Storyboard 1

Day in day out, she passed by the same walkway, heard the same din, whiffed the same smell and watched the same scene on her way to the theater. She can only find solace in the soulful songs emitted by the PA system, thanks to the zoo's deejay.

Her job is so mired in routine she was that she felt mechanical, almost robotic, as if she was part of the fittings in the zoo. Typical eight to five, with an official one hour lunch break in between. .. Nothing exciting. Just offering enough money for her to live by.

Can I not wake up the next morning? Please," she asked, with a sad wistful look on her face. Tears of sadness drained down her face.

Silence was the only word he could offer.

The lion had just refused to acknowledge her capability to conform to the required standards.
It conveniently still believes that she have yet to convince it that she worthy of it and she deserves the right to be granted a 'pass'..

She nodded in a daze, gazing into its eyes. It averted them. She stared at the back of its coat billowing in the soft zephyr as it walked swiftly back to its den. It seem to be a flagrant crucifixion of her gloom destiny, for soon it will be the day when the zoo keeper will decide, is she or is she not worthy of being in that zoo.

If she fails, she will be back in the wild, fighting with development for a place to stay, for food to eat, the right to live..

She searched vainly, futilely for the slightest sign of recognition from its impassive face. There were none. Like all of them, it had learned to mask stark knowledge well.

She stared at the computer screen blankly. She felt like screaming but no voice came out. She had this urge to smash the monitor into smithereens but instead she sat there, slumped in her chair.

There was no one around to comfort her, no one to cling to and she ended up crying into her pillow until it was all wet and soggy and her eyes all puffy and red.

**

But Faith - is all you can have here.

There are things you cannot control, cannot affect.

Don't let your fear and rage demolish the single standard left, however nebulous His intentions.

Everyone needs guidance. Like everyone else, she needed all the guidance she could get from God.

"bless me oh Lord. Guide and protect me, Lord, and to provide all the wisdom and necessities in order for me to handle and to take charge of the situation and to provide me your ability that will bless every word, every situation, every person, every thing that I face with pure joy and happiness. With every confidence I have in my body, I lift it up to you and trust upon your favors that it is peace and happiness that every one will have at the end. Amen."

Immediately after that, she felt at peace.

The ever so faithful God had revealed this to her:

What has come has gone.
Now it is time to pick up the pieces and move on.
Now, its time to tie up all the loose ends.
And leave with no regrets...

I was having a chat with one of cyber friends from one of those local Unis in malaysia. She's a chap who takes pride her Uni and she is sure a loyal student who goes all out promoting her Uni. Sad thing she's from Local U because if she was from one of those Private Institutions, she did make a real good PR manageress.

I met her online last night and we began talking about the recent USM fiasco. She was mad by the comments made by some politicians about the whole blunder.

"I do not understand Malaysians." she said.

Thinking it was about the Port blunder, I expressed my gratitude to a certain politician who highlighted the issue or I'd be in a newb about this issue.

"I hate him/her," she continued.

"Why?" I asked.

"Why is he/she harping over the USM issue? It's just a minor issue and he/she is there making all sorts of conclusions as if he/she is one of the victims." she replied.

"Hey, that's his/her job, isn't it. To be the mouth of the rakyat, just as what he/she promised us in his/her election manifesto. Come to think of it, I don't think that mistake should happen in the first place. yeah, it may be some technical glitch but did they think about those students who had to suffer the anguish of disappointments?" I replied.

"USM is definitely regrettable but the politician should refrain from jumping on any opportunity to gain political mileage by exploiting the whole fiasco. There was no racism involved. It is about just the mistake they made in the database. Can't he/she stop making conspiracy theories?" she responded.

"Moreover, our Higher Education Minister has made assurances that those rejected by USM will be processed by UPU for consideration for entry into the other public unis. So what is the fuss now? Shoosh, Can't he/she just shut up and let the UPU do their job," she continued.

"I think his/her concern is whether their chances of getting into one of the other public universities will be jeopardized by their USM rejection. He/she is actually fighting a place in Local U for those USM victims. I think he/she is doing a good deed.. hey, but the blunder should not have happened in the first place , considering the fact that USM has been awarded the apex status," I argued.

"There is no issue now. USM has apologised. The MOHE has given their assurance. So where's is the issue?" she answered.

"Okay, how would you feel if you were one of the USM victims?" I questioned her.

