Words in My Head

This past few weeks i have been busy with some freelance work. Busy but as I always say to myself I will always time for the things i like and the things i love. Somewhere along the lines though some things have been made clear to me and some are still grayish blurry. The one thing that seems to have gotten in quite a bit of a twist are working ethics. When someone gives you something set a date and wants you to finish it in a particular time you think "Okay, no problem, i can have it done in that time..." the problem comes when they start asking you "Can i pay you half now and half later cause i dont have any money???" or "You're too expensive cant you give me a discount??"

Ok lets review a few things. Most of the time i dont mind. I do freelance work because i know it doesnt pay much. We all know that, and of course in this day and age lets admit the cheapest price is what people want, regardless that they are bad at what theyre doing. So here i am a 23 year old English literature major, translating articles, thesises, journals for students at minimum price and when they call me to mail me the stuff everythings fine like their Banker is Donald Trump or something, and as soon as i text them saying "Its done..." their reply would be "Thank you... How much??"

This bothers me... We both agreed on a price before we started the thing now youre asking me again?? are you trying to make me feel guilty or something?? So as calmly as possible i say "The agreed price sounds good..."

Then comes the killer question which dents all manner of efforts and sins, destructs the nerves system, inequivocally dampens your ability to be happy for a while longer.... the question usually comes in a lot of forms but generally mean the same thing so here i give you a list of questions not to ask the person you hired, EVER!!! remember he/she just finished your job for you... he/she might even be tired/sick. So DO NOT ASK THESE QUESTIONS....

1. Murah skit tak boleh?
2. Mahalnya, takder diskaun ke??
3. Eh ye ker bukan awak kata nak bagi diskaun ke?? ( btw this one is ridiculous why on earth would i promise them a discount?)
4. Eh kira ikut page yang saya hantar ke?? bukan ikut page yang awak antar?? *sigh*
5. Banyak lah duit awak dapat belanja saya makan bleh? (You pay me and you want me to treat you for dinner??????????)

The next lines of questions is intended so that when they ask you... youll feel obligated to lower you price... youll get what i mean...

1. Boleh ke guna perkataan macam ni dalam thesis?
2. Betul ke awak translate ni?
3. Naper awak tak formatkan sekali?
4. Kenapa muka surat ni skit dari yang saya hantar??? awak ringkaskan ke??
5. Takder informasi tambahan ke??? (this one is illegal by the way... ada plak nak tambah idea orang lain dalam thesis sendiri..)

and finally the last kinds... because im a guy this words semua perempuan bagi...

1. kawan saya kata awak ni baik... bagilah murah skit...
2. Saya belanja awak makan ngan tengok wayang je tak boleh??
3. Kan best kalau awak jadi bf saya... takyah bayar kan??


Okay people... i do not want to whine... because reading back it sure sounds like it...
the reason i wrote this post is to give the translator a voice. You see people who do freelance work is because they have free time and they could earn extra money, this means that giving them a very short dateline isnt a very good idea. Secondly, you agree on the terms of payment he does the job and you pay him, it should be simple, its not about mouthing sweet words to make him lower the price, trust me the thesis was nightmare enough so dont do that.

This is suppose to be simple, you ask someone to do the job, you pay him and thats it, if you need something to be fixed or he made a mistake tell him. But you cant add more work and say it was suppose to be covered by the payment already... its just not fair. Do not in Gods name tell them their English is wrong, because you asked them in the first place because you felt insecure about your ability and now your asking things like "betul ke ni?" what? youre trying to make me feel insecure about my English now???? haish...

Finally the last DONT.... Please don't treat us like we desperately need the money.... "Kalau awak tak siapkan sebelum esok saya taknak bayar...or awak kena murahkan.."

Yeah thats a good idea... what if i said "OKlah takperlah tak payahlah buat thesis awak ni.."
By that time you'd realize that you are screwed.

