My views, your thoughts

Look East Policy

2009-08-28T19:09:00.002+01:00

Mahathir introduced the Look East Policy, encouraging us to look at countries such as Japan and South Korea and try to emulate them. What I propose to do now is to make a very brief, skin-surface comparison with the political situation in Japan right now. A disclaimer first, I am no expert in Japanese politics. I just happen to watched an interview over Al-Jazeera with a Japanese professor about the upcoming election this Sunday and what I realised is that the political scenario is similar in some ways in this two countries.

The Japanese government party the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has dominated the Diet for almost five decades. BN on the other hand has never lost a single election since the inception of our country, an unbroken 52 years of rule. Although I have never heard anyone saying BN is a conservative party, it seems to me that they have been leaning more to the right, just like the LDP.

Pre-election polls have indicated that the LDP is facing a historic landslide loss at this election. From the tone of the interviewee professor I surmise that it is almost certain that the Opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) will win the election, or at least win much more seats that they previously do.

The DPJ was said not to be a viable government, and people do not actually think the Opposition leader is ready to be PM. But nonetheless, people are still going to vote them in because they feel that the LDP has been failing them.

Now, let us move to Malaysia. BN, the dominant party for over 50 years, can be easily identified as the Malaysian equivalent to the LDP. On the other hand, the DPJ and PR shares similarities; both relatively young, both are not exactly viable alternative governments, and both leaning on social democracy as their political idealogy.

Also from the interview, it was raised that the role of the youth in this coming election will be decisive. I can't help but to think the same for Malaysia. In the next Malaysian election, I believe the young voters are going to be very much decisive. I do not have the stats, but I have also been told that by someone who does. (Sorry I'm just plain lazy to do any research)

I was surprised when the interviewer asked whether in the next Japanese election we will see Japan moving more towards bipartisan politics. I always thought Japan as a developed country, its democracy must have been more developed than ours, probably on par with Britain where there is a true bipartisan scene in place. I did not expect it to be so much like us Malaysia. In fact, we could say we probably owned them in this respect as we started 'moving' towards bipartisan politics since the last GE. But then again, we might slow down in the process and be overtaken by them in 10 years time, the evergreen pepatah 'hangat-hangat tahi ayam' comes in to mind.

Now we move to THE most important message I want to send out. If the Opposition wins the Japanese election as expected, then we can probably look forward to the same thing to happen here in the next GE. The situation in both countries seems to be so similar that for one second I thought Japan was a developing country like us. But for change to take place, we need everyone to exercise their right to vote. If indeed the young voters are more informed in this age of internet and are more capable of making an informed choice, then the most important thing we have to do is to make sure they can vote and they will vote. So, please go register yourself to vote if you have reached the age of 21. It is your right as a citizen of our country. Exercise it wisely.

I do hope the DPJ will win. Then I will use it as an inspiration to the Malaysians who are going to vote when the next GE comes around. In the last GE, SMSes about the changes in Australia, Thailand and also the monks' protest in Myanmar serves as great inspirational stories to Malaysian that a change is needed and it is possible. A DPJ win will be another great one.

Hellooo..

2009-02-14T12:53:00.004Z

Funny and meaningful, the hallmarks of Petronas ads. Sit back and laugh.

Bonjour

2008-11-29T15:49:00.006Z

I witnessed a few mini-disasters in the last couple of days.

First, it was an old aunty- in her fifties I guess- who was on the same bus as me yesterday. She was getting up from the seat on a bus preparing to disembark, then suddenly the exit door flung wide open and it hit her hard on the head. I would have seen stars with such a solid object knocking on my head, and I imagined it must have been worse for her.

Then, it was a blind lady who is walking around Brickfields this morning. She passed by the front of a lorry, and as she was walking across the lorry-head, suddenly her head knocked unto the side mirror of the lorry. She was groaning in pain as she rubs her palm against her forehead.

Later on, after I finished my class, as I was walking down the stairs, an Indian lady suddenly slipped and tripped and fell. Then, at night I saw another aunty who carelessly poked her eyes against the metal prong which shops used to hang flip-flop and cap. She was directly opposite me and I caught her look right after she hit that thing and it was scary.

One mini-disaster happened to me yesterday as well. I was having my lunch, and suddenly, someone knocked into my sirap limau ais which was on the table. My white shirt became pink shirt, and white shoe became pink shoes. And the worst part, that dude didn't really bothered to apologise or help, which really pissed me a lot.

One bad incident happened after the other, and I thought it was getting a little ludicrous and I have to blog about it. Never witnessed so many misfortune happening so frequently. Just wished that there will be as many, or more, good things happening in a day rather than all these bad incidents.

Or maybe there is already many good things happening in a day, but we tends to keep note of the bad ones rather than the good ones.

Have a happy weekend.

How deep is your love?

2008-10-22T17:01:00.010+01:00

Yea, another corny post from me talking about love after this one here.

Well, actually, not quite. The title is in reference to the song, originally sung by The Bee Gees. It is one of my favourite song, and it is also on my list of 'songs-for-singing-along-with-your-machas-while-walking-on-the-streets-in-the-middle-of-the-night'. One of the reason I like it is because I can sing out of tune, yet justify it by saying I am singing it 'The Bee Gees style', ie. the voice you sing with when your balls are squeezed. That is exactly how Barry Gibb's falsetto sounds like.

