Storms make trees take deeper roots

Don't think I don't see what you're doing. You think it's self-preservation, but really darling, all that sitting around in broken glass spells nothing but self destruction. What you're doing, is wallowing. 

You may think that you've gone through tough times, learnt a lot from it, but your experiences are not unique. What you need to do is unlearn everything you thought you knew. You'll never learn from a cluttered mind, the same way you'll never learn from a cluttered whiteboard. Clear out everything and start on a blank slate. 

Right now you think it's impossible to trust again. Those trust issues you had, this person was the magnifying glass that made it all seem worse. Never let this be an excuse for you not to let others in. There is a difference between being naive and being distrustful. One keeps your eyes and heart open, the other, keeps the door shut. Keep looking, one day you'll find that kindred spirit. You'll recognize this person from the same curious wide-eyed wonder you'll both have. 

You may think you don't know your talents, your passions. But there was once when a light ignited this ethereal burning desire in you. Find that spark again. And when you do, hold on to it, and share it ! Share it to ignite someone else's fire, share it to share your message of finding hope again. 

Always remember that when life pushes you into a corner, there is something within you that has the capability to push back. And push back harder ! Do it. Because the people who love you unconditionally deserve better. Because you, deserve better. 

Inner Voice 

*Pic credits*

The Clothes She Wore

Another day, another costume. The plethora of masks mocks, and the fashionable Opinion of Others costumes lined up goadingly. “Enough is enough” she mutters.

“You’re not gonna pull this off. They’ll talk “ says the snide reflection in the mirror.

With that, and a rebellious jerk, she rips off the hazy veil of self-esteem. Through her fingertips, fragile lace and tulle crumbles, scattering the floor with fragments of esteem built on the foundation of The Others. She rubs off the stain of shocking red on her lips, the false bravado and pretend worldliness. They have to see. They’ll learn to accept this face, the one with the eyes too trusting, the slight overbite in the awkward smile and the stubborn tilt of determination. She grins, and in the freedom of a fresh faced child, a faint dimple winks back.

She gently peels off the fussy collared top, along with it’s choking rules. Gone are the harsh layer upon layers of self-expectation, replaced instead with the positive pearls of wisdom.

She unhooks the heavy belt of Second Thoughts, and replaces it with a slim silver one. Hope.  The heavy, frumpy wool pants of responsibility is replaced with a flowery skirt of youthful expectation. Unlike its predecessor, this one lifts in a perfect circle when she twirls. It is not constricting, it is whole.

Ready at last to head out, the Heels of Society and the Boots of Thoughts skip her attention. Instead she reaches out for the Soles of Adventure. Sturdy comfortable shoes made to walk through life’s slippery slopes, sealed with the glue of confidence and the seams of self-assurance.

Ah yes, it’s going to be a good day ! 

*pic credits*

Round

I once met a person named Round. Round started talking at a really young age. And thus a future was declared. “Scientist ! Nobel Laureate ! President ! “ , big dreams drawn for a tiny babe whose first words happened to be longer than the typical monosyllabic garble. 

Growing up in a culture where imagination has limits, and dreams are reined in by reason, Round slowly unlearnt instinct. In the balance of life, duty outweighed passion, and burdened by the weight of expectations, Round met accomplishment after accomplishment, only to feel lighter with each one.  Springs bloomed, and autumn leaves fell, and Round sank deeper into the cushions of complacency.

Until one burning summer, when Life bumped headfirst into Round, tackling him to the ground without so much as a “Hidey Ho! “ for greeting. And the precarious balance Round was so used to got thrown out of sync. For the first time in years, Round lost the handlebars of Plan Bs and the safety nets that came with “Walking the Safe Line”. His instincts no longer what they were, he rummaged for the Beginner’s Manual to Life and realized too late that it started with the line  “Rule#1 - Never trade your curves for rigid corners.”

