Lebensraum

Our Cause of the White Man's Burden.

2009-08-15T00:32:00.002+08:00

Currently playing in the background: Shin Seung Hoon – Nae Saramin Geot Gataseo

Current thought to blurt: I love the rain... it creates a nostalgic mood, and best of all it also rinses off the car…

I’m back here typing again, with K-pop plugged firmly into my ears and torrential rain pouring outside. I really should be planted here with a good, trusty mug of coffee, but anymore caffeine today would have me leaping in all directions… and all you’d be reading here would be a tangle of gibberish spouting from a caffeine-soaked brain gone wild. Now I’m mildly sedated by the sounds of Shin Seung Hoon’s “Nae Saramin Geot Gataseo”. The king of K-pop ballads can never go wrong. I know folks out there who don’t subscribe to Korean music would probably be going: “What the…?” Worry not; I shall share my views on this in coming posts. For now, we shall address another rant- worthy issue.

If verbal abuse were to come in the form of ammunition, the federal government would be riddled with more holes than a sponge now- more than ever in the past few months. Why? Someone woke up with the feeling Great Britain imperialists were at their front door again. Worried that the young would start eating waffles instead of nasi lemak, the unthinkably ridiculous happened. I regret to inform you that Malaysian leaders are still so very confused as to what it means to lead and to be led. At the moment, they are being led by blind ambition and misguided nation-building concepts, and even greed. They have skewed and twisted Malaysia’s path of human capital development into this blurred, half- hearted doodle. To lead is to know what’s best for the country and rise above petty, superficial objections with careful forethought. To lead is to exercise authority with reason and logic. To lead is to be an example of what the citizen is to be. When the citizen has to yell at you for making decisions like an ass, what sort of leader do you think you are? But all of the above will obviously be overlooked… because Malaysia (apa pun) Boleh.

However, it should be noted that the Great Education Rollback covers more than the mere issue of the mode of instruction for Science and Mathematics in schools nationwide. The nagging problem about the whole thing is that it tugs at the very roots of the entire education system. We’re talking about every darn limb of it: the teachers, the students, the schools, the facilities, the policies, literally everything needs to be thrown out. Can we say: Pandora’s Box of the Education system?

A few years back I marvelled that the government has gotten something right after all. Rejoice was abounding as Malaysian youth would learn Science and Math in English, all that terminology (which naturally would only sound right in the English language). Despite envying the little fishes in school for their newfound privilege, it got us all thinking: How much can the teachers deliver, and how ready are the students at the receiving end? Let’s be realistic and honest with ourselves here… like that Malay idiom “Tepuk dada, tanya selera”. Did the white man’s language work wonders for the system? Those who have been schooled pre-1980 would comprehend and connect with the workings of this mode of instruction. Unfortunately this would constitute only those who have actually attended institutions practising this, and mind you, the numbers are appallingly small. This number would exclude those who did not attend school, those who attended other forms of institutions or centres of education, and those who drop out of school… and maybe even some who had the opportunity to be taught in English but simply did not see it as of any significance. This monstrous section of the Malaysian population has obviously been the catalyst of today’s rollback, as they fail to grasp why their children should struggle to master the white man’s language in not only one subject, but three or more. Ladies and gentlemen, if you think these people are already a problem, it may be helpful to know that Malaysians in their 20’s, 30’s and early 40’s have nearly all been educated in a system where the English language exists in the curriculum as merely a language subject, and the mode of instruction for every other darn thing is in the national language. I’m talking about those specimens you see spewing nonsense about safeguarding the national language and parading around in the sweltering heat demanding their grandfather’s land/ language/ money/ to be returned and their other whatnots upheld. And with the rollback underway, more ignorance for generations to come. Talk about fighting the incoming tide.

I don’t blame an Englishwoman who throws me out of her house for waltzing in with a few durians… only because she has never consumed any part of a durian ever in her life and thus can never understand the wonders durians can do for a Malaysian. But I am amused that the very products of a decent English language- based education will stoop to disowning their educational background in order to claim themselves ‘wira bangsa’, otherwise known to us disgusted onlookers as insufferable scumbags who are selfish enough to throw away the future as well as the past for self gain. This was mentioned earlier as an abysmal lack of foresight... or was it just a lack of consideration for the future of the nation due to an obsession with self interest? I’d be the first to exorcise that demon MP from Kulim- Bandar Baharu as well as that Rembau-an Ape. Both received education from foreign universities, and both returned preaching treason to the Queen of England. God knows how many others have similarly sold their souls.

The game in politics is a no- holds- barred one, hence politicians are at liberty to latch on to anything and blow it out of proportion with preposterous flair. At the moment, this is all I could say, because it is apparent that current leaders do not have the people’s interests at heart, and such an obvious expression of lack of concern will only have them shooting themselves in the foot this time around.

I am happy for those who may afford a good education, one that would throttle them into a promising future; but I am still appalled that our leaders chuck the futures of other Malaysian youth away just because their children have the luxury of attending international or private institutions.

*rolls eyes and says no more*

Ni yang malas nak layan ni…

Writers Anonymous- A Crisis of Laziness: Will This Become A Habit?

2009-07-21T11:54:00.002+08:00

Currently playing in the background: Girls’ Generation – Tell Me Your Wish

Current thought to blurt: I’m done with “Cinderella Man”. Yep, all 16 episodes… and I think the Yoona- Kwon Sang Woo thing is downright illegitimate.

