GOOD LIVING

What is your idea of good living?
What advice do you have for living a fulfilling life?
Do money, health and love play a role in your conception of good living?

Being able to spend time with family and friends and also having the ability to get what I want are good living. For me, my family is the most crucial element which makes my life more precious. Spending time with my family by picnicking at the beach definitely works to release tension. During this leisure time we can also discuss our problems such as mundane assignments, crazy charity projects, etc. My family can definitely soothe my mind and boost up my motivation again. Furthermore, hanging out with friends at the mall allows us to share or exchange our views about something that we like: football! Other than that, through our chatting I can learn something about them that I don’t already know.
Having the ability to get what I want is good living for me but it doesn’t mean getting everything that comes across my mind. What I mean is having the ability to get something but I need to put effort into it. As I believe that if in our lives we can get whatever we want our lives must be quite dull. On the other hand, by putting some effort we will appreciate the stuff more and it will have a sentimental value for us (LOL).



Afandi bin Suhaimi




Good living is everyone’s dream. It is everyone’s ambition. Good living is when you have enough or excessive money to spend, when you are in the pink of health, and you have your loved ones by your side. However, a dream will only stay a dream if you don’t work your fingers to the bone. No pain, no gain. Here, I would love to share a quote from a successful entrepreneur, who is also the founder of one of my favourite labels of all time, Calvin Klein.
When I started the business, I hardly went home. I became very driven about work and about my career.
~ Calvin Klein

His saying shows how he burnt the midnight oil to become who he is now. Yes, he is surely living a really comfortable life now. But, come to think of it again, how did he achieve his good living? “I hardly went home.” This sentence tells us something. He actually sacrificed his ‘good living’ before achieving a higher level of ‘good living’. So this concludes that, if you want a good living in the future, you better start to work all the hours that God sends.

PS: I take this opportunity to wish GOOD LUCK! to the IB seniors, as well as the IB juniors who are striving to excel in their studies.

Azlan bin Latif


What defines good living? It is something subjective. Each person will have their own opinions about good living. There are some standards that people commonly use to set a good living. The standards could be in terms of level income, education, peace, gender equality, job opportunities, or illiteracy rate. It is very difficult to measure these standards. Usually, people refer to accredited organizations like the United Nations to obtain this data. However, the data cannot be trusted 100% as it may be biased or hold calculation errors. Good living varies from country to country. A good living in Nigeria could not be a good living in America. It seems to be a lot of problems in defining a good living. Yet, these obstacles cannot be the hindrance for us to achieve our own good living.
In my opinion, a good living is made from one word: gratitude. Gratitude is the feeling of fullness. You yourself feel enough of what you have. It does not matter whether you have lots or little. The most important thing is to realize that you have something and try to appreciate that thing. Try not to look up but look down. Consider yourself lucky as you have something compared to the others that do not have. You may be fat but you are still healthy. You are poor but you have a happy family. You are ugly but you are physically perfect.
This way of thinking promotes positive thinking. You can excel with your abilities rather than fail with your flaws. In life, people need to keep moving. Only by feeling enough can you move forward. Make full use of what you have and everything will be alright. At the very least, you will satisfy yourself as you have given your best shot. Gratitude is a symbol of supremacy. You do not need other people to help you feel gratitude. It is already built in yourself. You just need to ‘harvest’ it. In the end, it could be you who do not need other people as you can stand alone by yourself.
This is the good living for me. I want to live in the world with fullness, satisfaction and completion. One could be the happiest man on earth by feeling gratitude.

Firdaus b Roslan



When I hear the term “Good Living”, what immediately comes into my mind is to live outside the IB world. (haha!) I really miss the old days when I did not have to work like a machine. It is just so hectic living in this “IB world”. There is always something - never-ending IAs, homework, EE, etc. Okay, I better stop now. x)
After a year of living in this IB world, I would definitely say that I am already married to IB. Everything is all about IB. Even during our lunch breaks or outings, no matter how much we try not to talk about anything related to IB, we will still end up talking about IB. However, I am thankful to IB because it has made me ask myself: Who am I? I never asked myself who I was or what I wanted in my life before this. Thanks to IB, it opens up my mind and really makes me think about myself.
My vision of a good life is to live a Iife not filled with ambitious plans but live a life that is worth something. I believe that IB will definitely mould me into a better person rather than a robot because money is not everything.  Money is only a means to an end in pursuing the important goals in life. And for now, the good life is about living my life each day engaged in activities, assignments, and new learning that bring personal satisfaction and fulfilment. 

