Who You Choose To Be Around You Lets You Know Who You Are

Ok seriously wow!!! It's been like a month and a half since I blogged, so I think I have a lot of catching up to do. I'm gonna be real real in this post, and what a long post will this be! :O Ok so let me start off by saying, HAPPY Oh-8! Ok now lets change topic. :) I guess before I go on, I'd like to thank Iman's blog for inspiring me to write about all the chocolate sprinkles and the oh so yucky cherries of Oh-7! Instead of writing yet another post about mua once again and letting it be ALL about me, even with the fact that this IS indeed MY blog, I feel like I should say a few things about the people in my life that I care most about, besides my family, so I dedicate this post to them...and some stuff is still about me! :)

Joys & Regrets

Last year and the years before were a great many years, I experienced a lot of things, made new friends, made better old friends, went out a lot, spent a lot too (you owe me!), and basically just had a blasty blast of a time doing things that really made me happy to be in high-school life in general. What I've come to realize recently was, I think I've lost the part of me that cared more about the important things in life, and by that I mean my studies. So this year, it's gonna be all about the pen and paper, highlighters, text books and what have you, and less about the socializing, which I know I'm ridiculously good at! :p There is so much to learn and appreciate in this world in the form of knowledge, and I'm gonna owe it to myself to learn as much as I can with passion...something which I need more than anything right now! I'm gonna turn my life upside down, because apparently right side up isn't doing so well for me.

Friends

I'm really happy with the friends I have and the people I know, so I don't think I should be concerned about "people" in this point of time. Talking to Zohaib yesterday made me realise a lot about who I am, what I was and what I should really be. Zohaib might seem annoyingly knowledgeable about things in life, but truth be told...he is right...about a lot of things. I guess out of all the people I could write about, there's just something about Zohaib that words won't do. I'm not saying he is mysteriously superior than others or something, haha. :P He is always there when you need to be scared into believing the cold harsh face of reality, and for that...I need to owe him something. :)

Iman leaving Malaysia seemed like nothing to me. Iman, I know you'll be reading this so bear with me. :) When she first left, I didn't feel anything at all, seemed like just another day where I could easily go online and she'll be there...just waiting to say "SHAH!!" when I come on. Then I realised that this was just the same thing I was going through when Mohammed left...you don't know how great of a loss something really is until you realise it's not there anymore. I've had some of the most brilliantly engaging conversations with her, something I'll never forget. I still can't believe I spent New Year's without talking to her! Iman I seriously miss you! That thing you wrote about in my valentines dedication still gets to me every time! I guess I really should give you your dedication by now. ;)

Sometimes I think I don't give Akash enough credit for the kind of person he really is. We are best described as the Perpetually Pissed Pals who love talking everyday! Haha, if that sounds gay, then it probably is! :P I've had all types of conversations with this dude, from the morbidly insane to the clinically depressing! Hey look, I used big words after so long! Yay for me. :D Akash is the nicest person I know, ever so humble, ever so timid and always seems to know what's good for me. Part of the reason why I appreciate talking so openly these days is because of this guy. He is my go to kinda guy whenever I need to talk...and trust me when I tell you, a friend like that is a rarity that you should appreciate. :)

Out of everyone I know, this guy takes the cake in pretty much every memory of a good time I've had in high-school and thereon after. He told me once, that there are some people who walk into your life and at some point, you can't imagine life as it was before, without them, and this is so true! I don't know how I know him, or why, or when, where, which, what?!?!?! o_O Actually I do, but it's like taboo to talk about it or something, haha. I've learned so much from this guy, it's insane! I'll probably never accept that fact when he is around, or if there's a girl around. :p You KNOW you have a best friend when it actually becomes embarrassing to acknowledge that. :p lol Don't deny it! I don't know what I'm thanking you for, but thanks for everything. :) I'm not gonna mention who this person is, because if you've read this far, you'd already know! :P

Things As They Are

Don't feel down or disheartened because you're not on the list, it's just a list after all, you're still in the little blog entry I like to call, a place in my heart, and I'm pretty sure it's working it's way on top! :D Those four above get a mention because I personally feel that they've been the greatest influence to me since Oh-7 and probably in general. Friends are hard to come by, friends with trust and character are even harder, and I have four of them. And it's true isn't it? Who you choose to be around you lets you know who you really are.

Well it's a new year, let's see what this year has to offer...no instead...let me see what I have to offer to it instead. ;) Thanks for taking your time to read this if you haven't pressed the fast forward button already! :P I'm gonna leave you with a little picture I found which I find to be one of the coolest/striking images I've seen in ages. One of the reasons why I've recently been obsessed on going to Antarctica...the most beautiful place on Earth!