I’m starting to wonder if I’m losing my touch, because really, updating a blog post has never felt like a real bother to a complain-a-holic like me. Perhaps I haven’t set my ‘blog- time’ straight like I had always had in previous sessions (that was months ago, before the Great Depression that was to be known as Finals Part 1). Now that I have all the time 24 hours could offer I’m puzzled as to why this is still an issue. Let’s see now….

While I leave the thinking for a bedtime- fix, I think it’s only appropriate I unload my thoughts of the day(s) onto this poor, poor unsuspecting page. It’s only been what, 2 weeks? And I hear the Education Ministry doing a major rollback on its policies, PAS quietly retaining their seat at Manek Urai, and some poor chap falling off a window to his death while under the investigation of the MACC. The Kampung Buah Pala drama is still dragging on more tiresomely than suspected that even the media has packed and left Penang to go poking into the mysterious free-fall of Teoh Beng Hock. There’s always something fresh from death, especially if it involved bigger fry somewhere in the story. And what could be better than having both a governmental body and the opposition pitted against each other in the same plot? Ah, even yours truly would be diabolically curious about the coincidence of such an incident because we all know this rarely occurs in such circumstances… it even gets me wondering: how could the MACC afford such negligence? Tsk tsk tsk… you know it always smells when larger fish are within err… nose-shot?

The papers are also quite a task to read with all that damage control spread all over like they owned the news (oh I forgot that they do, my bad)… You can’t see much of what the Opposition has to say, which is funny because the late Mr Teoh was the political secretary to Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, both of whom are from the DAP. It’s also a bore to read all that finger- pointing, and at this point I really have to admit, no matter how I disapprove of how the BN handles certain things, that both are just as bad as the other. I understand that all that demanding of a transparent and accountable investigation by the Opposition is a clear warning that the government is being watched, and they can’t afford to be sloppy about it. But it can be expected that the Opposition will not be off the government’s backs even if the autopsy report rules out foul play, and it has been proven that the deceased fell off by accident or in a suicide attempt. Politicians will still be politicians; and when an opportunity to be out for blood comes like this, it’s hard not to imagine them exploiting it to their advantage, whether it be the Fed Gov or the PR. No amount of candlelight vigils and black shirts can cure the fact that the BN are in control, and that the PR will always find something to pick with the big bully in the political playground (there are more opportunities to look pitiful while being the underdog and win more support although you might be the lesser monster). Hence the PR’s job here is to rouse suspicion amongst the people, whilst the Fed Gov just needs to block out the noise and finish the job.

Yin and Yang indeed.

It is apparent that I tend to stray into general discussions… but yes, it is always because I don’t know enough to provide sound comments. Just a normal, human rant will do. It isn’t very wise to be in over my head in these things, no? For more reliable information you should consider consulting a source called the Malaysian media, in whichever language they come printed in (believe it or not, they all don’t sing to the same tune- it’s alright I don’t know who to believe in either).

Oh I nearly left out the bit about Manchester United visiting!

Whatever.

Now that I’ve wrapped up “Cinderella Man”, I think a few words on it would be fair. It’s been years since I last watched a Korean soap, and the trends may have changed. This one is somewhat different in its approach to how the plot connects the characters. Very well written story, I must say. The supporting characters are still those specimens in every series who are insistent on creating eye- rolling love- triangles… but the manner in which they ended the story looks more humane and logical than most of the others I’ve seen. Kwon Sang Woo carries his part well like the pro he is… yep, yep! His co-star Yoona, (who is really nearly half his age) does acceptably well for one whose main profession isn’t acting. And I like how each episode is at least an hour and five minutes long. Quite a large serving squeezed into 16 episodes. A great watch, and definitely worth all that waiting for the past week.

Oh wait, I think I just answered my own bedtime question! Now I can hit the sack in peace. Goodnight!

The Great Procrastination Parts Its Walls

2009-07-13T12:09:00.002+08:00

Currently playing in the background: K-Will - Dropping Tears
Current thought to blurt: I need to get a hold of my sleeping shadow, and beat the hell out of it.

After months and months of abandoning a lifelong passion and a nagging need of personal expression in print, I've finally gotten down to the keyboard again. It must be due to my immature pent up of unneeded frustration, or of a sheer indifference towards my past attitude towards writing. I must admit that an injustice which i thought i suffered was actually an injustice i brought onto myself for months now. Now let's toss that issue behind us, shall we?

Now that I have begun I am at a loss for topics. Truthfully, this brief session here on my much neglected blog is to await the loading of tonight's serving of "Cinderella Man". In case you were wondering, it's nothing more than one of those generic Korean soaps they keep churning out to feed the insatiable appetite of millions of housewives worldwide. I'm just watching it because it's relatively new (released in May this year), and for Kwon Sang Woo. It's been eons since I last sat down to actually watch anything, hence the decision to cuci mata (directly translated to mean 'wash eyes', i.e. looking at something you really want to look at)... The series so far has yet to become painfully complicated although my annoyance with the female cast has begun to set in (similar sentiments for most other series).

