One should always be drunk.
That's all there is to it; it's the only way.
Not to feel the horrible burden of Time
That breaks your back and bends you to the earth,
You should be continually drunk.
Drunk with what?
With passion, with anger, with outrage or with justice, as you please.
But get drunk.
And if sometimes you should happen to awake,
On the stairs of a palace, on the green grass of a ditch, in the dreary solitude of your own room, and find that your drunkenness is ebbing or has vanished,
Ask the wind and the wave, ask the star, bird, or clock, ask everything that flies, everything that moans, everything that flows, everything that sings, everything that speaks,
Ask them the time; and the wind, the wave, the star, the bird and the clock will all reply:
'It is Time to get drunk! If you are not to be the martyred slaves of Time, be perpetually drunk!
With passion, with anger, with outrage or with justice, as you please.'
'Be Drunk' by Charles Baudelaire - 19th century French Poet.
Saturday, April 29, 2006
Life is a Net and Then You Tangle
A few weeks back, me mates and I re-lived our youth with a trip down to Pulau Ketam.
Back when we were fresh fishies, we took a wrong turn and ended up in Port Klang. It was to be the best mistake made. There you have four giddy clueless monkees in a speedboat to a new plank-ful world. Sea breeze in our hair, hot sun on our young flushed cheeks, we gorged our bellies silly with seafood, fried ice cream and laughter. For six years, it was our selfish little secret.
Until recently only did I return with the original two giddy monkees, this time accompanied by two... uhm... etchi oyajijis. One of the monkees married and lived happily ever after. Too blissful in marriage to catch a breath of nostalgia. I don't blame her. Parcel of life. Some monkees swing, linger and go back. Others, fly, swing and never do.
Nevertheless, me mates and I had a ball. Adventurous ang mohs can tell you that Pulau Ketam is great for cheap beer, fancy keropok and fantastic 'lala chien'. 'How about the crabs, fresh fish and the rubbery squids,' you say? Ask the ang mohs and they will boast to you that the seafood is top notch. Ask the locals and they will say... 'inflation lar brader'. *sigh* Spoil market di.
But go, you must. Nay, not must, but, most definitely. Pulau Ketam is a charming fishing village that's worth at least one Saturday. This picturesque wonder is a peaceful floating kampung that reminds you of the old days - where strangers smile at one another, where life can be simply uncomplicated and where friendships last infinitely. Where you can sit down under a sweet shade with some old mates while you bite into your fried ice cream in comfortable silence.
Go, you must.
Life is a net & then you tangle
Pulau Ketam, Selangor 2006
Back when we were fresh fishies, we took a wrong turn and ended up in Port Klang. It was to be the best mistake made. There you have four giddy clueless monkees in a speedboat to a new plank-ful world. Sea breeze in our hair, hot sun on our young flushed cheeks, we gorged our bellies silly with seafood, fried ice cream and laughter. For six years, it was our selfish little secret.
Until recently only did I return with the original two giddy monkees, this time accompanied by two... uhm... etchi oyajijis. One of the monkees married and lived happily ever after. Too blissful in marriage to catch a breath of nostalgia. I don't blame her. Parcel of life. Some monkees swing, linger and go back. Others, fly, swing and never do.
Nevertheless, me mates and I had a ball. Adventurous ang mohs can tell you that Pulau Ketam is great for cheap beer, fancy keropok and fantastic 'lala chien'. 'How about the crabs, fresh fish and the rubbery squids,' you say? Ask the ang mohs and they will boast to you that the seafood is top notch. Ask the locals and they will say... 'inflation lar brader'. *sigh* Spoil market di.
But go, you must. Nay, not must, but, most definitely. Pulau Ketam is a charming fishing village that's worth at least one Saturday. This picturesque wonder is a peaceful floating kampung that reminds you of the old days - where strangers smile at one another, where life can be simply uncomplicated and where friendships last infinitely. Where you can sit down under a sweet shade with some old mates while you bite into your fried ice cream in comfortable silence.
Go, you must.
Life is a net & then you tangle
Pulau Ketam, Selangor 2006
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
Mind Bulb
There is a friend of a friend who writes a very intriguing blog. From what I know, he is dying from cancer. And his blog is a day-to-day documentary of his remaining life. It's not morbid nor depressive. Instead, it keeps you on your toes. That life is meant for better things. I wholly recommend it to anyone who believes in death. Hee Boon's Amazing New Adventures
FAMILY
I ran into a stranger as he passed by,
"Oh excuse me please" was my reply.
He said, "Please excuse me too;
I wasn't watching for you."
