Too Many Nutters

Of death and revenge.

2009-03-02T20:05:00.001+08:00

It's been a long since I last posted anything in this space and I apologise. College consumes a lot of time unfortunately :( Here's a poem I wrote recently. Don't understand anything? Dictionary.com XD

Of Death and Revenge.

As the monsoon sweeps across the plains of the west,
A torrent of ugly, stupid and illegal descends.
Upon the soils of argentum and pewter.

Liberté, Equalité, Fraternité
Robespierre coffin shifts.
Should the guillotine not ring afresh?

The puddle clears.
The assizes flame sears.
Malevolence left in tears.

Though despair peals.
Though the directorate is in cahoots.
Though the empire spreads its blackest tentacles.

Punishment awaits.
Insolence dragged to the gates.
The estates anticipate their fates.

Tomorrow-tomorrow-tomorrow.

The catafalque of egalitaria will settlest.
In the crypt of Ipoh.

The impending doom shant avertest.
Quarternate, all that remain.
Hope never dies.

The true meaning of Democracy.

2009-01-08T20:02:00.002+08:00

Many nations consider themselves democratic. In fact, as you can see from the photo above, only two nations, Saudi Arabia and Myanmar do not consider themselves democratic. The truth of the matter is very much different though....

In this map you can see the truth of the matter. The lighter the colour of the country the more democratic it is.

Firstly we have to consider the question What is Democracy? According to the Greeks who came up with the word it means rule by the people. However, this should be contrasted from Majoritarianism which is also a form of people backed rule.

According to Majoritarianism, the majority choose and everybody has to acquiesce to their decisions no matter how bad it may be to a particular group.

There are several varieties of democracy some of which provide better representation and more freedoms for their citizens than others. However, if any democracy is not carefully legislated to avoid an uneven distribution of political power with balances such as the separation of powers, then a branch of the system of rule is able to accumulate power in a way that is harmful to democracy itself. The "majority rule" is often described as a characteristic feature of democracy, but without responsible government it is possible for the rights of a minority to be abused by the "tyranny of the majority".

That is what's happening in Malaysia today. To the proponents of hudud law, this is what I have to say to you. Pay attention closely.

A) Democracy is not about majoritarianism. It is about doing what is best for the majority while not infringing on the rights of the minority which is normally protected by the constitution.

B) Okay, the majority of the people want an "Islamic legal system" to be implemented for them. We'll take this at face value. (Although I suppose you should conduct a nationwide referendum just to check before going on such an endeavour). What about all the individuals who don't want their arms chopped off? Don't they have rights? Or are their rights non-existent because the majority deems it so? Their rights are consigned to oblivion just because 51% of the population thinks that it is irrelevant?

The fact remains that government should play no part in policing morality or religion. Both are personal matters between you and your preferred God. (Whether or not this God exists is a matter for another day.) How would one police hudud law then? If a Muslim and a non-Muslim robbed a store together what then? One trial for the Muslim and one for the non-Muslim? One would spend three years in jail and one would lose a hand? Whatever happened to equality before the law? Is it really your job to enforce your God's word? Who appointed you to be the defender of your God's law?

One of the cornerstones of the democratic system is that every human being is equal. Each person is born equal and throughout his or her life is to be treated as an equal. Is it not religious apartheid to punish one individual more severely than another for committing the same crime?

Until 1989 a white man arrested for petty theft could spend up to 10 years in jail and/or a fine of 100,000 Rand in South Africa. A black man arrested for the same crime could anticipate a MANDATORY 15-year sentence and/or fine up to 500,000 Rand.

Sounds like this is what you pro-hudud people are advocating.

There is no space for religious discrimination in an multicultural, plural society. You would do well to understand this PAS.

The End.

2008-12-31T13:42:00.002+08:00

A year has come and gone. Unmistakably it's been the longest year of my life. The only constant in life is change and that was stamped all over my journey this year. As we come to the end of the year many people are moving on to other phases of their life and I wish them all the best for their future endeavours.

My journey still has some time to go. Yesterday I registered in Methodist College KL to do a 11 month Australian Matriculation program. The sense of deja vu was suffocating as I signed up for college for the 3rd time in 12 months. This time though it'll be the last. If things go according to plans the next 13 months will be my last in Malaysia for a long time to come.

I have just begun my journey and there is a long, windy path left to trek through. Challenges are sure to throng the path and I must watch my step.

To the future then. Happy New Years everyone. May it be a happy, wholesome, enlightening, fulfilling one for you.

Pagan Festivals.

2008-12-25T09:11:00.002+08:00

To all Pagans, Happy Saturnalia and to Mithras, Happy Birthday. :)

Ikut Suka Aku.

2008-12-24T00:36:00.000+08:00

There is a man.
A bald man.
A man who represents evil.
Evil you ask?
An unadulterated form of destruction.

Of the very nature that is man.
For what is man but a creature who has choices.
A creature who makes decisions.
A creature who is able to obtain and retain information.
A creature who's very being is defined but his ability to be free.

This freedom comes not cheaply.
A heavy price is paid.
A price that was born by many in the past.
A price that was payable in blood, sweat and tears.
A price we take for granted.

This bald man.
This man of black heart and black blood.
This man who is a cancer.
A lecherous being,
Who feeds off the misery of others.
With his band of merry theives.

They rob, plunder, loot, kill and leave to rot.
All that is sacred.
All that is the effort of us.
All that means something to us.
All of it.

Our duty is simple.
Perform it.

St Augustine (4th Century AD) - An unjust law is no law at all.

Rock The World 8.

2008-12-14T19:28:00.003+08:00

How many of you listen to local bands? I mean on a consistent basis. Not like "I heard One Buck Short play that one time". Well I do and I actually BUY local bands' albums (which is a big deal for a unreformed pirate like me.) and go around and see their concerts and stuff.

Anyway, this coming Saturday is the 20th of Dec 2008 and Rock The World 8 is being held at Stadium Merdeka from 12pm to 12am. It's the biggest and best collection of local music talent you'll ever see in KL. So make your presence felt. Support our local music. Tickets are RM27 and can be purchased at the door! Some really big names in local music are going to be there as well including One Buck Short, Estranged, Estrella, Republic of Brickfields, OAG and Koffin Kanser.

Hope to see you all there.

EDIT: Tickets are RM27. Sorry for the error.

O Positive.

2008-12-07T14:42:00.003+08:00

Recently I decided to do something good. I decided to donate my rather useful blood. I have O (+) blood and that means I'm an universal donor. Everybody can accept my blood and hopefully the blood I gave goes to help somebody who really needs it.

Me strapped in and ready to roll.

Nervous?

Blood bag filled with 450ml of fresh vampire food.

Patched up and good to go!

Blood donors get free food and a certificate! Haha!

Once I saw a blood bag, I was happy. I had done a small part in helping somebody else. That person who that blood bag goes to could be of any skin colour, any religion and any socioeconomic background. He doesn't care who I was. All he will know is that somebody gave blood and he's getting it to help save his life. The blood is colour blind. All our blood is red. My blood is not the Tuan of anyone's and I doubt anyone elses blood is the Tuan either.

Ponder on it for a second.

Arise, Malaysiana.

2008-12-04T14:28:00.003+08:00

For 51 years,
A false truth has been drummed into the base of our skulls,
A truth that neglects us.
A truth that treats us as if we know not the reality.

But fear not fellow men,
For the equilibrium of nature is such,
That all who seek to oppress,
Shall one day be oppressed.
That all who seek to destroy,
Shall one day be destroyed.
That all who seek to cleave and divide,
Shall one day be divided themselves.

Within us lies a force.
One whose strength is undefeatable.
It is indefatigable, indestructible, unimpendable.
It is known as hunger.
Hunger for the truth.

An awakening is coming.
One of such proportions that the fell cities of the corrupt shall tremble.
The swamp which it is built on crumble,
And the lies shall be swallowed whole into the depths of memories.

The first step was taken.
On the 8th Day of the 3rd Month, we began our march.
Our footsteps reverberate through the paved walkways,
Through the corridors of power,
Through the hallways of decay.

The gloom is lifting,
The clouds are clearing.
Hope is renewed and rekindled.

Together, shoulder to shoulder,
Regardless of trivialities.
Leaving our collars of creed, religion and colour behind.
We March.

Slowly, for the path is windy.
But surely, as the sun rises in the east.
We will arrive at our Victory.
A Victory over tyranny and oppression.
A Victory to savour for all eternity.
A Victory that will unite us.

A Victory that will usher in a New Dawn to the chapter that is Us.

- Vikraman 4/12/08

The Case for Vernacular Schools.

2008-12-02T11:33:00.002+08:00

This article is in reference to Mukhriz Mahathir's statement yesterday.

Mukhriz: Close down vernacular schools
Syed Jaymal Zahiid Dec 1, 08 5:43pm

Jerlun member of parliament Mukhriz Mahathir today slammed MCA and Gerakan leaders for ‘overreacting' over the Ketuanan Melayu (Malay supremacy) issue.

He blamed the vernacular school system for the polarised society which caused the poor understanding of the Malay supremacy concept among the non-Malays.He was of the opinion that the disunity in the community arose from the different education system and proposed that a single education system be implemented to foster greater unity.

The son of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad said the issue of Malay supremacy was blown out of proportion due to the poor understanding of both those who spoke in favour and against the concept."I still hear statements are being made about the Ketuanan Melayu concept by BN component party leaders and this have hurt Malay hearts, especially Umno," he told a press conference in Parliament."When these leaders are making this kind of statement it shows that they know nothing of our history or maybe they are trying to act as heroes to their community," he added.Both MCA and Gerakan are senior partners in the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition headed by Umno.

According to Mukhriz, the term Ketuanan Melayu simply meant the sovereignty of the Malay rulers as well as the special position of the Malays in the country."The term Ketuanan Melayu simply refers to the sovereignty of our Malay rulers. When we address them, we call them Tuanku (your highness) and all the races do acknowledge this and they practice it."The concept does not indicate that we Malays are the masters and other races are slaves. The Malays, especially in economy, do not feel like they are the masters," reasoned Mukhriz.

'Component party leaders inviting backlash'

Mukhriz, vying for the Umno Youth chief post in the March party elections, was referring to the Chinese-based MCA's deputy president Chua Soi Lek who had described the Ketuanan Melayu as a Malay supremacy concept that implied a master and servant relationship that he felt was unacceptable.Delivering a speech last week, Chua had also said that the Chinese community can accept "Malay leadership but not Malay supremacy".

Chua was then backed by the president of another Chinese-based BN component party Gerakan, Dr Koh Tsu Koon who had issued a statement calling for Umno to replace the concept of Ketuanan Melayu with the "Malay special position" concept.Mukhriz blasted both Chua and Koh for making such statements and said that these leaders were only inviting strong criticism from their Malay counterparts."That kind of statement shouldn't be coming. They are inviting reactions by making such statements and we should be focusing on fostering unity instead of making such divisive statements. We have our limitations," he said.He further said that it was prerogative that Umno spoke up against "such exaggeration".

He added that the Ketuanan Melayu concept has been widely practiced and accepted as exemplified by the special Malay position enshrined in the federal constitution and other government policies.He also blasted the president of another BN component party, PPP's M Kayveas for issuing a threat to leave the coalition should the Internal Security Act not amended before the next general election."What he said is disrespectful towards the spirit of BN and I am very disappointed with his behaviour," said Mukhriz.

Close down vernacular schools

Mukhriz, who had previously come under fire from his own party for criticising the leadership of Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, also offered an explanation on why the misunderstanding about the Ketuanan Melayu existed. He attributed this to a polarised society caused by the current education system. The Umno Youth chief aspirant suggested that the best way to handle this was to foster greater unity and integration of all races at a young age and it has to start with the schools. But he is bound to invite criticism from various quarters with his suggestion that the government did away with the vernacular school system which he felt was divisive. He wanted all students to be streamlined under the Education Ministry and a singular education system be introduced.

"The government can foster greater unity by streamlining all the schools under one education system where the medium of teaching, besides Science and Mathematics, are taught in Bahasa Malaysia."We can make it compulsory that the Chinese and Indians study their own language in their mother tongue while these two languages can be optional for Malay students to learn or we can make it compulsory for students to learn at least three languages," he suggested.

When suggested by reporters that his proposal would most likely invite resistance even from leaders and members of BN, the Umno Youth chief aspirant said that he was only proposing in the name of unity."My suggestion has no other ulterior motives apart from to unite all races," he said. - Malaysiakini 1/12/08

I do not want to touch on anything else on this article except the points about vernacular schools.
Mukhriz contends that vernacular schools contribute to the further racial animosity. I fully agree. 110%. Vernacular schools do contribute to worsening inter-racial relationships because children grow up in an environment surrounded by people only of their racial background. (Although is becoming less the case with inner-city Chinese primary schools.) The crux of the issue here though is not "unifying the student population under the Education Ministry." The crux of the issue here is the quality of education. I am very sure that no educated Non-Malay parent wakes up one day and decides that "My child MUST go to a vernacular school." out of the blue.

It is a calculated decision weighing the pros and the cons. So let's go over the pros and the cons in as far as the current national schools and the current vernacular schools are concerned. As with any fair comparisons we'll give each of the pros a +1 and the cons a -1. (Btw, I attended national schooling from primary through to Form 5.)

PROS.
Vernacular Schools.

Teachers are 100% dedicated to teaching and are capable educators.
The student is able to learn his mother tongue effectively.
School administration is professional and competent.
Massive community support for schools.
School is proactive in encouraging non-curricular achievement.
School is not racially stratified.
Discipline is enforced without fear or favour to all students regardless of race.
Syllabus focuses on Science and Mathematics.
Overall academic achievement is higher.
School and teachers put academic achievement as the highest priority.
Independent Board of Governors.

National School.

Facilities are good (West Malaysia only.)
Students learn English from Standard 1.
Students learn Science and Maths in English.

CONS.
Vernacular Schools.

Students are exposed to only one racial group.
School is too academically orientated.
School is too competitive and does not give students room to grow as individuals.
Herd mentality is very strong.
Facilities are poor.
Funding is always lacking.

National Schools.

Teachers are lackadaisical and not dedicated. (Not all but most.)
Mother tongue education is non-existent. (POL Classes are an insult to our intelligence.)
School administration is a springboard for headmasters to enter politics.
UMNO agenda is pushed by the administration.
Poor community involvement.
No independent board of governors.
School does not encourage excellence in extra-curricular activities.
School is extremely racially stratified. (eg. Head Prefect must be a Malay. etc.)
Discipline is meted out according to race.
Syllabus is inconclusive and heads nowhere.
Overall academic achievement is poor.
School puts emphasis on academic achievement but implements it poorly.
Overt political inteference in many schools.
Many have been converted into permanent BTN camps to indoctrinate, not to educate.
Religious zealots have turned the schools into Islamic schools.

The numbers do all the talking don't they. National School score a dismal -12 and Vernacular Schools score a 5. Although Vernacular Schools have a long way to go in as far as improving the quality of education is concerned, they in the right side of the educational paradigm. National schools are heading in the wrong direction and as long as they are run similarly, they will remain to do so.

In the 1960's, most students attended National Schools. Vernacular school enrolment was poor. This was a concious effort by parents as the National Schools at that time were run professionally by Kirby trained teachers who taught an efficient syllabus that was relevant to the needs of the students. All of that is out the window now.

If the government wants vernacular schools to die out, rather than banning them and pissing off a whole section of the community (anyway banning them is unconstitutional.) they should improve National Schools. Once the national schooling system is back to it's best as it was in the 60's vernacular schools will die a natural death as parents will flock to national schools to give their children the best education they can afford.

May 13 - The Conspiracy, The Fiction and The Facts.

2008-12-01T15:00:00.000+08:00

Many people are ignorant as to the actual events and happenings on May 13th 1969. The events leading up to it, including it and after it are just a blur because of 40 years of continuous whitewashing and blocking. The real events are shrouded in mystery to most and the truth of the matter was just revealed a few years back.

If you have read the book, May 13 by Dr. Kua Kia Soong then ignore this article. If not, pay attention closely because everything you thought you knew about the events surrounding that fateful die is a lie. Ask a man of the street as to what really happened on that day and more often then not, his response is going to be "Oh, itu Melayu bunuh Cina bunuh Melayu." The truth of the matter is far more disturbing and it goes some way towards explaining why we are where we are today.

Let's peer into the crystal ball shall we, in a journey into the past....

The year was 1969. Singapore had left the union four years ago. The 1964 racial riots which were orchestrated by UMNO in Singapore as a protest to then Singapore chief Minister Lee Kuan Yew's Malaysian Malaysia policy where he contended that all Malaysians should be treated as equals was bloody and still fresh on many people's minds. The root of that struggle and that decision is a different story altogether but now the actual background to the issues that arose later in that decade can be seen.

Between 1965 to 1967, there were many negotiations held between Singapore and Malaysia to maintain a unified currency and share certain public agencies like the UM, MSA (later MAS), Reserve Bank of Malaya and others, however severe communalist sentiment hampered the negotiations and UM was split into Universiti Malaya (based in KL) and the Singapore campus became NUS. Malayan-Singapore Airways became Malaysia Airlines and the Reserve Bank of Malaya became Bank Negara thus irrevocably divorcing Malaysia and Singapore.

Part of the 1963 Malaysia Agreement was that Singapore would help fund development in East Malaysia but after the secession of Singapore, that funding was cut off. The numerical advantage that non-malays had over malays in the 1964 election was also lost because of Singapore's secession. As such, UMNO began to be overtaken by a state-capitalist class led by Abdul Razak and Dr.Ismail. This class was always repressed by the Old Guard of UMNO led by Tunku as they tended to harp on more communal issues whereas the Old Guard was more interested in placating the MCA interests (which they held significant interests in as well.) As such, there was a great tension in UMNO throughout the late 1960's and many Malays felt divorced from the UMNO cause as many of Old Guard continued to neglect their interests.

