Heartdoestalk.blogspot.com is officially closed

if you're still reading this page, please note that I have moved to www.centerpide.net If you're linked to my page, please update your blog roll...be fresh...do the right thing...visit www.centerpide.net (okay that was sooo cliche!!)

lol

cheers
prashanth

It's time to move....

hey everyone, this will be my last post over here: I've decided to move over to Word Press for good. So I'll need all of you to update your links, cuz my new address will now be www.centerpide.net - I won't be blogging for the next 1-2 days as I need to work on installing the plugins needed and I need to set up the comment system etc... so yeah I will be busy for abit.

Anyway please don't forget to update your links!!


god bless and have a good day!

Interracial Relationships - a personal view

I love seeing 2 people of different races being together. Just watching them smile and enjoy each other’s company is something that never fails to bring a smile to my face, and at times you can just tell from the person’s eyes and facial expression that they really appreciate and value the other person. I enjoy watching and often applaud movies which focus on inter-racial relationships. Though I’ve yet to see Sepet, I’m sure it’s a movie that I will be able to truly relate.

I guess the main reason why I’m so for interracial relationships is because I believe that a person’s creed, race and religion should not be the basis for falling in love with somebody. When you love someone, you love the person because of who the person is, and not anything else. Of course I’m not saying that it’s wrong to make an attribute list of what your potential significant other must have, even if it has to do with religion or race. I know some friends who have parents who forbid them to be in a relationship with anyone else apart from their own race. Do I think it’s wrong? No, that’s just human preferences. But I think when you do that, you’re just limiting yourself. Love was not meant to be confined by rules. Love is a universal theme and it requires no rules and regulations. That’s the beauty of love. So by narrowing your search based on religion or race, at times, you’ll probably find it more difficult finding the "right" person.

In the past, in all my relationships, I’ve been with someone of a different background, culture and race. My first one was with a Canadian Caucasian and my second one was with a Malaysian Chinese. Yes I know; two distinct races from my own, but to be honest, their religion or background didn’t really bother me. The major reasons why it never worked out with them was because I found that we were on a different wavelength. However I didn’t immediately say break off with them just because of differences in wavelength. I gave it a shot and as time went by, I found it to be more difficult for me. It also didn’t help the fact that both of my exes were from totally different fields of area, and both had interests in areas that I wasn’t really into. For me I look at the person’s heart as well as the person’s personality traits. I really don’t mind being with a person from a different race or background so long as she has kindness in her and is intellectual and yet understanding and willing to accept my religion and background.

Being in an interracial relationship can be a tough one. It’s not an easy path, believe me. Patience, understanding, tolerance, openness, trust and communication are heavily needed for an interracial relationship to work. You have to learn to accept and respect the other person’s culture and be willing to learn about their cultural backgrounds. Sounds easy in writing, but when you’re actually in a relationship, it’s not as easy as it looks. My ex was a Buddhist and yet we respected each other’s culture and backgrounds.

You also have to deal with your parents if they are against it. I tried convincing my mum about my choice in the past and it wasn’t easy. And while it’s common to see in movies that parents’ approval is not needed for 2 people to be in love, believe me it is necessary. I personally believe that if you’re parents are strongly against it, it’s just going to make life more difficult for you in the future.

I think most people are afraid to be in an interracial relationship simply because of the complications that will arise. While I do concur with that notion, I believe that nothing is impossible. As long as you love and care the person deeply, and you are willing to try something different by accepting her differences, what’s there to stop you? For me I rather be with someone of a different race and background that I can truly enjoy being with rather with someone from a similar background as mine but I find it hard to relate and share my passion with. I find being in an inter-racial relationship to be something of a challenge. Am I going to allow myself to be influenced by society or am I going to defeat the odds and prove the critics wrong?

Most people claim that they’re open to diversity and they accept everyone etc… but I know some people who actually cringe when they hear that someone they know is with a person of a different race. I mean some parents think it's alright for their children to have friends from different races but it's not alright to date or be with someone from a different race! They think it’s not normal.

In some ways I can relate to the famous poem “The Road Less Traveled” by Robert Frost. I’ve always valued diversity and I’ve always been open to different cultures and backgrounds, despite knowing the challenges I will face. I’ll be honest here, being in an interracial relationship can be a scary thought, as it can be insecure and fragile. But if the 2 individuals are matured (there is strong commitment) and are very understanding to one another’s personal needs and differences, and they really care for each other…there’s honestly nothing to be worried about. If you’re worrying about your kids…well that will be another challenge you will have to face…but I guess that if you have an understanding partner…it won’t be that difficult to sort out this issue.

As a final thought, love a person because of who she/he is, not what she/he is.

The little quirky differences between here and home

side note : just to let you guys know, my exam went really well today!! Thank you for all your wishes and support! :)

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“What would you like on your sub?” the person working at the Subway counter was asking me the other day when I decided to get a sandwich for lunch.

“I’ll have lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers and pickles, and with some mayonnaise please” I replied

“Is that for here or to go?”

“To go…oh and I’ll also have a pop”.

What the heck does a green pepper, “for here or to go” and “pop” actually mean?

Well my friends, WELCOME TO CANADA. You see over here, not only are most things different from home; even the terms used are different to some extent. For instance while the common foolscap paper back at home has 2 ring holes, over here it’s 3. And you wouldn’t be able to get a 2 ring binder because every binder or folder has 3 rings!!

Apart from that, the bus system here is also different. It actually has a time schedule!! I actually got a shock when I first heard about this, cuz how on earth can a bus have a schedule when it is subjected to traffic? But amazingly they do!!And this helps so much when you need to make plans to visit any place, and the best part is the buses are always punctual and on-time (despite regular traffic and stuff). It’s amazing! Now this is something that the Malaysian transport ministry should seriously look into. Having fixed schedules! The problem with back at home is that bus drivers love to take “frequent breaks” thus delaying everyone else on the bus.

The food system here too is different. Breakfast usually is a grand meal with bacon (strips of pork meat) and eggs, and along with bagels. Yes bagels are a huge breakfast item over here. For those of you who do not know what a bagel is, imagine a doughnut that is split by the side. It’s not as soft and sugary as a doughnut though. Bagels are usually used as a substitute for bread, but it is common. Lunch however is quick and fast, and lunch starts at 11.30 till about 1.00 pm. Supper (aka dinner) is at 6 however. This is because of the light lunch the person has had, so by the evening, it’s time for another large meal. Supper can also even be at 5.30 at times. I remember my Canadian friends at residence used to have supper at around 5.30ish!

