Acknowledgement Doesn't Hurt

You know what beats me?The fact that the society today is getting more and more ignorant, shallow and unthoughtful. We look down on others. Others who are not as privileged, rich or lucky like we are. Now, I'm not saying that I don't do this sometimes. I also have the tendency to forget what I would normally not do or the least, forbid myself not to do. I am human and humans forget sometimes.

Everyday, we ignore those who seem insignificant to us, those who we presume are not worthy or not important. Like garbage collectors, or waiters. We forget to say thank you or offer a smile to them because in our minds, they simply do not matter at all. Its as if they are invisible or transparent because our eyes don't see what they don't want to see. But what we don't seem to understand is that they indeed ARE important to us, they are important to our society.

Time and again, we descriminate against people who are different than us. But has it ever crossed our minds that without different people, it makes our world extremely boring, dull and undiverse? Then, everyone would be the same. This way, everyone would have the same job, everyone has the same personality and religion. Everyone will be the same. Has it ever crossed our minds that without dissimilar humans, there wouldn't be anybody to sweep the roads or to collect trash from our houses? God created every person for a reason. Everyone plays a role in ensuring that a balanced, beautiful world exists.

Everyone is important, regardless if you're a maid or a construction worker. So the next time you pass by your school janitor, offer him/her a smile. After all, a smile costs nothing but worths everything. You might just make their day by them knowing that they are appreciated for their effort poured into making your school a cleaner place. Perhaps,you could say thank you to your waiter next time he brings you your bill. He did, after all serve you your coffee.

My point is, acknowledge those who aren't as fortunate as you. You never know, you might be in their shoes one day, craving for that scarce bit of acknowlegement that people rarely grant you.

Are Regrets Necessary?

You slogged it out in the office. You have had a tough day. All you are looking forward to is may be a bath and then hitting the sack. You suffer through the traffic, get back home, talk to a few people on your way back over the phone, your fingers itching to hit the disconnect button. You loosen the buttons, wipe off the early summer sweat and finally hit the doorbell. The final flight of stairs seem like a challenge too magnamious. Yet, you walk on. You are irritated with "life". The frustration shows up in the way you untie, unbutton, unzip. You are only minutes away from hitting the shower knob.

You thought to sit down for a minute to cool off. That's exactly when the world of "What if" hits you. That world is a deep, mysterious place where time ceases to exist. Wherever you are, you are seamingly pushed into that world. May be it was because of someone posting about something that you couldn't become. You begin thinking. What if you had a bit more money to begin with. what if you had a better job? What if you pursued your dreams instead of giving in to your mom and dad? The closed room is stifling your thoughts. You look up.

You forgot to turn on the fan. Heck you even forgot to turn on the lights. Wiping the sweat from your neck, you drag yourself to the window and open it. The warm gust disappoints you. Again. You turn on the lights, switch on the fan, look around. Searching for nothing, yet looking. You sit down again.

Somehow, the world of "What If" made you smile, helped you get away from everything. Someone calls you from outside. You don't even get the time to yourself. You get up and rush through the chores and hit the dinner table. Few awkward moments later, you are back to your room, checking your mail, Facebook and Twitter. You feel tired. You shut the PC. You hit the bed. That's when sleeps leaves you.

People who talk endlessly about living with zero regrets or having none to begin with, are probably shitting themselves outright. Regrets are a necessary evil. When you have regrets, you work consciously towards ensuring you don't screw up further. However, too much delving into your past, into the world of "What Ifs" may be detrimental to your sanity! To be honest, we never really learn from the first mistake, nor the second or even the third. It only hits us when we are given the last chance. So, there is totally no points of regretting over anything.

I personally choose to not regret anything I've done, because at one point of life, that was exactly what I wanted to do. “We should all start to live before we get too old. Fear is stupid. So are regrets.” - Marilyn Monroe

Relax. Calm down and chill! You can never screw yourself that badly. Life always gives you chances to bounce back, achieve something nobody expected you to. Find something that you truly enjoy and stick with it. If you had to give up your dream, then one way to quit regretting is by planning. When you plan, you actually boost your chances to quit the life that you are surviving and get the life that you'd truly LIVE. Remember, you are your own personal hero. Cheers!

