I am at my best when:

• I am smiling
• I am positive and I can share the positive vibes with the people around me
• I can contribute something back to society
• I am clueless about doing something, yet unexpectedlyit  turns out to be a job well done
• I have a good and undisturbed sleep

I also asked my friends from Twitter and Facebook this same question and here are their answers:

Via Twitter [sic]:

@lotfiismail: when m not sleep deprived

@johnreydangilan: I am at my best when I am under pressure…

@FaraFauzi: Last minute work! When I’m under pressure and need to get things done ASAP, ill make sure its the BEST!

@niennessa: when I wake up in the morning after a real good uninterrupted sleep and / or a cool day.

@alibaizuri: Honestly, when i’m caught off guard

@FizaFalak: in the shower

@SheiAiman: One make decisions which creates one’s best moments.. With that, I don’t know if a single direct answer exist.

Via Facebook [sic]:

Kavita: wen im asleep

What about YOU… When are you at your best?

Image: Filomena Scalise / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

People I look up to:

• Successful, yet humble, individuals - Need to learn so much from them!
• Those with a CAN DO ATTITUDE! - I love those with postive vibes!
• Dreamers - Those that constantly tell me it’s okay to day-dream once in a while!
• Individuals that are not afriad of failing - The best way to learn
• Givers - They sacrifice so much for the benefit of others. Salutes!
• Single mothers or Single fathers - For raising their children without a spouse
• Teachers - For spreading knowledge

Your Turn! Who inspires you? Who do you look up to? Who are your role models?

Q: What are your long-term goals?

Syafique’s Answer: If you ask me this question when I was a senior in high school, I’d have to say, “I don’t know!!” I did give this answer back then and those people, especially adults, would give me this strange look and asked me, “What do you mean you don’t know? You do not know what you want to study in university and what career path you want to choose afterwards?”

I was still sixteen / seventeen then. I had a few ideas of my long-term goals but I was still unclear. But yes, it had to do with journalism and the magazine world. I did not dare to tell people as I was afraid it would not come true.

Nowadays, I do have  a new list of short-term and long-term goals. There are many things I want to achieve and I am sure if I list it here, some of you can relate to these goals. It is up to God if I can ever achieve these goals but I always remind myself , I can never predict the future but I am ready for all the challenges ahead and hopefully it will elevate my life beyond my imagination. A little idealistic, huh?

Now it’s your turn: What are your long-term goals? What do you want to achieve 5 to 10 years from now?

I was caught in a bad traffic jam this morning along Sprint highway. Decided to check for notifications on my BlackBerry and saw two new tweets directed for @syafique. The first one read: wonders if this is @syafique. It was from @alibaizuri, a person I met over the weekend at the wedding of syafiqueshuib.com contributor Miss Jessica Iyo-Chan (now Mrs. Lee). The first thing that came to mind when I saw that it was a TwitPic link was that it must be a random candid shot of me from the wedding dinner.

Then I saw this pic:

Image from @alibaizuri (www.twitter.com/alibaizuri)

It was a complaint I sent to The Malay Mail and it was published recently (Read online version here). I was speechless upon seeing the picture considering the fact that this issue has been settled for close to two weeks. I am happy with my BB and I can get very clingy with it. I am also happy with DiGi’s coverage although I have been told that the coverage needs improvement in areas outside of Klang Valley.  

Back to the letter. I wasn’t joking when I told the people handling DiGi’s twitter that I was drafting a letter to the media if I can’t get the services I requested for. After being told of the same excuses time and again, they didn’t deliver and so I pressed the “Send” button, hoping that a newspaper will eventually publish the letter.

The purpose of my letter is not to bring down DiGi’s established image. It was a way to share my experience, so that it can benefit those that might experience a similar situation. We needed a solution, not the same excuses again and again. We needed DiGi’s services.

