Dream Your Dream

Lawak Minggu Ini

2011-09-10T09:56:00.009+08:00

Kring Kring Kring

Me : "Hello"

Pelawak : "Hello. Apa Khabar?"

Me : "Maaf, siapa ni?"

Pelawak : "Kawan lama awak, 12 tahun dulu"

Me : "Wow. Lamanya. Tapi saya tak cam siapa awak"

Pelawak : "Ala, kawan yang awak pernah tolak"

Me : "Err, bila saya main bola or futsal dengan awak?"

Pelawak : "Ni kawan yang awak tolak hati dia la"

Me :"@#$%^&&" (Read: Shit!!!!) (Dalam hati)

Pelawak : "Tak ingat lagi ke? Ni xxxxhis namexxxx la"

Me : "@#$$%%^%^^" (Read: I'm in deep shit!!!!!!!) (Dalam hati lagi) "Oh, it's you. Hahaha sorry, saya dah lama delete data dalam CPU saya. How did you get my back anyway?"

Pelawak : "Kesian saya. No. awak saya dapat dari reliable sources. 6 tahun saya cari awak sampai dah kawin lagi and dah dapat baby lagi. So, awak masih membujang ke? Saya dah xxxxxToo Much Info (semua benda dia cite)xxxxxxxx"

Me : "Good for you, alhamdulillah"

Pelawak : "Boleh tak kita jumpa for the last time?"

Me : "Err, kenapa ya?"

Pelawak ; "Eh, awak ni anti social ke?"

Me : "Hahaha ya, saya memang anti-social"

Pelawak : "Dekat dekat office awak je. Just for a short while, please. How about lunch? Lunch sekejap je kan?"

Me : "Actually, lunch pun saya jarang jarang keluar"

Pelawak : "Tak kan tak boleh kot? Ajak la kawan you but kawan yang reliable la. And I boleh suruh driver I pergi jauh-jauh"

Me; "I'm so sorry. I really can't"

Pelawak : "It's OK. Think about it and when you want to see me, you text me or miss call me OK?"

Me : "Thanks for your call" (Read: No thanks for your call)

Pelawak : "BTW, next week I buat Open House so I nak you datang OK?"

Me : "Insya Allah"

Pelawak : "So ingat, kalau you nak jumpa you text or miss call me OK?

Me : "Insya Allah"

Tut Tut Tut

p.s. I wasn't sure if I want to laugh or cry after that call but this is definitely not the best time to be reminded of all those characters, who forever think I'm a sucker. Eleanor Roosevelt once said that "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent", hence, the reason why I considered the call as "Lawak Minggu Ini".

UK Riots: The Necessity of Inclusive Governance

2011-08-25T05:20:00.001+08:00

I cry every time I read about the UK Riots on The Guardian - seeing familiar sight of places and people, once warm enough to thaw the wintry wet English weather - coming together to bring back civility to their community after days of calamitous riots that broke in places, well defined with high rates of unemployment and crime. My prayers are with them now, wishing hard they would be given the strength during this perilous period in their lifetime.

How could megalopolis like London, Birmingham, Liverpool and Manchester succumb to such riotous incidents that claimed 5 lives and caused scores of properties and businesses doomed? Why not people who live in the enchanting Lake District, leafy Hertfordshire or idyllic Shropshire? Does urbanity silent humanity, I wonder.

How could a nation, as developed as the UK, wasn't prepared to curb the infectious riots? Was it purposely let to be out of control that when it went totally out of control, extreme forces could be used to stop them?

It is easy to see, over this riotous incident, that poverty, in all forms and faces, could bring out the worst in a human being, turning one inhumane. If Martin Luther King described "riots are the language of the unheard", we are wrong to say that those rioters are inhumane and cruel because we, the bystanders, haven't been standing up for the social rights and justice we all deserve from our Government of the day. The government is not at all hesitant to bail out corporations but never think twice about cutting the public spending.

The purpose of poverty abolishment isn't about making all the poor people rich but to ensure that they are never alone in time of need. People need rewarding job. People need affirming roof over their head. People need enlightening education. People need effective healthcare. People need real opportunities to grow. People need assurance that they will not be left behind, no matter what happens. Hence, there is an urgent need of an inclusive government - that genuinely serve the people, understanding and taking care of their concerns and needs.

Of all the articles I read on UK Riots, the best would have to be the one written by Mr. Katy Perry aka Russel Brand - a real tongue-in-the-cheek!

UK Riots: Big Brother Isn't Watching You

I no longer live in London. I've been transplanted to Los Angeles by a combination of love and money; such good fortune and opportunity, in both cases, you might think disqualify me from commenting on matters in my homeland. Even the results of Britain's Got Ice-Factor may lay prettily glistening beyond my remit now that I am self-banished.

To be honest when I lived in England I didn't really care too much for the fabricated theatrics of reality TV. Except when I worked for Big Brother, then it was my job to slosh about in the amplified trivia of the housemates/inmates. Sometimes it was actually quite bloody interesting. Particularly the year that Nadia won. She was the Portuguese transsexual. Remember? No? Well, that's the nature of the medium; as it whizzes past the eyes it seems very relevant but the malady of reality TV stars is that their shelf life expires, like dog years, by the power of seven. To me it seems as if Nadia's triumph took place during the silver jubilee, we had a street party.

Early in that series there was an incident of excitement and high tension. The testosteronal, alpha figures of the house – a Scot called Jason and a Londoner called Victor – incited by the teasing conditions and a camp lad called Marco (wow, it's all coming back) kicked off in the house, smashed some crockery and a few doors. Police were called, tapes were edited and the carnival rolled on. When I was warned to be discreet on-air about the extent of the violence, I quoted a British first-world-war general who, reflecting on the inability of his returning troops to adapt to civilian life, said: "You cannot rouse the animal in man then expect it to be put aside at a moment's notice."

"Yeah, that's exactly the kind of thing we want you to say the opposite of," said the channel's representative.

This week's riots are sad and frightening and, if I have by virtue of my temporary displacement forgone the right to speak about the behaviour of my countrymen, then this is gonna be irksome. I mean even David Cameron came back from his holiday. Eventually. The Tuscan truffles lost their succulence when the breaking glass became too loud to ignore. Then dopey ol' Boris came cycling back into the London clutter with his spun gold hair and his spun shit logic as it became apparent that the holiday was over.

In fact, it isn't my absence from the territory of London that bothers me; it's my absence from the economic class that is being affected that itches in my gut because, as I looked at the online incident maps, the boroughs that were suffering all, for me, had some resonance. I've lived in Dalston, Hackney, Elephant, Camden and Bethnal Green. I grew up round Dagenham and Romford and, whilst I could never claim to be from the demographic most obviously affected, I feel guilty that I'm not there now.

I feel proud to be English, proud to be a Londoner (all right, an Essex boy), never more so than since being in exile, and I naturally began to wonder what would make young people destroy their communities.

I have spoken to mates in London and Manchester and they sound genuinely frightened and hopeless, and the details of their stories place this outbreak beyond the realms of any political idealism or rationalisation. But I can't, from my ivory tower in the Hollywood Hills, compete with the understandable yet futile rhetoric, describing the rioters as mindless. Nor do I want to dwell on the sadness of our beautiful cities being tarnished and people's shops and livelihoods, sometimes generations old, being immolated. The tragic and inevitable deaths ought to be left for eulogies and grieving. Tariq Jahan has spoken so eloquently from his position of painful proximity, with such compassion, that nearly all else is redundant.

The only question I can legitimately ask is: why is this happening? Mark Duggan's death has been badly handled but no one is contesting that is a reason for these conflagrations beyond the initial flash of activity in Tottenham. I've heard Theresa May and the Old Etonians whose hols have been curtailed (many would say they're the real victims) saying the behaviour is "unjustifiable" and "unacceptable". Wow! Thanks guys! What a wonderful use of the planet's fast-depleting oxygen resources. Now that's been dealt with can we move on to more taxing matters such as whether or not Jack The Ripper was a ladies' man. And what the hell do bears get up to in those woods?

However "unacceptable" and "unjustifiable" it might be, it has happened so we better accept it and, whilst we can't justify it, we should kick around a few neurons and work out why so many people feel utterly disconnected from the cities they live in.

Unless on the news tomorrow it's revealed that there's been a freaky "criminal creating" chemical leak in London and Manchester and Liverpool and Birmingham that's causing young people to spontaneously and simultaneously violate their environments – in which case we can park the ol' brainboxes, stop worrying and get on with the football season, but I suspect there hasn't – we have, as human beings, got a few things to consider together.

I should here admit that I have been arrested for criminal damage for my part in anti-capitalist protest earlier in this decade. I often attended protests and then, in my early 20s, and on drugs, I enjoyed it when the protests lost direction and became chaotic, hostile even. I was intrigued by the anarchist "Black bloc", hooded and masked, as, in retrospect, was their agenda, but was more viscerally affected by the football "casuals" who'd turn up because the veneer of the protest's idealistic objective gave them the perfect opportunity to wreck stuff and have a row with the Old Bill.

That was never my cup of tea though. For one thing, policemen are generally pretty good fighters and second, it registered that the accent they shouted at me with was closer to my own than that of some of those singing about the red flag making the wall of plastic shields between us seem thinner.

I found those protests exciting, yes, because I was young and a bit of a twerp but also, I suppose, because there was a void in me. A lack of direction, a sense that I was not invested in the dominant culture, that government existed not to look after the interests of the people it was elected to represent but the big businesses that they were in bed with.

I felt that, and I had a mum who loved me, a dad who told me that nothing was beyond my reach, an education, a grant from Essex council (to train as an actor of all things!!!) and several charities that gave me money for maintenance. I shudder to think how disenfranchised I would have felt if I had been deprived of that long list of privileges.

That state of deprivation though is, of course, the condition that many of those rioting endure as their unbending reality. No education, a weakened family unit, no money and no way of getting any. JD Sports is probably easier to desecrate if you can't afford what's in there and the few poorly paid jobs there are taken. Amidst the bleakness of this social landscape, squinting all the while in the glare of a culture that radiates ultraviolet consumerism and infrared celebrity. That daily, hourly, incessantly enforces the egregious, deceitful message that you are what you wear, what you drive, what you watch and what you watch it on, in livid, neon pixels. The only light in their lives comes from these luminous corporate messages. No wonder they have their fucking hoods up.

I remember Cameron saying "hug a hoodie" but I haven't seen him doing it. Why would he? Hoodies don't vote, they've realised it's pointless, that whoever gets elected will just be a different shade of the "we don't give a toss about you" party.

Politicians don't represent the interests of people who don't vote. They barely care about the people who do vote. They look after the corporations who get them elected. Cameron only spoke out against News International when it became evident to us, US, the people, not to him (like Rose West, "He must've known") that the newspapers Murdoch controlled were happy to desecrate the dead in the pursuit of another exploitative, distracting story.

Why am I surprised that these young people behave destructively, "mindlessly", motivated only by self-interest? How should we describe the actions of the city bankers who brought our economy to its knees in 2010? Altruistic? Mindful? Kind? But then again, they do wear suits, so they deserve to be bailed out, perhaps that's why not one of them has been imprisoned. And they got away with a lot more than a few fucking pairs of trainers.

These young people have no sense of community because they haven't been given one. They have no stake in society because Cameron's mentor Margaret Thatcher told us there's no such thing.
If we don't want our young people to tear apart our communities then don't let people in power tear apart the values that hold our communities together.

As you have by now surely noticed, I don't know enough about politics to ponder a solution and my hands are sticky with blood money from representing corporate interests through film, television and commercials, venerating, through my endorsements and celebrity, products and a lifestyle that contributes to the alienation of an increasingly dissatisfied underclass. But I know, as we all intuitively know, the solution is all around us and it isn't political, it is spiritual. Gandhi said: "Be the change you want to see in the world."

In this simple sentiment we can find hope, as we can in the efforts of those cleaning up the debris and ash in bonhomous, broom-wielding posses. If we want to live in a society where people feel included, we must include them, where they feel represented, we must represent them and where they feel love and compassion for their communities then we, the members of that community, must find love and compassion for them.

As we sweep away the mistakes made in the selfish, nocturnal darkness we must ensure that, amidst the broken glass and sadness, we don't sweep away the youth lost amongst the shards in the shadows cast by the new dawn.

Lessons From The Belly: The Story of Prophet Yunus (PBUH)

2011-08-24T22:43:00.003+08:00

One day, Mak caught me watching Prophet Yunus' story on TV Al-Hijrah's Al-Quran: The New Dawn, as others were busy breakfasting. I was so touched by the way the story was explored as it drew a lot of relevance to what's happening around us these days, it brought tears to my eyes.

I promised myself that I wouldn't give sadness or anger a chance to dwell and extinguish the fire in my belly. Too often, their reign hurts those I care more than they ever hurt me. If there is to time to spend on this world, instead of taking everything personally, we should all get personal with everything that crosses our path.