Fazlin Fuad


You need the following things to lead a good life: Health, Passion, Love.
Health is the absolute essential because without a “cooperative” body you would be quite lost in the woods. Keeping healthy is always on everybody's lips, but it is not something as simple as flicking a switch. This is because healthy food is hard to come by in Malaysia. For a country that prides itself on delicacies, there is preciously little here that will help you sustain a balanced diet. The rich, oily local dishes aside, what is to blame is also the onslaught of American chain-restaurants (Chili's, TGIF, Bubba Gump) serving junk food that could ruin your health with just one serving. So if you are reading this, stay away from American restaurants!
What will help you keep fit and lean are FISH, FISH and FISH. I don't mean fish done “The Manhattan Fish Market” way; I mean fish done the sashimi way. The rawer, the better. If you can taste the sea, you are doing something right. Raw fish, especially the oily ones, are high in Omega-3 fatty acids and will keep your cholesterol level in check. On top of that, they will give you a shiny skin and a youthful appearance. Granted, fish are an acquired taste. But if I had to choose between slimy marine and excess poundage, just give me a slab of the rawest salmon any day....

I also swear by berries – the whole range of them. Not only do they taste wonderful, but they also do wonders for your skin and your overall well-being. And consume lots of greens!

Drink at least three cups of green tea a day. No, not Lipton, but the authentic imported Japanese miracle that contains an antioxidant (catechin) that can blast abdominal fat. Avoid soft drinks (Coke, Diet or otherwise, Mountain Dew, Sprite) at all costs. Do it now or you will have much to regret when youth is no longer on your side.
Passion can take many forms. For me it is definitely the capital A: the Arts. Literature, music, cinema – the sources of my inspiration and the very means that allow me to dream and create. I take these art forms very seriously (reading a book is not a pastime for me), to the extent where I get completely absorbed and can think of nothing else. There are some authors (Paul Auster, Virginia Woolf) whose works I love so much that it feels like their ideas and personalities are an inseparable part of who I am. Without them I would still be searching for a lot of answers. Music and cinema work the same way for me. I have no appreciation for classical music, so laymen's pop/jazz will have to do the trick for me. The hairs on my arms stand up every time I hear Carly Simon or Diana Krall. As for cinema, give me the visionaries of the industry (David Lynch, Woody Allen, Pedro Almodovar) and I will walk with them...
I remember writing about Love in a previous issue. I don't remember whether the views I presented back then were cynical, but it is undeniable that Love, in all shapes and degrees, plays a vital role in making life worth living. Whether it is love from a friend, a colleague, a lover or a parent, it is a force that arms you against the ugliness of the world, and your life has meaning and purpose simply because it tells you you are precious to somebody.

Edward Ong


Money is Central to Happiness
 Money is not everything but without money, everything means nothing. I know that people may say I am a narrow-minded person but this is the reality. People cannot live in this world without money. In order for us to get better health, we must have money to buy medicine, supplements and health care. Even to get someone that we love we also need money. Money is the centre of everything.
From the day we were born until now, thousands and millions have been spent by our parents on us. When we were kids, we asked a lot of things from our parents. They used some of their money to get the things that we wanted so that we could be happy. After we have grown up a bit, we need to go to school. To buy books and other school equipment, we need money. After we have finished our days in school, we then need to enter university. Now, the same things happen. We study for one purpose: to have a better future. But what is behind this purpose? To get a better paid job. Are we willing to work without being paid? Ask yourself!
 Not only that, after we have worked, when we want to get married and after we have our own family, we need money to support our lives. It is just a matter of fact that people cannot live without money, and with money, it can lead us to the “good living” that we are searching for.

Mohd Izzuddin Bin Nor Azminuddin

I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know quite certainly that just to be alive is a grand thing.

~ Agatha Christie

This statement cannot be argued anymore. We cannot find any human beings who do not suffer from any hardships in life. We can only see people who are trying to be happy instead of being sad all the time. The sadness and sufferings will however teach us to be more independent and strong to face all the challenges in life.
For me, living with 7 of my family members is one of the most precious things in my life. I have a sporting, convincing yet strict father, loving mother and the naughtiest siblings! Who says I have never fought with my brothers and sister? If we are all home (my brothers are now studying at Muadzam and Serting), the house will not be in the silent mode. Everybody will tease each other until one of us cries, especially my cute youngest brother. In the meantime, we all have different types of challenges to face in life, such as my father’s and mother’s workload as a Director and Executive respectively, big exams for my siblings and the most crucial problem in my life: the IB. So, we appreciate good living by spending time together, especially every holiday when we MUST go somewhere either in Malaysia or overseas, by having dinner every night and watching cartoons such as Ultraman, Nexus, Hagemaru, Fukuchan, Tom and Jerry and others every weekend :D

In my opinion, it depends on us whether to show appreciation in life as everyone has their own commitment. Although we think that we are the unluckiest person, there are actually huge numbers of people who are leading unpleasant lives, especially those who live in countries that are facing wars. Sometimes, we are just thinking too much and being too emotional about each problem that we have to face. So, what do we have to do now? Live life to the fullest! Go and enjoy ourselves because we only live once!

