Friday, April 28, 2006

Those Were Good Times

As the car drove past
That place today
Like it did so many times before
I was suddenly transported
To the land called Yesterday.

Back to the day
When everything was new
Including our friendship.

I remember the laughters
It was awkward, yet comfortable
Despite our differences
Something was shared.

It could have been so pretty
Still, it was not meant to be.
I see it clearly now.

I miss those days
When everything felt pure and beautiful
And I was, in most probability
More naive than I am today.

But those were good times.

Those were good times.

Monday, April 24, 2006

And He Leaps On Top Of The Podium Again!

Image hosting by Photobucket

Whenever Schumi wins a race, he leaps with joy at the top of the podium, regardless if it was his 1st, 50th or 85th win, i.e. his latest win in San Marino yesterday. It was a fantastic race, plenty of excitement abound. The Renault car was clearly faster than the Ferrari but Schumi held him at bay with his sheer wit and experience. Oh, Alonso TRIED to intimidate Schumi by appearing in his side mirror oh-so-every chance that he could, but who was he kidding? You wanna pressure Schumi The King into making a mistake? Puh-leese!! But it sure made an entertaining watch, Alonso attempting to overtake Schumi. Alas, his attempt remained, an attempt. Muahahaha! My, it sure feels great to hear the familiar tunes of the German/Italian national anthems combo again, rather than the Spanish/French national anthems combo.

Kudos to Ferrari as well for coordinating such a brilliant 2nd pit-stop, putting Schumi right in front of Alonso and frustrating the fella until the end of the race.

Poor Button, though. What a comical pit-stop. And as for Kimi, I could only heave a sigh. When will he start winning races again?

Anyway, a race like this reminds me of why I fell in love with him in the 1st place, leading to this compilation, hehe:

Reasons Why Michael Schumacher Is My Hero and I Love Him

1. He is hardworking. A racing car could only improve with the driver's input and this man works extra hard testing and understanding the machinery he drives. He puts in extra testing hours, talks to the engineers to discuss on the various ways to improve the race car's performance.

2. He is calm and focused. As yesterday's race demonstrated, this man is not one to get distracted easily. In fact, his wife mentioned that he would ignore her even when she's calling him while reading newspaper, not because he's a jerk, but he just gets absorbed while reading. Unwavering focus in the heat of pressure. No stupid mistakes. That's the way to get a job done.

3. He NEVER gives up. Whether starting from the last position on the grid, or the Ferrari under-performing, this man does not give up easily. In races where he starts from less than favourable position, he fights till the very end to try win the race. Such stubbornness and determination. And when the Ferrari still have glitches to sort out, he just works extra hard to turn things around, instead of jumping ship. He helped turn Ferrari into a competitive team when he joined them back in 1997 and has been with them through thick and thin, especially last year's abysmal season (of course, his fat paycheck was a pretty decent motivation, hehe).

4. He is humble. Schumi is one of the highest paid athletes in the world. He is aware of his talent; yet, he is not arrogant. He never fails to thank the team whenever he wins a race and he treats his team very well. Even the lady who cooks for them. He took the trouble to learn Italian to chat with the lady, who speaks only Italian.

5. He is professional. He does not let his private life interfere with his work. During the weekend of San Marino GP 2002 (or was it 2001?), his mother passed away. Yes, it would be completely understandable if he didn't race that weekend. But it was an important race to win, in terms of Constructor's Championship points and for Ferrari (and its fans) morale. So he put his grief aside for 2 hours and won the race.

6. He is passionate about his career. He has raced and won so many races, yet his enthusiasm for the sport never waned. It's always a delight watching him giving his all to win a race, and he's always genuinely delighted with every win. Racing is not a chore for him - he enjoys racing immensely, and it's obvious. That's the way to do something for the rest of your life - something you love.

Dammit, he's already married with 2 kids. (By the way, he is a family man and loves them very much. Swoon...)

I hope to emulate all these traits, particularly Trait #5 as a future doctor. Because no matter what happens, the patients would always still need me to be there for them.

Michael Schumacher, my hero.

