with immense power, or extolling the importance of love and faith in oneself, Rowling's boundless imagination and masterful storytelling keep her loyal fans (young and old) coming back for more, ever eager for the next lesson.
tales of beedle the bard... part 2
This is my personal favourite :)
Like the previous tale, this one reminds me of myself and many others...
The Fountain of Fair Fortune
Featured at the top of what may be one of our favorite fairy tales ever is a picture of a sparkling, flowing fountain. Now that we're thirty pages into the book, it has become clear that Rowling enjoys (and is quite good at) drawing stars and sparkles. The beginning and ending of almost every tale appears sprinkled with pixie dust (à la Peter Pan--fans know that Rowling's pixies are less likely to leave such a pretty trail). This first page of the story also features a small rose bush below the text. It is quite lovely, and as anyone who has tried to draw a rose knows, not that easy to pull off--a fact that makes it less likely that Rowling did it to cover up a mistake (the way some of us might). It is a gorgeous way to start, and it gives "The Fountain of Fair Fortune" a lot to live up to. Perhaps this is why the story begins so grandly and with such a perfectly lush and mysterious fairy tale setting: an enchanted and enclosed garden that is protected by "strong magic." Once a year, an "unfortunate" is allowed the opportunity to find their way to the Fountain, to bathe in the water, and win "fair fortune forever more." Ahhhh, such is the stuff of Harry Potter fans' dreams. In fact, this tale stands out as a favorite partly because it follows the quest arc that fans fell in love with in her novels—the kind we still crave.
Knowing that this may be the only chance to truly turn their lives around, people (with magical powers and without) travel from the far reaches of the kingdom to try and gain entrance to the garden. It is here that three witches meet and share their tales of woe. First is Asha, sick of "a malady no Healer could cure," who hopes the Fountain can restore her health. The second is Altheda, who was robbed and humiliated by a sorcerer. She hopes the Fountain will relieve her feelings of helplessness and her poverty. The third witch, Amata, was deserted by her beloved, and hopes the Fountain will help cure her "grief and longing." In just a few pages, Rowling has not only created terrific fairy tale drama, but an interesting conflict--readers young and old can relate to at least one the woes of Asha, Altheda, and Amata (and can we talk about how great those names are?), so how can you choose which one should win? The witches (much like the characters from our favorite series) decide that three heads are better than one, and they pool their efforts to reach the Fountain together. At first light, a crack in the wall appears and "Creepers" from the garden reach through and wrap themselves around Asha, the first witch. She grabs Altheda, who takes hold of Amata. But Amata gets tangled in the armor of a knight, and as the vines pull Asha in, all three witches along with the knight get pulled through the wall and into the garden.
Since only one of them will be permitted to bathe in the Fountain, the first two witches are upset that Amata inadvertently invited another competitor. Because he has no magical power, recognizes the women as witches, and is well-suited to his name, "Sir Luckless," the knight announces his intention to abandon the quest. Amata promptly chides him for giving up and asks him to join their group. It is heartening to see Rowling continuing to embrace the themes of friendship and camaraderie so prevalent in her series, not to mention her ability to draw strong, intelligent, female characters. We spent seven books watching Harry learn that it is okay to need the help and support of his friends, and that same notion of sharing responsibility and burden is strong in this tale.
On their journey to the Fountain, the motley band faces three challenges. We're in familiar fairy tale territory here, but it is the strong, simple imagery (a "monstrous white worm, bloated and blind") and way the characters work together to triumph over adversity that makes this story such a rich read, and pure Rowling. First, they face the worm who demands "proof of your pain." After several fruitless attempts to attack it with magic and other means, Asha's tears of frustration finally satisfy the worm, and the four are allowed to pass. Next, they face a steep slope and are asked to pay the "fruit of their labors." They try and try to make it up the hill but spend hours climbing to no avail. Finally, the hard-won effort of Altheda as she cheers her friends on (specifically the sweat from her brow) gets them past the challenge. At last, they face a stream in their path and are asked to pay "the treasure of your past." Attempts to float or leap across fail, until Amata thinks to use her wand to withdraw the memories of the lover who abandoned her, and drop them into the water (hello, Pensieve!). Stepping stones appear in the water, and the four are able to cross to the Fountain, where they must decide who gets to bathe.
Asha collapses from exhaustion and is near death. She is in such pain that she cannot make it to the Fountain, and she begs her three friends not to move her. Altheda quickly mixes a powerful potion in an attempt to revive her, and the concoction actually cures her malady, so she no longer needs the Fountain's waters. (Some of you see where this is going, but stay tuned--Rowling has more surprises in store.) By curing Asha, Altheda realizes that she has the power to cure others and a means to earn money. She no longer needs the waters of the Fountain to cure her "powerlessness and poverty." The third witch, Amata realizes that once she washed away her regret for her lover, she was able to see him for what he really was ("cruel and faithless"), and she no longer needs the Fountain. She turns to Sir Luckless and offers him his turn at the Fountain as a reward for his bravery. The knight, amazed at his luck, bathes in the Fountain and flings himself "in his rusted armour" (this is the genius of Rowling--the addition of one word gives us the hilarious image of the knight bathing in full body armor in the Fountain) at the feet of Amata and begs for her "hand and her heart." Each witch achieves their dreams for a cure, a hapless knight wins knowledge of his bravery, and Amata, the one witch who had faith in him, realizes that she has found a "man worthy of her." A great "happily ever after" for our merry band, who set off "arm-in-arm" (it’s particularly nice the way this is handwritten, with the hyphens supporting a visual of linked arms). But the story wouldn’t be Rowling's without a kicker at the end: we learn that the four friends live long, never realizing that the Fountain's waters "carried no enchantment at all." Best. Ending. Ever.
