Taking risk in life ...... is it worth?

Life is about taking risk. Many people would agree but some others may not agree with the statement. Some people are just not a risk taker. They are people who sticks with the routines and comfortable with what they achieved and what they have.

Some may says that if you don't take risk, then you won't be successful. Is that true? There are people who are successful and they don't take risk or maybe just a minimal risk. They just do things according to the rules and make it as their routines. No risk but yet successful or maybe they are just lucky.

Some may say, if you don't take some risk, your life will be boring. How true is that? Honestly, I can't really comment on that. I know a person who is not a risk taker but he is totally happy with his life. He never said that he's bored with his life. So, we can really say that no risk taking means life will be boring.

Some will say, if you are willing to take more risk, then you'll achieve more and be more successful. I actually quite agree with this. Seeing Tan Sri Tony Fernandes, how he risk his music business to be successful with the Air Asia business. I really envy his bravery and his effort.

People take risk to achieve success in life but there are people who already achieved most of the things in their life but still taking risk just for pleasure. They risk their family, friends, relationship or even their job just for fun. Just to have some extra pleasure for a very short time.

Whatever the choice, whether taking risk or not, people have their own reason on making their choices. Personally, I believe, you'll never free from encountering some kind of risk when you are living the life. I do realised that I'm also risking some of the things I love in achieving what I want. Maybe not as much as Tan Sri Tony Fernandes but it's quite significant for me.

I'm not regretting for whatever I have risked. I'm just looking forward with my life. The only question that keep ringing in my mind is ......... is it worth?

Unlimited imagination

Yesterday, one my friend said that I am a very imaginative person. Alhamdulillah (Praise to Allah) that at this age ( after 40 ), I'm still an imaginative person.

Imagination is something that everybody has it and it seems to be more during the childhood time and it reduces when we get older and at some point, there are people who totally lost it. How can that happen? I don't know. I can't even understand how people can live without having imagination.

When we were children, we have a lot of imaginations. One day, we can just be happy and imagine that we are in the castle and being a spoil little princes and the other day, we can just imagine we are the police trying to catch the bad people. Hhmn ... how nice. Nothing seems to bother with our life but that is just a childhood imagination.

Then, we start using our imagination with some effort to make it true. We imagine, we dream and we work for it. We imagine things that applicable and being more rational with our imagination. The imagination force us to be more creative and committed in making what we imagine into reality. At this point, we start achieving most of the things that we imagine in our life.

We feel happy with our life and what we achieved. We continue the routines, we stabilised but for some of us, we stop imagining and stucked with the routines. Our brain get lazy and lazier each day. Not to say that we get lazy to do thing in our life but for some people, the get very lazy to think about new things. They claimed that they are very comfortable with what they have. Everyday life will just be as usual and nothing unusual can be found.

How does that sound? Interesting...? Of course not. Maybe, we don't realised it but this is what happening to some of us. Life is just the usual or actually it sounds so boring. Why? Because we are lacking of imagination and the source of our creativity.

Why? Why do we need to be imaginative and creative? Maybe, some of us will ask the question. To answer the question, we also need to ask ourselves on why do we need to stop our imagination when we not even dead yet? Yes! Yes, we need to have an imagination because we are still alive. Our life change in every second, in every breath we take .... that's why.

So, why do we have to stop imagining? Does that mean we want to stop dreaming and stop living. There's no borders for imagination. It's unlimited, just like the unlimited internet broadband but it's even better because after all, it's free.

Nothing to blame

The last few months I don't feel motivated at all. Sometimes, I don't even feel like doing anything at all and few times I feel like giving up whatever I'm doing. It is just not like me at all. I was not like this. I'm suppose to be a women full with desire. Full with all the positive aura, always looking forward and happy with what I'm doing. So, ...... what happened?

Then, the normal thing to do first is to reflect on what had happened. So, I keep reflecting, reflecting and reflecting but just couldn't find the source of the problem. I'm in a very serious problem now because this feeling has been dragging me down and down. Sometimes, I feel as if I'm so low. No desire to get myself to do something new or something extra. It's really bad.

I know ....... it's very important for us to know the source of the problem in order to solve it but what happen if you can't find the source. Is that mean you'll be forever in the problem .... without solutions? At least, I thought that was it until yesterday. Yesterday,..... yes. Yesterday, I read an article in the newspaper about how cooperation bind us but it was not the cooperation topic that catch my eyes but how the author write about how we always we refuse to cooperate and blame on others when thing goes wrong. Does that sound familiar?