Fatin Shazea Jamaludin

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YOUR MOST LASTING MEMORY…

I have one lasting memory which I would never forget for the rest of my life. Every time it comes to mind, I will smile alone. I never thought that I would have the greatest opportunity to go to that one place which most people in this world can only dream of. Before this, I had never found something that could lift me up and build my confidence whenever I felt sad and down until this happened in my life.
It actually happened last year when my dad announced that we would be going on a holiday. At first, I did not bother about the place because my family used to travel during school holidays. However, I was eager to know when I saw my father started to do research about Paris and London. At last, on one fine day, he told us that we were going to London. I was so excited because I always wanted to go there since I was a kid.
I spent about two weeks in Amsterdam, Paris and London, learning about their cultures, enjoying the beautiful sceneries and also having fun. The best thing that ever happened in my life which would be my lasting memory was when I got to go up the Eiffel Tower at night. From there, I could see the whole of Paris lit by spotlights and decorations because it was Christmas celebration! When I reached at the top, I realized that I should be going to Paris 2 years later after I have completed my IB. But now I got the chance to go there earlier. This encourages me to be strong in IB and strive for infinite excellence!!

Fatin Shazea

When I was 17 years old, the year I sat for my SPM, something happened that will always last forever in my mind. This thing happened a day after my birthday, which was on 8 August 2008. My auntie whom I cared like my own mother passed away. She died because of cancer. What makes me not forget this thing is the regret I felt for not being with her on the day she was buried. During that day, I was sitting for my trial exam so my father did not allow me to return to the kampong.
I still remember on 7 August that year, I was having fun with my friends celebrating my birthday. I called my mother and because at that time my mother was with my auntie, I asked to speak with her. She asked me to study well for my exam that year and to make her proud. I promised her that I would do it. I also asked her to take care of her health so she would recover faster. The next day, after I finished my mathematic papers, I straightaway returned to my room and I checked my phone. I received a message from my brother but I sensed something wasn’t good. He said “Maklong is not with us anymore”. I was speechless, frozen. I straight away called my brother and asked him whether it really happened. I was very shocked and tears wet my checks. I didn’t expect that my conversation with my auntie the day before would be our last conversation.
For my SPM, I kept the promise that I made. I managed to get 10 As for it. 

Mohd Izzuddin Azminuddin

Life is very interesting. A lot of things happen in one’s life. It could be something sweet or something bitter. These experiences play an important role in characterizing a person. Awful situations in the past could result in people behaving badly in the present. However, this cannot be the reason for people to blame solely on experiences. Sometimes, experiences can be a good teacher.  People keep all experiences as memories.
19 years is very long and I have gone through many experiences that I cannot forget. One memory that I would like to share is how I had gone through my secondary school. At the age of 13, I was sent to continue my study at a boarding school. It generally was a pleasant memory. It was there that I had to learn to take care of myself. I had to wake up early to organize myself. Time management was very important as no-one was there to help you. Mistakes were familiar as I was naive. I need to thank my friends for helping me survive that phase. When I was hungry, it was they who offered to share their food. When I was sick, it was their medicines that helped me to recover.  We lived like one big family. Those 5 years flew by very fast.
I will never forget this experience. My friends have helped me to be what I am today. Thank ya!
P.S. Thanks to Hakim who was my senior in my secondary school. Not forgetting, all my IB seniors, and Keat Meng! It is nice to have all of you as my friends.