My work ethics are easy, give me work, i finish it in time. you pay me. Follow these rules and everyones gonna be fine. The problems rises when you think i dont deserve your money or if you think you can get a better price. Then maybe you should have spent more time looking for a cheaper translator (which by the way i dont think you can find) so you wouldnt have boss me around and act like i was desperate. remember you came to me i didnt come to you...

I love working like this... i really do... i translate on my pc i email it and i do it all without going out of my room, the pay is okay, its not luxurious but its okay allows me to buy small things for myself or save money for something bigger. But its not like im gonna die if i dont get that money... so follow the work ethics. Ill do my job and you do yours which by the way is just going to the bank and depositing money for me. How hard is that????

I'm Back!!!

Woo hoo….it’s been a while since my last post…thanks to darling Hanafee for taking care of this “home” hehe. So check it out. Now five months of ‘08 have passed and we are reaching June. Cepatnya masa berlalu….

Alright, I’ll pick random stuffs for the sake of updates. =)

The beginning of my 2-months semester break was filled with different emotions – love, joy, sadness, pain, excitement and fatigue.

29^th, 30^th April and 6^th May – I had exams. Thank Allah, it went well, I didn’t sweat in the exam hall (Air-con) hehe. The 3 papers had a mixed of easy and tough questions. Thanks Inda and Ita for the unplanned study groups and discussions. It helped a lot. I appreciated it.

7th May – Semester break starts so I went back home in Masai.

9^th May – Off to Kelana Jaya. Shed tears coz had to leave mom dad n danial. Two days only at home after months in Jungle of Pahang wasn’t enough I missed them so much..

10^th May till 21^st May, I participated as support crew aka volunteers in WITSA World Congress on IT (WCIT 2008).! It was tiring. Very. But it’s ok. I applied for it so I had to deal with it, right? Hehe. Make new friends, of course. It’s good to meet with people with the same spirit and interests as you. Anyway, I was put in Experience – Enquiry Team led by Miss Aliza (she’s cool). There were 8 of us in that team. We were in charge of Enquiry Counter Level 1 and Level 3 where our job was to answer enquiries from delegates/anyone. Sound easy but na-ah, not as easy as you think. We dealt with different kinds of people from all walks of life from 80 countries. And not all of them were in good mood. Imagine when a delegate came to the counter with a pissed off face coz he was given a wrong direction by the ushers? Or when a foreign delegate gave a bad comment about the event, or even the ministers who came late? What would you do? What do you feel? Anyway, despite the tiredness, the feet pain of having to stand for a long time, the overall experience was awesome!!

23^rd May – Back in Masai!! Yay!! Good to smell home!! =)

Alright, I believe some of my friends are busy with 3P courses. I wish you good luck and all the best!! I envy you people. Free courses that cost thousands and then free books, plus if you passed the exams you get certificate. Jealous jealous. So belajar bebetul ! Jangan bazirkan duit rakyat!! Hehe.

To Ita, Inda, Tasya, Mashe, Rozita, Hani, Eliz, Azmi and lain lain yang namanya terlupe nak disebut, Congratulations for finishing up your final year project with flying colors I bet! Well done guys! And good luck for your future undertakings. Do not forget us here k? Friendship forever and do please keep in touch. Join facebook, at least. Hehe.

English poem

Okay i already wrote a BM poem, i think its only fair i wrote an English poem. I hope you guys enjoy this.

Silent, quiet, dark solitary night,
I pray for a star so bright,
so one day i could find my own might,
so one day i could shine my own light,

You left me alone in the depth of winter,
but held on to me with the warmth of summer,
you loved as beautiful as spring,
and you turned cold in autumn just as winter cling,

you wanted something i cannot give,
a red rose so pure as white could live,
who could learn to understand this ugly beast?
When his heart and feelings animals would feast...
Who could learn to bare to live?
when his heart are bounded in a cave.