Signing off, Lyana.

Professionalism Under-Rated

For the past 7-8 years, I have seen that the local music industry has improved tremendously. Unfortunately as far I could recall, during my younger years, there was very less or probably no English based artists or bands in Malaysia. The one I could remember is the band that every Malaysian loves. Alleycats. One of the oldest band in the local music industry. They made magic with music. Despite singing sentimental love songs, the younger generation these days still listen to them. Even I do. Tracks like, "Andainya Kau Pergi Dulu" and "Sampaikan Salam Cintaku", are my all time favourite.

What puts a smile on my face is that,nowadays the local talents has gone international. Speaking about talents these days that went international was, Yogi B, a local Indian rapper, made his first debut in a Kollywood movie around 5 years back.The movie got into Box Office, so did the particular song they rapped and (sang if I'm not mistaken). Same goes to Goldkartz, the first ever Punjabi duo in Malaysia. They made history I would say. Even those brothers made it to the Bollywood industry and also made a collaboration with Mumzy, a UK based artist. Both the albums they released to date has got great support and response from the society.

I have personally known a few public figures, or artists that has made it to the top.I have seen them stressfully catching up with their busy schedules which includes events, performances, charity concerts, and not forgetting the family events. My heart goes out to them who sometimes are unable to find time to attend family events. In the other hand, I'd give them a salute for not letting their fans down, and never fails to keep the industry alive.

Lately, I have been working with a local band. More like a business deal. I've known them only for a couple of months before the business deal was done. I was totally proud and impressed when I first heard about them. They deserve a salute. They were all way too young than all other public figures I've known. They come in a group of four. What impressed me was that despite coming from different backgrounds,age, race, and religions, they never failed to show up as one, and also to give their best to the fans. They earned my respect for that I'd say.

Personally,I always wanted to support the local music industry, because to me, what the industry was lack off is support and trust in the talents of the new comers. So what I could probably do to support this young talents was by some small business deals which took place somewhere around February. This is where life taught me a lesson. Professionalism under-rated. I was dealing with one particular person from the band, and I learned the reason why our young talents can hardly make it as much as others do. Again, its all about professionalism. All I received was unanswered calls, texts left unreplied, despite making the payment required.

Each and everyone of us face personal problems. There's a reason why we say "personal". Feeling unsatisfied about one of my tweet, then starting an argument on Twitter is pure immaturity. If I was in his/her shoes, I'd ring the person up, to solve it. Then, I had one of the band mate whom at least had the courtesy to confront me about the issue. It was sorta solved. And again, till 12.58am, of 24th March 2012, as I write this piece of unsatisfaction out,neither my crew nor me,myself received what we were actually supposed to receive by 13th of March 2012. Depressing innit?

I'v always believed in fighting for my rights. Be it within family, friends or outsiders. When I voice up for what my rights are, I don't find any reason to be pissed off for. Being under peer pressure, and yet tolerating with immaturity was beyond my patience. I've forgiven his/her mistake once. Mistakes are only made once. More than one mistake, I name it taking advantage of my patience in this case. Despite the first friction I had, I still apologized and also introduced another deal for the team. As I said, its a mere help and support to their talents.

Till date,issues are still not solved with the team, or maybe that one particular person to be precise. Honestly, I had lost all the respect I had for him/her. Everything I had from the beginning, just went down the trash after the second friction took place. If in case, I meet the person by chance, I'd probably not even nodge or smile. I rarely hate people, but once you hit on my ego, its time to face the consequences.

To an additional note, the other two band mate whom I'v known and interacted quite closely on Twitter, I still have got respect and my salute goes to them both ONLY. I find them as good friends, and amazing public figures. I believe they can go places. They can make magic with their talent, and they both are able to potray themselves as well-oriented artists in public.They deserve all the praises for their tolerance in working with people with low maturity level, oh and also not forgetting, egoistic. Or how the Malay saying goes, "Bodoh sombong. Dah bodoh, nak sombong lagi."

I've learned that maturity comes from ones level of self-enhancement, and moral education value. Not from your age, from the business you do, or from the glamour you gained.