As in her novels, Rowling emphasizes that the true power lies within, not merely in a wand and in a mind, but in a heart. Faith, trust, love give her characters the strength to meet the challenges before them. She doesn't preach to her readers, but the message is definitely there: if you allow yourself the chance to trust and love others, you can harness the power that you already have. What a great message for kids (and adults) to learn, and oh, what a lovely and memorable package.
tales of beedle the bard... part 1
Those of you who have read the Deathly Hallows would be familiar with the Tales of Beedle the Bard. We were enticed with excerpts from the Tales in DH, but the full story resides in the magical mind of Jo.
Amazon bought the handwritten, complete with illustration, the only one available to the public at a record price... and has kindly enough provided a synopsis and review of the stories that are contained in the leather bound, jewel encrusted book.
I've read 3 of such synopses thus far, but this particular tale reminds me of persons...
The Warlock's Hairy Heart
At the start we meet a handsome, skilled, and rich young warlock who is embarrassed by the foolishness of his friends in love (Rowling uses the word "gambolling" here--a perfect example of how she never talks down to her readers). So sure is he of his desire never to reveal such "weakness" that the young warlock uses "Dark Arts" to prevent himself from ever falling in love.
Unaware that the warlock has gone to such lengths to protect himself, his family laughs off his attempts to avoid love, thinking that the right girl will change his mind. But the warlock grows proud, convinced of his cleverness and impressed with his power to achieve total indifference. Even as time passes and the warlock watches his peers marry and have families of their own, he remains quite pleased with himself and his decision, considering himself lucky to be free of the emotional burdens that he believes shrivel up and hollow out the hearts of others. When the warlock's older parents die, he does not mourn, but instead feels "blessed" by their deaths. At this point in the text, Rowling’s handwriting changes a bit and the ink on the page appears slightly darker. Perhaps she is pressing harder--is she as frightened of and frustrated by her young warlock as we are? Almost all of the sentences on the left page nearly run into the fold of the book, as we read about how the warlock makes himself quite comfortable in his dead parents' home, transferring his "greatest treasure" to their dungeon. On the facing page, when we learn that the warlock believes himself to be envied for his "splendid" and perfect solitude, we see the first stutter in Rowling’s writing. It is as if she cannot bear to write the word "splendid" since it is so clearly not true. The warlock is deluded, making him all the more upset when he hears two servants gossiping--one taking pity on him, and the other making fun of him for not having a wife. He decides at once to "take a wife," presumably the most beautiful, wealthy, and talented woman, to make him the "envy of all."
As luck would have it, the very next day the warlock meets a beautiful, skillful, wealthy witch. Seeing her as his "prize," the warlock pursues her, convincing those who know him that he is a changed man. But the young witch--who is both "fascinated and repelled" by him--still senses his remoteness, even as she agrees to attend a feast at his castle. At the party, amidst the riches of his table and as minstrels play, the warlock woos the witch. Finally, she confronts him, suggesting that she would trust his lovely words if only she thought he "had a heart." [Spoiler alert!] Smiling (and still proud), the warlock leads the young maid to the dungeon, where he reveals a magic "crystal casket," in which lies his own "beating heart."
The witch is horrified at the sight of the heart, which has turned shrunken and hairy in its exile from the body, and she begs the warlock to "put it back." Because he knows it would further endear him to her, the warlock "slices open" his chest with his wand and places the "hairy heart" within. Thrilled that the warlock may now feel love, the young witch embraces him (surprising, since we're clearly yelling "Get away from him!" by now), and the horrible heart is "pierced" by the beauty of her skin and the scent of her hair. "Grown strange" from being disconnected from his body for so long, the now "blind" and "perverse" heart takes savage action. Would that we could end here, and allow you to just wonder about the fates of the young witch and the hairy-hearted warlock, but Rowling marches the story on, as the guests at the feast wonder about their host. Hours later, they search the castle and find them in the dungeon. On the ground lies the dead maiden with her chest cut open. Crouched beside her is the "mad warlock," caressing and licking her "shining scarlet heart" and planning to switch it for his own. His heart is strong though, and it refuses to leave his body. The warlock, swearing never to be "mastered" by his heart, seizes a dagger and cuts it from his chest, leaving him briefly victorious, a heart in "each bloody hand" before he falls over the maiden and dies.
Rowling, like most of the really great fairy tale writers, has no pity for the wicked. Acting out of pride and selfishness from the start of the story, isolating and hardening himself against all feeling, the warlock opened himself up to madness, subsequently taking an innocent life, and destroying his own in the process (sound like any other villain you've met?). As with the other tales we've read, the secret lies in the imagery, both real and imagined (particularly once you see the drawings from the first page). The disturbing and indelible vision of the crazy warlock licking the bloody heart rivals the darkest of the Grimm brothers. Given that this story (and the entire text, after all) is meant to be a book of fables for young wizards and witches, it's fitting that Rowling would make a tale about the misuse of the Dark Arts the most horrible and least redemptive of them all. The Dark Arts, as we fans well know, are not to be toyed with--ever.
