Tao of Sha

Technically it's sort of a Manifesto.

Technically.

1. Laugh.
Surround yourself with people and things that make your heart feel so full that you need to express it in various degrees of movement and sounds -- sometimes the quiet ones are the best.

2. Eat, Drink.
If you can, try and have a taste of everything. Nothing brings you closer and tells you more about a community then what sustains them daily.

3. Play.
Never ever forget what playing feels like. Life is a game, you lose when you willingly stop playing.

4. Listen.
When you stop talking, that's when most of the magic happens. Everything around you will impart to you a lesson.

5. Throw Your Judgements Out The Window.
Yes, defenestrate that which keeps your mind shut to people not of your own, experiences outside your own, objects away from their common use.

6. McGuyvering.
I didn't know 'McGuyver' could be a verb until I was in my first year in design school. In a pinch, you can always find some way to complete a task, it doesn't have to be beautiful, it just has to work.

7. Make friends.
People always underestimate the importance of a vast community that you have curated and made significant efforts in maintaining. These wonderful people will be the net that brings you a wealth of ideas, knowledge, expertise, and sometimes even time.

8. Relax.
There's no such thing as doing nothing. Even when you're resting you're allowing your mind and body to consolidate it's daily experience and do maintenance on itself so that you can function properly later.

tbc.

What Kind of Designer Are You

ANOTHER ONLINE TEST THINGY!
This time to determine roughly the kind of Designer I am.

What Kind of Designer Are You? -- Take the quiz here >>> https://whatkindofdesigner.com/design-types

Apparently, today I'm one with the Data Drivers.

Rough rundown:

UNDERSTANDING. Data Drivers:

D - DIVERGE, R - REAL, G - GROUP, M - MEASURE

Key traits:

You enjoy exploring lots of ideas

Your work helps to craft the final design

You like to work with others to discuss and refine ideas

You like decisions to be based on data or insight

Watch out for:

Is it time to stop looking for new ideas and make a decision?

Is there anything else that you could do to build confidence in your work?

Are you giving everyone enough time on their own to think things through?

Have you thought about the things that can’t easily be measured?

Similar Types:

Team Player, Fortune Teller, Experimenter, Party Animal

OPPOSITE OF DATA DRIVERS. Opposites Attract:

Brand Builder: Not everything that counts can be counted. Right?

Quite Interesting.

Found a thing on the internet that was interesting to read. Mayan Calendar and Zodiacs.

My write up is here. and I have no idea how it works. Will do more reading soon.
Also, I tested it on other sites as well and all answers popped up the same. No discrepancies.

How it works, apparently, is that I have a main sign called a Day sign, A Galactic Tone, and The Trecana Sign and finally, your Tree of Life.

Day Sign: Cauac (Rain)

Sometimes also called Storm. I guess ribut bila rasa hati berserabai? hahahaha...

Galactic Tone: Bolon (9)

What I find interesting is how this mirrors my Chinese life path (which is also 9) They really like doing math the same way. Add all the numbers until you only have one number remaining? THERE CAN ONLY BE ONE!

Trecana Sign: Monkey

This is apparently my tree of life -- Which is funny given many cultures have a version of 'The Tree of Life'. I ain't complainin' -- Past: Monkey ; Destiny: Deer ; Female: Serpent ; Male: Cane

They all pretty much point me in the same direction as the rest of the hoobiegoobiespiritual life stuff.

Natural leader, healer, life of the party when I wanna be, Monster when I don't get what I want. Levelheaded monarch lel.

What else is new? *shrugs*

I'm in a writing mood tonight, hesitant to do work and yet, the files are all open, reference folders splayed out. I'm just staring at the plans, coloured lines and all but my entire body aches from... something. This time, not ennui. I'm sure of it.

I'd ripped myself out of bed half an hour later than I was supposed to, groggy and in a mood, morning had snuck up on me too soon. With a harrumph, I'd put myself under a torrent of slightly cold water which got warmer the longer it went. I couldn't decide whether it was my skin getting used to the cold or the heater finally did its job, either way I was deeply disliking my unmet slumber.

I had to go to a mall for a meeting with an incredibly awesome woman who had sacrificed her Sunday for me. A nearly thirty, bright eyed, bushy-tailed upstart. Excited for the meeting, not excited to be in the bosom of capitalism. In response, I dressed down.

"If I'm going to do this, might as well pretend I'm going to the beach," I said to myself. "Really. A mall is the only safe place that's accessible and friendly for people with disabilities and yet I hate it."

