The Treachery of Humans

Some people by nature are treacherous. They manipulate, incite hatred, sow discord, do all kinds of nasty things to others. They go back on their word and use unethical means to get what they want from other people.

Fahmy told me to beware of "friend hijackers". In his words, they meet people through you, get their photos taken together with you and your friends, get into your Facebook friends network, and hang out with your friends. Before you know it they have influenced your friends to ditch you and join the hijackers' group. Now I really despise this kind of devious people, and I wish my family and friends will be able to identify and cut them off before they cause any damage.

Beware of those who can't keep their mouth shut. Some people may not be treacherous by nature but they're prone to accidentally revealing other people's personal matters, or inadvertently divulging things that should remain under wraps. I've seen that happen too often and the consequences are horrible to say the least. Certain people also like to bring up other people's private matters or personal lives as talk topic material. So, everyone should be careful of what they tell others.

If there's one type of treacherous human I really can't stand, it's those who use their knowledge of you against you. This kind of people I consider worse than dirt, they're despicable scum. Better they know nothing about you. That's why you must always be careful of what you say and to whom you're talking to. As always, prevention is better than cure. All the best.

Summer Solstice 2011

I've always heard about Tung (Chinese Winter Solstice Festival) but never about Ha (the corresponding summer solstice). All I can think of about Tung is eating Tong Yuen, although there's really much more to the tradition.

The summer solstice passed by with no fanfare a couple of days ago. As Tung marks the shortest day of the year, Ha marks the longest day of the year. Where I am three degrees north of the Equator, the differences aren't that big, but the further north you go the greater the difference.

Three and a half weeks. So far so good. At some point I have to re-enter the drift, but for now things are smooth sailing. The negatives will fade away into the sands of history, the positives shall remain close to heart.

Weather's been harsh. Nearly fell ill from the intense heat and had no choice but to switch on the AC. Yes, that's how they refer to the machine in India. Better don't get sick otherwise can't do anything.

I feel happy. Or should I say, relieved? I tell myself to accept that in life there will always be supporters and detractors. It's true, not everybody will be able to get along with everyone for whatever reason.

A lesson learned some years back tells me to cherish, nurture, appreciate, and enjoy the journey taken. Treasure those who are nice and kind to you, take positive action for a win-win situation, and learn to anticipate and do what ought to be done.

More Road Trips Taken

Back in December 2009 I wrote down a list of road trips taken. That post is available at:
http://ujoelee.blogspot.com/2009/12/road-trips-to-date.html

Since then, I've achieved the following visits from that list:

01. Port Dickson (twice)
02. Kuantan (Secret Beach & several other beaches)
03. Hulu Yam Lama (Fishcake)
04. Malacca (thrice, all including Historic City, visited Portuguese Settlement but not yet Umbai)
05. Sungai Lembing (Lembing Mee, Tin Mining Museum, but not yet sunrise)
06. Seremban (to attend the funeral wake of a friend's father)

Also revisited Bentong twice and Tanjung Sepat thrice. Went to Penang once, and stopped by Ipoh on the way back. Went to Singapore thrice.

Taiping (Wild Boar Temple) and Kampar (Food, Waterfall) have not been achieved yet.

Kota Kinabalu can be considered a local overseas trip, as the only way to get there other than by ship is by aeroplane, a 2½ hour flight. The distance is roughly equivalent to that of Philadelphia to Miami, i.e. a journey of a thousand miles (1600 km).

I would like to revisit Sekinchan, and also explore other places within an hour or two's drive of Kuala Lumpur. I have several other potential holiday spots lined up in mind, but as per my modus operandi I'll only talk about them after I have personally recceed and evaluated the places first.

What to Write

Once upon a time I wrote anything that came to mind. Now I think and rethink everything before publication. It's because not everything can be published; certain writings can land the writer or other people into trouble. So better to be on the safe side and keep a stance of reticence.

Or just stick to so-called safe topics. Stuff that doesn't get controversial or polemical. Stuff that pretty much stays G and PG-13. Boring perhaps, but probably a tad too common. Maybe stuff on wordplay, learning languages, observations on the characteristics of non-living, non-human beings.

Those were the days I could write just about anything spontaneously. Today, so much thought goes into the production of a written piece, and even that is no guarantee of reaching the finished, published product. Burned out, perhaps? Meanwhile the world goes on, things move as they always have.

Reasons to be Proud of Tamil

Tamil produces great thoughts. The likes of Thiruvalluvar and Tolkappiyar. Thiruvalluvar wrote Thirukkural, a summary of Tamil wisdom covering lifestyle, ethics, and guidance in 1330 couplets in 133 chapters. Each couplet has 7 words, 4 on the 1st line and 3 on the 2nd line. Tolkappiyar wrote Tolkappiyam, the oldest surviving Tamil grammar book that prescribes the pronunciation and spelling of Tamil letters.

Tamil achievements that stood the test of time: Banana leaf rice, world's oldest buffet spread, environmentally friendly too. Olaichuvadi (palm leaf manuscripts), ancient Tamil publishing and SMS technology. Thaipusam, longest-running festival celebration. All these have been around for more than 2000 years. And yes, Tamil was spoken way back then and is still spoken today.