Most of our lives are marked with attempts to fit in, not realizing that sometimes we’re forcing square pegs into round holes. The thing is, when you look back at the road traveled in life, the events that stand out are not the ones in which you fit in seamlessly, they were the ones when you stuck out like a sore thumb. The times when you were brave enough to leave your passions vulnerable. The times when you were courageous enough to be afraid in a lonely walk, than be comfortable in a mundane march of many. The truth is, we are organic. We are flexible, we expand, we absorb, we change. The truth is, we are all round. 

*pic credits*

I'm falling for your eyes, they don't know me yet

A crowded street, a cacophony of sounds, sights and smells, and then I saw you. In that one instant, the world stood still, the air bristled with tension and the street tilted, pushing a part of my heart in your direction.

Perhaps it was the shifting shadows, or that one instant flash of recognition, but I looked away, just as you turned around. That look in your eyes before it skittered away .. I wondered what a day in your life looked like. Did you have someone at home waiting for you ? Did you kiss her in the morning before you left the house ? Will you be cooking dinner together, sipping a glass of wine while you trade the details of the day ? Do you plan of distant futures, do you laugh at the same jokes, do you vocalize the secrets she buries in her heart, do you ? 

Because stranger, I'm falling for your eyes, they just don't know me yet.

***

This is the first in a series of something I've been wanting to do for a while now. Take a sentence of a song and weave a story. I'll be doing this more often. Stay tuned.

*Disclaimer : Some of the stuff posted here are mere works of fiction. Sometimes an inspiration becomes concrete in a fictitious story. Sometimes fictitious reasonings become reality. Who's to say for sure ? *wink*

Bleu

Today's smile-inducer : Counting one's blessings. 

When I was growing up, and when I didn't what I wanted, my mother would say " Well, count your blessings, and you'll realize your cup has runneth over ". Honestly, I could never understand that. I'm not getting that 3 feet dollhouse I've been wanting forever ? The world is ending ! Blessings ? What blessings ?! 

You know how they say that hindsight is always 20/20 ? Looking back, I realize how melodramatic things seem to be when you're right in the middle of the miasma, but when you take a step back and gain that aerial view, you see how things really are. The thing is, if that was true for something that seemed so important to us years ago, wouldn't the things we hold dear today fade as time goes by ? Why then do we hold so tightly to the things that irk us, and let the things that make us happy slip past unnoticed ? 

I took this picture at a construction that's happening behind the office. Every time I look at the workers at the construction, I see men who toil come sunshine or pouring rain because they believe that it is only by doing so that they can improve the circumstances of their life. I see fathers working hard for their children, young husbands wanting to get something for their new brides, and sons toiling to send some money home for an ailing mother. 

If they can do that, and yet listen to upbeat music, and joke and cajole ... what right do we have to complain about our comfy, cushy lives ? 

I know now what my mother meant all those years back. When you focus on the things that you do have, you lose sight of the things that you thought you wanted, because indeed, your cup has runneth over. 

Two cents

" The people who are truly ready to get married, are the people who need it the least " 

I've been told ( numerous times ) not to be too vocal on subjects like these, but hey, this is my little slice of thoughts on the world wide web and if you're not ready to accept someone else's view with an open mind, then I urge you to stop reading past this line.  

*****

But then again, thought you wouldn't. So, if you're ready, here's my two cents on weddings and the institution ( interesting how they link marriages to institutions , eh ) of marriage. 

It's wedding season, what with this year being the auspicious year of the dragon, and the fact that age is catching up and friends , left , right and center have been busy tying the knot. Whilst I'm happy for them, it got me thinking about a few points. 

Why is the divorce rate skyrocketing every year? One could argue that ways of life have been evolving and couples no longer need to stay together and iron through their differences when society is quick to sell you escape ladders and runaway cars. However, what if there's always been a seed planted in every relationship, and the way you nurture this, could either lead to whether you build a sturdy family tree, or spend your married life getting rid of weeds. 

Is your wedding a premonition of what's to come ? Weddings, big, small, elaborate, simple, are nonetheless cause for celebrations : regardless of the guests attending ( That great aunt who always had too much to say about everything from your teeth to how many of your children should be named after her, yes, her too ).  They're also the first step you take as a married couple, and the first glimpse into your future together. 