- started talking about nantes, kismet and how we can work that into life
-3 goal branches in my life
- How funny is languages

Things I have learnt about me:

1. I may die of a heart attack when I get older... According to some BS research... *shrugs*

2. I don't like who I've been in any of my past romantic relationships and the thought of being involved makes me sick.

Who Are You? Who-who, Who-who...

Who are you when no one is around?

"I am nothing and everything in it’s entirety"

- Martrice

I read this question on Quora last night and it's so incredibly interesting. Who AM I when I'm alone?
I'm the me-est me that ever could me, that's who.

Pajamas, binging on information, multitasking.
(Speaking of multitasking, I need a second screen)
Depending on who's in the house, calm and reserved or beyond paranoid that someone was going to barge into my room and try to have a conversation about something irrelevant while I'm trying to read, do work or watch something important.

I'm what society deems as callous, withdrawn, self-absorbed, ruthlessly autodidactic, nitpicky.
No airs and no walls around me because I'm not being judged.
I decide when and how I want to feel.
I smile when I want to, I cry when I want to.
I'm gross and contented. Happy, fat and lazy.
And in my pajamas.

BUT here's the kicker. I need to go hang out because I like socialising and being at home alone saps me of my energy and mirth, I'm extroverted. I need to go outside to remind myself why I don't like most humans.

Segue to...
Inspiration porn and why it's so difficult to explain it to people.
THIS PIECE was truly witty in trying to do just that and actually does a really good job!

Which brings me to why Inspiration porn is bad...
When one is afflicted with some kind of disability, one is constantly reminded that one is an inspiration to all simply because one has the outward appearance of super positivity. Therein lies he problem. Us disabled people have now been dehumanised because we CANNOT and MUST NOT complain because it makes the average person feel bad. boo-hoo.
I know it's easy to just tell us to try and open up now, as adults. Do you know how hard it is to change something hardwired in yourself to not do because everyone else gets sensitive when you get just a little bit emotionally negative? And they ask me why I'm dead inside, why I'm so cynical. Pft. It's because of all you special snowflakes.

Overall, I can safely say I'm still beyond pissed I can't work in an office of my choosing (who've accepted me prior and I had to reject) because they didn't have the facilities for disabled people.
Do you know how bad for your body it is to not be able to drink water because going to the bathroom is hell? I know, right? Who would've thought bathrooms were one of the most important things to humankind. BUT IT IS.

Walk the talk, Malaysians. You keep saying you're for inclusive environments but I haven't seen tangible progress!

It's almost 4AM... I had coffee late... hahahaha

Alfred posted this so now I'm reposting it... Because I ain't sleepy.

Here are the rules for you to ignore or adhere to as you see fit: (copy & paste) in your status update, list 12 albums that have stayed with you (whatever that brings to mind for you) - but, and this is the most important rule/non-rule only 1 per band/artist. Don't take too long and no need to think too hard. Tag ten Facebook friends (including me) and get them to do the same thing. We'll leave compilation albums out please. Happy reminiscing!

Also, mind, I'm not tagging (nor did I tag) anyone and this one will have a long story about why these albums stuck with me and only the ones where I love THE ENTIRE album. These made the cut.

1. QUEEN's Greatest Hits
This one's easy. It's the first album gifted to me by the fathur when I was in grade 1. Stuck with me forever.

2. QUEENThe Crusader's Chain Reaction
Possible Introductory album to Jazz/Funk, rifled through the fathur's music stash. NO RAGRETSSSS

3. TUPAC's Until The End Of Time
I have a soft spot for Gangsta Rap. Also, I'm like the least OG person ever. hahahaha

4. INCUBUS' A Crow Left Of The Murder
I. LOVE. INCUBUS. And I hate that I can't list down their entire discography

5. BONE THUGS 'N' HARMONY's The Art Of War
The amount of times I listened to this was incredible... I even memorised EVERY song and rapped along to it. I know, right? What?

6. KORN's Untouchables
This album was cathartic to 14 year old Sha.

7. SYSTEM OF A DOWN's Steal This Album!
This album was hilarious and bouncy to late teens Sha

8. SOUNDGARDEN's Superunknown
Better than Nirvana on all fronts. Hands down.

9. DETHKLOK's Dethalbum (because lol)
Seriously, Branden Smalls is amazing. Want. Also because I love Metalocalypse.

10. CAMILLE's Le Sac De Filles
Hello, Bossa Nova and awesome stage music live things!

11. SEVEN COLLAR T-SHIRT's Drones
Yes. Just yes.

12. GTA: ST ANDREAS, K-DST Radio channel. (Does this even count? It does now haha)
Little Brother played GTA:SA so much that this channel is embedded in my brain. Comedy gold is my fathur reacting to this...
"Pak hitam listening to white rock. hahahahahaha"

I do believe my post on how to retort to people who throw religion upon you is... gone. I don't know how. So here's a re-cap!

