Prisoner to one's own rules

I never really understood the reasons why some people create rules for themselves for no other reason that just for the sake of having rules to follow.

They establish rules, standards and pre-conceived notions about how things should be. And having set those rules, they become prisoner to those very same rules that they created for themselves in the first place.

They deny themselves the flexibility, the openness of mind and heart to changes, differences of opinion from their own, and - most of all - dissent from other parties. They shut themselves out from others who do not live by those rules. And when things do not go their way, while others are happily sailing along sans the unnecessarily shackles, they throw their hands up in the air and say "Oh, those crooked people probably went through the back door. That's not the way to do things. We know better."

The worst of this category of dogmatic fools are the ones who, having established these irrational rules, thereupon start imposing their rules and value system on others - walking around with the holier-than-thou notion that those who do not follow their rules are the uncivilised, the heathen, the condemned lot who will fail in life... and afterlife.

If you cannot rationalise with me about why something "should" be a certain way, apart from telling me that it's your God-forsaken rules, then please take your rules elsewhere. Do not quote lines in your "Book of Rules" to me, as if I am bound by your irrational belief system. Conformance for no reason is plain bollocks.

Do not get me wrong - I am not against the idea of a person living by his or her principles, ethics and codes of conduct. That is an entirely different thing altogether. Principles define one's value system and the essence of one's conduct. But rules made just for the sake of having something to follow like a security blanket, is - to me - plain stupid. Anyone who tells me that "there is a lot to be said about protocol and decorum" when the situation calls for flexibility, compassion and survival, ought to be given a rap on the head for being so darn thick.

Oh... and I forgot to mention that in my experience, most of these prisoners of rules fall under one or more of the following three (3) broad categories: (1) Overly-educated (2) Severely-disillusioned (3) Fear-stricken. They whip themselves into this vicious cycle of self-fulfilling prophecies, preferring to just toss their hands in despair, staying at home eating just boiled rice and drinking plain water, and have deleted the word "change" from their vocabulary. Status quo. Stick to the rules. Better to be miserable for life, than to be pitted with uncertainty. Uncertainty is dangerous.

A member of the academic staff at one of my former institutions of learning (I shall not mention names and locations, except to say that the individual was a woman) once told the students: "Adventure is a romantic word for trouble". How I wish I could hurl a bucket of muddy water at her today. If everyone had that sort of dead-locked, fear-restrained, change-averse and non-progressive attitude, we would all be back in the Stone Age living off potatoes and dead animal carcasses. Oh, I'm sorry... it's dangerous to hunt. Too risky. That's against the rules. So, no dead animal carcasses. We'll stick to the potatoes.

My rant for the week.

Cole Porter's "In the Still of the Night"

Up until last month, I did not think that any other song could carry so haunting a melody, and so touching and melancholic a lyric, as Alec Wilder's "Moon and Sand" and Billy Strayhorn's "Lush Life".

I was at No Black Tie (a jazz club downtown Kuala Lumpur) with a friend. It was my first time watching Rachel Guerzo's quintet performing. The group gave a fine selection of soothing swing and Latin standards. All the songs set the mood for the evening... but one song stood out, and completely blew me away to Neverland.

So captivated was I by the song, that I just sat rooted to my seat, just letting the notes of the melody, dancing atop the bossanova beat in the background, penetrate the very depths of my soul, swaying me from side to side in lovestruck drunken stupor.

I append below only the lyrics of this enchanting song, and I leave it to my readers to seek out a recording of the song on their own (and believe me, they are legion!).

Quote: "The song itself is seduction music of a very high order, with a melody in the verse that insinuates itself into the heart of the listener through rhythmic repetition and a melody in the bridge that soars over every possible objection to ask and answer the question "do you love me?" " ~ All Music Guide

In the Still of the Night
Music & Lyrics by Cole Porter (1937)

In the still of the night
As I gaze from my window
At the moon in its flight
My thoughts all stray to you

In the still of the night
All the world is in slumber
All the times without number
Darling when I say to you

Do you love me, as I love you
Are you my life to be, my dream come true
Or will this dream of mine fade out of sight
Like the moon growing dim, on the rim of the hill
In the chill, still, of the night

Like the moon growing dim, on the rim of the hill
In the chill, still, of the night

無聊之愛好

我最近有一個很無聊愛好: 每次光顧某間店舖或當口, 一看到招牌寫 "潮洲" (例 "潮州鹵鴨"), 立即告訴其店之老闆道 "老闆, 希望你不介意我 '多口', '潮州' 之'州' 無 '三點水' 的."

