A good girl

The Selangor leadership crisis has turned into a quagmire for DS Anwar Ibrahim and his gang, who started the whole mess. They are now stuck in their trenches.

I believe that with Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah holding his ground in defending Selangor from being turned into Anwar's private property, it will take quite awhile before the crisis could be settled.

I therefore would like to take a bit of a break from writing about the issue today.

Just want to write something light.

Saw this article on page 2 of the New Straits Times' Life & Times section,

Memorable Merdeka

What made me paused to read the article was the picture of NTV7 presenter Lisa Wong and Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamad Ali.

Lisa was beautiful while Dr Siti Hasmah elegant.

Excerpts of the interview with Lisa about her encounter with Dr Siti Hasmah:

What was it like speaking to her?

It was a privilege to visit her at her residence and speak with her at length. She has a genuine warmth and ease about her — she would easily break into conversations with our crew, no matter what rank. I didn’t know she had a sense of humour and teased those who barely touched the refreshments laid out for us.

Her values on moderation came up when I asked her about the comment online about the pair of Bata shoes she wore while playing badminton some time ago. She smiled and said: “Those shoes did the job, so I didn’t see why I had to spend more.”

At 88, she’s sharp, keeps a journal, plays the piano and recently got reunited with her love for another instrument, one that’s challenging to master — the violin. She’s also learning a new language, Japanese.

I especially appreciate her honest insight on her role as the wife of the former prime minister who was in power for 22 years and the challenges that came with it, such as raising seven children — a couple of them vocal public figures — and her enduring relationship with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

I found the whole experience humbling because she expounded on values that are timeless, yet which are fading in today’s society — values that carry humanistic legacies for a better world.

What have you learnt from her?

Grace, contentment and that learning never stops. No matter the juncture of life you may be at, never get jaded with the struggles but continue to grow with grace and acceptance. And don’t stop learning and growing as a person because the day you do, you stop being interesting.

How I wish I can mature to one day being like Dr Siti Hasmah.

I also wish I can have an enduring love like what she has with Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad.

The two are for me the cutest couple ever,

I wish when I am old, I can pose for a picture like that with my beloved.

Now, there was a hadith (or is it a Quranic verse?) which more or less said that a good girl will end up being with a good guy, while a bad girl will end up with a bastard. Something like that.

Guess I have to try harder to be a good girl if I want to be like Dr Siti Hasmah. At the moment, I am not so good....

Okay, need to get back to work.

See you all around. Cheers.