"C'mon, everyone makes mistakes... Nobody's perfect, even computers. Can't they all accept that fact, instead of making a fuss in the papers." she answered.

Easier said than done...

**

Hmm, this chap should be made USM's PR manager.

To

the willowy woman with her trademark plastic smile. Her blonde hair always tied back to reveal a pair of dangling white gold earrings, and a Hermes Berkin handbag hung elegantly from her slender arm...

You think money comes easy.

Yes, it does but it only comes easy for some people. Not all. Perhaps those affluent ones only.

You get your monthly pocket money at the end of the month, just like most wage earners.

But do you know how hard your "pocket money giver" slog throughout the month just to give you your pocket money?
Your pocket money giver might be a professional. Perhaps an architect, a lawyer, a doctor, an engineer, an accountant, a QS, a business owner....
But do you know how hard he/she works every day: how hard he/she strives to get clients; how hard he/she fights to get debtors to pay them; how he/she faces rude and dissatisfied clients though he/she have done his/her very best to please them...
Do you know the sleepless nights he/she had, while you were snugged up on your super king size bed..

Do you know how hard we slog throughout the month just to get our wages to keep us alive for the next month?

You say you work too.
But you only work three times a week, save perhaps on saturdays when you got to work for the whole day.

I work too. The difference is that I work for 5 full days, unlike you. Sometimes, I work for 5 and a half days.

Besides your salary, you get pocket money from your "ATM" too. I don't.

You might be one of those loyal followers of The Almighty but at the same time, you are among the biggest hypocrites I have met.

Before I click the Publish button, may I humbly ask you this:

Please fell the flesh of his palms.
Feel the difference..

Please take a good look at this face.
Look at the difference.

Do feel the rough skin?
The hands roughen by hard work,
the years of labour he endured...

Do you see the fine wrinkles on his face?
The years of struggles he endured..

How he gave up the best years of his life for you and the family,
Just so that you would be able to buy all those moisturizer and skin care products for your precious skin,
Just so that you can go for your bi-monthly facial and manicure appointments,
Just so that you can go for your twice weekly saloon hairwash,
Just so that you can patronize those shopping malls..
Just so that you can have the best of everything..
Just so that you can throw your PS3 and Nintendo Wii out and get the XBox 360, the DS Lite, the iPOD Mano Chromatic 16GB,
Just so that you can hand your Pentium 3 laptop to your pocket money giver in exchange for a netbook..
Just so that you can do your part of community service...
That is to help the economy,
at his/her expense.

Thank YOU.
(Period).

YES.TEacheR.DAY

If you're wondering what's with the corny blog-title - well, brain cells tend to be rather inactive.

I have been extremely busy so sorry for the lack of updates...

I intend to keep this post sweet and simple too :) Okay, I want to keep it short, but who cares..
I'm just doing this to honour and thank THOSE PEOPLE whose DAY was YESTERDAY, May 16th.

Thank you for teaching me pro bono, out of your own initiatives and sincere desires to improve my final grade.

Thank you for being perspicacious and censorious. You were (are) careful in pointing out the many nuances of the assignments and examination.

You were awe-inspiring and outstanding (not this definition of outstanding!!). Your thinking and approach was formidable. Your clear-headed reasoning and organized and structured thinking processis something that I am still trying to master and grasp. If anything that I am trying to emulate from you is your entrepreneurial spirit.

Yes, I want to conquer the mountain of business and finance... but where's the feasible business plan?? Don't ask. I have yet to think of anything.

Epilogue: I am talking about Marketing Channels, the subject that was marshaled by an enthusiastic and seasoned lecturer, whom I have paid my tribute to here. His presence and tutelage is a boost for the course as he provides students with a rare standpoint and perspective as a business and marketing man.

Not to forget is the group of other very eager and talented LECTURErs. I remember fondly my spar with you, you, you and you. They are all skilled people who gave many helpful feedbacks for my assignment.

Okay, I tried writing a good, proper post but I failed (thanks to another long two weeks), so I've decided that I'm going to hit the publish button once I've said enough.

I am going to hit the button now.

I am not oblivous to happening around me

Yes, I am aware of what is going on right now at the soon-to-be-replaced building at PJ and also across the South China Sea.

Yes, I might have called for a premature celebration.

But I just can't blog.

Launching my lethargic body to post something is torturous.

I fear this blog will remain stagnant soon. Perhaps until the end of May.

Thousand apologies.