I believe you should’ve known who is Susan Boyle by now, unless you’ve been living in another world. She is the 47-year-old lady from Scotland who is jobless, single, and has a worse luck than many of us. And yet, she has a big dream – to perform in front of a lot of people. Try Google for her name. I bet you can come out with thousands of search results. Or try to look for her Youtube video too. She can really sing!

The reason Susan Boyle has become one of the most popular names in the whole world just after 1 performance is because many people see themselves in her – undiscovered, hopeful, and with a big dream. They put all their hope on her shoulders – if she can win this, why not everyone else?

But she didn’t win the competition. It’s not that she did not perform well during the final. She did. But the thing is, people got tired of her.

And that is the sad thing about our society. When we see ourselves in someone or something, we praise the person and lift him/her up into the sky…and some even pray the person like a god or savior. But once things turn sour or boring, we kick the same “savior” aside and leave him to rot by the roadside. Why? Because we’re tired of the person and he has nothing else to give us. Nothing interesting anymore. Just like an old toy which has become boring.

This kind of thing might not happen to Susan Boyle alone. In fact, it can happen to anyone or anything that is popular. Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about it because that is the power of the society (and in some cases, the media). What we can do though, is for ourselves – to face the challenges, taunts, burdens, etc bravely. Face them head on. Because it is OUR dream that we are chasing, not other people’s dream.

To Susan Boyle and everyone else who is in her situation – be brave. Know the reason why you are being so brave for, the reason why you step out from your shell and into the limelight, the reason why you are willing to work day and night, and the reason why you should ignore the rest of the world with their negative comments. Nobody can stop you from calling your journey “end of dream” except for yourselves.

And for those people and the media who love to make people’s life a big mess……go find other better things to do.

p/s…Do read this article from one of the judges of GBT. Piers Morgan: Final blog

I had this dream of 2 Singapore celebrities, who were trying to ask me out. (ok ok, I know this will never ever happen in real life). Let’s call them A and B. However, I’m more interested in A because B is just too “manja” for me.

So B tried to ask me out for a number of times but I rejected. She then turned to my parents and tried to make them like her.

A on the other hand, made a move as well. She asked me to go her house and have dinner with her family. I agreed.

When I reached her house, I was asked the wait at the living room with her. She then asked “Alvin, do you notice any difference in my living room?”

I looked around – from the window, to the TV set, to the aquarium, and then the altar. And I stopped. On the altar, there were statues of several deities but there was something else. A and her family were praying something else with joss sticks.

It was a …..a can of luncheon meat. =_=

And yeah, I woke up 30 minutes before my alarm clock rang and said “What the heck was that?!”

Guess I must be feeling too excited for my new job next week.

p/s…. my blog was attacked by Wordpress’ famous white screen of death due to a plugin upgrade. I’ve fixed it for now…and hopefully it won’t come back to haunt me.

Just few days ago, as I was reading John Bogle’s Enough, I came across this simple story which sounds a bit like this:

Long time ago, there was this rich farmer who wanted to be richer. He has heard stories about diamond mines in a land far far away and due to his greed for more money, he went on a journey searching for these diamonds. He tried and tried…and tried… but after years of searching, he could not find a single diamond. He was getting very old and very tired. And he decided to end it once and for all – he jumped into the deep ocean and committed suicide.

Not long after that, another person took over his house and farm. One day, as this new owner was walking along the river behind his house, he saw this shiny object in the river – this shiny object was a huge diamond. And that area then became a very famous mine for diamonds.

After reading this short story, I feel it further strengthens 2 of my beliefs – opportunities are abundant irregardless of where you are and best things in life could be something you have been experiencing all this while.

All you need to do is to pay more attention to your surroundings, to your life, to your job, to the people around you. What most people don’t do is that they focus more on something they don’t have….other countries, other jobs, what other people have, etc. That is why to them, grass is always greener on the other side.

So for a change, try focus more on your own life, yourselves, your family, and what is available to you now – and then try to make the best out of them.

Hope it helps.

