Why My Grandma Is A Superhero

Posted on September 2, 2013 by writinglikeastoner

Kick Ass and Hit girl from the movie Kick Ass 2

Superheroes. Do they really exist in this world? Yes They do.

My grandma is a superhero. She has no laser eye beam like Cyclops. She doesn’t wear a tight suit with weapons walking around the city like Kick Ass back in the days, but she does have a power that comes from strong mental and inner strength.

Perseverance

Her strong will nature to persevere, is beyond extraordinary.

It was a good day for a picnic down by East Coast Park. My dad had brought down his company’s bus to use for the weekend and so we could use more extra baggage to cook more food and bring more stuff.

I remembered struggling to carry a huge ass size container filled with utensils, and there she was beside me sweeping off the container #likeaboss and carried it with no sweat. As much as I tried asking her to let me do it, she did it anyway. I know you would if it was your grandma too.

She had this energy that keeps her going. I don’t know if she realises the consequences of her carry heavy things, and working too hard especially when she’s in her 60’s , but after a while, I realised she isn’t just any ordinary grandma.

She climbed and tracked the hills back in those days to take care of plantations, she worked at long hours, washed other worker’s clothes after her usual factory job to feed the family because we were so poor.

She had gone through taking care of my late grandfather who had diabetes and legs cut off and carried him in her shoulders to let him enjoy a good fresh air outside of home. Grandfather was also strong-willed who tried his best to not let her overwork.

Grandma and Me

She’s not just hardworking but intelligent. Making a platform with wheels from scratch for my grandfather to move around, changing the layout of the home to ensure that he can move around his daily life without help.

If there’s something that you say you can’t, she’ll figure out a way on how to do it, somehow one way or another.

The skill of survival.

Gone through the pain along with the rain of sweat that comes from tireless devotions to make a change.

I believe that when you are strong-willed, you will do great things. You will receive great things in return. You allow the positive aura inside of you to attract the opportunities the world has to offer

“Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.”
― Mahatma Gandhi

You can create changes in people lives, like how my grandma did and that’s what makes each of us a superhero.

Now for some good fun to end this post with.

What I learned through Taking a Blurred Image on Camera

Posted on August 31, 2013 by writinglikeastoner

Photo Credit: gaspi *yg via Compfight cc

My photography skills isn’t that bad. Or is it?

I was trying to help take photos for an acquaintance and her friends at impromptu. She didn’t have a phone with her at that moment so she asked me to use my new phone, which I didn’t get used to so I just snapped the button randomly and spammed it.

*not posting the real blurred photos to protect the identity of the person.

Most of the pictures turned out blurry, and didn’t look great even. Out of 10 photos, only three look clear, still, the pose was awkward or weird.

After reviewing the photos, she told me bad I was at taking photos which I thought I was so good at.

It was disappointing to have taken blurry shots because it’s hard to retake a good moment together.

I did a better one after that, focusing and taking my time to ensure the picture was clear and looking good.

Looking at the positive of the story, I learned a valuable lesson.

It’s good to try to hone your skills in anything that you do. It can be a skill like cooking, drawing or even communicating.

Imagine Chef Ramsey cursing you in the kitchen for not doing it right.
Imagine getting your piece rejected
Imagine getting ignored by the girl or guy you tried to talk to.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes and take our errors and criticism into room for improvement.

It doesn’t help me be a pro at what I’m lacking at after one try, but it does help me be more conscious about what I’m doing and tells me to do something about it.

I have to improve because if I don’t do it, I’m gonna go nowhere. There is no way I’m gonna improve by having someone else do it for me.

Do you have something you need to improve on? How are doing something about it? Share it with me in the comments.

What I Learnt from Visiting My Relatives In the Kampung

Posted on August 23, 2013 by writinglikeastoner

I recently went on a short trip to Ayer Hitam in Malaysia to visit my a relative. I’ve been told by my parents that I was going to a kampung place (a small Malay village) , but I can’t remember anyone from there. The last time I visited the place was a toddler at the age of 5.

I never had thought of going to visit them because I was unfamiliar with their location, and unsure who they were. However that particular day, my parents drove grandma and I and all the way to Ayer Hitam, across the Tuas border and into Malaysia and reached our destination hour and a half later.

My relative’s house

The sunset at Ayer Hitam

The path linking from the main road was a small road and it can hardly fit two cars. One has to give way to another. Most of the areas was surrounded by trees of all kinds and some planted by their owners. The place had electrical cables running along poles on the side of the main road. It was a peaceful sight.

