Take Pride//No Shame.

I thought long and hard before deciding if I should resume blogging after a 2-year long hiatus from the blogosphere.

In light of the recent Kashgari case, many people were enraged that a mere comment on the Internet had such strong repercussions in the form of the death penalty. I myself was a little afraid - I tend to be endlessly attracted to controversial issues, and was worried that I might be just one careless comment away from ISA detainment.

Which is why I have put up a disclaimer on my blog! :D Hopefully that saves me should I make any tactless decisions lololol!

AND SO, I AM BACK! :D And now I will reside in my new blog instead of the old JUMP! blog. Well you can still read that if you want, but I would say it's a fairly obsolete reflection on who I am right now. As this is a mostly introductory post, it's going to be short.

In this blog I will cover a wide range of things, from the things that happen in my daily life, to my opinions on thought provoking issues, to football, and even anime or manga.

Today, I would like to share a few quotes. (Btw, I don't remember it word for word.)

"Do not fear suffering. SUFFERING produces CHARACTER, with CHARACTER comes HOPE, and HOPE NEVER FAILS US." 

- NBA sensation Jeremy Lin, referring to Romans 5: 3-4 of the Bible.

Do not dwell on tough times. Whining won't help; working hard will. All good things come to those who persevere. And Jeremy Lin's rapid rise to stardom is just a great example that is unfolding right now: 

Undrafted, snubbed by Golden State, snubbed by Houston, arrived at New York as the #5 point guard in the team. It was no easy road. But he persevered, kept working hard, and then his chance came - NYK's point guards were injured, they were short on personnel, so Jeremy was thrust into the team. He grabbed his chance with both hands and never looked back. Linsanity began in earnest and is still going strong. Overnight, he became a superstar, endearing himself to many with his humble attitude, the hero of many aspiring Asian basketballers, and the pride of all Chinese people.

“长命富贵世间有，日月同久世间无。“

Loosely translated as: 

"The world can offer us a long life and wealth, but eternity is something that even it is powerless to give."

- Tan Sri 张晓卿 (Zhang Xiao Qing,) touching on how short life is, and how time passes so quickly, while reminiscing about his childhood with his recently deceased younger brother.

THEREFORE WE SHOULD TREASURE ALL THE TIME AND PEOPLE THAT WE HAVE, ESPECIALLY US YOUTHS! LIFE IS NEVER REALLY THAT LONG.

This was extracted from a Chinese news article (Sin Chew Daily) which my mum asked me read. I found it very heartwarming that two brothers (and in fact, the whole family) could have such a tightly-knit relationship. (Sadly, me and my bro are not that close due to age gap) 

Tan Sri Zhang is one good big brother, born into poverty, he dropped out of school after barely scraping through Form Three and helped with the bread winning for the family. He gave financial support and encouraged his younger siblings to study in universities overseas, especially her sister due to the (at that time) sexist society. He believed that education is the best way to change the life of his family and persisted where his siblings resisted. He says: 

"There are a lot of things I want to do in life. But as I am not very intelligent academically, the things I can do are limited. As the big brother, I did not want the suffering I lived through my youth to be the predicament of my younger siblings, and where I fail, I hope my younger siblings succeed." (loosely translated)

Quite inspirational. I always thought that inherently, I have a big brother personality, and he is definitely one good example to learn from. Sadly I have no younger siblings to dote on. :( 

I am always green with envy when I watch TV series such as Moonlight Resonance, lamenting the absence of such siblinghood (if there is even such a word) in my life. For those who are close with your siblings, you sure are lucky! You may fight and quarrel often, but in the end, you know he/she is someone you can count on. : )

Well, I guess it didn't end up being that short. =.= I apologise.

Hope you enjoyed the read! : )

-Q