Another Trip To Kinokuniya

Alex .

Shawn .

Jin Yang .

Carmen .

May Qin .

and Wei Mund .

Those are the six friends whom i have decided to go to Kinokuniya with . Or rather , invited to go along with . Frankly speaking , it wasn't just to Kinokuniya . Truth be told , I have no reason whatsoever to be going with then to Kinokuniya . Why then , do i make the journey there with the six of my friends ?

The reason is simple . It would probably be one of the last time that i would be going out with them . That is , i would be caught up with my college stuff and 3 of them are in Taylor's , one in NZ , one in Inti and another is in Sunway with me , only entering the July intake . Naturally , i was using this as an opportunity to be with them to remember them as my friends . I suck in reminiscence so this is probably the best .

We reached Kinokuniya when noon nearly struck . All of us , save Jin Yang and Carmen , rushed to the Japanese anime section to view the latest in anime releases . May Qin bought an artbook again . I merely looked at the books and wandered off somewhere else , without considering the fact to buy anything . I have this thing on buying extra reading material without first finishing the ones i have already obtained . So , naturally , i didn't have a single notion of buying books here .

I wandered around Kinokuniya and finally ended up in the engineering reference section . Looking at the amount of books they have , i selected a Physics AS-Level reference book and immediately got down to business . I read the whole AS syllabus and was surprised that i'm content with what i will be learning in 2010 . Satisfied with each other's findings , we left Kinokuniya to the Galeri Petronas , featuring the handicraft of a renowned craftsman . Wonderful work . Intricate designs . Precise accuracy and art . Bliss .

We took the monorail back to KL Sentral before making our way to Imbi , with the intention of going to LowYat , the haven of cheap original electronic appliances . Alex bought a WD 1.5TB external harddrive for a price cheaper than my 1TB WD external hard drive , Shawn and Wei Mund obtained headphones and earphones , May Qin bought a fan thingy for her sister and i got myself a Micro SD 2GB memory card for my phone . With that purchase , we headed home .

Oh , did i mention we met A.Samad Said along the way . He's a nice guy . Quite unexpected personality for one so famous . In a good sense anyway .

That concludes the experience i had . I bet the other six had more to talk about . My mind was drifting away most of the time , thinking and contemplating the troubling things in my mind . In fact , being tense was a good way to describe my emotions back then .

Still , i had my fun , even if it only lasted that day .

CCW

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler, long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair

And having perhaps the better claim,

Because it was grassy and wanted wear;

Though as for that, the passing there

Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black.

Oh, I kept the first for another day!

Yet knowing how way leads on to way,

I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence:

two roads diverged in a wood, and I --

I took the one less traveled by,

And that has made all the difference.

The diverging paths that separates us from one action to another . The paths that determine the next course of action . For everything that has happened , the paths influence us . We are left to think freely the moves that we make , but when it comes to making a decision , it is down to one move , the solitary judgement , that makes us .... or breaks us .

For me , i regard my daily life in a chess board . Or rather the actions that i take , i take them as piece movements in a chess board . Before making a movement , i contemplate the obvious moves , i perceive the most useful among them , i think of the consequences of executing the move , i anticipate the risk , i calculate the reactions that are bound to occur , i access the situation , i deploy the move . Everything i do , i try my best to think of the best options .

But , of course , life isn't that simple . Mistakes , errors , forced or unforced , both of it are always in our cards , whether we like it or not . We are mere humans , we are created imperfectly . We are prone to mistakes , whether we like it or not . However , as humans , we are special . We know the mistakes we make . And thus , we are able , not to avoid completely , but to minimize the mistakes made . We take it to the bare minimum , making sure it does not disrupt our work . Just as in a chessboard , mistakes are accepted , embraced , but always thought over . When we make an error , we look at it and then think of ways to overcome it . We do not overlook it .

If you are in a situation where you feel like you cannot decide upon your next move , what would you do ? If you can't move forward , what do you do ? What do you think you should do ? And then , what do you do ? Both are different . You can think about going around the obstacle , you can think of ploughing through with all your might and you can think of going back . But , when you eventually make your move , only ONE is used . Which one would it be ? A coward would go back and wait . An extremist will plough through . A thinker would continue thinking . A huge percentage of people would go around the blockage . In the end of it all , what would YOU do ?

These diverging paths become the center of thought of all humans . Do i take the left ? Do i take the right ? Do i go straight ? Which direction ought i take ? Whichever it is , the thought comes first , the actions later . Thats why , " think before you act " is a proverb which i feel as very worthwhile and excellent .

As in a chessboard , you think . You opponents think . You contemplate your move as they anticipate it . You think of the consequences of your move as they in turn think of their consequences of their move . You make your move , winding up your turn , as you pass the thinking cap to your opponent . You rethink it once the game is over , wondering to yourself .

Did i do it right ? Was it the best ?

You did what you thought was right . And yes , you tried your best .

Then again , was it really your best ?

HD

The One Step Forward

He stood silently on the patch of green that was part of his home . Or what was left of his home . The sturdy pillars that once gave strength and stability to his house was now charred and slowly burning away with the licking flames . Still , he stood ever vigilantly , his face holding a grim outlook . The house continued to burn as he stood alone in the darkness that was lighted only by the red embers that were slowly destroying his house .