Sunday, December 16, 2007
decisions... decisions...
Pejam celik... pejam celik... the weekend is almost over. And so is the year. I think this year passed by on warp speed! But unlike previous years... I felt like I did a whole lot more this year. A posting on what/how my year has been is in the offing...
Woke up early Saturday morning to send my car for the routine service. Arrive at the Jalan Ipoh Honda dealership cum workshop before 8am but I was already customer #11. What time did customers #1-10 arrive here? Agaknya subuh buta dah sampai kut... Waited for about an hour before my number was called. Luckily I came prepared... the day's newspaper and 3 biji kuih kept me from dozing off.
"This is your last free service. And today we're going to do a lot of parts changes" the service rep told me. He also explained about doing an air-con servicing which was not covered by the "free" service and how it needs to be done in order to maintain my warranty. I just angguk je lah... whatever you need to do to keep my baby healthy. Called home to ask for someone to pick me up since it would take a while before the car is ready.
I thought of catching up on some sleep while waiting but ended up watching TV. Mama and Papa went to Cheras to send some tiles to Wak who is repairing our house there. Both Ina and Abg were away outstation and Amt was sound asleep. Watched this show on Discovery Living and Health called "What I Hate About You". Doesn't sound so *welcoming* but it was actually quite interesting. It's a reality documentary/show where a couple tapes each other's annoying behaviours with the aim of highlighting it to the other person, and a jury to decide who is most annoying. The *victor* gets to demand the other person to work on the annoying habit and wins a prize. Sounds like a recipe for disaster isn't it? Au contraire... the couple that was on air were very open and recognised their *misdoings*. Perhaps this is only true for this couple, because they're both cool people. Tapi towards the end, sleep did overcome me and I dozed off on the sofa ;)
In the afternoon, while playing around with Facebook, I found a long lost friend. HH is a friend from Melbourne days. He now goes by the name HY... I don't know why. Maybe Y is his middle name? Whatever the reason, I was amused when I read a comment made by one of his mat salleh friends... "You changed your last name. Is that a muslim religious thing?"
Anyway... based on his profile photo and album, HH looks like he hasn't aged a day. HH has a rather demeaning nickname back then... Spaz, short for spastic. I could never bring myself to calling him that coz he's such a nice and berbudi bahasa person. As far as I know, only the guys call him that. The reason for such nickname? You see, HH was shipped off to Australia at a very young age to attend one of the most prestigious boarding schools in ozzie. So when he befriended us Malaysian students at uni, he struggled to speak Malay. I thought it was great of him to get back to his roots... but the guys often took a mickey out of him for the way he pronounced certain words and how he structured his sentences. Determined, HH was able to converse as well as (if you can say speaking rojak Malay the way we do *speaking well*) the rest of us within the span of 2-3 months. He even took a liking to eating mee maggi ;)
HH is always a gentleman. Coming from a privileged family and half blue blood to boot, one can easily assume that he's uppity. But HH displays no such traits. Always genial and respectful, one feels comfortable being around him. I can't say that I was very close to HH, just a casual friend. Last I heard someone talk about him was when he took charge at the helm of the family business upon the passing of his father at the age of 30. Being da boss of a multi million business at such a young age is no doubt overwhelming, but HH seems to be doing ok. If anything, based on his photos, he's enjoying life as well. Good for him :)
The rest of the day and for the most part of Sunday, I was kept occupied being a wannabe interior designer. Was supposed to go see the tingkap - slider wardrobe - shower glass screen man to place an order, but decided to stay at home to rethink about the floorplan and layout of the room. No point placing a custom-made order when I was not sure how I wanted the room to look like. Reason for the change in concept: I was enticed by the walk-in wardrobe at Abg Mur's newly renovated home and Mama's suggestion to change the entrance to the room. My recent visit to Farisa's gorgeous home also put in a lot of ideas into my already crammed head.
My mind just went on an overdrive mode... Armed with those contractor-type measuring tape and IKEA product specs for the wardrobe and shelving units, I spent hours toying with various permutations. No part of the room was left un-measured ;) For the original design, I only played around with the image of how the room would look like in my head. Imagining where the bed would be, the wardrobe, the sofa... But this time round, I decided to be more precise. To make sure that there's a proper flow and layout.
So in the end, I came up with several options...
Option 1 - walk-in wardrobe which is attached to the bathroom, with lots of storage space (actually all floorplans were deliberately designed to provide ample storage space). But this requires a new entrance and new wiring for the switches. I also played around on where the loose pieces of furniture would be placed. All items and room layout are to scale (right down to the exact inch, hehe... I'm a perfectionist who is obsessed!)
Option 2 - also with walk-in wardrobe, but not attached to the bathroom. This one doesn't require light switch wiring changes and will retain the original entrance to the room.
Option 3 - A somewhat walk-in wardrobe which also serves to reduce the size of the room.
Options 4 and 5 - no walk-in wardrobe but aims to provide a separate sitting area.
I need to decide on the design of choice sometime this week because Wak is coming to start work next week. Of course, he can start with the ketuk, pecah, dismantle first but I need to place those custom-made orders in order to receive them in time.
I have a personal favourite but being the *designer* for all, I suka je semua... all have their merits. So regular readers... which one would you choose?
