最

最长的距离，不是你我之间的距离； 而是你在我心，但不在我身边。

最冤枉的， 不是有女生要我电话； 而是我没有任何理由地喜欢上你。

最痛的感觉，不是你打碎了我的心； 而是我心甘情愿，让它不攻自破。

最惊叹的事，不是我挑女友的条件高又多； 而是喜欢上你后，我把每个条件都给废除了。

最可笑的是，不是我不喜欢一位年纪小过我的女生；而是喜欢上一位年纪比我大几岁的你。

最悲哀的是，不是我不给其他人机会， 而是我还在等待着奇迹的出现。


Scumbug heart... Y U make me like the wrong person again? 

Effort

Since the days where people started working, defined as getting paid by someone who hired you, work output has always been measured by the hours spent on doing it.

You work, you get paid. You work more, you get paid more (in some circumstances). It is nature. It is how things were. And it is also how things are currently.

Then Key Performance Index (KPI) came. It was the start of something new. That work will not only be measured by the hours put in. But also the EFFORT.

At a specific time length given, a KPI can access whether an individual outperforms or under performs based on his or her historical records.

Example, if a carpenter is required to make 10 chairs in 10 hours, but manages to finish all 10 in 7 hours, he has certainly outperforms his KPI. He gets paid for his EFFORT, and not for the sake of working 10 hours.

Hence, these days you have people working flexibly, regardless of the time they must be present at their work station. People get to work from home, more freedom and pleasure I would say.

But still, work is still measured by the time and duration sacrificed these days. In some cases it is still inevitable. I don't blame the system.

I can just hope that one day I can escape such a system. Escape the rat race that I fear I may be running until 60 years old, should I am afraid of taking a leap when the time comes.

I have only one life. A life is a life ONLY when you live it to the fullest. Running a rat race for the rest of my life is not intriguing to me at all. How can a life be a life when you're not gonna spend the most of it doing something you love? 

p.s. Sometimes, when I see people out there, who are different from the rest, not needing to slog for a living, earning money in such a way where they needn't sacrifice a big chunk of their time, the enviousness keeps haunting me. Yes I would love to be rich to a certain extent. Not because I love a lavish life. But more because that I would love to have the time of my life to do what I want.

Because I want to live my life my way :)

Black

Black is the color of my country

A protest against an election deemed not free. 

From Kelana Jaya to Batu Kawan

The battle's on, not an outing for fun.

I am a person of perspectives. It is my strength and also my weakness. A person of perspectives can see from a lot of angles. He or she benefits by not overlooking things that may be blind to those who are too strong with their views.

But he or she may also hesitate and postpone an action that ought to be taken, for taking too much into consideration. Fear for being on the losing end. Fear for making a wrong decision. Always in a dilemma, unsure of taking the right or left road.

It was a protest against dirty elections. It was a unanimous cry against the lies that the people have endured. It was something democracy would have allowed, and not branded as illegal.

I was one of them who gathered at the Kelana Jaya stadium. I was one of them who wore black (black shirt, black shorts, black cap). I had the right to believe what I believe, the belief I believe is shared by almost half the voting nation of Malaysia.

The crowd was unbelievable - the stadium packed to the brim. It was an occasion which outmatched and outstripped every football match that had been held in that very stadium. Rain or wind, deemed legal or not, it did not deter the people from gathering and creating a night to remember.

As soon as the climax was about to end, by who else other than Dato Seri Anwar Ibrahim, me and my relatives knew it was going to be crowded when everyone starts to leave after Anwar's speech. We quickly made our way to the exit, through the wet and muddy field patronized and accommodated by the crowds, slowly, without stepping on them.

Too late.

The field became chaotic. Everyone wanted to leave. Some people are even trying to come down to the field, for their specific reasons. There was a terrible bottleneck, where there was only one available exit and entrance to the field.

I was pushed, shoved, squeezed by the impatient crowd. I was impatient, not at the speed we were going, but at the impatient and terrible crowd activity going around. However, surprisingly, I did not lose my temper. Nor did I ask them to stop pushing. Probably I was too tired. Too longing to go back to my bed.

Then I got lost from my relatives. I could not even control where I was moving. I ended up at LDP, which was the wrong side. My relatives have to walk back to their car, brave through the traffic congestion caused by the crowd to fetch me at the other side from where we originally parked.

There I was, alone, walking down the pavements beside LDP, pondering and thinking about the gathering. That was when my perspective intuition kicked in.

Is it right to hold such an occasion?

Prior to attending, I would have gave a firm yes. Up till this very movement, I would still say yes, but I have seen the ugly or unwanted side of an event this magnitude.

