Leaders!

Last month, on my birthday, I had the chance to have lunch with the Minister of Youth and Sports, Dato' Shabery Cheek (he even served some of my foods, how cool is that?). Next week, the Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhiyideen will be coming, and I will have the chance to meet him. I look forward to it. I like meeting our country's leaders. The first time I saw Tun Mahathir in person was when I was 9 years old, at a Disney On Ice Malaysian Premiere. He was still the Prime Minister at that time. Then, just a few years ago I saw him again at Isetan KLCC. He was shopping alone with one of his bodyguard, smiling at me and every other people who caught the sight of him. Very humbling, if you ask me. Then there's Pak Lah, which I met when I was in Standard 3. He came for Friday prayers at a mosque near my house. He was just a minister at the time, with no one having the slightest idea he'd be the Prime Minister one day. I rushed to him straight after he left the mosque and went 'Pak Cik, nak tanda tangan boleh?'. He smiled, and signed an autograph on my mathematics exercise book. I swear I called him Pak Cik because one of my seniors was there too and called me an idiot afterwards for calling a minister Pak Cik. But well, what do kids know about titles and reputations? For them, as long as u look old, we'll call you Pak Cik. If you look terribly old, then we'll call you Atok. Simple as that. Then when I was 15, I met our current Prime Minister Dato' Seri Najib Tun Razak after tarawikh prayers in Masjid Wilayah. He was a minister at the time. My dad happens to treat his ear problem once, and so after the prayers my dad met him to ask how's his ear now. They talked for awhile and I did had the chance to shake his hands. I also had met the former Minister of Youth and Sports, Dato' Seri Azalina Othman Said at my uncle's wedding. That's because her father, Dato' Othman Said himself, is my dearest grandfather a.k.a Tok Ayah. Now I heard he's a great leader in the past, but I don't really know much about his career. All I know is that today he's a loving grandfather who helped me much throughout my life (like helping me with the financial crisis I had on the road to Harvard & United Nations). We share the same passion in technological gadgets, and the only way I can repay him back is through helping him with the gadgets. Anyway, back to the topic of country's leaders, I respect the people who lead our nation. As long as they work for a better future for our country, I don't care what's their party, their ideology, or their type of leadership is. Someone entrusted to be a the leader of the country must have fought a long battle to gain the support of the Malaysian citizens. I may not be a politician or a minister one day, but I do hope I'd be a doctor who treats the most important leaders in our country. Now, now, I guess I left someone here. There's a leader that I respected the most in my life. Even the Kings and Prime Ministers are low key in comparison towards my respect of him. The first time I met him was 22 years ago. Yup, on the day I was born. A leader of the house, the family, the hospital, the university, the medical faculty: Dato' Dr. Lokman Saim... my dear dad. Once he told me to be a better person than him when I grow up. At that time, I thougt that was the craziest idea, I thought I'll never be as good as him. But I hold on to his words until today, and I'm still working on that idea. As your one and only son, I hope I'll never disappoint you, ayah.

The Leafy Sea Dragon

The Leafy Sea Dragon

It's holiday, and I'm broke, so I'm not coming back to Malaysia, or going to Bali or anywhere people usually go for holiday. Instead, I go to a place people would run away from on holidays: The bustling city of Jakarta. Yep, can you believe it? But the transport's real cheap, so...Jakarta it is. Anyway, we went to Ancol, one of the funnest place to be in Jakarta. There, we went to Seaworld, where there were a lot of fishes, and saw real sea creatures which I wouldn't know existed if not because of Spongebob Squarepants. (Spongebob himself is actually a sponge and I see it quite often in the kitchen).

Anyway, I'd like to tell you how fascinated I was towards this sea creature called 'The Leafy Sea Dragon'. They are relatives to sea horses, but believe me, these creatures are a lot more cool looking! They look a lot more like a sea plant than an animal at first glance, with the exoskeleton of a white seahorse, sprouting green fins which looked exactly like leaves. I thought only insects looked like plants (I saw a praying mentis which looked exactly like an orchid flower once, and was fascinated as much). I was so mesmerized by this creature that other things I saw in Seaworld like the Piranha eating their prey in just one minute, or the Sharks swimming around in circles are low key in comparison. I think in Pokémon, Horsea should evolve into a Seadra, then into a Kingdra, and ultimately, into a LEAFY SEA DRAGON!