Here's the story that somehow gives me a lot of comfort when things are uncertain and I hope you too could draw strength and comfort from it.

In the Belly of the Whale

Have you ever felt as though things are just too much for you, that you are in a situation you see no way of getting out of? Do you look at problems in our world today and wonder how they can ever be solved? All this, and more, is the story of Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him). The mission of Prophet Yunus is a timeless story that tells us there is a way out, if only we have faith.

Almighty Allah called Yunus to preach to the people of Nineveh. Nineveh was a great city, the capital of Assyria, and it had become a very wicked place. Yunus went to the people there and told them to give up their bad ways and to turn, instead, to Allah. But they wouldn't listen to him and so Yunus left them. This is the first very human touch in the story of Yunus. Even though he was a prophet, Yunus was still a man and he stormed off out of the city when he didn't achieve what he had hoped. He even felt that he knew what these people deserved. We can identify with Yunus here, can't we? On a human level, we often give up too soon, and we often stomp off when we don't get what we want. On a spiritual level, we see lots of wickedness in the world and think we know how the evildoers should be treated. Some people even take it upon themselves to punish them.

Having left the city behind, Yunus boards a ship. He has had enough and he sets sail far away from the scene of his failure. Once at sea, though, a storm grows up and the crew are terrified. These pagan sailors feel that the gods of the sea must be displeased with them, so they draw lots to throw one man overboard to calm the storm. They draw the lot indicating that Yunus should be thrown overboard. This happens not once but three times, and the terrified crew throw him overboard thinking that in doing so they will be protecting themselves and their ship.

Once in the water, something extraordinary happens. Allah sends a great fish, some describe it as a whale, to swallow Yunus whole. Once in its belly, Yunus descends to the bottom of the sea, filled with total despair. How can he possibly survive this disaster? What way out of his situation could there possibly be? He is engulfed by darkness: the darkness of the creature's stomach; the darkness of the deep; and, worst of all, the darkness of despair. Even though he was a religious man, called upon to be a prophet, he experiences doubt, and it is when he is in the depths of despair that things change for him. In the noble Qur'an, we read that Yunus "cried through the darkness." He realized that Almighty Allah, not he, was in control of things. He cries out, "there is no god but You," and asks for help. In asking for help, his prayer is heard.

There is a very beautiful book, called Stories of the Prophets, written in the Middle Ages by Hafez ibn Kathir. It is easily available and well worth reading. In it, Ibn Kathir has a moving commentary on this part of Yunus's story. He says that once Yunus admits that there is no god but Allah and that only Allah can save him, something wonderful happens. First, the whale begins to sing the praises of Allah, then all the little fish around it, then all the creatures of the sea, each in its own way, until there is a great chorus of praise. The whale swims up to the surface and ejects Yunus onto the shore. Just as Allah had used it to save Yunus from the storm and from drowning in the sea, so He also uses it to bring Yunus safely to land again.

And there is more. Yunus is feeling sick and sore as he lies on the sand in the scorching heat, still not knowing what will become of him. Allah takes even more care of him and causes a plant to grow up over him and to cover Yunus with its shade. Once he has recovered from his ordeal and his skin has stopped smarting from the acids in the creature's stomach, he decides to return to Nineveh, his travels over, to see what has become of the city and its people. When he arrives there, to his great surprise, he sees that the city and its people have not been destroyed, but have all turned to Allah. His message had got through to them. Perhaps when they saw the terrible storm as it grew up in the distance, they saw in it an image of what would happen to them if they did not repent. Who knows why they turned back to Allah, but they did. Yunus, then, after all his adventures, is finally content that his mission has been accomplished.

There is so much that the story of Yunus can teach us. First of all, read it yourself in the noble Qur'an. You will find it in the following verses: 4:163, 6:86, 10:98, 21:87, 37:139-148, and 68:48-50. Ponder over the meaning of the words and listen to what they say to you. Yunus's story is timeless. It is for the whole world and it is for each one of us.

Nineveh, for example, the great city and the capital of a great empire, doesn't even exist anymore. Scholars say it lies in Iraq on the other side of the river from the city of Mosul, but its temples and monuments have gone. All worldly power will go the same way. Even today's superpowers, who behave as though they are Allah, and believe that everyone must obey them, will one day wither and fade and, like all great empires before them, cease to exist. Remember, Allah is in control, not this country or that. Allah will decide the course of events.

Another lesson from the story of Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) is that we never know the effect our deeds will have on others. We, like Yunus, are called to tell others about Islam, but the results might never be known to us. A word we say to one person might touch them deeply and yet we may never see the effect of that word. But we must keep trying. We never know what effect our da`wah will have.

What we must never do, though, is to think that we are in control or that it is we who call others to Islam. Allah is in control and He, alone, calls others to Himself. We shouldn't get down-hearted or angry when our efforts seem to fail. Muslims trust in Allah. In His own time and in His own way, He will deal with those who do evil, just as He will reward the righteous:

[No soul knows what comfort is kept hidden for them, as a reward for their deeds.](As-Sajdah 32:17)

Allah uses all things to work out His plan. In the story of Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him), He not only uses Yunus, but He uses the sailors and the whale and the plant, to do His will. So we should never presume to know the will of Allah, nor to make decisions on His behalf.

Finally, if you have ever felt as though you are in the belly of the whale, surrounded by darkness and with no way out, do what Prophet Yunus did. [He cried through the darkness](Al-Anbiyaa' 21:87) and admitted that there is no god but Allah and that only Allah can rescue.

Never give up. Trust in Allah. He can use us and all situations to do great things beyond our wildest imagination. It is by Allah's will that we are Muslim. Just as [his Lord chose him and made him of the righteous,] (Al-Qalam 68:50) so we, too, like Prophet Yunus can respond to the call of Almighty Allah and make a difference in our world.

Wonderful Life

2011-08-19T23:26:00.001+08:00

There were times when I felt bad just being happy simply because I remember others who were still not. There were times when I felt sad because they are people who feel happiness is something to be jealous about and if they can't have it, so mustn't you. There were times I heard gasps for air when someone says he/she is happy for me - deep down I know they are not. Still, I learn that to be happy isn't about imposing self pity on myself but more of sensing that you still have that dignity, even for simply doing one thing right.

But, there were times when I found strangers who saw the genuine happiness I feel for others, the first thing they want to do when they saw me was to hug me. There were also times when I learnt from others' heartbreaking experiences to realise that happiness isn't mechanical, that it will work for itself, as to attain happiness is more like riding a normal bike 1km uphill for someoone like me [Read; So physically not fit].

Happiness is to be worked on. It is to be understood. It is to be felt with our heart. Like love, it is selfless. Like roses, you'd remember the smell even after they have long gone. It's forever etched in your senses, enabling you to relive it at your own command.

Isn't it a wonderful life?

I Must Have Done Something Good...

2011-08-13T16:00:00.004+08:00

My Response to Common Malaysian

2011-08-12T21:15:00.003+08:00

Common Malaysian said...

I have been following the GTP and firmly believe that Idris Jala is not serving anyone’s agenda. I am glad that Najib has started an effort so big to reform the state of our affairs, unlike any of his predecessors.

It is good that the PM has finally recognised the need to fix the foundation and from there work towards building a high income economy in the long run.

The GTP is meant to give the people better access to improved public service delivery and address the social development of the country. Agreed that it is a little delayed but nevertheless, it is happening. The transformation programmes are exactly what we need as all Ministries have specific KPIs to achieve. If they don’t achieve what is promised, they have too much to lose, especially after they have witnessed the power of the people at the polls during the last election.

June 21, 2011 6:42 PM

Fi-sha says,

Dear Mr./Ms. Common Malaysian

Firstly, I must apologise for my very late response. Like love has reasons which reasons cannot understand (Blaise Pascal), I didn't know why I was hesitant to respond (when I am, by nature, a tempestuous person).

Secondly, let me express my gratefulness in finding your words on my “YES” post. You certainly made my day for now I have found some zeal to write (certainly not on such trite matters, definitely). Thank you for the enlightenment (and merci to those who have been kind enough to steer Mr./Ms. Common Malaysian’s wheels to my kick-some-heels post).

Let's get back to business in hand shall we?

Yes, Sir/Madam, Idris Jala of PEMANDU is not serving anyone’s agenda – not those in power nor those outside the corridor of power (that is us, common Malaysians). It's a zero-sum-game set-up that spent RM63.9 M hard-earned public funds (and we are still counting) to hire consultants for PEMANDU and to organize 3 Open Days for GTP and ETP initiatives while our economic competitiveness ranking in 2011 slumped by 6 slots to 16, our Corruption Perception Index score dropped from 5.1 in 2008 to 4.4 in 2010 and our Democracy Index fell from 68 in 2008 to 71 in 2010, just to name a few.

I sense your eyes rolling in disbelief seeing how I attach such non-performing results to Idris Jala's 'economic lab' as you may think it is not at all fair to put the blame of such deteriorating ratings to 'a new boy on the block' like him.

Unfortunately, he isn't a new boy after all. The news of Air Asia-MAS shares swap , that was finalised early this week, opens Idris Jala's cans of worms (now I know why i delayed this response). The 'demise' of MAS reflects his short-sighted business acumen and poor management style. Just read what Gomen Man wrote in TMI yesterday, asking him to return the millions! If he was ever good, he was good at 'sweeping everything under the carpet'.

Confucius says that, "Success depends upon previous preparations and without such preparation, there is sure to be failure". Now that he heads PEMANDU, I am more worried than ever as eloquently explained by En Ali Kadir today, questioning the accountability of the office holders, who are being rewarded for their mismanagement, and the deplorable opinions we sought from the highly-paid consultants - over and over again - only to fail us, common people, miserably.

Like a good marriage, success of any plans relies heavily on our willpower to undertake the responsibilities (not merely status and position). If there's a will, there's a way, they say. so, if there's a goodwill towards us, the common people, there is definitely numerous good ways to deliver and most of the time, they don't cost a bomb!

Dear Mr./Ms. Common Malaysia, i personally feel that PEMANDU is useless, especially to common people like me. I don't think you are common enough to see and feel the real hardships face by millions of Anak Bangsa Malaysia in their Ibu Pertiwi, day in, day out (UK riots shed some light of what will happen when these people are left unattended for by the Government).

If you think you are, tell me why Idris Jala has the heart to say that, "GST is a way to fund the poor" when the real problem is lack of enforcement by the government to prevent rampant tax evasion and bloated subsidies structure to IPP, amongst other glaring 'holes in our pockets'?

Please, I must insist, that you assist Idris Jala and his PEMANDU people to visit YES website before they bring our Ibu Pertiwi to its knees (Oh, did you read about Italian Police raided Moody's and S&P's Milan Office?).

I wish you and your loved ones a ma'rifah Ramadhan. While we agree to disagree, I believe we both want the best for this Ibu Pertiwi. Let's not lose hope on that, shall we?

Salam Ramadhan

2011-08-01T11:16:00.004+08:00

Last night, I dreamt about running away from two women and after a good cat-and-mouse game, they were apprehended. I wanted to blame the green-and-grey stripy "Alice in Wonderland'''s Cheshire Cat (I recently watched this with my nephew) but I should know too well it's the start of Ramadhan and that those women are 'my own demons' I wish to get rid off during this precious Ramadhan and hopefully many more months to come. Amin 44x.

This is the month when more people are willing to go the extra miles to do good deeds. I pray that, no matter what we do, we do them all in the name of Allah because when we do things for thr right reasons, they all make us more humbly humane.

May this year's Ramadhan makes us better people.

Prelude to Bersih 2.0: Two Songs None The Richer

2011-07-08T00:00:00.002+08:00

A song for the government

ABBA - Thank you for the music

So I say
Thank you for the music, the lies you're telling
Thanks for all the sufferings you're bringing
Who can live with it, I ask in all honesty
What would life be, with a wrong or a prance, what are we
So I say, thank you for the music, for giving it to me

A song for all Malaysians

The Carpenters - We've only just begun

We've only just begun
To live
White lace and promises
A kiss for luck and we're on our way
Before the rising sun
We fly
So many roads to choose
We start out walking and learn to run
And yes we've only just begun
Sharing horizons that are new to us
Watching the signs along the way
Talking it over just the two of us
Working together day to day
Together
And when the evening comes
We smile
So much of life ahead
We'll find a place where there's room to grow
And yes we just begun
To live
We only just begun
To live

Prelude to Bersih 2.0: Do's and Don'ts

2011-07-05T14:05:00.003+08:00

Check out Bersih 2.0, Loyarburok and Perisik Rakyat.

For alternative, fun guides to Bersih 2.0, get in touch with Mr. Dnightcaller.