The 1969 election was a significant one. Both the non-Malays and the Malays were extremely unhappy with the Alliance (as BN was known then). The non-Malays were unhappy with what they considered extreme discrimination in favour of the Malays in nearly every field whereas the Malays were generally unhappy about UMNO's lack of concern for the poor Malays. Many had seen no progress in the 12 years since independence and were losing faith with UMNO. Thus, the stage was set for a showdown. The pressure on Tunku was already building since the publication of the "Malay Dilemma" by Mahathir in the mid 60's. As such, he announced before the election that this would be his last election as the Prime Minister and he would step down after this. Abdul Razak then called on the public to give the Tunku a strong mandate as a retirement gift.

However, this was not enough. The non-Malays were extremely disaffected with the MCA/MIC and chose to throw their support behind the newly founded Gerakan and the heir to the PAP, the DAP. The Malays on the other hand, especially the ones in the East Coast and Northern parts of Malaysia decided to support the PMIP (PAS as it was known then.) The 1969 election was a disaster for the alliance as it lost it's two-thirds majority, the popular vote and the control of 3 state legislatures. UMNO was in turmoil.

Up to this, the official "history" is relatively accurate. However, from here to the 13th of May and beyond the official "history" papered over the actual truth. The following information have been gleaned from the despatches by foreign correspondents and ambassadors over the weeks up to and including May the 13th.

Exultant supporters of the DAP and Gerakan filled the streets of KL to celebrate their famous victory. The election campaign was of a deeply communal nature and served only to fuel racial tensions. Many foreign correspondents based in KL filed reports praising the Malaysian democratic system and predicted another five years of peace, prosperity and more effective, efficient government. Initially Tunku was disappointed but he soon conceded that the people wanted a strong opposition, which had been realised. On the 13th of May, MCA decided to withdraw from the cabinet while remaining in the Alliance. At UMNO HQ in Batu Road, the feeling was that democracy had gone too far. The political hegemony of UMNO was being threatened and a non-malay Menteri Besar for Perak and Selangor was very likely. UMNO Youth then decided to assemble at the residence of the then Selangor Menteri Besar, Harun Idris to demonstrate "support". Their assembly then turned into a riot which attacked Chinese business and homes throughout the city centre. One letter send by a British resident in KL who was sheltering 6 Chinese youths in her house to her MP in London was particularly impassionate and articulated the extent of the destruction the riot had caused the many unspeakable acts of terror perpetrated by the mob.

The majority Malay security forces professionalism was also questioned in the aftermath of the riots as many had "selectively" enforced the curfew as seen by foreign observers. On the 15th of May, Emergency was declared by the Yang Dipertuan Agong and all state legislatures and the Parliament was suspended. A National Operations Committee headed by Abdul Razak was formed and all local newspapers (the then honest, Straits Times included) were suspended. Censorship laws were quickly introduced and despite Tan Sri Hoffman's (The then editor of the Straits Times) impassionate pleas, were implemented. Many Opposition member's of Parliament were arrested under the ISA and many more confined to House Arrest. Abdul Razak and the new state-capitalist class of UMNO had assumed full power and it was just a matter of time until the Tunku was forced to resign. The military was given massive powers in the NOC and practically ran the civil service. Slowly, the picture began to clear. Abdul Razak was now running the country with the support of the police and the military. Although publicly he claimed responsibility to the Tunku, privately he had made it clear that only one person was in charge and that person was himself.

In summary, it is clear that the riots of May 1969 had led to the ascendance of the state capitalist class which controlled the NOC. It is also evident that the old aristocratic class under the Tunku had been eclipsed by the new Malay elite under the leadership of Razak. This new Malay ruling class largely maintained the Alliance Formula but enlarged it to incorporate more opposition parties. However, the predominance of UMNO within this larger coalition was unmistakable. The racial bloodbath and the state of emergency under military rule was intended to serve as a deterrent to any challenge to UMNO's dominance of the post 1969 Malaysian political landscape. The climate of terror and repression allowed the new regime to introduce and implement discriminatory Malay-centric economic, educational and cultural policies. These policies have been crucial in winning over the Malay masses to support the new Malay ruling class. At the same time, these discriminatory policies have been instrumental in facilitating the accumulation of capital by the new Malay capitalist class.

All the information above was drawn from Dr. Kua Kia Soong's book MAY 13 published by SUARAM. The book can be obtained for a nominal fee from Kinibooks.

Mumbai.

2008-11-30T14:58:00.002+08:00

195 Dead. 295 Wounded. The people who have left us did not deserve this fate. The people who perpetrated these crimes have paid a price. Their lives were lost in the fighting but it was not a end they did not deserve. As much as I am an opponent of cruel, unusual and capital punishment ie. whipping, death penalty etc. these men deserved every bullet their bodies were riddled with. Here's to hoping that the truth is revealed and the real masterminds behind this heinous crime are revealed and punished adequately. My thoughts are with the families of the victims and I hope that they can recover from the psychological trauma this attack has subjected on them.

Crime does not pay. This massacre cannot go unpunished.

Shapes.

2008-11-30T11:48:00.002+08:00

I haven't written any poetry in a long time. Today I felt inspired and here goes nothing;

Shapes.

Circular. A roundabout way to refer to what we can't define.
Squarish. Fixed and permanent, though many dislike it.
Triangular. Directional but temporary, no one knows if it is right.
Rectangular. Imbalanced and dysfunctional, why are we so?

In our journey to realise what we become,
We understand more about ourselves.
No one knows you like you.
Or Is that really true?

Do people really know who they are.
Or are they characters in a play.
Reciting their scripts like obedient puppets
Being told what to do by others.

I exhort you, my brothers and sisters.
Rebel against the domination.
Live your own life.
Understand who you are.

Else you shall regret,
That life was not lived as it was supposed to be.
And in the last throes.
You shall realise that a waste it was.

Some may say. What is the price we pay?
I prefer to say. What do we gain.
Nothing is permanent. The temporal nature of our existence is such.
Eternity is non-existent.

Go and Live.

- Vikraman 30/11/08.

Polis Diraja Malaysia - Caped Crusaders or Masked Marauders?

2008-11-26T16:50:00.003+08:00

This article is about the police. The protectors of the peace, some might say. The defenders of the weak. The long arm of the law. There are many names for our men in blue but this letter puts them all to shame.

Quote Rej Number in a letter sent to Malaysiakini;

I refer to the Malaysiakini report
MCPXPolice stop anti-ISA event in Ampang, nine arrested.
I wonder how many people actually caught the video clip over Bernama and NTV7 on Sunday night.

For those who missed it, there was a Support ISA rally by Pewaris and pro-government NGOs in Kuala Lumpur where about 500 people took part. Now, I respect their right to carry banners and express themselves about how significant and pertinent the use of ISA in Malaysia is for whatever the reasons may be.

I mean if the anti-ISA groups can have vigils, why can’t those who genuinely feel the ISA is still relevant have their own channel and avenues to do it too?
During the Pewaris rally, a woman who was standing on a overhead pedestrian crossing apparently said something to the protesters below. She was also seen taking pictures with her cell phone.

The next image was what sent chills down my spine. Some members of the rally went after this lady, chasing her down the road. She was pushed to the ground and still chased after she got up.
She was not spared even after she had got into her car. A few of the protesters started kicking and stomping on her car until the terrified lady fled the scene. The only time I saw a cop was when he was trying to restrain one of the protesters from getting too near the lady.

But two things came through crystal clear. Where were our law-enforcing PDRM personnel? How is it that this group of protesters were allowed to carry banners and walk along a busy road while the anti-ISA people are treated like terrorists?

Why wasn't anyone arrested when they tried to hurt this lone woman in broad daylight? If the anti- ISA people had done that, it would have been all over the papers the next morning especially Utusan Malaysia.

So does the saying ‘You can get away with murder if you know the right people or have the right connections’ really sound all that farfetched? Well, Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar, if this is the double standard you want to show in your administration of the police force, god forbid, I don't know what else the people of this country have to bear.

Please PDRM, get a hold of yourselves. Professionalism is not something you say you have and everyone is only too happy to believe you.

Professionalism is saying what you mean and meaning what you say - backing it up with your very unbiased actions. Professionalism is being accountable and earning the respect for the uniform you wear. - Malaysiakini.

What can I say? The events are clear for all to see. Please, PDRM, don't take the rakyat for fools. We all know on who's orders you are acting. Ignore them. The rakyat are here to defend you.

Langkawi 08

2008-11-22T12:53:00.002+08:00

DAY 3.

Rise and shine lads, it's the last day. Although the gang were up gambling till late everybody was up and ready at 6.30am to depart. After all, we needed to catch the 8.15 ferry to make it in time for the 10.15 bus back to KL. A few people had left early to make it for the 7am ferry as they needed to go to Kangar to collect the mobile phone left behind in the bus when we first came to Kuala Perlis. This was really our lifeline as we later realised. Our bags were packed and biscuits eaten, we decided to go down and get moving. Once we were downstairs, one car could not start. My suspicion is that the car has some problems with it's starter and it drinks oil like mad, it's RPM at rest was 3000! Crazy car. That really set us back and we had to wait for the rental guy to come and collect the car and stuff. With that we missed the window of opportunity to get onto the 7am ferry. However, we still didn't panic because we were confident of getting on the 8.15am ferry.

We got the jetty and quickly ran in because it was already 8am. Confidently we presented our tickets to the guard and to our dismay we realised that we hadn't "confirmed" our tickets! The guy who sold us the tickets sure didn't say anything about confirmation! We were screwed. The next ferry at 9am had only 9 places left as well. Keep in mind our bus was at 10.15am. After our attempt to bribe the guard into letting us in failed, we were negotiating with the ferry company to let the 14 of us into the 9am ferry. 5 people could stand, we wouldn't mind. However, while we were negotiating with them, the damned ferry company sold the other 9 tickets! What a pain in the ass! Now we were really screwed as we were sure we would miss our bus and would have to not only buy another ticket, we'd need to wait till nightfall for the next bus and only make it to KL on tuesday morning! What a blowout.

This is where the missing phone threw us a lifeline. The first group of 4 who had left on the 7am ferry were already there waiting for us (having obtained the phone). Somehow against the odds, they managed to stop the bus that came in from Kangar and made them wait for a full hour as we took the 10am ferry and made it to the jetty at 11am. Really amazing as normally express buses will never wait for even 10 minutes! Somehow they did it and we made it onto the bus. However as with everything else in Malaysia, we bribed the driver to make it worth his wait. How unsuprising. Well at least it was better than paying another RM43 for another bus ticket and waiting till nightfall for the next bus and even then we're not sure if we'll all have a spot on the bus!

At long last after many many stops to pee, eat, pee again, pour oil and whatever else we saw the skyline of Kuala Lumpur loom in the horizon. And the adventure had ended. Another memorable holiday for all of us...

Langkawi 08

2008-11-18T19:58:00.002+08:00

DAY 2.

I wake up at 4am in the toilet coiled in a fetal position, drenched in water and vomit. There was still a large amount of alcohol in my blood and I felt it as I slowly got up and washed up for a full hour, hoping that the shower will bring back my memory and allow me to remember why I was in the toilet drenched in vomit and water. (I washed the toilet as well. There were bits of prawn everywhere.). Changed and dragged myself into bed between SH and WL. Soon I was woken up and offered breakfast. I declined and went back to sleep. Finally woke up at 11am and had massive nausea and traditional hangover lethargy. Pulled myself out of bed and showered + cleaned up. We were then ready to go for our island hopping.

First stop as always was the DFZ Duty Free outlet at Underwater World but this time we only bought a couple of chocolates. Waited for a while until the "guy" who was taking us for our trip came. We followed him to our boat and I took my t-shirt off and put my lifejacket on. It was time for some Hopping! Island No.1, Pulau Beras Basah "Wet Rice Island?!". Took photos and hung around on the beach for a while playing in the water. Some of the others went for the Banana Boat but I didn't want to go. Boring-much! Next change? Eagle Feeding. Our boat-man took us to a bay in one of the islands where I noticed a few eagles circling overhead. Initially I didn't realise the number of eagles there were in that bay but when the boat-man threw pieces of chicken into the water, all hell broke loose. Dozens of eagles swooped down and plucked pieces of chicken right out of the water. Truly a wonderous sight.

After that we went to Pulau Dayang Bunting were there is a huge freshwater lake just 20 metres from the saltwater sea. Fantastic bit of geography that. We fooled around in the lake and swam around like little idiots. A few people who didn't know how to swim borrowed lifejackets and pretended to swim. All a bit of good, clean fun really. Finally it was time to head back to base. Another stop in DFZ Duty Free (we seem to be going there rather often no?) to purchase duty-free cigarettes, liquor and chocolates for our loved ones was compulsory of course. (Although buying cigarettes for your loved ones is an oxymoron really. I mean who in their right mind would give their "loved" ones a one way ticket to the grave? Rather that would make them your enemies really. Funny.)

Stocked up and we left to look for food. In Langkawi, food is pricey. So we looked for a restaurant where somebody who actually LIVED in Langkawi would eat. We finally found one (after 1 hour of hunting high and low). It was a old Chinese Coffeeshop with a grand total of 2 staff, one of whom could only speak Hokkien (which is a problem because nobody in our group has any measure of fluency as far as Hokkien is concerned.) and had only one dish on offer. Kari Mee (Noodles in Curry). So with a dearth of choice all 10 of us ordered Kari Mee. One by one bowls of (tasteless) Kari Mee appeared with bits of chicken in it. The Chicken looked a bit amiss until we realised where it came from. The Chicken Rendang prepared for lunch. (Chap Fun). So with all the (tasteless) Kari Mee in our bellies we went back to the apartment to shower and prepare for dinner.

Showers all round, a round or two of Cho Dai Di (Big Two/大老二) followed and we were off to dinner. Finally a proper meal and I dug in to our 8 dish Chinese fare. There really was everything on the table, vegetables, fish, prawn, squid, venison (deer), chicken and a couple of others. After feasting we went to Al-Ikhsan (Sports Goods chain store) in Kuah town and fooled around for a bit while the girls bought stuff. Some funny scenes ensued upon discovery of Aston Villa and Arsenal jerseys in the store. Needless to say Arsenal jerseys were on the ground under a heap of Villa jerseys. Back to the apartment and some final packing was going on. I missed out on the nights gambling and went to bed early. Early being midnight in this case. WL and SH struggled into bed at 4am and 5am respectively.

DAY 3 continues..

Langkawi

2008-11-18T19:10:00.004+08:00

Langkawi 2008.

Day 0.

Went to Puduraya around 9pm to meet Wing Luo and Seng Hang + rest of gang. Hung around Platform 3 waiting for the 10.30 KL-Alor Setar-Kuala Perlis-Kangar bus while observing a group of people my age standing near me. Little did I know that this was the motley crew that I would be spending time for the next 72 hours. Finally at 10.00pm WL and SH turn up and introduce me to their "gang". After trips to the relatively dirty Puduraya toilet (30 cents!), we board the Plusliner bus and await departure. Soon I drift off into la-la land but at around 1am, I am rudely awakened by giggles and chatter. A toilet stop for the bus. Next stop at 2am was to eat at Sungai Perak R&R. Ate nasi lemak + sausage (RM 2.50) and went back to sleep on the bus. Alor Setar stop woke me up next and it was already 5.20am. Quickly went back to sleep and finally we arrived at Kuala Perlis (6.20am).

Day 1.

Got off the bus and grabbed all my stuff. While WL was talking to the ferry agent I quickly go and clean my retainers (What a hassle!) and brush my teeth (the only person to do so, I might add). Our extended group of 18 (13 guys, 5 girls) walk to the docks and go for a spot of breakfast where SH promptly spits Milo all over me. Thank you Seng Hang. After a (very long) period of waiting, we get on the ferry at 8.30 and we're off to the duty-free land of milk and honey.

Pulau Langkawi. We make it intact there at 9.31am. First stop? Car rental of course. WL and 3 others pay the rental fees and promptly collect their beaten up, power-steering-less, Manual!, Proton Iswara's. You'd have thought that rental cars in duty-free Langkawi would be of better (Japanese?) quality but no.. Protons are still in the vogue. We bundle ourselves into the cars and my first calamity occurs. My shoes sink into a puddle of mud that I didn't notice.

So with mud soaked shoes and wet feet, I sit in the car as our convoy goes a total of nowhere for the first twenty-odd minutes. Yes. We basically went in circles around the jetty simply because we didn't know the road. How pathetic. Sooner or later we figured out the way to the Holy Grail. (DFZ Duty-Free Langkawi Sdn. Bhd. - Underwater World, Pantai Cenang). Ah yes, cut price cigarettes and alcohol, heaven I tell you. We load up on cartons of fags to bring back to our loved ones (How illogical, giving our loved ones a one way ticket to the grave?) and of course the inevitable liquor purchasing begins.
Liquor bought;

1 x Smirnoff 100-proof - RM 37!!
2 x Chivas Regal 80-something proof - Rm 65 each!
2 x Merlot (Coonawarra Estate, Victoria, Australia) - RM28.00 each!
1 x Baccardi Apple - RM 45.00

After that we head to KFC for our first (tax-free) meal. KFC is 10% cheaper in Langkawi! Haha. Finally, we discover our first loss in the trip. Somebody left their phone behind on the bus to Kuala Perlis. However, the excellent folks at Plusliner retrieved it and kept it safe in Kangar for us to come and collect. (What a blessing this turns out to be as we will discover on the final day!). We go to the apartments where we were booked for the two nights (Century Suria Apartment, Kuah) and unload.

After hanging around and wasting time in the rooms at around 3pm we decide to head off to Durian Perangin Waterfall in well, Durian Perangin. We played in the falls to our hearts content and after fooling around in various positions and taking a bunch of photos (On FACEBOOK. Lazy to upload here.) we pack up and with all our very wet underpants get into the cars and look for a mini-market where we can buy raw ingredients to cook dinner. (Yes, we cooked dinner, mostly anyways). After running left and right following a myriad of directions by a myriad of people looking for the elusive Pasaraya Billion, we give up and just shop at the Pasar Malam instead. We bought pre-roasted Chicken at RM 20 a bird (2x) and 1kg of fresh tiger prawns at RM 14.00. YES. TIGER PRAWNS AT RM14.00/kg. I KID YOU NOT. We hunt the pasar malam for other essentials (spices, onions, garlic, rice, vege) and go to the apartments where me, SH and WL cook dinner for the gang.