The thing is, have all this attention lavished on the fanfare of weddings caused us to veer away from the true meaning of a couple's union ? Personally, I believe in only inviting the people who truly mean something to me to my wedding ( presuming I'll actually walk down the aisle ). Marriages are something so sacred, so precious, that they're moments that should only be shared with the people who will truly value the meaning behind those two words : I do. They're also a stark reminder of the people who should have been there, but now reside only in our hearts. 

Now here comes the walking on eggshells part. How does culture and tradition factor in these sacred unions. I'm born and raised a Christian, so my views may differ, but I think that people tend to take things too high up a notch with wedding preparations ( Especially if you're asian ). Don't get me wrong, I think that traditions like the tea ceremony are sweet and quaint but all this nonsense about 'saving face' and " let's see who can throw the biggest party because hey, I CAN afford it " just makes the entire affair so cheap. ( Ok, fine, this is a little judgy, but honestly .... carts of whiskey, overpriced dishes of near extinct animals, ridiculous gowns, bawdy jokes and the whole circus ? )  I shouldn't be saying this, but the fact is .. if you have that much money to splurge on getting your guests drunk and making absolute fools of themselves, why not do something meaningful instead ? Donate to charity. Help a child in need. Pay for children who can't afford an education. Give someone else a shot at life. But then again, that's just me and whilst I can't judge what someone else wants to do, I'd like to think that I have the right to not back down on the things that make me uncomfortable.     

I wanted to type " I'm just a girl " but the truth is, I'm no longer just a girl. These are issues that are closer than ever as the candles on that birthday cake grow in numbers, and seriously, they've been bugging me. 

If you've read till the end, and haven't stormed off in a fit of rage at my disrespectful audacity, thank you and thank you very much. I'd like to know though, what do you think ? Do you prefer intimate gatherings because after all a marriage is between 2 people and a higher being, or do you prefer grand affairs ( even if some of those things drive you absolutely NUTS ) ? Will this deeeeelightful mix make things more difficult, or make the entire 'adventure' more worth the ride ?  

Disclaimer : The author apologizes for the verbiage in this post, but not for the thoughts. Not really. 

Fleeting moments

Image from http://redlipsandicecream.tumblr.com/page/20

To persevere is to endure. There are things that brush past you and before you’re able to turn around and catch hold of it, it fleets off again. A teasing strand of long hair on sensitive skin, an accidental tangle of fingers, a vision of childhood dreams that creeps up in the chime of ringing phones and crisp business suits.

In a time that seems like eons ago now, I remember the fiery sun being swallowed in sips by mountains and the endless horizon, the whisper of a breeze running its silky fingers through my tangled hair, and the haunting scent of wild flowers. Lulled by the sweet sweet music of waves greeting shore, I turned to seek a friendly face, a hand to hold but I was alone. The undulating waves, and gathering dusk, carried that wish of mine, the day will come when I find that person.

Obsession to some, might be mere survival to others. I don’t want to reach out in dreams only to wake up clutching air.

Boom boom pow !

Picture from delicatedetriments.blogspot.com

It IS possible to feel one's head about to explode. Mine's simmering with irrelevant facts on ceramics and polymers and manufacturing systems and bathtub curves and what-if-i-go-blank and i-can-no-no-i-can't-oh-shaddup-jo-concentrate! thoughts ..

Wading through the ton load of formulas in my cluttered, confused brain, I stumble upon this revelation : Seriously, if I could pass on one sliver of advice to future generations...would it even involve what I'm torturing my overworked cells here with?

Tomorrow at 1400 hours would see me slouching over a sheaf of papers, pen poised for attack, and *hopefully* lashing out answers in frenzied relief because the alternative just bears no thought ... :( 24 more hours to stuff info. Do you think stuffing cottonballs into my ears would keep them info intact? ....

My friends, who probably wouldn't be reading this because they, unlike yours truly would be able to concentrate on more pressing matters, I shall not wish you good luck... Ling Sim said yesterday that luck is only for stupid people so here's wishing you ALL THE BEST!