Dear public figures/ artists, bear in mind, that fans make it happen. Without your fans you are nothing. Same goes, in business deals, the customers are always right. Instead of showing your valueless man ego, try to make things better and solve the issue.

Signing off,with absolute happiness and satisfaction of voicing out,Lyana.

PS: The name of the band is kept disclosed for one reason. For my respect towards, two senior mate's of the band.They are the people who are worth supporting. And despite all the friction, I'd still go on supporting them. :)

Why We Cry?

Everyone cries at some point of time.


When you are born, when you are sad, hurt or even happy. The reasons for crying varies from one person to another. A mom cries when her child is hurt, she cries when no one understands her. A father cries when his child points at him and tells him that he is a bad father. A daughter cries when her parents demean her in front of everyone else. A son cries his when his parents hate him without understanding him in the first place. A friend cries when another misunderstand him. A lover cries when his trust is broken.

The cry that's really worth it is when we are happy..too happy, that is. Oh! There is a video which epitomizes this!

                                      I teared watching this. No idea why at all. :')

A cry is something really precious and shouldn't happen just like that. Someone told me that she cries when the anger within is too much to vent out. All I have to say is when we cry, we value others more and we devalue ourselves even further.


If a person is the reason for your cry, then you'd rather not cry in the first place. The true value of a person is how he stops you from crying and how he/she becomes the reason for you to stop crying..and becomes a reason to be happy.


I don't remember the last time I cried for someone. May be because nobody from those I love, left me. But that doesn't mean I have been too efficient in finding the right people in my life. I have been through relationships, in which I mean friendship even some sister-like-relationship, which ended in a horrible way. But at the end of that day, when I finally got some time alone, I was about to cry, someone close came up to me and said, "No matter how important they are/were to you, now that they are the reason for you to be sad, they are the reason for your anger too. Think about it."


And since then, those who have been my reason to be sad, have been my reason to be angry too! Your tears are too precious. You need to value them the most. When you cry due to someone else, whom you thought is/was close to you, then you need to first stop and think about something. Did that person consider you to be equally special?


When people think of each other specially, they try and be the reason of happiness for each other. They swiftly dispel any mis-communication between them, not ignite it further by bringing their egos between them. So, the next time someone hurts you, leaves you and you feel you are alone in this whole wide world, remember, that person is the last one to deserve your precious tears.

Lyana..

Laughing Your Way To A 100 Years Of Life.

All of us know, or at least heard that laughing out, actually increases your life span by more than what you can imagine. So these days laughter clubs and therapies are in the news day in and day out. So, we must learn to laugh, not just as a formality or something which is required now and there in a conversation, but laugh from the heart.( In informal gatherings , of course)

I have the habit of watching America's Funniest Video's on television. I used to catch up with the world's craziest and funniest videos too. They telecast it in good humor. So, as a true sport, I enjoy watching and laughing with it. It is so hilarious watching people try stupid tricks or do something totally uncalled for in front of a camera and when it doesn't turn up the way they actually want it to, that's when we start laughing. But we have to appreciate those people because they wouldn't mind making a fool of themselves, just to provide us some entertainment.

OK. I'm not that sadist or psycho who laughs at other people's misery.Its all just in good humor. Why I say this is, I do not laugh only when others fall, either in AFV or real time, but even when I try something stupid or even inadvertently If I end up falling, after the initial few seconds of letting my stupidity sink in, I'll start laughing. Yes yes. I can laugh at myself, that way.

Actually, speaking of that, I am indeed one blessed soul. You know why? Its because( call me a maniac, I don't give it a damn) I don't need any reason to laugh.First, just listening to someone laughing, for whatever reason, even If I am oblivious to the reason, I start laughing, I guess I can be easily triggered by just listening to someone laugh. Second, I can relive and think of that moment which made me laugh and I can laugh again, whole heartedly with the same intensity with which I originally laughed, or even more, who knows. Third, there are some times where only I find something funny and others look at me with disdain because they just don't seem to find it funny enough for me to start laughing like a, well, what can i say, maniac fits best. I could actually explain the reason for which I am in fits of laughter, but when I laugh, my vocal chords are busy and not a word comes out from my mouth for about 10 minutes. Plus, I always get labelled as the girl with the funniest laugh. People laugh just because of my laugh when the joke ain't funny. And I can never control my laugh. I'll just burst out anywhere anytime if something hilarious happens. (and my mum will go like, "sssshhhhhhhhhhh.")

