Senin, 12 Mei 2008

Pride and Prejudice

"No," said Darcy, "I have made no such pretension. I have faults enough, but they are not, I hope, of understanding. My temper I dare not vouch for. It is, I believe, too little yielding— certainly too little for the convenience of the world. I cannot forget the follies and vices of other so soon as I ought, nor their offenses against myself. My feelings are not puffed about with every attempt to move them. My temper would perhaps be called resentful. My good opinion once lost, is lost forever."

"That is a failing indeed!" cried Elizabeth. "Implacable resentment is a shade in a character. But you have chosen your fault well. I really cannot laugh at it. You are safe from me."
"There is, I believe, in every disposition a tendency to some particular evil— a natural defect, which not even the best education can overcome."

"And your defect is a propensity to hate everybody."
"And yours," he replied with a smile, "is willfully to misunderstand them."

-Chapter 11, Pride and prejudice, Jane Austen-


Truthfully i felt skeptical when first -J- ask me to watch the 5 hours long BBC production movie. C'mon. 5 HOURS. But at the first half hour i was hooked. by Mr Darcy. and his British accent.

Mr.Darcy is the image rich handsome dashing proud man who has bitter, brittle and brooding disposition and temper. The image still represent the universal bad boy even today. Only men these day equipped themselves with Armani charcoal suit instead of great coat and hessian. European sports car instead of stallion and crop. Titanium Dopod O2 instead of pocket watch. But the game and the rule still the same.

Anyway, enough about the boy and the romance.

We are past that. But i was more intrigue by the essences of the movie. Pride & Prejudice.

If you ask yourself, how often do you think you have been behaving as Mr.Darcy, as accused by Miss Bennet, think we are better than other people - always resentful and hateful?
How often have you ever think someone else family member is embarrassing?
How often have you ever think someone else wear clothes that is so yesterday?
How often have you ever think that someone else does not work as hard as you?

If you ask yourself, how often do you think you have been behaving as Miss Lizzie Bennet, as accused by Mr. Darcy, willfully misunderstand people?
How often do we judge someone airbrained just because she is wearing red shoes instead of conventional black one?
How often do we judge someone not working hard just because his father has more prestigious last name?
How often do we judge someone is not happy just because she married someone ordinary?
How often do we judge someone has not experience pain just because she has everything?

How often have you ever think that we know what's best for other people, as Mr Darcy to Mr Bingley?

Are we that arrogant to think we know what is best for other people?
Before we advising people, have you look in the mirror and ask, Do we even know our self?

How often do we label a person before even give yourself a chance to know the person better?

When was the last time you really look into someone eyes and see pain there before labelling the colour of her shoes? When was the last time you really hold someone hand and feel the tremble there before labelling her a rich spoilt brat? When was the last time you really offer your ear or shoulder to cry on before labelling someone a tramp?

Once, i receive a mail from a friend, short but deep in meaning. I don't remember a lot of fwd: email, but this one carved in my heart. Resentment and hate build in one's heart because it is not yet filled with love. Lack of love create defense, called pride.
Arrogance, willfulness and Not Knowing create judgement, called prejudice.

I see, hear and experience to much resentment and hate around me, that i absolutely think that the world will do better with more forgiveness and sweetness to go on. After all someone self-sufficient like Mr Darcy eventually needs the love from Miss Bennet.

And as time goes by, Miss Bennet get to know, learn and finally accepted that behind the moody and brooding, there lies a selfless and tenderness in Mr Darcy, and without him by her side, her life will be lonely.

So, the next time we want to sneer on someone embarrassing relative, embarrassing table manner, embarrassing job, embarrassing boyfriend, please ask yourself,
what is you heart filled with?

And the next time you meet someone new. Look into her eyes.

Rabu, 30 April 2008

Our brain is like a prostitute

... it takes everything in, and
... it justifies everything we do.

Do i need to explain about our brain takes everything in? okay, not the geometric and math formulas, i still can fathom how it ever penetrate any of the good student's brain. But aside that, almost everything.