I also believe in this: If I continue to be Mr. Nice Guy, I guess the wait for my DiGi line and Blackberry Internet Service would be longer. I remember during my first few calls. I was Mr. Nice Customer and I did what was told: “Wait for 24 hours”.

After a while, I got sick of it and no matter times I gave my details, nothing was being done…AT ALL! My name and number was not even in the system regardless of my countless calls.

I used Twitter as an outlet to rant but I guess the only way to get things done was through the media. I was told that Malay Mail would actually call the telecommunication company before publishing the letter. Now I remember: two days before I got my service, I got a few calls from various parties (roadshow’s person-in-charge, vendor, etc.) asking me for my details. A day later, I got a call from the vendor asking me if I could use my BB. Then on the day itself, someone from DiGi called apologizing for the delay.

Could it be that this happened because The Malay Mail had contacted them first? What if they didn’t? Would I still get my service or do I have to wait a little longer? Another question to ponder: Will I EVER get my service if I didn’t make much noise. You have to remember that everytime I called the customer service, there was never any record of my name or number in their system. How can they help me fix the problem then?

I used the Media and New Media (blog, Twitter, etc) to share my situation, but what about those that are voiceless? Those that do not have a platform to be heard? Generally speaking, is this the way to get things done in this country?

For people to serve you:

1. Do you have to be a ‘somebody’?
2. Do you have to be well-connected with the big bosses?
3. Do you need connections with the media?
4. Do you need to be an influential blogger?

What if you are none of the above and you are a ‘Nobody’? Can you get things done your way?

YOUR FRIEND SAYS SORRY AND YOU SAY THERE’S NOTHING TO WORRY. HOWEVER, DEEP DOWN IN YOUR HEART, YOU CAN’T TRULY FORGIVE YOUR FRIEND. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO HEAL THE SOUL AND TO SINCERELY ACCEPT YOUR FRIEND’S APOLOGY. SYAFIQUE ASKS, YOU ANSWER.

One second... one minute... one hour... one day... one month... one year... one decade... never?

Esther: Truely when am hurt and someone tells me they are sorry,I always say its okey even when I dont mean it and am always good to them after that,bt I only FORGIVE when it stops hurting.

Syafique: @Esther: That shows that saying sorry is easy but to mean it is a different story?? To tell u the truth, I am the sort of person that is hard to forgive someone, but at the same time, if I make mistakes, I want to be forgiven too! Hmm…

Juhainie: It can take years for me. I once never talked to a fren for hmm lets say 4 years because she made a mistake that hurt me deep enough but neither one take an effort to talk or discuss about it. We eventually talked when a very good fren of ours passed away. But if its just petty stuffs, i will just ignore it and walk away and try as much not to remember. But if i remember it will take some time to go away.

Syafique: @Juhainie: U four years? Me close to a decade! OMG. Sth happened with a friend when I was 14…. I was living overseas at that time and we have not been in contact. Now that it is close to the 10-year mark…and since both of us are living in Malaysia, I better do sth. Oh yes, that person is on FB and I should add that person soon. After 10 years, who knows there’s still room for Friendship?

Juhainie: Its never too late to try to rekindle the friendship and whatever results you achieved, at least you know you have tried. One thing i have learnt, never forget a fren for too long because of some mistakes because in the end we will lose precious moments that we wanted to share together and also the emotions might eat you inside. Like the fren i didnt talked to, i had to miss their wedding and to tink that we had planned it out while we were just chilling…. But of course, sometimes things are easier said than done, but as human we will always try to do our best without hurting anybody. Lastly, i always go by this saying, Please all and you please none. Thank you. *end of speech*

Syafique: @Juhainie: Applause!!!! Standing ovation!!!!

Suzilah: it depends on his/ her mistakes & how sincere they ask forgiveness..

Syafique: @Suzilah: If you know they will repeat the same mistakes? how?

The conversation continues at www.syafiqueshuib.com/facebook!

Image credit: www.freedigitalphotos.net

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