Yes ..... of course. We always blame the uncooperative people in out team for not achieving the goals but why bother (as what the author says). Yes, why should we bother too much on the uncooperative people. If they are not so cooperative, so, we should increase our cooperation.

So, applying what the author said to my problem now. Doesn't matter whether I found the source of my problem or not, I have to turn my feelings 360 degree now. Don't blame on anybody or anything. I'm not happy with myself now ....... I'll find something that will make me happy. I don't agree with some people in the work place ........ I'll work more with the people I like or I agreed with. Just focus more on how to be positive and feels good about myself rather to find the thing that making me miserable ...... maybe ..... at the moment.

The thing is ....... focus on the improvement. There's nobody or nothing to blame.

Communications ...... keeping it the traditional way

Eid Mubarak or Selamat Hari Raya everybody!

I love Hari Raya. Of course it's different compare when we were children but having everybody together on the Hari Raya morning, asking for forgiveness from each other and having breakfast together at the same time on the same table. These are some of the things that you can't really find it on most of other days. It gives you such a very nice feeling.

It's already 5th of  Syawal and it's Saturday. Most people starts working today. It's Monday. My brother and my sister came back from their in laws hometown last Saturday.  Everybody gather at my parent house. Just imagine, with 6 brothers and sisters, 5 nieces and nephews, 3 in-laws and not to forget ...... my parent, the house should be very, very noisy with people talking, children screaming or with whatever activities, right. At least, that was what I imagine how it should be but instead, it was so quiet. Everybody seems to be very focus on what they were doing. And what were they doing .....? Communicating with the world.
 
Yes! Communicating .....! They were communicating with the world with the internet and the social network. They were communicating ....... but not talking. They chat online but not with the people besides them. They rather send text messages on the phone then talking on it. The rather smile to the screen then smiling to the people next to them.

Aargh!!! I just don't get it. It's a phenomenon. It's not just with my family but it's happening everywhere ... anywhere. Sometimes I feel like humans are getting crazier each day. Is it because of the technology or just because of the modernisation. Maybe, I'm just too old fashion and not able to keep myself with the modernisation and the changes.

Last month, before the fasting month started, I saw a couple at a coffee shop having their coffee together. It's kind of romantic .... to have coffee together before going to the office. But ....... this couple, each of them were browsing their netbook and not even talking to each other. So, why bother to have coffee together when you are not interested to chat with each other. Again ....... I just don't get it.

Last week, I read a news in the internet where a bridesmaid attended her best friend wedding via iPad. I'm speechless. I just can't give any comment on that. If I was the bride, I prefer my best friend to be next to me physically. So that I can hug her to share my happiness but different people has different perception. I can't argue with that. Maybe I'm just too old fashion.

Last few years, there was a case of a teleconference wedding. This couple stay apart of each other but they want to get married. So, the solemnisation was done via teleconference. Let us just think for a while here, if you can't be together why bother to get married in the first place.

I admit. I'm a very old fashion person when it comes to communications. I believe in the eye contact while talking. I believe in listening to the voice tone to feel the warmth, caring, happiness or even sadness. I believe in the voice therapy and it's really good for your soul. Sometimes, it's good to be quiet and just send some text instead of talking is still a good therapy.

There is nothing wrong with the use of the technology but we must also remember that some of the things is still better to do the the traditional way. Keep communicating but don't stop talking to each other. Show that you care. Pour it with your loving voice. Keep the traditional way.

First impression

It only takes seven second to make a first impression.

I always remind my students about how important a first impression is but it doesn't seems to stick into the mind of this new generation. As a professional, I always try to look as professional as I can but I love to dress up anyway.

People do judge you from what you are wearing. They may who you are from what and how your wear. As for me, I know people do look and judge me from what I'm wearing  or even with the colour of my dress because they do make a comment about what I'm wearing. I don't really mind about it because it reminds me to always look at myself and to dress properly. So, dressing up is one of the important aspect of how our day will be.

Today, I saw few students came to the class with faded, crumpled jeans with non-ironed T-shirt and slippers. Looking at that kind of dress up ............what will be your first impression? Me ....... ? I would say .... they look like they are working at the night market . They don't even look like a student to me. Just imagine, they are the people who are going to be a nurse. A person who's going to take care of other people ......????

