Random thoughts

Random thought #1: Civil competition

Went to buy the newspaper today, but the newspaper I was looking for was not there. The owner of the shop then asked me to check the store next door. How nice it is to see such a gesture though the two shops may be competitors.

My thoughts: Who says Malaysians can't be civilised?

Random thought #2: CD peddlers

Somewhat got a surprise and shock last Friday as I was going to the mosque for the Friday prayers. Two youths in a car parked at the corner in front of the mosque were whispering and calling passers-by to buy their CDs (pirated no less). It's no surprise to see people selling stuffs like food, clothings, traditional medicine and jewellery outside mosques on Friday, but selling pirated CDs? Buying pirated CDs is akin to stealing. And then you go to the mosque for prayers.

My thoughts: Talk about paradox - steal then kneel before God.

Random thought #3: Saying farewell

One of the people closest to me when I was studying in Glasgow is now in Switzerland for his new posting with his company. Congratulations, Azhan... you certainly deserve this opportunity. I was a bit disappointed for not being able to say good-bye to him personally. We planned to meet up before he departed for Switzerland, but unfortunately, both our schedules were at odds with one another. I could only speak to him over the phone. In any case, all the best, Azhan.

My thoughts: Thank goodness for ICT. At least, we can still communicate in spite of our locations and time difference.

Random thought #4: Time, energy and rest

These are the three things in my life that I find lacking. I know everyone has 24 hours and it all depends on how you manage your time. I also know that one has to lead a healthy life so that one will have enough energy to do the things that need to be done. I am also fully aware that rest is something that cannot be taken for granted. Alas, I know but yet I do not practice. I'm cramming a lot of things into my life, and it feels like I don't have enough time, which leads to me feeling exhausted. Because of the many things that need to be taken care of, more often than not, I neglect my rest.

My thoughts: I know what the problem is, but I don't seem to try hard enough to solve it. Sigh.

Random thought #5: Instead of...

This was asked of me by the novelist, Izza Aripin. What Malay word can be used to translate "instead of" without changing the sentence structure when translating? For example, try translating "Instead of going to work, I went to see Superman Returns." [Of course, this didn't happen]. You cannot translate it into "Saya tidak pergi ke kerja, sebaliknya saya pergi menonton Lelaki Perkasa Kembali." Hehehe... kidding on the "Lelaki Perkasa" bit. But seriously, try translating the sentence by having the translation for "instead of" at the beginning and not in the middle.

My thoughts: Dumbfounded.