Woke up early Saturday morning to send my car for the routine service. Arrive at the Jalan Ipoh Honda dealership cum workshop before 8am but I was already customer #11. What time did customers #1-10 arrive here? Agaknya subuh buta dah sampai kut... Waited for about an hour before my number was called. Luckily I came prepared... the day's newspaper and 3 biji kuih kept me from dozing off.
"This is your last free service. And today we're going to do a lot of parts changes" the service rep told me. He also explained about doing an air-con servicing which was not covered by the "free" service and how it needs to be done in order to maintain my warranty. I just angguk je lah... whatever you need to do to keep my baby healthy. Called home to ask for someone to pick me up since it would take a while before the car is ready.
I thought of catching up on some sleep while waiting but ended up watching TV. Mama and Papa went to Cheras to send some tiles to Wak who is repairing our house there. Both Ina and Abg were away outstation and Amt was sound asleep. Watched this show on Discovery Living and Health called "What I Hate About You". Doesn't sound so *welcoming* but it was actually quite interesting. It's a reality documentary/show where a couple tapes each other's annoying behaviours with the aim of highlighting it to the other person, and a jury to decide who is most annoying. The *victor* gets to demand the other person to work on the annoying habit and wins a prize. Sounds like a recipe for disaster isn't it? Au contraire... the couple that was on air were very open and recognised their *misdoings*. Perhaps this is only true for this couple, because they're both cool people. Tapi towards the end, sleep did overcome me and I dozed off on the sofa ;)
In the afternoon, while playing around with Facebook, I found a long lost friend. HH is a friend from Melbourne days. He now goes by the name HY... I don't know why. Maybe Y is his middle name? Whatever the reason, I was amused when I read a comment made by one of his mat salleh friends... "You changed your last name. Is that a muslim religious thing?"
Anyway... based on his profile photo and album, HH looks like he hasn't aged a day. HH has a rather demeaning nickname back then... Spaz, short for spastic. I could never bring myself to calling him that coz he's such a nice and berbudi bahasa person. As far as I know, only the guys call him that. The reason for such nickname? You see, HH was shipped off to Australia at a very young age to attend one of the most prestigious boarding schools in ozzie. So when he befriended us Malaysian students at uni, he struggled to speak Malay. I thought it was great of him to get back to his roots... but the guys often took a mickey out of him for the way he pronounced certain words and how he structured his sentences. Determined, HH was able to converse as well as (if you can say speaking rojak Malay the way we do *speaking well*) the rest of us within the span of 2-3 months. He even took a liking to eating mee maggi ;)
HH is always a gentleman. Coming from a privileged family and half blue blood to boot, one can easily assume that he's uppity. But HH displays no such traits. Always genial and respectful, one feels comfortable being around him. I can't say that I was very close to HH, just a casual friend. Last I heard someone talk about him was when he took charge at the helm of the family business upon the passing of his father at the age of 30. Being da boss of a multi million business at such a young age is no doubt overwhelming, but HH seems to be doing ok. If anything, based on his photos, he's enjoying life as well. Good for him :)
The rest of the day and for the most part of Sunday, I was kept occupied being a wannabe interior designer. Was supposed to go see the tingkap - slider wardrobe - shower glass screen man to place an order, but decided to stay at home to rethink about the floorplan and layout of the room. No point placing a custom-made order when I was not sure how I wanted the room to look like. Reason for the change in concept: I was enticed by the walk-in wardrobe at Abg Mur's newly renovated home and Mama's suggestion to change the entrance to the room. My recent visit to Farisa's gorgeous home also put in a lot of ideas into my already crammed head.
My mind just went on an overdrive mode... Armed with those contractor-type measuring tape and IKEA product specs for the wardrobe and shelving units, I spent hours toying with various permutations. No part of the room was left un-measured ;) For the original design, I only played around with the image of how the room would look like in my head. Imagining where the bed would be, the wardrobe, the sofa... But this time round, I decided to be more precise. To make sure that there's a proper flow and layout.
So in the end, I came up with several options...
Option 1 - walk-in wardrobe which is attached to the bathroom, with lots of storage space (actually all floorplans were deliberately designed to provide ample storage space). But this requires a new entrance and new wiring for the switches. I also played around on where the loose pieces of furniture would be placed. All items and room layout are to scale (right down to the exact inch, hehe... I'm a perfectionist who is obsessed!)
Option 2 - also with walk-in wardrobe, but not attached to the bathroom. This one doesn't require light switch wiring changes and will retain the original entrance to the room.
Option 3 - A somewhat walk-in wardrobe which also serves to reduce the size of the room.
Options 4 and 5 - no walk-in wardrobe but aims to provide a separate sitting area.
I need to decide on the design of choice sometime this week because Wak is coming to start work next week. Of course, he can start with the ketuk, pecah, dismantle first but I need to place those custom-made orders in order to receive them in time.
I have a personal favourite but being the *designer* for all, I suka je semua... all have their merits. So regular readers... which one would you choose?
Saturday, December 15, 2007
um be rel la...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67-rIC0Mn_s&NR=1
Everyone... go google Marie (pronounced ma-ri-ay) Digby. You won't regret it. I'm already a big fan 8-)
Like what Carson Daly said... who needs the likes of American Idol when you can find talents like this on the internet :-)
Heard this version on the way to work a few days back and I went whoa!! When Rihanna sang it, the song just masuk telinga kiri keluar telinga kanan. Marie's rendition is just so beautiful... made me sit up and listen to the lyrics. Very bermakna...