Verses in the Quran that you can spurt to shut up holier-than-thou comments:

Numberrrrrrrr 3:

Surah Ghafir, Ayat 20 (40:20)

وَاللَّهُ يَقْضِي بِالْحَقِّ ۖ وَالَّذِينَ يَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِهِ لَا يَقْضُونَ بِشَيْءٍ ۗ إِنَّ اللَّهَ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ

And Allah judges with truth, while those they invoke besides Him judge not with anything. Indeed, Allah - He is the Hearing, the Seeing.

Numero 2:

Surah Al-Hujurat, Ayat 11 (49:11)

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَا يَسْخَرْ قَوْمٌ مِنْ قَوْمٍ عَسَىٰ أَنْ يَكُونُوا خَيْرًا مِنْهُمْ وَلَا نِسَاءٌ مِنْ نِسَاءٍ عَسَىٰ أَنْ يَكُنَّ خَيْرًا مِنْهُنَّ ۖ وَلَا تَلْمِزُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ وَلَا تَنَابَزُوا بِالْأَلْقَابِ ۖ بِئْسَ الِاسْمُ الْفُسُوقُ بَعْدَ الْإِيمَانِ ۚ وَمَنْ لَمْ يَتُبْ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الظَّالِمُونَ

O you who have believed, let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them; nor let women ridicule [other] women; perhaps they may be better than them. And do not insult one another and do not call each other by [offensive] nicknames. Wretched is the name of disobedience after [one's] faith. And whoever does not repent - then it is those who are the wrongdoers.

NUUMBER OOOOOONE:

Surah At-Tin, Ayat 8 (95:8)

أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِأَحْكَمِ الْحَاكِمِينَ

Is not Allah the best of all Judges?

Aaaaaaanyway,

Hello, internetizens, for another dose of... me. Haha.

Apparently an hour of reading your chosen field a day will make you some kind of expert within a few years. I could try it out but what I really need to do is start my investing shtick. Need my monays because monetary/financial freedom means you get a choice. It's really all I ask for.

I guess I should get to reading.

Also,

Evidently, if I am super grumpy and disagreeable, one of three things can be done to rectify this:
1. Feed me food for I am hangry.
2. Let me sleep because I will cut you.
3. I need alone time. Me time. Pyjama time. Leave me be to my own devices until I see fit to resume socialisation.

Brainfart until I can get a piece of paper.

My thesis is about short term collaboration through sound
Question: How can we invoke a sense of short term collaboration amongst strangers?
Overlain topic: Incitement of community and safety

Accidental collaboration?

_______________________

Also, this post is a little self serving (What blog post isnt, really?)

I'm listing down my name and what it means in various languages.

Sha: King (Persian)

Aishah: Alive or She Who Lives or Womanly (Arabic)

Nor: Light (Arabic), Flame (Hebrew)

Shimah: Nature or Habit (Arabic), Mother (Navajo Indian), Cream or Character (Indian)

The Tao of Sha:
(Of which there are five -- Nothing more, nothing less)

Food:
Food is for sustenance, enjoyment, bonding.
Food is culture, limitless experimentation, trial, error, experimentation.
Food is understanding and acceptance of any differences within the confines of ones life.

Friends:
No man is an island.
No man exists in perpetual aloneness.
No man is devoid of company.
But when a person discovers a group he or she is meant to be around and keep in company for as long as he or she can, know that experience and knowledge is only there for both personal and communal gain.

Music:
Notes, stanzas, words, chords, mixing, understanding, amalgamate of amazement. Without sound, without motion, be it kinetic or vibrations, life cannot exist.

Drink:
Impetus for change, for thought.
Aqua Vitae or Liquid courage it matters not.
Passion, adventure, thought and the line of imagination.
To be without is to be devoid of humour and fun but to have too much and without fear of consequence is to forget oneself and to become oblivion.
Hydration is key.

Travel:
Open oneself to the world at large, away from ones creature comforts, ones safe zones.
Arbitrary is the feeling of being kept.
Adventure keeps the spirits alive.

Cheese guys... Yes, guyS, as in Plural. There's two of em. Their names are Alex and Dennis. Eheheehe...
I love Vic Market. :D
Nak usha lagi sebab kena usha tadi. XD

Aaaaaanyway, I gotta buy a hand blender so I can make soups. How lovely.

Alright, to be completely honest, winter isn't as inhospitable as I had thought last. I still don't enjoy being cold all the time, don't get me wrong.