Prelude to Bersih 2.0: To all those broken hearts

2011-07-05T13:30:00.002+08:00

Is Bersih 2.0 for the broken-hearted Malaysians? I guess it is for when we are in love - of someone, of some things, of our nation, of our comrades, of our neighbours, of all living things - we care for them. And when we care for them, we always to give the best they deserve. It hurts when we see them being treated otherwise.

Bersih 2.0 is the best shot we could give to our failing electoral and judicial systems. If our DYMM Agung has taken his precious time to calm his Rakyat with his timely edict, I am sure he too has the time to listen to what we feel deep down in our broken heart, in whatever ways possible.

For me, Bersih 2.0 is an emotional rite of passage for a democratic Malaysia. It is a kind of emotional comfort that we have done the best we can NOW for a better Malaysia for our generations to come.

So, I call upon all broken-hearted Malaysians to show your humble solidarity this Saturday. It is time to let your hearts do the talking for God has created humans perfectly that we could sense what others are feeling.

The best anti-dote for a broken heart is to love more, instead of breaking more hearts. So, let's spread love this Saturday!

Fastball's Out of my Head

Was I out of my head? Was I out of my mind?
How could I have ever been so blind?
I was waiting for an indication
It was hard to find
Don't matter what I say only what I do
I never mean to do bad things to you
So quiet but I finally woke up
If you're sad then its time you spoke up too

John Mayer's Heartbeark Warfare

If you want more love,
why don't you say so?
If you want more love,
why don't you say so?

Rob Thomas' This is How a Heart Breaks

This is it now
Everybody get down
This is all I can take
This is how a heart breaks
You take a hit now you feel it break down
Make you stay wide awake
This is how a heart breaks

p.s. to those Muslims, don't forget to do solat hajat and solat taubat before Bersih 2.0.

Prelude to Bersih 2.0: These Boots Are Made For Walking

2011-06-28T18:00:00.003+08:00

You keep saying you've got something for me.
something you call love, but confess.
You've been messin' where you shouldn't have been a messin'
and now someone else is gettin' all your best.

These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do
one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.

You keep lying, when you oughta be truthin'
and you keep losin' when you oughta not bet.
You keep samin' when you oughta be changin'.
Now what's right is right, but you ain't been right yet.

These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do
one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.

You keep playin' where you shouldn't be playin
and you keep thinkin' that you;ll never get burnt.
Ha!
I just found me a brand new box of matches yeah
and what he know you ain't HAD time to learn.

These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they'll do
one of these days these boots are gonna walk all over you.

Are you ready boots? Start walkin'!

Judge Wenger Khairy, what the H**ll happened to your YB KJ?

2011-06-21T13:32:00.004+08:00

Flip-flopping like his FIL?

Or has he been 'belasah' by his peeps now he attacked Madam Ambiga?

What a sexist, racist bigot he is!

And to Ib-what Ali and Panglima Perang Cyber, you threaten my Chinese brothers and sisters, you threaten me (Leigh Ann Touhy, The Blind Side).

Weekend's Cheer

2011-06-17T16:57:00.003+08:00

These days, I will click “Showbiz” first whenever I surf TMI. Yes, it’s better to read about what’s happening in Hollywood, first thing first, than reading our Bolehwood news.

Wednesday came with a bang. It was Cheer Up Keanu [Reeves] Day and The Guardian came up with an article about his new book, “Ode to Happiness” (Keanu is melancholically hot!). Ever lovely and talented Natalie Portman had a baby boy (I must watch “Black Swan”) while Uncle Heff was dumped by his 60-year-old-younger fiancée 5 days before their supposedly big day (and he’s cool about it).

Ingatkan panas sampai ke petang, rupanya hujan di tengahari (I thought it would be sunny till the end but it rained in the afternoon).

As support for Bersih 2.0 gains momentum, so does the opposition from people of all walks like Deputy What-IGP, Muh-what Yassin, Ib-what Ali, Ah-what-Maslan and Yadim’s YDP. And suddenly, YB KJ wants to call for a gathering for UMNO Youth on the same day ‘to strengthen the democratic system’ (whatever is that supposed to mean, YB!). Thank y’all for unintended publicities in BeNd MSM. Sure heboh!

Not that I have nothing to do (women never run short of things to do, guys!) but I want to make Bersih 2.0 a success. So, for coming weeks to Bersih 2.0, I will write on some info on successful protests, the do’s and don’t’s, suggestions to ‘calm down’ our Men in Blue (Tita Cory and inspiring ‘kaum wanita’ in Tahrir Square , thanks for some heads up!), etc.

In the meantime, let me share with you this weekend’s cheer. It’s about a successful rescue of 3.5 m- whale stranded on the beach of Mabul Island, in Semporna’s water. The whale could be dead – just like the one stranded in 2006 – but thanks to urgent and concerted efforts from public community, resort staff and tourists, it resurfaced twice, as if giving out signs to its heroes that it is thankful and glad to be back to where it really belongs, before disappearing.

What a perfect antidote to Anti-Bersih 2.0 and another great weekend. Happy weekend y’all!

“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear” ~ Ambrose Redmoon

p.s. I'm delighted to know that Bindi Irwin stars in Free Willy : Escape from Pirate's Cove. You go Girl!

Your Women

2011-06-16T17:41:00.001+08:00

'Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater.

If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby.

If you give her a house, she'll give you a home.

If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal.

If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart.

She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her.

So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of shit'

I received this quote in my Mailbox this morning. Thanks to Mr QS.

Morals of this quote are: -

1. Who needs those transformation plans when you have us, women (yes, if we have more women in decision-making positions, perhaps we don't have to spend RM1.8 M on FA page, or RM60+++ M for ETP ;) )?

2. Who says women are high-maintenance beings? If we are ever one, maybe it's all because of you having no more interest in us.

3. So, Men, treat your Women right. Or someone else will?

Prelude to Bersih 2.0: Fields of Gold

2011-06-15T17:48:00.001+08:00

"Will you stay with me, will you be my love
Among the fields of barley
We'll forget the sun in his jealous sky
As we lie in the fields of gold"

"I never made promises lightly
And there have been some that I've broken
But I swear in the days still left
We'll walk in the fields of gold"

p.s. Will you walk with me in the fields of golden-hued Malaysians on 9 July 2011?

p.s. Thanks to Monsieur Art Harun for introducing the great dame of Irish singers, Mary Black to me - an ardent fan of celtic art scene. I find Mary Black's rendition of Sting's Fields of Gold as hair-raising experience. Hope you'll feel the energy.

In Your Death Do Us Fight

2011-06-09T17:40:00.000+08:00

Morning brings the best spiritual side of me. In the blackest, quietest dawn, my mind wanders ‘far and wide’, sending out prayers to those I loved, those meaningful to those I loved, and those strangers I come across in our many bizarre headlines – in life and in death. Those moments reinforce my belief that I live this day and the rest of my life for a purpose greater than my own interest. These people are my pillar of strengths in my tumultuous life.

This morning, I made a mental note to search for the names of the 3 youths, who were shot dead by our Men in Blue in November last year as they are amongst those departeds whom I extend “Al-Fatihah” on daily basis. This afternoon, it’s a search made easy as I read this with great sorrow what their post-mortem results tell. Two of these youths - Adik Muhammad Hanafi Omar, 22, Adik Muhammad Shamil Hafiz Shapiei, 15, and Adik Hairul Nizam Tuah, 20 - were shot, based on the angle of the wounds, while kneeling in front of the perpetrators, our Men in Blue.

Please tell me if we have the heart to say that they deserved to die under such brutal circumstances? Friends of foes, no one deserves to be ‘mauled’ senselessly.

Three days ago, hundreds of Egyptians celebrated the first anniversary of Khaled Said’s death. His death sparked the monumental Egypt Uprising - thanks to educated and liberated Egyptian Youths like Wael Ghonim, who have had enough of Hosni Mubarak’s brutish antics and kept the spirit of People Power high till the overthrown of the dictator on 11 February 2011 – which has now spread like a wild fire across the Middle East, once known throughout its history as the epicenter of world affairs. While they are still grappling with the aftershock of the uprising, In his death, Khaled Said has liberated his fellow Egyptians.

Have the torturous deaths of Adik Kugan, Adik Teoh Beng Hock, Adik Amirul and Encik Sarbani at the hands of our Men in Blue and their likes set us free?

Perhaps, their ends should be our beginnings. Perhaps, in their deaths should us all fight. So, one day, there will be no more government which would trample humanity at its mercy.

Let me leave you with this quote from Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama, in case you feel that we should not be seriously alarmed of what’s happening around us: -

“Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighboring country. Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free”

Searching for the Real Good Men

2011-06-08T07:30:00.003+08:00

Michelle Obama confesses, “Marriage is hard” and I was advised a few months ago to seriously consider getting married if I want to climb up the corporate ladder. Blimey!

Not too long ago, I was thinking that I should ‘hire’ a husband because in most corporations, married women enjoy various benefits, especially medical coverage for their spouses and children. Since I am single, shouldn’t I too enjoy such coverage for my parents, for instance?

But lately, I was told, married women too suffer in their corporate climb. In some conglomerates, women who went on maternity leave will have their performance rating downgraded by one notch. In some other companies, mothers are not entitled for a bonus for the financial year they went on the maternity leave. I wonder why we must penalize mothers for giving birth to our bundle of joy.

While writing this, I wonder if our social activist, Fahmi Fadzil, deserves to be penalized in such a manner (that is to make public apology over Twitter for 100 times a day for 3 days) because the corporate world out there is indeed so cruel!

It is not marriage or being a mother that is hard, being women is hard in this modern world. With the rise of baby girls being born for the last few decades, boys are regarded as heaven-sent to most parents. As a result, most boys grow up into irresponsible men.

So, what do I mean that we have more irresponsible men.

Irresponsible men are emotionally handicapped. They grow up, expecting to have their material needs fulfilled and their messes to be cleared by others. They are so self-centred, they forget about the sacrifices made by their parents. They feel it is acceptable not to give a monetary token to their parents on monthly basis. The world revolves around them, without no care at all about their family member. The saddest part of this sexist upbringing is the rise in divorce rate and marital abuses. More and more youths run away from their broken homes while more and more old folks living in poverty while others are being abandoned in old folk establishments, under the care of strangers. By and by, social ills become permanent stumbling blocks, inflicting the young ones right up to our golden-aged folks.

Irresponsible men lack drive to excel. It shows in the declining number of boys getting into tertiary education system. This further proliferates into a strong force of women entering both our public and private sectors. Still, in the name of survival of purely egoism, women hardly make half of total workforce and mostly earn lesser than their male counterparts. No wonder our nation has fallen from its previous ranking of 72 to 98 in 2010 Global Gender Report, produced by World Economic Forum.

Irresponsible men think life is that simple - Just take care of their own needs and everything will be alright. It is never a case. Life is a wheel. What goes around comes around. I stand on these words that men, no matter who they are, should learn to be good sons before turning into good workers, husbands, fathers and leaders.

Only then, this nation will be a good one for everyone.

So, will the real good men please stand up?

p.s. A survey done on Fortune 500 companies shows that those with the highest representation of women on their top management team have better financial performances. In Malaysia, women only make up around 14% of decision-making positions and with this representation, instead of standing up for other women under them, these female decision makers will try to outdo their male counterparts by often showing others that their harshness signifies power. For a nation to truly push itself into a greater height, it is imperative for it to foster greater understanding and respect towards each gender.

YES!

2011-06-07T05:13:00.001+08:00

Nah, I am not trying to promote YTL’s YES but here I am dying to introduce you to my spanking hot knowledge magnet – YES magazine.

With its tagline, “Powerful ideas, Practical Actions”, it carries articles on pertinent segments of life – peace and justice, planet, new economy, people power and happiness.

My favourite segment is New Economy (in fact, I was directed to this website upon searching for Madam Elinor Ostrom). Having read them all while listening to what our government announced under their whatever-Ps (ETP, GTP, EPP, IPP, etc.) just make me resolute that there is no other way to a better life than to change this government.

I thought I was underrating my expectations by going simple and resourceful but under the topic of Beyond Money, you’d see money isn’t everything. Under Cooperatives, YES shows that sharing is indeed caring and never at all burdening. While we all know money doesn’t grow on trees, Global Trade Justice tells us the real stories behind our myriad of crises and all. Go Local is simply breathtaking because it teaches how we can create and manage our own economy, instead of relying to global market. They say you should measure a man by his bank account and they forget to ask whether the credit balance derives from legal or illegitimate sources. In Measuring Real Wealth, you get to know what makes a man is hardly what he has in his pocket but what goodness he has in him for others. Social investment makes my heart glow because it stresses the importance of moral and social contributions in life. Work encompasses on matters that matter to create a conducive working environment.

This is a must-read site!

Perhaps, someone should direct Idris Jala and his team to this site. It will save us from all those monstrous economic 'reforms'.