For example, just a few days ago, I posted my artwork in a local forum. I was looking for tips and guidelines as to how I can improve my art. I know it’s bad. After all, it’s been a while since the last time I used my cheap drawing tablet. But the reply I got was very demotivating – “Seriously, for your age, your art is very very bad”.

Actually, the person didn’t mean any harm but when you first read the message, you’ll have the idea that he is saying “you are too old to do this”.

It was very demotivating at first. But after a while, I cleared it off my mind because I feel that one is never too old to pursue one’s dreams. We see this in a lot of people, people who are very frustrated with their boring 9-5 jobs that they quit, and move on to pursue their dreams. And I’m not talking about people in their 20s or 30s, I’m talking about people in their 40s or more. Some people do that while in their retirement age.

Perhaps that explains the recent success of Susan Boyle, who at 40+, finally manages to achieve one of her lifelong dreams. A lot of people see themselves in her – people who have this unfulfilled lifelong dreams, hidden inside their heart for years. And she just shows everyone that it is still possible to do that no matter how bad things are (jobless, etc) as long as she believes in it.

So to those who are already not very young, but still have their lifelong dreams hidden somewhere within them…..don’t feel bad. You’re not alone. And the good news is, you can pursue those dreams of yours no matter how old you are. Remember that it is not age that matters, but your will to achieve what you want to achieve in life.

As for me, I have many dreams to pursue (ok, I’m greedy when it comes to this) and I will not give up no matter how old I am. After all, I only live once.

When I was a kid, people would tell me that I’m going to be a successful person and I’m going to start my own business…be my own boss…and most importantly, be rich. Yes, people (relatives and family friends) have been telling me that even when I was just 4 or 5 years old.

When I was in secondary school, people would tell me that I’m going to be my own boss, and again..be rich. Until one point that I myself started telling my heart that i am going to be rich. I will become the next Alvin Pintu-Pintu (a.k.a. Bill Gates of Malaysia) and have my own office building…… Yes, you got that right – my own office building. That WAS my dream back then.

Since then, I’ve been thinking about that dream without even thinking how to actually get there in the first place. But people change with time……things do change as well. I’ve changed.

The Alvin now, just want a simple life (and i used to think that those who want a simple and easy life are actually wasting their life away….how foolish i was back then). But I also want a life worth living.

I don’t need to be THAT rich or to have my own building. Those are the definitions of success from other people. My current definition of success is to have a meaningful life which contribute to the society by doing what I am passionate about. Maybe that’s why I am thinking of venturing into the creative works industry – game design, animation, arts, story-telling, etc.

I no longer need those big houses, big cars, big office buildings (though they are nice to have…but having them don’t guarantee happiness in my life)…..i would rather have the ability to leave a positive mark in the society then having all that.

Maybe some people would call me foolish…. but as Steve Jobs said “Stay hungry, stay foolish”. It’s not that bad

I’ve been thinking a lot these few days (before Jamy commented on my previous blog post HERE). Hahha, i know some of you will say this guy has always been thinking a lot…and dreaming a lot as well. Yeap, true. That explains why my hair is getting lesser.

Ok, back to topic. I’m beginning to face the reality. I do have BIG dreams. But I can’t see myself achieving those dreams in my current situation. Furthermore, my “passions” are just too broad…I like drawing….i like creating nice stories….i like animation…i like to make people laugh….i like to touch people’s heart (with stories, mind you)…..i like 3D. There are so many likes and passions that I’m afraid I cannot really be a specialist! Maybe it’s a blessing? Or maybe it’s not really a blessing in this world where people stress for “specialisation”. Anyway, that’s one whole topic altogether.

Today, I came across Escape Studios’ web site. All of a sudden, I have this urge in me that I really really want to go there and have a look. The courses are expensive…4500 pound for 4-6 weeks full time…but I do have high hope for their courses. I don’t need a degree in animation, i need practical skills. But 4500 pound is really not a small sum of money. What if I later find out it’s not my cup of tea? That’s why I ended up checking out the “Learning Days” session where you pay 35 pound to tour their studio and to talk to the professionals….see whether you are suited for the job before you enroll. Unfortunately, it only happens once a month……and for April, it is after my last day in London. For now, I can only wait for their online courses in June…..and try to find out some ways to earn more money to sponsor myself for the course. Malaysia might have such courses…but they are not as good and they are normally full degree/diploma courses.