So to all my darling friends... I dedicate this song to you :-)
Everyone... go google Marie (pronounced ma-ri-ay) Digby. You won't regret it. I'm already a big fan 8-)
Like what Carson Daly said... who needs the likes of American Idol when you can find talents like this on the internet :-)
Heard this version on the way to work a few days back and I went whoa!! When Rihanna sang it, the song just masuk telinga kiri keluar telinga kanan. Marie's rendition is just so beautiful... made me sit up and listen to the lyrics. Very bermakna...
So to all my darling friends... I dedicate this song to you :-)
You had my heart
And we'll never be worlds apart
Maybe in magazines
But you'll still be my star
Baby cause in the dark
You can't see shiny cars
And that's when you need me there
With you I'll always share
Because
[ Chorus ]
When the sun shine, we shine together
Told you I'll be here forever
Said I'll always be your friend
Took an oath I'ma stick it out till the end
Now that it's raining more than ever
Know that we'll still have each other
You can stand under my umbrella
You can stand under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
Under my umbrella
(Ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh)
These fancy things, will never come in between
You're part of my entity, here for infinity
When the world has took it's part
When the world has dealt it's cards
If the hand is hard, together we'll mend your heart
Because
[ Chorus ]
You can run into my arms
It's okay don't be alarmed
Come into me
So go on and let the rain pour
I'll be all you need and more
Because
[ Chorus ]
It's raining, raining
Ooh baby it's raining, raining
Baby come into me
Come into me
It's raining, raining
Ooh baby it's raining, raining
Come into me
Come into me...
Thursday, December 13, 2007
of restraint, action and letting go...
True love begins when nothing is looked for in return
Antoine De Saint-Exupery
It's not your salary that makes you rich, it's your spending habits
Charles A. Jaffe
Man, alone, has the power to transform his thoughts into physical reality; man, alone, can dream and make his dreams come true
Napoleon Hill
For one reason or another, all three quotes strike a cord with me today...
Let's start with the easiest, quote #2.
After all that spending orgy in the US, I feel *poor*. The cheque I sent to the bank cleared yesterday and I'm huit mille quatre cents down. What's the date today? And when is gaji? I haven't been in this situation for a long while... it's just that there has been a lot of expenditure lately. Car roadtax had to be renewed, hence kena buy insurance cover. The bill from some indulgent expenditure last month also datang. That's what happens when you don't plan properly.
Admittedly, I have not been very prudent with my expenditure these past year or two. Had I exercised more restraint, a lot more could have been saved. If I had been more careful with my purchases since I started earning my living, I could have savings close to a six-digit figure. But as they say... besar periuk, besarlah kerak. And memang banyak betul kerak yang sia-sia... sangat banyak. This weekend when I do my spring cleaning, I'll have the ball park figure. Let's hope that it won't make me knock my head on the wall...
But on a positive note, I received my MIA membership letter today :) Which means that I'll be entitled for double increment... woohoo!! OK... the entire additional amount will be put aside and not touched... no matter what. Percentage wise, my increment and bonus this year won't be as good as previous years. Tapi alhamdulillah... whatever the amount might be.
Moving on to quote #3...
I've been thinking about what I want to do in life... so that years down the road, when I look back, it can be something that I'm proud of. But thus far, it hasn't been something that I have been actively doing... at least not in a direct manner. So far, it has been a dream... and that was about it.
Faz wrote to me recently stating that she has similar desires. Bagai pucuk dicita ulam mendatang, today my organisation announced its staff movement initiative. The time has come to act... Gave my name to the committee members (TT said that I was the first to come forward)... it's time walk the talk.
Also today, I had expressed to boss of the area of work that I'd like to be involved in the bigger scheme of things. His immediate statement, "are you rich?" Huh? what kind of response was that? Then he elaborated and told a story about someone he knows that left a permanent job to work with an NGO. Ooohhh... nope. I'm not rich. I still need to earn a living. So I guess for now, we start by doing volunteer work and start putting in efforts towards being in a job that involves predominantly helping people...
And finally #1...
Other than the love of my family and friends, I can't say that I've ever been in love with someone. I have loved... but have I ever experienced true love as per definition above?
what i can remember
is alot like water
trickling down a page
of the most beautiful colors
i can't quite put my
finger down on the moment
that i became like ... this
you see, i'm the bravest girl
you will ever come to meet
and yet i shrink down to nothing
at the thought of someone
really seeing me
i think my heart is wrapped around
and tangled up in winding weeds
but i don't wanna go on living
being so afraid of showing
someone else my.. imperfections
even though my feet are trembling
and every word i say comes stumbling
i will bare it all.. watch me unfold
unfold
these hands that i hold
behind my back are
bound and broken by my own doing
and i can't feel
anything, anymore
i need a touch to remind me
i'm still real..
my soul
it's dying to be free
i can't live the rest of my life
so guarded
it's up to me to choose..
what kind of life i lead.
cause i don't wanna go on living
being so afraid of showing
someone else my.. imperfections
even though my feet are trembling
and every word i say comes stumbling
i will bare it all.. watch me unfold
unfold
i will allow someone to love me
i will allow someone to love me...
love me.. love me...
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
a little bit of this, a little bit of that...
