Good.
This is going to be a relatively long post. I think.
Sat at the Gardens Lounge to catch up on my reading and sipped White Coffee and Teh Tarik that is provided for free, all while waiting for the car to be polished and vacuum-ed. At the end of it, I paid RM2 for parking and RM10 for the car wash and I go home a happy girl for spending my money and my time wisely.
I did get carried away with my current read Three Cups of Tea (which I will be talking about in a bit) and did not see the message that my car was ready. To think that the guys at
Cars had to wait for me to collect my keys before they could go buka puasa. Or the fact that they had to wash my car for me despite them fasting. I felt really really bad. =(
Even if they never see this - I'm sorry! And they did a really good job cleaning my car, they always do. So thank you also! =)
We had a blackout in the office today. And I had a mushroom quiche and a hot chocolate for lunch. Yums.
Speaking of Three Cups of Tea, I'm not remotely close to finishing it soon, unless I consciously spend more time on it but anyway, every now and then, certain parts of the story makes me tear. And today, this part really got me:
"As Mortenson learned that night over a meal of dal and rice at Haji Ali's, Mouzafer had just completed a heroic eighteen days. A landslide had once again blocked the only track from Skardu to Korphe, and Mouzafer, freshly returned from a 130-mile round trip on the Baltoro with a Japanese expedition, had led a small party of porters, carrying ninety-pounds bags of cement eighteen miles upriver to Korphe. A slight man then in his mid sixties, Mouzafer had made more than twenty trips bearing his heavy load, skipping meals and walking day and night so that the cement would be at the building site in time for Mortenson's arrival."
And if that didn't get you, let's continue with the next paragraph, which is an account of Mouzafer himself:
"When I first met Mr Greg Mortenson on the Baltoro, he was a very friendly talking lad," Mouzafer says, "always joking and sharing his heart with the poor person like the porters. When I lost him and thought he might die out on the ice, I was awake all night, praying to Allah that I might be allowed to save him. And when I found him again, I promised to protect him forever with all my strength. Since then he has given much to the Balti. I am poor, and can only offer him my prayer. Also the strength of my back. This I gladly gave so he could build his school."
Simple kind gestures, from one human to another, the gratitude goes such a long way. The truth is, we all know that while we sit in the comfort of our homes, while we live out our comfortable little lives - don't deny it, if you're reading this, chances are that you can afford the internet and a computer and that you have the ability to read, many people don't have this luxury to say the least.
We don't even have to go halfway around the Earth, to where the characters of the book are from. This made me think of the porters who helped us up Mt KK, they carried loads that we couldn't possible imagine, and they were happy, they didn't ask for a lot in life, I think. They were just doing what they had to. And they were glad to be of help.
At this point, I'm not quite sure what I am trying to get at, but I think what I am trying to say is that we need to appreciate what we have. And while one simple ringgit may not mean a lot to us, let us remember those who have to work so so hard, for that same ringgit that we barely even think about. Nobody expects anyone to donate their fortunes and wealth to the poor and less fortunate, but perhaps, in our everyday lives, if we could just be a little more understanding, a little more kind, and a little more patient, maybe, just maybe, the world will be a better place.
And this brings me to another point. I told you it was going to be a long post, at least now that's certain.
Difficult people will get their way. Eventually. I don't understand the dynamics of it, or even if I do, I don't. One would think that nice people will be the ones who will 'win'. While that's not entirely false, it certainly is not entirely true either. The question that begs to be answered is, is it worthwhile to make someone else miserable just to achieve your own personal goal? My answer would be a no. But many others, based on my own observation, they'd do whatever it takes, to ensure that they get what they want.
I feel like I've talked about this before, it's one of my recurring themes on this blog and one that I struggle with to grasp in my daily life. I suppose I could admire the straightforwardness in these individuals and their tenacity and their determination in obtaining what they want. However, that's just not possible - it's hard for me to be fond of them, or to want to be nice to them, though they probably don't care about me being nice or not, as long as they get what they want.
I can only hope that I do not model after such behaviour. This doesn't mean that I'll allow people to push me around, or that I will bend my own principles to suit others, this just means that in achieving my own goals, I will not put others down. If I have to take the stairs instead of the lifts because the mechanic can't figure out what is wrong with the lifts, then so be it. What is a couple of flight of stairs? Even if you had to climb 99 flights of stairs, what good does yelling at the repair man do? You get what I mean?!
Again, yes, with some people, you have to be strict. Otherwise, you may never get anything done. But it's a balance lah I suppose. There's a fine line between being considerate and over-stepping boundaries. Let's all just be conscious about what we do, and think about how you'd feel if you are the other person. The wise saying, do unto others as you would have them do unto you, will best define our actions.
One of the other things I've been learning to do is to give and not have return expectations. It's not easy for me. And I still do get upset. But I'm getting better at handling it.
I think I had a couple more points to share, but I'm exhausted now. My hand is. So I'll end here, thank you for hearing me out and let's be good people, as best as we can.
Goodnight you all! xx