Another event I recall having to wait around to watch all night was that strange ceremony called 'Michael Jackson's Memorial Service'. Remember that? Or was I the only idiot who stayed up for a 3-hour sing-a-long speech-giving ceremony which was fairly solemn until the point where Brooke Shields took to the podium. Is it alright for one to feel compelled to lob rotten tomatoes at a person wasting our time at a memorial service? It would have been a wise opportunity for a toilet break, but somehow I ended up doing that during Stevie Wonder’s performance. After all the praises have been sung and the canons fired, I still couldn’t grasp the greatness of it all. Sure he was the greatest entertainer of all time but something was absent during the King of Pop’s last moment with the world. Heck, how are we even sure he’s in that gold casket in the first place? One thing’s for sure: the man’s death is still consumed in scandal and until the world is done scrutinizing his remains you know he can’t rest his moon-walking bones.

The fiasco ended with footage of a ludicrously pricey casket being carted off to (supposedly a cemetery, which we all naturally would expect a dead person would go after his memorial service but hell no)... the LAPD morgue. Samples would be taken from all parts of his reportedly 'needle-hole riddled' body... so you could expect the poor man to still royally grace the morgue until they manage to gather sufficient evidence to suggest that the King of Pop did not just overload his own veins with poison, but rather a trained and experienced professional *coughdermatologistcough* medical practitioner was the hand behind the sudden royal departure. I do not know enough to offer my one- cent’s worth because like every good citizen who knows any better, I am convinced that every man is innocent until proven guilty in a court of law... and to speculate will only contribute to another trial by the media. That’s only a portion of the Jackson mess. In the coming days we can all expect to be fed with all-Jackson material: the custody battle, the debts, the tributes (statues, monuments, more flowers to be hosed off the streets), and possibly another sensational Jackson-related courtroom drama (all great fodder for a movie underway). Did I miss anything?

However, I shall not speak ill of this man’s demise for his many (earlier) years of amazing entertainment have indefinitely overshadowed a few dozen pages in the dailies on his queerness and eccentricities. I am one of the millions who have heard and seen the magic of the Michael Jackson phenomenon. My family brought us up with a healthy dose of MJ hits, and as a child I was convinced the ‘moon-walk’ was done with special shoes or something someone as insanely gifted as Michael can come up with. But watching those same moves today I still can’t justify my premise. So it could only mean that he was a sheer genius… an irreplaceable icon of what made pop music what it is today.

MJ, I can’t say ‘RIP’ just yet with all that probing and poking… but I’ll just hope for your sake that it’ll be over as soon as possible.

Now how did this become a Michael Jackson memorial commentary? Darn all that waiting for “Cinderella Man”.

Dengarlah, saudara-saudari sekalian... I am about to membebel.

2008-09-17T03:42:00.002+08:00

Saya membuat keputusan membuat coretan ringkas di sini setelah menghabiskan beberapa minggu memaki hamun Kerajaan Barisan Nasional dalam Bahasa Inggeris. Sungguhpun Bahasa Melayu, sebuah warisan tanahair ini yang mengutarakan budaya bersopan- santun dan berbudi pekerti tinggi, tidak menyediakan perkataan- perkataan yang memadai bagi tujuan saya melepaskan rasa tidak berpuas hati, saya akan melakar sejarah dalam hidup saya sendiri dengan memaki hamun Kerajaan Barisan Nasional dalam Bahasa Melayu buat pertama kali. (Sebelum ni camana nak tulis dalam esei BM kat sekolah, kan?)

Sambutan hari kemerdekaan ke-51 dan 16hb September, tarikh keramat lahirnya negara kita Malaysia ini berlalu begitu sahaja. Adakah kita sebagai rakyat Malaysia telah menunaikan tanggungjawab kita sewajarnya dengan memperingati tarikh- tarikh bersejarah ini dalam coretan sejarah negara ini?

Setahu saya, rakyat Malaysia lebih rakus menyaksikan pertarungan kata- kata dan janji politik yang saling dilemparkan oleh dua pihak yang berbalah di Putrajaya. Kematangan politik yang nyata di kalangan rakyat terbukti pada 8hb Mac 2008. Saya megalu- alukan perkembangan positif ini kerana terdapat perubahan paradigma di mana rakyat mula mengukuhkan kedudukan mereka sebagai asas proses demokrasi negara ini. Sungguhpun begitu, proses evolusi ini masih belum lengkap.

Dari perspektif seseorang warga asing, kemungkinan besar pendapat yang dibentuknya dari apa yang dilihat adalah imej rakyat yang kurang matang kerana sanggup melayan karenah wakil- wakil rakyat yang tidak masuk akal, terutama sekali bagaimana wakil- wakil rakyat sebegini berjaya memperoleh mandat rakyat ketika pilihan raya dalam masa 4 dekad ini. Saya hanyalah seorang penuntut undang- undang. Saya tidak mungkin akan mendapat tahu tindak- tanduk sesetengah pihak yang mungkin telah memanipulasikan system pilihanraya di negara ini. Selain sebab ini, saya tidak dapat memikirkan alas an lain mengapa kita terus menderita di bawah pucuk pimpinan yang membatu api rakyatnya sendiri.

