Archive for April 2008
The Road Not Taken
I’m pretty busy these days, so for those who have been flooding my blog, I’m really sorry I have not been able to write anything. I’m trying to make the jump of my life right now. And if it happens it will be change my life entirely. I have a code for it, I like to call it New Skies.
I can’t even think of politics now really. Because of the things that are buzzing around my head, politics is a blur for me. Yes, I’m still reading the papers and I’m still very much interested in the issues but it’s now blurred into something akin to background noise for me. The things that are filling my mind now are of far larger significance to me as a person.
Since I’m pretty much paralyzed about politics, let me introduce you to my favourite poem :
The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost (1874 – 1963)
| Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, | |
| And sorry I could not travel both | |
| And be one traveler, long I stood | |
| And looked down one as far as I could | |
| To where it bent in the undergrowth; | 5 |
| Then took the other, as just as fair, | |
| And having perhaps the better claim, | |
| Because it was grassy and wanted wear; | |
| Though as for that the passing there | |
| Had worn them really about the same, | 10 |
| And both that morning equally lay | |
| In leaves no step had trodden black. | |
| Oh, I kept the first for another day! | |
| Yet knowing how way leads on to way, | |
| I doubted if I should ever come back. | 15 |
| I shall be telling this with a sigh | |
| Somewhere ages and ages hence: | |
| Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— | |
| I took the one less traveled by, | |
| And that has made all the difference. | 20 |
This is a video of it on Youtube, it’s pretty cool too : )
The poem is extremely inspirational and the video really gives it a great kick. An extremely good piece of work by those fellas. Congrats!
I hope the poem will inspire you as much as it has inspired me.
Right now, I’m also reading a book. And going by the China-centric nature of most of the books I’ve bought since 2007, this book is a fictional love story titled Nanjing 1937 : A Love Story by Ye Zhaoyan.
This book is a wonderful edition to the collection of books on China that I already own namely Mao : The Unknown Story and Wild Swans : Three Daughters Of China by Jung Chang, Chiang Kai Shek : China’s Generallisimo And The Nation He Lost by Jonathon Fenby and The Chinese Art Of Winning by Chao-Hsiu Chen.
I’ve only read about 17% of the book so far but the story is captivating as the story delves into the life of Ding Wenyu, an extremely brilliant professor of foreign languages but who carries serious (fatal perhaps) character flaws all which came about from the experiences of his past.
I don’t really read love stories and I think that most guys don’t either but this story is really one that one should not leave lying on the shelf. More so if one has an interest in China or anything Chinese. And the paperback edition is pretty cheap too for a book around 400 pages long. It’s retailing for RM24.90 at Popular Book Shop (no, Popular did not pay me to say this!!).
I’ll write more about it the next time. See you guys.
The Three Irreplacebles
In Malaysian politics today, three people stand out. For these people are irreplaceble. They are former Prime Minister (Tun) Dr. Mahathir Mohammad (Prime Minister from 1981-2003),
Kelantan Menteri Besar and Parti Islam SeMalaysia (PAS) Mursyidul Am, Tuan Guru (Dato) Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat,
and last but not the least, Democratic Action Party (DAP) advisor and Opposition Leader from 1975-1999 and from 2004-2008, Lim Kit Siang,
So far I have not seen any Malaysian politician able to take up the mantle of these three men. And it’s something to ponder about. Dr. Mahathir is 84, Nik Aziz is 77 while Lim Kit Siang is 67.
Who will be our heroes when they’re not here for us anymore?
Ganyang Mahathir?
Has the Ganyang (Crush) Mahathir campaign begun to distract the public from the troubles the strife-ridden ruling Barisan Nasional is having? Already within 2 days, Parti Gerakan Raykat Malaysia followed by 2 ministers, Information Minister (Datuk) Ahmad Shabery Cheek and Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Datuk Seri) Nazri Aziz are turning their guns on him.
(Tun) Dr. Mahathir is a Malaysian legend. He is the one that single handedly drove Malaysia to the forefront of the world stage and took us to where we are now. I call upon all Malaysians to rise and defend Tun if they continue to attack him. These shameless bastards got to where they are now because of him but now they are running him down because he isn’t the “flavour of the month”.
Hidup Tun Dr. Mahathir!
Running out of steam
I hate to think of it this way, but emotional issues seem to be getting in my way again for 2008. I’m just tired of knocking on the door of someone that seems to be welcoming me on one day but seems to assume that I do not exist on the next. As much as I wanted no emotional issues to roadblock me in 2008, it looks like it’s inevitable now.
The emotional centrifugal forces are really throwing me off balance. I guess it’s one of those weeks where you have very very high points and also very very low points. Both at the same time. I really hate those kind of weeks.
