Muse Of The Day : Coldplay - Paradise

When she was just a girl,
She expected the world,
But it flew away from her reach so
She ran away in her sleep and dreamed of Paradise.
Every time she closed her eyes
When she was just a girl,
She expected the world,
But it flew away from her reach and
the bullets catch in her teeth
Life goes on, it gets so heavy
The wheel breaks the butterfly
Every tear a waterfall
In the night the stormy night
she'll close her eyes
In the night the stormy night away she'd fly

NO RESPONSIBILITIES. That would be the best statement to describe the feeling of youth. Everyday would be a question of what to do, what to play, where to go, and who to meet. Living life like as though it would last forever. Friends and social gatherings, games, parties, would be the main priority. Money was never a concern, as you could always ask for more from your parents, a seemingly limitless well of funds ready for you to withdraw from whenever things were running dry.

GROWING UP - THE WORKING WORLD - RESPONSIBILITIES. Where are your friends now? Yes, they're still your best friends, the people you feel closest to, and always remember. The times and opportunities you have to meet up are limited, work consumes most of your time, money, family, responsibilities surface to the forefront of your attentions. You no longer see your best friends every day, every week - and some are far far away, searching for that perfect job - financial security & a lavish life.

Every now and then you'd wish you have more time to spend with them, to catch up and discuss - to share what has happened to you, what has changed in life since you last saw them. But you're an adult in the working world now - you've learnt to be more careful of the things you say and do, to be more private and to keep your secrets to yourself. You hate to admit it, but you've changed. So have they.

So - strive hard to build a paradise on earth, one that you enjoy with your friends and family - regardless of how old you are, and where your different paths in life take you. The pressures of the New Age are great - you see children committing suicide due to poor exam results, adults taking their own lives due to financial and emotional difficulty. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger - learn to accept the bad, look for the positives. Stay happy, stay strong. Keep your friends & family close - they will support you when you most need them. Build your own paradise on Earth. Life is a gift, accept it, embrace it, live it.

Question Of The Day - How would you build your paradise, if you were given a choice?

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Today in the news - many tributes are pouring in for Marina Keegan - a Yale student who tragically lost her life at 22, a writer with a bright future, extinguished in the blink of an eye. Her view of the world is one I believe many a youth shares and reading this article brings many thoughts of what could be, and what could have been.

You can read the article here:

http://www.yaledailynews.com/news/2012/may/27/keegan-opposite-loneliness/?cross-campus

RIP - Marina Keegan

Muse Of The Day: Jason Derulo - What If

If you are the one
Then us meeting here is fate
Future with a dog named Ben
Buy a house with a fireplace
This is the first I've seen your face
But there a chance we are soulmates
I know that this might sound crazy
You don't know my name
What if...

Life is full of "What Ifs". Reflection and regret are part and parcel of life - and thats possibly what makes us stronger and better as human beings. Even a baby or child learns not to do things that hurt them, e.g touching a hot kettle or knocking your head against something.

What if you could have studied harder for an exam paper that you took?

What if you would have known the prices of houses in KL would skyrocket, so you'd eat bread everyday at lunch just to get a house earlier?

What if you could have gone back - talked to the girl that you loved (if you could call it love) back in college?

Some of these "mistakes" would haunt you for the rest of your life. I'm glad to say that i'm content with most of the decisions in life I've made, even though some were definitely mistakes, they've helped me to grow as a person.

Question of the day - What would you have done differently if you were given a chance?

Muse Of The Day : Katy Perry - Part Of Me

This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no
Throw your sticks and stones, Throw your bombs and your blows
But you're not gonna break my soul
This is the part of me that you're never gonna ever take away from me, no

Its ok to lie - everybody lies. Have you ever heard that before, or perhaps told it to yourself to reassure you were doing the right thing? Did you lie as a child, sometimes to avoid being scolded or perhaps lying to get something you wanted? How different are we as adults now? We lie for selfish reasons, and we also lie for the sake of others - butis this the right thing to do?

Culture, society and our environment shapes us to be who we are today. The decisions we make in life also determine the path we end up walking and the people we meet along the way play a big impact in the way we behave as human beings.

As we grow up, childish dreams fade, the responsibility of adulthood forces us to see a reality far from what we learnt from our parents, kindergarten, school etc. For me, even the view or perception of my parents and family members changed as I was growing up.

Dreams of fairy godmothers, princesses & their prince charming, happily ever after fade away with time. In a more Malaysian perspective - I wonder how many of us ended up doing what we "bercita-cita" to be in school - Polis, Askar, Doktor - serve King & Country?

When I was younger, I always told myself to make sure I do the right thing, to not do anything that would offend "God" as I wanted to be as perfect as I could a human, to help people whenever I could & do the right thing at all times. Looking back, I see a shadow of my former self, a person now tainted by the harsh realities of the world - a personwith a better understanding of why people say "No one is perfect".

Despite all these negative influences and changes in myself, I believe the one part of me that no one will ever be able to take away is my love for my immediate family and the country where I was born in.

What will you never ever compromise? What can life & the world never take away from you?

Muse Of The Day : Taylor Swift ft The Civics - Safe And Sound
Just close your eyes,
The sun is going down,
You'll be alright,
No one can hurt you now,
Come morning light,
You and I'll be safe and sound.

Hunger - a strong, compelling need or desire

Watching the Hunger Games really changed my perspective of the life I live, and refocuses the thought process on what is really important in life. Our ancestors - fought for survival against nature, wild beasts, disease, hunger - and came out triumphant. Malaysia's founders - fought for a hunger to be free from rule, the freedom to shape our country and lead it to greater heights.

What do we fight for today now that we have freedom? Our parents & their parents fought to provide us everything we would need - food & shelter, so that we would not have to be a Katniss Everdeen - sleep in a tree, hunt for our own food, start a fire. What are we - Malaysians - fighting for today? What will our generation be remembered for?

If the Mayans are right (told you the Gregorian Calendar was wrong - how can the Feb 29 babies only have Birthdays once every 4 years! That's not fair!), and the world were to start falling apart some time this year, what skills do you have to keep yourself alive? The material dreams we chase - cars, condos, cash, would probably be rendered meaningless right? What good is a gold bar or diamonds when the world's temperature rises to unbearable levels or in the face of a natural disaster? Would Hugh Hefner's Playboy Bunnies be able to save him or themselves?

The kampung boys & girls would probably smile with glee - an offer to trade a Mercedez for the knowledge on how to catch fish or start a fire? What skills have we learnt that would help us in such a situation? Yes I could be a Diamond player in Starcraft, and have a Level 60 character in Diablo III, or be the top student in Economics - but I can't beat my dad when it comes to plucking (sometimes stealing!) fruits from a tree or grabbing a live fish with just his bare hands.

Which then brings me to another topic which I feel compelled to comment on - how does pointing fingers, setting up burger stalls, doing butt-exercises prove to us - The Rakyat - who is better suited to lead the country (lets just assume it doesn't all end in 2012 - phew!)?

The Government's promise is one of safety & security, while the Opposition promises change. Change - for better or for worse? Looking at Greece, Spain, or even closer to home - Thailand - it gives me chills thinking about what the cost of fighting for change, and the result of that fight may be for Malaysia. For many of us Gen-Y, we never knew the cost of such fighting which our grandparents/parents had to go through - to go to sleep fearing for our safety, or where the next meal may come from.

For tonight, I'll go to sleep, knowing that come morning light, you and I'll be safe and sound.

What is your definition of "Safe and Sound" in this 2012 World that we live in?