Comparatively Successful

Salam and hi guys!

It is currently raining heavily at where I'm at right now, and there's something that I want to share about, which has been hovering inside my mind for a few days now. Well, more like a week.

So about few months ago, we were 'viralled' with news of a UUM graduate graduating with  3.99  and hence awarded with Anugerah Pelajaran Diraja (Royal Education Award?). Not only that, the course that she was majoring was pretty new at the time, Bachelor of Law, Philosophy, and Business, and from I've read, this course is pretty difficult, I mean combining law, philosophy, and business? Whose idea is that?

Well it's not just her. My fellow highschool mate was also awarded with the same award, and she also got straight A+ for her SPM. And also all other successful, genius, and amazing stories which always got me thinking, why can't I do that?

Why I can't be like them? Why am I not as excellent in my academic or any other area that I can be heavily proud of?

Once back in school, my senior teacher assistant told us during the assembly the story of the youngest writer in Malaysia that debuted her novel in her teen. My thought back then was, why was it wasn't me? I mean I write stories too, I even write Malay poetry back in school. Why I didn't get any of my work published and have something that I can tell? Something that add value to my self worth?

I don't know if it's just me or there are other people who compares themselves with other people's achievements. Like why can't I be the one?

Until one day my economics lecturer said, rephrased, it is normal for students to fail, or to not get what they want or to achieve their target, you may target A+ for this subject but you might end up with a B instead. These things are normal. It is the hardship of a student that you will have to face.

What she said, has hit me in a way.

She made me realised that, I deserve everything that I have received. And in another thought, I also realised that everyone has different capabilities; different speed at learning, different method of studying, different mental capabilities, everyone is just different. And my difference is what God has given me. The UUM graduate's exceptional academic excellence is what God has given her through her mental capability.

I just have to be grateful with what I have, and acknowledge what is it about me that makes me different from everyone else. I need to believe that I am outstanding in a way, and continuously work to that. Improve and work at my own pace, as long as I'm improving, I am doing it right.

It is unhealthy to comparing ourselves success' and others' success. Everyone leads different life, with different background, different mentality, different support system, and so much more. Although that comparative thought often occur to me unconsciously, as soon as I'm putting down myself in that comparative thought, I need to take a break and count my blessings and be grateful.

I need to teach myself that instead of being negative and comparing my success and others' successes, I should be happy for them, learn from them, and be grateful instead. This way I can lead a happier life while improving it along the way.

I've seen that people on Twitter are quoting the tweet that asks 'what's your toxic trait?' and directly answer the question. I don't like the way people are anwering the question, but here I'm gonna put my answer and it is to constantly comparing myself with people that are known for their early successes, and now I'm going to train myself to not do so anymore, and be happier for people and myself instead.

It is time to really lead a positive life, and rocketing to infinity.

Twitter nation and kindness

Salam 'alayk and hi guys!

I'm sure almost everyone that's tech-savvy has a Twitter account, right? So today, I want to share my concern about what's been going on on Twitter these days, or more like these few years and this thing has been frustrating my brain and my heart and it feels it needed to be let out!

So hear my thought.

All of us, generally since little we have been taught to be kind to people. At home our parents keep telling us to be kind to our siblings and share our toys, or be kind to people and always say thank you and sorry when it's due. At school we were indoctrinated to be kind to people in general, to respect the elderly, to say good morning or say our salaam to the teachers, to be nice to the young and with our peers. What more in Malaysia we have Pendidikan Islam, Pendidikin Sivik, and Pendidikan Moral that focus intensely on moral and ethics for schoolchildren.

Basically we have been taught to always be nice and kind to people. It is a common teaching, regardless of our religions or races. So considering all those 18 years of indoctrination to always be nice and be kind, shouldn't it be a common sense to all of us?

This is what my concern is all about.

On Twitter, every single day, I read and see countless of demeaning and degrading tweets that I found unnecessary. People quote a person's tweet and say bad thing about him/her, people reply to pictures and criticize badly about a person's appearance and such, some just find fault in others' tweets and slap slanders onto others. I don't get it. Where gone all our mannerism and kindness?

I know there are kindness on Twitter. However those are kindness that are obviously shown? Like people help finding their lost kin, donation drive and more. It's obvious those kindness. What I want to emphasize is our daily life, daily conversations that may seem unimportant but shows so much of our manners and attitude and most importantly of our heart.

Especially when people exchanges ideas or knowledge or opinions, I don't understand why some people can't show their disagreement with manners. Do they really have to include profanities in their sentences? Do they have to be mean and degrade the person lowly? Just to show how disagree they are? Is it that important? Is portraying and shoving people your ideas/knowledge harshly that necessary?

I just cannot brain this.

What more with the awareness on mental health these days. People advocate for this awareness, but they don't act with it?

They think saying harsh words on screen would not affect much to people? What, they deserve it? How do you know they deserve all the profanities and curses and the inhospitable words you throw? Like I said, do you really know how their lives has been going on?

Stupid. That's it. I said it. People who pretend to advocate for mental health are stupid for not acting like they are. They know depression is a real issue in Malaysia yet they can't afford to be nice to people they don't know? Brainless. WALK THE TALK PEOPLE!

What makes me mad even more is that the people I often see do this unkind and mean things are those. so. called. tweetfamous. People look up to them, they have thousands and thousand of followers from various background, especially the schoolkids, and these people without second thought would follow what they do. These tweefamous (god I hate this word) think they are holy, free of judgment, always right and all because they have their followers who would support them in whatever they do. Not everyone know that they need to filter the things they read and see and therefore know which to take and apply in their lives or which to frown upon. Not everyone know the practicality of buang yang keruh, ambil yang jernih.

So I got disappointed when some Twitter accounts that I respected do these kind of things. Just.. why can't people be nice?


You might disagree with what I said. It is okay. Everyone have their own perspectives and opinions on this issue (yes I think of this as a serious issue that need to be addressed). I am just.. sad and frustrated over this issue. Seems simple but being kind or being awful unknowingly can impact so much in someone's life.