Firdaus B Roslan

He is just a normal guy, not really smart, or rich but we do understand each other. The first time I met him was at a mosque where we went for religious classes. The first time I was in the class, I felt really lonesome as nobody was affable. In the third class, I saw him and I thought he was a new student. Moreover, he took a seat beside me at the back. I didn’t feel comfortable in the class yet although it was my third class. However, he started our first conservation.
‘’I love cricket too.”
“How do you know I love it?’’
“Your key chain tells me everything.”
He was the first person I spoke with, and I knew that we had a lot in common. He loved playing cricket. He loved Malay literature – pantun. After a month, we became closer. Every time after class, we would hang out at a café nearby and then we would go to a pet shop to look for fish. We both loved fish. It was one day when I didn’t bring money to pay for my food that he paid for me. And he always helped old people around the mosque.
Suddenly, my parents asked me to stop studying there as the mosques was too far from our house. After few days I didn’t go to class and he called me. I tried to explain to him but it seemed couldn’t understand my situation and he wanted me to continue to study there. Yeah, I understood why he forced me as he was lonely. I didn’t understand why all of our classmates were reluctant to be close with him.
I didn’t hear anything from him anymore. I found that he studied around my house.  I tried to trace him but I failed. I asked my friends who studied at the same school with him. But, what a surprise! The friends told me that he was such a jerk! He was nearly kicked out of the school. His discipline record was terrible. He smoked, played truant, etc.
I never expected that he was that terrible. But, I wanted his explanation as to why people talked bad about him. Why? If he is so, he would still be my best friend.
Nearly 8 years I have been waiting for him but I will never give up. He is Muhd Norsyafiq bin Muhd Norhisyam. Hope to meet you one day!

Ahmad Afandi Bin Suhaimi

My most lasting memory happened about a year ago. I went to Bandar Seri Iskandar, Perak to be interviewed for the Petronas scholarship. I travelled with two of my best friends and it was the first time for me to travel far without my parents. We took a bus to get there, and we stayed at my aunt’s house for a night, before checking in the University Teknologi Petronas (UTP) where the interview was going to be held the next day.

The next morning started out great with a perfect breakfast. But a great start of a day never tells you that the rest of the day is going to be perfect as well. As soon as I reached UTP, the soles of my shoes were torn, both sides. Till they got really annoying, I decided to rip them off, and I walked around the place with the shoe’s upper part, and only the thin layer of my socks as the base. The worst part was when it got wet. As much as I tried to hide it from everyone, I had to bear with the humiliating condition. I dressed smartly with my Padini shirt, and tailored dark pants, but my feet, they could see my toes stuck out from the shoes. Embarrassing much?
It was very demotivating. I could not concentrate on the preparation for the interview. And to see the other snobbish-looking candidates made me lose my self-esteem. Completely. However, I managed to distract myself from the embarrassment. I was even interviewed by the officers and lecturers with my toes stuck out from the shoes. But that did not matter, as I ended up being chosen as one of the few to get the Petronas scholarship to go overseas. Forest Gump says, “Life is like a box of chocolates. You will never know what you are going to get”.

Azlan Bin Latif

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In the Spotlight…: The OM Staff

Fatin Shazea (Blogger)

1. What is the one thing you absolutely can’t live without? Why?

I can’t live without my teddy bears. My most favorite teddy is the one that is fluffy, nice to hug and of course it came from the special one =) The reason why I’m so into them and why I can’t live without them is because they can comfort me and can also be used as one of the mediums for me to express my happiness or madness :D

2. Tell us one thing that we may not know about you.

I used to fight with people, especially boys, when I was 13. Which should make me a nerd (you guys will definitely laugh if you see my nerdy face especially with that round spectacle and NAME TAG!). One time, if I hadn’t been able to control my anger, I would have been in jail for killing a girl in a case where she dared me to fight with her. I accepted the challenge and I sat on her bump until she couldn’t breathe. Fuh =.=

3. How do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

I see myself having a stable family with lots of kids and a steady position in a big company and still loving Facebook

Nicholas Foo (Illustrator)

1. What is the one thing you absolutely can’t live without? Why?

The beach. It is where I feel most at homeJ

2. Tell us one thing that we may not know about you.

I believe that everything that exists (plants, animals, inanimate objects) is of the same equivalence or even more important than our existence (human beings).

3. How do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

Wandering from place to place with temporary jobs

Cassandra Teo (In-House Author)

1. What is the one thing you absolutely can’t live without? Why?

My music. I love to feel the beat and move to it. It makes me feel good no matter what.

2. Tell us one thing that we may not know about you. My bark is worse than my bite ;)

3. How do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

Doing what I love best! Spending my time outdoors (hiking, rock climbing, etc), helping to save and restore the environment, travelling and trying out all kinds of different foods.