Personally, I find laughing very rejuvenating. Somehow, from somewhere a new sense of happiness and fulfillment grips me, and I feel so elated, as though nothing could ever go wrong from that instant. It might be ephemeral, but still its effects are long lasting, I swear. It gives us so much of confidence and its as though you are exhilarated and there is no bounds to that joy. Its difficult to describe it in words, for me. Over all it gives a very feel good mood and attitude, which in turn creates a lot of positive vibes for us and may be that equates with the lengthening of the life span, that's my guess. It brings out the child in you.It surely does in me though.

Needless to say, this kind of laughing is only for informal gatherings and day to day happenings. You have to where not to laugh this way.. (that's a note-to-self too.)

PS: If you have no idea what to laugh on, watch sitcoms. I recommend Friends and How I Met Your Mother. They're amazing!



Signing off, *giggles*
Lyana..

Careless Whisper (Part 2)

*For those who haven't read part 1, check out Careless Whisper (Part 1) by clicking older post.*

Nish!" Anishka quickly turned around when she heard her name being called.
"Jit,what happened? Why didn't you answer my calls? Are you alright? I sent you so many texts! Are you okay?" she asked the moment she saw him.
"Nish, Nish, Nish. Relax. Breathe in and out! My phone got all wet in the rain.. I am so sorry for being late.”

Kuljit looked really weird. And Anishka got a little suspicious wondering what was playing in his head.

"Kuljit, what's wrong? Tell me.I cant bear seeing you like that!"
"Nish, I, ermm.. Nothing is wrong! Hop on that bus. Everyone is waiting for you!"

She knew very well something was wrong. His body language said more than enough. Hands shivering, and he looks as though he was rushing into something.

"Are you sure? Because seriously I know something is wrong and you're not telling me!"
"Trust me, I am okay! Okay nerd, you better be boarding in the bus now! And I mean now!” he said while rushing her into the bus.
"Jit, I trust you. And so, I'm boarding the bus. Okay. Bye bye. Take care. And don’t you dare call me a nerd anymore! Mean guy!" and she boarded in the bus.

Everyone was all set to leave. Kuljit and Anishka waved their goodbyes, with smiles turning upside down as the bus moved further.

................................................................................................

Upon boarding the bus, Anishka quickly grabbed her phone and she texted him, "It was really nice to meet you! Take care okay.. :) " *message sent* Then she remembered his phone was out of order, and no replies was expected.

Aniskha. She is an understanding girl. Even though she believed Kuljit, she knew he wasn't telling her the absolute truth. So, she sent him an offline message back home.

She wouldn't ask him again because he'll probably get angry. Her offline message was more like a spam. She blabbered non-stop. Something bothered him. Anishka wouldn't want him going all sad because of whatever reasons it may ne.

A few days later, she sent him another message. Acted all weird. Sending some jokes. She just wanted to cheer him up after all.

3 days passed. 24th of October. Anishkha clicked open her MSN to what she never expected at all. And this time, "This message was sent when you were offline".

She read, "Nish, why do you keep bothering me? Leave me all by myself. I am not bothered about you. And frankly speaking, I don’t even care at all!!”
The next thing she knew was tears falling out her eyelids down her cheeks. She suddenly felt cold. Head felt heavy. Hands trembling. As though she was stabbed continuously with a knife.
Tears rolled. She was all confused. What made him say that? Tons of questions played in her mind. The friend that used to tell her even the tiniest bit was now acting like a complete stranger.

She broke down. But she listened to him silently. She left him all alone for a while. After some days, she saw him online and so she nudged him.. She talked to him normally but his replies were all short.

She took it all. Talking to him meant a lot to her. Even just by his “yes”, “no”, or his “ok”. But one thing kept her worried. "Why wouldn't he tell me?"

After an exact amount of 10 days, she called Kuljit.

