Showing posts with label Digressions on Impulse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Digressions on Impulse. Show all posts

Wednesday, 27 March 2013

Not to Be Tamed


How a body and a soul yearns for rest,
the kind not tainted by dreams.
For the oars that run deep in and strong 
wades past torrents not stemmed by silence.


The eyes, shut and darken by any means
blinds not to an incessant track, playing the tunes 
of clamour
Absence of dance, is not the absence of choreography;
such, is the nature of movements
limp and lifeless thus strong impostors of calm
But only the soul understands what pins and needles
scatter under the smooth side of skin


Not pass any shortest mile of a clock's hand run
could the being still sustain from
tingles and bellows of an urge of old
or new, if that even matters
as though wind rises to the chest, all but trapped
and restless to burst free into the morning air
in a headless tumble too distinctly felt 
wants free...

Tuesday, 5 March 2013

Toil Another Day

A chef would look at his ladle and skillet
A farmer his reaper
A dreamweaver his wand
A mother her cot
A wolf his sled
A lion her empty cave
A casanova her photograph

Those eyes would look the same
If one could gently step into that very second
and foregoing all the rest.
Those eyes would look to a remembrance
would in a place long past, revisit a warmth
a grip in a deep recess in the lung a
heaviness just below the navel
once was so vivid, believable
a voice that had called, and they responded
a conversation that had brought them to their feet
a touch that had caused them to yearn
a suffocation that had made them breathe
yet in all that sullied and staled in a chamber of rot

Those eyes, would tell you they had not stopped hoping
they might say it to themselves even.
In that very second that we saw
their eyes that glimmer wasn't pretense 
just that which was once lustrous, rust made claim

Remembering the day after day of a disappointing kind
come sunset which no satisfaction endowed upon them 
return of a net with not a flake of sardine scales

and on this day.....
the eyes would not return to a gleam
the eyes would not be scrubbed clean
the breath would not be heaved with stoicism
but the scent of a dried out, burned pot of stew

they would surrender to a relenting eye lid
in a long blink pause to take note
hey...
lets just toil another day....

Saturday, 2 March 2013

A Happy Sail

If i were to live as a frigate 
casting my destiny to the winds 
and so goes concerns and worries 
as nonchalant as the seagulls 
boasting of invisible valor to the sun 
never getting bored of the world.

I shall never know the burden of my weight 

casually bellowing on the sleepy waves
I shall never understand no depth nor height
neither any importance nor frivolty
No one needs to remind me of time
no lines or spaces no grids nor territory

Hum Bug! Oh how i will swear to land
i have no use of cares
you measley fellows on the dry
i will laugh at you,
oh yes i will
and you will never find out
for i am frigate, whose destiny
at the end of winds
through the far side of horizons
whose time is always tomorrow, and tomorrow
and tomorrow shall never come.
says the lonesome frigate.....

Saturday, 9 February 2013

All Shall be Alright

Imagine walking through a tree lined path
of which covered end to end
leaves
gently rest
on crumbs, sun-baked sheets
crunched or seamless formed

Dried herbs laces the air, no wind
just a warm conversation started
tingling child to child of those who gather scents

Baskets upon baskets of loafs
tell a tale of bygones, laughter in an altered note
no more than an itch in between the ear

But though it is season for meadows wilt
Whither not soil nor sand stops my trudging upon
the very imagination of that faraway tree lined path
which i had found myself promising to me
a bowl of chicken soup
a hard boiled egg dancing in my palm
a head of dripping butter corn resting on ambered coals
a quiet sundown sareed in shades of purple and hints of pink
a tea
yes, a tea...

then all, shall be alright...

Sunday, 6 September 2009

How to patch a punctured innertube?

ok, i need to put this to record or i might forget. And there are some ridiculously mistaken instructions out there which may lead people to patch tubes the very wrong way. so here goes, the correct way of patching tubes:

1: identify the puncture spot, and make sure its deflated before moving onto the procedure
2: check the whole tube for exact number of punctures
3. use sandpaper (360)
4: visually mark the puncture spot with 2cm in radius around it
5. rub the sandpaper at this spot - to flatten tube seams and remove the tube's dermis
6. observe as i work on sandpapering - surface turns lihgt greyish-then darkens
7. when the surface is roughened, apply a thin layer of rubber cement/glue around the area
8. while waiting for the gluing agent to dry a little, remove protective film from patch
<NOTE: do not blow at the gluing agent, lung-ed air moisturizes it and renders it ineffective>
9. when the gluing agent is 60% dry and appears sticky, apply patch onto the prepared spot
10. thoroughly conform the patch to tube by bending, pressing, flexing with hand
11. inflate tube to check for effectiveness


• • • • •

lesson credits: Keong Loh S.K. (Senior Bike Mechanic)

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published September 6, 2009
Sharon Chong
:0)

Thursday, 23 October 2008

CIVILISATIONS by Sid Mier


"Asia's race for space"
"India launches first moon mission"


The front page of Al Jazeera's news brings back an eerie memory of a war game i used to play as a kid - CIVILISATION.