Bee Gees - How Deep Is Your Love (live, 1998)

John Frusciante (of Red Hot Chilli Peppers) covering How Deep Is Your Love

This second video tells me classic songs like this one never die. They are truly timeless classic. (pardon the 'lampapalan') They never get outdated, nor are they forgotten. I mean, just think about it, this song was first released in 1977 and yet almost 30 years later it is still being covered by other artists. And the fact that it was a rock band like RHCP who covered it, and actually sounds great doing it I shall add, shows that its popularity transcend all musical genres. And this has been one of the reasons I have been listening to classics like Sinatras and Beatles.

I hope you enjoyed the videos.

One interesting point: It's funny how John's vocal changes during the entire song, probably because of him not being that much of a polished vocalist himself. Also note how he sings 'The Bee Gees Style', starting from the part where he made a mistake and swears at 1:53.

Muddy estuary

2008-09-15T17:52:00.006+01:00

This city turns out to be more than what I thought it is.

Went to KLCC the other day with my friends and I must admit, I suddenly realised how beautiful the Twin Tower is. We talked about how Petronas spent billions building it, but I do find it as one pride of our nation, in a sense that it IS an architectual beauty!

Spent time with my friends at KLCC park doing nothing but just chilling by the fountain and talk, and indeed I was surprised to find that KL do have nice places which are free. From the park, you can take in the views of the surrounding sky-scrappers. Though not as brightly lit as the Twin Tower, it was still a pleasant view to take in. This place seems to be a nice place to do just nothing but sit down and relax and indulge in people-watching- an activity which might be weird to some but one which I find to be interesting. As the Malay saying goes 'banyak orang banyak ragam', it is always intereting to look at the diferent antics and reactions of different peoples.

Another new discovery in town- Tua Pui Mee at Jalan Imbi.

Darren tried to took us here the other day, but we ended up at another place which was also pretty good. So, the next day me and my friend went hunting for this place. Poor sense of direction got us lost and we took a big round, even walking along the Smart tunnel highway at one point. But in the end the food was quite good, though a bit expensive. Penang still has the best foods in terms of quality and value.

Another new discovery is Bangkok Jazz at Chulan Square, right behind Pavilion KL. Got to know this place after watching this video on Youtube (do check out the video, very nice song), where Kevlyn Yeang and the ARECA Jazz Ensemble performed there.

My first visit to a jazz bar was very recent-G Spot in Penang- which was a nice place. And Bangkok Jazz is just as nice. So nice that I made a return visit the very next evening. The band was good, the singer was great. The place is cozy and warm, just like how a jazz place should be. It will be a nice place to chill with friends, or just to come alone for the music. I'll come here everyday if I have the money, but unfotunately I don't.

I am appreciating KL more, and I am really looking forward to exploring it more. I'll have to admit KL is definitely more happening than Penang, with lots of arts, cultural, musical events being held here. It also has many places of interests which even many KLites might not have visited before, yet you still hear them lamenting about the lack of places to go. However, transportation is a big problem here, and the lack of a car or a reliable public transport system serve as one big obstacle in my exploration of this city.

But for now, good night KL!

Let's talk about love

2008-07-30T19:42:00.002+01:00

No, I don't mean like those Roman-candle-firework-Hollywood-hot-pink kinda LOVE. And to borrow Johnny's word, I'm talking about the 'I've-got-your back' LOVE.

John Mayer might sound a little corny there defining it, but I think he has got that down perfectly. He has just solved my conundrum about that kind of love which I have for my homies. It used to be corny as well for me to say that I love some of my friends, but going by Johnny's definition, it really isn't. I mean, I love my friends, and I'll get their backs covered if they ever need it. Now, isn't this LOVE?

JM might be the last person whom you wanna listen to talking about love. But I think he has got a message to send out as a musician to everyone who cared to listen to what he's saying.We can mess our life with all kinds of nonsense, but there's always this crazy little thing called LOVE which will almost always keep us where the light is.

Love wins. Love always wins.

photos.

2008-07-17T15:27:00.002+01:00

Saw this nice view and captured it. It's near where I'm staying now.

Two lovey-dovey 'men' eating durians.

"We say we love flowers, yet we pluck them;
We say we love trees, yet we cut them down.
And people still wonder why
some are afraid
When told they are loved"

How true.

And oh, I've got a new phone, which explains why my blog has got photos now.
I might just start to blog more now- especially about food- which has been what I wanted to do. So watch this space.

Of Anthems

2008-06-21T16:36:00.004+01:00

I have put up a poll at the side. Do vote ! ------->

RESULT: God Saves The Queen, Fratelli D'Italia and La Marseillaise got ONE vote each.
__________________________________________

I have always been fascinated by anthems from different countries. Maybe the fact that we don't have a great one here in Malaysia caused this. Different anthems have different stories and interesting bits about them.