Masuk kereta kat basement 9:30pm... Sampai depan gate rumah 9:37pm. I love living where I live 8-) In the morning (hari kerja) it takes double the amount of time... but that's still very good compared to other people.
But yesterday... my gosh, traffic was so bad! And of all days, I had to go to Darul Takaful to deliver a lecture. So I took the Jalan Kuching as opposed to my normal route via Kenny Hills. It was literally bumper to bumper from Segambut roundabout all the way until BNM roundabout. It took me about 45 minutes... all thanks to road closures due to some demonstration/illegal gathering. At times like this I count my blessings for living so near to the city. Biarlah tempat tak glamour... it's so darn convenient!
The lecture was to 200 people on the "roles & objectives of a central bank". Have never presented to such a big crowd. How did they receive it? According to NAMN, they rated me between 3-4/5. Nothing to shout about... Did they learn anything? Ntah lah... I sure hope they did take something out of the session.
In the evening I went down to the gym. Aim: To start exercising again after a looooooooong hiatus. Am so out of shape... face so red I could be mistaken for a lobster. The aerobics session was ok, was able to keep up... but when the instructor asked to repeat the choreography for the 3rd time in a row, I was already *flying* all over, hehe... Nonetheless, it was fun! After the class, I looked at myself in the mirror. *Rosy* all over, I could also see my already large pores enlarged. Ye lah... how else would the sweat escape kan? I also noticed what I would describe as permanent etches on my forehead. OH NO!!! Have I been frowning that much? Despite my desparate attempts to relax my facial muscles, the lines remained albeit less visible :-( Must remember to less *berkerut*...
Someone asked me the other day whether I had invested in property. I put down my signature on what would be a future financial commitment late last week. The paperwork in currently being drawn up. Come 2008, I'll officially have a mortgage. A sign of adulthood... that's what I've always associated a housing loan with. I'm now *chained* until retirement...
Today I was in meetings almost the whole day. In the morning it was interview session with scholarship applicants. That went on until lunch. Right after solat Zohor, I had to rush for a *late notice* meeting with some foreign dignitaries. Came back down to the department, terus a discussion with boss on a project. Suffice to say that when I finally went back to my desk, the in tray and mailbox were full. It was already 6:30pm... NN dropped by to ask whether I had gone through a report because the regional organisation was already asking about it. Mama sometimes asked about my day at work. When I tell her that I had several meetings in a day, she asks "So bila buat kerja?" "Lepas tu lah"... why do you think I go home late? I'm not complaining... I like my job and where I am right now. It comes with the territory. They are sacrifices that one has to make. 12 hours in the office is a norm... but at least I *switch off* when I'm at home.
I've not been out with the girls for a while now. Everyone is equally busy... Mymot is settling in a new job, Momz with her PR stuff, Skinner I've not heard from for a while which signals that she's very occupied. Right now I'm itching for some *time out*... some R&R with friends... to just hang out with the regulars...
Have not been out for lunch with the gang for a while now... infact, lunch has been a *grab & go* affair lately except Monday when moi & a few others went for ayam kampung cheras. Oh today was free dominos... courtesy of ARG's dept. We had a friendly inter-department dart competition during lunch. The match was deadlocked and had to be settled via best score from free throws - unfortunately our team lost despite being ahead at the finale.
Today received bridal shower notice from Mantze... *Dr CSI* Marni is coming home this weekend for her wedding. Another M&M in the making :-) Date not confirmed yet because the happy couple have a packed schedule as they are only back for two weeks untuk diijabkabul and kenduri kendara before heading back to Edinburgh. Am looking forward to the joyous event. Nasib baik it's a friend's wedding... had it been a relative's or family friend's wedding, I'd have to prepare for the barrage of *compulsory* questions...
Ooh... which reminds me. Have not check out the wedding registry. Need to do that this weekend. Plus service kereta, order tingkap, beli tiles, clear wardrobe... another busy weekend ahead... to match what is already a busy work week.
But yesterday... my gosh, traffic was so bad! And of all days, I had to go to Darul Takaful to deliver a lecture. So I took the Jalan Kuching as opposed to my normal route via Kenny Hills. It was literally bumper to bumper from Segambut roundabout all the way until BNM roundabout. It took me about 45 minutes... all thanks to road closures due to some demonstration/illegal gathering. At times like this I count my blessings for living so near to the city. Biarlah tempat tak glamour... it's so darn convenient!
The lecture was to 200 people on the "roles & objectives of a central bank". Have never presented to such a big crowd. How did they receive it? According to NAMN, they rated me between 3-4/5. Nothing to shout about... Did they learn anything? Ntah lah... I sure hope they did take something out of the session.
In the evening I went down to the gym. Aim: To start exercising again after a looooooooong hiatus. Am so out of shape... face so red I could be mistaken for a lobster. The aerobics session was ok, was able to keep up... but when the instructor asked to repeat the choreography for the 3rd time in a row, I was already *flying* all over, hehe... Nonetheless, it was fun! After the class, I looked at myself in the mirror. *Rosy* all over, I could also see my already large pores enlarged. Ye lah... how else would the sweat escape kan? I also noticed what I would describe as permanent etches on my forehead. OH NO!!! Have I been frowning that much? Despite my desparate attempts to relax my facial muscles, the lines remained albeit less visible :-( Must remember to less *berkerut*...