Rakyat Malaysia sememangnya memerlukan masa bagi membentuk sebuah kesedaran tentang sistem pentadbiran yang serasi dengan komposisi masyarakat kita. Selama ini kerajaan Barisan Nasional yang menghirup kegemilangan berjayanya Parti Perikatan memperoleh kemerdekaan bagi pihak Malaya, terus mengamalkan sikap bodoh sombong dan prinsip- prinsip lapuk. Kendatipun saya memahami situasi negara Malaysia yang masih boleh dianggap sebuah negara yang ‘muda’ jika dibandingkan dengan rakan- rakan ASEANnya, saya percaya bahawa asas pentadbiran Parti Perikatan ketika pra- Malaysia adalah sebuah permulaan yang positif bagi semua. Walau bagaimanapun, pengendalian halatuju yang salah telah menyebabkan sebahagian objektif pembentukan Malaysia lenyap sama sekali. Semua ini berlaku disebabkan sifat tamak haloba pemimpin Barisan Nasional semata-mata. Tunku Abdul Rahman telah memilih nama ‘Malaysia’ kerana beliau mempunyai impian menyatukan beberapa negara Asia yang sememangnya akan terdiri daripada pelbagai kaum dan agama. Jelasnya dengan ini, beliau ingin membentuk sebuah negara majmuk yang akan memanfaatkan semua pihak secara adil.

Malangnya, kuasa mutlak yang diberikan oleh rakyat sendiri kepada pentadbir Barisan Nasional yang kurangnya mentaliti kepimpinan membawa kepada kehancuran moral parti ini. Nyata sekali, senarionya sama dengan anak kecil yang tidak boleh dibenarkan bermain mancis: Kecil- kecil menjadi kawan, besar- besar menjadi lawan.
Runtunglah Malaysia dijilat api disebabkan sikap kita yang alpa, memberikan mancis dan pemetik api kepada ahli politik yang bagaikan ‘harapkan pagar, pagar makan padi’.

Mungkin pembaca sekalian berasa saya terlalu taksub mencari salah silap Kerajaan Barisan Nasional sehingga mengabaikan aspek positif pentadbiran mereka. Saya tidak menafikan hakikat bahawa terdapat usaha yang padu bagi membangunkan negara kita yang dahulunya mundur ini. Saya juga tidak menafikan hasil yang dapat dinikmati oleh rakyat sejagat berikutan usaha ini. Walaupun begitu, saya masih berasa prinsip parti Barisan Nasional yang terlalu bermain politik perkauman telah membatutkan perkembangan Malaysia yang berpotensi menjadi lebih menyerlah di rantau Asia ini terutamanya dari segi ekonomi dan sosial.

Segalanya bermula dari mentaliti dan buah fikiran kita. Saya menyeru rakyat Malaysia yang berbilang kaum dari segenap penjuru negara agar lebih prihatin kepada aspek- aspek yang dapat memajukan negara ini tanpa mengira latar belakang, kaum, dan agama. Hindarilah segala isu yang memisahkan kita sebagai sebuah entiti yang majmuk lagi bersatu. Usahlah kita terhanyut dengan kata- kata hasutan ahli politik yang mengagung- agungkan kaum sendiri kerana perbuatan ini bak meludah ke langit. Tidak ubah seperti makhluk belukar. Bertaubatlah, wahai Jenin pendusta…

Saya masih menanti satu BANGSA MALAYSIA.

Dengan ini, saya menaruh harapan kepada barisan pemimpin alternatif bagi mengakhiri penantian saya (dan 26.5 juta rakyat Malaysia yang lain) ini.

Adakah saya melukut di tepi gantang?

This LLB student and her crazy rants.

2008-09-10T03:29:00.002+08:00

( flashback: the wonderful times in Inter!)

How's a little blogging going to hurt an intermediate student? A lot, actually!!! Well, that's just for my pathetic case where my legal studies are currently nearly derailed every now and then. I don't blame Mother Nature and my fellow human beings. I'm just such a screw up when it comes to sticking to my priorities ( my priority is that 6- question torture from Miss Vaani... and that Valentine's day gift she so graciously presented to us on that same day... And hey hey: look at what I'm doing now.).

At the moment I'm just flipping cluelessly through my notes, wondering aloud if studying beforehand could have made much of a difference ( you and I both know that it would, duh)... Well I'd be so prim and proper if i did... that speckless nerdy girl who does things so oh-perfecto. I'm not. I'm an incorrigible slob... And not being oh-so-proper would foreseeably grate things up... Law is definitely not for the lazy. I've told that to myself time and time again. But old habits die hard, especially habits that seemed to work even when you thought they'd be the death of you, e.g. last minute work. Despite my undying faith in last minute efforts, people: Don't do this to yourself. It's going to gut you inside- out, especially if you're an LLB inter student like me. It won't work every time. Lady Luck spits on it. Haha... Believe me, I've faced her wrath.

This morning I crawled out of bed with a searing pain in my head. Common law test was at 10am so i made it a point to drag myself off bed at 6am. Due to the pain i collapsed back into bed, stuck a pillow over the side of my head and shut my eyes tightly. God, i had no idea it would hurt so much. I then texted a message to my classmate telling him i won't be able to make it for the paper. Drat!!! After all that reading! Then Miss Linda's words came dancing around in my mind (as though the migraine wasn't satisfied being lone ranger):"... Don't kid yourself. You can't afford to fall ill..." I was then having torrents of dreadful imaginary circumstances. What if this happened on the morning of the 21st of May? What if..? What if..? Gahhh.