Oh and for tomato sauce, it’s actually known as ketchup over here. Even in the labels although some might have a tomato picture, it’s still ketchup! Say tomato sauce in a restaurant and the waiter will give you a “hah?” look! Even in the best possible canadian accent, he still won't get you. And chili sauce won't work either. Learn to use this phrase "hot sauce" yeap that's the equivalent for your chili sauce here!

One of my classic stories whenever I talk to people my first experiences over here was the “for here or to go?” story. You see back at home, people usually say having here or takeaway, and all my life I have been used to that phrase. Little did I know that it meant the same thing with “for here or to go” When the cashier at a fast food restaurant at Niagara Falls asked me “is it for here or to go sir?” my reflex response was “Go where?” Then later I was told by my uncle that to go means “takeaway”.

Now open a separate window and go do an image search on capsicum. Now do another search on green peppers. Notice anything different? It’s the same thing, but Canadians don’t actually call them capsicum, rather green pepper is the “correct way” to identify the vegetable. Try asking someone here whether they’ve tried a capsicum and be prepared to get the “hah?” look.

Americans call it soda, Malaysians call it soft drink, and the Canadians call it pop. This is another interesting difference between home and here. While we are used to the notion of soft drink implying coke, Pepsi or a sprite, over here those drinks are known as pops. So, If you're in a store and you want to buy a pepsi, chances are you'll have to go to the "pop aisle" or the "pop area" to get it. It was hilarious when I heard it for the first time here. Who the heck says pop for a drink? But one think I have to admit though, the variety of pop available over here is waay more than back home....there are so many different brands,sizes, packs, etc...

Finally we look at the money system. While Malaysians are used to seeing 20 cent and 50 cent coins, believe it or not, Canada doesn’t have them. Instead the “nickel (5 cents), dime (10 cents) and quarter (25 cents)” system is used here. And to make a phone call, a dime wont be enough…the minimum amount is a quarter! And while we don’t have this, Canadians have a 2 dollar-value coin, also known as a toonie; ( refer to pic) and you don’t have to be a genius to know what a 1-dollar coin is called! – That’s right a loonie!

Well I guess it’s these little things and quirks that makes a country unique and different from the others… and that is why it actually takes time for people to learn and adapt to a new country. Do drop me a comment if you wanna asked me something from home that is of “equivalent” to over here. Hehe I’ll be happy to answer them as best as I can, and also to those living overseas, do you find anything quirky of that is different from back at home? Do share your stories and thoughts.

Well there you go, you can proudly say you've learnt something new today. Now go impress your friends with you new found knowledge...

oh and by the way...a sub is a type of a sandwich. Subs come in 2 sizes, 6 inch and a foot long. The one on the picture below is a 6 inch one I belive...

I will be off for abit...

I will not be blogging for the next 2 days due to my exam. My exam is on saturday, so I'd like to take some time off from blogging to thorougly concerntrate on it... just to make up for my absense, I've done this online dating proflie test courtesy of Cynical Idealistic Eyes (thanks btw!) for your amusement... I guess from this test, it'll allow you to get a better picture of my personality... :)

Your dating personality profile: Liberal - Politics matters to you, and you aren't afraid to share your left-leaning views. You would never be caught voting for a conservative candidate. Big-Hearted - You are a kind and caring person. Your warmth is inviting, and your heart is a wellspring of love. Outgoing - You can liven up any party. You've got a way with people and have little difficulty charming your dates.

Your date match profile: Practical - You are drawn to people who are sensible and smart. Flashy, materialistic people turn you off. You appreciate the simpler side of living. Shy - You are put off by people who are open books. You are drawn to someone who is a bit more mysterious. You want to draw her out of her shell and get to know what she is all about. Intellectual - You seek out intelligence. Idle chit-chat is not what you are after. You prefer your date who can stimulate your mind.

Your Top Ten Traits 1. Liberal 2. Big-Hearted 3. Outgoing 4. Religious 5. Practical 6. Sensual 7. Adventurous 8. Wealthy/Ambitious 9. Intellectual 10. Athletic

Your Top Ten Match Traits 1. Practical 2. Shy 3. Intellectual 4. Religious 5. Big-Hearted 6. Conservative 7. Traditional 8. Athletic 9. Adventurous 10. Sensual

Take the Online Dating Profile Quiz at Dating Diversions

The deteriorating quality of English among bloggers

Lately I’ve been surfing through a couple of local web blogs and I’ve noticed something… the quality of English in these blogs is poor. Now I’m not stereotyping or anything, but at least 6 out 10 blogs I visit have poor to medicore English standards. I’m trying to find out the reasons behind this, and I've come up with a few possible explainations.

While some people may blame the education system for the lack of the quality of English being taught in schools, I personally think it lies more with society. You see I kinda get the feeling that Malaysians feel to talk Singlish and Manglish is the norm. If anyone tries to talk differently, they will be viewed as an outcast and will be stigmatized and be ridiculed. (I know this because this happened to me a few times when I went back last summer). And because society doesn’t try to correct itself…we become complacent and just continue speaking like this. Heck I even know some Malaysians in my university who speak Manglish with their caucasian peers! In fact I once remember a Malaysian giving a class presentation in one of my courses and he was talking in a pure 100% Manglish way. It was jarring to the ear because it wasn't proper English at all. I still remember he was trying to stress a point and he kept on saying “aiyah how can, I tell you like that cannot wan!!”

Even though they can’t speak fluently, I've noticed the Chinese students who come from China do at least try to speak proper English. Their tenses may be messed up, and it’s sometimes difficult to understand the words or ideas they’re trying to convey, but at least it’s much better than Manglish!

This goes back to my earlier point; I feel that Malaysians have learnt to accept Manglish to be their “English”. No one bothers to correct, and if anyone does, they’ll be ridiculed and be mocked. Most parents also don’t really bother to teach their kids to speak properly. I guess their common argument is “aiyah nevermind lah, as long as he can talk and can write, that’s enough lah!”

Because of all this, bloggers have started using Manglish in their web blogs and sites like KennySia’s Benglish further encourages the young to speak more deteriorating English; and I’m not looking for spelling errors or anything, rather I’m looking at their sentence structures and tenses and at times it can be really deplorable and poor and the worst part is, there is no one to correct them about these things. Other bloggser will in fact encourage and comment in a Manglish way by praising the blogger’s entry post! As a result the youths today especially those who aren’t given the opportunity to study abroad will never learn to speak English the proper way.

Yes many people may think that this is all just a joke and it’s all just for laughs. Afterall isn't Phua Chu Kang's way of talking hillarious? But it’s inevitable and it goes beyond laughing matter. We start to accept that this is the proper way of talking! The more we become complacent about our English standards, the more deteriorating our English will be. I remember a couple of years ago the Star Newspaper launched a campaign “Let’s speak proper English” to get people to speak and learn the proper way of speaking good English.

