Pinnacle

 Salam. 

My last book in 2023 was so apt I think it managed to make me feel less anxious welcoming new year, alhamdulillah.

My new year resolution is much simpler, I want to be better. 

I am so sad and upset about the current war that is happening at the moment, sad because there were so many innocent lives taken and upset because the ‘world’ seems okay with this atrocity. #freePalestine🇵🇸

However, as a believer, we need to try our best to help within our capacity. No effort is too small.

I wore different optic glass when I saw photo shared by real people versus photo shared on magazine or adverts. When I saw people for advertisement’s purpose, I scan to the items that they wore - such as were they wearing latest or trendy outfit, did they carry handbag from certain posh brand, what shape of sunglasses they had and other superficial adornment. Whatever they had on, I was once too many times felt inadequate because I did not own whatever item they were trying to consciously promote.

When it comes to photos shared by real people, I saw the smile they wore on their face first. In Malay we do have a term called ‘seri’ on our face when we are happy, and that was what I saw first when I look into photos of real people, their ‘berseri’ face. Almost everytime, these happy faces are the one that inspired me and made me happy. Especially when I saw photos of people of 50 year old and above, it is always their happy ‘berseri’ faces that warm my heart, never their adornment. 

I want to be those with happy berseri face in the photo at my old age and I know a little bit about how to achieve it now which is obviously not trying to impress people but intrisically happy knowing that we had tried our best doing the right things because right decisions will yield the right feelings and right feelings is the closest we had before allowing the state of happy to unfold before us. 

Happy new year everyone!

P/s : My 13 and last book I read in 2023 was The Mountain is You by Brianne Wiest.