Salvaged from the rubble

I tell my kids if you start off looking for good, insyallah you'll find it even in a pile of dung.... i mean it is after all a good choice of baja kan heheh!!!

So whatever had happened to me in the past, i have most certainly been blessed. if nothing else, i have become more open-minded & less judgemental of fellow humans. i find myself accepting people as they are because we are all in our own ways trying our best to manage... and we are all in our own ways trying to make sense of it all. masing2 dengan cara masing2. i try my best not to lose sight of the 'big picture' and i try my best to avoid nit-picking... tak kemane jadi nye nanti bcoz after all, apart from the Creator, nothing is perfect. buat yang terbaik and let go... tawakal. jangan la nak jadi control freak because after all banyak mana sangat la things in life that is actually within our control pun kan?!!

And here's a couple of things that i find myself reminding the kids often:

1. Kalau tak makan cili jgn gatal2 nak rasa pedas.
Carrying guilt around is a heavy burden especially when its unnecessary. i know coz i've been doing it for so many years and being constantly defensive is no fun either. so i tell my kids... jangan nak ngada2 merajuk la, defensive la kalau theres no cause for it. for example, when a parent has more than 1 kid, or when a teacher addresses a whole classroom full of students... dia akan marah2 and tegur secara pukal whatever wrongdoings or misdeeds yg dah berlaku. sooo memang la kita kena ambik berat segala teguran & nasihat tapi jangan la terasa pulak kalau bukan kita yang buat.... nak react buat apa kan after all we didnt do nothin' so biar yang bersalah tu jer la berperasaan. kita tak payah susah2 nak feeling tak menentu, buang masa jer and all that negative vibes akan makan dalam if you let it. again, kalau tak buat jangan nak terasa, just ambik perhatian jer.

2. Dont go out there expecting dogs to meow and cats to bark.
Of course dogs will bark and cats will meow... to expect otherwise would be setting yourself up for disappointment. unless god decides to grant you a miracle or... anjing tu gi sekolah meow pulakz heheh. and if such a thing were to happen then consider it a bonus. otherwise, jangan expect unrealistic things from people. say, kalau baru main2 cinta kat sekolah and the guy acts like a bozo jgn la pulak act surprise, were you really expecting commitment & maturity from a guy that age (sheesh)?!? or if you're dealing with your MIL and you kutuk2 her son takde kesian punye, you think she's going to take that lying down?! puhleeze la... have some basic sense of what/who we're dealing with.

3. You've really gotta make your own sunshine.
Life will dish out all sorts of things good & bad but its not about what happens to you, but how you react to it. For that, one has to be strong and to be strong one has to know oneself. in this teeming mass of humanity, its so easy to lose our sense of self... who we are and what we are. so like our beloved prophet recommends, constantly muhasabah diri, that way we are always in touch with ourselves. we'll come to realise our own strengths and weaknesses, be able to work our way around it and eventually capitalise on whats best. that way no matter what happens, we'll find the strength to carry on. and dont go blaming others if we're not happy, that decision is ours to make. kalau GF moody jangan la pulak kita yang lelebih lol.... get a grip ;)

4. Stand firm but hiasi diri dengan ehsan.
Whether we like it or not, we do live a life of interdependence. the decisions we make, the actions we take somehow affect others be it in small ways or big. so nak tak nak we're part of a big whole and we have to respect that. so berhati2 melalui liku2 kehidupan. jangan terlalu keras sampai menganiaya org lain tapi jgn pulak terlalu lembek sampai di pijak2. its best to remain firm in your convictions but always do it with ehsan. theres so many ways to deal with a situation. for example, if someone's done something wrong and needs reprimanding, just say what you have to and leave it at that... no need la to dredge up the poor guys dirty linen and air it in public. or when you're rejecting somebody, you can say no and be a bitch or you can say no and still let the guy down with pride intact. dont go around dropping people's water face maaaaa..... coz what goes round does come around. ehsan - there can never be enough of it.

5. Have faith, always sangka baik and jangan mudah prasangka.
Believe in a merciful and benevolent god, set your default at seeing the good in things and dont harbour a suspicious nature. it'll be easier on you in the long run. i'm not saying be a push-over, weh berwaspada tetap berwaspada tapi apa salahnye bersangka baik. but its so easy to mistake malu for sombong, selamba for uncaring etc etc. give people the benefit of doubt and while you're at it, cut some slack will ya... leave some room for mistakes, especially by loved ones because it is after all an integral part of learning. osso, berprasangka ni tak ada faedah nyer. suspicious people are never at peace and more often than not, become either a ketankerous sourpuss that everybody avoids or a pathetic neurotic who's fearful of his own shadow. insyallah, if its goodness that you seek its goodness that you'll find.

Yup kiddos, its the same old same old.... but you'll be mighty surprised to find that it's gonna stay relevant for quite awhile lol!!!


** Updated Log**

Thurs 09/02/06 - 3 mini laps= 3 km= 18 mins

Sat 11/02/06 - 1 complete lap= 3.8 km= 30 mins

Sun 12/02/06 - 4 mini laps= 4 km= 30 mins

Weekly tally= 16.8 km