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Versions of Truth

For every circumstance, for every incident that happens, there will always be several versions of what took place. The eyes which see through them act as filters - the end story is never always pure and adulterated, but rather, coloured with the owner's own experiences and prejudices.

Tonight on National Geographic channel, 'The Gospel of Judas' will be aired. Apparently Judas had his own gospel and according to it, he was not a vile betrayer of Jesus Christ but instead, an obedient servant, because Jesus supposedly instructed him to help emancipate His spirit from His human form. The finding has brought forth scholarly debates, some proclaiming its authenticity, some debunking it as a fake.

I just think that it's definitely an interesting take on that fateful turn of events, isn't it?

Sometimes the truth is also tinkered to fit the person's eyes. This results in malformation of information, resulting in the (deliberate) misinformation of others.

How sad because maligned truth is basically, a lie.

A person who spins various versions of the truth to others to save his/her own face deserves to be pitied, for he/she has no courage to face the real truth and claim responsibility.

Was Judas a lying coward or was he really telling the truth? Hmmm.

"We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light." - Plato

Friday, April 07, 2006

Behavioural Science

This subject has always fascinated me. How society works, what makes us humans tick, our different personalities... I read many of my batchmates' blogs, and already we can see many distinctive writing styles and content matter which makes each blog a unique read.

However, as a GRADED subject, it's horrible. I got it for my Selective (it was my last choice) and obtained a less-than-ideal grade for it. To me, despite my fascination with the subject matter, it was full of concepts which I somehow could not establish correlations with certain behaviours in real life. For behind every behaviour, there could be many diverse underlying motivations. Each person has his/her own story to tell, their own histories. I have to always remind myself that not everyone is like me and therefore would react to situations differently from how I would.

Props to Mr Paul Jambunathan for being an expert in this highly complex and subjective field.

As for me, I'm still learning to understand people. It's difficult sometimes, but I strive to always try. And learning people, just like other new things, requires patience.

Cultivating patience is a test of patience in itself. And a learning experience in itself. But it is worth being patient for, I feel.

Wednesday, April 05, 2006

Black Pup

On some days, you wake up and you just feel like crawling back to bed - not just because it feels so comfortable, hehe, but also because you feel unwell.

I do not like feeling unwell.

When I'm unwell, I'm cranky. Grumpy. Grouchy. And very pessimistic. Negative thoughts come flooding through my head, uncontrollable. Great. Is the whole day going to be like this?

It was a moody way to work that morning. I told myself, I don't have to be grumpy, that I'm responsible for my feelings and how my day will turn out, that I can choose to be happy, bla bla bla... Sure. Tell that to a tired mind.

It was until I almost reached my workplace when I encountered a bouncy, black furball.

A black puppy, to be precise.

I've never encountered any animal there before. It was such a cheerful creature. It was silent, but there was a happy expression on its face and it was so bouncy! It kept jumping up and down at my heels with that happy face and tongue lolling out. So cute!!! It accompanied me for a short distance, and then stopped. It then decided to accompany another passer-by at that area and soon it was out of sight.

A trace of innocence made my day. :)

P/S- I looked out for it on my way home but it was no longer there. Maybe it was someone's pet which got lost in an area nearby. Or could it be a hallucination? Hmm. Now that's a thought.

Saturday, April 01, 2006

Something New & Pleasant

A Voltaire (French philosopher) quote goes like this: "If we don't find anything pleasant, at least we shall find something new."

This week has been interesting. I have signed up for two completely different things spontaneously without much reason, except for the fact that I somehow felt compelled to do so. Having tried out these two activities, I am proud to say that I have had no regrets.

I could see myself embracing Activity #1 as a part of my life, like how Futsal was. It's great to be part of a club again, and to reconnect with my body.

As for Activity #2, which actually involved singing (one of my favourite past-times), it didn't turn out perfect. It was, however, a thoroughly enjoyable and learning experience. Something pleasantly unexpected came out of it. And I had a fantastic time reconnecting with an old and a not-so-new friend. :)

I guess trying out new stuff ain't that bad after all.