Nilai Kelakian

Sebelum aku buka mulut (atau mula menekan keyboard) biar aku nyatakan dulu yang aku ini bukan manusia yang tradisional mahupun konservatif.

Baik. Apa yang aku nak katakan adalah nilai-nilai 'gentlemanly' sememangnya menjadi satu keperluan. Pada pendapat aku, seorang lelaki (normal, bukan gila atau bahalul) baik tua atau muda, apabila mempunyai nilai-nilai seorang 'gentleman' maka secara automatik akan menjadi lebih -elok.

Siapa pun.
Kalau dia seorang peniaga, dia akan jadi peniaga yang dipercayai.
Kalau dia seorang buruh, dia akan jadi buruh yang dipandang tinggi.
Kalau dia seorang samseng, dia akan jadi samseng yang lebih berwibawa.
Kalau dia seorang mat rempit......aku dah kehabisan ayat, fikir sendiri.

Dan maksud nilai-nilai ini bukanlah perkara-perkara remeh seperti tarik kerusi bila orang perempuan nak duduk, buka pintu kereta bila orang perempuan nak keluar, ataupun letak napkin di tengkuk sebelum makan. Tapi kalau kamu nak jadikan ini semua amalan harian pun boleh juga, terpulang kepada kamu (cuma jangan salahkan aku pula kalau orang perempuan tak pandang kamu sebagai 'gentleman' tapi hanya jadi geli-'geleman').

Tahu? Dapat tangkap apa yang aku cuba sampaikan?

The Godfather by Mario Puzo: Book I

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Don Corleone greeted the baker with an embrace. They had played together as children in Italy and had grown up in friendship. Every Easter freshly baked clotted-cheese and wheat-germ pies, their crusts yolk-gold, big round as truck wheels, arrived at Don Corleone's home. On Christmas, on family birthdays, rich creamy pastries proclaimed the Nazorines' respect.

And all through the years, lean and fat, Nazorine cheerfully paid his dues to the bakery union organized by the Don in his salad days. Never asking for a favor in return except for the chance to buy black-market OPA sugar coupons during the war.

Now the time had come for the baker to claim his rights as a loyal friend, and Don Corleone look forward with great pleasure to granting his request.

He gave the baker a Di Nobili cigar and a glass of yellow Strega and put his hand on the man's shoulder to urge him on.

That was the mark of the Don's humanity.

He knew from bitter experience what courage it took to ask a favor from a fellow man.

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His name was Anthony Coppola and he was the son of a man Don Corleone had worked with in the railroad yards in his youth. Coppola needed five hundred dollars to open a pizzeria; For a deposit on fixtures and the special oven. For reasons not gone into, credits was not available. The Don reached into his pocket and took out a roll of bills.

It was not quite enough. He grimaced and said to Tom Hagen, "Loan me a hundred dollars, I'll pay you back Monday when I go to the bank".

The supplicant protested that four hundred dollar would be ample, but Don Corleone patted his shoulder, saying, apologetically, "This fancy wedding left me a little short of cash".

He took the money Hagen extended to him and gave it to Anthony Coppola with his own roll of bills.

Hagen watched with quiet admiration.

The Don always taught that when a man was generous, he must show the generosity as personal. How flattering to Anthony Coppola that a man like the Don would borrow to loan him money. Not that Coppola did not know the Don was a millionaire but how many millionaires let themselves be put to even a small inconvenience by a poor friend?

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A New Chapter

Two heads are better than one.
One head is better than none.

Knowing the truth in the above statements, I have invited over to Merces Letifer an able writer/blogger whose style and flair I hold in high esteem.

Magenta, I'm sure you presence here will spice things up. I, 47, bid you a very warm welcome with wide open arms and a matching smile.

Just as any other individual with a properly functioning mind, I believe in wisdom, liberty and equality. Therefore, despite your noble sense of modesty which I appreciate, I assure you Magenta that the issue of 'penulis picisan - pondok' or 'penulis utama - banglo' will never arise here.

*a collaboration

May this blog thrive and grow and may we be inspired to write!

Wan Shang Hao!

Xian zai -shi yi dian pan* (11.30 pm)

bu duo jiu le..

Peng you men!

Wo zhu ni men..

XIN NIAN KUAILE~!

*edited - hah! xiao jie, xie xie nin!

Elemen Dalam Blog

Apabila aku membaca isi kandungan blog-blog tempatan, aku dapati ada beberapa elemen yang pasti ada. Kalau tak selalu, kadang-kadang mesti nak ada juga.