"Hello..", a pale manly voice known and is believed to be his.
"Jit, Nish here. How are you? How are things going on? Is there something you wanted to tell me?"

"Nish, look, I’ve told you this a million times, and again I’m telling you the same. Nothing is wrong. Nothing is wrong at all! Why don’t you just trust me? I don’t need anyone by my side. I'm fine! What is your problem? I've been telling you several times to leave me alone. Why wouldn't you just do so? We barely know each other." ,he scream at the top of his voice.

"I know these few days I've been as annoying as I can get. I am sorry. But I just want to know what is turning you this way. Maybe I can help. That’s all. You don’t have to scream for that. I am really sorry. But don't say that we barely know each other. To me, we were close. Close enough for me to spill all my secrets to.

"Nish, Well, I don't know. But you can trust me, I will keep your secrets safe."

"Of course I know you will Jit. So, are we all okay?"
“Nish, make this the last. Don’t ever do it again. Okay? And maybe, it's better if we stop being friends.”

“Oh, so that is all you have for me. I should have seen this coming Kuljit. Thanks anyway. For everything. Goodbye and take care. Just remember, you always have someone to talk to anytime.”
She hanged up before he could even breathe a word.

Maybe one reason she wouldn't leave him alone was because she couldn't see him carry his problems alone. She wanted an equal share of the load that was burdening him. He turned to her whenever things went wrong. And now, she's basically addicted being a part of hearing his share of problems.

She broke into tears again after hanging up. She stayed up all night, crying and consoling herself. Months passed by and all she use to heal herself everyday. Despite seeing Jit online, she;d appear offline. She left him alone. Exactly how he wanted her to do.

Kuljit stopped following her on Tumblr. He stayed totally afar from her. Two months of heart ache, tears and pain. Only Anishka knew how she spent her days.

At the end of January, she graduated her foundation. She felt obligated to inform Kuljit. He made her through her exams. Supported her when she was down. Pushed her. He even believed in her when no one else bothered to do so. He gave her all the inspiration and support she needed She decided to send him an offline message.

"Kuljit, I might not mean anything to you anymore. But I thought I should tell you bout my results. I passed all my subjects with flying colors. Except the fact that I got a 'B' for my assignments. And now, to make me feel better, I wish you will say, "It's okay nerd! You made me proud." Anyways, take good care of yourself. Always remember the fact that I am just one step away.."

No reply. Just as she predicted.

Every time something exciting happens, Anishka is always the one typing a whole lot of messages wanting to tell Kuljit everything. But then, she end up leaving them in her draft. Deleting them afterwards thinking he wouldn't want to know anything about her. Sometimes, she even stalks him on Facebook. Just to see if he's having a great life. Although all his status updates doesn't involve her anymore, she'll just smile to herself seeing him being all happy, without her presence at all.

Anishka, every now and then, tries to act as if Kuljit don't mean anything to her. But she sucks badly in doing so. Cause everytime she looks into the mirror, all she see is tears rolling down her cheeks helplessly. Maybe. Just maybe, to her, he meant something. She had no idea at all it will hurt her that much when she added him.

Everyone told her how beautiful friendship can blossom into. But they probably forgot to include a side note stating how hard can it be to fall out of it especially when you are addicted to that particular person's presence in your life. One thing she missed was Kuljit's friendship. She never wanted to have him as a lover. Was that too much to ask? She remained puzzled. Anishka blamed herself for all the friction that happened between them. Although she remained in his dark past, she still hope she'll bump into him one fine day.

Anishka had her own blog. She blogged often after the incident with Kuljit. In fact, she expressed all her feelings in her posts. One of it was...
"I saw your name. It made me wanna cry so much. Cause that name has made so many incredible moments in my lyfe. I need that name back in my lyfe. I want to be able to feel that adrenalin rush I used to get just by looking at that piece of name. That name, your name. I stare at it sometymes. Thinking of all those wonderful things that happened. I might be alive. But I've lost all the sense of faith I had in having you back in my lyfe."

She personally faced quite some challenges in life. But she survived them all. All she did was imagine what Kuljit would have said to her and off she was all hyped up.