Drama ensues after dinner as some people neglected eating and then accused us of neglecting them. However, the drama soon settles and the difficult business of gambling (Blackjack) and drinking our cheaply purchased alcohol begins. I refused to gamble on this trip and the effects were... damaging. With no gambling to distract me, I quickly started to run down the whiskey. One glass followed another and my last memory was telling SH that I just had my 10th glass.

(No memory of ensuing drama).

DAY 2 continues soon.

The Problem With Religion.

2008-11-12T20:49:00.001+08:00

For the most part I was brought up in a religious background. My father was and still is a religious man. Although his concept of religion has evolved over the years into something more spiritual, I still remember the years of my (relative) youth when Fridays would mean temple visits. I always looked forward to Fridays, less because of the temple visits, more because of the post-prayer dinner at my favourite restaurant. Hinduism is not a restrictive/organized religion like Catholicism/Certain Protestant Sects/Islam. Thus there was never any compulsion to believe or anything of that order in my upbringing but I always felt that there is a Higher Power, something none of us can understand but could believe in. It is a manifestation of this vague idea called Faith.

As I grew older, I believed less in a Supreme Being of any sort and was quite an agnostic. For a stage I flirted with spirituality but recently I discovered it's not for me (yet). Recently, I came across this article Letter to a Christian Nation (2006). ISBN 0-307-26577-3 written by Sam Harris who is a researcher in neuro-sciences at Stanford. It struck me as very critical of organised-dogmatic religion but notwithstanding the thinly-veiled criticisms there are certain particularly salient points in the article which challenged by perception of religion and are sure to challenge yours as well.

This is not a hate article. I ask all the readers to read it with an open, liberal mind and try to understand the points Sam Harris tries to convey.

Obama Wins.

2008-11-05T20:01:00.002+08:00

45 Years has passed since Martin Luther King Jr. made his I have a dream speech. 145 years have passed since the end of the Civil War between the North and the South over slavery. 221 years have passed since the Bill of Rights was passed. Today, a black man is the President of the USA. Today, the world has changed forever in every way that we can possibly see. Today, the white man's burden has been lifted. Let this be a lesson to Barisan Nasional. Let this be a lesson to all the racists in all the world. Let this show you that even a nation which was built on slavery of the black men can elect a black man to be it's most powerful individual. Let this show you that nothing is impossible.

America has redeemed itself in the eyes of the world. It has shown that the American Revolution has not ended and it will go on forever until the ideals of Jefferson are acheived. The first 26 Presidents of the USA could have owned the 44th President as a piece of property. Today the 44th President of the USA, President Barack Hussein Obama has put paid to the world's faith in him.

Where do we go as a nation from here? Do we follow in the footsteps of the now redeemed USA or do we stay true to our racist, discriminatory, hate-filled roots? Consider this question, what is the difference between you and me except my skin colour? Is the content of my character less than yours or any others because I am not of similar colour to you? Are my abilities any less because I do not practice the same religion as you? Am I less of a man because I am not your race or religion? This applies to you and to everyone else in this nation. Make the choice that is right. Not the choice that is made for you.

Australia.

2008-11-03T22:07:00.004+08:00

Many people harbour secret dreams of migrating. Some look at it from the perspective of a new challenge, some thinking it offers greener pastures, some think they may find happiness elsewhere and there are some who just think they may get a spot of fairness elsewhere. However for every person who thinks of migrating elsewhere there are 3 who think home is where the heart is and find it difficult to leave their birthland. Yes, I do consider Malaysia my land of birth and I do not take kindly being called pendatang or any other derogatory term.

There is a likelihood to Australia in 2010. If I go, I will probably remain there for the foreseeable future. Why Australia? Well, there are good universities there. Much better than anything I can find in Malaysia that's for sure. (It wasn't always like that though, there was a time before NEP and racially affirmative policies that University Malaya was the best university in Asia.) So in my pursuit of the best education possible, I am drawn there. the fact that half my family is also migrating there and a big chunk of my extended family is already is a big motivation.

Over lunch with a colleague today I was discussing why so many people decide to migrate and a big chunk of them choose Australia/New Zealand as their destination. The reasons will be articulated in the following paragraphs.

1) Quality of University Education. ( 20%)

This is probably a major category that carries a big chunk of the weightage. The proof of it is undoubtable. The G8 universities are all in the top 100 Universities in the world. Australian graduates are highly employable both in Malaysia and abroad. The academic freedoms there are equal to any other democratic country which gives students the freedom to learn and grow. The academics themselves are highly qualified and experts at the fields that they teach and there are a fair share of prize winners in Literature, Science, Technology and Humanities.

2) Weather. (5%)

This is a minor point but it is very important especially to Malaysians who love temperate weather and cooler climates. Most of Australia has a fairly temperate climate in winter and a Malaysian summer. The best of both worlds perhaps.

3) Diversity (10%)

An important point definitely. In Malaysia many of us grow up in a multi-racial environment and Australia brings that same multi-cultural environment which many of us are both used to and comfortable with. More than 24% of Australian Residents were born overseas with 75% of this figure coming from Asia and Africa. This number is only due to increase in the coming years.

4) Equal Opportunity. (30%)

This is probably the most important point of all. In Australia, everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed. Whether you're a "son of the soil" or a "pendatang". Everyone is equal from every aspect, whether the eyes of the law or from economic opportunities or from the perspective of democratic freedoms. This principle is embraced in every aspect of Australia's governance even at the highest level where the Malaysian born Penny Wong (who is by the way, gay) is a full federal minister. Another 4 federal ministers were born outside of Australia. Australia is probably one of the only countries in the world where every child is told he/she can one day become the Prime Minister and the parent is not lying.

5) Job Opportunities. (20%)

Another major factor which draws many to Australia is the abundant job opportunities. No matter the field you work in, as long as you have a set of useful skills in any profession be it white collar or blue collar, job opportunities abound. Also, the sky is the limit once you have started employment. There are no glass ceilings to prevent you from reaching your dreams no matter how high they are.

6) Labour Protections (15%)

Australians are very well protected by their Labour laws. Employers simply cannot overwork you and the average Australian employee only works 38 hours a week. The average Malaysian works between 50 - 60 hours a week. Australians enjoy life and are one of the happiest people in the world. The Happiness Study by Ruut Verhooven finds that Malaysians on a whole rank their quality of life around 6/10 but Australians rank their quality of life around 8/10 (which is one of the best scores in the world).

On the whole those are the points that I personally feel matter to most people. Feel free to comment and add to these points.

Mother.

2008-11-01T11:17:00.002+08:00

Over the past few days, I've been rather tied up with other commitments. My mother had a herniated spinal disc and is being discharged from the hospital this morning after 4 days in the hospital. It's been a difficult time for my family because this is a very serious injury and my mother will never fully recover from it. For the rest of her life she cannot lift anything heavy, participate in any strenuous activity or strain her back in any way. For a person as active as my mother that comes as a huge blow especially because she is a lawyer and her profession requires her to appear in court with heavy bags full of documents. We'll find a way to overcome this and hopefully within the next few months she can resume a normal lifestyle.

The Festival of Lights.

2008-10-27T09:41:00.003+08:00

Happy Deepavali/Diwali to all Malaysians. This is our culture and our celebration for all of us :) Let's show the world how Malaysia PARTAAAAYY's!

The End.

2008-10-26T23:41:00.002+08:00

4 Years and 8 Months. 86 Premier League games. 7830 minutes. The end of an era. Where will my boys go from here? Will they be heartened and strive to bring glory back to Stamford Bridge or will they lost heart and spiral downwards?

My heart weeps for the lads in blue but there is only 24 men who can patch it up again. Show me what you got!

Indonesia.

2008-10-25T15:11:00.003+08:00

I read this article in another blog. Please heed this call.

Indonesia - A point to ponder.

Indonesia is one of the world's richest countries
in terms of natural resources.

God has blessed Indonesia with gold, uranium, copper, oil, timber, beaches, seas and other wealth. The land is fertile with abundant rain. Stick a twig into the ground and it grows into a tree.

Yet Indonesians sleep in the streets.

Food is expensive. The average Indonesian eats some rice, tempe, tauhu and may be some vegetables for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday.

An average Nasi Padang meal for four persons in a single star Indonesian restaurant can cost RM60(160,000 Rupiah). This is way beyond the income of the average Joko or Sinta in Indonesia.

Why is this so ? The answer is because the ruling elites in Indonesia do not care about the people. They have pillaged the country.

They craft policies that only serve to keep the elites in power and wealthly. The same thing is happening in M'sia.

There are also millions of Indonesians who go to school and university but do not learn skills that can help them survive in the real world. They are very poor in European languages like English or Dutch. All their education is in Indonesian. So they cannot keep up with the latest developments and technologies. They cannot compete. They remain poor.

The children of the elites are sent overseas for their education. An average Indonesian university graduate cannot bring world class skills to his employers. He or she therefore earns a pittance. This is happening in Malaysia.

Bumiputera university graduates only strike it rich if they get Government jobs where they earn a good salary with a pension. In the private sector they may not get a job or earn only a pittance. The system stunts growth. If Malaysia were to become a 1st World Nation, everyone has to learn to fish together and eat together.

That is why 100,000 graduates remain unemployed in Malaysia, partly because the economy sucks and partly because the system is not proactively adjusting to absorb a higher level educated workforce, as we grow to the next level

In Malaysia, just like in Indonesia, food is getting very expensive. But the wages and salaries of the people, especially the Malays, is not keeping up with the increase in prices. Instead of developing the competitive ability of the people, the Government has been using the failed NEP to provide subsidies and dish out money on a plate.

Everything is subsidised, even cooking oil, flour, rice, sugar, fuel, etc.

The Government has been providing these subsidies so that the people will keep voting for the ruling party. So it has never been to the Government's advantage to make the Malays independent. A Malay who is independent of the Government may not vote for the BN. It is therefore better to keep feeding with subsidies.. So, for the past 50 years, everything has been subsidised.

But now with 27million people in the country of which more than half are Malays, subsidies are getting more expensive. There is also much much more thievery and wastage by the elites in Malaysia.

But there is no bottomless 'well' full of money.

Everything has its limits.

The money will soon run out. Without the subsidies for cooking oil, sugar, flour and petrol, how are the people, especially the Malays, going to survive ? Already university graduates cannot find jobs or compete in the private sector. What happens when the oil money runs out ? What happens when (not if, but when) the Government cannot simply spend billions of oil money to sustain its voting base any longer? That is when we may see people sleeping in the streets, just like in Indonesia. If that happens this country will go up in flames. We will all be consumed.

In Indonesia, the Government has not mobilised its hundreds of millions of people (over
250 million Indonesians) with the competitive skills to grow enough food for themselves. Hence food is expensive. They do not even have simple survival skills like coming to work on time, organising themselves to do simple tasks, maintaining good hygiene and cleanliness and so on. They are poorly read and not informed about many things that are going on around the world. Their Government has failed in all these aspects. Hence the average Indonesian remains poor.

The same thing has happened in Malaysia. Our young people, especially the Malays, do not possess basic survival skills. We are not talking about competitive skills but just basic survival skills. The Government is not serious about giving them useful competitive skills either.

The Mat Rempits are being glorified by the politicians as saviours of the nation (Mat Cemerlang). Correction. they are drug users, gang rapists, snatch thieves and street fighters.

When an efficient Policewoman called Nooriyah Anvar was appointed Chief of Traffic Police she went after the Mat Rempits with a vengeance. Does anyone remember her ? She confiscated their bikes on the spot. But soon the Mat Rempits called their political muscle and Nooriyah Anvar was kicked out. To date she holds the record of being the shortest serving Traffic Police Chief in Malaysia. She has been replaced by Senior Asst Comm (II) Datuk Hamza Taib.

So the Government is not serious about improving the position of the Malays.

It serves the Barisan Nasional Government to keep the Malays down and out. Then the Malays can go to the Government for crumbs. This way the ruling elites get to keep the whole loaf to themselves. Go and visit Indonesia. This is what is happening over there. It is happening over here too.
Does Malaysia have a problem ? yes the Malays are not happy, the Chinese are not happy and the Indians are not happy.

They spoke out at the March 2008 polls and hope things will change for the better, now they have some oppositions who promised change.

The Malays are being duped by their corrupted leaders by using the religion, the Chinese and Indians are being marginalised by the ruling elites.

Let us all Malaysians wake up and fight the corrupt system for the benefit of everyone. Let us all unite and stand together and change the system for once and for all.

We are not Malays, Chinese or Indians, we are Malaysians.

Malaysians May End Up Sleeping in the Street

Lessons.

2008-10-25T13:37:00.002+08:00

A wise man once said, one who forgets his past is doomed to repeat the mistakes again. How very, very true indeed. In fact today's post is a history lesson. Let's go back shall we, back in time to 1933.

In 1933, the Great Depression had just ended and the worst financial crisis the world had ever seen and probably will ever see was just waning in America. However, Germany was not a nice place to be at the time. A young agitator from Austria, Adolf Hitler had founded a party. National Socialist German Workers Party or more popularly known as the Nazi Party. Soon after becoming a German citizen in 1932 (up to that point he was an Austrian citizen although he fought for Germany during the First World War.) he and in the 1933 election led his party to claim majority of the seats in the Reichstag (German Parliament). Through much politicking, threatening and downright underhanded and illegal ways he got himself appointed as the Chancellor of Germany.

He then proceeded to convince the other parties in the Reichstag to pass the Enabling Act which allowed his cabinet the power to make, break and amend laws at their will and also to deviate from the Constitution. After that he slowly chipped away at the remaining checks and balances and banned other political parties except the Nazi Party. Upon the death of President von Hindenburg in 1934, he declared the powers of the President to be his and used the SA paramilitary force to kill, imprison and torture his political opponents.

Finally he was all powerful. His conquest of the German republic was complete and he was now a supreme dictator, answerable to no one and commanded the support of his own personal armed guards the SS, who would keep all his cabinet members in line. Having secured supreme political power, Hitler went on to gain their support by convincing most Germans he was their savior from the economic Depression, communism, the "Judeo-Bolsheviks," and the Versailles treaty, along with other "undesirable" minorities. The Nazis eliminated opposition through a process known as Gleichschaltung ("bringing into line").

Hitler then went on to pursue a form of social engineering. He "modernised" Germany by ordering the construction of armament factories and supervised the building of trains, roads and dams bringing employment to the labourers and farmers who were the traditional supporters of the Nazi Party. Although a secret German armaments programme had been on-going since 1919, in March 1935, Hitler rejected Part V of the Versailles treaty by publicly announcing that the German army would be expanded to 600,000 men (six times the number stipulated in the Treaty of Versailles), introducing an Air Force (Luftwaffe) and increasing the size of the Navy (Kriegsmarine). Britain, France, Italy and the League of Nations quickly condemned these actions. However, after re-assurances from Hitler that Germany was only interested in peace, no country took any action to stop this development and German re-armament continued.

On 13 September 1935, Hitler hurriedly ordered two civil servants, Dr. Bernhard Lösener and Franz Albrecht Medicus of the Interior Ministry to fly to Nuremberg to start drafting anti-Semitic laws for Hitler to present to the Reichstag for 15 September. On the evening of 15 September, Hitler presented two laws before the Reichstag banning sex and marriage between “Aryan” and Jewish Germans, the employment of “Aryan” woman under the age of 45 in Jewish households, and deprived “non-Aryans” of the benefits of German citizenship. The laws of September 1935 are generally known as the Nuremberg Laws. This began the official anti-Semitism of the Nazi Party. (Up to this point it was undercover and Jews were taken from their homes at night, tortured and shot.)

In August 1936, in response to a growing crisis in the German economy caused by the strains of rearmament, Hitler issued the "Four-Year Plan Memorandum" ordering Hermann Göring to carry out the Four Year Plan to have the German economy ready for war within the next four years. He then made this statement, " I consider it necessary for the Reichstag to pass the following two laws:
1) A law providing the death penalty for economic sabotage and
2) A law making the whole of Jewry liable for all damage inflicted by individual specimens of this community of criminals upon the German economy, and thus upon the German people. "

He thus made it legal to kill Jews.

This is the main point of today's post. How one man with a lot of ambition and severly twisted racist ideology went about killing six million innocent Jews for no reason other than their faith.
He was able to do this because people weren't careful. Because people were scared and bought into his politics of fear. Because people were swept up in his racist xenophobia and his clever oratory skills. This is exactly what he did.

One of the foundations of Hitler's social policies was the concept of racial hygiene. It was based on the ideas of Arthur de Gobineau, a French count, eugenics, a pseudo-science that advocated racial purity, and social Darwinism, a mis-use of Charles Darwin's thought. Applied to human beings, "survival of the fittest" was interpreted as requiring racial purity and killing off "life unworthy of life." The first victims were children with physical and developmental disabilities; those killings occurred in a programme dubbed Action T4. After a public outcry, Hitler made a show of ending this program, but the killings in fact continued (see Nazi eugenics).

Between 1939 and 1945, the SS, assisted by collaborationist governments and recruits from occupied countries, systematically killed somewhere between 11 and 14 million people, including about six million Jews, in concentration camps, ghettos and mass executions, or through less systematic methods elsewhere. In addition to those gassed to death, many also died as a result of starvation and disease while working as slave labourers (sometimes benefiting private German companies). Along with Jews, non-Jewish Poles (over three million), communists or political opponents, members of resistance groups, homosexuals, Roma, the physically handicapped and mentally retarded, Soviet prisoners of war (possibly as many as three million), Jehovah's Witnesses, Adventists and Neopagans, trade unionists, and psychiatric patients were killed. One of the biggest centres of mass-killing was the extermination camp complex of Auschwitz-Birkenau. Hitler never visited the concentration camps and did not speak publicly about the killing in precise terms.