The Science of Empathy

2011-06-06T07:40:00.000+08:00

"Any problem immersed in empathy becomes soluble" ~ Simon Baron-Cohen

We have seen enough sufferings inflicted on others, mercilessly, by people whom we entrusted to protect us. They, the ones with 'hati yang mati', think that we are too sympathetic 'tak bertempat' when in actual fact, their failure to have such feel reflects their lack of empathy.

Prof Simon Baron-Cohen, one of the leading Autism experts, writes an enlightening piece, "The Science of Empathy" in The Guardian. This excellent piece not only sheds light on the importance of empathy, in today's maddening world, but it shows that in every adversity lies a blessing. Whenever we dine out, people would give an awkward look to Hariz, when he starts banging the table and making unintelligible noises, but we don't take heart for having a special child like Hariz makes us understand human beings better or perhaps, simply being better humans beings.

When I was seven years old, my father told me the Nazis had turned Jews into lampshades. Just one of those comments you hear once and the thought never goes away. To a child's mind – even to an adult's – these two types of thing just don't belong together. He also told me the Nazis turned Jews into bars of soap. It sounds so unbelievable, yet it is actually true. I knew our family was Jewish, so this image of turning people into objects felt a bit close to home.

Years later, I was teaching at St Mary's Hospital Medical School in London. I sat in on a lecture on physiology. The professor was teaching about human adaptation to temperature. He told the students the best data available on human adaptation to extreme cold had been collected by Nazi scientists performing "immersion experiments" on Jews and other inmates of Dachau concentration camp, who they put into vats of freezing water. They collected systematic data on how heartrate correlated with time, at zero degrees centigrade.

Hearing about this unethical research retriggered that same question in my mind: how can humans treat other people as objects? How do humans come to switch off their natural feelings of sympathy for a fellow human being who is suffering?

The standard explanation is that the Holocaust (sadly echoed in many cultures historically across the globe) is an example of the "evil" that humans are capable of inflicting on one another. Evil is treated as incomprehensible, a topic that cannot be dealt with because the scale of the horror is so great that nothing can convey its enormity. But, when you hold up the concept of evil to examine it, it is no explanation at all. For a scientist this is, of course, wholly inadequate.

As a scientist I want to understand the factors causing people to treat others as if they are mere objects. So let's substitute the term "evil" with the term "empathy erosion". Empathy erosion can arise because of corrosive emotions, such as bitter resentment, or desire for revenge, or blind hatred, or desire to protect. In theory these are transient emotions, the empathy erosion is reversible. But empathy erosion can be the result of more permanent psychological characteristics.

Unempathic acts are simply the tail end of a bell curve, found in every population on the planet. If we want to replace the term "evil" with the term "empathy", we have to understand empathy closely. The key idea is that we all lie somewhere on an empathy spectrum. People said to be "evil" or cruel are simply at one extreme of the empathy spectrum. We can all be lined up along this spectrum of individual differences, based on how much empathy we have. At one end of this spectrum we find "zero degrees of empathy".

Zero degrees of empathy means you have no awareness of how you come across to others, how to interact with others, or how to anticipate their feelings or reactions. It leaves you feeling mystified by why relationships don't work out, and it creates a deep-seated self-centredness. Other people's thoughts and feelings are just off your radar. It leaves you doomed to do your own thing, in your own little bubble, not just oblivious of other people's feelings and thoughts but oblivious to the idea that there might even be other points of view. The consequence is that you believe 100% in the rightness of your own ideas and beliefs, and judge anyone who does not hold your beliefs as wrong, or stupid.

Zero degrees of empathy does not strike at random in the population. There are at least three well-defined routes to getting to this end-point: borderline, psychopathic, and borderline personality disorders. I group these as zero-negative because they have nothing positive to recommend them. They are unequivocally bad for the sufferer and for those around them. Of course these are not all the sub-types that exist. Indeed, alcohol, fatigue and depression are just a few examples of states that can temporarily reduce one's empathy, and schizophrenia is another example of a medical condition that can reduce one's empathy.

Carol is 39 years old. I met her when she came to our diagnostic clinic in Cambridge. (I have disguised details of her life for reasons of confidentiality.) She has borderline personality disorder. For as long as she can remember, and certainly going back into early childhood, she has felt her life was "cursed". As she looks back on her stormy childhood, her unstable teens and her crisis-ridden adulthood, she contemplates her lifetime of depression. Her relationship with her parents has been punctuated by periods of years during which she did not speak to them at all. She is aware that she has a huge reservoir of hatred towards her parents, who she feels maltreated her and who were never really parents towards her. However nice people are to her, she feels she can never quench this simmering rage which even today can come out as hatred towards anyone she feels is disrespecting her. Often people she perceives as disrespecting her are simply people who disagree with her, and she senses that they are doing this in a confrontational way.

In this way, there is a distortion or a bias in how she reacts to others, assuming they are treating her badly when they are not. If her children don't do what she says, she screams and swears at them, saying: "How dare you treat me with such disrespect? You can just fuck off! I hate you. I never want to see you again. You can just look after yourselves. I'm through with the lot of you! You're evil, selfish bastards! I hate you! I'm going to kill myself! And I hope you're happy knowing you made me do it!" She will then storm out, slamming the door behind her.

Minutes later, she will drive to one of her friends and spend the evening having fun, leaving her children reeling with the impact of her hurtful words. When her hatred and anger bubble up, there is no chance of her stopping it coming out. It bursts forth with venom, designed to hurt whoever's ears the words land on. Her own feelings are so strong that there is no space in her mind to consider how her children might feel, being told by their mother that they are evil. The irony of Carol's behaviour is that, in accusing others of selfishness (because their will does not accord with hers), she herself behaves with absolute selfishness.

When Carol was a baby, her mother used to ignore her. She thought it would just spoil children to give them attention, that to show them affection was to "make a rod for your back", by which she meant that the child would then expect love and become clingy. She breastfed Carol for just one week after she was born, and then passed the baby to a nanny to feed by bottle, saying she was too busy to look after the baby. Carol was hit constantly if she didn't do what her mother ordered her to do. At the age of eight, Carol was sent to boarding school, where she felt lonely and was withdrawn and socially anxious. Her mother felt she had completed her maternal duty and that children needed to learn to stand on their own two feet. As a result, she grew up looking after herself, knowing her mother was never around to care for her. She would cook her own meals, clean the house and cry herself to sleep every night.

A well-known borderline was Marilyn Monroe (baptised Norma Jeane Baker). Despite her glamorous outward appearance, a volcano simmered within her. Elton John wrote his famous song "Candle in the Wind" to describe her, which succinctly summarises how impulsively changeable she was. Norma was born in 1926 and her parents divorced in 1928. She always claimed she didn't know who her real father was. Norma's mother Gladys, because of her mental health, gave her away for fostering to the Bolender family, where she lived until she was seven. Norma believed the Bolenders were her real parents until she was told the truth at this age. Gladys came back into her life and her daughter went to live with her again, but after Gladys was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, her mother's friend Grace became Norma's guardian. Grace married a man called Ervin Goddard when Norma was nine years old, so the young Norma was sent to the Los Angeles Orphan Home and a series of foster homes. Two years later she went back to live with Grace but was sexually molested by Goddard.

Norma was married three times, first to neighbour James Dougherty in 1942 when she was 16 years old. He agreed to marry her to avoid her being returned to the orphanage. The marriage lasted only three years. She then married again in 1954, to baseball player Joe DiMaggio, but this time the marriage lasted less than a year. Very soon after, in 1956, she married playwright Arthur Miller, who described her as follows: "She was a whirling light to me then, all paradox and enticing mystery, street-tough one moment, then lifted by a lyrical and poetic sensitivity that few retain past early adolescence." Throughout her life she hated being alone and was terrified of being abandoned. In adulthood she was in and out of psychiatric clinics, and attempted suicide at least three times. She finally succeeded in killing herself (overdosing on barbiturates) on 5 August 1962.

As we heard in both Carol's case and Marilyn Monroe's life, borderlines cannot tolerate being alone. For them, aloneness feels like abandonment, and to avoid that awful feeling the person will seek out other people, even relationships with strangers. But, whoever they are with, borderlines either feel suffocated (by someone getting close to them) or abandoned (by someone being distant from them). They cannot find a calm middle ground in which to enjoy a relationship comfortably. Instead they go through an unhealthy alternating sequence of pushing others away (with angry hate), or clinging desperately to them (with extreme gratitude).

Remarkably, despite the unstable behaviour of borderlines, or "Type Bs", scientists have managed to study their brains, which are definitely different in much of the empathy circuit. First, there is decreased binding of neurotransmitters to one of the serotonin receptors. Neuroimaging also reveals underactivity in the orbital frontal cortex and in the temporal cortex – all parts of the empathy circuit.

A novel approach has been to follow up people who were abused as children and scan their brains. It is novel because it is prospective rather than retrospective: the emotional damage was done in childhood and the scientific question is: "What happens to their brain?" Not all of them will be Type Bs, but a significant proportion will be. Such people again have abnormalities in the empathy circuit, such as having a smaller amygdala. This is also true of women who were sexually abused, who later show less grey matter in their left medial temporal cortex, compared to non-abused women. Smaller hippocampal volume is also found in people who experienced a trauma and went on to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). One interpretation of all this evidence is that the early negative experiences of abuse and neglect change how the brain turns out. But the key point is that the zero degrees of empathy in borderlines arises from abnormalities in the empathy circuit of the brain.

Paul (not his real name, to protect his identity) is 28 years old and is currently detained in a secure prison after being found guilty of murder. He insisted he wasn't guilty because the man he stabbed had provoked him by looking at him from across the bar. Paul had gone over to the man and said, "Why were you staring at me?" The man had replied, I assume truthfully: "I wasn't staring at you. I was simply looking around the bar." Paul had felt incensed by the man's answer, believing it to be disrespectful, and felt he needed to be taught a lesson. He picked up a beer bottle, smashed it on the table and plunged the jagged end deep into the man's face.

Like me, the barrister at Paul's trial was shocked by the apparent lack of remorse and the self-righteousness of his plea of not guilty. Paul was adamant that he had simply defended himself. "He humiliated me in public. I had to show him I wasn't a doormat." I asked, "Do you believe you did anything wrong?" Paul replied, "People have treated me like shit all my life. I'm not taking it from no one no more. If someone shows me disrespect, they deserve what they get." I probed further: "Are you sorry that he died?" I waited to hear Paul's answer, holding my breath. He replied with anger in his voice: "Were the kids at school sorry when they bullied me? Was my boss sorry when he fired me? Was my neighbour sorry when he deliberately hit my car? And you ask me if I'm sorry that that piece of shit died? Of course I'm not sorry. He had it coming to him. No one's ever been sorry for how they've treated me. Why should I give a fuck about him?"

Paul's career of criminal behaviour had begun when he was as young as 13, when he had set fire to the school gym and sat in a tree across a field to watch it burn. He was expelled and from there went to three more schools, each time being expelled for aggression – starting fights in the playground, attacking a teacher who asked him to be quiet and even jumping on someone's head when they wouldn't let him join the football team.

Paul is clearly not the kind of guy you want to live near. Many would not hesitate to describe him as "evil". He is a psychopath – a Type P – though to give him the proper diagnostic label, he has antisocial personality disorder. He earns this label because he shows "a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others that begins in childhood or adolescence, and continues into adulthood".

Clearly Type Ps differ in important ways to Type Bs, but they share the core feature of being zero-negative: their zero degrees of empathy can result in them doing cruel things to others. The Type P brain, too, shows lots of evidence of abnormalities in the empathy circuitry. Given the association with neglect and abuse in childhood, there is evidence that early stress affects how well the hippocampus functions, and how active the neural systems are that respond to threat. Prolonged exposure to stress isn't good for your brain. The amygdala is one of the brain regions that respond to stress or threat. When it does, it triggers the hypothalamus to trigger the pituitary gland to release a hormone called ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone). This is then carried by the blood from the brain down to the adrenal gland where it triggers the release of another hormone, cortisol. Cortisol is often called the "stress hormone" because it is a good indicator of when an animal is under stress. There are receptors for cortisol in the hippocampus that allow the animal to regulate the stress response. Remarkably, too much stress can damage and shrink your hippocampus, irreversibly. This is one more piece of evidence for the argument that instead of using the term "evil" we should talk about reduced (or even absent) empathy.

Empathy itself is the most valuable resource in our world. Given this assertion, it is puzzling that in the school curriculum empathy figures hardly at all, and in politics, business, the courts or policing it is rarely if ever on the agenda. We can see examples among our political leaders of the value of empathy, as when Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk sought to understand and befriend each other, crossing the divide in Apartheid South Africa, but the same has not yet been achieved between Israel and Palestine, or between Washington and Iraq or Afghanistan. And, for every day that empathy is not employed in such corners of the world, more lives are lost.