'Tis the season to be sniffling... My friends are down with at least one specimen of virus or bacteria... My house-mates, especially. In spite of what Helen was trying to tell me about the darn scorching weather out there, i failed to notice at all. My body had more brain than i thought. Today's migraine was sheer evidence. I just couldn't give two hoots about these things sometimes. I think I'm superhuman! hahaha... I'd be lying if i were to say i wasn't thinking so. Perasanlah... as usual. Just observing my sleeping habits will convince you of the level of confidence i have in my body. hahaha... Until the moment I crash and burn... Long story short: Jangan eksyen lebih- lebih kalau tak boleh...

The start of 2008 saw some significant changes in my classroom life. I've moved from the hindquarters of the room to the very front... literally under the lecturer's noses. So close that I've taken to the habit of counting lecturers' nose-hair ( identity withheld) in the event that the lesson had my imagination travelling a tad too far. I have 3 seats to myself up front! No more distractions! (Try that when Miss Vaani is constantly scanning you... i swear she knows exactly when to swoop down on you) I'm a whole lot happier being in the front. It feels exactly as if the lecturer is actually talking to you and no one else, which makes note- taking and questioning much easier. I used to duck all over the place to copy stuff off the board (those scrawls, drat!) and the fact that i had to look at the back of people's heads annoyed me. Yeah yeah, i know, it took me about 4 months or so to realise that i hated it... but better now than never. I don't have to strain my eyes and ears anymore. God bless those angelic classmates who left the front-most row empty! Love you whoever you are!

You know when all hope seems lost, there's definitely some strand of hope there somehow. If you'd read Emily Dickinson's poem "Hope is the Thing With Feathers", you'd know what I mean. I didn't believe in the immortality of hope until i came across that poem. It occurred to me that we are each made in a certain way to believe in hope even when we don't want to, or cannot. It happened to me lately, again. This time it was during mocks. I was convinced that my 1st paper, criminal law, was a sure disaster. But as it turned out, whaddaya know? It was the best compared to my other papers. Eureka, some hope in my otherwise tragic mock experience!

Alrighty, i think it's time for these fingers to skip off the keyboard and get back to that seminar pack waiting on the desk. What I may conclude here is that we have to approach everything with the right attitude, and man's tendency to vary in attitudes make it all the more difficult to put this into practice. Now, back to 1997 Zone A question 7..........

Ridiculous Business.

2008-08-02T02:54:00.000+08:00

Currently playing in the background: Mario Vasquez- Gallery

Current thought to blurt: MTV Asia Awards in my own backyard, and I’m going to miss it. Gahhh…!

You might know me as a very ambitious girl who often bites off more than she can chew. But then again, I have never made it a point to treat myself to big opportunities, most of which millions of my fellow homo sapiens would dearly love to kill for. For instance, I made it into the 500 guests’ list of the 2^nd Malaysian Student Leaders’ Summit in Kuala Lumpur... which opens approximately 5 hours from now in Hotel Nikko. I had been dying to listen to people like Karim Raslan and Zaid Ibrahim for as long as I can remember, even before my legal studies. These two names are just a tiny segment of a whole list of speakers at the 2-day summit.

I’ve registered 4 months in advance so as to have something to look forward to in August. That was before they released the official list of speakers. At the top of the list is none other than Pak Lah himself, followed by Professor Ungku Aziz, and some other bullcrap Barisan Nasional politicians. The joke of it all was, even Khairy Jamaluddin made it into the list. Just because he’s an Ox- fart. A friend of mine once said that it was no point making the trip because it will be a bore, with BN lackeys toeing the party line and the whole summit would be rigged with nothing but propaganda. Despite the attraction of being able to question various government policies, I bore in mind the fact that not everyone in the summit would kindly tolerate a full- scale pre- emptive strike on the government. If we had to behave ourselves like the demure, tame government supporters they expect us to be, the entire event would stand too politically correct besides being another mere tool for benefitting cronies through contracts spawned by the event.

Now you may think I sound like one of those anti- BN fanatics who label all things BN as evil, counter- productive, impotent, and a disgrace to the nation. If the BN had not been over- playing their racial politics crap over the years it wouldn’t have had such an obvious pressure- cooker effect on me. The MCA is the most constipated party of all, and the MIC has suffered a fate of being subject to greedy and selfish party leaders. Politics in Malaysia is unique in itself, because everyone is trying not to be such a racist nincompoop, but ends up being racist all over again. If we are truly Malaysian, we do not call each other ‘Melayu’, ‘Cina’, or ‘India’. We see each other as fellow Malaysians who share this glorious nation, and work together in its building. However, there is this unfathomable mentality certain people possess which has already violated every principle of law, and defied logic itself. I genuinely wonder if this mentality will continue to exist 10 years from now because it’s grinding a humongous ulcer into the belly of the country. Well, there is always the Federal Constitution to help it along: the largest joke which poses stark naked in front of every Malaysian, and the rest of the world for that matter.

A constitution sets the foundation for governing a nation, with all its fundamental laws of the land to act as a guideline for administration purposes. What’s worse with a constitution like ours is the fact that it is written. It only takes a strong government (more than a 2/3 majority in Parliament) to disfigure these laws, shaking the very pillars holding up the laws of the land. The government has also frequently abused the constitution to their advantage. If you had a copy of the constitution, it would naturally occur to you that it is either there is something fundamentally wrong with the constitution, or that Malaysian schools have failed miserably in educating our local politicians in reading skills. The live feed from Parliament in the mornings would tell you a lot of how politicians abuse their mandate to satisfy their own ideals. You might be watching it one day, with one of them going with such gusto:

“Ini salah! Soal perlembagaan tidak boleh dipertikaikan! Saya mewakili semua rakyat di Pasir Salak…. Blah blah blah…”

And you’d be like,

“Who says?! I did not tell you to say that on my behalf!”