Ah, a word of advice from an author I HAVE got to read :

Of course, it is very important to be sober when you take an exam. Many worthwhile careers in the street- cleansing, fruit-picking and subway-guitar-playing industries have been founded on a lack of understanding of this simple fact.

Terry Pratchett, Moving Pictures

My last, your first

Today's smile inducer : Happy taxi drivers ! You know you're lucky when the moment you hop into a taxi the driver greets you with a cheery 'Good Morning! Where to?' and there's great music playing in the background. The man was positively oozing good cheer, and an orchestral version of Connie Francis's hits was on repeat..feet tapping! Seriously guys, smile ! It IS infectious..

It's the start of the last week of college for me. At the other end of the spectrum, today marks the first day of the new school year for all primary and secondary school students out there.

It's funny how things work out. Having traversed a long, winding road wrought with fear and stress, joy and fun, weighed down by decisions and flying with the heady weightlessness of accomplishments and amassed accolades, I stand close to the end of this leg of my journey and break one of my new year resolutions. I look back.

Plasticine, the smell of baby powder, and the scrape of chalk on board. The feel of newly sharpened pencils, the very grown-up sense of possession - MY bag, MY books, MY school. All the little fragments that make up whole memories.

Today, hundreds of 7 year olds step into the study mobile and start their own journey. As you buckle the shiny new pair of white school shoes, as you familiarize yourself with the comforting weight of schoolbags, and zip up your brand new uniform, I know beneath all that shine and polish, there's the steady buzz of anticipation, of new terrains yet to be explored and unchartered grounds to leave your footprints on. I know no 7 year old would read this but here's a wish from someone 14 years your senior...

A little friendly advice before you head off...you'll find many on this path but when you do..

Catch a falling star

and put it in your pocket

save it for a rainy day

Lost

I have eavesdropped with impunity into the lives of people who do not exist. I have peeped shamelessly into hearts and bathroom closets. I have leant over shoulders to follow the movements of quills as they write love letters, wills and confessions. I have watched as lovers love, murderers murderand children play their make believe. I have spied on the misdeeds of the mighty and witnessed the nobility of the meek. I have bent so low over sleepers in their beds that they might have felt my breath on their faces. I have seen their dreams. - The Thirteenth Tale, Diane Setterfield.

The excerpt above epitomizes so beautifully the power of imagination when coupled with the sword of words..I'm currently lost in this book. Beautifully gothic, eloquently phrased imageries, with vivid armies of character woven in the mix...how not to get lost?

Been listening to a lot of Coltrane and the Jacques Loussier Trio these days. Jazz music like these often send me walking on air with my head stuck right up there in fluffy clouds.

Feliz Navidad

Today’s Smile Inducer : Good company, good food, great laughs, memorable weekends. The past few days were a dream. Alas, like all dreams, one has to wake up. Not without cherish-able memories though :)

Christmas trees so tall you have to tilt your head way up. Wonder, joy and lightheartedness reflected in shiny red, gold and silver balls. The air echoes of Christmas carols and Christmas cheer so tangible you feel it slowly chipping at the ice in your heart and warming you right down to your little toe. There’s a mutual sharing of holiday joy ringing in the air, only to be punctuated by a joyful child’s giggle and the quick pitter patter of last minute Christmas shoppers. Oh, and there is this lingering scent of pine trees, chocolate, whipped cream and cookies nipping teasingly at your senses.

Christmas has definitely got to be my favourite time of the year. Can you believe it’s hardly a week more to Christmas?

Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful – Norman Vincent Peale

Use somebody

I've been roaming around, I was looking down at all I see,

Painted faces fill the places I can't reach

-Use Somebody, Kings of Leon

The phrase ‘use and throw’ used to be only limited to disposable items, eating utensils, toiletries, diapers, well, you get the picture. I must have been sleeping in an entirely foreign land and missed the moment the phrase applied to ‘friends’ too.