I think we have taken empathy for granted, and thus to some extent overlooked it. Psychology as a science virtually ignored it for a century. Educators focusing on literacy and mathematics have also largely ignored it. We just assume empathy will develop in every child, come what may. We put little time, effort or money into nurturing it. Our politicians almost never mention it, despite the fact that they need it more than anyone. Until recently, neuroscientists hardly questioned what empathy is.

I sat in Alyth Gardens synagogue in Golders Green in north London last year. Two men went up on the stage. The first one spoke: "I am Ahmed, and I am a Palestinian. My son died in the Intifada, killed by an Israeli bullet. I come to wish you all Shabbat Shalom."

Then the other man spoke: "I am Moishe, and I am an Israeli. My son also died in the Intifada, killed by a homemade petrol bomb thrown by a Palestinian teenager. I come to wish you all Salaam Alaikum."

I was shocked: here were two fathers, from different sides of the political divide, united by their grief and now embracing each other's language. How had they met? Moishe had taken up the opportunity offered by a charity called The Parents Circle for Israelis and Palestinians to make free phone calls directly into each other's homes, to express their empathy to bereaved parents on the other side of the barbed-wire fence. Ahmed described how he had been at home in Gaza one day when the phone rang. It was Moishe, at that time a stranger in Jerusalem, who had taken that brave first step. They both openly wept down the phone. Neither had ever met or even spoken to someone from the other community, but both told the other they knew what the other was going through.

Empathy is like a universal solvent. Any problem immersed in empathy becomes soluble. It is effective as a way of anticipating and resolving interpersonal problems, whether this is a marital conflict, an international conflict, a problem at work, difficulties in a friendship, political deadlocks, a family dispute, or a problem with the neighbour. Unlike the arms industry that costs trillions of dollars to maintain, or the prison service and legal system that cost millions of dollars to keep oiled, empathy is free. And, unlike religion, empathy cannot, by definition, oppress anyone.

The Heart of Life

2011-06-04T06:25:00.000+08:00

Life keeps on changing and never fails to demand every single things out of us.

For life to be good, come what may, there should be constant denominators in our heart and for me, they are selfless love and compassion.

At times, we are seen as weak and meek for being selfless and compassionate but Ralph Waldo Emerson says, "patience and fortitude conquer all things".

Wishing your heart of life is as good as mine.

Happy weekend everyone!

The Blind Side

2011-06-03T17:57:00.005+08:00

Have I been losing my non-Malay friends over my "Dia, Kau dan Aku"?

I hope not and I hope we should know by now the kind of game that has been imprinted in our lifescript (by imitations and reactions), all in the name of survival. If there is any game plan, let's call it "Humanity" because we belong to nly 1 race and that is human race.

If you have watched Sandra Bullock in "The Blind Side", you would remember this:

"You threaten my son, you threaten me" ~ Leigh Anne Touhy (The Blind Side)

Yes, I'd say that to anyone who threaten you.

Apology, from the deepest nooks of my heart, if I ever offended my dear friends out there.

Could I make up with this song by Colbie Callait, "I DO" because I do believe we are one big family.

"It's always been about me myself and I
If all relationships were nothing but a waste of time
I never wanted to be anybody's other half
I was happy to say that our love wouldn't last
That was the only way I knew to that you

You make we wanna say
I do, I do, I do, do do do do do do doo
Yeah, I do, I do, I do, do do do do do do doo
Cause every time before we spend like
Maybe yes and maybe no
I can live without it, I can let it go
Ooh, I did, I get myself into
You make we wanna say I do, I do, I do, I do, I do, I do,

Tell me is it only me
Do you feel the same?
You know me well enough to know that I'm not playing games
I promise I won't turn around and I won't let you down
You can trust and never feel it now
Baby there's nothing, there's nothing we can't get through

So can we say
I do, I do, I do, do do do do do do doo
Oh baby, I do, I do, I do, do do do do do do doo
Cause every time before we spend like
Maybe yes and maybe no
I won't live without it, I won't let it go
Wooh Can I get myself into
You make we wanna say

Me a family, a house a family
Ooh, can we be a family?
And when I'm old and sit next to you.

And when we remember when we said
I do, I do, I do, do do do do do do doo
Oh baby, I do, I do, I do, do do do do do do doo
Cause every time before we spend like
Maybe yes and maybe no
I won't live without it, I won't let it go
Just look at what we got ourselves into
You make we wanna say I do, I do, I do, I do, I do, I do,
Love you"

My Hands and Her Hopes

2011-06-03T14:15:00.004+08:00

Last week, I spent some time after work doing some revisions with my First Little Angel, Faris. He was into his second day of his kindy’s Mid Term Exam. I gave him a call the next day asking how was the exam (such a big word for such a little boy) and he was, with considerable amount of confidence in his voice, telling me that he managed to answer all questions (as I taught him to read his mind out loud whenever he’s confused) and he thought he did good.

Faris does not enjoy doing homework. He needs a pair of watchful eyes hovering over him to keep his focus on track. It is not that he is not good but after a considerable time being harshly reprimanded by his Mama while doing homework (for those imperfect, childish handwriting and dyslexic tendencies), Faris finds homework time emotionally confusing.

I am glad that my parents and I moved to a place closer to my sister (despite that I have lesser Ringgit in my purse for maintaining 2 houses). Not only that my parents could see their grandchildren often, I could spare my sister’s precious time for a good, short break or just concentrate on my Second Little Angel, Hariz. And Faris has his Mak Long who would allow him to be just a normal boy (Mak and my sister often protest my kind of leeway with Faris, messing up the kitchen while helping me cooking or baking, turning my room upside down with our art projects or eating too much chocolates before dinner).

My sister, like other parents to children with severe autism spectrum, is constantly on the verge of breaking down. Taking care of Hariz is physically tiring as Hariz needs to undergo various sensory and physical exercises. Emotionally, it is even more demanding as my sister constantly battles to decipher what is in Hariz’s mind and most importantly, what lies in the future for Hariz. Being a picky eater, Hariz’s diet changes every day, depending on his moods. One day, he may eat sufficiently to compensate for his high energy activities (surprising he seems to be a self-taught swimmer). On another day, he eats so little, he would wake up from his sleeping crying, signaling his hunger. And when Hariz cries, everyone has to bear with his incessant crying. I was trying to help Fariz, his brother, to concentrate on those numbers last night but even I found it difficult with Hariz crying non-stop, despite being consoled by my sister. As much as Hariz needs the help, my First Little Angel too deserves his. There are times when Faris would suffer from my sister’s frustration and exhaustion from taking care of Hariz. Despite me advising my sister to just walk away when she’s tired, Faris would get a beat or two when she had enough of so many things in her mind. That is something I cannot tolerate but who am I to criticize when I am not wearing her shoes?

Human beings are created by the Almighty strong in body, mind and soul to carry out their purpose in life but with constant tribulations, it is so easy to feel defeated, dejected and dead. What gives us all strength to soldier on is wisdom.

Alexandre Dumas Père once said that, “All human wisdom is summed up in two words - wait and hope”. In my sister’s case, for all these years going to the hospitals and many autism centres, she sees no light at the end of Hariz’s tunnel.

It is indeed disheartening to realise that those experts in the government hospitals are clueless about autism and not helpful at all. After 2 years of counseling and therapies at the government hospitals, Hariz is now being categorized as having Global Development Disorder by an expert in a private establishment, which charges thousands of Ringgit a month for a complete set of treatment and this means Hariz suffers from severe autism. Upon revelation of this bad news, my sister was given a ‘lecture’ for delay in getting Hariz to be properly diagnosed. For a woman who had suffered 6 miscarriages in a span of 4 years – such lecture was a major blow, questioning her credibility as a mother.

For records, my sister has spent a considerable sum of money for Hariz treatments in so many places. She is not asking for free treatments but she, like other parents in her situation, hopes that our government hospitals employ competent experts and strengthen their services by engaging more college students and volunteers to learn more about autism and its treatments. Although media has reported millions of government funds have been allocated for children like Hariz, the said funds are yet to trickle down to where they are needed most NOW. The existing facilities we have to help these children are scarcely located, when they should be localised to accomodate the rising demands of handling cases like Hariz and other prevalent learning disabilities.

There is no cure to Autism but by having these in place, I am sure, parents like my sister would sigh huge relief for children like Hariz, their journey to normal life, like us, is a long, winding one. There is no ending but there is hope for them to hang on to.

Yes, I started this post with my Faris. I believe, with Hariz's need is well taken care of, so does Faris because I want him to grow up in a conducive environment. Like many others out there, an illness would not only affect a person, it affects the whole fibre of the family, the society and eventually the nation. Let's make a point to lend a hand without them asking.

With the social system of a nation intact, the prospect of its people to grow and prosper is immense and unstoppable.

“A strong nation, like a strong person, can afford to be gentle, firm, thoughtful, and restrained. It can afford to extend a helping hand to others. It's a weak nation, like a weak person, that must behave with bluster and boasting and rashness and other signs of insecurity” ~ Jimmy Carter

Dia, Kau Dan Aku

2011-05-20T06:36:00.000+08:00

Like Capt Iskandar Dzulkarnain, A Bumi speaks my mind succinctly. I said so because I, like a selected fews, spent my formative years around non-Malays and worked with non-Malays (to their astonishment that a Malay could be as competitive as they are). I have seen enough but instead of trying to get even with them and trying to be one of them, I vow that I should never manipulate another human being to my advantage. I vow that a person next to me is a human being so I must treat them with dignity. I vow that me being a Muslim would not make me an enemy to a believer of another religion because I believe all religions in the world advocate for the best interest of humanity.

I was scared of tormenting the real facts that we are who we are because of which race and religion we belong to. It IS a matter of survival and to survive, most of us adopt ‘necessity is the mother of all inventions’ attitude. As a result, here we are, divided more than ever because we know too well of our Achilles Heels. If you go through the History of our Ibu Pertiwi, you would see clearly the tactics employed, not to survive, but more of to thrive, at the expense of sweats, blood and tears of others. More than 600 years later, here we are, living “Dia, Kau and Aku” adage. We are comrades on certain issues and we are each other’s antagonists on the other issues.Without us realising, we are also at faults playing the dirty games – the ones played by our real enemy, BeNd and its allies.

Thank you A Bumi for yourlist. If there is one person I could hate now, it would be me – the woman in the mirror – for I didn’t change for us to live in harmony all these years.

“Shifts (of angels) take turns, staying with each one of you - they are in front of you and behind you. They stay with you, and guard you in accordance with GOD's commands. Thus, GOD does not change the condition of any people unless they themselves make the decision to change. If GOD wills any hardship for any people, no force can stop it. For they have none beside Him as Lord and Master” – Al-Ra’ad (The Thunder, Verse 13, Ayah 11).

Why I work and stay overseas — A Bumi

I am a Malay working overseas. I find working in Malaysia unattractive due to the following reasons. I don’t want to belabour the points, so I list them down in point form:

Chinese chauvinism/racism

• Most private organisations including TMI are dominated by the Chinese and/or their political agenda.

• Chinese people have a tendency to assign negative stereotypes on other races (especially the Bumiputera races).

• They exhibit cliquish, insular, secretive and calculating behaviour.

• Chinese people favour fair-skinned people even though fair skin is disadvantageous in Malaysia’s sunny climate.

• They admire China’s achievements, despite China’s oppressive regime.

• Malaysian Chinese use the Chinese languages (Mandarin, Cantonese, Hokkien etc.) to isolate their discussion from others while in their presence.

• The Chinese are not honest about failures of ethnic Chinese leaderships in Philippines and Thailand.

• Tokenism is rife in Chinese companies.

• Chinese will use changing criteria to judge people of other ethnicities; one day it is academic merit, another day it may be “character.”

• The Chinese favour their own kind over others, even when other kinds are of equal stature.
• Malays fear to voice out against Chinese for fear of repercussions especially with respect to their employment prospects in the private sector.

• The Chinese still hold strongly to their ethnic heritage.

• They diminish the achievement of other races, especially the Malays.

• Harp on Bumiputera affirmative action even though Chinese people still continue to succeed at all levels of Malaysian life (even government).

• Any Malay who has strong academic background is denounced as attaining it due to “Bumiputera privilege”, even though he graduated overseas with his own money.

• Use their overseas Chinese connection to gain unfair advantage, but pretend the advantage is minimal.

• The Chinese always make unfair comparisons of Malaysia with other non-Muslim, post-industrial countries.

• Chinese people don’t recognise the special position Islam has in Malaysia.

• Enjoy talking bad about Malaysia (even when working/living overseas) as if Malaysia is on the same level as Zimbabwe even though Malaysia is far from it.

• Highly critical of institutions that are Bumiputera-dominated (ie. government), but non-critical of institutions that are Chinese dominant (like gambling).