The Holocaust (the Endlösung der jüdischen Frage or "Final Solution of the Jewish Question") was planned and ordered by leading Nazis, with Heinrich Himmler playing a key role. While no specific order from Hitler authorizing the mass killing has surfaced, there is documentation showing that he approved the Einsatzgruppen, killing squads that followed the German army through Poland and Russia, and that he was kept well informed about their activities. The evidence also suggests that in the fall of 1941 Himmler and Hitler decided upon mass extermination by gassing. During interrogations by Soviet intelligence officers declassified over fifty years later, Hitler's valet Heinz Linge and his military aide Otto Gunsche said Hitler had "pored over the first blueprints of gas chambers." Also his private secretary, Traudl Junge, testified that Hitler knew all about the death camps.

To make for smoother cooperation in the implementation of this "Final Solution", the Wannsee conference was held near Berlin on 20 January 1942, with fifteen senior officials participating, led by Reinhard Heydrich and Adolf Eichmann. The records of this meeting provide the clearest evidence of planning for the Holocaust. On 22 February, Hitler was recorded saying to his associates, "we shall regain our health only by eliminating the Jews".

I hope everyone learns a lesson from this. How we should be always aware of allowing extremists to come to power.

Return.

2008-10-19T04:19:00.003+08:00

Hi. I'm back. After my one month self-imposed hiatus me and my blog are back online. What happened you ask? Well it's a long story and to cut the crap, let me get to the point. I was persecuted by UiTM, the number one racist university in the world and many threats to my safety were made. Thus I decided to shut down my blog, however the sharks had already smelt blood and proceeded to expel me and as a consequence of that my Petronas scholarship has been terminated. I am now working in KL and awaiting January 2009 to start college at a location close to home.

I'm back and I mean business. Thanks for your patience.

Wake Me Up When September Ends.

2008-09-07T13:41:00.003+08:00

From May 2008, DSAI has been continuously repeating to everyone that wants to hear that he has 30MP's sitting in his pocket ready to defect to PR at a moments notice. I, as a classically pessimistic Malaysian (After so much lies by politicians do any of us trust ANY of them anymore?), immediately relegated that "plan" to the rubbish bin. I mean who would possibly imagine that BN MP's, after 51 years of being whipped into line and unquestioningly obeying their masters commands, would suddenly find a voice and actually speak for their constituents and not toe the party line! An unfathomable option until SAPP. Yong Teck Lee. He is an enigma and a figure who commands both hatred and respect in equal proportions. After all it was his who sold the Sabah Government to Barisan back in the day. Now that he has spoken up and his MP's have decided to revolt, suddenly Anwar's threats carry the weight of action.

September 16. The day of reckoning indeed. Above all else I personally feel that it will happen. It is impossible that where there is smoke, there is no fire. The smoke of course is undeniable. The smoke is not even generated by PR! It's generated by BN themselves. After all, the BN Backbenchers Club has called all BN MP's for a "compulsory" overseas trip, coincidentally on the 7th to the 19th of September. What happens on the 16th? We don't know now. Whatever happens, there is nothing constant in humanity but change. Resisting change brings stagnation. Stagnation brings contempt. Contempt brings destruction.

I am waiting for September 16. Or September 19. Or any other day that true winds of change blow through this beloved nation of ours. This nation that has made us who we are today.

Merdeka.

2008-08-31T01:10:00.005+08:00

I just came back from KLCC Park where I was part of the revelry for Merdeka. It was alright but the disappointing thing is that there were no fireworks this year in KLCC. Only in Bukit Bintang.
Went for dinner we my dad in The Ship in Bukit Bintang. Ate the Salmon Set Meal with Potato Soup, Bread roll and Ice-Cream Cake. Overal 80/100 rating for the food. There was a massive Chinese Music concert under the monorail station but me and my dad decided to move on to KLCC Park to check out what was going on there and participate in the countdown. The rest well.. is boring. Here's some pictures of what went on...

The Ever Regal KLCCMy Daddy.
The Clock Starts

And It ends!

Well we have crossed into our 51st year of Independence from the British and are 16 days away from the 45th year of being Malaysia. In that time however have we truly become independent? Do we truly understand what it means to be free?

This SMS i received shortly after 12.00AM accurately states what I am trying to convey.

"Happy Merdeka. Hopefully our country will one day find reason to celebrate true freedom in every sense of the word in future. Good Night :)"

I too hope for that. Salute all those who have sacrificed for the country and the many more who will whether physically or emotionally to make this land into a land that supports all of us. A land that regards us as equals under one unified banner. A land that treats all of us like it's sons.

Good Night everyone. Pray that we become one nation.

Why I write, What I write.

2008-08-30T14:23:00.002+08:00

As a human being, we all have an innate conciousness which is known as our conscience. Something that most of us are born with. Of course this conscience will evolve, grow and change as times change. However at the root of it all it exists as a single, emotive statement. Hurt No Others. The way this manifests is different in different situations. But in entirety it guides our actions.

There are people who lack a conscience of course. Serial Killers, Rapists, Triad Bosses and other criminals. Criminals not according to the rule of law. Criminals that contravene our essential humanity. Criminals according to the rule of law is well, nearly everybody. Broken a traffic regulation before? You're a criminal. Stole candy from a grocery store when you're 8? You're a criminal. You get my drift.

This Hurt No Others conscience evolves in people as they grow. As they read, understand and explore the knowledge of the previous generations. In short it changes into what many now call philanthrophy. I have a much simpler term for it. I call it Help Others.

So those two principles are what guides me and I guess everybody else. There is also one other leg that we stand on and that is Help Ourselves. Indeed that is my theory. Of course I have no psychiatric training and I don't expect others to accept my theory as the gospel but hear me out at least.

This is what I like to call the three legged stool. And we sit on this stool.
- Hurt No Others
- Help Others
- Help Ourselves.

In many cases when any of the other two stools comes into conflict with the third stool, Help Ourselves prevails. However there are people who let the other two stools prevail. People like Mother Theresa, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Mahatma Gandhi and other luminaries who have charted the path of their society by their simple, selfless acts. Many of these people also paid for it with their lives which is of course confirms that they place Help Ourselves in the last priority.

With that as the background, I think more people can understand what I write. I do not consider myself in the league of these greats. However, I do what I can do right (and write) the wrongs that happen around me. Wrongs that break no law but break the human code. The code that one should not Hurt Others. That one should Help Others to the best of their ability.

I have full faith in the things I write because I am convinced that me writing them enlightens some people about things that they otherwise wouldn't know. In this nation though, my freedom of speech is worth nothing. After all we are the only "demo-crazy" in the world who puts caveats on the freedom of speech. (And no, I do not consider Singapore a democracy. It is a dictatorship. Benevolent or otherwise, a dictatorship it nevertheless is.)

Quote Article 10, Federal Constitution of Malaysia.

(1) Subject to Clauses (2), (3) and (4) -

(a) every citizen has the right to freedom of speech and expression;

(b) all citizens have the right to assemble peaceably and without arms;

(c) all citizens have the right to form associations.

(2) Parliament may by law impose -

(a) on the rights conferred by paragraph (a) of Clause (1),such restrictions as it deems necessary or expedient in the interest of the security of the Federation or any part thereof, friendly relations with other countries, public order or morality and restrictions designed to protect the privileges of Parliament or of any Legislative Assembly or to provide against contempt of court, defamation, or incitement to any offence;

(b) on the right conferred by paragraph (b) of Clause (1), such restrictions as it deems necessary or expedient in the interest of the security of the Federation or any part thereof, or public order;

(c) on the right conferred by paragraph (c) of Clause (1), such restrictions as it deems necessary or expedient in the interest of the security of the Federation or any part thereof, public order or morality.

(3) Restrictions on the right to form associations conferred by paragraph (c) of Clause (1) may also be imposed by any law relating to labour or education.

(4) In imposing restrictions in the interest of the security of the Federation or any part thereof or public order under Clause (2) (a), Parliament may pass law prohibiting the questioning of any matter, right, status, position, privilege, sovereignty or prerogative established or protected by the provisions of Part III, article 152, 153 or 181 otherwise than in relation to the implementation thereof as may be specified in such law.

Well we can contrast this with the Constitution of the United States Of America.
Quote USA Constituition.

Article the third ...... Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

What else is there left to say? We have a flawed Federal Constitution. I pray that those flaws will be corrected and some day we shall truly be free.

For freedom, we live. For freedom, we die.

Back to College.

2008-08-23T14:55:00.002+08:00

After a week of whiling my time away, doing absolutely nothing and simply wasting time (Not to mention failing my driver's license test AGAIN) I am 30 hours from going back to Shah Alam. I dread it because my hostel it going to absolutely filthy knowing my dirty roommates and everything is going to be caked in a inch of dust which I need to clean or else it's back to getting a cold again. Shitty business. Oh ya and Olympics is coming to an end. China has won the gold medal tally but USA won the highest number of medals. Onwards to London in 2012 now eh!

To all the people who are leaving to the UK or US in the next few weeks, my prayers are with you and have a great time wherever you go. Stay safe!

Oh ya and I despise manual cars. I hate manual cars. I hate manual cars so much it would take a miracle for me to like manual cars. Argh, I have a lot of pent up frustration against manual cars. fuck.

Bye

Why, Mr.Lee

2008-08-17T23:22:00.003+08:00

He lost. 21-12 21-8. Went down as tamely as a bird shot with a sniper rifle. Our dreams have ended.

Congratulations Mr.Lee on ensuring that we don't go back empty handed but still, a more competitive match was expected of you.

PS. Datuk Lee anyone?

EDIT : Got the scores wrong.

Mr.Lee, Good Luck.

2008-08-17T19:02:00.002+08:00

Tonight, at 8.48 PM, history will be made. For the first time in twelve years, a Malaysian has a chance of winning an Olympic Gold Medal. I hope to see this image later tonight. Our nations' first Olympic Gold Medal. Pray with me folks. :)

Olympics.

2008-08-09T13:57:00.002+08:00

The 29th Olympiad is on now. The much-awaited opening ceremony went on last night and I plonked myself on the couch by 8.00pm awaiting the very expensive opening ceremony. Some reports say that nearly 70,000,000 US$ was spent just on the opening ceremony alone. Another record amidst this truly record breaking games. Largest participation. Most number of countries. Most money spent (RM 43 Billion!). Most head's of state in attendance. And a host of other mosts. The opening ceremony was really magical to say the least. Here's a short clip of what you may have missed!

Mind blowing stuff really. China put on a real show for the world and I would imagine the ceremony would have made the chinese people very proud indeed. Aside from the estimated 4 billion people who watched the opening ceremony, it is really a amazing publicity grabber for the chinese people as a whole. As an asian of course I too am proud that a fellow asian nation has managed to pull what can only be considered the most stunning opening ceremony ever in the history of the Modern Olympics. Congratulations China.

Now of course it's time for us to return to what the Olympics is really about. Sport. The medal tally now is still in it's opening stages but here's what it looks like right now

OLYMPIC MEDAL TALLY. CLICK ME!

Okay folks. That's all i have to say this time around. Have fun watching possible the biggest olympics of our lifetime! :) Bye

Chelsea.

2008-07-23T23:09:00.002+08:00

The 29th of July 2008 will probably be one of the more memorable days of my short life. For the third time of my life I will see Chelsea Football Club, a team I have supported since ever play live in front of me in Stadium Shah Alam. I'm like a little boy in a candy store mode now. I just can't wait!

Details :

Location : Stadium Shah Alam, Section 13, Shah Alam, Selangor
Time : 8.45PM
Event : Chelsea FC vs Malaysia
Importance : FRIGGIN HIGH PRIORITY!

If you're going tell me, we'll meet up there :D Ciaoz

Dell-ighted.

2008-07-20T17:54:00.003+08:00

This ladies and gentlemen, is my new wife. I married her on the 19th of July 2008 at around 12pm. Isn't she beautiful!! She's got every damn things under the hood that you'd possible think of that could be put in a laptop!

[SECTION REMOVED DUE TO COMPLAINTS]

Next update from McDonalds, Section 2 Shah Alam!

Heading Out.

2008-06-28T04:23:00.002+08:00

So for the 3rd time in 6 months, I'm moving. All packed already now. Still missing some things that I will buy from Tesco, Shah Alam tomorrow. Going to INTEC. Still quite unsure as to how things will be there despite my Urban Adventure in Shah Alam last Tuesday. Hopefully I get half-decent roommates. I will die if I get a bunch of nerds! Just looking back at all the times in KYUEM. Good, Bad and just plain ugly at times. (It is 4.30AM after all.) It was a good 6 months. But now it's time to move on. Can't keep living in the past can we?

I'm looking forward to it I think. Maybe it'll be better then expected? Well I'll update from there then. Hopefully with some pictures? God knows :P Ciao

War

2008-06-20T01:35:00.002+08:00

Here's a few posts i put up on www.recom.org forum. It's a very interesting forum about Education stuff mainly but there are other categories. This posts are ones that were put up in the "What i don't like about Malaysia?" thread.

I think we don't need a strong military. We don't need submarines (except for scientific research purposes), We don't need fighter jets and most importantly we don't 600 million ringgit commission to Abdul Razak Baginda (the altantuya guy) Company for "service fee" for negotiations with the russians. We don't need to send people to space either while we're at that.

Asean is one of the most stable regions in the world with the last armed conflict in this area being 45 years ago when Indonesia send secret Armed Forces into the jungles in Johor and Sabah/Sarawak. Even then it was the ANZ (Australia and New Zealand Joint Armed Forces) which did most of the fighting. We need a very strong navy though. That is to protect our coastline because we collectively as a country have one of the longest coastline/land mass ratio.

Other countries may spend lots of money on defence because they may see it being very important to them. We should not get involved in an arms race because it benefits no one except the Russian and American arms manufacturers. Anyway who is going to attack us? Singapore?! Thailand? Indonesia? These countries have much more to lose than to gain by attacking us. If Singapore attack us they will not have food or water as nearly all their raw food/processed food and water is imported from Malaysia. Thailand is too busy sorting out their own internal problems to even think about attacking anybody and Indonesia will probably kill their own livelihood if they attack us. ( US$ 2.3 billion was sent to Indonesia last year alone by Indonesians working in Malaysia).

If any of the big powers (US, Russia, China, India, UK etc.) decide to attack us no matter how much we spend on defence we will still lose. Thus defence spending is of little to no use. Better use the money to create a more highly trained, larger, better paid police force. I would much sooner finance 70,000 more cops who work hard than 300,000 army who do nothing with my
taxes.

Soon after this post another forumer said this. Quote "Alepbing"

this is what i was saying... surrendering before even begin the war.sorry lah, i dont mean to offend you, but somehow you are being typical malaysian by underestimating your own country. sorry.

My reply to him was as such.

Haha i can't resist not replying. I don't underestimate my own country. I think realistically. Don't need to talk about superpowers la even Taiwan's military spending is equivalent to half of our governmental revenue. What do we gain from war? Why should violence even be an option? What has any nation gained from fighting before? It only cause untold suffering, loss of life and the hollow moral victory from fighting is always offset by the pain it causes to all parties involved. If there is one thing that history taught us it's that war always ends up causing another war. Bismarck's War of Unification was a contributor to the First World War, which then became the main reason for the Second World War, which caused the Cold War, during which The Korean War, The Vietnam war, the cuban conflict, the afghan war and untold number of skirmishes occured. The arms buildup from these wars and the bad decisions involved during the Cold war was a main contributing factor to the Gulf War in 1990 and even the current "war on terror". Study history mate, lots to learn there. Which brings me to my final point. What better way to discourage war than to not have an army.

Who do you agree with? Do you think war is essential or do you think war can be dispensed with? Personally you know my views, I feel war is useless and causes more pain than gain. From an economists perspective it fails it's cost/benefit analysis. But i want to know what other people feel about this.

Betrayal.

2008-06-15T02:03:00.002+08:00

Have you ever been shot in the foot by your own gun?
Have you ever been stabbed in the back by your own knife?
Have you ever been betrayed by the one person you trusted above all else?

Well I have.
I live to tell the tale.
The tale of a foolish lad,
One who thought love is all that is true.
Love is all that is pure,
Love is all that is needed.

One who thought no mountain,
No sea,
No crevice,
Could drown his love.

One who fell in love too soon and paid a heavy price.
One who was shot down like an eagle in a hunter's sight
One who saw pictures.
Pictures that heralded the end

One who's best friends turned from human to glass.
From speech to liquid
From men to whiskey.
For the suffering he endured,
Was one that many had suffered before.
It hardly made it less painful.

This is a reminder.
To all and sundry.
The laws of karma hold strong
As far as this universe remains,
What goes around. Comes around.
Cheat and be Cheated on,
Lie and be Lied to,
Kill and be Murdered,

The Circle of Madness holds.

PS. I did what was right. I cut the rope.

News.

2008-06-04T16:18:00.002+08:00

Well finally the phone call i've been dreading/awaiting with anticipation (I still can't make up my mind which one it is) came. I'm going to INTEC. Petronas wants me to do SAM/AUSMAT/Something infinitely easier than A-Levels. I have little love lost for KYUEM as a place but it rips my heart out to lose brilliant teachers like Dr.Foord, Ms.Shree, Mrs.Beadsworth etc. I also feel no joy in losing all the new friends I made here, genuine people who I really love. So this is mainly a shoutout to all KYUEM people Jan 2008- June 2008. Everyone of you played a role in making these 6 months a life-changing experience for me. All of you contributed in many ways to making me who I am today, as they say, What a man is never changes but who a man is never stops changing. I've learnt so much more about myself in these six months than I've ever known. I've learnt so much more about people in general.

Tomorrow I pack my bags and leave. Leave to a new place, a new phase in my life. But whatever happens, I'll never forget those six months. On an unrelated note, KYUEMers who i owe money to, please hunt me down. Anybody here who's doing SAM or has done SAM can I have some advice about the course and miscellanous details etc. See you guys in another life. Bye.

Existentialism.