Those people on the zodiac are lucky! :(

Call Me Jason Bourne

I finally found a girl I can drool over after ages! MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD! OH-MY-GOD! I saw her in Sky High first and didn't really notice anything, Final Destination 3 really got my attention, and then I saw her in Die Hard 4.0 and my hormones went crazy! And now I've just watched Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof and she was in it, with the cheerleader outfit and all! :o She can act too...well she ain't Meryl Streep, but she can act! ;) Ok I'm gonna try really hard not to think of MARY ELIZABETH WINSTEAD..*passes out*......................................................

Hey! There's this damn baby cockroach that keeps coming out of my sink every goddamn 5 minutes! So I bought all three soundtracks by John Powell from the Bourne Trilogy and let me tell you that it has some of the best compositions ever done for a spy thriller! I can't stop listening to it while eating, studying, sleeping...which is pretty much all I do. Oh yeah and Facebooking. Haha. :p Is it just me or is Jason Bourne the coolest guy name ever? I'm gonna call myself that from now on, and you should too! I don't like my name...I mean come on! Shah?!?! :p Matt Damon was perfect for the Bourne movies...too bad it's over. :(

Yeah! 24 more days to Christmas! WOOT! I still go bonkers over Christmas specials on TV, haha. Damn equator! I wish it would snow in Malaysia at LEAST once! I've never experienced snow..*sniff*. :( I need to leave this country and go exploring! I can't stand being in one place...and I've been at home for 3 months now! GAWD! :o I remember making snowballs by scraping the inside of my freezer for frost...my first snowball when I was seven :)

This is her! Wow! I think I have a serious something for this look. If you have this look...012-2152786 <-- CALL ME! NOW! ;)

Kevin Spacey The K-PAXian

Well, since I mentioned Kevin Spacey in the last post, I think this time I'll dedicate this post to him. And speaking of him, wowzers! It's been awhile now since I've watched American Beauty, The Usual Suspects, K-PAX and The Life Of David Gale and I still can't get over Spacey. There's something about him as a person more than an actor that makes me watch whatever movie he is in. Of all his brilliant roles, the one in K-PAX was the one that got me hooked, and Jeff Bridges as the psychiatrist and an amazing actor helped fuel this. In K-PAX, he is Prot, a guy who arrives on earth through a beam of light and ends up in a mental hospital claiming to be an extraterrestrial visitor from a distant planet in the constellation Lyra. Eventually he becomes the wonderment of psychiatrist Dr. Mark Powell who sets out to cure him but only to become lost in his own questions. From the beginning of the movie to the bittersweet end, all I could do was just think about how wonderful life really is, not because we can understand it, but because we cannot. There's a beautiful message in this movie and its beauty is in effect of the viewers. Watch it and you'll know why this movie means so much and why it left me in smiles and tears.

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have a beam of light to catch"

Interesting Yet Fun Yet Odd Week

Before I say anything, I'd like to give a shout out to Iman since it's her birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY IMAN! Hope you have the most glorious of sweet 17s. Are you legal in UK now? Haha. :p Well this past week has been interesting. I finally found out that if you look out a window long enough, you'll see something interesting. A car stopping in the middle of the road and the driver getting out to look at the sky anyone? :) Oh by the way, keep an eye out for Comet Holmes, which is supposedly the biggest visible thing in the sky for the next two weeks or so. Anyway, I wish I had a cat...no wait...a kitten! Yes I want a kitten! I remember playing with this adorable kitten once when I was in Redang Islands, I think it was the first time I held one. It's weird how the young ones of almost any species in the animal kingdom is considered cute. What is cute anyway? Me? ^_^

The latter part of this week was fun, probably because I was working for someone who needed my expertise in the advertising department or probably because I've reached a point where I can say that I'm "almost" done studying physics! . :) I think I've really outdone myself when it comes to helping. To quote Kevin Spacey from American Beauty, "It's a great thing when you realize you still have the ability to surprise yourself"...yupe yupe yupe! Apparently you should say, "YOU THE MAN" when I'm in Adobe Photoshop. :D

BIRTHDAY GIRL looking extra pretty! ^_^ I love this picture!

Where's My Bridge To Terabithia?