An occasion like this was to let our voices be heard. That we aren't happy with the current situation. That we have the rights to express them in an outspoken but not crossing a boundary which may disrupt peace.

Let's admit. The din and chaotic aftermath was a disturbance to the night. An occasion of voicing out our discontent against unfair election is not recognized by the current ruling party. For them, they view it as an excuse for not accepting defeat, or in other words, going against the current government, posing a high threat against the peace and stability of the country. They are correct, and I agree to a certain extent.

It was supposed to be an event, led by Ambiga herself, and not Anwar Ibrahim. To some extent, it was an event fueled by an opposition movement.

This is what I have realized. The current opposition movement is campaigning against dirty politics. But by doing so, the effective way they seem to be using is by fanning hatred to the current ruling government, which I considered somewhat unhealthy.

Then again, this is the only way Pakatan Rakyat can fight this war. It is not the right way to win the people's heart, but then again, it is the only solution.

I support what Pakatan are trying to do. But that doesn't mean I am all in for their methods. How they plan to counter this issue in the coming 21 days is an issue. Even if a miracle happens, they face a huge task ahead too - winning back my vote after 5 years, and not expecting me to go till the end with them.

Rise

Time to rise from the ashes. Time to lead a life that is beneficial not only to me, but also to others. Time to use time to learn, rather than to relax.

Since my 2 best pals are already on the road towards a fruitful 2013, setting schedules and goals for themselves, here I am posting mine.

1. Picking back my Korean (self learning at the moment)
2. Continue practicing my piano.
3. Learn guitar.
4. Run daily, increasing my running distance time to time.
5. Finish a full marathon on time.
6. Listen to more variety of songs, regardless of the language.
7. Read up on investing
8. Read 60 books by the end of the year (just finished 11 at the moment)
9. Achieve a body weight less than 75kg (ultimate would be 72kg)
10. Build up abs and packs. Hopefully when I get my full marathon's medal, I will bare my top and take a picture! HAHAHA

CHALLENGE ACCEPTED!

Heartbroken

Yes. My current job can be demanding. It requires me to travel up and down the PLUS highway. I put in high amount of time (and vigilance) when I'm on the road. My job requires me to go after outstanding invoices, pending goods return notes, all at my manager's order.

Yes. I admit. Life after work is tiring. Some times I just want to do nothing! Just lie down and sleep and recharge. But I still  need to update my manager on what my daily activities, which includes not only my jobs and responsibilities but also my subordinates.

I am a very demanding person in some ways. I always demand myself to be better, no matter what the circumstances are. I'm not that demanding when it comes to other people. I am easy to accept others fault. But not my own. Just like Jose Mourinho. If Real Madrid wins, it's the team that gets the plaudits. If Madrid loses, he blames himself. Salute that guy.

Sometimes I do complain about my work. But that's just it. Complaining for the sake of it. Complain to somehow take off a few notch of the pressure. Voicing out displeasure among colleagues is one of my ways to keep calm and work on.

I live by my motto. 永不言败。Never say die.

Yes my job can be demanding. Yes it saps energy out of me.

But that doesn't mean I am applying non pay leave in conjunction of CNY to ESCAPE from my work!!!

This accusation really does break my heart into two.

And when this accusation comes from your own parents, your heart just breaks into another million pieces.

Fine then. I'll cancel my leave to please them!

But, will they ever know what I like to do in my future? What are my passion? Chances are, they expect me to live a rat race's life, just like them, until I retire...

Take leave pun kena criticize by own parents... I'm a failure...

My "Working" Philosophy

I daresay that if it isn't for money and surviving, most people wouldn't be working.

Being "forced" to work to earn money for survival makes us unhappy. There is proof! With only 19% of employees happy or satisfied with their job routine, most of the people we see out there are mostly just the same as us.

However though, that doesn't mean I am here to to encourage you guys to just lay back and hope for food to drop from the sky. Work for me is a terrible and horrible work. I define the world "work" as: "giving you a job title (for example Doctor, Engineer, Teacher) and running your designated responsibilities over and over again for the sake of earning enough money to feed you and your family."

I prefer using the word learning. Hence I am happy to admit that studying as a student was the best job I had ever got in my life.

 Being happy at work is the most important aspect. I used to be confused about the term "Love what you do" and "Do what you love". Of the two quotes, I see the former one more often, which I firmly disagree. Love is not something you can just wake up and find it there. It needs to be nurtured. Some jobs won't be able to be loved even if an employee spends the rest of their lives with it. "Love what you do" is a misnomer, which I think is poisoned into an employee's mind by the employer.