2008-06-01T01:29:00.002+08:00

Existentialism –(noun) Philosophy.
a philosophical attitude associated esp. with Heidegger, Jaspers, Marcel, and Sartre, and opposed to rationalism and empiricism, that stresses the individual's unique position as a self-determining agent responsible for the authenticity of his or her choices.

Not a common word in everybody's vocabulary but it's a good one to have. Everybody makes decisions everyday. I wake up in the morning because i decide to go to class. I eat because i decide i'm hungry. As they say a man is the sum of his actions and his actions are determined by his decisions. Once you take a step, there is no turning back and everything you do from then on is clearly your own because no two people travel the same road.

It's time to take leaps in our lives. I've lived on autopilot for far too long. I've neglected people who really understand me for far too long. I've surrounded myself with people who despise me and I think it's time to change. It's time to move on. Time to clear the cobwebs in my head and it's time to live again. Time to start reading again. I've neglected my favourite hobby for far too long and I think it's catching up to me. Life's meant to be lived and make sure you always make the right decisions that take you where you want to be. I don't want to be in a position where I will regret what I do now in 50 years time.

Bye. Think about your life and what you want to do with it.

Emotional Times.

2008-05-18T16:45:00.002+08:00

(Warning, this is an emotional post.)

It's not everyday your friend survives cancer. Richard Yap, I salute you. A man of courage and strength, you will inspire us all by your amazing bravery and courage in the face of cancer. You have endured more pain, suffering and trauma than most of us will ever undergo in an entire lifetime in the last few years. Yet your sense of humour remains, your wit and mental faculties are better than ever and you came out of this experience a better man.

Next week i have semester exams but despite that I came back to KL this weekend simply because i heard Richard is coming back from major surgery in London. Many people see this as being very thoughtful etc. but for me the reason for me to come back is simple. It's not everyday your mate survives cancer. I am actually dissapointed that more people who knew him and still stay in Taman Desa did not come to visit him.

These few days spent with him gave me new perspective on life and death. It gave me a renewed vigour to live and do something with my life. Seeing someone survive that sort of experience should give everyone what years of therapy cannot. It should give people a reason to live. The most touching thing about visiting him though was not his reaction, it was his mothers reaction. That lady is a gem of a person and she was so happy to see everybody who came to visit him. But more than that, the look on her face everytime she looked at her son's face was just pure joy. It was as if she knew that everytime she looks at him it's a bonus. Whether his life was changed forever by the sickness or not, I will never know for sure. But what i do know for sure is that both his parents' lives have been changed forever by his sickness.

I've never been too much of a religious person but in this case, all the doctors over the past 3 years may have contributed but there is one who can claim the greatest amount of credit for curing Richard and that's god. So whatever religion you may subscribe to or practice, thank god for saving a young man who has a full life left to live.

IELTS and Oil.

2008-05-11T10:00:00.002+08:00

So this week i left college early. Escaped from my jungle prison on Friday instead of Saturday because of IELTS test on Saturday. If you don't already know, the International English Language Testing System is an english language qualification that most universities where english is a medium of instruction require for admission. On that note I booked a test date, paid up the RM520.00 that's required and came yesterday to sit for the test. Left at around 7.30am to the British Council office in Wisma Selangor Dredging which is next to Public Bank in front of KLCC. Hectic test after test ensued from 8am to 3pm. Finally when i was done i met up with a friend who i met at the IELTS test to watch Iron Man!

Ironman was alright, not too factually accurate but then again it's a comic book movie. Loads of thrills and spills. Nice big explosions and kick ass robot armour. Last scene was a robot armour vs robot armour battle. Quite exciting. Don't hope for too much of a touching storyline though and there is no romance at all the movie which is a relief.

So the big news of the week was that i got the Petronas Scholarship. Saw the announcement on Petronas' website. To say i was elated would be an understatement. I was over the moon. There is a grey cloud in all this blue sky though, the next 16 years or so of my life are pretty "mapped out" to say the least. I go to college for another year or two. I go to UK/US for another four years and once i graduate I'm bonded to work for Petronas for 10 years. It may sound very gloomy but hey, Petronas is paying 600k++ to educate me and I get a solid job at a top oil company for market rate salaries for 10 years, economic downturn or no economic downturn. Quite fantastic deal really. By the way i'm going to study Geophysics or i mean Petronas wants me to study Geophysics now that i've effectively sold my soul to Petronas.

Bye world, See you when i'm 33.

The Big One, Eight.

2008-05-03T17:59:00.003+08:00

That's right. As of 28th April i have officially turned 18 years old. On a lighter note here's what happened that night...

Now that i'm 18, i'm as far the long arm of the Malaysian Law is concerned, fully prosecutably legal. That means from now on, if i break the law it means that i can be prosecuted in a court of law to the fullest extent of the law. Which sucks. A lot. In fact i see very little bright point in turning 18, I still can't vote, I can get arrested, If somebody sues me I have to pay full damages, I can't stand for elections, I can already drive(if i wanted to) from 17, I'm no longer eligible for child rate. It sucks being 18. Can't wait to turn 21... If there are any bright points about turning 18, i'm missing them. Bye

People.

2008-04-19T21:30:00.002+08:00

Everyday people meet new people. I've met new people everyday since embarking on this new phase of my life and on some days you meet more new people than others. People really do add spice to your life though. I mean, they are your environment and everyday your environment shapes you and the person you are. So it really is safe to say that the people you meet are you (in a weird and twisted way.)

Some days ago I was informed by Petronas that I should attend a camp-cum-interview if I wish to be selected for their scholarship. And so i packed my bags and left to see whether i could be one of the few non-malays who can boast of being selected to enjoy the government and it's cronies' magnamity. As i arrived this looked of apprehension must have been firmly fixed in my place because everybody i talked to boasted of quite a few more A's then me. I mean 9A's and 1C is hardly stellar results. It's probably a screw up by Malaysians demanding academic standards. One of the first people i met there was this tiny girl from Seremban. When i say tiny, i mean TINY! She was all of 4' 10" tall and her stature wasn't all that imposing to say the least. However, she was a very nice person and quite approachable really. She though is not the focus of this post.

How many times in your life have you met somebody exactly like you? Somebody you can communicate with on what may seem like a god-damned cellular level. Somebody who has had the exact same experiences as you, good or bad. Somebody who has similar dreams to you. Somebody who can make you laugh, cry and just want to take a dump all at the same time. I say once. You meet people like this once, maybe twice and for the really lucky three times in a lifetime. I met one person like that. She was there in University Technology Petronas. She was there when i had no other friends. (Sorry AA from VI) She was the second person i met there and hell if she didn't change me. I only thought that people like me existed somewhere on another planet. I simply had never met a person who struck such a concordant chord in me before. In the world of opposites, she's physically opposite her room mate though. Her room mate is the first person i met and through her i met this person and i will forever be grateful to her for enlightening me about the presence of such a person in this world.

People tend to be discouraged by adversities. Some people just aren't brave enough. Some people don't know what it means to be brave and some people, well they don't know what to do even if they're brave. If you have a dream, by all means, follow it. Follow it to the ends of the earth, no matter rain nor shine, no matter what difficulties and adversities may lie in your path. I have a friend. A brilliant friend. A friend, who i can honestly say is smarter than me. A friend who i just met but a very close friend indeed. That friend wants to forget about her dream. That friend was to take the easy way out and do something that resembles her dream but isn't really it. Tell me, whatever am i going to do with this friend.

Please people get facebook. I'm far too lazy to post photos on my blog. I prefer to well, write like real bloggers. You want photos get facebook. It's all there anyway! Bye. Meet some new people will you?

Distractions.

2008-04-18T22:22:00.002+08:00

Since my now long past redang trip i haven't blogged. Is it out of choice? out of compulsion perhaps? or maybe, just maybe i just was too distracted. Of course the terrible internet in college did not help but still, that's just an excuse. I'm sorry to all the avid readers of my blog (yes the both of you!) lol. I have been doing a lot of things. I have decided to forget about blogging about my trips to redang and singapore. This is not a bloody travelogue. Things have been going on in college.

I'm in Diamond house, one of four "houses" in my college, the others being Sapphire, Garnet and Topaz. Every year each house has to have a sort of carnival and it's called Evening with X. Evening with Diamond was a couple of days back. It was quite fun and i was thoroughly involved in it. The theme was fantasy night and everyone was supposed to dress up in character. I was a serial killer. With my white sweater and hood pulled up, I also had a scissors, I did look the part as well. Anyway it was a relative success. Few days ago Evening with Garnet also took place, however i didn't attend as i was out of college on the day. I was there for a few minutes but nothing more. It looked pretty good. Anyway congratulations to all Diamonders and Garnetors who worked very hard on this as a showpiece event and made life in KYUEM a little less monotonous.

Now for the umm, highlight? of this post. Remember some time ago i may have mentioned i was applying for a few scholarships, well i wasn't putting too much in store for it (my lack of bumiputera status is an excellent reason) until one fine day i received an sms from Petronas asking me to check their website to see if I had been called for the interview. Lo and behold, i was called and it was shocking. However i had to miss 3 days of classes to attend it but i think it was worth it. The interview process itself was pretty good. I had a psychoanalysis test, an english proficiency test, an IQ test and a Case-Study based interview. I think i performed pretty well in all the test but the highlight was the personal interview with two senior Petronas people. I think i performed exceptionally well there. I gave what some might construe as a stirring speech about my case-study (which was about GM food). Blew the socks off the Petronas people i think.

Also i met a few people... i think that's material for another post. For now thats all

Seriousness. Lack of It.

2008-03-21T02:06:00.003+08:00

In recent times, my blog posts have been a lot of heavy reading and well, lightheartedness wasn't exactly the order of the day. In that memory today i will present to you my latest invention,

THE WHORE DETECTOR 3000.

*all conversations and examples are true stories experienced first-hand by yours truly

In this treacherous world today, we are surrounded by whores and with that in mind i have decided to invent a methodology to detect whores with nearly 99% accuracy. For example, when this conversation occurs, person S is definitely a whore.

X : Dude, where's your hometown ah?
Me : Cameron Highlands macha, why la?
X : Nothing la, just asking.. So you like going to your hometown ah?
Me : Yeah. It's pretty cool there. My grandparents passed away but my uncle still stays there.
X : Oh that's cool... What does he do?
Me : Who, my uncle??
X : Yea.
Me : Oh, he owns and runs a strawberry farm. It pawns ass. I can go there and eat free strawberries :P
(all this time person S has been quiet)
S : Oh. My favourite flavour of CONDOMS! is strawberry flavour.

... Conclusion? S is a whore.

Setting : In the car, driving towards a mamak. Z is driving. I am sitting in the front seat and Y is in the back seat.

Z : *screech* F**k that bloody lorry
Me : Chill bro. The bugger probably forgot he's carry large tree trunks and he thinks he's bloody Lewis Hamilton
Z : Damn asshole! (continues swearing)
Me : We should just get out of the car and stick one of those logs up his arse for driving like an idiot.
Z : Yeah. Lets just do that.
Y : You know guys, the logs look like giant DICKS!.

... Conclusion? Y is a whore.

For more whore detection lessons call 555-WHORE. That's 555-WHORE. If you are an AT & T Wireless Phone Subscriber Send WHORE 1 to 5701. (With Ryan Seacrest accent)

Tibet.

2008-03-18T18:38:00.003+08:00

Over the past few days, Tibet has been put in the spotlight. Here's an article in the Toronto Star i think some of us should read if you don't have any background knowledge of this. The fact remains that after 50 years of crushing Tibet and diluting Tibetan culture, the so-called New China remains determined in eradicating whatever is left of Tibet, starting with their people. China's puppet Governor in Tibet said that there has only been a handful of people killed in the fatal riots which have been going on for the past week and claims that these casualties were caused by demonstrators themselves, however with the limited media access that is possible, the Tibetan government in exile has determined that nearly 100 people have been killed and most of them by Chinese troops ordered to bring "peace" back to Lhasa at any cost.

The international community is brainwashed by China's money and purchasing power that the lives of innocent Tibetans and their struggle for freedom is ignored in the pursuit of money. Is money that important that human life and the principles of democracy that the people of Tibet hunger for is to be disregarded. The first thing US and EU should do is threaten to pull out of the Beijing Olympics, however they are acting like China's lapdogs and said that there is no chance that they will pull out of the Olympics. How callous can they be? The same people who are very quick to criticise the lack of democracy in the middle-east and asia are not willing to make any concrete actions to back up their claim of protecting democracy. It is not only the EU and US though, Asian countries are just too afraid that China may pull the plug on their gravy train. China has continued to abuse it's economic muscle to beat any opposition to it's disregard for International Law and human rights. We must take a stand.

Please if you have any decency left in you. Tell people who don't know about this and be aware of what China is doing in killing another attempt to restore freedom to the people of Tibet.

For more background reading on this and to educate yourself go to This Site.

No.25

2008-03-16T20:29:00.002+08:00

Last night was a blast. I got drunk for the 25th time in the last 12 months last night but the alcohol wasn't the star of the show. I got drunk in my cousin's house with all his school mates who are great sports. I really love him school mates, they're great fun. Basically the friends who came last night are

So that's some of the friends who turned up. Chivas Regal, Absolut Vodka Peach, Skol Beer and Tequila (i can't remember the brand). Supposed to be a barbecue session involved in between the drinking but my cousin and his friends' lack of cooking skills made all the chicken become raw and uncooked therefore nobody touched it. They even managed to undercook sausages if that's even possible. Anyways, it was all good fun. A few games of Chor Dai Ti and Poker were also involved. However something really really funny happened. It was something i did but i couldn't remember it until the next morning when i discovered what i did. I called someone when i was drunk. Here's what transpired.....

V : Hello
X : Hi
V : *shouting* I am drunk now. So i'm calling you to because you said you wanted to know how people sound when their drunk
X : Oh, Haha.. *giggle, giggle*
V : I had 6 shots of vodka and 4 glasses of whiskey, so i'm totally drunk. However my brain is still working!! I can still walk in a straight line (and it seems i actually did walk in a straight line while on the phone as i discovered from other people there)
X : Hahahahaha...
V : I still can think very clearly!! You know, i remember A-level Physics, Projectile Motion!! The vertical component of the velocity is u sin θ and the horizontal component is u cos θ.
X : Omg etc. (not too clear what her response was)
X : You wanna know something??
V : Whattttt??
X : I am single now.
V : Oh, I'm so sorry for you... But you know something. Because i'm drunk i can tell this to you!!
X : What?
V : I LOVE YOUUUUUU....
X : Hahahahahahahahahah
V : *suddenly serious voice* But really. I love you.
X : Omg wtf roflmao.

And that's how i embarassed myself when i got drunk No.25! I have since apologised to that person (she's the one who told me whatever i said anyway). I came home this morning with a stomach ache that has lasted till now. It hurtsss... Good Night!!

Ez.Pee.Am.

2008-03-13T10:59:00.003+08:00

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away...
Now it looks like it's here to stay
Oh I believe, In Yesterday...

Yes. Yesterday i was a happier man. Yesterday i was satisfied. Yesterday i felt free and unburdened. Yesterday I collected my SPM results. And Today i am unhappy. These are my SPM results as follows;

English A1
English (GCE O-Levels) A1
Bahasa Malaysia A1
Mathematics A1
Additional Mathematics A1
English for Science and Technology A1
Chemistry A1
Physics A2
Literature in English A2
History A2
Moral C5

That is a total of 6A1's 3A2's and 1C5 or 9A's and 1C. It is of course way better than my initial targeted results in which i predicted i would get 7A1's 1B3 1C6 and 1G9. However i did not get A1's for physics and lit. in which i expected sure A1's. I don't know whether i should be disappointed or pleased. My parents sure seem lackadaisical towards it. Maybe because i am pretty unconcerned as to my results. Well there seems to be nothing left to say. Goodbye.

Democra-zy

2008-03-10T00:46:00.002+08:00

Today is the 10th of March 2008. That means the 8th of March 2008 was 2 days ago. That means the full results of the 12th General Erection have been fully and officially released by the Fraud-ection Commission. Before i go any further, I would like to state that I am an opposition supporter and my parents voted for DAP so that should give you some perspective on my statements. The final results are as such:
In the Lower House of Parliament (Dewan Rakyat)
BN - 140 Seats
Barisan Rakyat (Total) - 82 Seats
DAP - 28 Seats
PAS - 23 Seats
PKR - 31 Seats

This means that the opposition has successfully denied the 2/3 majority that BN has been abusing for 40 years. The end to constitutional amendments as and when the BN feels like it is over. BN's biggest losses were in FT where 10/13 parliamentary seats were lost to opposition and 4 federal ministers, 6 federal deputy ministers and a few parliamentary secretaries lost their seats. Among the 4 are Semi-Value (the cheater of the indians), Zam zam Alakazam (the propaganda machine), Sharizat (the vote-buyer) and last but not least Aziz Shamshudin. Nearly all MIC candidates lost their parliamentary and state seats and MCA were the biggest losers of the night with their state representation in most states being annihilated and the parliamentary seats being either lost (25/40) or won with small margins (12/15). Gerakan as a party no longer exist as they have lost ALL of the seats they contested in with NO exceptions. UMNO lost over 30 parliamentary seats as well.