 

Yati Ishak (Advertiser/Facebook-manager)

1. What is the one thing you absolutely can’t live without? Why?

My blackberry of course (: Well, it has everything! There’s bbm which is blackberry messenger, meaning you can chat with other blackberry users for FREE! There’s also MSN messenger and Yahoo messenger. I can Facebook and Twitter whenever and wherever! I can make calls, text people, take pictures, make videos. What more can I ask for? (:

2. Tell us one thing that we may not know about you.

I secretly have a crush on Mr.Ong… :o hahah. Did it scare you??? I’m kidding (: though at times when Mr. Ong dresses well, he looks really good! Okay enough about that. Let’s see… oh here’s something interesting. I admire girls who are my kind of pretty/hot/elegant/sophisticated. I’d go like “Wow, she’s so pretty!”, “Oh my god! I love the way she dances!” or “Daaaaang I admire her so much. Look at her. She looks so elegant and sophisticated.” But this does not mean I like girls until I want to be in a relationship with them. It’s just those mutual feelings you know and I just admire their looks. It’s just a physical thing. And still some of my friends call me bi for it. Haha. Just so you know, I am not bi. It’s just this thing that I have. That’s something you don’t hear people confess about yea? (:

3. How do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

I’d be 30 years old! OHMYGOD. Well, I’d probably be married with a kid/kids? Living in a decent house. Not too big, not too small. I’d be driving a BMW X5 since I’ve got a kid/kids. I’d own a BMW Z4 for my husband and me to drive. Well, that would be his car. Mine would be a white BMW 3series coupe. Wow I can imagine it already and it is PUHRETTY! (: I see myself running around organizing events, calling people up for sponsorships, searching performances to perform for events, and making sure the event runs smoothly. Oh, I also see myself advertising events, running Facebook groups like what I’m doing now with Opinionated Monthly, making sure everything is up to date. Yup, I see myself living the life; happily with my family, earning money, loving my work, probably travelling here and there. That’s how I see myself in ten years’ time (:

 

Azlan Latif (Advertiser)

1. What is the one thing you absolutely can’t live without? Why?

I can’t live without chocolates. I will have chocolates after every meal. I destress myself with chocolates, and chocolates put me in a good mood.

2. Tell us one thing that we may not know about you.

I wanted to pursue my studies in medicine actually.
3. How do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

In 10 years’ time, hopefully I will have a beautiful wife who understands me best, handsome and pretty kids, and a high-salary job. Ahh what more could I ask for?

Lim Wei Jie (In-House Author)

1. What is the one thing you absolutely can’t live without? Why?

Me J.

But really, risk. I can’t stand living life in the conventional manner. There has to be some sort of a calculated risk involved, to give me a breath of fresh air or adrenaline rush from the unpredictability of the outcome. Risk in the context of ideas, projects, even homework deadlines! (IB teachers alert!) But I have to be careful not to overstep the border that separates foolishness from risk.

2. Tell us one thing that we may not know about you.

I use to be really short. Puberty hit me when I was 16 and before that, I had this outlandish idea of me never ever growing up. Anyway, skipping 500 times a day during the holidays helped and here I am now.

3. How do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

 Working in a 3 Michelin-star rated restaurant? Well, I doubt that idea will ever take off so hopefully, I’ll be working in a Fortune 500 company, preferably in Korea, inject my family tree with foreign blood and no kids, yet. If these situations don’t come true (God forbid!) you can find me in a secluded corner in the US, pathetically selling overpriced calligraphy pieces to white people.

Izzuddin BN Azminuddin (Illustrator)

1. What is the one thing that you absolutely can’t live without? Why?

I’m not sure myself what it is. People who I love I think. (What I mean is my family, and all my friends).

2. Tell us one thing that we may not know about you.

It took some time for me to answer this question. Haha. Hmm, people can see that I’m a happy person but deep inside my heart, who knows. :p

3. How do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

In 10 years time, maybe I will have already got married with the person that I love and be travelling around the world with her.  :p

Firdaus B Roslan (Illustrator)

1. What is the one thing that you absolutely can’t live without? Why?

I can’t live without my sweetheart, the little red heart. It keeps me alive.

2. Tell us one thing that we may not know about you.

I would like something BIG. I want to own a big house, a big car, and big money. I myself want to be somebody big. Yeah! Let’s grow bigger.

3. How do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

10 years older.

 

Afandi Bin Suhaimi (Blogger)

1. What is the one thing you absolutely can’t live without? Why?

Absolutely my lappy. Firstly, all the important documents I have saved in the laptop hard disk, including all my pictures, are tremendously precious to me. Furthermore, Adobe Photoshope CS3 creates my ideal world. Using this programme I can create thousands of beautiful pictures which are really impressive, at least for me. If you want to take pictures with somebody you admire most, you can use this programme to create a picture of you with the person. If get pimples, you can get rid of them with just one click, and the next click can create a perfect skin tone. If you want to be a model, you can make yourself more than a supermodel.

