ADVERT HAZARDS

by Jenifer

9/5/13

      Ping! A bell chimed in my head. I read the banner hung vertically on the lamp post planted on the grassy plot of the road divider. It said in Bahasa Malaysia, “Taksiran Tahunan & Cukai Pintu Boleh dibayar di kaunter H&L sekarang”. There were other details apart from the fact that the banner was sponsored by the H&L supermarket. There were probably about thirty to forty such banners hung along the two mile stretch of Penrissen Road. Like all motorists, I also glanced across the banners and read the words as fast as I could. At times, my eyes were not focused to the front. Every seasoned driver boasts that they are capable of maneuvering their car off focus between three to five seconds. However, mishap does not discriminate seasoned or juvenile drivers. I almost forgot to brake when the car in front stopped suddenly. Screech! I slammed on emergency brakes.

      The ideology of capitalism has certainly grabbed our society at the expense of road safety. Gone were the days when advertisements were collages in newspapers or simple flyers and brochures. Banners were normally hung in front of shops or community halls. These days, advertisements attract attention louder than the booming thunder, and brighter than flowers on a summer’s day.

    When I was younger, I loved cycling to school, feasting my eyes on the beautiful serene surrounding. Though it was just simple scenery, the image is still vivid in my mind. The big white-washed government quarters and barracks were lining the small road intermittently. There were many big fruit trees and flowering shrubs in their gardens. In the 70s, the popular trees were the red seed saga and casuarinas, whilst the bougainvilleas, alamandas and jasmine were favourite flowering plants. Now, I travel to school in my own car and it takes me ten minutes, as I zoomed without taking note of the trees or the colours of the terrace houses along my route. There are no more rustic landscape worth feasting my eyes opon. Probably, the outstanding landmarks are the huge stretch of Chinese and Christian graveyards on both sides of the road some two kilometres from the school gate. You can imagine what sights and congestions I encounter in the months of March, August and October ( Ching Ming and All Souls’ Day).

       Advertisement is useful for business and merchants. Whilst billboards and banners are colourful and creative, they add rubbish to the environment and clutter our space. To a certain extent, they congest our scope of vision.

        For example, the billboard advertisement with a beautiful woman or the latest MPV model, distract motorists at the traffic lights intersection! Hence, advertisements, banners and billboards placed near road sides and highways are road hazards. Our roads and highways should be decorated with plants and flowers to revive a natural balance in the Earth’s landscape.

"O MUSE, MUSE!

WHERE ART THOU, MUSE?"

by Rebecca

Pictures by Dunstan

   There are times when aspiring writers like us meet a dead end. The ideas don't come, the words don't flow and everything that is typed out reads utter rubbish. It is a bane, an affliction which we hope desperately to avoid. We try all ways and means to retrieve our inspiration. Some kick in, some don't.
   So, until the muse comes upon us again, there is one among us who decided that facial contortions might be a helpful remedy. 

     I don't know about you, but watching him just doesn't do it for me.

     In fact, I think my muse is now comatose.
     
     Perhaps, a cold shower instead? 

ATTITUDE AND ALTITUDE

by Dunstan Chan

9/5/13

   There is a saying, “Your attitude determines the altitude of your life.”

   That is why motivational gurus of all shades always urge us to develop a positive attitude, to focus on the positive aspects of any situation. The converse is to dwell on the negative side of things, which has the effect of pulling us down the slippery slope of self-pity and ultimately, failure. Every so often life throws ‘a curve ball” and puts us in a tricky position. Our attitude determines how we handle the situation and the impact of such challenges on our lives.

   Many people are under the illusion that our attitude is a habit, which predisposes us to behave in a particular way. But really it is a choice rather than a habit. We can choose to take a negative or positive outlook; we can choose to dwell on the dark cloud or on the silver lining.

   To have a positive attitude is not putting one’s head in the sand, nor is it being unrealistic. It is about acknowledging the negative aspects of a situation, but choosing instead to focus on the hope and opportunity available within every situation.

   Sometime ago I read of this story that I think illustrates the point. On the edge of a town lived an old man. His house was right at the entrance to the town, so everyone who came into the town would encounter him first. One day a stranger came to town and spied upon the old man and so he asked:      “Tell me, sir, what kind of people live in this town?”

   And the old man retorted, “What kind of people live in your own town?”

   “Well, they are a nasty lot, uncaring and selfish.”

   “Then that is the kind of people you will find in this town.”