Perhaps what we really need is for society to come with terms and accept that Manglish is not English and that is not the proper way to speak.

Now I’m not saying we should follow the western way of speaking. Even though it’s their mother tongue and so on, we need not put on phoney British or American accents just to speak English “the right way”. I know of a malaysian who returned from the states just after barely 8 months of being there and he began to speak with a funny accent that everyone knew he was just faking it! In fact, I think putting on a phoney accent when speaking is even cheaper than talking Manglish!

We can still be proud Malaysians by speaking English PROPERLY; and how do we do that? Well for starters by not mixing English with other languages or adding unnecessary lahs or wans or mehs. You may think it’s impossible, but trust me anything is possible if you want to learn and are willing to put in the effort. When I came here, I made an effort to avoid using those unnecessary words, and after sometime I got used to it. It’s tough though I have to admit, being in a society where everyone around you speaks Manglish, but let them be that way as you can always make a conscious effort to speak properly. Apart from that, another way to speak properly is by correcting your peers whenever they use the unnecessary Malaysian phrases and vice versa. By correcting them you are making both yourself and the other person aware of the improper way that the person is speaking and vice versa, and with time and practice, you will eventually learn to speak properly.

It’s a long ambition and goal I do realize, and some of you may think it’s not feasible, but I believe people can change and we have the capacity to learn new things…the question is do we want to and is it worth doing it?

Well what do you think about this? Do you think Malaysians can and will actually learn to speak good proper English in the near future?

Additional tags related to this topic:

English
National Language vs. English Language

Woman drugs fiance who wanted too much sex

And you thought people were crazy in the US:

Courtesy of the star

Am I amused, astonished or shock by this? Well to be honest with you, I'm neither of them. As we move on in this age, people are getting wierder by the day and doing more irrational things just to solve or stop a problem...

But seriously this is probably the first time I'm actually hearing something like this. I mean normally if a partner becomes very persuasive, the other partner will just give in... and since this couple was already engaged...you'd expect them to be more understanding of each other's needs. But for her to go to the extent of drugging him to "slow him down" makes you wonder what the heck is going on in the bedroom...

My question however is this - Is too much sex bad? What do you think?

Some updates on me....

well I realized over the past few days I have been posting about issues and not really talking so much about what's been going on with me, so for those curious readers out there, here's what I've been upto lately:

I completed my volunteer internship for the summer
For those of you who don't know, I was voluntering as a HR assistant for a local non profit organization here. This whole internship is part of a program that is run by the university. Well Wedensday was the final evaluation day, and here's what my boss wrote about me:

" Overall Prashanth was consistant in his work and exhibited enthusiasm towards assigned task. He approached each assignment with a positive and optimistic attittude and this was reflected in the end product"

Performance Rating - Exceptional

This is what you get when you show dedication and commitment to your work :)

Studying for my statistics final exam

Yeap, because I only have one final paper to write this term, (the rest were all either take home finals or optional finals) so I've been pretty much spending all my time in the library working on statisitcs

Searching and adding new features for my blog

Lately this is what I've been doing during my break time from studying or during my "de-stressing" time. I'm looking at new templates and other wicked features to add to my blog in the near future

Listening to Craig Chaquico

The guy is just amazing, he's an instrumental guitarist and he plays some really wonderful tunes. I will post more about this talented yet not-so-famous musician later on.

Well pretty much that's all I've been busy with over the last couple of days.

Studying Abroad - An experience of a lifetime?

For most students (late teens and young adults), it is at this age that we learn many things about life. Our experiences helps mould and shape our thinking. These experience can come in many ways, from friendships, to relationships to even just making decisions in life itself. For me, one of the biggest life-changing experience I've ever had is being given the opportunity to complete my tertiary education abroad.

Like some of you, growing up, I was never exposed on many things in my teen life as my parents often shielded me. After I completed my high school education, I was all set for form 6 - I wanted to be a doctor. I did well in my science courses and I was on the right path. But suddenly I changed my mind. I began making friends with people over in the states and Canada on the internet and I often wondered what life was in those parts of the world. I will admit the media too did influence me. And so I made the decision to study abroad. I couldn't study medicine abroad because it was waaaay too expensive and costly to do so. (I'm not THAT lucky) Nevertheless my parents supported my decision and now it's been 2 years since I've been here... and I can say...it's become an experience of a lifetime for me. I've been exposed and I've seen both sides of the world now.... and my 2 years here is not something of a holiday trip. Most people I've noticed, that go on a vacation to some foreign land for a couple of weeks think they've seen it all and they think that the country is a wonderful place to live etc..

Let me tell you one thing, going on a vacation to a country and living in a country are 2 distinctly different scenarios. Touring a country allows you to only see the good site most of the time. However when you live in a country, you're exposed to the realities of life... vacation period is over and you start living on your own in a real but foreign land.

Scary thought? Not really if you have the right mind and the right attitude. Most foreign people I notice at my university cling to their own kind, they only mix when it involves group activity. Other than that, that's about it. So you'll see the Chinese with the Chinese and the Indians with the Indians. I sometimes wonder, why on earth did they even come here? Just being in a foreign country alone doesn't mean you'll get exposed and it wont fully develop your ability to think beyond your cultural boundries. When you're with your own kind, the exposure is limited...and you don't learn much. To be exposed is to mingle with all sorts of people and to try new things without prejudgment and to make your own conclusions about these experiences. This is how a person becomes more knowledgeable and more "culturally-experienced".

I went to Canada, not because I had friends who will be going with me. In fact no one from my college was transfering to Canada. They were all heading to the states (blek :P ). Yes I do have some relatives here, but they live far away from the uni I was going to attend. And yet I still decided to go. Was I scared during my first 2 weeks there? hell yeah, I mean I saw all sorts of people, the druggies, the goths, the jocks... where would I fit I thought? But I eventually met this Canadian guy and till today we're the best of friends. I did meet other Canadians too and they've all been amazing. They taught me alot of things about this country, and I'm not talking about the common stuff. I mean I learnt really unique things about food and history, the social culture and how the government system works over here. Heck I even got my first real part-time job here and I've already voluntered for 2 canadian organizations over the past year itself!! I've even gone out with girls over here!

Of course the common defensive argument I get when I make comments about students who stick to their own kind is "oh maybe they feel more comfortable with their own people". While that argument does hold true, I personally believe it defeats the purpose of going abroad simply because the more you hang out with your own kind, the more ignorant you become of your surrounding environment, and that's a fact. Another common argument I get is "oh we're not used to the environment and way of life here" I find this argument to be amusing because if you aren't used to this environment, why the heck did you even come here?