And then there’s this reality that I need to face……… my sis doesn’t earn as much as I do….and my parents are not working anymore….and i still have a study loan to pay. Unless i sell off my car, my condo…. but that’s too big a risk for something which is not firm yet…and i cannot be so irresponsible to throw my family out. They will give me full support of course, but my parents really came a longgg way for me and my sis. I don’t want to let them worry so much at their age.

So there you go…my dilemma. After thinking for soooo long….i came to a conclusion. My drawing is just my hobby…my story writing…is also my hobby. I’ll go all out for this year’s ANIMAX awards…maybe submitting more than one entry. If there’s really one competition, i will try to be the grand champion this term. And about my dream to work in Pixar or some big game companies……… it still remains a dream…a BIG one.

And after thinking all these things……one person came to my mind – Steve Jobs. He started Pixar but he has no real skill in 3D or animation. He has the passion, the will and of course the fund. If he can do it, why can’t I?

In the end, it all drills down to money. Harsh world. Harsh reality. But that’s the fact. I will still pursue whatever I believe in, but I will also work hard to earn more money so that I can fulfill what I feel I’m supposed to do in my life.

So what’s your opinion on this? If you were in my shoes, what would you do?

p/s…. in an ideal world…i will be able to pursue my dreams + earning money to support my family at the same time. or I can follow whatever dreams i have without troubling over the money issue. But that’s the ideal world. Our world is not that ideal but it’s not hopeless. We just need to work harder using a different perspective to get there….at least that’s what i want to believe

p/s…. i’ll be going to Rome until Monday. Will not be able to reply any comments or post up anything. This will be my last trip to another country for a long long time

Our first night there, the husband was busy showing off one of his favourite books to the other residents. It’s a book on space. They started debating whether human being actually landed on the moon. It was quite a funny conversation since some of them were quite stubborn Ah well, i didn’t join them. haha.

The next day, we went down for breakfast and met the couple again. My colleague started asking him what did he do for a living before this. So he told us his story and asked us what’s our occupation. My colleague said IT and he said “Whoa, that’s cool. Do you like it?”. My colleague said yes but i was kind of shaking my head in disagreement. Then the husband said “Oh, you don’t like it?” and my colleague said “He likes to draw and write story”. The husband said “Whoa, that’s amazing! You know what, you should always follow what you believe in. Keep your day job, and train up the artistic and creative side of you. Once you’re ready, push ahead in full force!”

And I can feel he really mean it.

Honestly…i didn’t expect that kind of response from a stranger. I believe he walked down that path before…from the way he said those words.

How many of us have actually lost track of our own life goals? How many of us have actually forget who we are? The world now is no longer the same like 10 or 20 years ago. It’s moving very fast and everyone needs to follow the pace. Some of us might focus too much trying to keep up to the pace….but maybe…just maybe… it’s good to just stop for a while and look at the world…….and look at yourself. What is it that you really believe in? Are you happy with what you are now? Or there’s still some emptiness in you that you feel you need to fill up?
I’m happy because i have a lot of things others don’t have. But I’ve yet to reach THERE…… and i’m finding my paths to go there. I hope that one day, I can be as happy as the owner of the hostel.

As for him, he looked very happy in the hostel. Perhaps it is his dream to run this hostel…to meet people from all over the world and provide a nice place for them to stay overnight.

But that’s him. What about you? Is there something that you really want to do in this world but you’re just not there yet?

No football match though. Couldn’t get a ticket. And the Old Trafford stadium tour is fully booked on Saturday. Fortunately I managed to get it on Sunday. Very excited about the trip since it’s always been 1 of my dream destinations since I started following Manchester United in the early 90s. Will snap some photos and post them here after the trip.

I’m also heading to the famous Urbis, international modern art exhibition hall or something. It happens that during my visit to Manchester, they are having an anime + manga exhibition by one of the local UK manga publisher. Hehe.

So no comics and no postings for at least a few days. Sorry for that and hope you guys will have a great weekend ahead!