However, the most important reason is I need my laptop to get better internet access, so that I can get in touch with my friends all over the world, whom I miss a lot. But IAs are starting to take away my precious time.

2. Tell us one thing that we may not know about you.

I love Malay literature, especially pantun. I was such an expert during my schooling days but I have left that world.

3. How do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

I will be working with an outstanding oil company. I will have married and maybe have children.

Pratik Raghu (In-House Author)

1. What is the one thing you absolutely can’t live without? Why?

As cheesy as it sounds, I must say I would not be able to live without my family. I share a very close relationship with my parents, one that I can’t imagine being deprived of. I cherish the fact that we can communicate effectively with each other, and that my parents saw to it that I was able to lead the life I wanted to.

2. Tell us one thing that we may not know about you.

I am awful with giving drivers directions. Weirdly enough, I intuitively ‘feel’ my way around places, instead of remembering road signs, landmarks and left turns. Make me your navigator at your peril!

3. How do you see yourself in ten years’ time?

I see myself having a job that allows me to serve people in need compassionately and creatively. I do not see myself walled into a tiny cubicle in some towering steel and glass façade, gormlessly working myself to death for soulless fat cats.

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~MARCH'S DISCUSSION TOPIC~ LOVE

~ MARCH’S DISCUSSION TOPIC ~

LOVE

What is love? Does true love exist? Is there such a thing as everlasting love? Is love purely biological or spiritual? Is monogamy the only way? Is love entirely selfless or selfish? Love – the age-old conundrum.

First of all, I sincerely would like to thank all PETRONAS scholars for the great initiative of taking Malay A1, which can be described as a dream come true. I love you guys so much! And I love other IB students and teachers too! =) Love? What is love? Love is a big, meaningful word. People have searched for the meaning of love a million times over. But even the great philosophers, with their researched definitions, could not get hold of its true essence. Actually, the meaning of love could only be defined by ourselves.

Since I am not taking English A1 anymore, I am going to spread the importance of love in our life which I wrote about in my World Lit Essay. The important message that can be seen in the work of Hermann Hesse is the nature of father-son relationships. Throughout the work, the writer manifests the various emotional sentiments revolving around father-son relationships.  While the father appears to offer an abundance of love, the respective son seems to be unappreciative. Despite the efforts of the father, the sons continue to show signs of disrespect, indifferent attitudes, and to some extent, rudeness.

In the case of Siddhartha, his character is portrayed as someone who continues to offer his fatherly love, and harbours hope that someday, his son will be able to accept and love him as a father. Siddhartha is genuine and expects nothing in return other than his son’s love even as his son continues to show disrespect and cold behavior towards him. His love is without expectations and unconditional: “Still, he loved him, and he cherished the sorrow and suffering of love more than joy and happiness without the boy”. This is because the son has never met and felt his father’s love. However, Siddhartha chooses to suffer and be in the presence of pleasure of his son rather than enjoy worldly pleasure without his son’s company. Siddhartha even disregards Vasudeva’s advice and persuasion for him to give up. He continues wooing his son’s heart even as Vasudeva says to him: “Your son, dear friend, is causing you worry, and he is causing me worry too”. This shows that he tries to convince Siddhartha to give up as the son’s attitude has caused them much to worry about. Siddhartha still wants to love his son but meets resistance from him. He does not realise that his action is bound to an earthly desire.

In a subsequent passage, Siddhartha is reinforced as a determined person. He is tenacious in his decisions as he strongly believes that he will someday win his son’s heart if he continues to pursue his objective with love and patience. The bonding between the two is very strong as is evident in his willingness to face any circumstances in order to capture his son’s heart: “Look, I am fighting for him, I am wooing his heart, I want to capture it with love and friendly patience”. Eventually, he does not realise that the cycle repeats itself, which is the cycle of the nature of father-son relationship. However, Siddhartha loves his son and assumes that someday, the son will start to love him as a father.

As we can see, the bond between the father and the son is very strong until Siddhartha does not even care about his son’s attitude and still hopes for the son’s love. This behaviour shows how important love is until someone is willing to sacrifice his own feelings in order to be loved.

