A somewhat semi review for the stories of the boy who lived ...

The Harry Potter stories came to a conclusion in 2007.

I however only finished reading them 4 days ago.
It took me 3 weeks of scrounging up 30 minutes here and there to go through all 7 books, which was surprisingly a nice way to read.

The hardest book to finish (for me personally) was Book 5 - The Order of the Phoenix.
Reason being, in this particular span of Harry's life, he was almost consistently angry.
I couldn't stand the parts in which he throws his anger around like a cudgel onto everyone especially his close friends.
I had to stop reading every once in a while so that my emotions don't get too carried away with it.

According to some reviewers, book 5 was one of the peak in the stories but I simply do not feel that to be true for me.

I personally like Book 1 and 6 the most.

The stories archs for The Philosopher's Stone and The Half Blood Prince is very well written where I, as a reader, was carried into a much richer world and deeper character development. It is here that I start to truly paid attention to Severus Snape.

As a whole, J.K.Rawling did a wonderful job of creating a world where adults and children are able to hide for a few hours from the harshness of the daily grind.

Scratching the surface ...

We seldom dwell deep into a problem until its too late.
Understanding what makes things happen is essential to solving it completely.
A simple concept but seldom applied.

I used to go deep, so much so, my coworkers will be pissed off at how detail I want things to be.
But that has changed a lot since I was that dedicated to finding the truth about everything.
For years, I have convinced myself that it was for the better that I let my grip loosen.
Letting people come up for air and not feel drowned whenever they are working with me.
And because of that, I too have learned to not take things too seriously.

That is no longer something that I am happy with.
The slip that I have allowed others have somehow contaminated my own principles and philosophy.
It is not their fault that I am letting myself go down that path, I am fully responsible for the decisions that I have wrath upon myself. So it will be me that will resolve this tangled mess that I am in right now.
Letting others go by with their own set of "standards" does not mean that I too have to succumb to their fallacies. In order to create a quality result, I must be willing to put in quality effort.

There is no two way about it.
Garbage in, Garbage out.

Butterflies and Butterbeers...

Its a bit strange walking into the office today.
My stomach has butterflies.
Something in the air maybe?

Not sure but am thinking that a little giddy is good for the Monday morning health.

Good Morning everyone, Happy Monday to you all.

Stick in the mind ...

About 2 years back, I started a few extra blogs to better categorized my postings.
Things that made better sense if it was posted under another heading.
The blogs are still there but I have posted less and less these days.
Mainly because I was put into a new position that took away most of my blogging time but at the end it was because I am at a lost within my own world and I could not really put it into words.

I still kept my own hobby running though for a good long while.
i-snap-pictures was having its daily posting non-stop.
But as you would have noticed, even that blog has been suffering from my lack of attention to it.
It does not mean that I have stopped snapping pics (because I haven't) yet it does show that my interest in putting it up on web is wanning.

Somewhere at the back of my head, a voice is telling me that I should not stop.
For one reason or another, it believes that I should persist on it or face a future that is bleak and dark.
And I tend to listen to that voice.
It usually spouts good sensible advice.

So I shall begin my posting of my snaps again soon.

Why am I putting this post up?
Its also come into my attention that I have been ignoring this blog as well.
Work (though important) should no longer be used as an excuse to live the other parts of one's life. And I am cognizant of the situation that I am in right now.

It is unhealthy to be too engross on one part of life for too long, as it might lead to severe depression and mental constipation.

So this is me trying to unknit my brain from its current condition with a persistent exercise of releasing ones thought onto a clear distinctive medium in order to better understand our mental well being. It is almost like what Dumbledore does when he puts his thoughts into the Pensieve, though less "graphical" and more literal.

Thanks for listening.

Flesh and Blood ...

This is a story based on true events.

"Leave" said the older brother to his siblings.
"Leave now" he said again with a sterner voice.

"But why, brother? Why are you casting us out?" his younger brother ask.
"Why are you forcing us to leave our home?"

"You are not of my blood. You were adopted and will never be my brother."

"But I know no other home. You are my brother since I can remember." pleaded the younger brother again.

"I already told you. Are you deaf? Or are you dumb? You are NOT my brother. You and that thing over there are only here because my mother took pity on you both and allowed you into our house so many years ago. Now I no longer welcome the likes of you or him in MY house."