For example, when the Belgian anthem was played in an event which I attended, none of the Belgian were singing. Later, they explained that they don't know how to sing. This is due to a language problem. Belgium was divided into the French-speaking in the south, and the Dutch-speaking north. The organiser so happened to played the version which they don't know.

Another example is the New Zealand anthem. Again, there are two version to the Kiwi anthem - God Defend New Zealand. Both will usually be sung in events. The Maori version will be sung first, then the English version. This creates a situation, most apparent in sporting events, where the crowd can hardly be heard when the Maori version is being played, then all of a sudden it gets very loud when the English verse is sung.

The Kiwi anthem with a Haka at the end

Interestingly, some events in New Zealand will be started by playing God Save The Queen. This may be because New Zealand was a British colony and still a British Dominion. But the more probable reason is due to the fact that most Kiwi are actually immigrants from the UK. So it makes sense to play the British anthem as the congregation is made up of mostly British immigrants.

God saves the Queen is more traditional, more like a hymn. Today, only the first verse is being sung, but those seven lines speaks greater than a whole poem of flowery languages. They are concise and straight to the point, no need for some fancy words. It has the essence of a national anthem and a patriotic song, where the subjects are pledging loyalty to the monarch and wishing the monarch a long life and reign.

God Saves the Queen, by the English football player

The Italian anthems must have been the most lively I've ever heard. The melody is like a roller coaster ride. It started off slowly, then suddenly it gets fast. The tune are what I would say as unharmonious. Suddenly it gets high, then it gets low. I think Michael Schumacher finds the Italian anthem to be lively as well. He has always raised both his hand and swing it a few times ala a music conductor of an orchestra when the anthem is playing its final part. One word to sum up the Italian anthem - Lively.

Fratelli D'Italia by the Italian football team

note: Listen at how loud players like Buffon, Gattuso and Cannavaro were singing!

Lastly, I will share about the French anthem. The first time I really took notice of it is during the rugby World Cup last year, during the match between France and the All Blacks. I have included the actual footage from that day below. When I heard it being played, it sent a chill down my spine. I do not know a word of French then, but I somehow felt the spirit of it. I see President Sarkozy singing it, I see the French coach singing it(with his arms folded), and I feel so French for that moment. If I were to rank all the anthems I mentioned, La Marseillaise will be at the top of my list now. It is like a war cry, calling "the French children to rise up" (allons enfants de la Patrie) and "arm yourself" (aux armes, citoyens!) because tyrants have come attack the country. I have this stupid idea of putting La Marseillaise into the Malaysian context, where tyrants are ruling the country now, and the people should arise and fight now!

La Marseillaise by French rugby team, feat. President Sarkozy

All the videos above makes the hair at the back of my neck stands. I tried to find one Malaysian Negaraku which could have the same effect on me. The best I could find is this.

welcome to paradise

2008-06-04T07:13:00.006+01:00

UPDATED: I only managed to eat those which I have crossed out. Nevertheless I did had a great time there.

~~Kapitan's grilled mutton~~
Lorong Seratus Tahun's curry mee
Hussien's mutton briyani
McAlister's Rd's char kuey teow
~~Green House's hokkien mee~~
Penang Road's chendol
New World Park's 'oh jian' and ice kacang
~~Lorong Susu's chicken/char siow/duck/roasted pork rice~~
Teik Seng's choo char
Genting kopitiam's chee cheong fun

This is just part of what I want to eat and heck I only have a few days over here. Might not even get to eat those above, what more those which was left out of the list. And I don't have transport here which means I'm doomed. Gosh, I wish I have a car here.

I hope I can post pictures of them, just to make Tiffany jealous =p

There's been a death at the opposite house

2008-05-12T15:56:00.002+01:00

There's been a death at the opposite house
Lively ceremony has started
I know it by the kind of music they play
Sounds of erhu breaking the silence of day

Peoples came and gathered
Celebrating the life of the passed
The Taoist medium and his instruments
Chanting languages which I know not

Cymbals, trumpets and horns
Continue well into the depth of night
Even the sweetest of dreams
It shall not be spared

There's been a death in the opposite house
An eerie breeze came blowing in
From across the street; it is perfect indeed
On a restless night of May

p/s: I would not even dare to call this literature. Just a blog post from me.

Tan Hong Ming

2008-05-09T10:26:00.002+01:00

Something light-hearted today. It's Friday anyway.

I first watched this video somewhere around August last year in Penang. I was in my apartment's hall just lazing on the sofa together with my one and only macha. Then, our attention just turned to the TV which has been on for a long while but neither of us had bothered to look at before this.

We were silent for the whole duration of this video, our eyes and mind concentrating fully on the stupid box. When the video is over, we just laughed our heart out.

I was just awed by the innocence of this two young kids. So sweet, so innocent.

Enjoy the video and the weekend ahead=)

The aftermath of the tsunami

2008-04-25T19:19:00.004+01:00

The tsunami came and swept away 5 states. The country has slowly but surely returned to its usual way of life, with peoples sipping teh tarik at the local mamak stall, not quite in the political scene though.

We see more and more aftershock which caused ripples in the water. Both side of the bench has contributed to this. The Opposition bench has been making statements which suggest they are near to swapping their seats with the current Government, while the government questioned the authenticity of such statements. Government on the other hand has its hands(pun unintended) full on trying to disperse the notion of the proximity in time of a change in government.