Gosh! Is it me or was something wrong with blogger yesterday? I think it would be great if we could all share our imaginations. Say if I was picturing something and you could see it too, wouldn't that be something? Why do we stop being so creative as we get older? I bet no one reading this blog has never had an imaginary friend. Neither have I, but I want to! That's why kids make better friends sometimes, they don't have filters in their minds that hold back certain ideas or thoughts, they do as they wish and speak as they like. There is also a popular belief that children posses stronger psychic abilities because they're minds are so unjaded and innocent. A kid will never think twice about anything which is why it's so easy to understand them, well at least for me. I think thinking twice is wrong, that's why we never know what people are really like anymore. Sometimes it's ok to be lost in your imaginative world where it's just you and your happiness. Watching Bridge To Terabithia made me realise this. I wish I had a friend like Leslie. Where's my bridge to Terabithia? :(

"Just close your eyes and keep your mind wide open"

Voice Of Education

So I was in Zohaib's blog a while ago and I read what he had to say about the recent happenings in Pakistan. Since he asked for a small favour of expressing the freedom of speech, I think I will. Well, he was right in mentioning how 50% of Pakistan is illiterate, no matter what the might of a nations military, you can't fight ideas with bullets. Education should be a major concern throughout the world. No matter what the minority of people do to express their concern over it, as long as it's a minority, it will never be enough to stir up anything. I think education should be the voice of a revolution, that's how any nation will ever see true change. A few riots and demonstrations will only show that history repeats itself. I hope the people in Pakistan and throughout the world see this.

Guess what? I found this really neat way to mix dancing and exercising together! I call it "dancercising", haha. Well I always tire out so easily with those dumbbells, crunch sit ups, leg scissors and the horribly painful leg raiser! :O So I asked myself, "hmm, how can I make this interesting?", and that's how it began. When you dance, it's pretty much the same as running or jogging, it's all about burning more calories than you consume. Since exercising is boring and dancing alone won't get you toned as much, mixing it should probably have some interesting results. Just don't expect a six pack by doing a worm everyday, haha.

Ok I can't do this.....yet! ;)

I Care, Do You?

Thanks to Elle, a friend of Iman's, I had the opportunity to watch Zeitgeist /ˈtsaɪtˌgaɪst/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[tsahyt-gahyst]. It's a German word defined as "the spirit of the time; general trend of thought or feeling characteristic of a particular period of time". The movie had me thinking as to just how much of an influence religion and the media have over the shaping of our lives. In the 21st century, one has to wonder exactly what an "individual" is. Well yeah, we're all shaped through everything around us, but then again, how many of us are shaped through the knowledge of questioning and reason than through faith in belief. How many of us have experienced through understanding and research than being bought in because it sounds true, which is very true of the media. Most influences happen through the subconscious mind and it feeds its way through your conscious thoughts. Now I'm not saying this movie is without its inaccuracies or propagandistic views, but what research is absolute in its certainty? What opposition fights without an equal opposing view? Watch it to question, not find answers.

After watching that, you might also want to watch A World Without Water, a documentary on how water, one of the most basic needs, is being handled as a commodity by the World Bank through privatization, and its impact on the 3rd world countries that are in water crisis. When the concept of profit is introduced to providing a source of life, then you know something is wrong with this world. It's funny how water is abundant yet scarce at the same time. Most of us have it so easy, by the turning of a faucet, we get to fill our water balloons. Take a minute to realise how lucky you really are. Next time when you're brushing your teeth and you leave the tap open, just remember....somewhere in the world, there's a mother walking a few miles just to fetch water for her child, who will probably die the next week because it was contaminated. Please save water.

Please....

Image © Pierre Holtz | UNICEF

I Need A Hug

Why is that when you see two people hug, somewhere in that subconscious mind of yours, you have this wish to feel what it feels like? Maybe it's the warmth...maybe it's the comfort. Maybe it's just you? I watched The Shawshank Redemption the other day, and right before the credits rolled in, there was this scene where Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins walked towards each other and hugged. I've never seen a hug radiate like that from a movie. You can tell so much about two people from the way they hug each other. No one seems to hug anymore, at least not genuinely. :( Especially guy friends! Most of mine would have no second thoughts about backing up and saying something like, "dude that's gay!". ........I need a hug.

So I was talking to In Jin yesterday and she forgave me for something I said. I said I'll mention something good about her here so I guess I want to. She's one of the only two girlfriends I have that I can talk to about anything without having to worry about whether or not I might have said something uncalled for, like just now when I called her a girlfriend. The other one I haven't found yet. ;) Haha, sorry Iman and Jae Jin, but with you two, I can talk about MOST of everything, which isn't so bad. :p

Found this somewhere, can't remember. Haha, I love this picture! Wish this happens in my wedding. :p