Standing in the middle of the road

I had never seen my relatives, my grandma’s brother’s wife. She lives alone while her son is out serving the army in Johor which is also a few hours away. The moment we saw each other and said hi, I could see the relieve in her face and smile in her eyes and she hugged me really tight.

I must have somehow create an impact in her life back then. I couldn’t remember her, but she could remember me. I felt that I missed out on the people who knew me back when I was a kid.

Having to be born in a fast paced country where technology and economy is fast on the rise and growing, I don’t have to really worry about electrical shortage, clean water or having a good environment.

Though the place I went wasn’t as bad as i mentioned on top, it made me realise how lucky I must have been to be born in a green environment, good and steady development , good smooth roads, easy water access, having to have WIFI* easily accessible.

I’m near to the people I care about, and at least about an hour away the most in my own country.

Story Grandma Would Tell Me

She would tell stories of our history as we came from a poor family, how she had the need to tie pocket money coins for school in a handkerchief for my mum so tightly worrying that it might drop, that my mum couldn’t even open the knot when she wanted to buy food for recess break.

She told me of stories of how they would walk miles along the train tracks, just to send my mum to school, with my uncle on her side, and my aunt strapped on her shoulder. She would work in a factory like other workers would, but to earn extra cash, she went to wash the worker’s clothes, clean her boss house and took care of their place.

I still recall some hard moments in her eyes and she express herself out to me, and I see it in this woman that she has gone through a lot to get to where she is today.

It made me realise and reflect, on how I should treasure what i have now.

I’ve yet to understand how the history of my generation of family have gone from the past till now. I would consider myself really lucky. Hopefully I would one day return a favor and help to make the generation of my family live a better life.

Things You Missed Out Not Climbing that Staircase

Posted on August 22, 2013 by writinglikeastoner

Outram Park Mrt Station escalator or staircase

taken from http://commons.wikimedia.org/

I was observing how many people went up the staircase whenever they got out of the train to exit out from the underground station at Outram Park and the amount of people climbing up the staircase compared to those riding the escalator up to another level.

From my observation, it felt like there’s an aura that’s different spreading around individuals who went to take the stairs. What’s so different about it was the energy that was brought in them and it felt like how do I say, the black among the white sheep, or the white along the red roses?

It just hit me at that moment and I felt more conscious with my surroundings. I ask myself, “Why are these people taking the staircase?”, I’m thinking of a specific reason to why they are taking the staircase instead of the escalator.

Why work so hard when things are already made easy for you right, Stoner? (that’s what my inner alternate would say to me)

And I told myself, why not take the staircase? It will sound cliché, but I felt a TRUE sense of achievement after doing it. I felt like I had a choice to either go for the escalator or the staircase, and that moment felt that I made a good choice because I’m able to tell myself to climb those steps, and just go for it. You really have to go for it to understand how it feels like.

I managed to do something that I didn’t believe I’m strong to do so mentally and said, if I believe in myself, I can fight that excuses that goes in my mind like “I’m too lazy” , I’m too tired” or “The staircase is too high” and etc.

I can imagine the benefits it would have given myself if i started earlier , that extra training for my leg muscles in physical and feel more health conscious and stronger in mentality, and that’s a great thing for my well-being.

What I really appreciate and learn most from this small yet interesting part of life, it to have allowing me to train on the ability to focus on my thoughts , and training me on making good choices in life.

What if you decided to take the staircase for a day? What about changing your routine to take the staircase to work every time you pass by the same station? What difference and impact can it bring to your life?

Feeling Constricted. What to Do?

Posted on August 14, 2013 by writinglikeastoner

It’s not easy to blog about life if you have a constricted life or feeling that way. I’m not saying that I’m constricted fully , but I’m saying this with reference to my National Service. I’ve thought a long way, about how i can continue to manage the blog while serving NS, is it even possible to commit myself to this journey of being a better person or trying to go for event coverage through blogging and travel the world after NS?

Another part of my story puts me in a dilemma of having to choose between working for the sake of surviving in the Singaporean economy or working for passion to try to do something with blogging and travelling, living life as a vagabond, live my life, because I like that chance to be able to do something extraordinary and meaningful that can help others yet still be earning money at the same time and not work in a boring desk job.

The story

As for now I’ve a Diploma in Civil Aviation or ‘Airport Management’, and my parents are asking me to sign on for NS . Some say I should choose to further my studies in Aviation in University but boy, is the fee course so expensive, I will have to work first. I could take other courses like Psychology but that’s another story, what will i do after then? I find myself liking music and other than that, blogging for fun.