I now offer my views on the post-tsunami situation in my country.

I think the current Prime Minister is on borrowed time. I could find no better word to describe him other than incompetent. I have said this even before the election, and the results did nothing to weaken my stand, rather the opposite is true. He faced pressure from some quarters within his own party, and even the person who put him up there has come out strongly against him giving out interviews on international news channel. I say the mandate which he currently enjoyed in his own party was not out of grassroot support, but of 'adat Melayu tidak derhaka'. The Malay culture will never allow its people to show disloyalty to the leader. With such a fictional mandate that he has I doubt he will last long in view of the increasing democratic awareness among its member. The fact that some quarters have been calling for the abolishment of the quota system in the party election proved this point. My stand at this moment of time is that it would be good for the current ruling party if a new leader, whoever he is, takes over.

I glanced through the headlines of Sin Chew Daily this morning and came across the MCA President's interview with them. It appears that they are now trying to stand up and be counted, instead of standing up while UMNO sits. The President made comments about the Malay supremacy, which will surely ruffle a few feathers among BN. In the past my perception about the role which MCA plays is as the ball-carrier. It could well be a matter of perceptions, but such perceptions are influential in voting. It is good that they have come out in such strong terms, but whether there will be momentum in it will only be known in the future. Similarly, they have been quarters who called on the President to resign. I am not the strongest proponent of Chinese issues, therefore MCA has never been appealing to me. Unlike UMNO where its leader will be the PM of my country(at this moment at least), the MCA President is insignificant and so I do not have strong opinion about his position.

On the situation in Penang, let me start off by saying that I pity what the State Government has had to go through. Firstly, the Federal Government has been positively doing things which seriously hinder the State government's administration. The withholding of funds especially in tourism matter serves no good to the Penang people or to the country. The second bridge has been delayed for another 9 months. In the end, the peoples are being punished indirectly.

Secondly, the pressure is on the new state government to perform. Many people might start to have unrealistic expectations on them, without understanding that their hands are tied on many issues. For example, people thought that petrol price will be reduced now that DAP is in power in Penang. What some people do not seemed to realise is that this is promised should DAP forms the Federal government. I have heard people suggesting that the DAP has cheated the peoples of Penang. I believed such baseless accusation are due to the lack of knowledge of federalism which our country adopt.

On a topic which is close to my heart, the situation of our Judicature. I welcomed the PM's appointment of Zaid Ibrahim as the de facto Law Minister. I think he is certainly a better candidate as compared to his predecessor. His suggestion that the Government make a formal apology to the victims of the 1988 judicial crisis is welcoming indeed. From what I have read- articles and interviews by him- he seems to be having a clear focus on the job he has in hand, that is to rebuild the judiciary back to its glorious days pre-1988. I felt better having someone like him as the Law Minister rather than someone who just barks out words like 'racists' and 'pondan' in Parliamentary debates.

I viewed with certain amount of scepticism the PM announcement of ex-gratia payments to the victims of the 1988 crisis. Whether it is a sincere gesture or a mere political move, I am inclined to believe the latter is true. I ask myself a question in coming to that belief-why now? The Government has previously been asked to set up a Royal Commission to investigate the 1988 crisis when the Lingam video appeared, but it has rejected so saying it is unnecessary. Further, the timing of this suggestion coming at a time where the government is perceived to be weak might suggest it is trying to rectify one of the negative factors in their unconvincing win in the election.

If the government is really sincere in curing and healing the Judiciary, then its decision in the near future will reflect this. I am referring to the appointment of the Chief Justice when the current one retires. We shall also wait for the release of the report of the Royal Commission on the Lingam video. Until then, I reserve my comment.

Generally, the election results did more good than harm to our country. We are moving towards a two-party system, where the voters can have an alternative choice if they are not satisfied with the current one. We are also seeing the emergence of civil society in our country, the 'Makkal Sakhti' being one good example. I just hope my fellow countryman can have a bit more perseverance in our dream and hope of a great country which we can call home. I end with a part of the French national anthem and hopes it serves us as a reminder :-

Contre nous de la tyrannie,
L'étendard sanglant est levé.

Against us, tyranny's
Bloody banner is raised.

Erection* 2008

2008-03-04T12:13:00.006Z

Election is round the corner. Not that you need me to tell you this anyway.

I was in Penang last week. One of the consideration when I decided to take a trip to Penang was to catch the election fever in my adopted homestate, where the Opposition have made it their battle frontline. But alas, I did not attended any ceramahs, not even the 'mega-gathering' at Han Chiang Stadium. It was a regret.

The Penang political landscape is of much interest to me. Besides being my adopted homestate, I am more familiar with Penang politicians owing to my many years there. Moreover, Penang has been the 'hottest' state in this election.