Someone asked me the other day whether I had invested in property. I put down my signature on what would be a future financial commitment late last week. The paperwork in currently being drawn up. Come 2008, I'll officially have a mortgage. A sign of adulthood... that's what I've always associated a housing loan with. I'm now *chained* until retirement...
Today I was in meetings almost the whole day. In the morning it was interview session with scholarship applicants. That went on until lunch. Right after solat Zohor, I had to rush for a *late notice* meeting with some foreign dignitaries. Came back down to the department, terus a discussion with boss on a project. Suffice to say that when I finally went back to my desk, the in tray and mailbox were full. It was already 6:30pm... NN dropped by to ask whether I had gone through a report because the regional organisation was already asking about it. Mama sometimes asked about my day at work. When I tell her that I had several meetings in a day, she asks "So bila buat kerja?" "Lepas tu lah"... why do you think I go home late? I'm not complaining... I like my job and where I am right now. It comes with the territory. They are sacrifices that one has to make. 12 hours in the office is a norm... but at least I *switch off* when I'm at home.
I've not been out with the girls for a while now. Everyone is equally busy... Mymot is settling in a new job, Momz with her PR stuff, Skinner I've not heard from for a while which signals that she's very occupied. Right now I'm itching for some *time out*... some R&R with friends... to just hang out with the regulars...
Have not been out for lunch with the gang for a while now... infact, lunch has been a *grab & go* affair lately except Monday when moi & a few others went for ayam kampung cheras. Oh today was free dominos... courtesy of ARG's dept. We had a friendly inter-department dart competition during lunch. The match was deadlocked and had to be settled via best score from free throws - unfortunately our team lost despite being ahead at the finale.
Today received bridal shower notice from Mantze... *Dr CSI* Marni is coming home this weekend for her wedding. Another M&M in the making :-) Date not confirmed yet because the happy couple have a packed schedule as they are only back for two weeks untuk diijabkabul and kenduri kendara before heading back to Edinburgh. Am looking forward to the joyous event. Nasib baik it's a friend's wedding... had it been a relative's or family friend's wedding, I'd have to prepare for the barrage of *compulsory* questions...
Ooh... which reminds me. Have not check out the wedding registry. Need to do that this weekend. Plus service kereta, order tingkap, beli tiles, clear wardrobe... another busy weekend ahead... to match what is already a busy work week.
Monday, December 10, 2007
the unequivocal truth...
If I ever needed further validation, I've got it now. 'Tis time for closure... no more wondering of the hapless mind. He knows that I have not the courage to seek confirmation nor willpower to end the reverie. And how did He show it to me? Point blank... that's how. So that's it, the end.
On a brighter note, two of my favourite people are now friends... and exchanging notes on where to buy Asian food, shopping tips and kindergarten. Although they've never met, their email exchanges seem like they're bosom buddies ;) These things bring great joy to my heart...
Over the weekend I was introduced to this new (to me) show called Sehati Berdansa... the Malaysian version of Dancing with the Star. The differences...
1) The dance partners are husbands & wives... at least one of them is a celebrity
2) So no professional dancing partner, just a professional dancing coach
3) They dance for a good cause... the prize money will be channeled to the charity of their choice (or is it chosen for them? I'm not sure)
Apparently the show has been on for a few weeks now. Like any other reality show, there's sms voting and elimination. This week, the theme was Bollywood.
Now... isn't that a better approach towards providing entertainment? Granted that they're not showcasing any new talents, but at least the monies spent on sms are better utilised. The show itself was a hoot... I mean, these people are no experts at dancing but they are sporting enough to let loose their inhibition and do whatever necessary to win votes. My hats off to all of them for dedicating their time and energy towards a worthy cause. My only regret is that the show itself does not showcase the charities enough... their plight, needs and how others can get involved.
Late this evening AAA sent an instant message which read something like this... "You interested to go for a rafting trip in Morocco?" That's like asking a kid whether he/she wants candy... OF COURSE!
Well... ok, farting eh rafting (hehe... typo) was never on the list, but Morocco definitely was. I've been thinking and trying to persuade people to go to Morocco, but somehow, that is not a destination desired by many. My guide book on le Maroc has been sitting there on the shelf collecting dust. I've familiarised myself with the names of all the major sites and frequented travel forums often enough to have a sense of what to see and not miss. I even know which airline to take, through which airport. The only thing I've not done is make travel arrangements. So if going to Morocco means I'll have to overcome my fear of drowning (since I can't swim), so be it. The lure of the intricate maze of souks and world heritage food *pasar malam* are too strong... Hope all these excitement will come into fruition.
On an unrelated matter... there has been a chain mail circulating through Facebook which I find amusing.
*** Between your legs****
Everybody.. lets get this started and see what creative movie titles we can come up with.. here's the rules.. think up a movie title(ANY movie title), and add "Between Your Legs" to the movie title..ill get it goin...continue to forward this!!!
Gail :- Gone in 60 Seconds Between Your Legs
Cindy :- Rush Hour Between Your Legs
atrick :- Gone with the wind Between your legs
Andre: - 300 Between your legs
Trace: - Dirty Dancing Between your legs...
Amy: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure Between Your Legs
Jordy: Midnight Express Between your legs
Callie: Cruel Intentions Between your Legs
Brent: Titanic between your legs
Haley: 50 first dates between your legs
Anna: Hot Fuzz Between Your Legs
Hendo: Snatch Between Your Legs
Jocelyn - Wild Hogs between your legs
Kylie - Big Daddy between your legs
Kellie - Over The Hedge between your legs
Cara - Knocked Up between your legs
Haydn: Honey, I shrunk the kids between your legs.