My point is, how mystical the Almighty's creatures are. I think Darwinian evolutionists are stupid enough to think that an animal could evole into something that looked like a plant by mere chance. There must be a Creator, the Great Designer of all things, the Designer of Life. So we, as the so called 'greatest of His creations' should take responsibility in protecting other living creatures. Like seahorses and sea dragons!...okay, sharks and dugongs too. So...I think I'm gonna save the environment! Like the late MJ used to sing: 'Heal the world, make it a better place, for you and for me, and the entire human races...if you care enough for the living, let's make a better place for you and for me'

Happy moments in Jakarta

The Age of Discovery

I woke up today with a smile on my face, knowing everything is okay now. Most of weight on my shoulders were lifted. The big event has ended, the big exam has ended. I'm free as a...a...a neon gas? Anyway, today is the last day for me as a 21 year-old. Sitting, thinking, I remembered how miraculous my year has been. If each of my age has a title, the age of 21 would be: 'The age of discovery'. So many great things happened this year, represented my University to Harvard & United Nations, went to Hong Kong, Macau, learnt to play the guitar, experienced earthquakes, elected as Chairman for the Malaysian Student Organization, etc. In short, my year was helluva adventure! Hectic at times, but all in all, I LOVED it.

Sometimes, when I look back, I couldn't believe I did all that. Going to training every single week for the Harvard conference, staying up late night for exams, going to meetings and conferences, and organizing events at the same time. Honestly it wasn't easy. Nope, not at all. Somewhere along the road I thought of just giving up. Obstacles sometimes let me down. Like getting not enough sponsorship to realize my events, last minute faculty schedule changes, missing my first connecting flight to US because of some (stupid) documents & regulations, losing some money at (another stupid) ATM machine in Boston, almost getting arrested by the police for trespassing (can you believe it? All I wanted was to take a shortcut!)...and much more. But, no matter how much hard times I went to, nothing beats the sweet taste of success in the end. Plus, I'm surrounded by people who are always there to help: My family, my friends, my colleagues. Without them, I get nowhere. But most of all, I'm grateful to God. If u have faith in the Almighty, there is no problem that can't be solved.

The Harvard moment

If I can do my year all over again, I won't change a thing. Because it made me who I am today. So, tomorrow I'm turning 22. I don't know what 22 brings...I know there will be hard times, but I do hope that it the end, it will be another great year for me. I may not know it, but these may be the moments in my life that I will remember most.

Adaptation to the Environment

I read about an interesting research where they do a cohort study of 2 groups of people: One group of people won major lotteries of 1 million dollars. Another group of people got themselves walking disabilities, be it through road accidents or paralysis. They were asked "How do you feel" on the first day they won the lottery / got the walking disabilties. The answer? Yup, you guessed it: The lottery group responded with much happiness, gladness, almost manic euphoria. The disabled group responded with much sorrow, regret, almost major depressive.

A million dollars!

After 6 months, they were asked the same questions again. The answers were surprising, since more than 80% of them answerd more or less the same: "I feel fine". That's it? Fine? What happened to the manic euphoria and major depression? You won 1 million dollars and end up feeling the same as someone who lost their leg? So people, I think after a while, we adapt to EVERYTHING. Be it a million dollars or a disability. So in the long term, circumstances don't really determine your feeling. So, why not ditch that sorrow and be happy with what you have for a change? Of course, we do need to go for the best. What kinda idiot would refuse a million dollars because he'd feel the same in 6 months anyway? What I'm trying to say is: Strive for the best, but if you didn't get it after your hard efforts...he happy with what you have =)

Sitting, Thinking, Wishing

Back to Bandung after only a week of holiday. But no matter how short my time spent home, it always gets me kick-started again upon returning to student life. Last night I sat alone at a café in KLCC to think. Just thinking. I thought back about all the difficulties I faced before the holidays and thought "well, that wasn't too hard". But if there's time machine of some sort where I can go back to meet myself before the holidays and tell myself "Hey Opie, I think what you're facing ain't such a big deal". Then the past me will definitely punch the present me right in the nose, with no regards that my nose will be swollen in the future as if it wasn't swollen as it is.

Starbucks, KLCC

Our state of mind determines our actions. When we're happy, at peace, we tend to think clearly, looking at problems as opportunity instead of burdens. The answer to the problems will also come easily, and sometimes from unexpected sources. That's why we all need breaks once in a while. When we're constantly bombarded by challenges and difficulties, we'd get too stressed up to open ourselves to opportunities, which, could be the problem solver. How many times have you heard people remembering where they misplaced a lost key, or finding the answer to a complicated question, right after calming down their minds? I've heard it many times before. It's not the key is stolen, or the question is really complicated...it's our mind that gets too complicated to think!