Did you ever say "no" when the girl sitting next to you whispering about the boss? No? I rest my case. (Yah, the lower the whisper, the better)

Do you think the information always accurate? No.
But did you reject take the information in?No.



Have you ever caught with one of your hand inside the cookie jar, when your mum specifically tell you not even blink near it, let alone caught your dirty filthy hand attempting the forbidden?

Have you ever fell down the steps that landed you on your sweet bum?

Have your friend ever caught the Chinese delivery boxes in your dustbin, when you have spent the entire 2 hours during dinner to impress him/her that you can cook gourmet?

Have you ever made mistakes at works that unfortunately beyond redemption - your boss proudly completed the hardcore report and 3 weeks later you realize your part in that report has tiny miny error but can make the whole team look like imbeciles - a tiny miny error such as unable to count days properly? - ok, lets not go there, i am still on therapy for this one.

If you have not, what are you doing here, you are not normal. Go Away.

See, i try to justify myself normal again, when in truth i may be the obsessive possessive compulsive controlling psychopath bi#$@

Anyway,

Do you still remember the chill creeping down your spine when your mum called your full name when your hand inside the jar? Seconds before that, you suddenly develop sixth sense to look behind you. But your greediness exceed your sudden extra-sensory perception ability. What is the first thing you do?

No, not asking your mum to look flying pig behind her.
I outgrew that when i was 3. That day i learn that my mum has strong arm. My bum and her arm acquainted that day. And, also not that excuse you saw a rat in the jar. Puh-leez. You saw a rat and you willingly put your arm in it?

But the next step. When you try to justify your doing. When you tell your mum you took the cookie so your overweight and high-cholesterol-ed dad could not eat it. That you doing it for your brothers' teeth. Its all about self sacrifice. Right.

What did you pretend saying to the people around you when you fell? Even though it hurt like hell and truthfully embarrassing to your very core, you try to gather the scape of your last dignity by pretending you did it on purpose just to be funny?

Nobody believe you anyway, I still regret why i didn't pretend to faint at that time, being anemic is way cooler than having unsyncronized motoric muscles- but at that time i didn't think. I panic, ok?

Then you start blaming the floor is too slippery, the janitor didn't do his job properly.

About the Chinese delivery, who am i try to fool anyway, i don't cook, i microwave, everyone knows that. Thank God i didn't think to find excuse further, and come clean on the spot. But since then, nobody believe i can cook nomore.

Like i say, leave the explanation regarding the report alone. I am not ready. My confidence shattered into pieces, my mental still scarred. Why didn't my reviewers review it properly?? (Try to justify here... but ......OKAY, because your reviewers didn't think you that idiotic to not able counting 1,2,3,...doh)


Okay, this are examples of harmless justification.

What about the one you try to cheat the test because you justify that you are having mind block? or that the lecturer did not explain this properly? or it is not in the pre-test questions? You want to live your life by cheating?

What about when you try to swipe your credit card too much and justify that you are rewarding yourself? You want to live choked by bills?

What about when your friends over you one or two happy pill? Did you take it and justify that everyone try it once anyway? When your overdosed friends died in vain, do you want to accompany them too?

Then, what about if you try to drink and drive and you try to justify that it is only a couple of tequila shots, but you forget about your empty stomach and your fatiqueness from work? Do you not want to live?



Be careful of your thought, it will become words
Be careful of your words, it will become actions
Be careful of your actions, it will become habits
Be careful of your habits, it will become characters
Be careful of your characters...

It becomes your destiny

Selasa, 22 April 2008

I am strong. I am tough.

But i still wear my eyeliner.

.. and my mascara
.. and my foundation
.. and my eye bag concealer
.. and my heels
.. and i change my clothes at least 3 times before I’m good to go
.. did i mentioned that I also change my heels 3 times..
.. and my bags? (Don't even go there)

This is my life of insecurities and paranoia.

Welcome.