When I build friendships, I lay the founding bricks in small, hesitant pieces. But when I finally trust, I tend to go all in, full throttle, all or nothing. That is probably the reason why I’m always finding myself the victim of crash and burns, hit and runs.

At times I feel like confronting these tormentors of mine. “Hey! I know what you’re up to”. Truth is, I think I lack not the courage for confrontation but rather the strength to search alone again. I’m naïve enough to lay all my trust repeatedly in the person who takes it, that fragile little globe of feeling and crush it. And as I lay in the middle of the glittering splinters of my hopes and dreams, I see despair, desperation and knowledge that this would have happened through tear-blind eyes.

I’m tired of second-guessing intentions. I’m tired of trying to pry through the masks that people don. I need to know that when I lean in and whisper a secret, you’ll keep it in your heart, just like I would yours. I need to know that when I fall, you’d laugh with me, not at me. I need to know that when I reach out, blind in the dark, you’d be my eyes, ears and heart. I need to be stupid, but right for once.

Call me silly if you want to, I’m adamant to live my fantasy. That fantasy where people really, truly care for the person that I am, not what I can do for them. Rude awakenings will only harden my resolve. I’m stubborn enough to want to look at the glass as half full. Maybe it’s to my detriment that I prefer to find friends for keeps, not keep friends for use. Right now, I really could use somebody...

Just me

The crowd swelled around me , swirling and swishing in a kaleidoscope of colours, forms, emotions, thoughts. Swallowing me whole, I welcomed its cloak of anonymity. Lovers brushed past, two bodies stuck in a single soul, oblivious to the surroundings. There were tourists, cameras at the ready to put into tangible form what the mind would always remember. Little children zoomed past my ankles, dervishes in a blur of colourful dresses and quick feet.

It is at times like these that the anonymity of being in a crowd seduces me. In this sea of strangers, there exists no expectations, only a rare sort of acceptance. For in that one instant, I can cease being the diligent student, the girlfriend, the dutiful daughter, the listening ears and supporting shoulders. For one indulgent, selfish moment, I get to be me.

If you haven't really tried anything .. how can you say nothing works?

Candle in the Wind

Picture from : http://www.oliverwillis.com/2009/04/03/mommy-comes-home/

Today's Smile Inducer : Being alive. We so often whine about the injustices life doles out on us. Looking back, sweetness would never have been as enticing if it had not been preceded by a tinge of bitterness. For that, I am ever grateful.

We were cruising along the highway when we were forced to slow down by a sudden crawl in traffic. Through my headphones, Michael Buble sang of home whilst I let out a silent curse at the lateness of the hour,the emptiness of my stomach. Anxious and impatient to get home, I looked out the window, having a good mind to bestow upon the cause of this jam a cold, angry glare. It was then that I saw them.

Two policemen, one wrecked motorcycle, one bodybag. There were no flashing lights, no hurried commotion, only the shattering silence that often accompanies the roaring unreality of tragedies. It was hard to believe that on this dark, lonely stretch in the middle of nowhere, someone had just drawn his or her last breath.

Somewhere out there, a parent, a child, brothers, sisters, or even a pet would soon feel the splintering pain of loss. There are no right words, or thoughts when life is snuffed out so suddenly. In that one moment of clarity, I found myself thanking God for second chances and life in its entity. It's sad really, that it takes a lifeless form to jerk one back to life.

I reached home to find dinner already set and ready. No longer ravenous, only one thought crossed my mind as I absently registered flavour, textures, layers :

I made it home safe, someone out there never did.

Twirls and Swirls

It was one of those days. He put on a record, releasing soft music into the lazy afternoon.

I looked up at him, shooting him a cheeky grin. Even then I knew I could have my way whenever I was with him.

“Dance with me. Teach me how.”

And so he took my small hands and clasped them in his large ones. Gathering me close, he counted softly in my ear “1,2,3,1,2,3 …. That’s all there is to it, follow the beat”

“Left foot forward, right foot back.”

“I can’t. I can’t keep up” I stumble and fall back, beginning to sulk.