Maybe, you would say that I'm just being old fashioned. Not keeping myself up to date. Yes ! Maybe I am an old fashion person. (I'm getting old anyway). I don't care what people wan't to say about my choice of fashion  but I do believe, we must dress according to the situation and occasion. Doesn't matter how up to date you are, you must still follow the rules, the culture and the norms. If you are a student, then portray yourself as a student. If you are going to be a professional, then learn how to dress like one. Do not give the chance for other people to put the negative impression on you.

Please, please ..... take care of yourself. Always try to put a good or positive impression on yourself. People might not know you but from the way you look, they might want to get to know you or might not want to know you at all. And the thing is, people will only get to know you after they see you. So, make sure that they see you well, have a nice thought about you and want to get to know you.

So, first impression counts.

Think before the action

Ideally, we must always think before we take any action against anything but sometimes our mind can act irrationally which we don't really think about what we do and especially of what we say. Most of the time it happened when we let our anger to overtake our emotion. We will just say what we want (at that time ... of course) or do some destructive action like throwing cups and plates. (my dad used to do that) but later ........ we regret.

Everyday, I'm trying very hard not to hurt people with my words or with my actions. Always trying to remind myself not to say something that I will regret later. It seems very hard to do  ........ but it's possible. We must try to control our super ego not to take over our id and ego. I know, ..........  it's very hard but this is the way of life that we should try to change, so that we will have the harmony in life.

Last week, one my friend tried to help the students with their problem in organizing smaller groups within them. Yeah ..... sometimes they like you to be in their critical discussion. So,this friend of mine happily help them to organize the groups and the group leader and everything. The students were happy with the decisions and their new groups but somebody else wasn't happy. The lecturer in-charge of the students was not happy at all. He was angry that my friend had helped the students because he said that he already gave an instruction to the students and it is totally different with what my friend did and continue mumbling ......... bla..bla..bla...

Come on ...... people already helped you to solve a problem. You should be saying thank you but instead ..... you scold the person? Why can't he think and rationalise the whole thing before he scolded my friend? Maybe, my friend has trigger his super ego and it increased too much and suppressed the id and ego. Anyway, my friend just apologise helping the students without his prior knowledge and she said that she will inform the students about it to correct the situation.

Hhmmnnn ....... what you know ...... he scolded the students too. So, I'm just wondering, when did he think about the whole thing and come to a decision that the students must be scolded. Most probably, he didn't think at all. It was quite a sad situation  because now everybody looks so miserable just because of one person who doesn't want to think before he took his actions. He looks the worst. Maybe he feel guilty but to apologise ......... I haven't seen the sign yet.

Anyway, the lesson to learn is ......... think before you do or say anything. We have millions of neurons (brain cells) that can be use for thinking and still left with million unuse. Do not do something that will make other people sad and miserable. Do not do things that will make ourselves uncomfortable and miserable. Think about other peoples' feeling. Improve the communication skills. Control your emotion and your super ego .................... and think before you do the action.

You'll never win all ...... you have to loose some.

Today, I've expressed my feelings to a friend about working in my current work place. I love my work, teaching, the students, the colleagues but my heart was never in the place. I'm actually happy and unhappy at the same time ......? Sounds funny...... but that is what I'm feeling all this while. Yeah! Life is sometimes funny and my friend said ' Nis .... in this life, you'll never win all, you have to loose some'.

Yes! That's life. It's just like the saying of 'Nobody is perfect'. Nobody is perfect and there's no 100% perfect life. There will always be some level or some percentage of deformities or imperfections. Hhmn....... thinking about imperfections .......... which is actually good for us. It's one of the reason of why we work hard for a better life .... right?

Yes! How can we win all without having to know the feeling of loosing. Life is about GIVE and TAKE. You can't just TAKE all the times. You'll also need to GIVE sometimes. We just need to have some tolerance to the people around us and the environment we are in.

So, now I'm just reflecting about my whole life. Reflecting on how much have I won and how much have  I lost. Hhmnn ..... can't really complain much because it seems that I've won more that what I've lost. I should just be grateful for what I have but I doesn't mean that I've to work less harder now. I'll still have to work hard for a better future.

It is true then, you'll never win everything but you need to reflect on how much you won and balance with how  much  you lost. Be grateful on what we won because that is our life achievement granted by ALLAH from our hard work  but never regret on what we lost because that is the reason why we don't stop to strive and work for a better day and a better future.

It is just how life is.