What I do with leftover filo pastry: Strawberry filo tarts topped with whipped vanilla cream. And it was delicious, perhaps though too much of it. Next time it'll be just two layers of filo and jam instead of four... and in smaller, cuter ramekins. I, again, have forgotten to take pictures but for future reference, here's the rough recipe.

Makes 3-ish small ramekins of tarts...

tarts:
250g fresh strawberries
2 tbsp brown sugar
filo pastry sheets

vanilla cream:
thickened cream or whipping cream
some sugar
some vanilla essence (better if you had a vanilla pod and scrape out the seeds to plonk in)

1. cut strawberries into bitesized chunks and put into a saucepan on medium heat, cook with sugar until syrupy and as thick as you want (it'll dry out further in the oven). Remember to taste and adjust the flavour as you cook it into jam.
2. arrange the filo pastry in the ramekins so that it resembles a small cup and put a few spoons of jam. make two to three layers of it.
3. (Preheat the oven at 200degreesC) When it's at the appropriate temperature, put ramekins into the oven and let bake for 25 minutes.
4. While it's baking, whip the cream til soft peaks then add sugar and vanilla and beat to hard peaks.
5. When ready to serve, put a dollop of cream onto each tart and garnish with fanned out strawberry.

I'm mentally chastising myself for not taking pictures. It was pretty but now it's in my belly. XD

Things I have learnt about myself:
- I think I'm some kind of genius when I come up with quips when I'm all alone.

On the playlist while I sort out my brain for the final job this semester. I have resolved to calling all assignments a job:

- The Agonist's Lullabies for the Dormant Mind.

- We Are Scientists' With Love and Squalor

... On loop until I get sick of it then I switch to iTunes turned to shuffle.

I got my head checked but not by a jumbo jet, magician actually. hahahahah...

Apparently I'm an obscenely level person with an ego the size of the known universe. Ah, and I'm an asshole. Not that I have a problem with that seeing as I'm proudly smug about it.

Today's work, probably until in the wee hours of the morning, will be centered around 'The Lemming Theory' which is what I've decided to call the final Job for the Semester. I would probably end up doing a 3D rendering of the 'finished' idea for the presentation.

I'm pitching an idea to a panel. Yeay, I'm so full of butterflies because it's a panel of external judges and generally people I don't know.

Anyway, Things I have learnt about myself:
- I have a part of me that's extremely doting. When that pat of me goes unused it builds up until so much pressure is exerted and it explodes turning me into some kind dotingwhore and I pretty much mother-hen everyone. Kind of scary.

Good evening ladies and gentlemen,

I had a relatively nice day, albeit a little distracted.
Had a spot of coffee with a darling friend and psychoanalysed myself.

"It's okay, I fight for you," said she, after I said I was a pacifist by force (If I start fighting with people, they'll sooner kick my ass).
Hahahaha... I luff yewww!!!

The opposite sex to me is like a really good puzzle.
I give myself quests.
I won't want to let go until I've solved it or finished every item on the list.
And when I do, game over.
I'll toss him to one side and move on to the next.

Getting me to figure out exactly how a boy ticks may possibly be the fastest way to make me lose interest.
Which is not entirely a good thing.

Since, opposite sex is like a puzzle he becomes a new hobby or a new toy and I become very irate if it gets played with by another person before I'm done, kind of like a child throwing tantrums.

Things I have learned about myself:
- I cannot think when I listen to Jamiroquai. All I want to do is dance. Obviously bad for when I need to focus on work.

Today my only little sister turns 20 and I just realised what a sneaky little bastard she really is. She goes to Italian restaurants and orders a basic Spaghetti Napolitana -- even if it's not on the menu.

If you think about it, a Napolitana is one of the simplest and most basic sauces one can make. It's also the easiest to botch up. A true and respectable Italian restaurant wont bat an eyelash and make it. It's a real test of whether or not the restaurant has the proper balances of herbs and other ingredients. One wrong move and the dish fails.

Happy Birthday to her. *clap clap clap*

Things I have learned about me:
- I love dark chocolate, I love hazelnut chocolate more. And I love orange or mint ganache/filling. I hate strawberry fillings in my chocolate.

I be in the midst of working on a funky new blogskin.
I'll give props to the creator whom I ripped it off from.

Also, I need to start working on the portfolio really quick so I can send it in beginning of the new term... ha ha... I know, it should have been handed in last week. Shut up.

Also, finished 4 seasons of QI, I think all of the Invader Zim episodes and currently watching Avatar: The Last Air Bender, (Legend of Ang). I loooooove Nickelodeon crap.