Dylan: 40 Days and 40 Nights Between your legs
Blake: 8 legged freaks between your legs
Antares: The Incredible Shrinking Man Between Your Legs
Jacqui: Kingdom of Heaven Between Your Legs.
Tom: Final Fantasy Between your legs
Belinda - Fast and Furious between your legs
San-Dodge ball between your legs
Norman - The Phantom Menace between your legs
Anand - The Cave between you legs
Indy- The Swamp Thing between your legs
Faezah - I Am Legend between your legs
Dzeelfa- You've Got Mail between your legs
Uji - The Twilight Zone between your legs
Seri - Sin City Between your legs
Reza - The Pursuit of Happyness between your legs
Zaity - The Nutty Professor between your legs
Farina: Ju-On between your legs
Trent : the haunting between your legs
Emily: Limony Snicketts: A Series of Unfortunate Events Between Your Legs.
Channy : The good the bad and the ugly between your legs
Kelsey: Rambo between your legs
MeL : Enchanted between your legs
Aziz: Supersize Me between your legs
OK... I think that's enough... for now ;-)
On a brighter note, two of my favourite people are now friends... and exchanging notes on where to buy Asian food, shopping tips and kindergarten. Although they've never met, their email exchanges seem like they're bosom buddies ;) These things bring great joy to my heart...
Over the weekend I was introduced to this new (to me) show called Sehati Berdansa... the Malaysian version of Dancing with the Star. The differences...1) The dance partners are husbands & wives... at least one of them is a celebrity
2) So no professional dancing partner, just a professional dancing coach
3) They dance for a good cause... the prize money will be channeled to the charity of their choice (or is it chosen for them? I'm not sure)
Apparently the show has been on for a few weeks now. Like any other reality show, there's sms voting and elimination. This week, the theme was Bollywood.
Now... isn't that a better approach towards providing entertainment? Granted that they're not showcasing any new talents, but at least the monies spent on sms are better utilised. The show itself was a hoot... I mean, these people are no experts at dancing but they are sporting enough to let loose their inhibition and do whatever necessary to win votes. My hats off to all of them for dedicating their time and energy towards a worthy cause. My only regret is that the show itself does not showcase the charities enough... their plight, needs and how others can get involved.
Late this evening AAA sent an instant message which read something like this... "You interested to go for a rafting trip in Morocco?" That's like asking a kid whether he/she wants candy... OF COURSE!
Well... ok, farting eh rafting (hehe... typo) was never on the list, but Morocco definitely was. I've been thinking and trying to persuade people to go to Morocco, but somehow, that is not a destination desired by many. My guide book on le Maroc has been sitting there on the shelf collecting dust. I've familiarised myself with the names of all the major sites and frequented travel forums often enough to have a sense of what to see and not miss. I even know which airline to take, through which airport. The only thing I've not done is make travel arrangements. So if going to Morocco means I'll have to overcome my fear of drowning (since I can't swim), so be it. The lure of the intricate maze of souks and world heritage food *pasar malam* are too strong... Hope all these excitement will come into fruition.
On an unrelated matter... there has been a chain mail circulating through Facebook which I find amusing.
*** Between your legs****
Everybody.. lets get this started and see what creative movie titles we can come up with.. here's the rules.. think up a movie title(ANY movie title), and add "Between Your Legs" to the movie title..ill get it goin...continue to forward this!!!
Gail :- Gone in 60 Seconds Between Your Legs
Cindy :- Rush Hour Between Your Legs
atrick :- Gone with the wind Between your legs
Andre: - 300 Between your legs
Trace: - Dirty Dancing Between your legs...
Amy: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure Between Your Legs
Jordy: Midnight Express Between your legs
Callie: Cruel Intentions Between your Legs
Brent: Titanic between your legs
Haley: 50 first dates between your legs
Anna: Hot Fuzz Between Your Legs
Hendo: Snatch Between Your Legs
Jocelyn - Wild Hogs between your legs
Kylie - Big Daddy between your legs
Kellie - Over The Hedge between your legs
Cara - Knocked Up between your legs
Haydn: Honey, I shrunk the kids between your legs.
Dylan: 40 Days and 40 Nights Between your legs
Blake: 8 legged freaks between your legs
Antares: The Incredible Shrinking Man Between Your Legs
Jacqui: Kingdom of Heaven Between Your Legs.
Tom: Final Fantasy Between your legs
Belinda - Fast and Furious between your legs
San-Dodge ball between your legs
Norman - The Phantom Menace between your legs
Anand - The Cave between you legs
Indy- The Swamp Thing between your legs
Faezah - I Am Legend between your legs
Dzeelfa- You've Got Mail between your legs
Uji - The Twilight Zone between your legs
Seri - Sin City Between your legs
Reza - The Pursuit of Happyness between your legs
Zaity - The Nutty Professor between your legs
Farina: Ju-On between your legs
Trent : the haunting between your legs
Emily: Limony Snicketts: A Series of Unfortunate Events Between Your Legs.
Channy : The good the bad and the ugly between your legs
Kelsey: Rambo between your legs
MeL : Enchanted between your legs
Aziz: Supersize Me between your legs
OK... I think that's enough... for now ;-)
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