State Legislative Assembly (Dewan Undangan Negeri)
Perlis - BN 14 BR 1 * BN rule with 2/3 majority
Kedah - BN 14 BR 22 * BR rule with simple majority
Kelantan - BN 6 BR 39 * BR rule with 2/3 majority
Terengganu - BN 24 BR 8 * BN rule with 2/3 majority
Penang - BN 11 BR 29 * BR rule with 2/3 majority
Perak - BN 28 BR 31 * BR rule with simple majority
Pahang - BN 37 BR 5 * BN rule with 2/3 majority
Selangor - BN 20 BR 36 * BR rule with simple majority ** BR has 65% of seats.
Negeri Sembilan - BN 21 BR 15 * BN rule with simple majority
Malacca - BN 23 BR 5 * BN rule with 2/3 majority
Johore - BN 50 BR 6 * BN rule with 2/3 majority
Sabah - BN 59 BR 1 * BN rule with 2/3 majority

With these results it can be seen that 5 states have fallen to the Barisan Rakyat and in one state BN has lost it's 2/3 majority. I have only two words to say. Makkal Sakthi. Loosely translated it means people power. As RPK said Suara Rakyat, Suara Keramat which means the people's voice is the death knell and it was a resounding one for BN who were drowned in a tsunami of votes. Truly the time has come for solidarity where race and colour no longer matters where a vote is based on who is the best than who is the malay or chinese or indian. Race based politics is over in this nation and together with one voice as one people we have voted to end it. We have given the opposition a chance to lead half of this country and we have given them the voice they want in Parliament, now it is up to them to fulfill their end of the bargain. I hope that their pledges in the People's Declaration will be upheld and they will run this nation the way we want them to run this nation. All politicians are to be treated with a degree of caution. WE ARE THE BOSS. We are the ones who gave them the power and we are the ones who can take it away. The opposition has been given unprecedented power and we are the ones who must check that they are doing their job properly. There is little point in getting rid of one corrupt group and replacing them with another corrupt group. Everyone of us must play a proactive role in checking our government and those with legal training even more so. However, we had reached the lowest ebb in our nation's development and harmony over the last few months and we must all change. Change to accept that your neighbour no matter his skin colour is your brother. Change to accept that your leader that you voted into power is your leader championing YOUR rights no matter his skin colour. To all the indians and chinese who voted for PAS, do no fear because PAS is run by men of the book. Religious men who may be muslim hardliners but have NO chance of being corrupt and inefficient and racist compared to UMNO fools who are all those things AND muslim hardliners. To all malays who voted for DAP, do not fear because DAP is a party for all malaysians. DAP and PKR both fielded candidates from all races because we believe in a united, malaysian malaysia where malay malaysian, chinese malaysian, indian malaysian etc. no longer exist and are replaced my MALAYSIAN!

Umno people have been saying that because the BR has won so many states, these states will have their development projects cancelled and the states will suffer. To this end i urge all of you to view india as a good case example. Nearly all the states are ruled by parties OTHER than the Congress which leads the federal government. India's growth last year was 11%. I rest my case.

I have said a lot about our current state of government. I am not going to notify all of you with the latest election news as you can access that with ease from malaysiakini which is now free until march 12. I have said my piece. Now it is time for all of us to work together to bring a new dawn to this glorious country we call home. Good night

Rugger.

2008-03-03T16:18:00.003+08:00

Rugby. Real fun sport. As one experienced player told me, It's a gentleman's game played by hooligans. A real man's sport. No watered down girls version here people. (Women's Football?) Blood, Broken Bones and Bites. The 4B's of Rugby. Last weekend was the KYUEM 10's Rugby Invitational Tournament and I was one of the tourney officials. As always a large amount of the 4B's were involved in every match. I really don't have the mood to get into the nitty-gritty of the tournament. Just the bare bones then. It went on in UKM over the last weekend. 13 teams were involved. I can't really remember all but here's a few. Politeknik Shah Alam. Kolej Mara Seremban. Kolej Mara Bangi. KYUEM. KYSER Junior. Taylor's College. INTEC. TWINTECH. Sekolah Menengah Teknik Sepang. Sekolah Menengah Teknik Ampangan. Sekolah Menengah Sains Hulu Selangor (SEMASHUR). Sekolah Menengah Sains Selangor (SEMENSAH). In the Final, KYUEM lost to Politeknik Shah Alam 7-0. It was a hard fought match with both teams playing fantastic rugby but honestly, the better team lost. Anyway congratulations Roughnecks. It's our best finish in our history of organising this tournament and it's an improvement on last year's finish of 3rd place so it's a fantastic showing by all our players.

I'm back in college for the last week of this semester and this weekend i'm going HOME! FOR 3 WEEKS!! Joy. I'll see you on the other side :)

Busy.

2008-02-25T14:12:00.002+08:00

It's been really a long time since my last post. I have been so super busy with all the things going on in college now. I can't remember a time that i've been so busy since march-june last year. It's just been classes, work, activity, repeat. 3 Tests in the last 2 weeks alone. Physics, Chemistry and Maths. Tension! With all that we had Inter House Rugby Tournament which Sapphire won, we had Inter House Dikir Barat which Topaz won and other stuff. Last weekend i went to an orphanage near Batu Caves with the KYUEM Rotaract club. We built up their playroom and stocked it full with toys and books and furniture. Fantastic work to do in your free time. It's been quite some time since i did any social work and to think i nearly forgot how good it feels. The happiness you get from doing Social work is like nothing else. Truly. I'm updating from college and my college Wi-Fi sucks so bad that it's nearly impossible to do anything that's why there are so few pictures these days. I have so many pictures of all these events and i want to put them up but i just can't!

Over the weekend we went to Kem Rekreasi Raja Intan Suraya near Sungai Siput in Perak. The camp is by the shore of Sungai Perak and it's supposed to be the 5th most beautiful nature camp in Peninsular Malaysia. It was part of Diamond House Trip for 2008 and it was a really fun camp. I think i can safely say that the theme of the camp is being wet. There was a single moment between 1pm on Saturday and 10.30a.m. on Sunday when i was 100% dry. ALL the activities involved water and LARGE amounts of it. People just kept on getting dunked into the river and pails upon pails of river water being thrown on unsuspecting individuals. There was an entire game constructed around getting the Seniors drenched! We also did river floating and water confidence which are exercises designed to build your confidence in a strong current river. Kayaking was also done. Lots and lots of camwhoring also. I think we took nearly 1500 pictures in that two day period with just Bob's Camera! Finally got to eat some proper food as well because after the trip we went to Jusco Ipoh where there is a Kenny Rogers. Joy! :P

Last night was the Carling Cup Final. Tottenham Vs Chelsea. Kick-off was at 1500 GMT which was at 11.00pm local time. It was not a very good match. Joe Cole was benched for god knows what reason. I'm extremely unhappy with Avram Grant and most Chelsea fans are united with me. Chelsea just lacked creativity and width. Ashley Cole didn't play so there was just not enough width on the left. Wayne Bridge put in a decent performance but it just wasn't good enough. Lacklustre performances all around except when Drogba scored his 10th goal of the season with a perfectly placed free kick which left Robinson rooted to the ground. Tottenham didn't play very well but they got their slices of luck when it mattered. A foolish mistake by Bridge gave them a penalty which Berbatov calmly dispatched and a rare Cech blunder in punching the ball away from a free kick slammed the ball of Woodgate's head and into the back of the net in extra time! An all round bad performance by Chelsea and Tottenham the deserved winners. Real rubbish but we're still in 3 more tournaments and we'll look for our silverware elsewhere. Champions League anyone?

Bye.

Words.

2008-02-17T01:20:00.001+08:00

Words are very powerful. As many wise (Hollywood Screen Writers) men have said "The Pen is Mightier than the Sword". I have to say i believe that line simply because of recent experiences. I have been bleeding over the past few days. Losing a lot of blood in fact. It's simply due to words or more precisely, a lack of it from a certain person. As far as cold shoulders and icy feet go, this person has frozen me top down. Despite the freezing conditions, I still bleed. The unseen blade of speech thrust into my heart. I don't know what i did. I don't know when i did whatever i did do. The worst part is that i can't find out because the only person who knows is giving me a freezing hand. I'm losing sleep as well as i continue to contemplate my next action. Hopefully i will get an epiphany on how to solve this mess i seem to surround myself in.

Next however is results. KYUEM Inter-House Rugby Tournament 2008 to be precise. I am not going to cover all the results, just the ones i was involved in. Day 1 Diamond 5 Sapphire 20. Day 2 Diamond 10 Garnet 0. Day 3 Diamond 15 Topaz 20. Day 4 (3rd-4th Placing) Diamond 10 Garnet 0. Final Sapphire 20 Topaz 5. Congratulations Sapphire, you whooped our collective arses. Good job Diamonders, for a rag-tag team of makeshift players we really held our own. Go Diamond.

Also earlier this evening was the Inter-House Dikir Barat contest. Yes. Dikir Barat. Thank god i didn't join. It was extremely embarassing to say the very least. Just follow the link if you don't know what that is. Topaz won it, Sapphire 2nd and Diamond 3rd. I'm not going to say who was last as that is rather obvious and we wouldn't want to offend anyone would we :P.

I'm really sorry about the pictures of my pretty made up face. I just can't get my hands on an internet connection stable enough to upload anything so it really is very difficult to get it done however i will try my best to get it done.

The Student Council Elections just ended on the 15th. After weeks of hard campaigning the candidates finally came to the end of their campaign. It will still some days before we get our hands on any results so until then we'll have to wait.

I've just started Life Saving lessons so i'm on my path to becoming a certified Life Guard! However the road is going to be long and hard as the most important part of being a Life Guard is the fitness. You have to be extremely fit. I mean 300m swimming in 6 minutes fit! You also must learn all the swimming techniques and learn all the Life Guard material. Long way more but i think i'll make it!

Finally the last thing, i'm running out of breath here, the college put a new computer in my apartment.

It's not very fantastic or anything but it is reasonably good. Internal graphics is the only grouse i have against it but it's still more than good enough to play all the CS and DoTA in the world. The best part is that the internet works better on this computer than on other laptops for some weird reason.

It's time for me to go to bed now. Tomorrow i have to wake up at 7am and get ready to go to an orphanage in Gombak. Together with the KYUEM Rotaract Club i'm going to help clean up and fix the playroom in the orphanage. Full day activity. GOOD NIGHT PEOPLE!!

Final Score: Liverpool 1 Barnsley 2
Chelsea 3 Huddersfield 1
As of 40' Manchester United 2 Arsenal 0

Joy Vs Happiness

2008-02-07T13:26:00.000+08:00

My first post from Home in a long time. It has been a very intriguing 3 weeks in KYUEM and i've had many meaningful and deep conversations with people. Sorry about the Bangsawan pictures. It will be some time yet before they are up. I was discussing the difference between Joy and Happiness on a jog with one of my college friends.

I said, Happiness is what lasts with you for a fleeting moment. Happiness can come in a split second and leave immediately after. Happiness comes with material possession, Happiness comes with satisfaction of wants. Now lets see what a dictionary has to say about Happiness.

Happiness - noun
1. the quality or state of being happy.
2. good fortune; pleasure; contentment

Those are all the things happiness is. I think i'm relatively close to my mum so i asked her this question. What is happiness? She said, Happiness is something that is insignificant in your life. Anybody can get happy. See a starving child in Sudan. Give him/her food. He's happy.

Is that picture all there is to life? Isn't there Joy?? What is Joy. Joy is a long-term thing. It's that feeling you feel when you wake up in the morning (or in my case at lunch-time) and it gives you a reason to roll of that bed. It's that person lying next to you in bed. It's that energy you feel when you go for a jog. It's that reason you live. That's Joy!
Joy - noun
1. the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation
2. a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated

I think the dictionary is spot on there. That sums up Joy. That's all i have to say. Any suggestions for Happiness vs Joy? Leave a comment on the board. Good Night.

PS. I'm on Facebook. Add me vikra_the_man@Hotmail.com :D

KYUEM stuff.

2008-02-04T01:33:00.000+08:00

It really has been a long time. Nearly a full week since i last updated my blog. A lot of things has happened in that time. I felt attracted to certain individuals. I grew to hate certain other people and I am confused about my relationship with an individual i initially thought there may be a future in. A great deal of confusing personal stuff is going on right now with me. However, classes has been going decently well. New teacher for Pure Mathematics. She sucks. Really, really bad. I mean school teachers were bad enough but this idiot brings another level to idiocy.

Otherwise, I got my tutor and was assigned my house this week. I'm in Diamond. Diamond is good, lots of smart people are my seniors. My tutor is a lepak guy though. He doesn't really care about the time we spend. He's a Physics lecturer so if you have any problems in that he'll probably help you but otherwise, just talk to your friends.

This week we had the first of the Inter-House competitions. Bangsawan. It's basically a competition between the four houses, Diamond, Sapphire, Topaz and Garnet with each house putting up a Malay Classical Drama. Sultan's, Pembesar's and Hulubalang's. The stories are all different but the characters are relatively same. Lots of very very elaborate and complex props were involved. I was involved in props (construction, placing and movement) and i also was an actor. Pembesar X in scenes 2,3 and 4. I had no lines but i had to look wise and show sad, happy and thoughtful expressions as and when needed. In the end Topaz won but Diamond won Best Male Actor and Best Female Actor and Best Production. Topaz won Best Overall, Best Director, Best Script and a few others. Very fun overall. I have lots of pictures of my pretty, made up, lipsticked face but it will only be up tomorrow or a bit later perhaps. It's not on my friend's laptop yet. Ok i think that's it.

PS. I'm coming home on Tuesday 5/2/2008. CNY break till 10/2/2008. Give me a call and we can hang out KL-style :D. Bye

Funny Stories.

2008-01-27T01:39:00.000+08:00

My dad thinks i have grown up. He feels that now that I am 18 (or soon to be at least) he can talk to me like he talks to his friends. My dad has had many interesting experiences in his 51 years and many of them are absolutely hilarious. This morning was when he related one of the more "dirty" ones i could feel that he's trying to open up to me. Little did I realise exactly HOW dirty this story was to be. It's a true story by the way.

Setting : Night near Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman outside Coliseum cinema mid 1977

My dad was sitting in the backseat of my uncle's car. My uncle is not a person who visits prostitutes much less transvestite ones but he does enjoy making fun of them so he sees a TV hooker and pulls his car up by the kerb and winds down the window. The TV comes up to the window and says RM 30. My uncle tries to haggle with him/her for the fun of it and says RM 10. He/She refuses and insists on RM 30. My uncle continues to haggle and the TV finally brings her price down to RM 25. My uncle then chooses this moment to make the statement of the year. "Wah Your Ass made out of gold ah!?" The TV then punches my uncle straight in the teeth and my uncle is not willing to let go. He grabs the TV's fingers and hits the accelerator and a whole gang of TV's appear out of nowhere and starts giving chase. My dad watches the entire show from the backseat and they make it out safely. Moral of the story : Don't insult a TV's ass.

Arsenal 3 Newcastle 0 FA Cup 5th Round.

Induction.

2008-01-23T17:06:00.000+08:00

Thursday 17.01.08

Left home early. By 10am i was already here. Registration took 2 hours or so. I was doing people watching. Saw one girl who was dressed to kill. (she still is. She owns NO civilian clothes!) Also spotted a couple of people who my intuition told me would be very good friends... And they did turn out to be as well. After registration we headed off to our rooms and unpacked. I carried this giant Samsonite suitcase that could fit my entire body if rolled up! I met my 3 roomates. Haiqal a.k.a Bob. Adrian a.ka. tepong and iskandar a.ka. pre-med. Very nice people and very helpful people as well. Adrian mostly at first because he had a laptop which i used for my Ipod. :D Then we went for our first dining hall food. It sucked. Badly. REALLY REALLY TERRIBLE. I soon met another person who i think will be good friends. I don't have any pictures yet so it is really difficult to imagine. We had our many ice breaking games and meet the seniors sessions. In between that we had University Course guide and subject choice guide as well. Uber-boring. At least i had friends to chat with :D

At night we played games with the seniors. Basically making circles. Lots and lots of circles. That was quite lame but in a way fun also. The next two days were pretty much repeats of the first day. Since Monday however things have been rather different. The wi-fi finally started working over the past few days so that is a major plus point. (thus the very delayed post!) Dota was also installed on every laptop and computer we could get our hands on. Even as i blog now i can hear the Dota sound-effects in the background. This place has become a giant CC haha. We leave in the middle of the night to the other guys chalets on the other side of the college to play Dota and watch American Pie. That's sort of my routine.

Classes started yesterday. I'm taking Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics. I have a Guai Lo from UK called Dr. Norman Foord for Physics, an Indian lady named Ms. Shree for Chemistry and a lembap looking Malay man for Maths. I'm really excited about Physics because the teacher is superb. He makes his students think and not remember. That's the sort of teacher i came here for. The indian lady is like an average school teacher except she's a million times smarter but her teaching methods are very Malaysian.

The seniors are very nice. They are really helpful. I mean seriously. Also they are pretty good at basketball which makes life very easy for me because i thought that coming here would mean i will no challenges to play basketball but they are pretty alright so i have a reason to go and play :D.

Ok it's nearly 5.30 and i wanna go play basketball. Kick some senior ass. Bye!

ARSENAL LOST TO TOTTENHAM 5-1. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH

/gg

2008-01-21T14:12:00.000+08:00

WOOHOO. The laptop of my excellent friend Adrian Koay finally works. I finally have access to internet. I'm super super rushing now because i have to see the laundry lady to send in my laundry but tonight there is a super long post with all the stuff i have seen and done since thursday :D bye

hello.

2008-01-17T17:52:00.000+08:00

Hey guys. It's me again. And yes, i am in the place that will in for the next 1.5 years. Currently blogging this post from KYUEM It Lab. The connection is so mind bogglingly fast it took 15 minutes for this page to load. Super lame. Anyway until CNY i'll be stuck with this very quick computer and very very very quick connection. Off to other activities now. More updates on my activities today later. Bye

12 Hours.

2008-01-16T20:32:00.000+08:00

You know the show 24. It was on AXN for sometime. Kiefer Sutherland acted in it? Yeah. My life's like that now. After all the false starts and possible dates of departure, I finally have 12 hours left. Exactly 12 hours. As of 8.30 AM tomorrow i will be in the car heading to Never-Nowhere land. I have already packed everything in this gigantic Samsonite suitcase. When i say gigantic i mean it! If i fold my body up i fit straight in the suitcase! That's big. Everything is in and i'm out. Every hour is ticking by while i hope to conjure another out of nowhere (however i will be sleeping for 8 hours tonight so that cuts my remaining time rather considerably). That's it from No.6, Jalan Desa Permai. The next one will be from Kolej Yayasan UEM, Tanjung Malim.

Bye kawans and everybody who has ever impacted my life in any way. I am eternally thankful for everything all of you had, has and are doing to change my life everyday. Bye!