We were very polite, this stranger and I.
We went on our way and we said goodbye.
But at home a different story is told,
How we treat our loved ones, young and old.
Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
My son stood beside me very still.
When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.
"Move out of the way," I said with a frown.
He walked away, his little heart broken.
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.
While I lay awake in bed,
A still small voice came to me and said,
"While dealing with a stranger,
Common courtesy you use,
But the family you love, you seem to abuse.
Go and look on the kitchen floor,
You'll find some flowers there by the door.
Those are the flowers he brought for you.
He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.
He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
You never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."
By this time, I felt very small,
And now my tears began to fall.
I quietly went and knelt by his bed;
"Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.
"Are these the flowers you picked for me?"
He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.
I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."
I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."
He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay.
I love you anyway."
I said, "Son, I love you too,
And I do like the flowers, especially the blue."
FAMILY
Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company
That we are working for could easily replace us in
A matter of days..
But the family we left behind will feel the loss
For the rest of their lives.
And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more
Into work than into our own family,
An unwise investment indeed,
Don't you think?
So what is behind the story?
Do you know what the word FAMILY means?
FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU
FAMILY
I ran into a stranger as he passed by,
"Oh excuse me please" was my reply.
He said, "Please excuse me too;
I wasn't watching for you."
We were very polite, this stranger and I.
We went on our way and we said goodbye.
But at home a different story is told,
How we treat our loved ones, young and old.
Later that day, cooking the evening meal,
My son stood beside me very still.
When I turned, I nearly knocked him down.
"Move out of the way," I said with a frown.
He walked away, his little heart broken.
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.
While I lay awake in bed,
A still small voice came to me and said,
"While dealing with a stranger,
Common courtesy you use,
But the family you love, you seem to abuse.
Go and look on the kitchen floor,
You'll find some flowers there by the door.
Those are the flowers he brought for you.
He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue.
He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise,
You never saw the tears that filled his little eyes."
By this time, I felt very small,
And now my tears began to fall.
I quietly went and knelt by his bed;
"Wake up, little one, wake up," I said.
"Are these the flowers you picked for me?"
He smiled, "I found 'em, out by the tree.
I picked 'em because they're pretty like you.
I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue."
I said, "Son, I'm very sorry for the way I acted today;
I shouldn't have yelled at you that way."
He said, "Oh, Mom, that's okay.
I love you anyway."
I said, "Son, I love you too,
And I do like the flowers, especially the blue."
FAMILY
Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company
That we are working for could easily replace us in
A matter of days..
But the family we left behind will feel the loss
For the rest of their lives.
And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more
Into work than into our own family,
An unwise investment indeed,
Don't you think?
So what is behind the story?
Do you know what the word FAMILY means?
FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU
Tuesday, April 18, 2006
Sunday, April 09, 2006
Kalyana Mittas
You know you had a blardy good holiday when after three weeks you still have problems forgetting it. You think about the good times you had with your mates like the pre-dawn talks, the post-trip jokes, the wacky 'porno' pictures, the monkey grooming, the simplicity of just hanging out and having a good time without a single worry.
I had the same feeling when I came back from my Melbourne holiday in 2004. You just can't shake it off. It's a lingering memory that stays with you for a long long time and every day is brighter & livelier only because its yours for you to keep.
It's better than falling in love because when you're in love you can't bear to be apart. There is that feeling of loss after a separation no matter how brief. You're obsessed. You're confused. You do not function.
But a good holiday keeps you refreshed and rejuvenated long after it's gone. You feel alive. You feel blessed. And incredibly thankful that you have the incredible luck to meet some of the most interesting and generous souls on this planet who you now call 'friends'. It's amazing how this big world can piece some of the best people together in different times and places in one Moment.
Life is short. But if you choose to live by it with love, laughter and sincerity, you live it at its best.
I had the same feeling when I came back from my Melbourne holiday in 2004. You just can't shake it off. It's a lingering memory that stays with you for a long long time and every day is brighter & livelier only because its yours for you to keep.
It's better than falling in love because when you're in love you can't bear to be apart. There is that feeling of loss after a separation no matter how brief. You're obsessed. You're confused. You do not function.
But a good holiday keeps you refreshed and rejuvenated long after it's gone. You feel alive. You feel blessed. And incredibly thankful that you have the incredible luck to meet some of the most interesting and generous souls on this planet who you now call 'friends'. It's amazing how this big world can piece some of the best people together in different times and places in one Moment.
Life is short. But if you choose to live by it with love, laughter and sincerity, you live it at its best.
