“Your proposal is not good enough. Nope, I won't sponsor your program.”Throwing my proposal one side. There I am. Sitting with my not-so-sober assistant who barely just woke up.
“Hey, you the one with the spec. You didn't sleep is it?”
The head of department of student affairs in my university launched a personal attack on my assistant besides me.
Dejected however, I put up a broad smile. I could have just walked out. But I chose not to. There are 15 people who are relying on this sponsorship to make our program successful. I started to persuade him to reconsider my proposal. I gave reasoning to support my program. I took out my folder. Some of the members from my society were wondering why I took down the certificates of the award our society won last year from the wall the previous night.
I showed the award to him to further stating my claim that my activity is benevolent. He gave a cold shoulder and changed to other topic. He gave us a morning lecture. Both my assistant and I were just nodding with acceptance of his life theory and bull-dung. I could have just slammed the door and walked out to escape from his countless personal attack and mental torture. In the end, he took back our proposal. Give it a few flips.“Ok. I going to give you half of the allocation you needed. That's it.”
I will never forget that moment. Just 10 minutes ago, all was deemed doom for our program. My insistence and never say die attitude prevail. I clawed back from the brink of death and kept my project alive.“That should be enough.”
Luckily, I requested more than I needed. That amount of money is enough even though I jotted down RM1000 in my proposal. I came out from the room and gave my assistant a pat on the back.
“Let's go back to hostel. I have class later.”
Some might think I lost the battle. In my heart, I gained. Not that I managed to get RM500, but it's more to what I would say perseverance won the day. I believe that if we are put into desperate situation, you will do anything to get back into advantageous position. The key is to never ever give up until the last minute. You have nothing to lose but something to gain. Lance Armstrong once quoted,“Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever."
My trip in Macao is of no difference. Getting around in Macao can be really exhausting and mentally torturing. Even for a ‘seasoned’ backpacker, the city map is useless unless you have a GPS navigator. You barely can find the road! The road signboards are not erected on the ground. It is located on the wall. And most of them are being blocked by advertisements and shop’s signboards. Even with a map on my hand, I found it really difficult to locate my position.
Macao is just like Penang. It has just been awarded the World Heritage status for 31 of its historical monuments. The famous one of course is the St. Paul’s Ruin. Majority of the tourist’s attraction is concentrate on this structure. I agree. Just imagine one building is so nicely and finely chopped and left with just one side of the wall. It survives the test of time and nature.
Walking along the street that leads to the ruin is this street I called ‘Free Food Street’. If you are broke in Macao after gambling away your fortune, do drop by here for some food. I’m sure you’ll left here with a full stomach. The staffs from the shops here offer free tasting of their products. You can taste almost any of the titbits there are to offer, ranging from almond biscuits to peanut candies.
Food aside, Macao is of course famous for its casinos. From Grand Lisboa to the latest sensation, The Venetian are the few of the draw cards. I was awe-struck when I entered the Grand Lisboa casino. When the security at the entrance opened the door to welcome us I sensed the music of God of Gambler playing behind my ear. My walking motion became slow. Upon entering, I thought there was a fire inside. Well, it is actually the smokers who produced a tower of black smoke inside. Going inside the casino, I felt like I was entering hell. Actually, I don’t know why people will come here and part away their hard earned money just like that. Let’s face the fact that no one makes a profession out of gambling except Ko Chun. This claim is even supported by king of casinos, Stanley Ho himself by once quoted,“It’s not easy to win money from casinos. If you do win, then you must be really lucky.”
When you go from one floor to another, you will notice there are just the same. Baccarat, dice, roulette, and slot machines. The difference from one level to another is just the minimum amount to bet. After visited Grand Lisboa, I don’t seem to bother venturing inside other casinos. I once quipped to Jeff when he was still with me on the first day before he left,“The only nice thing to see in a casino is the face reaction of the gamblers themselves.”
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