Sid Mier probably had a foresight on the race of nations. In the game, the human player picks a nationality of her liking (eg. French, English, Aztecs, American...). The player competes with computer generated opponents of other nationalities. Each by turn races to gain the next piece of knowledge, the next technology, so as to produce the most lethal weopon, the most effective, glamorous and strongest cities.

To win the game, one has either to wipe out all the other nations, or to be the first to build a space craft.

15 years later, apparently, nations haven't got sick of the model of "success", "game over".
Way to go Sid!


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Sharon Chong

What if....

click image for better reading


If i was free of the pressure to "be someone", if i was freed of the need to "make a contribution", if i was freed of the need to know what people think of me, if i was freed of the pressure to be useful, if i was freed of the pressure to be right, if i was freed of the pressure to be responsible for others, if i was freed of the need to master, to expertise, to power, to puppetry, to control, to make things happen. if i was freed of my need to be noble...

What would my life be for?

How would life live?



"We'll live, and we'll see." (1)











(1) Anton Chekov. in "Three Years"

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Sharon Chong

Saturday, 9 February 2008

回故小城

究竟,别人把我当 ”客人“,我不可能生活上,就永远像客人一样表现自己。生命让我走过二十三年,转过来眺望,突然感觉自己好像真的为了身边的人而活着。记得十几岁时,总觉得他人还比我重要;常常害怕说,嘿,我这么做是会伤害到别人吗?他会喜欢我这么说话么?等等。很多时候第一个考虑的,往往不是自己暂时性的利益,而是要确保友情,亲情的巩固。反正,心里想,以后总会有要求人家的时候。

这样一来。说真心话,这不好吗?对他人的友善,不是一种美德吗?当然,轻率得看,抽象的比喻什么想法都能通。但是,文化归文化。摩登的现在,现在的我们,生命不是我要怎么耍,怎么掰,怎么闹,都由我本身决定吗?

平静地想一想,要是没有了文化,我们还知不知道 ”表“ 怎么亲,”太“ 怎么远;”堂“ 为什么是爸爸的,”外“ 为什么是妈妈的?没有家教,我们还会不会礼让,思原,尊师,讲毅气。。。?问到这儿,我更要谨慎地思考,我所感受到,施礼的需要,是被我家人的 ”客家文化“ 遗传到的?那察觉到这个影响,我是要怎么样与她互动啊?

我有权利放弃她么?
我有责任把她发扬光大么?
我有心要为她付出心血力气么?
爱她的人,有么?
为她而骄傲的人,有么?


。 。 。 。 。


我呀我,我们呀我们。真的是小城作客来咯! 一作(一坐)作了四,五代。

沙巴的田里,橡胶林里走出来,做生意,买地,入大公司,生儿育女,读书,当医生,律师,管理员,秘书等。有没有真心的客人,把过酒,问过青天,那些没有南下作客的同胞,那一村,今夕是何年啦?我这姓张的,多愿乘风归去,唯恐心中那个怕死,怕没钱,没名堂,没作为的鬼。

我家,三代都作客,新年初二,离家却一片南中国海,让我写这些的难道不是重上三倍的思亲情?满三代,客人都没有 家 而让在异乡的我们来得格外有礼。满三代没有卫家,防家土的权力,使我们无奈地谦虚了。硬哥呀硬哥,是你才有那股臭霸气,作客还要抢做主人家,你要养你的人说你的话,言你的语。是要我们谢谢你啦!

在沙土长大,没有一个客人会不知道沙滩上,没有养育我们(原于中国北方然后又南下的)祖先的奶蒂。公公婆婆们来了,我们没法子就在这儿。离乡两三重,我们这一代是要回北,望英,创马,还是要继续作客哪?

但我主大善博爱,客且客,我们客家人的心却大于地,大于洲,大于国。我主叫有生命的客,到峰下岭,心也要带去,因为家住在心里。我主叫有亲的客,人再少,屋再陋,客要因亲而成家。



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Sharon Chong
:o)


Saturday, 2 February 2008

Further Down the Development Road

we construct with glasses, but not transparency;
we offer many products, but not our sincere services;
we drive many cars, but not going anywhere...
our heart gets colder and harder like the concrete and metal we get closer and closer to.

we get more wooded furniture to get more landslides, worse air;
we give more money to unseen privilege givers to also give away our honesty;
we become polite not anymore to make sincere friendships than customer relationships;
we teach not anymore to souls but to make walking resources.

we tour no more for understanding than be commercially understood and exploited upon;
we praise the sky no more, for it's like a dirted pool of cotton candy;
we journey with pleasure no more, than to curse from jams to tols;
we get paranoid on our streets, because we have neighbours no more.

our kids will learn to be 'modern' not knowing their hearts will be broken;
our houses will be cluttered without room for substance;
our hearts gets blurrer and blinder, till the clothes of development be unveiled;
till the Truth finally befound, that would have maybe been too late to stop many a feet from shuffling, many a minds from cheating, many a hands from toiling, many a mouths from persuading, many a women from proving, many a men from asserting, many a children from wanting, many a ministers from pushing, many a voters from...