I am actually quite pleased that the Opposition have been concentrating their strength in Penang. Penangnites are very politically aware people. If there is going to be a state where there would be swing against the ruling party, it has to be Penang. We have proven in the past that, we are open to changes if the current ruling party is not doing a good job. Gerakan's victory in 1969(when they were still in the Opposition), and DAP's extraordinary performance in 1990 is testament to this. I am expecting the intelligience of Penangnites to show in this election. I am hoping the Opposition can win the state, or at least deny BN their 2/3 majority in the State Assembly. Penangnites must take the lead in this reformation. We have to be different because we are different.

There are just too many issues that are wrong in this country. I would not say this is all because of the BN's Government fault. It could have been the same if DAP or PKR is ruling. But the same theory applies that, whatever achievement that the BN Government has now, it is not entirely their doing. It could have been the same if DAP or PKR is ruling. It hurts me everytime I open the newspaper and see all those propoganda from BN, and BN are saying that changes are not good for the country, and that we must maintain the status quo for stability sake. Whole piles of bullshits! They are insulting the intelligience of the public. What hurts more is that people in the heartlands buy into their lies because they being uneducated are being brainwashed by the media.

Malaysians, please wake up! Changes are not bad for this country. What is the point of political stability, if we are having a Prime Minister who has been incompetent and inefficient? For over 50 years we have been having the same Government, why not vote for a change and see how much more the alternative choice can perform? I think the incumbent Prime Minister have been a God-sent to this country(he said it anyway). This is because for over 50 years, this is the first time Malaysia is having such an INCOMPETENT leader. This gives us good reason to vote out the BN Government.

One thing I can not stand is the numerous comments from the ruling coalition about them being the Government and how people are supposed to always support the Government. They would even suggest that if you love your country, you should support BN. I think MPs must be made compulsory to attend lectures about Parliamentary concept and procedure. They just can not diferentiate between the Government, the country and the ruling party. To make it plain, a certain ruling party is not going to be the Government forever. If BN lose in election, they are no more the Government. Secondly, loyalty to country does not equate to being loyal to a certain political party nor to the Government. I love my country very much. But, I have not the tiniest bit of loyalty to the BN. For me, I think all this misinformation happens because BN have been in power ever since the nation's birth. They have been too fixed with the notion that the country is exclusively theirs. They have been too comfortable with the mandate which they have been enjoying. Just think of having 90% of their machas in Dewan Rakyat, how can the 10% of Opposition ever fight back?

I have always wanted to educate people around me about this. My friends have always tell me how they do not love Malaysia. But, I think they do. How can you not love your own country, where you were born and bred? Instead, you want to declare your love and loyalty to another country where you will be looked at discriminately as an immigrant? This can not be right. I think what my friends have really meant is that they do not like how things is being run in the country by the ruling Government. Please do not give up on Malaysia just because you are unhappy with the present Government. Do something about it. Vote for change!

I have heard people saying that even though the BN Government is faulty, we have to keep them in power for the sake of stability. Their arguement being, if BN were to fall, this would create havoc in the country, because Malaysian have become so accustomed with the racial-based politics which BN practices. They feared the erosion of the racial harmony which we have tried so hard to built on since May 13. I do not assent to such views. A new Government can carry on the work of building a national identity. As things are now, I think it is impossible to really build a Bangsa Malaysia and instill this deep in the heart of rakyat. There are just to many barriers-cultural, social, economical, lingual- for that to happen. Perhaps a new Government have the solution to this. We would not know unless we give them the opportunity to work their plans. Only a change in Government can we give ourself a chance to change what is wrong in the country currently.

I think one of the main reason why we have not seen a change in Government, is because we are resistant to change. I have been wondering why the Chinese businessman, with their highly influential positions, can not take the lead in advocating for a change? If the Federation of Chinese Associations would throw their support behind the Opposition, the situation would be so much more different. Wouldn't a new Government with less corruption be more condusive for them to do business? The reason why they have not is because, as much as I hate to admit it, Chinese are a selfish lot. They are not concerned with the political situation in the country, as long as they can get the benefits. They are satisfied with what they have now, through their connection to the ruling party. Why would they want to let the MCA down and lose a lot of kang tao? They want to 'korek korek korek' all the money now, then retire with their whole family to overseas, leaving the poor Chinese behind. That is why we can never see Chinese businessman backing the Opposition as long as short-sighted Chinaman businessmen are still in the corporate world.

Lastly, I would like to apologize for the lack of coherent in this post. I write this post on-the-go, and I do not have a draft of what I wanted to say. I just wanted to write about the election before polling day. There are so much more which I wanted to share, but I just can not do it with writing. Ask me out and we can discuss it over a cup of coffee(serious invition to all out there). However, one thing I really hope to achieve with this post is to dispel the wrong impression that changes are bad. NO, DEFINITELY NO! We need to change, we have to change to achieve more. Dr. Koh Tsu Koon said in 1999 to give him 10 years and he will make Penang better than Singapore. He has failed. If we do not start the change now, it will be another 5 years before we have the opportunity to do so. By that time, Singapore would have been 10 years ahead of us, countries like Vietnam and Indonesia would have been on par with us. Do not wait any longer.

Vote for change.
Give yourself the chance to be really proud of a great Malaysia.

*Our honourable Information Minister has proudly proclaim that democracy is very much alive in our country. We held our general 'erection' every 5 years or less. Watch the video here.