I did my homework before coming here. I remember spending time studying about Canada's geography and learning about various major cities. I read about the weather conditions. I remember reading up on my professors' profiles on the university website in advance just to give myself a headstart. I did everything possible to gain as much information as I could about the place I was going to stay for the next 2-3 years of my life. I sometimes wonder whether the others even do that. And if you don't do your homework, that's okay. At least learn while you're here then! But that's not really the case. I'm sure there are some foreign students over here who have no idea about what Remembrance Day is all about or which Canadian teams are in the NHL or even what Lacrosse actually is and that kinda pisses me off...but then again I shouldn't be expecting much.

I'm not trying to brag here over here....but rather I'm trying to make a point. You see going abroad is an experience of a lifetime... ONLY IF you make the best use of it. If you think you're gonna get foreign exposure by just going for classes on foreign soil or by visiting other parts of the country with your own people, you're so wrong. Being exposed is more than just that...it's about being part of a society, not just a tourist or a guest visitor...and at the end of the day, that's what makes you a more refined, intellectual and polished person. And it is these things that will distinguish you from the rest.

And you thought it only happens in emails...

SPAM!! that's right I'm getting these sensless spam comments on my comments page...argh it's annoying and very irritating... take a look for yourself...

Sigh, I guess it's my mistake since I actually set the permission level for comment posts to annynomous....and the reason behind this is so that people without a blogger account can also add their comments. Lol in a way I feel violated lol!! hehe anyway looks like I'm not the only one with this problem:

Justin's Site

Well what should I do about it? any suggestions?
HELP ME!!

Working in groups can be a real pain

I’m sure during our education years, in some way we were required to be assigned to work in groups for some of our courses, whether it’s to complete a project, do a presentation, work on a class play, or even just write a term report. Irregardless of the activity, you still had to meet with others and work with them. For me personally, I’ve worked with groups more than a dozen times already…and the more I keep working in groups, the more I’m starting to hate it. Don’t get me wrong, there are many positive sides to working in a group and I love working with people. It builds your interpersonal and communication skills and it allows you to meet and get to know new people. But if you’re like me and if you’ve worked with groups almost half of your entire education life, you know how frustrating it can get at times…

Well before I start of my rambling, I should first tell you about what I expect from myself and others when I’m involved in a group project. First of all I’m competitive, I set high standards and I “expect” everyone in the group to conform. I always give my fullest effort to any group work and I expect everyone else to pull their weight.

I hate social loafers (people who just tag along and do nothing) and I hate last minute work. Even though the person does a good job, I hate having to bear the pressure of people leaving their work till the last minute. It gives me no time to actually critique the work and go over it. So while it may be a good work, if only the person hands his/her stuff a few days before the due date, I believe the work can be better.

I’m also weary of people who don’t show up for meetings on time and who constantly needs the group’s help to complete his or her task. For me, anyone who exhibits that tells me indirectly that he/she is irresponsible and lacks initiative. I’m not the kind of person who doesn’t like to help people, in fact when a group member shows some initiative, even though he or she may not be a bright student, I’m more than ever willing to help the person out in his/her stuff.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised if my group members think that I’m an obsessed person with the project. They feel I worry too much and work too hard on it. But the reason behind this is because I’m worried that my group members won’t do a good job. It’s not like I don’t trust them but just by judging from a person’s character and attitude towards studies in general, it allows me to see how much effort a person will put in the group. I wish I could be an easy going person, but I know if I slack and I don’t put pressure on the group, nothing will ever get done , and since I’m the group leader for most of my projects, it is my primary responsibility to see that we do an excellent job. And no, I’m not a dictator, I allow my group members to have their own discretion and opinion, so long as the work is well done.

Sadly not many people see it that way. I always notice that in the beginning of the course, everyone will be pumped up to do really well, but when it comes to crunch time, I often get mediocre contribution from them – the reason? “Oh I have another project due” or “I have a busy schedule and I have a job as well” Excuses – excuses – excuses, I’m sick and tired of people giving me excuses when it comes to work. And when I get upset or angry about it, people will start thinking that I’m too uptight or have a “what does he expect from us?” kinda attitude.

And because it’s a group project, if people don’t have the same drive and motivation as you, you have two options – either try to work on your group member’s work to make it look good (cuz they really think that it’s sufficient) or you can just say “to hell with it” and end up with an average grade.

I tend to do the former part most of the time, since I’m group leader. I guess it is my “responsibility” to see to everyone’s work…but you know what, I kinda wish at times, people just do a really good job so that instead of me having to edit every damn thing. I don’t like giving false praises just to make my group members feel better or just to make them like me, but I will give credit where it’s due.

I just don’t get it. I mean how are these people going to survive when they enter the working world? I guess maybe when it comes to working for someone, they will start bucking up and really put a lot of effort, since the cost of losing one’s job is much higher than the cost of losing a couple of marks or getting an average mark. But I don’t think having that sort of mentality is fair to the others. I mean just because you don’t deem grades to be important to you doesn’t give you the right to put others in jeopardy.

Because of this, I’ve decided for my final semester, I’m going to avoid courses that require group work. I rather be fully accountable for my own work than having to depend my grades based other people’s effort. I rather do the whole thing on my own. And I notice a correlation here – I tend to get higher grades for courses which don’t involve group work.

I guess as a final thought this is how I truly feel about working in groups – if you want a good grade, work with me, but be prepared to give your very best effort and I understand that no one can be pefect, but it's not wrong to put in the energy and effort to be a perfectionist. As my mum used to tell me "whatever you do, do it properly...otherwise don't do it"

The frustration with girls...

Author's note:
I don’t mean to sound like a sexist or anything; this post is purely based on my experience and feelings

Ever wondered why girls can be so darn confusing at times? I'm not saying that they're a menace or a big pain, (I'm not a male chauvinist; in fact I have the utmost respect for people of the opposite sex, especially the intellectual ones!). But seriously sometimes, they just piss you off for senseless reasons. It's not so much the things they say to you, but rather I find their actions to be confusing and often times hurting...and the worst part is, they don't realize that they're hurting you.

As a gentleman, the proper behaviour you are supposed to display is understanding and patience. But seriously, there is only so much patience and tolerance a person can take. Now those who know me pretty well know I'm an impatient fellow by nature, and my past relationships with people have gone downhill due to my impatient nature. I always want to bury the hatchet quickly with people and as a result and at times, it backfires. Anyway as they say, you learn as you grow older and I have learnt to be more understanding and patient, but seriously, when a person crosses the line, I think its okay to say "enough is enough!"

But you know what's really screwed up when you start thinking this way? You start doubting yourself! *personal thought: or is it just because I'm a Libran, so i'm indecisive in nature?