Career wise, she chose to be a doctor. Maybe she thought falling in love with her books was much more better.
....................................................................................
Days passed by. Months passed by. So did years. Five years and still counting. Anishka is now a doctor. Doing her internship course for two years. She rejected the offer that came by for her to pursue her studies at Russia. Persued her internship at the local university. Also, she was engaged.. Magic happened, and destiny made them meet. The days of tears and pain is now no more.


*Who you think is she engaged to? Can it be Kuljit? The only one who can take her pain off? or anyone else that could never replace Kuljit's place in her heart? Part 3 has a alot more for you to know. Stay tuned. *

So What If You Don't Have A Man?

Are you a single, attractive and successful woman? A woman who chooses man, kids, and in-laws over your career? Because whoever you are and whatever state you are in, you surely feel that other woman have it easier.

• Married women look at single friends and think " Lucky cow. All that space on the bed and no arguments about remote control".
• Singletons gets frustrated by turning up to the parties alone and wondering who'll look after them when they are ill.
• Mothers feel torn to pieces, pulled every which way by their kids, work and partner- if they have one. The childless hit their late 30s and get a yen for teeny socks and plastic toys.


The truth is no one's life is perfect. No woman has it completely easy not even Kelly Brook , and she's well , Kelly Brook. As radiant as young Liz Taylor and , as of now, free and single. But even Kelly must have moments of self doubt. She gets slated enough to bring it on for being able to hold on to a man(she's only 30) and for taking her clothes off for Playboy. Kelly, though seems to be doing all right. She's canny enough to concentrate on her career when it looks like it is going places . Then there are women like Jennifer Aniston , Kylie Minogue and Cameron Diaz .

These women are doing fantastically well. They are beautiful, successful, happy and have pretty good love-lives. They are not all in relationships, but so what? They have been, with some gorgeous men , and will be again.

But it seems like every famous woman, no matter what how fantastic , is still defined by certain things . How she looks . And if she is settled down and spawned. But can't a woman be herself, whether or not she's ticked certain conversational boxes? Famous women are , by definition, successful. They wouldn’t be famous otherwise. I would scream a “Hooraay” for them. Anyone else would do them with me??

They are all cheering for the fate and luck and not be glumed over their sad lives. Because that’s all it really takes. Yes, luck and fate. Some people are lucky enough to meet a life partner, some have children . Some are born beautiful, and some make right career choices.

Why aren't women allowed to concentrate on the good things in life? Rather than where we've suppose sadly fallen short? You are not a failure if you don't have it all. You are human , that's much more interesting. Relish the joy in our lives and stop picking over the rest.

A woman feels good over a touch of warmth, good words and she seeks that support all the time, however bold she puts herself up for everyone to see. Getting married, having kids, not furthering studies is not all about woman. Its time for the society to change their point of views.

We are capable of anything. See the better side of things. Today we have woman of virtues lined up changing the history and lifes of people.

Look up the ladies who made a whole some of changes in their life.
• Sports: Caster Semenya, the young athlete who overcame global gender taunts to win world championship.
• Writing and Academics: Doris Lessing: Nobel prize-winning novelist, celebrated for writing a pioneering work of female emancipation
• Social : Oprah Winfrey: The talkshow host, actress and philanthropist - not satisfied with conquering the US - is taking on the whole world.
• Law : Gareth Peirce: Lawyer whose battles against miscarriages of justice have changed legal history.
• Business and Trade: Carol Bartz: The first female CEO of a major software company, Yahoo.
• Entertainment : Lady Gaga: Outlandish dresser, performer and politicised pop icon for the Twitter generation.


It is our society which expects women to be married and put the family's benefits and well being first than her’s. There is always a changing point in life. No I’m not being feminist nor sexist. All I’m saying is to let a woman live her life. And that too for herself. Not for the sake of her man, kids or in-laws.

I write what I feel is right, and I don’t think it is right to apologize for the things I believe in. Every topic owns an argument. This one has it too. Well, as I said, its what I feel right and I believe in.

Upon signing off, I quote the Bible. “Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies”
(Proverbs 31:10). If you understood my post, you’d understand my quote.

Signing off, Lyana.