Wednesday, 5 December 2007

I Digress on Impulse: Sabah Tanah Air-ku

Sabah Tanah Air-ku
Negeri Kita yang tercinta
pemuda-pemudi semua marilah
banugnlah bersatu semua
marilah bersama serta maju jaya
Merdeka Sepanjang Masa
Bersatu Segala Bangsa sentosa
Sabah Negeri Merdeka



I chanced upon an ordinary woman, a great lover for her State. It was such a
divine appointment, and managed to chat with her about the movie she produced
about Dr. Sun Yat Sen in Penang. And more... a lot more...

this, surprisingly, was what transpired :

10:04 PM me: I'm very inspired by the amount of energy you put into
subjects of humanity

10:06 PM Mai: Thank you very much for your nice words. I only try my
very best for Penang and to bring back the honour for those
who had contributed to change the history of China.

10:11 PM me: not only that, i notice also that your work revolves also
around the larger realm of culture: that is around tourism,
education, caring for the not so noticed, entertainment...
10:12 PM because that caused me to think about why i don't like my
hometown Sabah being meddled by commerce driven developments
and then it feels as if you're showing me one of the way i
could help "make my home"

9 minutes
10:23 PM Mai: The best thing to solve the dislike of those happening
around us is not to seat aroudn but to think what we as
individual can do with our own resources. When we changed
ourselves we might change others around us...

5 minutes
10:28 PM Mai: The more support we have, we might be possible make
something changed, even if we failed, we knew that we have
tried our very best instead of seating around and hopelessly
hoping others will doing. It has to start with ourselves
first, not others...

10:32 PM me: i have two more years to complete my tertiery studies.
and i need to learn a lot to understand what shapes culture
and states. Will you teach me?

10:33 PM Mai: I would love to share with you some of my thoughts...
Yet, there is never a simple answer to that.
You may start out by asking yourself, "What can I do for my
State and People?" Your heart will give you some answers...
others cannot tell you what you can do...
Only you have the answer...

10:41 PM me: i know... i think i need examples to work with, to let me
know that it is possible. possible to enrich my home with ideas
of acceptance, ideas of sheer creativity, the smell of art and
apreciation of it, a passion for meaningful aesthetics........

10:43 PM Mai: I never have any guidelines, I only explore all possibilities
by myself.
That is why, I could do what others could not.
yet, there is a ot we can read from the internet.

10:46 PM me: what if my ideals are just alice in wonderland?
10:47 PM and therefore irrelevant?

10:50 PM Mai: Walt Disney can created the real Disney world. If you
use your heart and work things with dignity and sincerity...
I had never made a movie before, but I did one!

10:52 PM me: dignity and sincerity..
Mai: Yes, only that you can win trust and believe in others
to support your works.
10:54 PM I know I have some good reputations in the past, and people
knows that I love Penang so deeply.
10:55 PM I have good track records...
10:57 PM It was over many years of works to establish that reputation.

11:00 PM me: so your question to me is, "Do i love Sabah?" Do i really
really love it, or is it just a fragment of imagined infatuation
for another kind of "fame"?
11:01 PM do i love it?

11:03 PM Mai: Yes, do I love it so deeply, that I am willing to sacrisfy
myself for the best of it?
or the better of it?

11:06 PM It was not that easy when first started... especially to ask
people to put their money into your project.

11:08 PM me: you're so courageous

11:09 PM Mai: I have the most courageous teacher to support me all the
time... Nadia Comaneci...
11:10 PM She guided me to aim for the impossible and give my very best
all the time.
I am really lucky in that.

I miss home.

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Published December 5, 2007
:o)

I Digress on Impulse: Negaraku-(a)ku

Negaraku
tanah tumpahnya darahku

Rakyat hidup
ber-Satu dan maju
rahmat bahagia
Tuhan Kurniakan
raja Kita
selamat bertakhta

By snap of a nervous circuit, or perhaps by cue of an undetected flash
of thought, my mind warped into a symphony of itself, turning the
wind into a delicate piece of the dignified Anthem.

For the scatter of words to account for a flood of meanings, history,
vision, etc... Today shall be my first attempt to find out what
impressions has this song added to my bag of icons.

My country, which land my blood pours for
Her citizens live as One; and as one that progresses only
God shall bless us with happiness
Our King, whose position shall be safely fortified, reigns forevermore.

or

Our King, we bid you a secure rulership



What about yours?


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Published December 4, 2007
teh tarik place, The Curve
:0)