Doing what you love is a whole lot different! If you love music, then embark on a career that has to do with music! If you like cooking, then be a chef or a pâtisserie . In that case, working's main reason would not be for the money, but the passion and energy you are willing to give in and sacrifice for the love of it.

There are many kinds of work in this world. Most of them requires us to put in physical energy to get a paycheck. A better one would be requiring your intellectual capacity to help solving your employer's problems. The last one, which I think is the most rewarding one, is just supplying resources (for example money) for future dividends or rewards, in other words INVESTING.

Choosing a job where you are passionate about ain't easy. Because it may be "un-main stream". It may not be glamorous. But at the end of the day, it is about doing what you love, get paid for it, and be happy with that stretch of life where you are going to spend 40 years of it of your entire life.

Here are a few jobs which I am definitely passionate about, and won't even have second thoughts should the chance arises:

1. Singer
2. Member of a musical band
3. Tour guide
4. Musical instrument tuner (piano tuner for example)
5. Writer (just mainly a blogger)
6. Publisher
7. Problem solving team
8. Teacher (English or Music)
9. Filming industry (still not well verse and decided on this. But sounds exciting to me)
10. Book/movie critic
11. Food critic
12. Author (book form)

Although I do have plans to be rich one day in the future, but by the age of 30 I sure wish I can finally say that I am in a job where I am not slogging to earn money, but I am doing it for the love I am willing to give.

ZAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPPPPPPPPPPP!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Back To The Reality...

Of Perfect Pitch (and some basic music theory)

Hear something once. Play or sing it naturally, key by key, note by note, perfectly.

That would be the layman term for perfect pitch. How to know someone has it? Well with Internet now available almost everywhere in the world, it's easy to find an example of perfect pitch. Let's say a song just got released on Youtube. And then miraculously, you see a cover of the song by someone (a cover I mean dang a good, awesome, epic cover) just barely one or two days after the song has been released. That is perfect pitch.

They need no practicing. Their first try is good enough than you practicing something for weeks. Practice makes perfect just does not apply here. These people do not need music scores to play a song. They replicate the original score without having to copy from the original score.

Singing with perfect pitch is easier. The hardest part is finding the chords of the song. See a song is always made up by 2 elements. The melody and the chords. Singing is just purely melody. When a person sings with the aid of a musical instrument, he or she plays the chords of the song, while letting her voice do the melody part.

For those who don't understand a thing about music, I'll use Twinkle Twinkle little star as an example. The melody for this song - Twinkle twinkle little star, bla bla bla bla bla bla bla... THAT, is the MELODY. The chords, depends on the key you're singing in. Cmajor? Dmajor?

IF you're singing this song in C major, the chords will ROUGHLY be...

Twinkle twinkle little star, how I wonder what you are
          (C)          (F)  (C)     (G)     (F)         (G)    (C)  <- (I'm doing this roughly, without a piano XD)

If you don't have any music background, this guy will not sound like he's playing twinkle twinkle little star. But if you start singing when he starts playing, you'll notice he's actually playing something that makes a good partner with your singing! WHAT HE'S PLAYING ARE THE CHORDS!

It's not easy to catch the chords from a song. Chords are the most important part of a song. They determine the tempo, the beat, the style of the music. 

Classical version by Mozart himself. This is THE ORIGINAL Twinkle Twinkle Star.

Lullaby version by ThePianoGuys.

You can have Bossa Nova version, Rock and Roll version, so on and so forth. It's not the type of musical instruments that give you the beat and feel. It is how a song is arranged into, which is determined by how the chords are played. If you play your chords fast, your song becomes a fast song. If you play your song soft, it becomes a lullaby. 

So, to be able to capture a song, in it's original chords and beat, is a gift that every musician yearns to have. Arranging songs will become easier, since you can visualize your songs in different genre, then choose the one that gives off the best feel. That, is what perfect pitch is about when it comes to making music.

For amateurs, like most of us, who don't really have much chance or talent when it comes to making new music, perfect pitch allows us to capture the whole song as it is- playing a lullaby song on piano with a lullaby feel, and not a classical feel, is what perfect pitch can give. 

To determine the chords of the song is difficult enough for me. For a self taught pianist, with no theory qualification, my dad says I'm good enough. But to determine the feeling of a song, is something I have yet to master. And with time running out, I know I won't have much time to spend my idle days playing the piano, seeking for ultimate self eargasm, when my working days come.

God. Please grant me perfect pitch. I don't need a girl to live together with me for the rest of my life. Just let me play and sing. Let music satire my hunger, and accompany me till the end of my days, even though I'll never have the chance to shine on stages and be etched into musical hall of fame.