Kennysia.com's Questionaire

2008-03-04T05:51:00.002Z

I completed the questionaire as objective as I could. The result came out as follow.

According to the 100% accurate kennysia.com Who-To-Vote-This-Election Decision Generator™, I am voting for...

PARTI KEADILAN RAKYAT!

Who Should You Vote For This Election?

Back-to-school blues

2008-01-28T05:50:00.000Z

I'm in Brickfield College now. I'm going for my first class now. And I'm being honest here, I'm nervous, like standard-one-kid-going-to-school kind of nervous.

Off to my first class now. Criminal Law.

Hey there Laura

2008-01-18T20:47:00.000Z

Hey there Laura. How is life in the big city of Penang?
I'm a hundred kilometres away from you.
Girl I swear you shine as bright as Komtar.
But Komtar wasn't actually shining brightly at all.
It's a botak building wearing a purple cap all year long.

Oh you did a lot to me. Oh you did a lot to me.
When I saw you at the canteen, I started loving drinking tea.

Hey there Laura I know times are getting hard for you.
H&T wasn't really your cup of tea.
But the uniform looks better your Tee's
Believe me that by the time you finish H&T,
You'll start to love drinking tea. Or maybe drinking me.

Oh you did a lot to me. Oh you did a lot to me.
When I saw you at the canteen, I spilled my cup of tea.

A hundred kilometres seems pretty far,
But we've got MAS, AirAsia and now Firefly.
If you had no other way, there's still PLUS.
My machas all made fun of me,
But I just laughed along
Because I know none of them had felt this way.
My macha didn't even confess to that Butterfly.
Laura I promise you, by the time I finish A Levels,
It would never be the same.
I would not kacau you anymore.

p/s: This is just a very random post. Specially dedicated to all my machas out there. Just for a good laugh=)

Cheated

2007-11-03T16:29:00.000Z

UPDATE: I had my statement taken from me on 7 November at the Ministry office in Sri Manjung.

I don't like being cheated. Years ago when DiGi sucked my money I complained to the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs. Kudos to DiGi they credited my account. That's why I still think DiGi is an honest telco. Consumer satisfaction is their priority. And that's why I'm a satisfied customer.

Just now I went to a Nasi Kandar shop in Sitiawan. You know, that one opposite the largest mall in town. I've always had a bad experience with nasi kandar shops. In form 4 when me, Hua Lai and Ah Hor were in Lumut, that shop behind kfc there totally ripped us off. I swore never to visit them and I've never done so since that day.
Until I went over to Penang -the home of Nasi Kandar- my perception has changed totally. No, not that nasi kandar over there is cheap. It isn't. But, the prices were stated clearly and I've never ever had anyone overcharging me or even trying to do so. Over time, NS Nasi Kandar in Burmah Road near where I live has overtaken kopitiams like Green House and Kek Siong as me and housemates' preferred outlet for dinner.

So basically what happened that day was, I ordered 2 eggs, which cost 60sen each according to the price list. That bugger at the counter charged me RM1.50. He thinks I'm stupid or what? 2 eggs for RM1.50 means 75 sen for each. In my egg-eating life never got shop sells it at such an odd price lar. After complaining, he deduct 10 sen from the bill. This is still not correct. It supposed to be RM1.20. So, I argued with him. He counter-argued. So, I want to bring him to see the price list. He gave a lame excuse, saying that was old price. Nevermind, so you say you didn't update your price list, fair enough, I'll pay your so-called new price. But, by not charging whatever that you have advertised is an offence under Section 12(1) of the Consumer Protection Act 1999. So, I asked for my receipt and went back home. I have an better idea.

I related my story to my parents. My dad said that isn't it ironic that the same evening I went to another restaurant and gladfully paid RM2.80 for 2 eggs. I didn't complained that time. So, this time, what's the fuss? Well, the thing is, I just don't like people to cheat me. Willing buyer, willing seller. If you put your price up and I'm willing to pay for it, then I order. If not, I don't.

And so, I log on to the Ministry website, and lodged a complain.

Dear Nasi Kandar Shop,

Too bad la. When you meet a lawyer-wannabe, like me and my good friend VJ, we can argue it out with you even though our knowledge of the law is less than 'a quarter bucket of water'.

May the enforcement team from the Ministry raid your restaurant and slap you with a hefty fine. Hope that the reporters are there as well(usually they do-to tell the public that the agency is working) and give you the publicity that you need. Good luck.

Controversy at the Judiciary

2007-09-20T11:56:00.000+01:00

To say that this video is shocking is a pure understatement. It's terribly devastating.

Something is terribly wrong behind-the-scene at the Judiciary.

Weep for Negaraku Tercinta.

Patriotism

2007-08-27T13:12:00.000+01:00

It's a days to Merdeka Day. However, the country is definitely not in the mood to celebrate her 50th birthday with so much things going on in the country right now. Recent controversies will be enough to prove that our country is in bad hands. The Negarakuku video issue, the PKFZ bailout controversy, the sudden dropping of 37 charges against the ~~corrupt~~ HappyCock, the Judiciary is in a mess, the mainstream media is not at all free and neutral,..etc etc etc =(

If you've known me quite well for quite some time, I might have told you before that I don't have any feelings for this country and I am not at all patriotic; that I would one day leave this country in pursue of a better place to live; that I have lost all confidence in this country. I thought it came from my heart. I was wrong.