前兩週於一間 "六十年代潮州魚丸粉店" 竟然看到此錯誤於其招牌. 當付款之時不妨通知櫃檯之服務員, 看其樣子應該是被我嚇至無語!

My passport photographs

The Malaysian Immigration office has a policy of not allowing passport applicants to use the same photograph as the one used their previous passport. I venture to guess the reason is that there would have been facial changes due to ageing over the five-year period of the passport's validity.

This morning, I had my Malaysian International Passport renewed at the Subang Airport Terminal branch. The lady at the counter almost refused to accept the photograph I provided, claiming that it looked identical to the one on my now-expired passport. I had a bit of a hard time convincing her that "yes, I am wearing an identical-coloured jacket and tie as the one in photograph on my old passport" and "no, I took this photograph only last weekend, the one in my old passport dates back to the year 2002... do you not notice how I have aged?"

Apparently, she really did not notice that I had aged. So, I still look like a 27-year-old. How flattering... considering I look like a half-asleep thug in my new passport photograph.

I love the night

I love the night.

As a student, both in high school and university, my bedroom would never be flooded by the light shining from the overhead fluorescent tube. No, I would prefer to study under the luminescence of just one spotlight shining over my desk, or relax with just the bedside light on.

Even as a yuppie working in Penang back in the early 2000's (yes, I am that old!), I used to enjoy the evening hikes up the nearby Bukit Jambul hill after work. The pleasure of standing up on the summit and watching the sun disappear beneath the horizon of the distant Pulau Jerejak island, with the lights from the town below. And then, there is the hike down the hill through the forest track in the dark, with only a torchlight to light up the way. Most cringe in fear - wild predatory animals, attackers, ghosts, you name it . But somehow, I always derived a certain sense of peace and serenity walking through the forest at night.

Paradoxically, my love for the night stems from that feeling that I actually feel more secure and protected by the blanket of the darkness... as opposed to feeling visible, naked and exposed by the vulgar sights and sounds of the daytime that so disturb the urban soul.

Ironically, I have never been a nightlife guy. You will never catch me in a pub or discotheque, drinking beer and dancing till 3am. But I am outdoors after hours, chances are you will find me in a jazz club - sipping coffee or port with a slice of chocolate cake, and losing myself in the enchanting and romantic world of soothing swing/Latin-style jazz standards. And yes, the jazz club will be very dimly-lit.

I love the night.

Hiking in Bukit Tabur on National Day

While most of the country was probably spending the National Day public holiday sleeping in after a hard night of partying till 3am (or later!), I was up by 6:30am! Spent the morning hiking in Bukit Tabur (also known as the Klang Quartz Ridge Gates) in Ulu Klang.

We started the ascent around 8:00am. After the tough initial slope lasting 30 minutes, we finally reached the first plateau. The view of the lake, with the hills in the distance blanketed by the morning clouds on the horizon, was in itself worth the trip.

View of the lake from the halfway plateau

The second section involved a bit of rock-climbing... though, by actual rock-climbing standards, it was probably no more than a Grade 4 route (we could do it without ropes for protection!). The tricky portions were the occasional sharp descents where the ropes already secured in-place were much appreciated!

(L-R): Chee Keong, Christina, Charmaine, Quee Mei & me

The return trip brought us through three fruit orchards - jackfruit (nangka), durian and rambutan. The hikers before us had plucked a bunch of rambutans from one of the trees (naughty-naughty!), and they were nice enough to give us some.

All in all, a splendid morning, and my regular Mother Nature fix to recharge my soul!