Imagine the irony if he were actually making racist remarks on live television, and claiming that he’s acting on your behalf. Wonderful. Hidup BN!

I can never watch such debates without flinching. The worst was the issue of JPA scholarships. You can actually see these UMNO flatfish rear their ugly heads. (By the way, the above quote was from that session) If the constitution safeguards the privileges of the *ahem* without compromising the rights of the non- *ahem*s, it is a little illogical, don’t you think? In a heterogeneous society like ours, you can never give someone privileges without taking away the rights of another. So tell me, where are we now?

All Aboard...!

2008-08-01T03:35:00.004+08:00

Currently playing in the background: BoA- Can’t Let Go

Current thought to blurt: Wow, 2 posts in a night!

Tonight feels right for a little exercise on my finger joints. A few to-do’s have been hovering in my mind. Perhaps an experience still fresh in mental storage would be my little trip to the land of the Dragon, the People’s Republic of China. This trip was initially planned for a month. However, due to the crabbiness of a very strict Chinese government, my 30-day visa was reduced to a 15-day one. Blame them for wanting everything to be in place for the 2008 summer Olympics. Better than nothing, I finally thought after days of complaining. Shenyang, here I come!

Departing from Penang, I geared up for a 4-hour flight to Guangzhou onboard a China Southern Airlines aircraft. I bumped into local MCA politician, Chong Itt Chew during the flight (tough luck during the last elections). I travelled with an uncle for accompany, as he too, was going to Shenyang to check out my dad’s workplace. Security has never been such a hassle, as we endured hours of waiting in line to be checked at Guangzhou (groping and all). The coolest device perhaps, was this heat detector to screen for people with comparatively higher temperatures, and you could see your body on this screen in shades of red, orange, green, and yellow. It was like watching swarms of people with a pair of night- vision goggles. Life did not get anymore exciting, as we had 5 hours ahead of us before our next flight from Guangzhou to Shenyang. My lunch in the airport cafe came in the form of RMB50 (around RM25) ham- and- cheese sandwiches which you and I could make anytime in our own kitchens. Coffee was RMB68. I was marveling at what the airport authorities were thinking: hiking food prices through the roof at the domestic flight departure hall. We spent those hours walking around the place, reading, and finally sitting cross- legged on the carpeted floor outside our boarding gate to watch a few Sylvester Stallone movies (my uncle’s a fan!) on a power notebook.

Touchdown at Shenyang was a great relief- at 1am in the morning. It was a long, taxing day- I could go to France with the amount of time we took to reach Shenyang from Penang. Shenyang is the capital city of Liaoning province, located in Northeast China, above the Korean peninsula. With a population of more than 7 million, Shenyang was a big, bustling city. Even Kuala Lumpur pales in comparison. Being the venue of the Olympic football preliminary, efforts to spruce up the city have produced results: this city turned out to be more intriguing and beautiful than I thought.

Being the helpless Malaysian- ised Chinese I am, making my way around China was just as challenging as I thought. I couldn’t make out the local accent at all on my 1^st day. They sound as if they spoke out of their nostrils. Culture shock was natural: the random Chinese who cut into queues as if the had the right to (as forewarned by mum), their unnaturally loud conversations, and many other traits that could set non- mainland Chinese apart from the boisterous locals (and all these are just the ones I’ve noticed in the airport and onboard the planes. God knows what else they do on their own turf.)

It is getting a little late to go on, but I still have tales to tell. I leave you here at this point. Until the next recollection of my journey,

Good night and Good luck.

The Big Question

2008-08-01T02:14:00.002+08:00

Currently playing in the background: Live- Heaven

Current thought to blurt: It’s August already?

I must say time does fly. What is time? I see it as nothing but a figment of human nature: the desire to measure everything. If it indeed is a mode of measurement, what exactly does it measure? I daresay it is nothing but a convenience to everyone but you. Time runs out on you when it does not on others. When people want you somewhere someplace at their fancy and CONVENIENCE, they use time against you. When your body exists, other people keep count of its biological age more than you do yourself. They want to know how long you have shared the air on Earth, and they always want to know when you expire. You never knew anything the moment you were born into this world, and neither will you know anything more the split second you heave your last breath. But other people do, with the accurate hours, minutes, and seconds. I say time is nothing, nothing at all, and it is the most overrated subject.

But of course, as I have said earlier, time is only of value to you if it also of (a whole lot more) value to some other people. If you are a person who can focus on what you really wanted at that moment, you come to realize that time actually stood still for yourself. You see, time for yourself is actually a sacred moment in your life which you actually LIVED, and not simply exist in flesh and bone. Remember the saying “Time flies when you’re having fun”? You may see that what I have said is parallel to these words passed from generation to generation. You may not realize the sun has altered its position in the sky, and the passing of billions of other people’s lives around you. Time simply froze. With that, how could one possibly measure his life in years and months when he barely lived past a quarter of his biological lifespan?

