Choices

I was calling a friend after watching Mission Impossible III on Saturday when I realized that my handphone accessory was gone! It is a milky blue heart-shaped accessory. How could such misfortune happen to ME? At once, I went through the path where I exited, accompanied by Brandon. Unfortunately, the back door was of the cinema was closed. So we went all the way to the front entrance and I requested for permission to re-enter the same hall. I got it. Another session of MI3 was already starting and I was groping about it the dark, with the help of the light from the handphone, searching in anticipation for my hp accessory. No luck. So we left the cinema, with me determined to get the SAME one from memory lane right after that. Haha. Even Brandon had to ask me if it was a gift from someone special.

In memory lane, I was disappointed to find that the same accessory is no longer available. Bad luck again. I really want an accessory that I like to give the old, 2^nd hand phone of mine (my sis’s old phone) a facelift. So I chose among the accessories available there, and ended up with a similar, but NOT THE SAME, heart-shaped one. This is one that has 3 layers of hearts, the inner one being purple, then milky blue, then orange. (Hint: think of the ending of Powerpuff Girls, when the narrator said ‘So the day is saved, thanks to the Powerpuff Girls’ and you will see this swirling pattern of hearts on the screen). I actually saw this the 1^st time I bought my milky blue one, but I bought the milky blue one because it really caught my attention; so this 2^nd one is 2^nd choice.

Back at home, I was emptying the contents of my hand-held paper bag when ‘Abracadabra!’ The milky blue accessory dropped right out of it. I was so happy! So it had been at my side all this while. It was really of low probability for it to drop right into the paper bag that I placed on the floor of the cinema. But there it was! Now having found the original one, which is my ‘true love’, what should I do with the 2^nd one? Keep it so that I have a back up when the original one goes missing again? Find a new owner for it? Or use the new one since the bell on the original one is missing anyway?

This incident triggers me to relate it to our lives. In life, we don’t always get what we want. Sometimes, we have to end up with the 2^nd choice and we have to make do. Instead of raving and ranting, we should make the most out of it. I didn’t get my 1^st choice of university. My close friends should know where I really wanted to be; I got a place there, however, circumstances decided otherwise.

However, I must be appreciative. At least I got to pursue the 1^st choice of my career. Some people are not as lucky. They work so hard for STPM for a seat in local university, yet good results is NEVER good enough when we are not ‘the other kind of people’ (you all get the hints). Sad to say, admission to university is not strictly based on meritocracy, but on quota as well. I really look up to mun waei, for being so down-to-earth and having the will to make the most out of her choices. Sad to say, NOT everyone is like mun waei. I have a friend who is a far cry from her. He is a rich brat who grows up in a well-to-do family, who doesn’t know that for some people, education is the key to get out of poverty, to improve the quality of lives. My parents are not university graduates and they really hope that their daughters will be one so that life is easier for them. Thanks daddy and mummy, for all the sacrifices you all have made for me to have a sound education. I really hope I will not disappoint you all and myself.

So, back to that friend of mine. He quitted university in UK as he wasn’t happy with the course of choice and he got into depression. Throughout that time, another girl friend of mine and myself have constantly talked to him, and given him motivation. However, he decided to give up all the same. When he came back, I delivered a letter to him personally to his house. It was my first serious long letter to a guy, he should be feeling honoured. Haha. The first letter should be for the one, yet I broke the rule because my friend was really in depression and on the verge of giving up everything. I was hoping words would lift him up. My gut feeling tells me that he has pretty much recovered from depression, right now, he is in a state of attention seeking and he is being so SPOILT and unappreciative. Having talked to his mum, I found out that his parents are willing to let him choose another course; he is given a 2^nd chance. Yet, there he is, telling me how life is so meaningless and how much he doesn’t want to go to university. I told him that ‘you know, so many people will want to trade place with you. You should be grateful and cherish this opportunity given.’ His reply was disappointing. He said ‘I would be happy to trade place with them.’

Choices. Remember the poem we read back then in form 5? ‘The Road not Taken’ by Robert Frost. I still remember the title and author because I think that the poem is indeed, meaningful. It is about facing crossroads, making the choice and having to take responsibility for the consequences that result. Even later on in life, when you look back and wonder ‘What will happen if I had taken another path?’, you should never regret over the path that you took. It is just like there is this special person whom you are in ‘like’/love with, yet you are thinking all the ‘what ifs’ and you may think that you will meet someone who have better credentials later on. So you let him/ her go. Or you may have chosen him/her, but later on you wonder what if you have rejected him/her and accepted the hand of another suitor instead. (You may want to refer to sam’s post on ‘shopping for husbands’, with the woman ending up at the top floor that says,’ There is no man here. This floor exists to prove that women are never satisfied.’) If we have this mentality in life, we are never going to be happy and grateful. Greed will constantly rears its ugly head and tells us, ’You should have taken that job offer. It could have made a big difference.’ ‘You should have chosen the other guy because he is way richer and you don’t have to end up like this.’

So what happens to me and the two handphone accessories? Well, I took Brandon’s suggestion and hung the two on my phone. Haha. No, I am NOT two-timing. =P However, bear in mind that, in life, we can’t always have the best of both worlds. So make THE CHOICE and be happy. Remember this, ‘Choose your love and love your choice’.