Things I've learnt about myself:
- I have permanent single person behaviour and I don't think I can ever get out of it... Not that I want to. It's waaaaaaay to comfortable. Will expand on later post... maybe tomorrow?

Obligatory food update: I'm eating maggi goreng.

Now, I don't understand why there is such a pressing need for mothers to want to marry their daughters off. I don't understand the point of nuptials anyway.

I don't see why life has to be circled solely around getting married when there's so many other things to do. You should of course know who this post is about. It's a rant and it starts now.

Just the other night I came home after watching Iron Man 2 at 4AM. I was sent home by the good grace and speedy car of a friend whom had also been asked to send another friend home.

Let me explain the circumstrances...
1. I, when watching movies, don't usually follow the whims of the movie-ticket buyer. I usually request that I the movie end early enough so that I be back home before 1AM. This time though, the ticket buying was a surprise and I took the chance to go watch a movie with 12 other people. People whom, most, I trust with my life.
2. Understandably, some of my friends are working so the movie has to be a night movie because honestly, who has the time to watch movies anymore?
3. We had our usual fajita dinner the same night and we were cooking since 4PM. There were 13 of us.

So, yes, I came home at 4AM, tired, hungry and in no mood to fight and I get yelled at for even coming home.
Sial la.

On a less grumpy note,
If my parents don't spoil me, it's okay because my friends do. hahahahah...

Things I have learnt about myself thus far:
- I most of the time love my friends more than my immediate family because they treat me like a human being and not some expensive burden they have to live with.

Next week will sort of be a full 3 months since I've used the Hydrotherapy machine...
I feel healthier though my inclination to do some sort of exercise lies solely on whether or not there's anything good on the internart or whether or not I should have that nap I so wanted to have or... the list goes on and is filled with ideas for procrastination.

Excuses, excuses.

I have also begun a bid to eat healthier as well, well for a start we'll make it more balanced and with a significantly less amount of junk food.

Remember how much I want the HTC Touch Pro 2? Well, I want to get it but I'm hoarding money at the moment. Money is so pretty and it smells so nice I just want to lock it up in the bank and make it grow... Struggling now to make your money work for you means rolling in a lot of it in the future, at least according to my life plans. If only to supplement my love for travel and food and chill-out sessions -- and material things, lets not forget material things.

Things I have learnt about myself:
- I have some sort of superiority complex when it comes to certain people and their music. The stuff I listen to is just better in more ways than one why can't you people just accept it??
- I love flattery, no point lying about that.
- Nothing is more exciting to me, when it comes to guys, than the ability to verbally spar -- both friendly fire and double entendres.

Taken from my Livejournal sekret blog to confirm that I can be too funny (to myself):

__________________________________

I have a panel in my head much like the UN or the senate... or the board of executives.

They have arguments over such executive decisions as 'Pee now or pee later?' and 'Cake?'

Well for a few weeks now This argument has been discussed copious amounts of times. It's at the top of the agenda pile and is summarised as 'To exercise?'

The real answer is 'Yes,' but obviously the motion is bombarded by 'but's and if making excuses to not exercise was an Olympic sport it would be a huge irony and I would've won the gold medal... thrice... on the same day.

My biggest excuse is that the stationary bicycle is the devil and I'd rather spend some money on a treadmill, a top of the line one.

_________________________________

Things I have learnt about myself (but never managed to compile):
- I HATE wet toilets and bathrooms.

Things I have to do today:
- Go open savings account in bank and transfer money to tunemoney.
- Read book (will start soon)
- Package chocolates to give to grandmum and aunts for taste test (forgot)
- Go to grandmums house with materials for Spaydrotherapy Machine (ended up just going for dinner)
- Do Urgent Evoke task 2, or at least think about it very carefully. (Finished all the quests instead)

Bali Trip is ONNNNN... just have to wait to purchase a delicious ticket deal as soon as Min confirms the dates, the Doc confirms my physicals and I confirm my funds to a T.

Don't think the Tenggol trip is on.

Tentative dates for Bangkok at the end of the year is being discussed. Shopping SHOPPING SHOPPINGGGGAAAAAAAARGH!

First week has ended.

Things I have learnt about myself:
- My gift of the gab has warranted many people to suggest I go into some sort of politics.
- My gift of the gab can get me in trouble.
- The thought of dating younger guys scare me more than I would like to admit.
- I think I have ZERO experience when it comes to relationships but that doesn't stop people from asking me for opinions when the know full well that I think I have ZERO experience in relationships.
- I should stop talking but I know that's not going to happen.
- I'm WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY liberal.
- I usually only drink clear liquors and white wine but Rosé Wine (a red) and light brews like Hoegaarden are palatable.

That is all for today.