I guess it takes a wholesome human being to comprehend the demands his own life imposes on him, to act on what is best for him without breaching the boundaries of someone else’s life. We have never gotten to live life the way we wanted, not without a little trial and error along the way. We may never get what we want, but wants and needs are so abstract even to ourselves that we may never know if we have lived life the way we desired. You and I both know that we are the masters of our own lives, and to subject it to time, an invisible, overrated organism, is simply unacceptable.

Time is just a demonstration of how nature operates at its own rhythm. Time is the definition of inexplicable pieces of our lives. We are often told that every second past will never return. But through my eyes, if time is really bits and pieces of your life that has passed you by, those moments can still return. Photographs are an example of how one can relive a piece of their past. Therefore, I have often marveled at this: a simple device created by man which we have ever so often overlooked, with the ability to defy time.

I could go on and on, perhaps prepare a ridiculous thesis on this topic. But as we all know, this is just a random thought I caught while wondering why we are subjected to Time. In actual fact, we are subject to our own lives, slaves to growing responsibilities which we, at times heap onto ourselves for no apparent reason; and more importantly, the lives we lead have not been for ourselves, but more for others.

Starting afresh- You ready?

2008-07-31T02:11:00.001+08:00

Current song playing in the background: Lena Park- Fall in Love

Current mood: Restless, tired, and uncomfortable.

I am not certain if I should start off this post by cursing the humid weather. It’s utterly unbearable. The feel of the warm but damp air is indescribable. How sadistic of the Malaysian climate. Sigh… Malaysian methods of corporal torture: they just reinvent themselves every now and then eh?

I thought of writing something tonight after being triggered by a question from Jovaynne this morning:

“Eh, your BlogSpot died already?”

The truth beneath my disappearance from cyberspace rests not wholly on the fact that I was busy being ordered to be behind the wheel so often, but more on the fact that I suddenly felt contented with digesting everyday events in my memory rather than giving them physical form in a blog post. It may be the same scenario as a tourist with a camera: he spends the whole holiday behind his lenses that he forgets to witness the scenes of his opportunity through his very own eyes. I’m not saying blogging will prevent you from appreciating the quality of events. Rather, I thought blogging too often will allow room for too much scrutiny into the smallest things in my life. It becomes a habit when I possess the mindset poised ready to write; also ready within me is the disgusting authority to judge. Lately, I thought of letting my big, ugly ego take the back seat for a change after all these years and allow myself some room to enjoy the innumerable privileges life has brought me. In other words, rilek la…….

After my intermediate exams, there was the familiar sense of loss. This would also sound twisted, but having had slumber parties with your books for the past few months will cast onto you an unexpected attack of not knowing what to do with the sudden surge of freedom you possessed within a matter of 3 hours (after the Contract Law paper). The emotion was like being given another 200 years to live, but not having planned such a lifetime you struggle to decide if what YOU really wanted was to waste yourself in jubilation, or embark on something that would benefit you (or not). I chose the path of hours of Counter Strike, driving around the streets of my hometown, and finally having the deep enjoyment of all my favourite music with the stereo turned up. I started indulging in some Lian Hearn novels: The tales of the Otori. Between these indulgences, I managed to squeeze in some time for Evidence and Law of Trusts. I am pretty sure I’d be going for Evidence in my 2^nd year because the prospect of submitting to Commercial Law sends pre- migraine pangs, and the estranged point of considering Family Law at all is, as mentioned, ESTRANGED.

Well that’s just about my opening post of a new season of blogging. The warm air is starting to get to me. Will attempt a bout of Counter Strike before bed. Tomorrow is a new day… to visit school? Maybe. If I can get a certain someone to come along with me, that is. Until tomorrow morning,

Good night and Good luck.

Truth or Dare: Visit Malaysia 2007!!!

2007-12-03T08:08:00.001+08:00

Let's face it. Sometimes we kutuk our beloved country so much we don't even realise how bad we sound. Malaysians harping on about all things lousy (and Malaysian) is as natural as the process of bread- molding. However, as typical a judgemental Malaysian I am, i still can't help the feeling of dread that someone else feels the same as i do... someone outside of Malaysia, that is... and is spreading the word on it.

Malaysia welcomes the world... but will the world welcome Malaysia in welcoming the world?

Wikitravel:
wikitravel.org/en/George_Town_(Malaysia)

Stay safe

Be extra careful in shopping malls and crowds, as they are the spots of petty crimes such as pickpockets and snatch thefts although rape crimes occasionally happens.

(hmm... mom was right)

(Prangin- getting crappier by the day...)

(and here's my favourite part...)

Local men like to yell things to women walking alone, and sometimes they can get "too friendly". It is not rare to get suggestions to see the sizes of local men's "organs" for example. You should travel in a group, if you are a woman. Local men think that westeners are much more "open" to such suggestions, because they have been taught in schools and newspapers that the westerners are infidels with no moral, and that they can have lots of promiscuous sex with multiple partners. Men walking alone will have to deal with a similar amount of harrassment too, especially around the Love Lane/Lebuh Shulia areas. There are large amounts of prostitutes and/or ladyboys prowling the streets here and they can be very aggressive. Exercise great caution walking around at night.

Outside SoHo... where the male harassing usually occurs. Go, Ah Gua...!!!

If you look like a tourist, you will get considerably higher prices from the salesmen in markets, like Batu Ferringhi Night Market, or the market near the Kek Lok Si temple. The real price of the product is always a lot less than you would pay for it in western countries, and at times "the best price" is five times the normal price.