   Sometime later another visitor came by and asked the same question. “What kind of people lives in the town?”

   Again the old man replied, “What kind of people live in your own town?” 

   “Oh, they are very good people, always ever willing to help each other.”

   “It is the same with this town,” said the old man, “they are all very nice.”

   Meanwhile, a little boy who was sitting nearby overheard everything and he said to the old man, “Sir, you are being very untruthful. To the first stranger you said the people in this town are nasty, now you are saying they are all very nice.”

   “Well, my boy, the world is like a mirror. What image you give it, the same image will be given back to you.”

   Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931), the inspirational Lebanese poet and artist said, “Your living is determined not so much by what life brings to you as by the attitude you bring to life; not so much by what happens to you as by the way your mind looks at what happens.”

   A positive attitude helps us to cope more easily (and successfully) with life’s challenges. It brings optimism, hope and brightness into our world. It is certainly a state of mind that we must develop and strengthen. As the saying goes, “It is your attitude that determines the altitude of your life”.

APOLITICAL BEING?

by Zabariah

9/5/13

   Winston Churchill defined a good politician as having the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen…

   You would think that I am going off tangent writing on something that is leaning towards “politics” when everyone is busy trying to hone their personal and professional resolutions for 2011, preparing some grand strategic scheme for the year and yes for those with children, getting their little ones ready for school? I beg to differ, of course.

   Sustainability, by virtue of its documented meaning stressed the importance of protecting and conserving Mother Earth for the next generation, and many generations to come, from all aspects – economics, socio-cultural and environmental. What was not explicitly spelt out was the fact that this principle could only be translated into actions if there is a keen political willingness of not only an individual (meaning you and me), the society and the country to subsume his or her own needs and aspirations to the bigger and more noble cause of advancing humanity and human dignity. So what better way to fire up 2011 then to prompt our memory (and yes, we humans are real forgetful mortals) to the true meaning of being responsible and contributing citizens of this country, and of the world for that matter?

   Of course if we consider politics (or rather political ideologies) as the domain of politicians and political parties, then 2010 was not without its share of political moments. Big time, in fact. The Gulf of Mexico oil spill, the Haiti earthquake, the planned withdrawal of US forces from Iraq, and to top it all, the diplomatic embarrassment and uncomfortable dealings between nations, thanks to WikiLeaks. And closer to home, Malaysian political landscapes were rife with colours and memorable antics.

   Now my first New Year question to all of us - Have we become so apolitical that we relegated and pigeonholed the real issue here – that politics and political parties are solely the sphere of politicians, and an ordinary citizen like you and me has no say or could possibly play any part, whatsoever in politics?

   In his book Politics, the Greek philosopher Aristotle asserted that a man is by nature, a political being. He argued that ethics and politics are closely related and that a truly ethical life can only be lived by someone who participates in politics. I am not really sure of this ideal as put forth by Aristotle after a lot of incidences as reported in the mass media of unsavoury behavior of some politicians, but one thing I can agree is that ethics should be the topmost priority in politics – political parties and aspiring politicians included.

   Ibn Khaldun, the most important figure in the field of History and Sociology in Muslim history, affirmed the importance of ethics and wisdoms in politics:

“Politics is the ordering of the household or the city as they ought to be according to the requirements of ethics and wisdom so that the multitude could be made to follow a path leading to the protection and preservation of the species.”

   Ibn Khaldun also emphasised the imperative of “a sense of solidarity” for any social or political development to thrive. Without a willingness to subordinate the self to the group, peace and social development are not possible.

   If ethics and wisdom are the tenets of politics, then we the ordinary citizens, especially our young people should place high regard on politics and the political process. One of the most important tools a citizen must have to participate effectively in the political process as part of his or her contribution towards a sustainable future is accurate and timely information. Acquiring such information is so much easier today than it has ever been before. Even without ever leaving our homes, we could communicate with a wider audience, something we have never dreamt possible just a few years ago.

   I believe that to contribute effectively to this beautiful country, my right to vote and to have a say in the political realm is something I would not want to be compromised and especially at the start of a New Year, I want my voice to be heard, however minute it could be. I want to proudly say that I am responsible for the growth and development of this country by exercising my rights as a conscientious citizen and that I have a choice to make extraordinary things happen and being apolitical is definitely not an option.   

IN THE FOREST II

by Rebecca

9/5/13

(Continued from 18/4/13)

     The stranger merely shook his head then waved them aside nonchalantly.