He lifted his cap and looked at the sky . The unusually black sky was without stars on this very night , as though the sky was reflecting the melancholy that echoed in his heart .
With the fire still going strong , he held up a bag which he had by his side . Without a trace of emotion , he threw it into the flames . The flames dimmed slightly before emerging in an intensity as though it was delighted to have extra supply for it to burn .

His hand rummaged into his pocket and took out a locket . His right hand grasped the locket tightly as the left hand slowly adjusted his cap back into place . The shaking hands were the only outward sign that he was at least human . The locket opened and in it was a picture of a girl . A girl that to him , was beauty itself . A single tear left his eyes as he took the locket and threw it into the flames .

“ I have done what I meant to do , “ he muttered , “ The burning house , the burning of my past , the destruction of all walls that barred me . “ He said it in a monotone , as though stating the obvious . His shaking hands still gave away the fact that he was not as calm as he looked . “ Is it done then ? “ he mused aloud . “ Apparently so , “ a voice said despite nobody else being there , “ Your next path is clear for you . All conditions have been met . It’s time . “ . He nodded slowly and stared at the burning wreckage that was his house .

“ From now on , I am the wandering one . The one who is lost . The one who has to bear the sins that I myself have commited as well as those that I am associated with . No longer will I shy away from the carnage I caused . A new beginning . A new chapter to open . A new story that will be written . The future , the desire of mankind . A new start to a new life . “

“ A wonderful speech at the darkest of times . “ the voice commented dryly . He acknowledged the comment with a wave of his hand . “ The next thing to do is .. “ he said . “ Yes , “ the voice said “ the next step in life . Your move .. What will it be ? “

He stared into the endless night , the thoughts of a new beginning echoed in the depths of his mind . He breathed in the air of the night and finally turned away from the dying flames that have managed to completely destroy the traces of his life .

As he walked away from the wreckage , he thought to himself . This is my step forward , my step forward into a new life , where I start anew , where no one knows who I am , where I’m from and what I am , he thought . I am the new me . I am about to change my life into one of sorrow and melancholy .
This is my step forward . My feet refuse to back down . They won’t because they know no retreat , only to move around . Never falling back from the path , only side-stepping and going to the front . Because that is what I have become . A lost soul .

The Sentinel Of Sorrow

A poem which i wrote as i finished my Chemistry Paper 3 in 25 minutes .. and made a big mistake .. question said problem statement and i answered aim .. haihz ..

Anyway ,

The Sentinel Of Sorrow

Deep in the hallows of the darkest alley ,
Speaks the tale of the sentinel of sorrow ,
Hated by many , as he detest the merry ,
His cold chilly breeze flies through the gallows ,

He spurns tales of death and sorrow alike ,
Living in a bliss behind the cries of all ,
He drifts around seeking the bliss of night ,
When the fear and chill conquers all ,

Yet , he neither kills nor take the lives of men ,
He enjoys the living and cherishes the soul ,
He swims in the cries and fright of men ,
But leaves the pace of life at their control ,

There was never a grin or smile upon his face ,
Gaunt and haunted is the way he looks ,
He knows every scar etched on every face ,
And understands the pain as though it were a book ,

He exists for yesterday , today and tomorrow ,
Emanating chill and whispers in the gallows ,
You can search in all the deepest hallows ,
But seek never the sentinel of sorrow .

Its over .. for the moment ..

SPM has finally ended .. and yet , i'm not as happy as the rest of my other classmates who are currently feeling at the top of the world what with the release from the hellish cages of SPM ..

For me .. i kinda miss the excitement before and during the examinations .. after SPM , of course , i'm happy and relieved but part of me just won't feel that way .. The part of me who's always serious .. the part of me who only wishes to continue working and never stopping ..

Still , it is good news that SPM is over ..

The next step is A-levels in Sunway College . I'm goin for the January intake ( anybody ? ) ..

Overall , i felt that SPM was really something that we anticipate to be a hell of a fight that would leave us in pieces once its over .. here's what i actually think of SPM ..

SPM is like a fuse that can blow at any moment .. your very action and reaction will determine whether the fuse blows or is safely discharged .. But this fuse is special .. The fuse is directly straight-forward with not that many cuts and bends .. It confuses the weak but if you are smart enough , tactful enough , who is to say that you can't discharge the fuse?

SPM 2009 in my very humble opinion , was like a normal fuse ... It doesn't have too many fuses .. but a part of it was so straight-forward , you can stumble along the way .. Even things that are ultimately simple can be your worse enemy .. Kinda like what they use to say " Your biggest barrier is not the twisted winding path , but the straight path with no knowledge about its way ."

I had intended to post reviews of the papers in my blog .. but i felt it better that i do not relive the memories which some intend to bury ..

For future SPM-takers , a word of advice , never ever think that SPM is gonna be excruciatingly hard .. like i mentioned , its straight-forward .. if you know how to look at it .. i do not say this lightly but worrying too much is hazardous and you might just be making more mistakes ..

CCW