Ya, elemen-elemen yang perlu ada ini aku rasa cuma ada dua.

1) Alkohol
2) Perempuan

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Kadang kadang elemen ini wujud secara bersendirian dalam satu 'post', contohnya:

"Semalaman, kepala aku dirundung kemurungan, pening! Namun pengubat hati aku ada di dalam peti sejuk, kebahagiaan dalam tin kata sesetengah orang. Setiap tegukan membawa keseronokan baru.."

Atau pun:

"Aku bangun pagi ini dengan kucupan lembut si Sherry. Sherry, gadis kurus berbuah dada besar yang memberi hidupku seribu makna..."

Kadang kadang elemen ini disatukan dalam satu 'post', contohnya:

"Pengubat hati aku ada di dalam peti sejuk, kebahagiaan dalam tin kata sesetengah orang. Setiap tegukan membawa keseronokan baru. Bila sudah habis dua tin, bila hati dan kepala sudah rasa seronok, aku baring di atas katil dalam dakapan dia. Sherry, gadis kurus berbuah dada besar yang memberi hidupku seribu makna..."

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Lucu juga apabila melihat komen yang ditinggalkan pembaca. Yang paling membuatkan aku ketawa kuat adalah bila ada yang melompat dan marah-marah. Agaknya kalau di letak keris dalam tangan, mau kena tikam tuan punya blog dengan geng marah ni.

"Engkau ini memalukan bangsa! manusia tak Hadhari!" etc (you get the idea)

Macam ini pun ada juga, dan 'by the way' komen jenis ini sudah klise. Jenis yang mukadimahnya macam mahu memuji atau berdebat secara intellektual, tapi sebenarnya nak mencarut (eee..takutnye).

"Engkau menulis ni bagus, ada idea-ideanya. Tapi aku pun tak boleh cakap banyak, aku nak kasi kau hadiah 2 perkataan sahaja.................Fuck You"

Ya, komen macam ini sudah klise. Kalau ada terasa mahu meninggalkan komen macam ini, baik tak payah tinggalkan komen.

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Lagi sekali ingin aku nyatakan yang aku bukan Mastika. Aku tidak 'judge' orang, sekadar memerhati. Tujuan utama 'post' ini pun bukan untuk mengkritik, tapi untuk menunjukkan yang aku tidak akan kalah.

Yaa, aku tidak akan sekali-kali kalah.

Jadi....

Semalam, bila sampai rumah, aku buka pintu peti ais dan tangan aku pantas mencapai sebotol Heineken. 'Tie' yang mengikat leher aku seharian terasa bagai cengkaman tali lembu masyarakat...panas, tak selesa. Terus aku tanggalkan dengan sebelah tangan dan buang ke lantai. Sebelah tangan lagi mengangkat botol ke mulut. Cecair sejuk menyegarkan membasahi tekak...


Beer sejuk sememangnya menyegarkan! Dengan tenaga yang dijana sebotol minuman tadi, aku melangkah laju ke bilik tidur. Dan seperti biasa, di bilik tidur aku, 'mereka' sedang menunggu..


Bagaimana? Menang tak aku?

Procrastination

Procrastination is a common malady.

Happens to nearly everyone, even those who always plan their days ahead are bound to fall victim occasionally.

Let me tell you something people, procrastination is DANGEROUS.

Shite.

The Man II

A fellow blogger (if I may use the term 'blogger') has just landed a job in London. Congratulations Miss Nurul Azreen! Yes, London where Fleet St is, where..

"There’s a hole in the world like a great black pit
and the vermin of the world inhabits it
and its moral aren’t worth what a pig can spit
and it goes by the name of ~London"

Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet St: Now showing in cinemas near you!

A little advertisement won't hurt, plus it's a good movie anyway ~you should see it.

Going right back on track...in her latest post where she shared the good news of her landing a job, she mentioned 'the drill' which, in her own words, is described as:

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Finish-high-school-go-to-uni-finish-uni-go-to-work-witness-the-slow- painful-death-of-your-idealism-then-slowly-rot-at-work-get-married- have-2.4-kids-buy-a-car-and-a-house-in-the-suburbs-and-then-it's-a-matter-of- keeping-up-with-the-joneses!

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This, friends, in my opinion, is what life is according to The Man.

True, eventually we will all have to cooperate with The Man, that's life. But please, don't succumb completely to The Man, lest you'll become one of those trapped in the drill above.

Kalau Melayu Minimalis katanya menjadi A.A.y.D.d.K.B.G.A.B.

You may read Ms. Nurul's complete post here.

Cheers, have a good weekend!