I am sorry i cant be the one you want me to,
I am sorry i cant think like you,
I am sorry i cant allow you,
I am sorry i control you,
most of all......
I am sorry i failed you....

Bahasa Melayu

I read blog Summer suggested, a sister of my friend... Syahirah Saliman and shes amazing i have to say... so i want to give it a shot too... My first BM poem....

Tajuk sajak saya pada hari ini adalah "Biar aku begitu"

Tuturmu umpama mahu melukaiku,
Matamu seperti enggan melihatku,
suaramu umpama hembusan bayu mendayu,

Aku angkuh, aku enggan, aku pantang,
aku tidah mahu beralah,
aku enggan tunduk dan akur dalam setiap helaian hidupku,

Kau mahu, kau tuntut, kau kehendaki,
agar diri ini,
terus mengikut telunjuk mu,

Aku masih enggan,
Kenapa perlu aku menurut pada ideal mu yang sememangnya bukan idealku?
Kenapa perlu aku merendahkan diriku hanya kerana kau mempunyai asa?
Kenapa perlu aku menahan nafasku menunggu jawaban darimu sahaja?
Kenapa perlu aku menerima cemuhan hanya kerana kau enggan melihat apa yang telah kami usahakan?

Pemergianku dari kediamanku,
dilitupi dengan langkah-langkah berat,
membebani hatiku ini,
ku melangkah pergi bersama teman seperjuangan,
yang juga enggan,
yang enggan tunduk dan akur padamu,

Dalam langkah-langkahku,
aku berpaling ke arah mu,
melihat keteguhan pendirianmu,
kolejku.....

kau lupa aku lah isi hati dan naluri mu....
kenggananmu menerimaku,
menjadi testimonimu,
telah kau biarkan aku,
biarkan aku begitu........


p/s - hahahhahaaha this is very bad hahah

Playing with Words

This blog will be about nothing in particular. Just some sayings i remember from conversations from my friends and i and thought id share it.

"The best thing to do when your in a bad mood is.. nothing"
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"I wish i had a car... actually i dont.. i wish i didnt wish i had a car..."
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"I wish i could listen to colors...." then someone said "I wish id learn to use adobe already.."
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"its not how you fall that matters, but how you get up...if ever..."
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"how can you love her if you dont know her? how can you even hate her if you dont know her"
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"Sometimes, saying thanx is the best thing to say when your hurting..."
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"I thought you said you were going home?"
"This is home" and smiles :)
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"Have you paid your tuition fees?"
"What Makes you think i havent?"
"I dont know i was just making conversation, so have you?"
"Nope"
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"Do you think we'll ever find true love?"
"Love? We cant find our way to taman maluri pun!!"
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"Hey! where you from?" seeing a friend walk by....
"I just got back from my faculty, the lecturer just gave me a talking to because i havent been able to focus in class. its not that i dont want to focus its just that..."
"Wait wait... im not interested i just asked you to be nice" leaves
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"will you be here next sem?"
"Yeah.. i will"
"This is like your tenth sem or something right?????" starts laughing
"No it isnt!!!!!!'
"Then?"
"My nineth" hahah
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These are just some things i talk with my friends about.. our past conversations i just thought it'd be cool to share hahah enjoy

Movie : Once

Yesterday Sabrina and I went to Midvalley to catch an international release movie and the movie that we watched was entitled "Once" to be honest i was interested, the tagline that i read a few weeks ago read "How often do you find the right person". Unfortunately we had mistimed going into the cinema and it had already started around 1 minute or so and we sat down quickly and we were greeted by an amazing acoustic number that got me smiling (yes ladies and gentlemen) i am a sucker for acoustic music...

Anyway the movie was amazing, and it told the dreams of a musician to find someone you could amazingly connect with musically. Starting from the rhythmic sounds of the first song the main character sang up to the last song the sang together it was all amazing music. The story line was not made clear like your typical movie and this movie seemed like it was shot from a video cam available to everyone which made it even more amazing. The male character was not ravishingly good looking and the girl was not model-like beautiful but all this made the movie seem even more realistic. Both the main character brought the characters amazingly and with their ability to sing and play their respected instruments (piano and guitar) everything seemed to click.

