where to, miss?

having a driving license is overrated...the media associate a driving license with a sporty convertible surrounded by hot chicks...everything a guy could ask for...image and freedom!

the sad truth however...is far from its ideal...here in this country...a driving license is associated with the following:

1. watching out for drivers who think that their grandfathers own the road
2. getting stuck in traffic jams that move at a turtle's pace
3. looking out for motorcyclists who think that their uncles own the road
4. finding a parking spot in an area for hours
5. avoiding pedestrians who think that their fathers own the road
6. being an unpaid chauffeur to parents, siblings and friends all the time.

sigh...i guess there's no such thing as a free lunch...'where to, miss?'...

No War

just yesterday, i bought a t-shirt from tropicana life at midvalley...they really have some neat stuffs there...and this shirt was one of them...i really like what they sell there not because of their cool design and small cutting...but because of the really profound messages they carry...

take this shirt for example...it's white (colour of purity) in colour...on its front are the words NO WAR printed in big block letters in black with a splat of blood at the top left part of the shirt...just where the heart is.

the following words are printed on its back:

What's going on in this world? War - the hottest topic in today's society. Is this an indication of the end of the world or just the beginning of a horrifying episode.

War - an easy word to utter but what if it really happens to us? Imagine - can we still sleep peacefully at night or hang out with our friends for coffee and gossip? Can we still stay with out family for a scrumptious dinner and can we still make plans for the future? War destroys our basic needs, kills innocent victims and makes us feel the pain of losing our loved ones. There's only one daunting feeling during wartime: Hatred. The intruders hate us and in return, we hate them deep in our hearts. So, why war? Stop it!

What can we do as ordinary human beings? Although we may be physically small, our voices can be enormously loud. Stand out sturdily and muster up our courage, spirits, energy and souls to fight against war. Recently, at least ten million people protested around the world, marching down the streets at the largest anti-war rallies in history. The streets were filled with fuming anti-war protestors, squeezing in the crowd, shouting and screaming: Stop that Bloody Hell War! Hey! Do you hear what we're shouting about? No War! Hear that? No War!

The anti-war supporters' appearance and cooperation had conquered the earth - their lightning anti-war demonstration stressed to the people the weightiness and horrendousness of war. Their uproar of hatred against war had surmounted the Great Powers. They are here to help the weak, fragile and neglected innocents and to do them justice.

Stop killing the innocents, stop destroying our homes, stop torturing our lives, stop ruining our beautiful earth with annihilated buildings, stop turning our lively homeland to a desert, stop riddling our hearts with bullet holes, stop pouring innocent blood into our river, stop overflowing our cities with charred bodies and decaying bodies surrounded by many buzzing flies. Stop all these. Stop the war. We vote for No War. Let's Communicate.

Hatred is never end by hatred but by love. No War. Make Love.

the last line is printed in red whilst the rest in black....isn't it deep and profound?...and there's only one reason why we feel so strongly towards it: the amount of truth it professes...indeed, how can hang out with our friends for coffee and gossip?...doesn't it just hit the exact spot in our hearts?

and the part which really gets to me is the fact that we never dare to lift our voices to support all that we think is right...we probably think: who am i to say such things?...who am i to say what is right or wrong?...who am i to change to way things are done?...who am i to bring a better change to this world?...and it is a sad truth...that alone we can only do so much...but what we seldom realize...is that we're never alone...and together we can stand up for our believes...together we can make a change in this world!

that's the beauty of this shirt...it expresses all that we firmly believe in but are yet, too afraid of say it out...

cool shirt huh?

dvds, anyone?

just returned from my dance studio in petaling street...i wanted to refresh my memory on the steps of a few dances but i was a tad little too late and the class was already over...well, there's always next week...but once again, i'm digressing from the topic...

being situated in one of the shop houses along the middle of petaling street...going to the studio meant having to go through the infamous street itself...and i'm quite confident that no living person (be it a malaysian citizen or foreign tourist) staying in kl can say that they've never visited petaling street at all...so we pretty much have a good idea of its environment and atmosphere...a long road separated into two lanes by makeshift stalls lining both sides of each lane...sellers trying to promote their wares (be it fake jewellery, imitation brands or more popularly, pirated cds, vcds and dvds)...a throng of buyers looking for a good bargain...crowded...noisy...hot...humid...sweaty...u get the picture :D ...

anyway...being a kl-ian myself...i've been to petaling street many times to errr...how should i put it?...to support our country's economy and industry...errr especially the pirated industry :P ...and i've come to notice that the people selling pirated vcds and dvds never change...they're always the same people...youths around my age...give and take 2 or 3 years...sporting errr very creative hairstyles with daring colours...and wearing designer clothes with errr a very creative sense of fashion too (you wouldn't believe the sheer size and number of piercings on these people ;) )...and in addition to all this...they also equip themselves with the latest mobile phone model!

so me being me, i was doing some thinking (again)...and i realized that these people (who are about my age) really do get paid quite well...proof:

1. their hairstyles couldn't possibly be created by themselves or indian barbers...n i don't think that indian barbers do dye jobs either!
2. i've had a look at their clothes and i'm quite positive that they're not imitations...and some of their jewellery (earrings etc.) don't look fake-ish either
3. i'm not so sure about their mobile phones...but since no. 1 and 2 are correct...then we can deduce that no. 3 should also be correct...thus, their mobiles are also genuine!

i believe that without giving in to their buyer's unrelenting bargaining...these sellers can get a profit of more than 100%!...wow!...but it's not really the amount that matters...what really matters is the fact that these youngsters who are the same age as i am are already earning a living (although illegally)...while i'm busting my ass off studying as hard as i can to get a recognised degree which will get me a proper job (which might not pay that well, if i might add) that will earn me a legal salary (which i will have to spend on income tax)...is it just me or does something seem wrong here?

true...you might say that their job is more risky...but don't people always say that there will always be risks in business...and it's only the successful ones who are brave enough to face those risks?...and besides...i'm quite sure that they're not that dumb as to get caught by the authorities...they definitely have their own methods of safeguarding their errr businesses...anyway...they have their informers on standby...and they only display the movie covers now...while the goods are hidden somewhere close by...you could say that these people are professional entrepreneurs in their field!

or you could say that...their pay isn't that well off compared to the pay of a person with a legitimate degree...well...that i might have to agree...but don't you get the point?...it's not about the amount...it's the fact that they're already earning a living all by themselves while i'm still depending on my parents...they can already support themselves while i'm still subjected to the whims and fancies of my parents...and what if i'm not in it for the money?...what if all i want is just to live a simple life with just the basics (food, clothing and shelter)...get it over and done with...and die?...

and besides...it's a good job prospect if you think about it...plenty of outdoors...fresh air...chance to meet lots of interesting people from all around...compared to staying cooped up in some stuffy office and getting fat in the process.

oh well...like i said...i'm subjected to my parent's wishes...but it's an interesting thought though isn't it?...well...at least i know what i can do if i don't get my degree heheh :P !