I may blame it on my parents for bringing me into this world as second child.
Thus, I grow up with the need and fixation to obtain approval from everyone and anyone. Of doing everything and anything.

known as middle child syndrome

Why can’t I be egomaniac first child that gets everything his heart desire?
Why can’t I be spoilt brat youngest child who gets away with every mischief done?
Why? Why?

Why I have to be the responsible one? The independent one?

Ok, not exactly independent, since I still live under my parent’s roof and has a maid that do all the cleaning, not exactly really responsible as well, since once, I use the electricity money to buy new Steve Madden 9cm open-toed-blood-red stilettos. But did I mention how fabulous it looks on my feet together with my new recently Jet Black painted toes?

The questions of the whys has been, is and will keep haunting us.

It may start in pre-shool with why is the girl next to us have better lunchbox, and we become embarrassed showing the content of ours (the early paranoia starting to develop)

Why our hair bow is not as hip and neat as that girl in the other class, and we become embarrassed to wear hair bow at all (the early rebellion starting to develop)

Why is her boyfriend cooler than mine?
Why are their grades is better than mine?
Why is her body is hotter than mine?
Why are they hang out in a better clubs?
Why is his career pays better?
Why is he get along with the boss better?
Why he got higher raise and promotion?
Why is she getting married first?

Before we know it we become paranoid. Worse case paranoid and bitter.
Worst - paranoid, bitter and alone.

We become paranoid if our life will not becoming any better.
We become paranoid if our life will not be good enough as the next person.
We become paranoid if our life will not as exciting as the next person.
The list will go on.

But why do we have to wait what will become our life?
It is already happening. So stop waiting.
We only have one life to live.

and it is already starting...

so what if your life full of tragedy instead of strawberry?
Everyone has their own tragedy.
Yes, even the heiress listed in the Forbes list.
Yes, even that girl you hate in the office.

Its only the matter how we live with our tragedy.
Do we choose to be the person who mop and sob around everybody
or do we choose to stand strong, and learn from our tragedy?

Do we victimize ourselves and looking for people's pity?
or do we held our head high while facing the reality?

Yes, live doesn't always happened as how we would like or how we planned
Yes, sometimes it gets rough and we don't know how to go on
Yes, sometimes it hurts and we don't know how to go through it
but then again, this is part of growing up and growing strong

So what if we stumble here and there,
the most important is how we stand up after our stumble
the most important is how we learn it, love it and live with it
(ok, we don't have to love it, but at least we have to learn it)

So what if our name is never mentioned in any newspaper or even company newsletter
So what if our name will never the biggest and evolutionary names in the history
the most important is who we share our story with
the most important is we have someone to share our story with
the most important is we have a story to tell
and the story how we stand tall after it all

because
We are survivor.


(this is for my best friend, CA, who stand tall after it all)

Senin, 21 April 2008

My greatest love affair with two persons named Charles&Keith

Stilletos.

A word that most boys do not understand why we girls so obssessed with, since we hit our puberty. Or even younger than that.

Unless of course for those girls who choose the goth look. but then again didnt manolo create the black leather patent with 9 inch stilletos? or was it Lacroix? arent they better than the doc mart you inherited from your mom?

This obsession also didnt apply for girls who is animal lover. You cant really imagine wearing red suede pump with rabbit fur trimming, can you?

And for girls who are athletes, you got limited choices between reebok or nike or adidas. Unfortunately those designers of nike etc is not inspired enough to make nike air max wright with heels. Well, the stilletos are sacrified for greater good. Beijing 08.08.08. You do it for your country. So that is okay if you do not share the same vision as me.

Or if you are girls who are environmental friendly, you need to wear recycle-ble shoes arent you?

Ok, so not all girls have the same obsession as me.

But me and my high heels went way back. We have history together.
They always been there for me. Through happiness and sadness together.