Personally i had found the movie in the end to be one of my personal favorites. Its about music and love and friendship. and of course the part i love most is the music. The movie is still screening in Midvalley and if anyone who is reading this wants a movie not atypical as your typical movie, you want something real and amazing with music scores that will blow you out of this world then take watch this movie. If you listen to john mayor, jason mraz, vannessa carlton or michelle branch then this music is a hyrbid of all those musicians. Harmonious melodies, meaningful lyrics and a movie plotline unlike your typical movie....

Trust me you will love this movie.... if i had to describe it in one word.... i would have call it "honest"..

Somehow the word works for me to describe the movie.... WATCH IT NOW!!!!!!!!!

ONCE
how often do you find the right person...

IF ONLY

Watch this movie

And you would know what I am trying to convey here.

Can dreams affect our thoughts?
Should dreams have an effect on a person’s waking life?
I would say, yes.

Coz I once had this one dream. My brother, my father and me. In a car. Accident happened and the car turned upside down, crashed and burned. We died and that’s when the souls parted from bodies. My soul could see my dead body, my brother’s, my father’s. Our souls could witness the pious imam led family and neighbors for prayer over our dead bodies. Our souls could see the men buried us into the hole. Our souls watched the family, friends and loved ones for the last time. Knowing it’s too late for everything. It’s too late. I remember I called my mom and cried. I cried coz I didn’t want it to happen. I cried coz I didn’t want something tragic to happen. Coz I wasn’t ready. And I still am. Not ready.

That dream makes me think about many things I take for granted; my father, my brother, my family, my loved ones. It makes me realize that I should appreciate them, love them and cherish every moments spend with them. It makes me realize also that I am not immortal. And so I do believe that dreams are very important, that they should be listened to.
I heard that some people receives signs when they are about to die. That they can sense their time has come. I think that is premonition. On the other hand, déjà vu is different. In déjà vu, it feels like it’s already happened but you don’t know what’s going to happen.

Has our time come?
If for some reason you thought you didn’t have a lot of time left, I mean in life.
If you had one day left, what would you do?

Think of family. Think of loved ones.

Love them like there's no tomorrow.

-by Summer-

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I watched this movie a year ago when it was released and i liked it. Probably because the idea of the movie is what i think. This movie talks about answering one question... just one question... "How should i love her??"

The answer... and i love the answer... Love her entirely and whole-heartedly. Ive never seen the guy act before but i thought his English "English" accent is the right thing for the movie. They have chemistry but most of all he doesnt overshadow the movie like how Brad Pitt overshadows a movie. He blends with it and the movie brings about questions of maturity and how love should be treated. I like in the end how the girl says.. "Loving him was so easy for me..." and thats how it should be.. yes you will have disagreements and yes you will have arguments... but loving someone should never be hard... if loving him was easy... then loving her would have been easier...

So i tell all to watch this movie... it gives you the answer.. Love as if theres tomorrow is a good way of summer-izing this movie hehe... so i add this... love like theres no tomorrow and love until forever...

-by Seth-

How our leaders mock free speech

OK this will be another political piece simply put because what happened yesterday for me was lunacy. For those who do not keep updated on the current news profile of governance or politics, Yesterday was the day the parliament was in session for the first time after the general elections. I watched it, seeing that for the first time it was going to be on TV live. This is what i had in mind...

"A live telecast of Malaysian leaders debating and questioning the issues for the greater good of the country, to establish a democratic liberal government that is associated only to the uprising and upbringing of the nations people for a better nation, country and society..."

What i got was...

"Its a circus... a really bad circus...."