Life-Line.

2008-01-13T17:32:00.000+08:00

Yay. KYUEM just called like 2 hours ago. Talk about eleventh hour. They gave me excellent news. Registration been pushed back to next thursday. That Means :

I HAVE 3 MORE DAYS!~.

Yes. I had to say in large font. But you get the point. I have another 3 days in KL. Dudududu happy. Bye

Chel-Ski.

2008-01-13T00:54:00.000+08:00

Roman Money. In the era of 60 B.C. it kept Europe afloat by purchasing a good part of the Roman Empire of Nero and Caesar. In 2008 however it bought Nicholas Anelka. Well all Roman Money is good Roman Money. 15 Million Quid is what he's worth and the 36 minutes he was on against Tottenham showed why he's worth that. Two amazing shots on goal. One just tipped away by the goalie and the other denied by the crossbar. But Shaun Wright-Phillips did not miss and sealed up an already ended match when Juliano Belletti scored his second Chelsea goal of the season with an amazing shot from 25 yards out. Right bullet to the top corner.

Final Score : Chelsea 2 Tottenham 0

I have 36 hours left. Just 36 hours left before i leave to Lembah Beringin for the next portion of my life. I don't know what to say or what to do.

Counting.

2008-01-12T01:33:00.000+08:00

There is 3 days left. Only 3. Just now i went swimming and to shoot some hoops with the gang. A lot of hardcore action in the pool. Everybody got baptised a couple of times and then some. Lots of good, clean fun. Soon we adjourned to Jalal Yussof. The site of so many meetings and partings and so it was to be for me as well. I said goodbye to the crew and headed home after eating my Meehoon goreng and 100+ for the last time. I'm not gonna put on a brave face and say it didn't affect me. Those were people i grew up with. Those are people i know through and through. Those are people i trust. I'm leaving all of them behind to "start afresh". Well i'll just pray the Lord has mercy and i have good friends there as well. Goodbye my trusted friends. We will meet again.. someday.

Time.

2008-01-09T05:52:00.000+08:00

My time is running out. I have exactly5 days left before i'm gone. Yesterday morning i went to see my ENT surgeon to check how my nose is functioning one last time before i head off to college. Now i have had many metal apparatus stuffed in my nose but yesterday was the most painful one yet. I've had my fair share of pain but that... is beyond worse. He took out the sutures holding the septum together. Yes it is as painful as it sounds. I headed to iplay after that for some quality DoTA sessions. In a couple of hours though, i have to visit my dentist who will probably tighten my braces up and cause me another couple of days worth of pain. Pain, pain, pain all around. Well at least Chelsea won so that takes the edge of it a little.

My mother has this weird complex with me. She has me work for her sometimes. Drafting, legal work that she's darn lazy to do. She thinks i'm a bloody lawyer for god sake and i tend to lead her on by actually giving her workable solutions. Like last night at dinner. She comes to me and says. Maxis gave me a call. *******. (due to client confidentiality i cannot reveal our discussion) Then she goes on to give me the meeting notes and tells me, I need to get this done so can you sit down and draft a quick reply to this (all in legal-speak of course). And i actually do it and send it off to her email. And i don't get paid for it. :( Well it won't go on for much longer. I'm off soon and she has to find somebody else to do her dirty work.

Good Morning Malaysia.

Fairness.

2008-01-09T05:24:00.000+08:00

The title of this post may seem odd but to any who have watched the Carling Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Everton will realise what i am getting at. English referees are bad. BAD. They are absolutely uninterested in preserving the flow of a game and are show amazing favouritism. English referee's can be described in one word. BIASED. Jon Obi Mikel was sent off for a decision which is at best a yellow card. Up until this point in the game Chelsea were absolutely dominant in every aspect. They had got their early goal (Shaun Wright-Phillips 26') and were content to play around and look for an opening. Then came the challenge. Even without the benefit of video replays (which i absolutely support for use in the Premier League) the decision was so easy to see. It was a yellow card. No question about it. But for the referee to whip out the red with no hesitation whatsoever is very very wrong.

This is what Fifa's official definition of a red card.

A player, substitute or substituted player is sent off and shown the red card if he commits any of the following seven offences:

1. is guilty of serious foul play
2. is guilty of violent conduct
3. spits at an opponent or any other person
4. denies the opposing team a goal or an obvious goalscoring opportunity by deliberately handling the ball (this does not apply to a goalkeeper within his own penalty area)
5. denies an obvious goalscoring opportunity to an opponent moving towards the player’s goal by an offence punishable by a free kick or a penalty kick
6. uses offensive or insulting or abusive language and/or gestures
7. receives a second caution in the same match.

Exactly which of these offences did Mikel do? Perhaps no.1. The studs of Mikel were slightly off the ground but it was only on one foot. It was also not targeted at the player but at the ball. Therefore no.1 is inapplicable. Onto rule no.2 then. Did the foul directly injure the player? NO. Was the foul made with malice or intent to injure the opposing player? NO. With all that in view is a highly trained professional who is supposed to uphold the rules of the game be allowed to blatantly flout the rules? I hope that the League, FIFA, the referee's association and the PFA sit down and resolve this farcical merry-go-round of terrible, terrible decisions. This is hardly the first time that this has happened and most likely not going to be last.

Chelsea however to be fair to them, never threw in the towel and continue to battle till the very end. Of course they were rewarded by Lescott's lack of concentration at the death of the game. But the referee repeatedly made what can only be described as pro-Everton decisions. Every man is entitled to make his mistakes but this is really taking is too far. I really hope something is done.

Final Score : Chelsea 2 Everton 1 (yet again)

Man of the Match :
Idiot of the match :

Fly-Day.

2008-01-04T23:37:00.000+08:00

San Antonio Spurs gave me something to cry about in the morning. I woke up to see this unsavoury scoreline. DEN 80 SA 77. To wash the bad taste out of my mouth i made a couple of calls and headed off to Midvalley for this.
Hmm. Aliens vs Predator 2 Requiem. What could possibly go wrong? It's a gore fest from the start that's for sure. Not much of a storyline though. Basically Predator's screw up in Alien transportation, Aliens and Predator crash on earth and Predator calls for backup. The rest they say is history. The feeble attempts of the director to make us feel for the human characters just backfire in a big way. I just end up wanting them to die quickly. There is a hot babe though but she's a real blonde bimbo. All in all it's a gore-fest full of blood in many colours and forms. Acid-clear Alien blood, fluorescent green Predator blood and good old fashioned Red human blood.

The Verdict : C+

10 days to College.

Medical.

2008-01-02T23:38:00.000+08:00

This morning i was rudely woken by my mother at 8.30am. I had only gone to bed the previous night at 3.30pm after watching Aston Villa beat Tottenham 2-1. 5 hours of sleep = cranky. Anyway the reason for this awakening was that my brilliant college required a full medical test including blood tests, urine tests, poo tests, x-rays and DRUG TESTS! It seems the college needs to know whether i'm a damn junkie before they let me in! As if a junkie can score grades like mine!! Anyway bureaucracy is the name of the game so off i went to Pantai Cheras to get my tests done. Waiting, bleeding, undressing, answering, redressing, posing, peeing and pooing all took around 2 hours. Rather quick. Now if i had to get that done in a government hospital (of which the extramarital Chua Soi Lek is the ex-minister in charge but more on that later) it would have taken nothing short of 5-8 hours. A whole day gone. But thanks to the diligent efforts of my insurance agency and the MO's at Pantai everything was settled in 2 hours.

Now onto the brilliant Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek. Former Health Minister of Malaysia, Former MCA vice-president, former Johor MCA chief and Former Labis MP. Notice the word former ahead of all his Former titles. Yes, he resigned today from everything and MCA accepted his resignation. Now why on earth would he resign? After all he was an unstoppable political force, rising through the rank and file of MCA to become a possible future MCA president. Two words. Some Woman. A personal friend of the good ex-minister. Also his mistress it may seem from the videos circulating in the Batu Pahat area in recent times. Now this brilliant ex-minister who had brought some positive changes to the Health ministry in recent times despite UMNO's continued interference in his attempts to reform the healthcare of this country is now publicly crucified. Why? It would seem that someone set him up. After all no sane man would record his illicit sex and then release to the general public knowing full well what was going to happen. Thus i feel it wrong that he resigned. He was not corrupt (as far as we know), he was not mismanaging public funds (once again as far as we know) and most importantly he was not incompetent. He made one crucial error. Sleeping with the aforementioned madam in full view of a CCTV camera. How did that affect the running of this country? How did that affect our day-to-day lives? How did that affect the ministry he runs? How did that affect his capability to run that ministry? Most importantly however, is How On Earth does whatever he does on his personal time CONCERN US? How are we entitled to take the moral high ground and crucify a man who has done us no wrong (as far as we know)? That is all that is wrong with us Malaysians today. We are so quick to fire the silver bullet and kill the werewolf but forgetting that a man lives beneath. Yet we cannot see that all the other corrupt, incompetent and foolish bastards in the cabinet are worse. Far worse. Semi-value and his thuggery is worse. Tengku Adnan and his manipulation of the judiciary is worse. Zam-zam alakazam and his lies are worse. Keris-muddin and his racist rhetoric is worse. Yet us short-sighted Malaysians are quick to crucify Dr. Chua. I do not condone his actions. His family is now wrecked forever. But i also feel that the reaction to this has been nothing short of ludicrous. I cannot say that i did not think RESIGN NOW! was the first thought in my mind when i first read of his escapades but after much contemplation i think that what a man does with his private affairs should remain exactly that. PRIVATE!.

Now it is too late. There is a silver lining in the cloud. The whole nation can view BN's abuse of the election commission and abuse of public funds in Labis during the upcoming by-election for the MP's post there. With that in mind we can all go to the GE and make the right decision. Hopefully DAP will place a strong candidate in Labis. Thank you.

Penalty.

2008-01-01T23:58:00.000+08:00

Quick one. Chelsea won the midweek fixture at Craven Cottage against Fulham. 2-1 (it's becoming a bit of a habit isn't it). Terrible decision by the ref to award Fulham a penalty early in the game when no contact was made. But later Alex helped Kalou to a nice header and Ballack set up and scored a penalty to clean things up and settle the points. That's all for now. Good Night!

New Year.

2008-01-01T11:29:00.001+08:00

Good morning. Happy New Year. I had a barbecue-thing. The entire clan descended upon No.6, Jalan Desa Permai from 8pm last night and with any large congregation of indian men, a few good friends came along...

Yes. Those friends. My mother however got something special for this New Year as it also was my family farewell. Moet! Me loveeee... :D We also did a barbecue. My brilliant father bought long burning charcoal. What he didn't realise is that long burning means hard-to-start. After much effort by yours truly and my cousin we finally succeeded in starting the fire after 2 hours!! Sausages and chicken quickly roasted up and was accompanied by some wines. I think it was a 2004 Pinot Sauvignon from Chancery Farm NZ. Soon we all were a good ways to stone and i brought out a pack of cards and we started chor ti'ing till 11.55pm when Taman Desa came to good use. I always hated the hilliness of my area but yesterday i was absolutely thankful. Cousins and mua raced up to a high point and watched 360 fireworks from KLCC, Midvalley, One U and PJ State. Uber-fun. Came back down and my drunk uncles were in action with my dad. They were all watching an indian movie(duh!) and when the songs started (as they inevitably do) the eldest uncle started dancing. Yes, the sight of a balding 60 year old man with a gigantic beer belly dancing is not the sight you want to start the new year with. Quickly the other uncles joined in and dragged all the aunties in as well. My mum wisely abstained from this drunken revelry. Then came the goodbyes. Everybody was like "Good luck in your college." and "You'll do well for sure" and all the other "motivational" stuff. Although by this point everybody was speaking in slurs. My uncle decided to add some late night drama into this event. It was about 3am and they were leaving. He (being totally stoned) went and sat in the drivers seat and wanted to drive his family home. My auntie would have none of it and told him to get out so he promptly did. He went over to the other side of the car and showed an angry face to my auntie who by this time was revving the engine and was ready to go. He then decided (i think) that he didn't want to get in the car and started walking off in a random direction. He doesn't live in Taman Desa. My dad who was watching all this from a distance panicked and so did my cousin. They quickly ran after my uncle who had already covered a considerable distance by then. (very surprising for a man who has battled arthritis for the last 20-odd year) Finally they caught him and escorted him back to the car. Needless to say a good part of the neighbourhood was aware of my uncle's drunken exploits. Well that was the end of the night and I took a shower, sent a couple of messages and knocked off. Woke up this morning to greet 2008 with the taste of whiskey in my mouth!

2 many people will leave my life.
0 people i know in Middle-Of-Nowhere College.
0 times i have missed my parents in my life
8 bread this morning. First meal of the year.

I'll miss you 2007. I loved it. It showed me so many new people. People who i have grown to love and i hope, love me too. It showed me all the things that live can be and will be as i move on. It gave me choices and i made decisions. It was by far. The Best Year of my life thus far.

Lies.

2007-12-30T11:34:00.000+08:00

Good morning. I would suppose most people reading this are in Malaysia. First, see this picture.
Yes. Have you had enough? Enough for lies? Enough of lap sap? Enough of twisted reporting? Enough of inciting statements? Enough of war-mongering? Enough of misleading "news"?

People's Parliament has decided that he has had enough. And so have many other people. So have I. So the first step would be to read harisibrahim.wordpress.com and the second step would be to appear at the anti-newspaper flashmob.

FLASH MOB AGAINST SPIN-DOCTORING

Venue : Main Concourse, Suria KLCC, KL
Date: 1 Jan 2008 (Public Holiday)
Time: 3pm

What to do:

1. Go to Suria KLCC Main Concourse on 1 Jan 2008 at 3pm.

2. Bring a copy of local newspaper; it can be The Star, NST, Metro, Malay Mail, Utusan Melayu, Berita Harian, Sin Chew Jit Poh, Nanyang Siang Pow, or any Tamil dailies.Don't bring the Sun. This is not an old newspaper dumping ground.

3. At 3.30pm sharp, crumple the newspapers and throw them inside the rubbish bins.

4. Disperse IMMEDIATELY

NOTE: DO NOT LITTER. If the rubbish bins are full, stack your newspapers on top of the pile. If you can’t do that, find other rubbish bins at 1st Floor or other floors.

The ultimate goal is to dump the newspapers collectively as a sign of protest!!

Thanks Haris. I'm turning up. You?

New Years Coming.

2007-12-29T23:59:00.000+08:00

Ola Senorãs and Senoritãs. Como Esta?

Ok that's all the Espãnol i can speak. Chelsea is playing now. Nicely worked goal from Micheal Essien and Shaun Wright-Phillips. 1-0 at the Bridge so far. New Year's coming. My time is coming to an end. So as to emphasis this point i went shopping this morning. Bought a new Nike Overplay running shoes, a new Umbro Super500 football boots, a Adidas backpack and a Converse white collar-T. I also bought like 172 RM worth of toiletries. My mom went mad in Watsons. Deodorant la, Vitamin C la, 2 shampoo's, soap, nail clippers, cuticle scissors and i don't know what else la. Now i still have a couple of clothes that the college requested i bring like a Batik Shirt (what on earth for??) and formal shirt(s) and pant(s). Ok. I wanna go back to football for now. Score update later. Bye.

EDIT: Chelsea win 2-1. Scrappy goal by Newcastle after half-time. Nicky Butt. But Salomon Kalou links up from Claudio Pizarro at the end for another goal and gives Chelsea all 3 points. I have to be honest with myself. That goal was totally offside. Plain and simple. However the result of the day is WHU 2 MU 1. Manchester United lose for the third time straight to West Ham. Also Tottenham beat Reading 6 to... 4!! That's right, 10 goals in one game.

NS-sed.

2007-12-29T00:18:00.000+08:00

Bye. Weird that i start a post with a goodbye but that's what the situation warrants. Tomorrow 29,000+ people who are born in 1990 will be heading to various camps around the country for National Service. 3 months later they will return. So many people i know are heading off so sorry if i can't mention everyone.

Ally.Chun Hon.Choo.Seng Hang.Shim.Khew.Eric.Kah Mun and many others. Goodbye all of you. Take care. Stay safe and most importantly don't accidentally shoot yourself with the M-16. Bye.

Dissapointment.

2007-12-28T00:35:00.000+08:00

My.My.My

Chelsea acceded 4 goals. At home. To VILLA! I was so disappointed. Ballack struck a beautiful free-kick at the death but refereeing errors cost us the 3 points.

Back home. I just finished reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in The Night-Time ISBN Code : 0-09-945025-9. Very good book. Have a read.