• Show no desire to partake in patriotic activities (e.g. serve in army), but cry foul when other people point out their lack of patriotism.

• Show lack of understanding about Islamic religion, but enjoy taking Quranic verses out of context to further their argument.

• If pushed to think “outside the box”, the Chinese would favour Western ideals above Islamic ideals.

• The Chinese show lack of respect toward Malay leaders, but accord unnecessary respect to their Chinese community leaders, even though they hold no significant position in government.
• Always speak about “brain drain” but still keep Malaysian passports.

• Willing to spread disingenuous claim that Bumis have already achieved economic parity with the Chinese.

• Use Indians who have achieved to further their claim that Indian community is ahead of the Malay community.

• Comments in support of Chinese chauvinistic agenda are allowed to be posted in TMI, while others are censored.

• I can go on and on with more example, but I grow tired and annoyed.

PAS religionism

• Holds only their interpretation of Islam to be the truth.

• Willing to associate themselves with and be used by non-Muslims while creating enmity toward other Muslims.

• Use religion as a political tool to win arguments and foment discord.

• Ritualistic mentality.

• Have a simplistic idea/concept of the world and its affairs.

Umno nationalism

• Partake in bully politics.

• Enjoy seeing minor issues such as sexual improprieties take over the national discourse.

• Willing to give in to fervent Malay nationalism.

• Must “ampu” within Umno hierarchical structure to get to higher positions.

• Anti-intellectualism.

• Unwillingness to adapt and change to satisfy changing political climate.

Indian shiftiness

• Willing to change their allegiance due to changing political tide.

• Belief that Indian subcontinent will help them, like mainland China helps Malaysian Chinese.

• Dishonest about their caste and other internal problems.

Malaysian culture as a whole

• No proper understanding of logic and reason.

• Has not understood to segregate religious thinking from secular reasoning.

• Lost sensitivities towards other religions/races.

• Still admire Western culture, without studying their obvious weaknesses.

• Always sidetracked by minor issues rather than seeing bigger picture.

• Media not mature to show all sides of the story, media is all very partisan.

• Partisanship is being promoted at all levels from the family microcosm to the national level.

* A Bumi who chooses not to provide his identity, and who has worked in a China-man company as a token executive.

Caged Morality

2011-05-19T20:50:00.002+08:00

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated” – Gandhi

Early this month, The Star reported on beastly conditions of our animal enclosures. This is definitely not the first report on inhumane treatments to animals and deplorable states of our animal enclosures as such plights have been highlighted by many parties for so many years. If I could point a finger or two on this on-going animal cruelty, I would point it to our government. You may say why we should make fuss about animals when we still have people living in dire straits in Klang Valley. It does matter because once we have the hearts (or the stomachs) to inflict such sufferings to animals, we will do that to other people. And for me, that is where we have been very wrong so far and thus, explains why we are burdened with our current corrupted, power-bloated government, as we are being treated like animals, reducing ourselves to mere commodities.

Being an overtly sensitive person, I am hurt whenone asked if I keep my cats in the cage at home, whenever I told them that I have 3+2 (mine plus my sis’) cats. While my sister feels that if I love my cats I should cage them so they won’t run away, I always believe that my cats deserve their independence, to roam the land and socialize along the way (yes, without much worries, I have neutered and spayed them). I could take these cats away from the alleys, but I could never take the cat out of them!

What if I were to put myself in my cats’ paws, would I be jolly happy, thinking my loved one cares for me so much I am now languishing behind bars? Well, lest, I am just like Syed Hamid Albar, my orang kampong, who detained Ms Tan Hoon Cheng under ISA for her safety reasons back in September 2008.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “For what avail the plough or sail, Or land or life, if freedom fail?” So, what is the purpose of having everything according to our heart’s desires at the expense of others’ liberty? So, if I may put my curiosity to you, why do we have this penchant to cage and chastise? Do we do so because we are concerned for their safety or is it more of us not wanting to allow freedom takes place as we tend to associate freedom with troublesome?

Such cruelty to animals reflect our insensitivity to our surrounding.

We are willing to pay to see animals in agony, as we thronged our animal enclosures during school holidays to show our children the beauty of nature while they see the harsh reality of being animals.

We are willing to threaten a lawyer (in the case of Cik Fadiah Nadwa Fikri who was threatened by our Men in Blue when she requested to talk to her Anak Guam in private) from carrying her duties. Based on my brother’s personal experience, this is definitely one of our Men in Blue’s trick to cut short their investigation, as herAnak Guam, out of desperation, would admit guilty. These Men in Blue would rather put people behind bars, without prima facie. They caged their morality in return for their livelihood.

We are willing to see people, for generations to come,dying from exposure to toxic effluents. Last weekend, 4 DAP members were detained by these Men in Blue again, during an Anti-Lynas protest. Yes, they were being held because they protested for the safety of the local people, who would suffer as much as Bukit Merah’s folks, if Lynas comes to Gebeng. Our government is more than willing to cage their morality so that our FDI improves.

But the worst of all is that we are willing to continue voting BeNd, which is now busy cashing in their ‘Fixed Deposits’ to finance their campaign for the next GE (cutting vital subsidies) without any care at all for detrimental socio-economic impacts to many of us.

Perhaps, our ego is too hard to be massaged or our heart is already dead.

Perhaps, we never realized that the door to liberty is unlocked, ready for us to open and make better changes to our Ibu Pertiwi.

My Case of Brain Drain

2011-05-19T18:18:00.002+08:00

Thanks to World Bank’s report on Malaysia’s alarming brain drain – I think I too suffer from a brain drain.

Last year, I saw exodus of my buddies to OECD. They left our Ibu Pertiwi because they know they are destined to live a larger life, than surrendering themselves to our pariah-state socio-politics. They know their life and those of their next generations will remain meaningless even if their races are being represented in our August House for as long as we continue to elect the racist and sexist smart alecks. As much as they want to, I wonder if they see our Ibu Pertiwi and its people are those of beyond repair, that any of their helps to bring positive changes won’t be good enough.

Their exodus to greener, freer and wiser land makes me numb. I lost my appetite in digesting matters shared on our Blogosphere because with their departure, I have not been able to sniff anintellectual discourse, a rational justification and a thoughtful reflection on any given matters.

Blogs have been a den for rumour mongers, whom have lost, their sanity, humanity or ‘kejantanan’, for they hit below the belt most of the time. My buddy once told me that we should not hit one when one is down. During this intense mud-slinging moment, I sorely miss my buddy.

Bloggers are like congregation of EPL club fans on Saturday night, who would cheer up their club, jeer down their opponent and close their eyes to biased referee treatments. Another buddy said that what maketh a man is his manners and never is his popularity. During this maddening prelude to GE, I yearn for my buddy’s wisdom.

As much as our Ibu Pertiwi is losing from their exodus, my case of brain drain clearly show that what maketh a nation is not how many people it has (or how many BeNd supporters do they have) but how many people it has to maketh it a nation.

For the last 6 months, I find myself sitting at one particular Pizza Hut Restaurant, at least once a month. Over steaming hot pasta and extra cheesy pizza he personally delivered, I steal a look or two at the Manager (if you really know me, I am rather infamous for walking around blindly with my eyes wide open – Yes, I don’t fancy making eye contacts unless I’m in a conversation or a meeting) – one whom I complained to too many a time before for black-hued prawn fritters and running roaches over their tables (I wonder if he finds my complaints amusing to him as he just gets friendlier). While I douse my thirst and hunger over the meal, I too douse my missing for my buddy (he’s a mirror image).

Looking at the Manager, I cannot help but realized that by us continuing to drive away valuable human capital and human beings, like my 2 buddies, our nation will end up like a Pizza Hut – cooking steaming, cheesy meals but of no real values, fresh ideas and authentic identity.

p.s. I laughed till I cried reading Talent Corp’s CEO saying this to the Little Red Dot's media, “Ultimately, what gets implemented are the policies of the prime minister and the government”, in his plea to professional Malaysians overseas to ignore race rhetoric and come back to serve the country. Isn’t PM = UMNO = PERKASA? I want to convince myself that our Talent Corp is running some Talent Time Shows, with contestants the likes of Sarah Palin (she surely doesn’t know about so many things before and after running for VP).

p.p.s.Most fast foods serve our guilty pleasure foods. The growing fad of fast-fooding reflects our ‘Fast-Food’ approach to life.

p.p.p.s. I believe in foods cooked in our own kitchen, with tender, loving thoughts and care. It takes a lot of efforts but we’re worth it.

Utusan _____(sia)sia

2011-05-12T07:20:00.002+08:00

As I bent over, lining my dustbin with UtusanMalay(sia)sia last weekend, I saw “Blog BigDog”. Wow! Those words immediately gave me a model-like upright posture. How could this blogger, who is famous for his foul words and scanty photos all over his ‘dog house’, got his name entombed on this good-for-nothing daily? Damn it! I need to read the headline!

What! Shit! (shamelessly countlessly uttered). Phew, I was glad I had finished cooking for the day or if not, with those shits I bet those dishes would turn bad instantly.

What an ironic that a Malay ultra-UMNO guy, who calls himself Big Dog in his blog, divulged to that good-for-nothing daily that our Malaysian Christians are ‘conspiring’ to fight for Christian be made the official religion to our nation and that a Non-Muslim could be appointed as the Prime Minister. If I am a true Malaysian Malay Muslim, like he professes to be, I would have, not just second thought, many thoughts in fact, before believing his absurd allegations when he called himself “Big Dog” when dogs are amongst those ‘panic buttons’ to many ultra-Malay Muslims.

I am not questioning his nom de plume. I am questioning how a good-for-nothing national daily could rely on one Malay Muslim Blogger called Big Dog for such ‘all hell broke loose’ headline.

Heck! I later found out that my shitty worries are unfounded for my parents, who read Utusan _____(sia)sia, think they should not listen to someone called Big Dog to talk about ‘menegakkandanmemartabatkan agama Islam’. With another episode of shooting their feet off by Utusan _____(sia)sia, I wonder if you out there are still not convinced enough that it is such an urgent NEED to get rid of B(e)N(d) and its allies. When Pakatan Rakyat is pushing for Freedom of Information (“FOI”), B(e)N(d) and Utusan _____(sia)sia are pushing for Freedom of Lies.

I remember those evenings I spent on Ayah’s laps learning to read from once-credible Utusan Malaysia when I was still a naïve and sweet little girl. As I turned into a vile and riled old woman, it too has changed into a meaningless Utusan _____(sia)sia.

Here’s Muse’s “Uprising” for you to get energised and kick some butts and buts.

p.s. If I ever be a mother, I want my child to grow up learning about his people and nation from our local newspaper. It is high time Pakatan Rakyat comes out with its own daily to feed the mind, the heart and the soul of Malaysians.

p.p.s. A few of my buddies complained that they could not accept Pakatan Rakyat’s leaders giving talks and interviews overseas on our government’s misdeeds. I hope they’d realise by now that telling the truths should be considered courageous and admirable compared to spreading lies after lies just to stay in power. May we be reminded that having power isn’t about being powerful but having the power to carry out the responsibilities entrusted in our hands.

I'm Flying Without Wings

2011-05-11T18:30:00.002+08:00

The spell has gone.

Alhamdulillah for His kindness for giving me back what I once lost. I never knew how precious it was to be able to write away my thoughts and emotions till I found myself sitting, gazing at the screen without an ability to type the storms in my mind. I am the one who believes that writing puts my thoughts and emotions in perspective. I am at my best writing away.

Alhamdulillah for His Grace for giving me an immense depth of subconciousness to feel the warm thoughts and prayers I am bestowed from my dearly beloved, no matter how near or far we are. He has awakened me from this deep slumber.

I'm, now, flying without wings. I wish everyone out there, too, would be able to find that special something; and come and join me, flying without wings.

Sky is definitely not the limit.

Ubah Sarawak Ubah -Nothing Else Matters

2011-04-15T17:35:00.001+08:00

Ubah! Ubah! Ubah Sarawak Ubah!

Ahh... I haven't been doing some cheering for the longest time. I wish I could do that this time for our Sarawakian brothers and sisters since tomorrow is the most important day for them for many years to come.

Tomorrow, they will come out and vote. I was told that the ballot boxes will move from one long house to another so it is just so imperative to ensure that the voters are at the correct time for them to cast their votes. Such logistic complexity poses an inevitable risk for these boxes could be changing hands and contents and by the time the count stopped, the result could be far from reality in the ground. Such devastation could just numb our Sarawakian brothers and sisters because they know they wanted to UBAH and vote they did. How could things go so wrong for so long?

"That's a small step for a man, a giant leap for mankind" ~ Neil Armstrong

Psychologically, deep inside us, there's always an urge to do something good for others because it is the right to do.

I appeal to all those people who are involved in tomorrow's event to carry out their actions in humane and responsible manners. Please do not deny the rights of these people who have been caged by your inconsiderate actions in the past, changing the path of history to the bleak reality they have to face every single day for the past 30 years.