(er... they charge according to the forex?)

Count those bills, Malaysians never give you more change than you deserve...

Taxis generally do not use meters, even if it is compulsory by law. The meters are always "broken". You should anyway ask for a meter, because you might get lucky. The metered price is always less than a price given in advance. Again tourists are often cheated, sometimes even left by a roadside in a middle of nowhere, if they refuse to pay a considerable sum of money. Serious crimes are pretty rare, but you should find out about normal prices for taxis somewhere in advance. Taxis taken from Penang Airport are safe, you pay using slips given in a small office in the airport building.

Do not use drugs, and stay away from them! You can easily get a death sentence even from a possession, because the local police are ordered to raise charges of trafficking instead. Synthetic drugs are quite widespread even with this kind of legislation.

There are lots of beggars around, because they are not controlled in any way. Some of them have mutilated themselves with knives to remove large parts of skin from the legs, and/or have learned to crawl around without using their legs at all. Sometimes children are kidnapped and used as beggars. This is more about the security of the poor people than your own, but you should think twice before giving them money. You should use some charity organizations instead. Five ringgits will buy more rice for an organization than for a single beggar.

Whoa... Like seriously, WHOA!

That was harsh, wasn't it?

As cruel as that oaf who wrote this article on Wikitravel, i still have to agree on the facts laid down. The simple truth is, yes, that is a wacky, hazardous world out there in Georgetown and all the above do happen... all the time!

But still....

Sea of liquid meets a sea of lights at Gurney Drive.*Sigh*

Penang is a great place to be.

Trust me.
(this is coming from a person who had persistently wished that the Pearl of the Orient will be swallowed up by a tsunami)

Crime as a Fascination for the Everyday sadist?

2007-11-26T19:23:00.000+08:00

Crime is that noun or word that brings visions of countless newpaper snippets of gory details involving someone who got his throat blasted through his skull with a 25callibre, or an unsuspecting delirious female who had her entire autonomy blown to smithereens by enforcers of the law (go figure, something smells), or an 8 year old whose corpse was found in a sports bag in a shoplot in town itself. Interesting to you? Gosh, you're a sadist! Just kidding. It's in human nature to be fascinated by facts that tend to disgust and disturb any sane and decent mind, but still in my opinion, people love being judgemental about what other people are up to... so they can have a go at persecuting others.

The truthfulness of my statement is entirely a matter of your respective perceptions. Studying the numerous case laws provided in Smith & Hogan and Balckstone's statutes, you'd discover that humans are capable of a good many perverted things which they can accomplish with their hands, and other limbs which i wouldn't elaborate on any further. If you do have a statute book, please do explore. If you have Smith and Hogan, explore further. *snickering*

Right, why did we start all this in the first place? Oh right. I was going through my Criminal Law stuff earlier this evening (with 6 different volumes of books opened in front of me... University of London wanted us to have bigger tables, i guess) and i found the Sex Offences Act 2003 to be so wide i could just jump in it... ignore the lameness... but anyway, yep sections, subsections... they just go on and on and on. they specify who and what are involved where and where, not to mention how... So basically it's a study of human behaviour compiled in a stack of papers with guides on how to slap the wrist of the offender. That fool who quotes "Rules are meant to be broken" is a fruitcake, and undeniably, a sadist. I reaffirm that statement a hundredfold. Rules are rules; they are created with a dash of morals and ethics somewhere to control freaks and fruitcakes who run about being sadistic uh... freaks and fruitcakes... (?) The rule of law had originated from Aristotle himself... and he died defending it. Of course, there's this dark, sinister side of the human mind that ditches rationale and goes: "Why should I follow rules which are forcefully imposed on me? Have I no rights? You call this a democracy?"

Following this rant from a typical human mind (who has probably been educated in Malaysia and influenced by Parliament drama... and definitely a law student) there is this sudden urge to engage in a Public law regurgitating spree here. After all, i didn't nail myself to the chair all night finishing that 'rule of law' assignment for a bag of nuts. The only way the constitution can run is through the doctrine of the rule of law, and Parliament enacts laws for the good of the society. Parliament is one of the beacons of democracy, where members are chosen by the people, from the people, and for the people. The laws made will have a binding effect on the society at large. So how can anyone argue that the laws made are not democratic just because you yourself did not make it? You chose the people who helped make it happen. In your face!

But back to the core issue, crime happens due to the fact that some people are not legally educated hence not knowing about the entire rule of law thing and thus goes on to think they can evade the long arm of the law by depending on some lacunae which they dearfully hope exist. The fact is, chances of that happening is nearly 4% (convincingly large percentage? heard of the word 'corruption lately?) and they would eventually face charges and endure torturous years and decades of trials much to the glee of their lawyers.

Let's face it, crime does not pay; and we have to pay to commit crime.. so why waste money? And once you've committed crime you have to pay for a defence counsel if faced with charges... but at least you'll get a free stay in a big hotel- like building complete with local specialties each mealtime. That should cover for the unnecessary splash on your lawyers. Life sentence is best if you hired Karpal (but will he lose it for you is an entirely different matter. Doesn't matter, you're broke).

I'd like to apologise for this random post which actually led to nowhere after all that discussion. I'm going to bury my head in something 'lawful' right now. Till next time, adios!