For what was shown on TV that night proved a few things... but first let me be very clear what i think about it.... IT WAS TREMENDOUSLY EMBARRASSING...

A figure of a polling proved that more than 68% percent of the nation tuned in last night to watch was suppose to be a great and enthralling battle of wits and intelligence, and leadership and charisma... but it wasnt... it was a battle of the incumbent who were out for free publicity. To solve it lets first mention what was the problem...

For me the problem is only this - Everyone came that day being offensive. The government came knowing that the numbers were now leveled and what ever fight they had gone through before this would be increased staggeringly because the playing field is now leveled. The numbers are almost the same. If the government shout ten the opposition today can also shout ten if not a nine. The government came thinking they have to be offensive, the opposition too. Why? because they think theyre coming to the enemy's playground so its like walking into a gang member area so they think "we have to stamp authority... lets be offensive." Yeah thats exactly what we want from our leaders. narrow mindedness.

So narrow that an opposition leader called a government incumbent a "bigfoot" which the government incumbent then replied by calling him a "monkey". Yeah mature... very mature...

some of my friends say its the speakers fault for not being able to hold them in order.. i think any man being placed the burden of controlling to sides that has been enemies for ages should get pity and not blame. Trust me its hard enough being the middle man for a friends dispute... imagine doing it on a national scale. With by the way the allegedly great minds of the nation.

by the way if youre wondering what an incumbent is... an incumbent is a political term which means to hold a position in governing ministries. A government ministry has incumbents oppositions might not. back to topic.

we have the problem which is our leaders being fanatics to free publicity, childish and offensive.

So what do we do??? How do we solve a problem that includes peoples mentality?? Well for one thing we say it out loud so maybe they might listen... if anyone who is related to someone important is reading this do pass it along...

FORGET ABOUT PARTIES FOR ONE MINUTE!!!!!

Be open to debate... why question the protocol and procession when you can start talking about creating a better nation??? Mr. Speaker... let them ask their questions and leaders answer them please... Answer them to the extent that they no longer have a question... I think Pak Lah was right in saying "I dont mind accepting supplementary questions..." i think he was right to do so.... but what took him so long??? by allowing the opposition to argue with the speaker Pak Lah was allowing them to go on so the opposition would look bad which was political.... you were suppose to intervene the speaker and mention it earlier... answer the questions.. i mean how many questions do they have?? plus questions make your plan better because we all know its not perfect so might as well rectify it where we can. Why wait so long smiling when you can be the bigger person??? They have questions.. if you think its interupting your point tell them to wait for a minute... ive seen high school debate which was far more intelligent...

My point is this... lest the leaders of our nation, of Malaysia learn to put the people first and politics second, then they are not patriots. This proves one thing and one thing only... the opposition is just as bad as the government. Why argue on triviality?? Why??? Is it that important that you have to put the issues of our nations future on hold???

The government incumbents are going to say its the opposition fault and the opposition is saying its the government peoples fault... Sound familiar??? because i remember this all the time when my father would get me and my brothers together after a fight... when i was 9 i would say its my brothers fault and vice versa... and we both got a beating. If only parliament was this easy to deal with.

To the government... its time to wake up.. the people have spoken.. start co-operating with the opposition because one - they;'re not going anywhere... 2ndly - they are there for the same reasons you are... they want a better nation.

To the opposition... its time to open our minds to public debate... allow for issues that is regarding the people not the political. Politics should come second... because one - the people have spoken and the government is still the government.. 2ndly - they want a better nation too...

Unless both sides understand that their objectives are the same, their beliefs of a better nation are the same then we will be playing in mud when the world build homes of bricks. Leaders you went to parliament to debate together so you can build a platform for a better future. Build then a better platform for the future. Its like building a house together... if we argue on what kinds of bricks to use or who gets to lay the bricks and the stones and the foundation... when will we ever finish building the house??

I beg our leaders... please oh please start with the building... lets think about who gets credit later.....

the end.