Starting with my first presentation in front of class when i was still in uni. I still remember i wear a knee length leather boots (with 6cm heels) with grey pencil skirt and white turtleneck cashmere. I felt good when i slip those boots, and i felt good when i stand in front of the class. Eventhough my presentation is absolutely crap, at least i looked good (OK, i think i looked good, i dont know what other people think, i did look good didnt I? didnt I???)

And the exhiliration i felt everytime i get off from my metallic blue prelude VTIR sports car, and the first thing people notice is my blue retro heels.

The time when i dance all night in the hip club (eventhough the heels are killing me, and by the time i reach home in the morning, i positively cant feel anything waist down) but it is alright, cause nothing match the satisfaction when i do the entrance and the boost i have when people are looking at me (or maybe they are looking at my hot friend, but who care, i always stand close by her)

And the heels were there when i did my first interview.

In fact, i admit i may score my big corporate job in one of the big four accounting firm as my boss fascinated with my heels. I love her heels, and she mine. Well we great mind thinks alike. But i like to think that i score the job because of my brain.

And the heels were there during my first heartbreak and of course my first love... (but i am not ready to write those in the blog. Not yet. I am shy you know)

Anyway, i love my heels.
eventhough some people might not understand this.

Height cant be hiden, nor it can be changed. Might as well enhance it.

That is my copyrighted answer when everyone ask my why i still wear a 7cm heels (at least) when i am already a 170cm myself

Note: if by any chances you were located in Europe when you read this blog, please ignore this page, as this definately does not apply to you, FYI i live among the cute petite little people known as asian people who produce, market and sell cheap products to your countries, and before they are sold in your market, the people of your country mark it up by 900% first. and it still is cheaper.

Am I not entitled to enjoy the thrill and excitement when I slip on thos new Charles&Keith new charcoal vernis slingback?

Am I not entitled to enjoy the look of jealousy from other girls when they see it slips smoothly to my manicured feet? (Yup. I took greatest pain to make sure that my feet always ALWAYS in best condition)

By risking being a bitch, i still need to stated the facts that my height and enhancement due to my Charles&Keith has certain, let say benefits:

1. None of my boss ever scold me standing up. And if they ever choose to scold me while they are sitting down, all i have to do is standing up. Lenghten my spine. and stand closer.
They always loss their moment. Work everytime. Like a charm.

2. It easy for me to look for certain person in a crowd (and yup i can easily spot cute guys in da club, or i can easily spot certain people i would rather avoid coming, so i have headstart to run the other way)

3. Inside a lift, people usually give me some space, as coming closer to me will only magnify the height difference between me and those less unfortunate girls (sorry girls, me just stating the facts here)

But of course those 180cm and above guys who are not intimidated by tall girls are ussually still around, as the way i like it (and if you look like CK underwear model and drive a two door european car, you are welcome to come closer - space are too overrated anyway)

4. Convenient to pick up books in top shelves in the library (not that i ever visit one, but just in case you know...)

5. Did i mentioned that my height attract other tall people. Dont have intention to be mean, but i dont want to attact short guys either, you know.

6. In the crowd, who do you think they notice first. The tall one or the short one? (Mostly the hot one first, but after that then.. they may look at the tall one first)

7. With 170cm plus plus, i definately can wear everything and anything, short skirt, long skirt, long pant, hot pants, sarong, sack dress, ball dress, cocktail dress, trench coat, long coat, short coat and the power suit, and yes, even your bf's shirt and boxers looks good on me (okay, you are not suppose to know that).

do i need to go on with the list?

Anyway, that is the story of me and my heels
Me and my Charles&Keith

Diamonds are forever, so are credit card bills...


Mom used to say "diamonds are girls best friend. diamonds are forever". HUH. obviously in those days credit card is not invented yet. or not yet made to be popular.

Warren Buffet may not agree on this, but these days, "credit cards ARE girls best friend, and they are hopefully (better be) available forever".

They are convenient (size wise). They fit into your latest botega venetta wallet. They even come in hip colour, silver, gold, but girls these days prefer the latest color, THE PLATINUM.