What I mean here is that after thinking over it for sometime, you start to feel that you may have over-reacted to the situation and this kinda prompts you to think that you should be more understanding and evaluate the situation more rationally. But that's the core essence with human emotions, it isn’t always rational. If we were to be rational with our feelings, there would be no passion and we wouldn't feel hurt and neglegeted.

I have been very patient and understanding with this person. But yet, as the days are going by, I kinda get the feeling that I almost mean nothing to her ; it's almost like she's kinda gotten bored of me. The saddest part is we used to be really good friends, and it's not like we've had a major dispute or anything...yet her attitude has just suddenly changed...and she hasn't even bothered to be clear and face me about it.

The thing is I really don't mind if people want to stay away from me and hang out less with me, even if the explanation is irrational I can take it, but when you start playing the cold-treatment game, it just shows me how much you value friendship. It shows me how much I mean to you. One of the most painful things I can't take from a person is ignorance. When a person becomes ignorant toward me, my first natural instinct would be to break ties with the person. I feel that he or she isn't worth being friends with. I just can't stand people who I treat so well and with great care and respect become a cold stone toward me. It's just like a stab to the heart...and it hurts like hell.

And when you play that game, probably you will not realize how much pain you're putting on the other person who considers you to be his or hers closest friends. Rather than thinking that you're a selfish and self-centered person, usually the person will initially think that it's probably something that he or she has done to make you piss with him/her.

But then, when the treatment goes on for sometime, he/she will start to question the friendship bond that the 2 of you have. And if it goes on, and you don't say a word and continue being ignorant, don't be surprised if your friend suddenly explodes and wants to end the friendship...

School Teacher Involved In Sex Case

This is how bad some teachers can get in the US:

Teacher in alleged affair with 13-year-old boy resigns
CBS News Report

I seriously have no idea how this can even happen. I mean here we are witnessing a married teacher having an improper relationship with a student, and I can understand if this setting took place in a university or community college, but heck in an ELEMENTARY SCHOOL? (primary school) The kid involved was around 13 years old only!! And aparently the relationship had started over an internet chatroom and had gone on for like 3 months. This is just plain sickening and to some extent disgusting too. And it's not even a male teacher, it's an attractive blond female teacher who's involved... simply astonishing!!

There goes the whole concept of teachers being role models and advisors to students.

There are webblogs and internet forums all over in the US that are buzzing on this issue. And many are not actually commenting on the degratory act of the former teacher...rather most people are talking about how lucky that kid is to be involved with such an "absolutely gorgeous" teacher...and some are even saying that the kid should have just kept his mouth shut and played along nicely with his teacher...

what has the world become of today???

FAQs about Me

Since the traffic of my blog site is increasing by the day, I'd figured there would be some people out there who are curious to know more about me. So I think this FAQ page on me would help bring about a clearer picture about who I really am.

-Personal Details-

How do I pronounce your name?
My name can be broken down to 2 parts - pra-shanth. To pronounce the first part say pre- as if in pretend. (DONT SAY PRE as if in PRESCHOOL)The second part is pronounced shanth - as if in ashanthi - you add both the pronounciations together and viola that's how you say my name
Note : Just look at the underlined parts to get the exact pronounciation


Pretty cool name, but does it mean anything?
Sure it does, Prashanth means peace in the sanskrit language

What's your race and religion?
I'm of Indian origin and I'm a chirstian (catholic)

Are you a malaysian?
Yes I am

Where did you grow up?
I was born in Kelantan, but was raised in Penang. I did my primary and high school education in Penang itself

Where are you currently located?
I've been living in Canada for the past 2 years now. I live in Windsor,Ontario, Canada's southern most city

What's your occupation status?
I'm a full-time student, currently studying Business and Economics at the University Of Windsor. I'm also a TA at the university

What's a TA?
Teaching assistant - meaning that I assist professors in grading and invigilating exams

When's your birthday?
October 4th (yes I'm a librian)

How many siblings do you have?
I'm the youngest of 3 brothers, My first brother works in Sarawak and my second brother is studying law

Are you single?
Yes

How come you're single?
Seriously I have no idea myself, I guess I haven't found the right person yet

What are your hobbies?
I love sports, especially football, I enjoy reading non fiction stuff and I love to travel

Football huh, which team do you support?
Arsenal FC for life!

How many languages can you speak?
I was born and raised in an english speaking family, therefore english is my primary language. I can also converse in Malay. I speak a little bit of hindi, chinese (hokkien) and french

How did you learn those 3 languages?
Family influence, peer influence and country influence (all in order to the languages above)

-Blogging Details-

What made you suddenly create a public blog?
Refer to the my post A Forward To New Readers

What are you trying to achieve from this blog?
I'm trying to communicate with the readers out there about issues that I encounter on a daily basis which I find worth sharing and communicating. I dont intend to blog every bit of details about my daily life, that's just too pathethic and boring, everyone has their own life, why would somone want to take the time to read about your daily details? Unless you're a celebrity or something but even that too is boring...so that's why I choose to blog only interesting issues of my daily life.

What kind of issues are these?
They can be anything, from news, to something I witnessed...just anything interesting

How is your blog going to be different from the others?
I choose my thoughts and ideas on what I'm going to blog about carefuly. I try not to simply ramble without any forethought or direction. I'm just tired of seeing people's blogs filled with senseless stuff. I believe that if people can take the time to read your post, then you should also be fair by posting something that is worthwhile reading.

Who are you trying to reach out with your blog?
Basically anyone, but I guess due to my thoughts and the stage of life I'm currently in, I would like to reach out to readers between the ages of 19-30 who are able to look beyond conventional viewpoints, are exposed or willing to learn new things, and are able to appreciate intellectual yet interesting and thought-provoking posts.

What are your plans for Straight From the Heart?
Well currently I'm trying to build credibility and establish myself in the blogsphere world. If my site does receive strong readership views, I'm planning to venture into podcasting. It'll be a weekly update feature on Straight From The Heart.

Will your blog ever cover political issues?
No I dont like politics and I have no interest in blogging about it, however I will talk about social issues that will affect the social environment that could have some politicians involved as well

- Contact Details-

How can I contact you?
I prefer to correspond through either email or MSN

Where can I get your contact details?
On the main page

What about a phone number?
Sorry I dont intend to give out my phone number at this point in time

The Ethical Issue Of Downloading Music Illegally

Most of us who grew up in the internet age would have probably been involved in downloading music off the internet. Software such as LimeWire, Kaazaa, AudioGalaxy and Napster are all familiar to us as we would have used either one of these programs to get our download. Lately however technology has been evolving and improving, hence the cost of downloading music has fallen. We do not need to buy expensive Cds anymore.