Sometimes I wonder, since I do not love this country at all, why do I give a damn about all the issues that is going on in the country? Why do I haven interest in the politics of the country? Why do I even bother to pick up the newspaper and read all those lies in it? Why do me and Darren always talk about the things going on in my country? Why do I bother to read all the social-political blogs and discuss it with my Dad and friends?

After watching this video, I think I've come to know the reason. The reason is that, deep down in my heart, (and I believe in Darren's heart as well although he wont admit it) , we DO love our country. It's the love for our country that made us concerned about the well-being of our country. It's the desire in our heart to see our country standing proud in the comity of nations that made us being critical of the country's governance.

We've gone backward for the past 50 years. If we were to achieve something, we really need to start taking quantum leap. First of all, we need to change our mentality. This is a country for us all, not certain races. Stop talking about racial supremacy, and move towards racial harmony instead. For the past 50 years, we have been living under a false sense of racial harmony. Starting today, let's not view everything with a racial perspective. We're all people of this country. We're all Malaysians.

I want my country to be developed. I want my fellow countryman to be proud of her. I want her praises to be heard afar. I want my country to be peaceful. I want her to be great!

So, let me publicly declare it here for the very first time in my life, coming from the deepest part of my heart.

I love Malaysia.

Justice must be seen to be done

2007-06-03T19:50:00.000+01:00

On 30th May, the Chief Justice Tun Ahmad Fairuz was quoted saying: “The point is: we should not only be independent but also seen to be independent”

The next day, the Federal Court ruled on the Lina Joy case and dismissed her appeal. The whole case has been debated by many peoples. If you were interested you could Google it and you will get heaps of blogs commenting on it. However, the thing that bothers me the most is: Whether the Bench is independent, or rather, are they seen to be independent?

The case was about apostasy in Islam and also the jurisdiction of the Syariah laws. Out of the three judges that sits on the Bench, two are Muslim. 'Co-incidentally', this two judges dismissed the appeal while the third judge, a non-Muslim, dissented.

I do not question the credibility of the Bench. It was made up of very senior judges. But, even as A-Level law student, we were always told that 'Justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done. I cannot see how the public, being reasonable person, can agree that justice has indeed be seen to be done. It didn't helped that when the case was dismissed in the Court of Appeal, the two judges who dismissed it were also Muslim.

In my opinion, I think Muslim judges would be under tremendous pressure to decide on a case involving Islam. Imagine if the appeal was allowed, what would the reaction be from Muslims in this country. Judges would have been accused of not protecting the religion. Thus, I do not think it was wise to have a Bench with a Muslim majority. One can't help but imagine what would the outcome be if the Bench was made up of non-Muslim majority.

The Malaysian judiciary has a long history of irregularities. The 1989 judiciary crisis remains a tainted chapter of its history, with calls for a review still being heard today. Recently, rumours about corruption among judges has also affected public confidence in the judiciary. Do the public still have confidence in the judiciary?

Has justice been seen to be done in the Lina Joy case?

Meanwhile, today is also an interesting day as the Altantuya murder case was supposed to be heard today. However, an 11th hour change to the prosecution team led to it being postponed to June 18. It's another 2 weeks before the facts are known.

I smell something fishy.

Athens awaiting !

2007-05-01T22:28:00.000+01:00

F.C. Barcelona
P.S.V. Eindhoven
Chelsea FC

23th May, we're going to party in Athens.

Fly me to the Kop!

2007-03-08T17:02:00.000Z

Seriously, one of my dream is to stand on the Kop on a European night and witness how LFC tears their opponent apart, preferably a strong European side . As all football fans would know, European night at Anfield is second to none. It beats European night at Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge or Emirates Stadium. And no point talking about the Nou Camp, Bernabeu or other European venue as their stadium is known as being boring and 'atmosphere-less'.

Commenting on the video above, I actually watched it on TV when the game is shown. At the end of the game, which the Mighty Reds lose(they go through on away goal rule), the whole crowd at Anfield was singing You'll Never Walk Alone. To Kopites who were at the stadium, thanks for being the 12th man of the night. You surely live up our name as the best football fans in the world. Then later, you'll see even the Barce fans are joining in the rendition of YNWA. That's when I thought to myself "Please fly me to the Kop !!! ". As a self-respecting Liverpool fan, I just hate that I haven't got the chance to be part of the Anfield crowd.

You see, football is a game of passion. Don't ask me why I support Liverpool, it just came to me ever so naturally. It's the passion that burns deep in my heart, and through thick and thin, I've been a fan. Of course, I used to have a certain affection for a few other teams like Man Utd, Barce, and Juve, but who in their life never made any mistake ? To support these team are BIG mistakes in my life.