EDIT: Read the book yourself. The synopsis is gone. :D

Go ahead. Get it.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-26T17:13:00.000+08:00

Hello. To say i ushered Christmas 2007 in a big way would be a lie. I was sitting in a cab at 12.00AM on 25/12/07. The taxi driver was really something. One of those people you meet and figure you'll never forget. Anyway what happened before and after i got on the cab was infinitely more interesting than what happened at that exact moment. The Day started with me taking a bus. My first encounter with public transport since my Nose Job. A few *toot* of the Touch N' Go reader later, i found myself at the huge white Christmas Tree in KL Pavilion. Met a friend and made some new acquaintances before proceeding to room 2124 in The Ritz-Carlton. (Thanks Mdm.Sylvia) Waited for a friend's boyfriend before heading out to Karaoke at RedBox+ in Pavilion. RM27, music, half-decent singing, terrible food (supposed to be buffet!) and 3 hours later we were ushered out by the Good Bye notice on the screen.What happens next is unsurprising considering that our party of 6 consisted of 2 guys and 4 girls. We went into every store that caught their eye, took a spin and walked out for 40 minutes or so. The girls went back to the room while me and Austin (hope i spelt your name right mate.) went looking for a pack of playing cards. Five 7-11's later we finally found one. I learnt how to play Chor Dai Ti after much tutoring (once again thanks mate.) and Bullshit. While waiting for Jo's cousin Emilia, we sat around and chatted planning what to do that night. Elaine wanted to go clubbing. So after much talking, changing and eating (Food Republic at Pavilion) we were out for what was supposed to be the highlight of the night. All 8 of us. We first went to Qba - Westin. Too quiet was the complaint. Then we got cabs and for RM 15 (absolutely wasted!) we went to Asian Heritage Row. First we walked up and down a few times deciding which one we wanted to try to enter. After much walking and in one case in the wrong direction (Good exercise huh Emilia) we attempted to enter Maisons. All of my very unprepared friends were well, unprepared. Lack of Fake ID being the complaint of the night. Me on the other hand had a beautiful IC bearing the numbers 860428-1405571. I was officially 21. :D After many phone calls to all our "contacts" inside and outside and everywhere in between Maisons proved beyond the reach of my officially 17 year old counterparts. Then we tried to enter Bar Club. Same result there. Patience was running thin and 2 of our company had already departed back. Finally as a last gasp shot we attempted to enter Sunshine. Much coaxing and cajoling ensued but entry proved once again beyond us. Feeling let down and disappointed (Sorry Girls.) we left back to the hotel. And then we come to the point where i started. Merry Christmas all round in a speeding cab. What happened next? Well i think you can imagine. 6 people. No Christmas. Less Alcohol and worst of all, On The Street. 7-11 came to our rescue and 3 bottles of Heineken, 2 Bottles of 5% alcohol Vodka ("more like orange juice with alcohol" quote) and we proceeded to the room where much drinking and Chor Dai Ti ensued. Lots of frank conversations (i was getting drunk. Slowly But Surely) and by 4am when i finally decided to sleep i was so stoned i couldn't make it out of the room and into the hall (where i slept incidentally) i collapsed once in the corridor and Christy helped me up (thanks!) and into my couch where i passed out with much ado. Soon i woke up because i didn't draw the curtains before sleeping so you can just imagine how i felt when i woke up! First thing i felt was a wave of nausea. Then a headache. Before a bout of vomiting could ensue i made coffee and took a shit. Feeling slightly more stabilised we went for breakfast. I still felt like shit and the nausea was just getting worse. McD's Big Breakfast (there were only 6 breakfasts on the room) with Austin and a walk just made it worse. Finally i left for home. A memorable 24 Hours indeed. Many goodbyes on the train. Probably will the last time i'll see all those people for 6 months at least and in one case, a year. Reached home and passed out on the bed after a shower and some antacid and panadols.

Now that's what happened. STONE NO. 23 for me. Total cost of outing. Rm103. (I keep meticulous accounts of my expenditure.) When i was thinking on the bus on the way home, in between the waves of nausea and throbbing headache, i had an epiphany of sorts. I realised that a man's most prized asset is not his mansion on the hilltop, it's not his flash car, it's not his bank account or his bling. It's people who love him. I mean, you can never buy friends anymore that you can buy family and that's what makes it priceless. I spent quite some money in that 24 hour period but the friends i had there transcended all that. They would have treated me exactly the same even if i had spent nothing. That's what's most important. I'm going to lose everybody i have known my entire life when i leave on the 15th of January. That made me shed a tear. Thanks everyone who has impacted my life in any way. I will never forget you. Goodbye.

Quickie.

2007-12-25T21:27:00.000+08:00

Hey Guys. Party is off. I am sick. Sorry O.

Sleepy O.

2007-12-24T02:20:00.000+08:00

Now i am watching El Clasico. The biggest battle in European football. (I mean mainland europe) Real Madrid vs Barcelona. More than 600 Million Euros worth of talent is on the pitch and well they aren't doing justice to their value so far. Anyway on to more valuable players (in terms of their performance of course) Chelsea battled their way to a 1-0 away win against Blackburn. A sweet linkup between Salomon Kalou and Joe Cole provided the only goal of the game just before the stroke of halftime. Joe Cole produced an emphatic finish to condemn Blackburn to their defeat in the last 9 games and 3rd straight defeat. All in all a good performance by Chelsea, however Petr Cech was escorted off injured after trying to battle a hip injury for 15 minutes or so. Hilario came in because Cudicini was out sick. Ok. I gotta go sleep soon perhaps. Going out tomorrow early in the morning so Good Night.

Bukit Jalil Park

2007-12-23T15:40:00.000+08:00

This morning i woke up at 10am. Yes i am that lazy. But as justification i did sleep at 1.30am last night because i was watching Liverpool Torre-rize Pompey 4-1. It really was One man against Eleven for Liverpool. If El-Nino didn't play they would probably have drawn or even lost. However The Kid did play and Pompey were humiliated. Tonights' lineup is Chelsea vs Blackburn and Man U vs Everton. Anyways, Christmas is coming! Yay. I am delighted :D I may be going to watch National Treasure 2 tomorrow, probably could watch Warlords as well.

Tonight Predictions : Man U 2 Everton 1
Chelsea 1 Blackburn 0

Btw. Confirm your attendance for my party by tomorrow night please please pleaseee...

Par-Tay

2007-12-21T12:12:00.000+08:00

Hello peeps. As mentioned earlier, i am going to college in perak KYUEM on January 15 2008. That's about 25 days from now. Once i'm there i'll only be back for easter in april. So i am thinking of having a bit of a party on the 27th of Dec. Anyway here's a map to my house just in case the party thing works out. Drop a message in the box or msn me to confirm your attendance/un-attendance. To get to Taman Desa you can take RapidKL Bus no. U72 from Midvalley Main Road Bus Stop/KL Sentral Monorail Station/Pasar Seni Putra LRT Station and stop and the bus stop's marked in Red. Simple and straightforward haha. Byes Anyways

Hari Raya.

2007-12-20T14:32:00.000+08:00

Selamat Hari Raya Aidiladha to all my Muslim Kawan's. May you practice your religious beliefs in peace, harmony and security.

Blood.

2007-12-20T05:24:00.000+08:00

My.Nose.Is.Bleeding. ~
It hurts as well :(

Otherwise I'm awake watching football at 5.40AM. Chelsea vs Liverpool at the Bridge. Brilliant Frank Lampard goal (59') followed by idiotic challenge by Peter Crouch which got him sent off unsuprisingly. Shevchenko also shamed Charles Itandje on the 89th minute. Liverpool's inability to score at Stamford Bridge (for the past four years in fact) continues :P. Poor, poor scousers. Anyway the Roman Army Marches On to the semi-final of the Carling Cup joined by Arsenal, Tottenham and Everton. Next up Blackburn's Woes Will Continue this Saturday at the hands of Shevchenko and Ballack!

Goodbye! and GoodNight.

EDIT : Final Score Chelsea 2 Liverpool 0

I'm Home!

2007-12-19T18:54:00.000+08:00

Hey guys, I'm HOME! I just got home today after 7 days in Assunta Hospital. First off, I would like to thank the nurses at the hospital. After being admitted at 3 private hospitals, i think assunta's nurses wins hands tied behind their back. They are super caring, attentive, professional and most importantly they're approachable because they communicate with patients as people and not just as patients. Thank you!

Next up, thank you to Dr. Chandran, the visiting ENT specialist in Assunta for a professional job and excellent post-operative care. Thanks also to Dr. Suresh Raj for coming and looking into me after my nose didn't stop bleeding for 3 days. Ok i think that's all the thanking i need to do. Back to buisness then. My nose is crooked. Inside. So it caused problems. Many many problems where breathing and flu or flu-like diseases were concerned especially. Thus the doc recommended i get it sliced and straightened. There we go. Now i'm home and it's over.

Before i get carried away though here's what happened at Pangkor DAY 2!

Woke up at around 8.15A.M because of Jun Min's incessant alarm that could not shut up. Took a shower and went down to the nearby nasi lemak stall (which incidentally was the only shop open there) to get some breakfast. Bought two packets of nasi lemak, one with ikan bilis sambal and one with sotong. I finished one and ate half of the other. The leftovers were eaten by joseph and melvin but it didn't actually finish. I chucked it in the bin and then we left to the beach! The Man who was supposed to be our guide well took us on a boat ride around the island. Then we decided to hire a banana boat just to experience falling into the water repeatedly. Yes. Sounds fun eh? Before that though the round-the-island boatride actually included a snorkelling "adventure" so first the many amateur snorkellers and some experienced scuba divers ie ME were "put through the paces" by The Man. Then we were transported to a tiny coral reef were we saw many fish. I counted six different types. It wasn't much but to the many first time snorkellers among us it was something really special. After all of this we returned to the hotel for a quick wash then we headed to lunch. Makan, makan, makan. Then to burn off the many pounds of seafood we consumed collectively we headed to the pool to play more captain-ball in the water. Fun Fun Fun. Finally, exhausted we took a shower and lepaked around listening to music and keh bin was using my hard drive to uhh to satisfy his needs. Haha. We then went for makan again and this was the so-called "barbecue" well much of a barbecue it was lol. Here's some pictures;

Then we went back to resort where the highlight of the trip came. Beer. Lots and Lots of Beer. Lots of people were semi-drunk and some people were totally stoned. Andrew was one of those who were totally stoned. Absolutely. 100%. He drank a lot. And we were all playing games with him lol. Arjuna was asking stupid questions like "why did the chicken cross the road?" and wing luo played this trick on him because andrew was looking for more beer and he found it despite our attempts to hide them all haha. So we took the beer from him and put it on the table. Then we made cups of tea. Then wing luo challenged andrew to gamble with him. If andrew loses, wing luo drinks beer, andrew drinks tea. If he wins, vice-versa. Wing luo then brilliantly arranged the cards so that andrew would draw 15 but wingluo would draw 21 on the first hand! Then andrew brushed it all aside saying that he didn't want to play anymore! That was totally fun. Here's a couple more nice pictures.
Well Keh Bin's in this picture so you can just guess what was everybody looking at. Haha. After a long night of drinking and gambling (i lost 20 bux) we went to bed. Next day we woke up cleaned up, checked out, bought souveniers and went home! Well thanks pangkor for a great trip full of treasured memories that i will cherish forever!

Hospital

2007-12-19T01:30:00.001+08:00

Vikra's friend here.

Vikra's in Assunta Hospital right now. He will be discharged on Wednesday.

The surgery is called septoplasty.

Well, lets wait until he fully recovers! take care boy:)

P.S: Don't miss him ><

Varied Response.

2007-12-09T16:04:00.000+08:00

Ok, before i get into the details about the absoluto-fucking-ly amazing trip to pangkor there is some information that i think needs telling. I went to the FACON education fair yesterday and i handed in my application to KYUEM (see earlier posts for college details). Later in the day while i was watching football i got an sms from the admissions officer saying that my application is accepted and i'm in. Yeap so that's it, on the 15th of January 2008 8.30am, i have to report in at lembah beringin. I have exactly 36 days from today till i vanish from the face of the earth forever. (or at least 1.5 years) So if you have anything to tell me, anything at all before i go please, please tell me before i'm gone lol. I may be having a small party before i leave, not sure though tell me if you're interested in coming. Ok i think that covers it for that. Now on to Pangkor.

Before i start, watch this video. Shit loads of fun.

So here we go. I don't have all the pictures yet because 3 more cameras have to be updated. So i'll just do day one.
DAY 1

Left home in the morning with two bottles of tiger beer and clothes. Got to school at 7am only to realise nobody's there yet and the threats that "the bus is gonna leave at 7.30 with or without you" are baseless. By 8.10 everybody was there except the hero Seng Hang who only turned up at 8.30. Finally KL was out of the horizon and we rumbled along. Stopped once at Ladang Bikam Rest Stop for a leak and couple of chips/snacks. Finally made it to Lumut at 12 or so then crossed over to the island.

After crossing over, we put on our sunglasses and headed out for lunch. Yes i look like a idiot.

After eating, we were unsure what to do. That's when somebody came up with a brilliant idea. "Rent geok che la". So off we went looking for a bicycle rental place and fortunately it was right next to us. No pictures yet of the bicycles. Sadly 3 people couldn't ride bicycles but they learnt quickly. After that we went to the beach where this happened.

yes as you may have guessed, we found a crab. A bloody crab that decided to bite my fingers and not let go. the red marks on my thumb are the bites. Word of Advice: DONT HOLD A CRAB BY ITS BODY. YOU WILL BE BITTEN AND IT DOES HURT! A LOT! After that we played beach soccer and beach volleyball. We saw 3 hot chicks and we repeatedly tried to kick/hit the ball towards them but they left before we managed to do it. What a waste lol. Later we played captain ball in the swimming pool. This is what happened.

After that showers came and we had dinner at the adjoining small chinese restaurant (where we had all our other meals as well haha no complaints about the food though.) AND THEN, wherever there is wing luo this happens.

After a lot of the above, ie gambling and PS2 we went to bed. i was slightly better off that others because i had the foresight to bring a blanket! yay.
And thats it for day 1. Day 2 will come tomorrow. that's it for now.

home.

2007-12-07T20:09:00.000+08:00

Yay. I'm home. Just strolled in the front door few hours ago after 3 days in Pangkor. 5MAK trip :P There is just so much to write about but i think i'm gonna wait for all the photos to be compiled first then i'll put in a couple of posts about the trip. Other than that, it's Friday Night! I'm gonna head out and play basketball so good night!

A day.

2007-12-02T21:16:00.000+08:00

As the title suggests, today was a day. Not a particularly eventful day. But an ordinary day. Painfully ordinary even. Chelsea won last night so that's good news. They played badly and won, now that's the hallmark of a championship team! West Ham as usual played negative football trying to escape the Bridge with a point but as usual it was to no avail. Chelsea dominated the second half and Drogba set up Joe Cole to score. Avram Grant later made important substitution to make sure Everton doesn't repeat itself. He brought on Makelele which shows us he actually learns lessons.

Back to today and away from football, don't want to scare off too many people, i did very little. Basically watched tv. Lots and Lots of tv. Also watched badminton. Very disappointing. Lin Dan beat Lee Chong Wei in 3 Sets. Chong Wei destroyed Lin Dan in the first set 21-9 but messed up in the second set and lost heart in the 3rd set after a bunch of bad line calls. Bloody Umpires are so pro-China. Well don't take anything away from Lin Dan, he simply outfought Chong Wei. So congratulations Lin Dan for winning the final Super Series event of the year and Chong Wei for finishing second for the nth time this year.

I'm disappointed in myself. I keep on running back to sports. It's as if i have nothing else to write about. Actually i don't but that's beside the point. So the other day i was watching CNN (yes that's not laughing matter!) and i saw this special show called the CNN-Youtube US Presidential Debate. It was good. I mean i was thinking about what each candidate was talking about. They invited people to ask questions and the candidates answered them stating their position and what their going to do. Some of the questions were about US infrastructure spending, The Wars, European relations, the economy, China and lots of other things that concern American voters and who they're going to vote for. It wa really really interesting because what they say, well they have to back it up when they get elected (if) and if they don't they'll get kicked out at the next election. I was left thinking, why can't we have this in Malaysia? Why can't the government answer my questions? Why can't the people who my parents elect in the future have to answer our questions before they get elected? Why can't they be transparent and have nothing to hide? Why can't they state their stand on the issues and the issues that matter to us? Think about it and comment. Good Night!

KYUEM

2007-12-01T14:38:00.000+08:00

Ok. It's nearly confirmed that i'm going to KYUEM. It's a private, residential, boarding Sixth Form College. That means i'm going to spend the next 1.5 years away from the world. The college is really in the middle of nowhere. It's next Lembah Beringin Golf Course about 75KM from KL City. Technically speaking it's an hours drive, which doesn't sound so far on paper but hell it's a long way off from my world. But despite that, i'm looking forward to going there. I can come back home every other weekend, I have 2.5 months off in the middle of the year for summer and i have all government and UK holidays. So it's not so bad. The facilities there are absolutely amazing though. Indoor and Outdoor basketball courts, Olympic Swimming Pool, Gym, Full FIFA Football Field (which has grass everywhere, even under the goal post!) and tonnes of other stuff. I will stay there the hostel-chalets. The chalets are super-cool because each one has Wi-Fi and 4 rooms so every person has a room to themselves and there's a common room as well. It doesn't come cheap though, 45K RM for the entire thing. I spent nearly the whole day there today and thanks Azman for showing us around btw. Well i think that's all.. leave your comments about the place guys. Ta-ta

Raleighing and KYUEM

2007-12-01T00:06:00.000+08:00

Hi. Anyone heard of Raleigh International? Well if you haven't check this out RALEIGH. Raleigh is basically an organisation that allows youth to go and help out people around the world. Previously, Raleigh has sent Malaysians to Chile, Bolivia and many other exciting countries to do community service. They have also sent overseas raleighers to Sarawak to a Penan village to help them create a solar powered electricity generator. So I saw a piece about Raleigh's Introduction Weekend in the Sun today and i thought, hmm i'm not really doing anything, why don't i sign up? A phone call later and some time spent in front of the computer, i have the form and i'm filling it up now. It's no ordinary form though, i need to get someone to write a reference letter about me. I also have to write an essay about myself, my experiences, my travels, my previous activties and lots of other stuff. So here I am, writing away... Well pray that i get through lol. I really want to go lol. Ok i think that's all. By the way, tomorrow i'm going to KYUEM College in Bukit Nowhere-Beruntung which is well, in the middle of nowhere! Apparently they are the best private college in the country. 87% of their students get 3 or 4A's for A-levels! If that isn't amazing enough, here's a bit for you to chew on. Their A-levels program costs 45K RM!!! I rest my case. Good night!

The first one. For the fourth time.

2007-11-29T22:19:00.000+08:00

Welcome. So this is the first post in my new blog. Well new to you of course i've had four before this. All four fizzled out when i became too busy with some project or rather but i'm determined to not let this one go down that path. Anyway patience and soon my first proper post will arrive. A word of caution of course, this is not going to be your ordinary, angst ridden teenage blog. This is going to be serious and serious means i won't pull any punches when push comes to shove. Howe this does not mean it's not going to be fun because thats what i'm all about fun. So in equal proportions there will be posts on what's going on in my life and there are going to be serious, thought-provoking posts. I think that's a long enough introduction. See you around eh.