Take for example iTunes, the online music serivce that is provided by Apple. Anyone who owns an ipod would have to use iTunes to upload music files to their ipods. iTunes charges around 99 cents per song to download and they do have a wide selection of music available. Another example is Yahoo Music Unlimited. Launched just recently, YML allows users to download songs at 79 cents per song. And for $5 a month, it allows you to share and save upto a 1 million songs.

These new services have definately decreased the cost of downloading music....but the question is will this help curb people from continuing to still download illegal music off the net?

The way I see it is totally different. See over here in North America, CDs are really cheap. You can get the latest Coldplay cd at around 15 dollars. Whereas in asian countries, CDs are still expensive. The same CD is around 35-40 malaysian dollars; income capacity and purchasing power are also different in both parts of the world. 15 dollars isnt really expensive at all to most North Americans, but to the asians, 40 bucks on a cd is pricey. Thus is no surprise that piracy work is so common in southeast asia whereas over here, not many people actually engage in active piracy activities; hence I guess these online services would work better in asian countries. But then again we all know the asian mentality, everyone wants everything free...if they can get it. On the contary I think maybe it's time illegal music downloading stops or at least be significantly reduced.

Well what do you think?

The BlogDay Phenomenon

I have been intrigued by the stuff i've been reading about BlogDay. I remember when I started my private blog 2 1/2 years ago, 3 out of 10 people I spoke to knew what it was. Today, it's achieved true pop culture status. There are at least 1 million blogs out there I'm sure (including the inactive ones). I dare say out of 10 people with internet connection today, 8 of them would have heard of blogs or visited a blog and at least half would actually own one. Blogging is sweeping the world right now, just as how as the Internet and email has done in the past. Blogging will not only be the future of tmr's mainstream journalism, but it will help individuals develop better writing skills I believe and it will also help create a more knowledgable soceity through the constant information that will be shared among bloggers and bloggers as well as bloggers and readers.

That is why I'm promoting BlogDay2005. I think it's great that a special day be given exclusively to weblogs. Not only it's a good publicity effort to promote weblogs around the world, but it also encourages new individuals to try this healthy and interesting hobby. I've added a countdown timer on the right hand panel to count the number of days till Blog Day. Blog Day will be celebrated on August 31st, which is ironic because the Malaysian Independence Day also falls on the same date. Why 31st august? Because aparently 3108 resembles the world BLOG. Interesting....

Need more info on Blog Day? Well you can either click the green countdown timer or click here

Well this is to tag this topic: blogday

Loud And Annoying Ringtones

Earlier today, I was at the computer library working on my final term project. I was in deep concerntration when I heard this loud obnoxious ringtone go off. Almost everyone who was there turned to see which idiot had such an idiotic ringtone. It wasn't even a nice one.... I mean the ringtone had the sound of a chicken quacking!!! (I'm serious!) I was first puzzled by the noise, but then I got pissed because it had distracted me from my work and the ringtone was going off for sometime.

This is not the first time I've encountered such a thing. Lately I've been annoyed by other sorts of ringtones - I just don't see why people must have a fancy ringtone in the first place! And these days most cellphones come with MP3 format ringtones, thus making it more clearer, louder, distracting and yes making it more...ANNOYING! Why can't people just have simple ringtones, or at least if you're in the library, set your cellphone into vibrating mode. (That's what I do most of the time anyway).

On top of that, to increase your blood pressure level and make you more annoyed, the owners of the phone will take their own jolly sweet time to answer the phone. For example when the phone starts ringing, it'll take them 10 seconds to stop what their currently doing, and then another 5-10 seconds to actually look at the phone and check the caller ID, and then finally answer the phone! And the worse part is some of them will answer hello with a LOUD voice!

What the ***k is that all about? Where's the courtesy manner to quickly answer the phone or if your phone is ringing, to quickly run to a less quiet area and start talking (we have a perfectly good cafeteria in our library to serve to the needs of those who want to chit-chat)

Anyway enough of my rant - i'm just glad i'm done with my project now...with the expense of me missing church though :(...sigh have to go tomorrow at 7.30 then!

Friendship...a personal view on what I've learnt

It just hit me a couple of days ago that in another 4 months, I will be graduating from university. I would have finished my tertiary (partially) education. As I reflect back my education years, more than just the knowledge I've obtained over the past decade or so, is actually the people that I have met during my schooling years (school, college, university). When I mean people, I just don't mean class or course friends. People that I have met during my educational years include friends from other courses and different programs, some of my TA students, teahcers, lecturers, and professors. When I look back, I realize that some of them (especially teachers and profs) have really made a huge impact and influence on me. I've come to look at them not as teachers, but as adivsors, someone I can go to for advice and help.

Some friends too have taught me alot of things in life. I must admit that these friends have helped me grow to becoming who I am today. They've also taught me things that I could never learn from books and by studying. I think the most important thing I've learnt from these few amazing people is that there is more to life than just studying. In fact, one close friend of mine even showed me the whole importance of friendship through his actions and support. (I never used to take friendship seriously in the past, I never had clicks in high school and I never saw the important need for them).

I have to admit I'm not gonna miss all of my friends over here. I've always felt this notion that there are people out there who just "pretend" to be a friend of mine just so that I can helpe them out whenever they need me. Don't get me wrong, I like helping people out, but at the same time I hate to be ignored and be forgotten, and suddenly be remembered when the person is facing some deep problem or needs some help. I'm sure we all too feel that way. I don't think that's real friendship...

But then again, how many real friendships can we have? How do you define real friendships in the first place? Well there is no formal defination for this, it really depends on how you view real friendship and people's view of real friendship varies from individual to individual.

For me, real friendship is simply this :

• you genuienly take interest in the other person's life (ie - you ask about school, you talk about his/her family etc..) and vice versa. Often if your friendship aint real, this is usually a one-way channel. You may ask alot about the other person but the other person doesn't really ask you anything, or vice versa.
• You actually set aside time to spend time with the person - This can be anything from watching a movie, weekly bubble tea chatting, playing sports or just hanging out - as long as you set aside time to plan some activity with the other person
• You be with the person in the good and bad times - Most people I've noticed flock to me when I'm in a happy and cheerful mood. Suddenly when I feel depressed and I need someone to talk to, I only find a handful of people who are around. What happened to the rest? Sure excuses like "oh you should have told me" or "i was busy" are common defending answers... i guess if you have a real true friendship with someone...you don't need to be told if the other person is down or anything like that. You just know... and don't give me that crap saying that some people just need to be told about things - i just find that to be pure BS simply cuz if you care enough for the person, you will unconsiously learn to read his/her expressions and emotions well enough to know what's happening with him/her. This intuition feeling is something that can be learned if you really want to. Although I will admit that it is partially in a person's personality traits, nevertheless I believe it's something that can be learnt if the person is willing to and cares enough to do so.