Talking about passion, you don't need to look too far back for it. Two games on Tuesday night will explain it all. First is the Valencia vs Inter game. There's a mass brawl and a player's nose was broken by another player who'd punched him. This is a bad example of passion in football. On the other hand, look at the game of Liverpool FC vs FC Barcelona. Two great clubs, both with great histories came to battle it out. Barce won the match but lost the tie, but at the final whistle there's no incidents. Instead, it's the ever-so-sweet rendition of You'll Never Walk Alone. The best part is, Barce's fans are joining in the singing! I tell you what, they deserved more applauses than any Kopites in Anfield that night for being so sporting and taking defeat so graciously. That is the sign of football fans who really cared about their clubs, supporting their team through victories and defeats. Barce's fans are like this, Liverpool's are like this as well. LFC's fans are the Greatest in the world, FCB's are the second greatest.

The draw for the quarter-final of the Champions League will be held on Friday. Who I wanted LFC to draw ? Well actually it doesn't matter really. If it's another great European side, it'll only bring out another European Anfield night to remember!

Update: The Liverpool Echo echoed my view on this, the article being republished on LFC official website. BTW, LFC drew PSV.

Happy Chinese New Year...but Nasib Kurang Baik la...

2007-02-17T19:40:00.000Z

Happy Chinese New Year to everyone out there! Chinese New Year is supposed to be joyful and happy.

The feeling of being home is great. This year I had to really travel back to be together with my family, which makes CNY a whole new experience for me. Lugging a big luggage walking under the hot sun along Maccalister Road, taking a bus which was packed like sardine to the jetty, then rushing to catch a ferry to Butterworth so that I could catch my bus on time is something which I've never done before. Then the anxious peek at the time every now and then to see how much longer before I reach home. This made CNY this year feels like CNY for me. Then when I finally arrived home, being reunited with my family, seeing my parents and brother and sister again, I felt so much at home.

However, I certainly didn't have a great start to the Year of the Pig. Minutes into the new year, I did something which I thought I will never ever do in my life. I was driving along the road leading to Sri Manjung, and there are police roadblocks at every section of the road. I passed the first 3 road blocks without any problem at all. But the 4th one was not going to be. The officer stopped me, and asked for my license. To cut the long story short, he decided to give me a traffic summon for not having lights between my car number plate (I didn't even know such law existed!!) . I told him I passed a few roadblocks before this, he said it's 'Nasib Kurang Baik'. Then he told me lotza crap which I take as an 'invitation' to belanja him tea. Then I tell him it's 'sui' for me to be issued a summone on 1st day of CNY, which can be interpreted as an acceptance of his invitation. So, a deal was struck. He's smiling, but my wallet is crying. Minutes into CNY and my wallet bleed liao, really pantang la.

Moral of the story: Remember this word: TIM-This Is Malaysia. got $$$ got talk. And, check whether u have lights shining on your number plate!

Just tough luck, nasib kurang baik...

Leo Club food fair (reposted from Kaizia's)

2007-01-27T04:38:00.000Z

Friends out there,please support Leo Club of SMJK Nan Hwa's food fair. The food fair is on 10th Feb 2007 (Saturday), from 7.30am - 12.00pm. Our school's sports day is held on that particular day too! So it definately will be very fun and merry. It is only RM 3 for one book of coupon. We have a large variety of food and they taste yummy ! So please support us and buy coupons from any Leo member. See you there !

To give your heart...

2007-01-20T07:15:00.000Z

have you ever thought about what it means when you say you give someone your heart ??

one of my college mate, Ling, shared about this in class. he said guys and gals shouldn't simply give their heart to anybody. you see, the heart is a special organ. it starts beating right from the moment that you were born, and, under normal circumstances, it never stop beating until the day when it all ended. so, when you give your heart to somebody, it means it's for eternity. you can't say you give your heart to someone, and then when things went wrong you take it back. so, guys and gals, be very careful when you say you give your heart to someone. don't simply give your heart to someone.

I think most Christian would be familiar with the song where the chorus goes like this: " Lord, I give you my heart, I give you my soul". When Ling went out to talk about it, it made me think. We always sing the chorus, but do we really know what it means ?? When we say we give our hearts to the Lord, it wasn't just for one day, one week, or one year. It means we give our heart to Him right from the moment when we are (re)born until the day we die, without ever stopping in between, just like how the heart never stops beating in our life. So, when you sing you give your heart to the Lord, do you really know how great that pledge is ??

My views, your thoughts

2007-01-20T06:50:00.000Z

A new year, a new blog.

I have been quite reluctant to switch from Xanga to Bloggers, mainly because I want to have continuity and also because I want to keep whatever that I have there . But, one of the main element of a blog is readers' response, and I'm not getting much of it in Xanga due to its comments-from-members-only policy. Eileen said maybe I should switch to Blogger and I thought to myself the new year would be suitable time to start a new blog and so this blog is born.

"My view, your thoughts". There are two reasons why I choose this as the title for my blog. Firstly, it is because I want to blog more about my views, rather than my life as I previously did with my Xanga blog, that's why I say "My views". Secondly, I would hope that readers will give comments on what I've written here, rather than just me crapping here all alone. This is what "your thoughts" is supposed to mean.

I might not update as frequent as I want, but I hope I will. Thanks for visiting and any comments are much appreciated. Thanks.

Adrian @ Sitiawan