I appeal that you help them to carry out their right to vote whom they deem the best to UBAH their life.

I appeal that you feel for them as much as you feel when your favourite soccer player was sent off with a red card because the referee was biased.

You, in your personal capacity, can make things right!

For Sarawakian brothers and sisters and those people who have helped to galvanise their spirit to UBAH their destiny, I, for once, want to share Metallica's "Nothing else matters".

So close, no matter how far

Couldn't be much more from the heart

Forever trusting who we are

and nothing else matters

Never opened myself this way

Life is ours, we live it our way

All these words I don't just say

and nothing else matters

Trust I seek and I find in you

Every day for us something new

Open mind for a different view

and nothing else matters

Election Mood: Who Do You Think You Are?

2011-04-08T17:15:00.003+08:00

"I know I can't take one more step towards you
Cause all that's waiting is regret
And don't you know I'm not your ghost anymore?
You lost the love
I loved the most

Who do you think you are?

Runnin' round leaving scars

Collecting your jar of hearts

And tearing love apart

You're gonna catch a cold

From the ice inside your soul

So don't come back for me

Who do you think you are?"

~ Christina Perri's "Jar of Hearts"

"I know I can't take one more step towards you
Cause all that's waiting is regret
And don't you know I will never vote for you anymore?
You lost the love
I loved the most

Who do you think you are?

Running around telling lies

Collecting your jar of votes

And tearing us part

You're gonna make a lot of dole

From the vice inside your soul

So don't come for me

Who do you think you are?"

~ Fi-sha

Going into Election Mood: Revisiting Thoreau's Civil Disobedience

2011-04-01T07:30:00.000+08:00

Civil Disobedience (Resistance to Civil Government) is an essay by Henry David Thoreau that was first published in 1849. It argues that people should not permit governments to overrule or atrophy their consciences, and that people have a duty to avoid allowing such acquiescence to enable the government to make them the agents of injustice.

Resistance also served as part of Thoreau's metaphor comparing the government to a machine: when the machine was producing injustice, it was the duty of conscientious citizens to be "a counter friction" (i.e., a resistance) "to stop the machine".

The word civil has several definitions. The one that is intended in this case is "relating to citizens and their interrelations with one another or with the state", and so civil disobedience means "disobedience to the state.

Thoreau asserts that because governments are typically more harmful than helpful, they therefore cannot be justified. Democracy is no cure for this, as majorities simply by virtue of being majorities do not also gain the virtues of wisdom and justice. The judgment of an individual's conscience is not necessarily inferior to the decisions of a political body or majority, and so "[i]t is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. The only obligation which I have a right to assume is to do at any time what I think right... Law never made men a whit more just; and, by means of their respect for it, even the well-disposed are daily made the agents of injustice.

"That government is best which governs least" ~ Henry David Thoreau

What's Your Price Tag, People?

2011-03-31T20:10:00.000+08:00

Fill your Ka'ching Ka'ching yet always kena 'kencing' [tipu]

Wear your Bling Bling yet always pening

Forget your price tag, low blows and videos hos

It's HIGH time to UNITE!

p.s.s. Please extend your monetary goodwill for a better future of our children here.

Happiness? You Are 10 Steps Away

2011-03-29T07:08:00.001+08:00

Ahh... I am still hooked with lower part of our body and everything that has to do with it :) since now, I am on this "10 Steps To Happiness”.

I wonder if you think happiness is personal because I believe, even if our happiness is our private matter, it will only achievable to us and those people around us when we have a strong support/enforcement system (well, not at all akin to PERKASA's Ketuanan Melayu). Hence, it is proper if I share these steps here for some of you shakers and makers our there.

p.s. taking a stroll down a memory lane with NKOTB's "Step by Step"

"10 Steps to Happiness" ~ Anna Tim, The Guardian, 12 Mar 2011

In future we shall all be able to find happiness. It will lurk, hopefully, deep in a Himalayan forest and seekers will have to drive for 20 minutes down a dirt track to reach it. At the end of it, the government of Bhutan – the Buddhist kingdom which has suffered a recent surge in suicides – envisages a Gross National Happiness centre where citizens can relearn the balance between the spiritual and the material.

Bhutan's considerably more powerful neighbour, China, is now muscling in on the act with a new "happiness index" to evaluate the work of local government officials in some provinces. Its impact will be watched, no doubt with interest, by David Cameron's government, which is planning its own assessment of the nation's spirits. Stress is the prompt for this official concern. Basic living conditions have improved immeasurably over the past 50 years, but our sense of wellbeing has not kept pace, partly because of a competitive, volatile jobs market with the longest working hours in Europe.

Economist John Maynard Keynes imagined a 15-hour week by the beginning of the 21st century, because he thought we'd no longer have to work long hours to meet our material needs. But our concept of what we need has continually expanded and the working week has got correspondingly longer.

"Work-life balance" is the elusive panacea, but the phrase is also a misleading one. The implication is that life is something that happens elsewhere while we're tied to our desks. In fact, achieving balance is less about an equitable division of hours and more about whether we are allocating enough time and resources to our own satisfaction.

Around 1,500 years ago St Benedict set out the framework for a complete life – a structured mix of physical labour, exercise and devotions. Its rigours and piety would not appeal to modern secularists, but the recognition that routines should nourish our mental and physical wellbeing as well as harnessing our productivity is still a valuable one.

Experts agree that the first step to creating a balanced life is to assess what we need and want from our whole existence, not just work or home in isolation. Sometimes it's a change in perception that is required, rather than a change in circumstances, and work is not necessarily the enemy if it is managed correctly.

1. Assess your priorities

Achieving small goals – an hour each evening with your children, a weekly work-out at the gym – might transform your perception of your life. Otherwise, large-scale remedies – a career change or a house move – may be what is needed. You (and your employer) can't address your frustrations unless you have a clear idea what you want. It might help to invest in an invitingly bound notebook and keep a journal of your thoughts and hopes. The simple act of writing things down can make you feel more in control. Bear in mind, work-life balance is an ongoing process and your priorities will need to be reassessed regularly as your needs and circumstances shift.

2. Build boundaries

Modern technology means work can seep corrosively into private life. You need to make clear mental and physical distinctions between the two. Wean yourself off your email inbox in the evenings and turn your mobile off during family meal times. Similarly, you'll get home sooner if, when at work, you forbid yourself from making Facebook updates at your desk and try not to plan your weekend menus during your boss's financial review.

3. Be realistic

The pursuit of happiness is a modern luxury; throughout most of history the goal has been survival. We need, therefore, to lessen the expectations of our lives and make the best of what we have. "Stop being perfectionist; instead aim for being good enough," advises Julia Hobsbawm, author of The See-Saw: 100 Ideas for Work-Life Balance. "Don't compare your family to other families. Compare it only to your values and what you think is best for it." She suggests setting three manageable goals a day rather flailing after 30.

4. Get flexible

This is the obvious solution and one of the most effective. Flexible working gives you a degree of autonomy, and autonomy is a vital ingredient for self-fulfilment. Employees now have the right to request flexible working and employers have to have good reason to refuse, but there is the fear that if you are not a fleshly presence at your desk for eight hours a day you'll be deemed not to be pulling your weight. However, the more employees who work flexibly the less of a stigma there will be, so blaze a trail for your comrades.

They may actually get more toil out of you. In the office people can cover idleness with an air of activity; if you work from home bosses judge you on what you achieve.

When researchers from America's Brigham Young University looked at 24,000 IBM employees, they found that those with flexible working arrangements were able to put in 57 hours a week before their personal life started to suffer, against 38 hours for those in traditional posts, and when the AA based some of its call-centre staff at home their productivity rose by more than a third.

5. Learn to say no

Easier said than done, but you can decline positively. If you can't take on another project because it would unbalance the three you are expertly juggling already, explain this. Phrased cannily it will proclaim how much you are already achieving. Yes-men are not necessarily respected and are often dumped upon. Hobsbawn suggests applying equal rigour to your private life in order to stretch time. "Let something go that you feel you ought to do but can do without, whether it's cleaning or networking parties or visiting friends," she says.

6. Living to work or working to live?

We've come to expect our jobs to be fulfilling, but in a 1992 book Your Money or Your Life, Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin argue that we've confused work with paid employment. They reckon that paid employment by itself can't fulfil, but work – as in productive effort which can include domestic responsibilities – can and does. Work and employment may overlap partly or wholly – the key is to understand the distinction. The authors suggest we ask what work we find fulfilling then ponder if and how our paid employment can help us realise it. We might require a job that in itself fulfils us – or a less demanding one to fund an outside passion. Possibly turning our hobby into a career would dull its lustre. Even if we can't change our job, knowing why we're really doing it – and what not to demand from it – can help clarify our perceptions.

7. Downshift

Your job might be costing you more than you think, according to Dominguez and Robin. If you require tropical holidays and frequent aromatherapy to relax, and if supper is a pricey Waitrose ready meal because you don't have time to cook, it might make financial sense to go part time and live more simply. "We need to move away from the consumerist identity to a productive one," says Pat Kane, author of The Play Ethic: A Manifesto for a Different Way of Living. "Your income will decrease but you'll be living more of a life."

Kane reckons a recession is a good time to reassess priorities. "If we aim to reduce our consumption, we will be able to work less and invest in life more. Imagine all the things we could do without having to shop: play and pray, create and relate, read and walk, listen and procreate."

A recent report by the thinktank The New Economics Foundation recommends the working week is cut to 21 hours to ease unemployment and improve quality of life. "So many of us live to work, work to earn, and earn to consume, and our consumption habits are squandering the earth's natural resources," says Anna Coote, co-author of the research. "Spending less time in paid work could help us to break this pattern. We'd have more time to be better parents, better citizens, better carers and better neighbours."

8. Get back to nature

Half an hour prodding soil will reduce office stress far more effectively (and cheaply) than a glass of chardonnay. Studies from the University of Bristol indicate that simply touching friendly bacteria in soil has a similar effect to taking antidepressants, while research by the mental health charity Mind found that 94% of people who engage in green activities such as gardening felt it had eased depression. Gardening (or angling, or rambling) reconnects us with seasons and cycles and, when our handiwork bursts into bloom, gives a heady sense of purpose.

"The garden teaches you that things die, but things come back and there is always this constant cycle," says Nicola Carruthers, chief executive of Thrive, a charity that helps disabled people through gardening. If you don't have access to a garden or allotment, even watching seeds sown into a planter can boost sagging spirits. Or make time to circuit the nearest green space after work. It will create a soothing mental boundary between work and home.

9. Nourish the spirit

The demand for mentors and life coaches suggests an appetite for seeking cosmic meaning behind the drudgery. "We should all be living more within the moment as our hunter gatherer ancestors did, but now we have a surplus of time and goods we've lost the art," says Dr Desmond Biddulph, chairman of The Buddhist Society. "Religions teach you a way of learning to reconnect, as does meditation. Yoga, for instance, is the idea of pulling energy back into the moment. Meditation and prayer reduce anxiety, which is the main destroyer of work-life balance. There's no rational reason why we should feel happy. Life is short and, for most humans, very unpleasant, and yet people do feel happiness when they stop thinking and worrying."

He suggests starting the day with 15 minutes of tranquillity, whether it's a cup of coffee at the kitchen table or quiet reverie on the train to work. "Once you are relaxed, priorities come naturally," he says.

10. Engage with others

Mahayani Buddhists regard virtues as skills for life, not as moral duties, and reckon that qualities such as generosity increase happiness. "Altruism makes people calmer and more fulfilled," Biddulph says. A relationship with family, friends and community is an essential ingredient for wellbeing and Nicholas Buxton, clergyman and author, wonders if the dash for material reward has diminished our view of our own human worth. "Maybe," he says, "fulfilment means engagement with others and finding purpose in looking outwards."

How About You & Me Going For A Stroll?

2011-03-28T18:03:00.002+08:00

Not that I haven’t got a time to write about a plight, delight or might this year. I have come across many brilliant works, books, and people off late to write about but I feel that this is time to take a stroll through this challenging time, with an opened heart for the more we talk, the colluded our mind become.

I came across SolviturAmbulando while scanning through stories on Aristotle and Socrates. This Latin phrase can be translated to “It is solved by walking” and if I could answer, those nuns at Nonnberg Abbey when they sang, “How do you solve a problem like Maria?”, I’d tell them to go and take an Austrian hike.

So, how do we solve a problem like what we are facing now – that is running away from real problems (well, are we not saddled with rampant corruption, human rights abuse, stricken urban poverty, failing public systems and slow death of our precious mother nature?) by screening self-made problem (that is the purported video)?