Something interesting though I've learnt about friendship: you don't need alot of friends to be happy. You don't need to please everyone and be friends with everyone in your class or workplace. For me, I judge friends by the quality, not by the quantity. I mean what's the point of having so many friends but they're all just "good-times friends"? Maybe some of you may be happy with this, but for me a real friend should be more than just a "good-times friend". I find it hard at times to be a good-times friend to other people because I feel like a faker when I do that. Maybe some of you dont, maybe some of you do feel the same. So I usually just try to avoid having too many friends...I guess I just can't be a faker, and just simply smile to some person when I don't really know him. Yes I'm bad at acting and faking...I'm sorry but to me, faking is a cheap way of selling yourself. I just dont know how some people do it though! *personal thought - Maybe I'm too naive*

If you really want a true friend, a friend for life, just make sure you do all those things I've listed up above...and make sure the other person is also doing all those things listed as well...but you know, it's worth it... when you find real friendship, you can have the strength to let go others, cuz you know, at the end of the day, it's only real true friends that will stand by you...and having this thought ought to give you enough encouragement and strength :)

Finally Done...well most of it

Thursday marks the day I finally completed all my assignments, presentations, reports etc... for this semester. I apologize for not being able to update the blog as the last 2 days have been crazy busy for me. But work is work and you gotta do what you gotta do. I'm just glad it's all over...well I still have another report due on wednesday...so still plenty of time, but pretty much I've wrapped up everything for this semester.

As for exams, well I just have one final exam to write, which is next saturday. But other than that, everything else is done!

I kicked off my little celebration and relaxation mood earlier tonight by watching Memento. It was unbelievable! If you like movies that do not give the plot so easily, this movie is a must for you! I found the stroyline and the direction to be simply extraordinary. Memento is one of those movies where after watching it, you will be able to debate and discuss it amongst your friends (I know I would have if I watched it with someone else) Definately one of my all-time favourite movies!!

I will wrap it up right here as I need to catch up on sleep and some destressing activities. But I shall be back tommorow with more interesting and quirky posts...so until then... au revoir!

oh and since today is the 11th - HAPPY 55TH BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!

God Bless
Prashanth :)

USB Drive : A Student's Necessity

I briefly bumped into one of my group project mates yesterday in the library and he was complaining to me about how all his work for the group final project was gone because his computer at the library crashed and how his computer at home had been infected with a virus. I was emphathic. I mean I know what it's like to have all your work on the computer just gone in an instant. This is why I started using a USB drive.

USB drives have been around in the market for a couple of years now. I will admit during it's initial years, I didnt see the need for having one, though I used to see people especially students carrying them around their necks; but for me, diskettes was the tool I used to carry my documents, and store my class presentations. However over the last year or so, for some strange reason, the realibility of diskettes have been falling. It's not as secured as people thought it once was. I mean I will admit there have been times when my presentations have failed to load up due to the faultiness of the diskette. Apart from that, the time it took for any documents to load up on a diskette seemed like forever, and in an age where we demand everything to be instant, we lose our patience and end up ****ing up the diskette by ejecting it out and in again or restarting the computer and so on.

Of course there's always the other alternative - burning it to a cd, but so far in my student career, I've only done this twice - once of a management presentation (which I had to submit additional documents along with the main presentation) and another for a internship presentation I had. Cds are a good way though if the professor or the employer requires a copy from you. But if that's not the case, then my friends, it's best to use a USB drive. (For those of you who are unsure what the heck a USB drive is click here to get a good thorough introduction on this wonderful device.)


I bought my USB drive at a bargain of 25 dollars at the Source By Circuit City (for those of you in canada, it was formerly known as RadioShack Canada). It's a LEXAR JumpDrive Sport.


Now there are many brands out there in the market, but the more common ones include Kingston, LEXAR and Sandisk. The price range depends obviously on the amount of memory you want. The standard ones include 128MB, 256MB and 512MB. There are even ones up to 2GB if you need!!

But if you're a student and you're budget-concious (like me), you're just fine with a 128MB flash drive. The average price for a 128 MB is around 30 dollars (canadian).

Of course there are lower memory sticks out there too, like a 32 MB or a 64 MB, but I would honestly recomend putting another 10-12 dollars more and getting a 128MB stick.



For me personally, having used my Jumpdrive for more than a week now, the beauty of having a USB drive is not so much the ease of transfer, but rather the speed it takes me for me to save, transfer and access files. (yes I'm an impatient fellow) In fact I actually put my USB stick to the test when I had a class presentation last week. Instead of doing the traditional way - transfering your presentation slides to the main computer drive, I decided to run my presentation straight from my USB drive.

The result - AMAZING! Not only did were the slides presented at the right speed, the custom animations that I used came out beautifuly (which is not the case if you were to use diskettes!).

Another plus point for the USB drive is that it can be used in any computer. (Diskettes have a common tendency to have the "disk not formatted" error whenever you try loading it to a different computer). However the USB drive works flawlessly in any computer, thanks to the plug and play feature. All you need to do is plug in your USB drive, give it 10 seconds for the computer to detect and viola you're on. (of course this is not the case if you're using say a Windows98 OS)

However I must admit there is one major drawback in using the USB drive - not all computers have their USB drives installed on the front of the tower casing - this makes it awwfully difficult as you would have to go behind the CPU and search for the USB drive and painfully try to connect. But this problem can be rectified but easily installing a USB extension cord. Another possible drawback is that it could be lost easily, but like most people, this can be solved by attaching it to your keys or having a keychain-type necklace so you can easily hook the USB drive.

Thesedays whenever I'm on a computer, it's become a ritual habit for me to plug my USB drive and start work. I don't save my work to the computer hard-drive anymore as everything goes into the stick. I think in time to come, the USB drive will become a necessity part of any university student's life. I've discussed the need of getting a USB drive with friends who currently dont own one, and they all concur it's very useful the device.

Just like how textbooks, highlighters, coffee, and fullscape paper are critical to a university student's life...so will the USB drive be in the next few years, if not months to come.

Brief Headlines Of The Day

• Almost finishing up the 3rd question of my take home final
• Still didn't watch Stealth...probably wont!
• Learnt more about Jeff Ooi today morning (For those of you who are unfamiliar, Jeff Ooi is a famous malaysian blogger that blogs about malaysian affairs from the political and social perspective - he recently won The AsiaFreedom Blog Award - I will do a write-up on Jeff Ooi in the near future)
• Went to watch the first batch of the internet marketing class present their websites. Some of them really did a good revamping of the previous site.

Dim Sum Anyone?