With a chuckle he lifted me up on his toes and together we twirled around the room. Delighted, I laughed, a musical tinkle breaking the earlier solemnity.

“This is fun! Spin faster!” and so he did.

Grandma laughed at us then.

Dizzy, spent and tired, he set me down at last.

“One day you’re going to grow up and I bet you’re going to break some hearts too, my darling”

More than a decade later, I’ve grown up. I don’t know if I’ve broken any hearts along the way. But I do know one thing for sure. I broke yours. I’m sorry, but all I want is to dance on your toes again.

Of Body, Mind and Soul

Heavily made up, scantily clad, she stood out in a circle of ogling males, her smooth, translucent skin a magnet for lewd, suggestive stares. Basking in the attention, she parades more flesh, carefully painted lips tilting upwards in a cat’s smile of seduction.

“We’re having a promotion today sir … “ she purrs, the sly tease of a promise hidden in the unfinished sentence.

It constantly boggles me how the male of the species fall for such quick-fixes. Blatant in-your-face-sex-appeal is the death of enigma. Allure settles becomingly in elegance, attitude and poise. But what can I say? Sex sells, and marketers, geniuses that they are pounce on such opportunities.

There are two meals on the menu here. One is cheap, easily available, common, fast food. A dime a dozen. The other, a gourmet meal, the very scent of which entices the most jaded of connoisseurs. Which would you choose? The quick albeit filling bite, or an experience born to be sampled, explored, discovered. Textures to be savoured, hidden layers to be sought out, appreciated.

It is sad to admit that at times like these, I don’t blame men for degrading women. I mean, if you’ve already done such an excellent job out of it yourself, who’s going to listen when you wail “Gallantry is dead!” ?

This post was ‘inspired’ after a visit to the PC fair in KLCC today. No wonder people flock there by the dozens. Short skirts, bare tummies, skin tight uniforms, and cleavage enhancing tops were the theme of the party. Since when was it the motto of every sales rep to leave nothing more to the imagination? Verdict : At least you can’t complain that stuff there weren’t cheap…

World AIDS Day was Dec 1st (Ooops..sorry for the previous error ...thanks for pointing this out Cleffairy..). Far from being the panacea to AIDS, I thought it was only appropriate if I shared my thoughts in these 4 words . JUST Keep. It. Zipped !

Dare you to jump

Today's Smile-Inducer : Courage. Courage should not be limited to the confines of a battlefield. It's in the little steps you suck in a breath at, close your eyes and finally plunge in, eyes wide open.

Battle weary and energy-sapped, I crawled into my sanctuary of oblivion to lick my wounds. Dug up a bar of chocolate and indulged in one of my guilty secrets…sappy romances. Watched A Walk to Remember for what must be the 50^th time now. And well, let’s put it this way : the faucet leaked for the 50^th time.

I don’t want empty promises and sweet nothings. I’m waiting for the love that resides in the cozy pages of female fantasies or the shimmery instruments of actors and actresses. Love that is capable of withstanding the test of time. Love, that is everything Disney has inscribed into the heads of little girls all around the world.

I want it to take on life, leap up, reach out for me, engulf and bury me in a tidal wave of ecstasy. The kind of love that is constant, patient, deeply-abiding. Rob me of all sane thoughts for fickle I may be, but hey, a girl can dream.

Someone once asked me. If you could be with The One for one day, and one day only.. would you give him your everything? I know now that a part of me would crash headfirst into the slimmest glimpse of happily ever after, even if ever after only lasts 24 hours...A fleeting illusion it may be, but fading memories are better than none. What say you?

So here’s my question. Would you trade in a day of your life or brazen through a lifetime of regrets and what ifs?

Idiocy

When people give birth,they celebrate life. At least that's what I think a normal person would do. The news continues to irk me. I have been rendered speechless

Read this. Tell me...any of you found your voice yet? They got MARRIED!! What else do you want? The child deserves a happy, well-rounded family. I can only foresee bitterness and regret if action were taken. After all, what matters most is the journey, the end. Since when do beginnings ever matter? I still can't decide whether to laugh, cry or rant.

