Saturday, January 19, 2008

Positive Thinking

Look at this glass in front of you. Is it half full or
is it half empty

Now, do you realize that it is entirely for you to decide what the answer to this question is going to be. The choice is yours. So, the very same reality can be seen in totally opposite ways: in a positive way, and in a negative way.And there is always a positive side to any thing, any situation, any event, any person. Look at the world in a different way. Try to find out that positive side. At first, you might literally have to dig it out, but after some time, it automatically appears to you. In fact, you eventually only see the good side.

Everything is beautiful, "everybody's beautiful, in their own way", as the song goes.

In any situation, however apparently bad, keep cool and coolly examine the situation. Turn it upside down, inside out, downside up and outside in. Suddenly you realize it could have been worse. Find out how and why it could have been worse. Finally, the good side of it will just appear to you.This can happen gradually or in a flash.
Soon you'll see all things and all people in a positive way What you call "failure" is in fact simply a new opportunity to try again and do better than if you had "succeeded" in the first place.
Now, have you noticed that a rich person has more of a chance of getting a bank loan than a poor person? In otherwords: you must have money to be given more money! In the same way, if you are a "happy person", you'll get more happiness.
As the great American poet Theodore Roethke said: "The right things happen to the happy man" Don't worry, whatever type of person you are, you can easily turn yourself into a "happy person".
You can almost say it's "easier said than done" but please, just try and soon, very soon, in fact much sooner than you think, you'll take up a sturdy and radiant Positive Attitude to life and THAT is the only key to wellness, happiness, and a longer life.

Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Of Floating Mosque and Buah Gomok



It was 7.30 in the morning, I was having my usual ‘jogging’ activity at my favourite spot – the track in the vicinity of Masjid Tengku Tengah Zaharah. We locals called it Masjid Terapung or reffered to as Floating Mosque. Its one of the icons of Islam in the state.


Masjid Tengku Tengah Zaharah(The Floating Mosque)


Being a weekday there were not many joggers around except for a few. Going by theirs attires they were the jemaah who I thought decides to stay back for their briskwalking round the track.
The track was wet due to last night downfall. I decided not to continue but instead make a detour down the beach. Yes during the monsoon most coastal part of K.Terengganu were full of debris. You could see stretches of all kinds of everything,, uprooted trees, plastic bottles, diaphers tangling with the branches along the coastline. These deposits were pushed ashore from the ulu areas by the gushing waves.


Debris piling the coastline

Terengganu Equestrian Resort(TER) is in the background.

The sandy beach seen here is once a anglers haven with fishes like Ikan Kakap Merah, (Red Snapper)Kuku etc ...now its fill with sand brought by the gushing waves over the years. Those who frequent the place will testify to that.


While combing the beach I stumble upon a few buah gomok nicely snug among the debris. Awang Goneng describes in his GUIT’ ‘’ as the flat shelled , tough and dark as ebony .

I took it home and had a plan in mind. I wanted to bores holes in them and takes out the kernels then fill it with molten lead reminiscent of what we did when we were kid or liken to what Awang Goneng did when he took it home and bored holes in them and kept them on an ant's colony. Once the ants have had their feast and left the gomok shell light and hollow, the skilled in this gomokcraft took them home to fill with molten lead, its shell to love and polish with spit and Kiwi, then bandied about as gleaming objects of desire. The weighted gomok were used as hurling objects in our games, or smashed against rival gomoks as children do with conkers in other parts of the world.’’


Buah Gomok Snugging among the debris




....I took it home and had a plan in mind. ..


So folks, to those who doesn’t know how a buah gomok or buah ipir looks like, its my pleasure here to show you some images of them which I salvage from the debris.