    “What the – ! Do you think we're joking?! Hand over your things now!!” Heng spat, he puffed his chest and pulled the bowstring even tauter.

    “Maybe you do think we're joking, eh!?” Bo ran his tongue along the side of the dagger. Without warning, he tossed his dagger at the stranger's chest.

    The stranger swung around and flinched before collapsing onto the ground, motionless.

    “Ha! That's almost unfair!” Heng lowered his bow and jogged towards the body, Bo close behind.          He bent down and seized the shoulder, turning the body over to inspect his goods.

   “It is, isn't it?” a breathy, female voice whispered before Heng felt a searing pain in his left, inner thigh. He screamed and looked down to see Bo's dagger protruding out of his wound. The female stranger rose up with one knee on the ground. In one swift motion, she grabbed his left calf and drove the dagger deeper into his flesh with her other elbow. With another tug on his calf, Heng crashed backwards.

    Bo roared and launched himself forward. His sternum met with a hard back kick. Suddenly, he found himself with his back against a tree. A boot to his throat. A blade shot out from the tip of the boot, slicing his skin. He froze.

   “That's right, move and I'll displace your head. Try me?” Bo's eyes darted to his victim turned assailant. In spite of his situation, he was pleasantly surprised.

    The hood had fallen off. He was looking at a young woman. Dark, raven hair pulled back bared her heart-shaped, porcelain face. The lips from which she uttered her deadly threat were a sweet, lush pink. A scar on the left side of her forehead flawed her perfection. She returned his gaze with steely eyes.

    “Where is the shortest route to His Highness, Emperor Welu?” she asked. The tip of her boot pressed a little further into his throat. Bo gulped.

    “Nobody goes looking for the ..” he sputtered.

   “THAT was not my question!” More pressure applied to his throat, blood began dribbling down to his chest.

    “Look for old man, Jiang, blind man... Ask him... Kang Xi village.. 3 days north then 4 miles west..” he choked.

    “A blind man?”

   “Jiang knows everyone..” Behind the female stranger, Bo could see Heng had dragged himself to a sitting position. He retrieved his bow painfully, hatred pouring from his eyes. Arrow in position, he drew and aimed.

    “Jiang can tell you where to find him..” the corner of Bo's mouth curled ever so slightly.

   The female stranger raised a brow. She instantly flipped backward just as Heng's arrow whizzed above her head, narrowly missing the tip of her nose. She landed on her feet only to find Bo impaled to the tree.

    Heng knew his fatal mistake. The female stranger was upon him in a flash. She twisted the dagger in his thigh. The other hand squeezed his throat. Heng screamed and screamed. Like an animal trapped in a snare.

    “Remember this, you good for nothing, if we ever cross paths, I'll make sure you never walk again..” His leg was already throbbing with excruciating pain when she suddenly stopped and turned to walk away from him. He was like a scraggly mongrel with its tail between its legs after a beating from its master.

    “S-s-s-stop !Who – who – are you?” Heng whimpered. His left leg was covered in flowing crimson.

She stopped. Without facing him, she whispered softly:

    “I am ------- the Swordsmith's Daughter....” she continued on as the mist unfolded to receive her before concealing again all evidence of her presence.

    Heng groaned as he gripped his leg.

    “Which swordsmith? Hello?!”

FINDING SOLACE IN SOLITUDE

by Zabariah

18/4/13

   One of the many books I love reading, again and again, is Sophie’s World, a novel written by a Norwegian writer Jostein Gaarder. The story focuses on a young girl by the name of Sophie Amundsen who was introduced to the world of philosophy and philosophical thinking by a character called Alberto Knox. It was fascinating reading about Sophie’s adventure and the numerous philosophical messages she received. It started with the message “Who are you?” and then later developed into longer philosophical correspondence between the two characters.

   Philosophy and philosophical thinking became motivating. I wanted to learn more, like Sophie. More importantly one conspicuous element from this book attracted me. Solace, or some called it consolation. And that one indeed could find solace from the “noise”, the hustle and bustle in our daily lives by being in our own world, in one’s own imaginations and thoughts. That one indeed could enjoy one’s own company. I always thought that one could go berserk without human contact or human interaction. But I was wrong, and I am glad.

   I could be alone with my thoughts and still be happy and comfortable with it. I could find happiness within myself and with my own company.

I could indeed find solace in solitude.