Fatin Shazea Jamaludin

Holding firmly a dark brown wrapped glass bottle in his left hand, Shawn yells strongly in pain till he can be heard in the next few houses. He has gulped the liquid in the bottle and now he is suffering. He staggers a few inches forward, trying to reach a portrait on a wall in his living room, and his vision is getting blurred and he feels truly dizzy. He tightly clutches his throat with both hands. The bottle glides down and breaks into pieces. Then, he collapses on to a rocking chair, falls down on the floor, crawls, and his fingers are scratching the floor. He is committing suicide.
Why? Is he mad? A short question clouds my thoughts. Why did he do so? Once again, a question storms in my confused mind.
Knock! Knock! Knock! Somebody is at the front door.
‘Open the door! Shawn! Open!’ A loud shrilling female voice is heard, urging Shawn to open the door but, actually, it is unlocked. That is Sherry. For Shawn, she is a special person in his life. Because there is no response, she pushes the door open and dashes into the living room. Startled, her eyes are on Shawn, who is lying on the floor. Quickly, she cuddles him.
‘I-I-I-’m sorry Shawn, it’s really my fault. I-I-I never mean to do so!’ Sherry wails.

Earlier, Shawn went to meet Sherry at her work place, a restaurant which is situated 25 metres from Shawn’s dwelling. He invited Sherry to sit with him because he had something to tell her and it seemed to be quite important for him. So, Sherry sat in the opposite chair. She felt pretty anxious with Shawn’s strange behavior as since their first meeting seven years ago, he had never been this serious.
Shawn removed something from his pocket and showed it to Sherry. He knelt and articulated, ‘Would you marry me?’
‘Are you mad?’, she replied loudly in surprise, frowning.
Her eyes showed her blazing wrath. Everybody in the restaurant was staring at them both, and some of them were clapping their hands. Shawn was surprised by her reaction and she was truly surprised by his action. Shawn thought Sherry loved him but she thought Shawn was out of his mind. Then, she slapped him, just nice on his left cheek, in public. A wave of shame went over him. He was dreadfully disappointed as he wasted seven years waiting for this moment. After that, he quickly left the restaurant.
‘Shawn! Wake up!’ Sherry cries to Shawn whose head is on her lap, but it is too late. He is dead. Tears stream swiftly from her eyes and she feels terribly lost.
I know that Shawn loved her more than himself and I do know that Sherry loves him, but due to her shyness, she harshly rejected his propose. Every day, Shawn would stare at the portrait on the wall about an hour. It was Sherry’s portrait. Shawn loved her very much. If he could not win her heart, he believed his life was valueless because he got cancer and he only could survive a few weeks more. Winning her love was the only thing he dreamt of. Sherry loves him as well. She keeps his picture in her purse and always smiles when she looks at it.

Wha can I do? I am just a little bird in a steel cage. I only can see and but can do nothing. If I am free, I am sure that I can help them and other people as well. And, of course, Shawn would be the happiest man in this world if he knew that Sherry loves him.
Ahmad Afandi

Valentine’s Day is around the corner and February is a month that is linked to love and lust. What is love actually and how do we define love? Love means different things to different people, but probably one thing they all have in common is the unselfish giving of ourselves and showing concern for each other. Some people might say that love is a burning passion and compassion for someone who makes you gasp at their every action. There are also certain people that do not believe in love, maybe because they have been hurt before. As for me, I would say that love is a complicated matter. It can hurt, and it can be great at the same time. My concern right now is: can we still love our partner when we are ninety? Will this feeling last forever though our partner changes a lot, not to mention he or she will become fatter and very different from whom they are right now?

               Love is blind, that is the reason why we can find many young couples kissing each other without thinking about their partner’s background.  They might say that love conquers everything or love is the strongest force on earth; what I can conclude about those young couples is: they are morons. In my opinion, in order to find the love of your life, you must begin by looking for the qualities that you want inside our partner. It might sound selfish, but this is the truth. What I mean by quality refers to the characters of our partner. Most young lovers do not really care about their partner’s personality. They will say love is blind, but think carefully, if your lover is a drug addict, will you still love him? Only stupid people will do that. Regarding my concern above, I strongly believe that we will not have the same feeling towards our partner when we are ninety. Logically, people change, so do our feelings. The only reason why we stick with the same partner is all the responsibilities that we have. If you are already married, surely, you do not want to start over again. What I mean is I do not think people that have a stable career would care to fall in love and have new babies all over again. They might as well stay with the same partner.

               Some people will say that love can bind two souls together forever until the day they die. This is another rubbish statement that does not make sense. How can you be so sure that your partner is created for you? As for me, I would say that everything would be sweet for you if the relationship is still at the early stage.  You do not know your partner’s inner self yet and I am sure everyone will try to hide their inner self especially in front of their loved ones. Things will somehow change when you have already known your partner for a long time; you will start to see their weaknesses.

