Odysseys of George

As Christmas was heading along, there was an invite to see the famous Juwita Suwito perform at Bangkok Jazz, KL. The invite was from Wagner, if I got his name correct, Marlene’s cousin, a drummer for Juwita. But before I continue, who is Juwita Suwito? What! You really don’t know!

Well, Juwita Suwito is a Melaka-born, Indonesian-Singaporean descend jazz singer who is also the vocal coach in Malaysian Idol. She recorded a demo which ended up being Akademi Fantasia’s theme song, “Menuju Puncak”. Juwita Suwito has also just been announced as the country winner for the 2007 International Music Awards in the Best Female Solo Artist category. Her recent release “Juwita Suwito for Real!” is set to be a hit!

So how was it? Well, I enjoyed it. She sang well. I have always loved to go for such things. And at that, I was thinking about my eldest sister, Susan, who loves this form of entertainment too!
I would miss her for Christmas reunion.

Here are some pictures and hopefully a video!

That is Juwita

Wagner, the drummer.

Part of the band

Wagner, Marlene’s cousin. Thanks for the invite, Wagner.

And a video clip I took. Did not do justice to the real thing!

And this is from her webpage

This came up yesterday, and I was somehow disturbed by it. It is not easy to trust somebody. So what is trust? Trust to me is both physical and emotional. Emotional because it is where you expose your vulnerabilities to someone, but believing they will not take advantage of you. Physical, because it will come a time where one may need to exercise this emotional trust that is to rely upon or have confidence on that person. But is this all? In my research, trust means being able to predict what other people will do and what situations will occur. Trust means making an exchange with someone when you do not have full knowledge about them, their intent and the things they are offering to you. Trust is an integral part in a relationship. Without trust, there is no future. Lies kills trust, that I learnt from my experience.

So, when we worry does it mean you lack the trust? Maybe, but not always. Depends on what the issue is the cause of worry. Worry is usually about the possibility of something that could happen to somebody you love or care for. So if something happens, how does it effect trust? Or rather should it ever shake the trust?

Related articles:
The Variables of Love - Part 1

While I was away reaching the depths of my soul with the sunset, in search of myself,

there was a sudden rush of emotions,

which set the flowers to bloom!

As I manage life spirals and narrow roads,

I get a fresh new scent

of what is in store for the coming year,

as I continue to wade through the rivers of life with confidence.

For my readers who patiently waited and for those who knows, I present you with a flower , a peacock and of course dessert.

Enjoy!

Having worked in a paediatric surgical unit and frequently get referrals from paediatric oncologist, I still cannot understand why should God allow children to suffer from such misery? Yes, it was a genetic mutation but it just feels wrong. As perfect a creation we seem to be, that is also how imperfect we could be. That is what I call the contradictions of life! That is the rule of life!
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Lately, I have been stuck reading a divers blog of his life. His blog name, SeaDemon’s Lair. He freely writes about his life and does well to state his mind to the issue. I have been so stuck to it that I find myself devoid - inability to write. I find myself asking questions about life, happiness, religion, marriage, love,hate, the mind and health.

Many a times, we think that love is all that is needed in a marriage. I must admit, I found out the hard way. Love is important but there are other issues that are equally as important. The saying, “Love will conquer all” to me is utter rubbish after what I had gone through. Love is dynamic. So, dynamic that its’ future is totally based on other variables. And because of this, I can understand when someone tells me that they have lost love or they grew out of love. A good friend of mine, married for 6 years now, told me that she is asking for a divorce because she feels that she loves him no more. She feels she has changed and this changes she underwent has made her feel that despite the obvious fact that he loves her so much, she has lost interest and is depleted of any love towards him.

So, what happened? To really love someone, the variables need to be made constant. These variables once has lost its constant will effect love so greatly. The first of this variable is respect. Respect towards oneself and towards the other is both very important.

If one doesn’t respect oneself one can have neither love nor respect for others.This was a quote by Ayn Rand. Then we have a quote from Sir John Herschel, “Self-respect is the cornerstone of all virtue.“.

Derived from the Latin respicere, which means “to look back at” or “to look again,” respect is a particular mode of apprehending the object: the person who respects something pays attention to it and perceives it differently from someone who does not and responds to it in light of that perception.

So what is respect? According to Wikipedia, respect is an assumption of good faith and competence in another person or in the whole of oneself. It enables people to work together in a complimentary fashion.

To respect the other is the beginning of the formation of love. John Gray said, “When men and women are able to respect and accept their differences then love has a chance to blossom.” This is then followed by the next variable - care to guess?

John Wooden
Respect a man, and he will do all the more.

To my dearest Ruban,

This song of mine will wind its music around you,
my child, like the fond arms of love.

And when my voice is silenced in death,
my song will speak in your living heart.

~Rabindranath Tagore