They give you access to other worlds you never explore before. Worlds like "BUY one get one", "FURTHER 20% discount", "OPEN for member only"

They are dream come true.

But like any other best things happened in your life, it come as a package.

Girls, say hello to "Bill"

Regrettably, this is not Bill who is driving Range Rover, works in JP Morgan or any other accounting firm (preferably BIG Four company) nor this is not Bill who thinks our every whipms and wish is his command.

Nope, this is Bill who have record of details for each of our impulsiveness which you rather not be reminded of. Impulsive in buying those slingbacks, red pumps, velvet clutch, extra shine lip gloss or LBD that only consist 1 metre of cloth but cost us a month salary. And, despite our preference not to be reminded of our obsessive purchases, BILL never fail to show up in your work desk every 20th or 30th. Those Bills. A

nd as long you keep your purchases goin, surely as the sun rise tomorrow, Bill will keep come visiting. Forever.

and not as your best friend.

La Premier


Oh my GOD.

My first Blog.
Now, i am among those hip and hot,
the current and happening,
stars and celebrities
who publish their everyday life and drama in this virtual world,
with thousands eager fans waiting to update on every itsy bitsy details posted on their favourite celebrity pages which mostly lead to contract deal from MTv for copyright to film their blog into reality show.

Ok. i m not exactly have thousand of fans who waiting for me to update my profile.
Nor, i have any juicy drama to share with any fans (so i can forget that MTv deal)

Embarrassments. yes. mistakes. yes
Embarassments AND mistakes. check check.
Crisis. Definitely check. (but no, not that kind of crisis that consist of any compromising picture that if published will landed me on infotainment but will cause my father disown me or my mom being kicked out from her Roman Catholic Evangelism-three-times-a-week-class). Its more like i forget to zip the back of my skirt, and nobody bother to tell me, so i have been walking around, get in and out of my boss room, up and down the office stairs. and still nobody tell me. I only realize when i go home, and when i need to unzip. Voila. It has been unzip all along. Yap. That kind of crisis.

Sorry to disappoint, but definitely no juicy gossip that is MTv material.

But hey,
I got you.
Whoever you are.

You may be the loneliest 12 year old boy with pimple all over your face complete with steel braces (not the cute transparent amethyst or cool colorful braces inspired from Pucci or Missonni print) who nobody ask to hang out with on Saturday night.

or you may be the girl who got no other choice but have lunch on the library Internet desk, cause nobody ask you to hang out with them at school balcony.

or you may be the girl who no one ask to go tonight happening events with.

or you may be the girl who still forced to wear padded shoulder blazer your mama ask you to wear with mama jeans that the waistline still goes up to your upper waistline.

or you may be the boy who still find a way try to fit in.....
(ok because of you, now i have childhood flashback and trauma, not good, not good - back to happy place.)

Whoever you are, you can choose to read my blog during the lunch break
(But girl, drop that Hagen Daz tub, before you know it you will finish them all, and you know, they go straight to your thigh and butt),

or you can read my blog 5 minutes before you sleep.

But if this Friday or Saturday night, I implore you to SHUT DOWN you computer. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES. I REPEAT. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES that you read this unpopular unknown self-called author la premier blog on weekend night. Its weekend, people. Whats wrong with you? Lets boogie boogie.

Boys and girls, I am sorry to tell you. BUT life will not get any better, whoever tell you either way, is a living lying !@##&$*(%!$!&^%

so you have to live your life TODAY.


anyway,
Welcome to my virtual world.

PS:

Don't feel so bad. Since you have nothing to do, and overstudy. You may end up rich. Chances are those popular basketball captains that thinks you are not good enough, have to work at your billion-dollar-recently-IPOed-and-mergered- IT company. And those babes who rejected you boys or refuse to go shopping with you girls may end up married at the age 17 with those losers basketball captain, and have 5 babies by the age of 23. And you know what happen to woman who have 5 babies, right? YUP, they can't wear the Jimmy Choos no more.

and yap. beer belley also may or may not happened to those basketball captains