               Next, I would say that I do not believe in love at first sight. Running through a field, arms wide open, a long embrace, and an even longer kiss. All these things will only happen in fairy tale. Love at first sight is actually lust at first sight. Seeing a stranger for the first time and admiring their beauty and physical attributes does not mean that you are in love. Most are so caught up with the first exciting moments of a new relationship that they go so far as to call it ‘love’. They do not understand their feeling, and the only thing that makes them attracted to each other is only appearances. Love takes time, commitment, nourishment, and trust. Without all those values, love will not be a success. In my opinion, people who say that they fell in love at first sight simply mean that they are in awe of the good looks they see.

               For some people, they would say that I have such a cynical view about love. I am just telling you my opinion, as I do not want people to keep on living in a fairy tale. Trust me, true love does not exist, as we are neither Cinderella nor Snow White. Wake up and get a life, step into reality. Maybe true love does exist, but it is hard to maintain given the distractions.

Sheril Emy Idayu Binti Abdul Latiff

What is love? Love is god. There’s a poem by Rumi, a Sufi poet, that I’d like to share with you:

“Gamble everything for love,

If you’re a true human being.

If not, leave this gathering.

Half-heartedness doesn’t reach into majesty.

You set out to find god, but then you keep

Stopping for long periods at mean-spirited roadhouses.”

Loving others is not so much an obligation but a privilege. Also, loving someone gives that person value; valuing someone increases love. Love is a wonderful feeling. It’s the feeling I get when I’m river trekking, camping, being in the outdoors and swimming.

Does true love exist? Yes.

Is there such thing as everlasting love? Yes.

Is love purely biological or spiritual? It’s intertwined.

Is love entirely selfless or selfish? Neither.

Before I end, I’d like to send my love to Liza, Pamelyn and Jenifer. Thank you.

Surain A.

              

Love, there are people who die because of love. Love, with its power, can make people fly high into the sky. What does love mean? Is it just a relation of man and a woman or does it mean more than that? For me, love means more than just a relation, means more than holding hands together, means more than just about having sex. To find the person that we love is easy, but to keep loving the same person is difficult. So, in a relationship, it is important to understand each other. This is the basic rule of relationships. If we cannot understand our partner, problems will arise later on.

               Love happens everywhere. Love is funny, especially when it happens when you least expect it. Since I got to Sri KDU, I have seen quite a number of incidents where my friends ‘accidentally’ fall in love. This one incident, however, which I personally rate as very sweet, is currently happening to one of my closest friends here.

               He is a student that a student should be. He has his mind concentrated on studies and assignments. He mixes well with everyone around. Initially, to him, it was all joy and contentment everyday having friends by his side. It was indeed a new experience for him to socialize with girls especially. Until one day, he himself could not understand what actually happened to him. He realized that he missed that one particular person during the long school break. For some reason, he was not fond of what he was feeling. He found that the feeling was kind of a torture, causing him to think of her most of the time, distracting him from his own life.

               Jealousy is an everyday feeling for him now. He feels jealous when she talks to other people but not him. He tries everyday to overcome the feeling, but it will eventually end in failure. Everyday he has the hope of getting at least some attention from her. He comes to the conclusion that what is happening to him is unavoidable. For the first time ever, he feels weak, unable to fight the feeling. Love is complicated.

               As for me, I prefer to be a lonely soldier boy. :p

Mohd Izzuddin Bin Nor Azminuddin

An elusive word, love. Love is complicated. Love is natural. There, a series of statements associated with love. Can someone define love? How does it feel when someone falls in love? Is love real? Uh, so many questions!

As love is subjective, it differs from person to person. One may say that love is when one cares for his partner. Emphasis on the word “care”. Next, one could say that when people are in love, they sacrifice for their relationship. At the other end, love satisfies human. Humans are blessed with feelings. One of the feelings is love. Oh, love is now a kind of feeling! There are people who say that love is needed to produce offspring. HAHAHA. Eh, we are not supposed to love only humans. We can love our shirts, our country, our school, our car, etc. Whoa, love is so big it can embrace almost everything.

Even for the definition of love, so many troubles have to be endured. In a world driven by knowledge and logic, everything must fall back on definitions. Definitions are very important as they provide the basis that we can fall on. We cannot build a tower without laying the foundation first. If there is no real definition for love, what is love actually? See, a question like that can already trigger so many problems. Maybe love is just a word with no meaning. Oh yea! Baah, to people who say that they are in love. There are other words that they can use like care, need, lust and responsibility. If we already have specific words like these, do we need the word love? Expunge this word. It just adds more confusion to the already complex world. The combination of the letters L, O, V, and E is invalid. They do not carry real meaning. Maybe the best way to end this is by uttering 3 most famous words: I LOVE YOU. Hmm, no difference right! I told yea :P

Firdaus B Roslan

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