Today's Lunch Special : Dim Sum



My day started with 2 words - Dim Sum... Having awoke from my slumber at around 11, a friend of mine nudged me on msn to join her and a couple of other friends for Dim Sum at Wah Court (which is around 5 minutes from where I live). The first thing that came to my mind was : crowded chinese people,waiters and waitress carrying big round trays and chinese tea : "OKAY I'M IN" was my reply to my friend.

For those of you who are perplexed with the word Dim Sum, here's a quick introduction. Growing up in a place where people regarded it as the "food haven" I have to admit I was never openly exposed to Dim Sum. No doubt it was one of the most popular breakfast dishes for most chinese malaysians, my family some how didnt really get hooked to it. So as a result, I grew up not truly knowing what Dim Sum actually was. It wasn't till my college years when my chinese friends first took me out for a "Dim-Sum" breakfast. I must admit, it was a real experience. I mean here you are seated and a bunch of waiters come to your table, each offering a unique dish and you just pick the dish that your taste buds are craving for. You don't even have to get up from your seat to make an order! Most of the Dim Sum dishes have pork, and are served in different ways - mostly either fried or steamed. The cost of each plate... I seriously have no idea, but usually the whole meal comes up to around $8-$10 per person (it depends also on how many dishes you order). The dishes are usually served hot. Click here to see the common dishes that are offered.

Anyway my friend had already made reservations for 6 people, so we didn't have to wait in-line for a table, which was good! (The last time I went to Wah Court with 3 other friends, we had to wait for nearly 20-30 minutes - yeah it was our own stupidity for not making reservations!

The first dish did kicked-start our appetite. It was siu mai (pork dumplings). Siu Mai is actually one of my favourite dishes and not surprisingly it's also a crowd-favourite. Many people that I have spoken to about Dim Sum dishes claim siu mai to be their favourite dish. From Siu Mai, the dishes just kept coming in. All 6 of us would look at the waiter's tray, and all that was needed was someone to say yes and the dish would be on our table. I honestly lost tracked on all the dishes we had...but one I clearly remember is the sessame ball dish which is another favourite dish of mine. This is something that I've actually enjoyed since my childhood days. We used to have a similiar snack like this at home and my family used to love it and I still think they do.

The time taken to have a hearty dim-sum meal depends on 3 factors:

• the number of people that you're with
• the frequency of the waiters appearing at your table
• The crowd level at the restaurant

Surprisingly, despite being in a company of 5 other people, we managed to finish lunch in an hour and 10 minutes. Well this was more due to the latter factors. The time interval between 2 waiters appearing at our table was around 2-3 minutes, and by luck, they were carrying the dishes that we wanted...so we didn't need to wait that long for our desired dish to come...well maybe except for the sessame ball because for some unexplained reason, that was the LAST dish to come! And our timing too was good in a way as the restaurant was not as crowded as we expected it to be.

My 2nd Dim Sum experience at Wah Court was an enjoyable one. The bill came up around 66 dollars (for 6 people), yes as I was walking back home, I looked at Pizza-Pizza and thought to myself that I could have had lunch there for less than 5 bucks, but then again...there's seriously nothing like the Dim-Sum experience. Plus remember the saying that you're always bound to bump into someone when you're in a crowded restaurant? Well how often do you see the professor that you TA for and have a close relationship with, having lunch with his family? Not that often I guess!!

Brief Headlines for the Day

• Finished the 2nd of the 3rd question for my take home final!
• Thinking of watching Stealth at the cinema tonight - was supposed to go last night, but the too-lazy-to-do-anything syndrome kicked in!
• Chelsea beat Arsenal at the Community Shield 2-1 - Maybe Chelsea won't win the league now!

A Foreward To New Readers

Dear Reader,

Though it may seem to you that this is my first time getting involved in the realms of blogging, you're mistaken. I've been blogging for the past 2 years now and I know how this whole system works.

Then why is this a new blog?

The reason is simply because my old blog was never publicly accessable. JustMy2Cents was a blog that no one except me knew about. It was where I could devote my thoughts and my rants without anyone having to pry at me. Yes for 2 years I lived a quiet and low profile life. I didnt want the whole wide world (www!) to know what I was doing, thinking,feeling or expressing. It was great though, even as I was creating the templete for this new blog, part of me was telling me that I should just continue on with my old one. After all there was nearly 2 years of memories and events in that blogsite.

But what's the point of jotting down your life if no one is there to read it? Historians, politicians and entertainers don't write their memoirs and biogrpahies and keep them unpublished. They write so that others can read and get a sense of their extrodinary lives. Now I'm not saying that I have an extrodinary life, but to some extent, my life has been interesting....and over the next few months and perhaps years, I'll go through an important phase - I'll be finishing my undergraduate degree in 4 months time and I'll be in the working world... so things will definately be interesing in the next coming months.

There is never a day where I fail to actually sit down and reflect on my life. Reflections has been a crucial element in my life now. These reflections are a result of either the day's events, or just something I'm feeling, or even something that is going to come up soon. Like I said, I'm in an interesting yet challenging and unclear phase of my life: love-work-carrer goals -family-trials-studies-triumphs-friends : never have these elements become so important and crucial in my life than right now.

What do I expect from this blog?

There is a reason why I chose to make this blog public : YOU... yes I invite you to share my joys, pains, frustrations, triumphs, trials and journey with me as I go along this interesting phase of life. Afterall moments in life isn't meaningful unless it's shared. Not everything I post here will be of any philosphical nature, so don't worry...from time to time I will bitch about things, or give my opinions on stuff other than my life... there's more to life than just me!

And at times, I will be facing some dilemmas, problems, and I will need some advice....I invite you to help me by providing your inisight on the problem/issue. By providing your insight, you'll help me look at things with a different eye...and this will help me learn. It'll help me learn about life.

You know, there is a reason why musicians release albums every 1-2 years - The fans. If there are no fans to support them...it'll be pointless and demotivating for them to make new music. Fans give them the drive to make new music. The same analogy applies here. Having your comments drives me to post more and keep my blog as updated as possible. So yes, in a nut-shell I'm looking to you to get part of my motivation to keep this blog updated. And I hope that you would able to provide me with the continous support through your comments.

I will also add new features to the site from time to time such as new links or quirky little things that I have done! The purpose of these "add-ins" is to make the blogsite look more fresh, exciting and young. So watch out for new quirky stuff such as "Last Seen @ the cinema" and "Top 5 of the week".

Well this is all for now, I sincerely hope Straight From The Heart will be an interesting read for you...and I hope my daily journal entries will motivate you to keep on reading it. I look forward to making Straight From The Heart a heartwarming and exciting and rewarding experience for both myself and for you, the reader.



God Bless
Prashanth :)