Music has been great part of my life but at the same time my inspiration comes in and out. I stopped for awhile. Having to learn to DJ, to create music productions, to learn the ukelele, guitar , and to sing and write lyrics and to rap.

Getting music for money is again another question at hand. Singapore, well the music industry is like balancing on a thin line. You have to be that good to get paid and then you can stay on.

At the same time, blogging is like living and breathing, especially when it comes to times like this, when I need to express out how I feel. If i could combine both work and blogging together, it would be really amazing. That’s also the reason why I started to blog, to also find out what I was meant to do in life.

I’ve accepted that I have to serve NS anyway, and I feel that the opportunities left for me now to pursue big is put on hold till i really know what’s my vocation is, or what I’m doing after my Basic Training.

Will i have to take a break then, and for how long will I have to start over? Thinking too much isn’t going to calm down the other 234567 questions in my mind, so I will have to find out for some advice.

I’m not sure. I’ve to find someone who’s more experienced than me about this matter. Maybe the male bloggers in the blogosphere will answer my question. Maybe you can.

Make this one of my life lessons.

Stoner Wishing you Selamat Hari Raya AidilFitri!

Posted on August 8, 2013 by writinglikeastoner

There’s much to be learnt from the 1 month of fast I’ve experienced lately. I was not only fasting but at the same time learning how to curb my emotions and controlling the bad desires. I learnt how not to be angry and let it go when someone decides to pull my strings. I tend to give in to other people’s complains. I learn to not gossip and badmouth, prevent myself from saying all those vulgarities people keep on saying.

I learn to accept the hard truth and forgive myself for the mistakes I’ve done. I learn how to love myself and despite not having to have everything, I’m contented with having to have nothing and make something out of it.

The 1 month has allowed me to open up to approach others and ask them for forgiveness for the things I’ve done. I’ve learned to willingly accept that mistakes is a part of a human being’s life, and feel the better about it.

I was able to read books during spare time, to read up books on life, ‘The Meta Secret’, its humble teachers and its knowledge.

I’ve learnt to appreciate the people around me for having to break fast with me during the occasion, and bond more.

After all that, it has finally come to the end of fast. Its time to celebrate Hari Raya. I take my life lessons with me and bring it with me in my pocket so that I can remind myself of the better man.

Selamat Hari Raya to my Muslim friends Happy National Day for you Singaporeans!

Thanks for the support and i hope you can also pick up some of the life lessons of this post and apply them in your daily life !

and yes that was a reindeer’s hoof I wore.

The good chilled out Friends I’ve experienced in my life

Posted on August 7, 2013 by writinglikeastoner

Hanging out at Vivo City Rooftop

A group of friends and I had a small hangout session after at Vivo after work.

Good chilled out friends are not easy to come by. I’ve met a lot of friends that come and go, countless of them at parties and events, but very few that stays and understands me. Im glad to have find a small group of friends that enjoys the simple things in life.

Its not just about that though. Making the best out of your time with people you care about matters. The best of part of having to be with good people is you learn to appreciate the good times in life.

How we are Preparing for NS

When you’re with good friends, you make the best of what you have and have fun no matter what the situation is in.

As the saying goes,

Make the best of what you got, when live gives you lemons, you make lemonades.

I can say we did unnatural things at some point of time, like going to ‘Toys R Us‘ and submerge ourselves into a pool of toys, camwhore with superhero masks and play around with rubber balls and longboards.

I’ve been learning to pick up the pieces that fits into my life of appreciating these moments, break free from trying to compose my ‘mature’ self for a while, let loose and be a kid again.

I don’t know if you feel the same as I, maybe the way you act with your siblings compared to a group of friends or someone you just met, the feeling is different.

You might be out with a group of friends doing what all adults should be doing, going shopping or having a dinner at some restaurant, having to look at the expensive clothes you’re going to plan to wear at the nightlife over in Clarke Quay,

OR.

You could just chill out with some good friends, have some takeaway food from your nearby hawker centre, chill out at a mall’s rooftop, and pretend you have superpowers.

I’m glad to have such friends. I don’t have to feel so bad about not behaving in a certain manner, and learnt to accept what he/she is doing for that matter, and purely okay with being our nerdiest selves, being okay with a true self, understand each other at our lowest and better self.

Super Powers!

Super Hero Masks, Guess which one am i?

Woohoo!

Human Pyramid

Chilling like a boss

Lets go!

This is one of the few group of friends I’ve enjoyed my life with. Don’t be mistaken, there’s other groups of friends I do enjoy hanging out with too who is also chilled out and laid back.

What are your thoughts on this? Have you had a group of chilled out friends? What was your experience like?