As the yuonger brother pleaded with his older sibling, the youngest son walked towards his mother.

"Mak, please say something? Please tell abang to let us stay. We know no other mother but you. We have no other home but here. We have been good and have done no wrong. Why is abang kicking us out?"

Suddenly the eldest brother ran over and pushed his youngest brother to the floor.
"MOVE AWAY FROM HER!!!!"
"DO NOT TOUCH HER EVER AGAIN!!! SHE IS MY MOTHER!!! NOT YOURS!!!"

Holding back her oldest son, the mother pleaded.
"Son, please don't hurt them. Just let them go."

"Mother, let me handle this. It was your softness that led our family into this. So don't interfere."

The mother cowered before her own flesh and blood, not wanting to anger him anymore.

"You two piece of trash get out from my roof. You are no longer welcomed here."

The younger brother helped pulled his fallen brother up.
Together they stood there looking at their oldest brother with eyes of confusion.

"Bang. I do not understand why you have forsaken us. We have been brothers for 30 years. We cried and bled together when we were young. We have shared laughter and sadness together when we grew older. Why are you doing this now?" The youngest brother asked.

"You want to know why? Fine, let me tell you why? Because you are not of my blood. You are an outsider. And now you want to take away what is rightfully mine? My mother gave you food and shelter but that does not mean you are my kin. This house belongs to those who are of our flesh. And you are obviously not. Do not ask for anything else from us, we have given you enough to fend for yourself. So leave, your trespassing on private property."

"When have we taken from you, abang?" Questioned the youngest again, still unable to understand why his eldest brother's attitude changed so drastically.

"When? You two have taken what is mine again and again. And you asked me when? The toys that was suppose to be mine, father gave to you because you had better grades. The sawah that was suppose to mine, father gave to him because he worked faster than me. Now this house, he wanted to divide between me and YOU TWO when he died!!! This is my family house. My ancestors have been living in this piece of land for 100 years. And now he wants to give it out to strangers? But luckily he did not write it into a will and only told mother of his decision. And now mother has given it all to me. Her flesh and blood. Her true son. The sawah is mine. The house is mine. You will have nothing."

The two brothers were dumbstruck.
They looked at their eldest brother and then to their mother.

"Mak? Is that true? You no longer want us as your sons anymore?"

The mother looked at them sadly and nodded.

"Now you know. And now you can leave."

"But mak, why? We have always been good to you. We bring all our money back to the family. We love you. Why?"

The mother let out a soft sigh and said,"Although you two have been good to me but only he is my true son. I will not let him be left with nothing. Your father was not thinking properly when he made those decision. I do not wish you two any harm so you should just leave. You are both capable of taking care of yourself now and do not need my protection anymore."

Tears flowed down from their eyes as they felt the invisible knives thrusting through their heart.
Unable to comprehend how all this could have happen when they were so loyal and obedient to the family.

"Mak..." the middle sibling called softly.

"Enough already. She is not your mother. She is mine. Now go before I call the police."

Slowly they walked away, the two young brothers left their home of 30 years silently.

Years passed, and although the two brothers were not born of the same parents, they kept close with each other because in their hearts they were bonded beyond blood.
Eventually they buried their sadness and got on with their lives, in the years to come they too started their own family as well.

The two of them never returned to their kampung and only recently heard that their mother had died a few years after they left. Apparently she was sick with fever and their eldest brother did not send her to the hospital for medical care. The fever eventually took hold of her body and broke down the immune system. She died alone on her bed in an empty house. They never found out what happened to their older brother only that he sold the house and the surrounding land to some real-estate developers that wanted to build a new housing area.

And so ends the story.

There is no intention of making this a moral story.
Nor is it my purpose for this to be a reminder.
It is just a story.
A sad one.
Take from it what you may.

Labour Day ...

1st of May.
The day we celebrate the people that makes the world go round.
The day in which we remember that the power is with the people that help builds everything.

But yet do we really know and remember these people at all?
To most it is just a holiday.
A day to let go and not be bothered about work.
And that would not be wrong at all, as these are the laborers that do the heavy lifting.

Maybe I am just being sentimental.
As I am commonly known to be a little "gay" in that sense, I am allowed a little leeway on this kind of emotional outburst.

Anyhow ... enjoy your day off tomorrow.
Let your hair down and fluff through the day with no more thoughts of work and stress.

Happy Labour Day.