*I'm not criticizing any religion here. Prohibiting premarital sex seems logical, good even if you think about the cases of abandoned babies. But sometimes things need to be put into perspective, no? There must be some exceptions to the law, no matter how rigid. We are all humans afterall. And to err is what we are. Live, let live and give someone the chance to make amends.

Thinking of you

Watching the X-Men Origins - Wolverine made me think of you. It was one of those moments when thoughts of you waft through my mind, catching me at times I least expect.

Watching your comic heroes battling on screen transported me back to that morning. Sleepy eyed and grumpy I awoke to find you already watching a movie in the room.

“What’s this?”

“X-Men ! … which coconut husk were you from anyway?”

“Well … I happen to have a really …. busy life !”

And that was how you started telling me about the action figures who graced the pages that coloured your childhood.

In your infinite patience for my dozens of interruptions for clarifications, I realized then .. here’s the elder brother I’ve always had.

“Oh my ! He self heals ??!! Coolio! “

“You didn’t know that? “ *chuckles*

If only all things could heal like that. I hope you’re doing fine up there with all your new friends. I know they’ll be special. Just like you and the heroes of your imagination.

A disgrace to Mankind

Cruelty, like every other vice, requires no motives outside of itself, it only requires opportunity - George Elliot

Amidst all the hype buzzing around the circus that is the political circuit in Perak, it was this article in The Star that left me speechless and seething with rage. The following excerpt puts into a nutshell the gist of the story.

A month ago, Pulau Ketam residents trapped about 400 dogs and transported them to Pulau Tengah to ease the stray dog population on their island.

The dogs, which lived below the stilt houses, would come up to the wooden platform during high tide.

Pulau Ketam village head Cha Keng Lee said most residents felt that the move to send the animals to the nearby island would resolve the stray dog problem.

The uninhabited island would also offer more space to the dogs, he said.

“Our aim was not to be cruel to the dogs. But we strongly feel that the stray dog problem must be solved. When the dogs come up to the platform, they defecate all over. Sometimes, they would also bite the children,” he said.

Click here for the full story

It is absolutely disgusting what humans are sometimes capable of doing. Couple that with the pathetic excuses they dole out to cover their guilt and you get a contemptible breed. It hurts to know that my fellow men, despite having IQs and brains much more advanced to that of animals could behave in manners far worse than an animal.

Whilst one can understand their predicament with the dogs, it is impossible to agree with their reasoning for doing what they did. As much as the dogs pose a nuisance and threat to the afflicted community, trapping the dogs, and then casting them off to die a long, painful slow death on a deserted island with no food and water is certainly NOT human.

There are many ways out of their apparent dilemma, but they chose the easy way out. The coward’s route. There are associations and agencies and societies more than willing to aid in situations such as these. The actions of these residents work to prove exactly how irresponsible they are. If you have no love for dogs, then fine. Ever spared a thought for the environment then? What will happen to these dogs when left abandoned? They would surely die, and what would happen then to their corpses? Flushed away to the sea? Left to form petroleum thousands of years from now? Or *gasp* maybe feeling left out these green-friendly residents wish to be credited for creating a new strain of Influenza C : Canine Flu?

To quote the village head , “Our aim was not to be cruel to the dogs”, Oh really? Gee, does this mean there really are such things as fairy dogmothers who will descend from the starry heavens and organize lavish banquets for the poor unloved canines? Or maybe what you’re trying to say is there’re pixies, fairies and gnomes dancing around at tea parties having a ball of a time in deserted islands where humans are nowhere to be seen? Well then, maybe your intentions weren’t all that cruel to begin with.

We're lauded to be a civilized breed, but yet in the shadow of every step of achievement made by men, we degrade ourselves by moving two steps back. The latest update I read reported that the dogs have now turned to cannibalism after facing weeks of starvation, depicting a scene very much like that in William Golding's Lord of the Flies. I would so love to see how those people will fare if deserted on an isolated island with nary a drop of water, let alone food.