Just take a walk and leave all those MSM at home, lining your bins. Apparently, walking quiet your mind, allows it to think through things, sift through data circuiting our complex grey matters. It dislodge the angst at the back of our mind (and throat), comfort our weary soul, brighten our mood and jog our mind to come up with a clear train of logical, relevant thoughts.

The great CS Lewis, who took his around 2-hour daily walk, said that,"Such walks should be silent if not solitary. Walking and talking are two very great pleasures but it is a mistake to combine them".

So, how about you and me going for a stroll?

What makes a Great Nation: Its People

2011-03-15T18:30:00.000+08:00

"What has made this nation great? Not its heroes but its households"

~ Sarah Orne Jewett

During my short stint in The Little Red Dot, I was privileged to get to know a couple of great Japanese men. They are, like typical Japanese men, expected to look cold – a sign of dignity amongst samurai (by the way, Y-san is a descendant of Y-clan Samurai) – hence, they are not socially approachable. They take their responsibility heartily and it shows when, as supervisors to their subordinates, they are the first to clock in and the last to leave, ever eager to assist anytime, anything, anywhere. As long as I have known them, they are always in the state of readiness – ready to take up a new challenge and ready to sacrifice their self-interest to achieve common goal of the organization they serve. For all their hard approach to life, these few men never failed to amaze me when they express their thoughts and feelings in writing, beautifully. For their unfriendly gestures in public, they are calm and collected souls, making sure you feel secured because your wellbeing is their utmost concern. My brief connection with them – these exceptional Japanese men – rekindles my faith in Ronan Keating’s “You say it best, when you say nothing at all”. They simply epitomise the silent greatness of Japanese people.

During this difficult moment that befallen their Tohoku (North East Region of Honshu Island), my mind wanders afar – one in Down Under and another in Vietnam – carrying warm thoughts and kind prayers to soothe their worried souls, hoping their loved ones back home are safe and well taken care of. I am sure they yearn to go back and do something, anything, to alleviate the sufferings that we witness on telly every single day.

Bourses around the round fall steadily since the tsunami struck Tohoku as Japanese investors start to bring back their Yen to their beloved Land of the Rising Sun. Having read Arthur Golden’s “Memoirs of A Geisha”, I know this tragedy, amidst burgeoning public debts, less-conducive government of the day and rising ageing population, will be another rebirth of Japan and its people. I pray that they would remain stoic and once again, relive the tale of Phoenix rising from the ashes, like what their forefathers had done during and after WWII, well described in a few chapters in Golden’s novel.

This calamity struck me hard because a week before behemoth 9.0 Richter Scale Earthquake, I read about 52 melon-head whales stranded on one of the beaches in Ibaraki Prefecture. With the help of environmentalists, 22 were safely led back to the deep water - their natural habitat while the rest died from exhaustion. From various incidents of whale stranded on shallow water - the largest being around 200 melon head whales stranded in shallow port in Philippines in 2008 - scientists believe that these sensitive creatures may suffer from damaged eardrum, as a result of sea quake, which cause their disorientation in finding food and eventually lead them to shallow water. These whales on Ibaraki shore may have experienced the same fate.

This is indeed a difficult time and I believe the Japanese people would only come out of this stronger and better, holistically.

My deepest condolence to them.

Racing Our Religion: Our Recipe to Doom?

2011-02-22T05:30:00.000+08:00

In many Hollywood sci-fi movies, we have been served with great storylines on creation of new technologies. From damnest warfare to grandest ship.From crippling biological weapons to bizzare superheroes. All in the name of ultimate power. No matter what devices men took to stay and getting powerful, these movies normally leave us weepy that evil can do so much destructions yet it is the basic humanity will prevail and bring this world back to where nature intended it to be.

Egypt's promising and inspiring Uprising not only defies Samuel Huntington's 'scary theory' "Clash of Civilisation" because in Tahrir Square, both Muslims and Coptic Christians stayed united for 18 straight days before their dictator - the powerbroker to the western world - succumbed to the biggest humiliation, accompanied with cheery sighs, roars and tears from people around the world.

Weeks before Tunisia and Egypt's Uprising, there were various documents leaked to western media (I read UK's The Guardian and The Independent), in particularly those of Palestinian Paper. From those documents, the world was shocked to know that Israel-Palestine peace talks were merely talks between benefited parties to the continuous rifts between these two countries. It is not surprising at all if you have read Naomi Klein's "Shock Doctrine".

Interestingly, by using Palestinian's Hamas association to the most 'hated' terrorist by the big powers, the world deems we could all leave Palestinians on their own because a extreme-right Zionist ruled Israel, like any other democratic counties, is entitled to protect their beloved homeland, even if the Zionist army continue to cause immense sufferings to the Palestinians. All supports towards the Palestinians would be labelled islamist, when all we want to do is to restore humanity. Any actions by the Palestinians against the Zionist army is merely another evidence to prove Huntington's sacry theory that Arab people would do anything for the sake of fighting. Well Mr. Huntington, you are dead wrong. They too have dignity and they are humane enough to appreciate democracy.

By simply associating islamist group like Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood with Osama Ben Laden, the western world has once again unleashed its 'ancient tools' to regain their faltering support (thus, power), namely race and religion, to bring down their opposition. Scientifically, it is proved that our views on others' race and religion are all hard-wired to certain parts of our brain.

David Cameron's speech at security conference in Munich recently has offended muslims while giving support to English Defence League ("EDL"), a group akin to PERKASA in Malaysia. In his speech, he attacked state multiculturalism, which he thinks has eroded UK's sense of security as his government continues to provide public funds to Muslim groups in UK yet these groups do little to tackle Islamist extremism. On the very same day, EDL supporters marched in Luton, shouting villicious remarks on Islam. Again, Islam has been used to boost up another politician's downfall.

Early this year, 6 people were killed during an attempted assassination of Republican Congresswoman Gabrielle Gibson by an army reject, Jared Lee Loughner. One of those killed was a beautiful and wonderful Christina Green. She was there with her neighbour, who thought the Congresswoman would be a great role model for the young Christina. At the time of her untimely death, Christina was recently elected to her Student Council. While it is still unknown whether the killing was triggered by excessive propaganda by Sarah Palin and her Tea Party Movement (many accused her responsibility in this rampage because she had Crosshair ads, with Giffords' Arizona District on it) - all in the name of running for Presidency in 2013. Somehow, I cannot help but finding myself looking at her and her supporters under the shadow of fascist Klu Klux Klan though Jared Lee Loughner that he is not one of extreme right Palin's supporters. In this world, full of madmen, but Again, I see PERKASA standing hand in hand with US' Tea Party Movement.

Since the induction of new premiership in 2009, Malaysia has seen enough humiliating events that makes our ancestors turning in their graves. We have become more divided by race and religion. We have turned our judiciary and religious bodies into divisive power houses. Such continuous attacks on our vague morality have degraded our humanity to a point that the death of Adik Teoh Beng Hock and Adik Kugan has no importance and, thus, we carry no responsibility to make things right (in Egypt, the brutal murder of Khaled Said moved the nation to topple the dictator). We have shed our Mr/Mrs/Ms Nice guy mask and show our true racism, thinking it's alright to see someone being killed in questionable ways or being subjected to injustice as along as he does not belong to our race or family. It is acceptable to accuse someone a religion extremist just because they observe their faith, different from ours.

While we are busy trying to stay firm that we are first and foremost humans, like everyone else, the premiership and his 'kakis' will continue to 'divide and rule' us, instilling unfounded fears on humanity, making us deaf and blind to our own yearning to be a better person as they peg our survival and dignity to a price of making a living.

We fear that if we resolute to seek for higher purpose in life by simply being a good human, we will be less successful and thus, being labelled a failure.

I wonder if we know what real success is. It is like marrying someone who you thought marrying you because of you and not because of what you have. Indeed, you are succesffuly married to someone but marrying for material gain defeats the purpose of marrying in the first place.

To bake a perfect brownie, I need to have a perfect recipe. But even if I have the perfect recipe, I need to find the perfect ingredients. Even if I managed to get all those ingredients, I must know what to look for in my brownie mixture - a sign of perfect brownie thereafter - because different environment gives different effect. After much trials (and extra pounds on me), I find that substituting half of the room temperature butter with a melted one would give a moist to-die-for brownie.

There are reasons why the Almighty created us differently. Instead of looking at the differences that tear us apart, shouldn't we forge a symbiotic relationship amongst us for the benefit of all? Like jigsaw puzzles, we won't see the big picture, the greater goodness, until we get those little pieces together.

Would we be using our race and religion to our advantage or would we go against each other to show powerful our ego is, while this nation is being run down a band of crooks?

The choice is always ours.

Horrific Justice!

2011-02-21T06:30:00.002+08:00

I read Captain Iskandar Dzulkarnain "The horror if Pakatan wins..." on MI with a smirk sans goose bumps or hairs standing on my neck (just like when I watched (hardly justified as one when I sat in front of the telly with both eyes closed but screamed listening to the as-always-overdramatic music) a horror TV series on Ananda Krishna's ASTRO channel last night).

For my dear readers' information (:D is there anyone out there reading this anyway but I shall remain eternally optimistic), I completed reading Marshall Goldsmith's "What Got You Here Won't Get You There" (Thanks Pak Busu for hinting that I am after all a successful individual by lending me his book, though I don't think I am one by any chance) months ago and one of the bad habits I need to shed away is to stop being sarcastic! Shish! So, do you think I should read Captain Iskandar Dzulkarnain's article with a glassful of sarcasm? If I could, I think his article is one brilliant case of Reverse Psychology (Oh, I once dreamt to be a psychologist but was thought to be too cute (yes, you know cute is equivalent to ugly but adorable) to serve the madmen in Tanjung Rambutan)!

Capt. Iskandar Dzulkarnain has the following 'horrific' list for us Malaysians out there to ponder: -

• Meritocracy would be fully restored, heightening intense competition for places in public educational institutions, government institutions, the public and private sectors and the civil service;

• A free market economy, that will be disadvantageous to certain segments of society dependent on the NEM;

• Equality among the races, that will ridicule our supremacy and superiority;

• Financial institutions will tighten loan requirements to only people who are able to repay;

• Unbridled freedom of expression that may embarrass the country’s plurality;

• A repressed “Ketuanan Melayu” and Malay domination;

• Widespread religious freedom that may affect the sanctity of Islam as the Religion of the Federation;

• A spendthrift government that will retard economic stimulus, leading to a bankrupt nation;

• Open tender exercises that will affect a large segment of contractors that cannot compete equally on a level playing field;

• Curbing the mass issuance of citizenships to foreigners, thus affecting our target population of 70 million by 2020 (Vision 2020);

• Discontinuation of billion-ringgit mega projects which could stimulate our bearish economy;

• Abolishment of the ISA and the Sedition Act, that may encourage terrorism, freedom of expression, illegal congregation, extremism and sedition;

• Checks and balances will be introduced in all government departments that will tax the patience of the Civil Service;

• Politeness and dedication to service will be introduced in all Civil and Public Departments;
• Cronyism will become a dirty word;

• MACC will go under the purview of Parliament, thereby restricting its independence to select and prosecute without fear or favour;

• The separation of powers of the Executive, Judiciary and Legislature will lead to a true democracy so unlike our current administration;

• There will be no more such thing as easy money. Everyone will have to slog for their bread and butter.

If these are 'horrific' to us, I wonder if we were born in Mars!

Thank you Capt. Iskandar Dzulkarnain (I really like his name) for your piece of 'horrific' list. For once, I enjoy such horror :)

p.s. OK, I failed sarcasm-no-more-meter as I still think being sarcastic during this 'horrific' time in our history fuels my desire for a better Malaysia.

Laskar Pelangi

2011-02-18T18:00:00.003+08:00

Laskar Pelangi

mimpi adalah kunci

untuk kita menakhlukkan dunia

berlarilah tanpa lelah

sampai engkau meraihnya

laskar pelangi

tak kan terikat waktu

bebaskan mimpimu di angkasa

warnai bintang di jiwa

menarilah dan terus tertawa

walau dunia tak seindah surga

bersyukurlah pada Yang Kuasa

cinta kita di dunia selamanya…

cinta kepada hidup

memberikan senyuman abadi

walau hidup kadang tak adil

tapi cinta lengkapi kita

laskar pelangi

tak kan terikat waktu

jangan berhenti mewarnai

jutaan mimpi di bumi

menarilah dan terus tertawa

walau dunia tak seindah surga

bersyukurlah pada Yang Kuasa

cinta kita di dunia

menarilah dan terus tertawa

walau dunia tak seindah surga

bersyukurlah pada Yang Kuasa

cinta kita di dunia

selamanya

Hold My Hands and Let's Rise Up

2011-02-07T18:20:00.000+08:00

Astro First costs a mere RM15 for 3-day potato-couching, popcorn-crunching hours watching 4 local movies - I was told. That's a great bargain for a young family of 6 which movie tixs along could fetch more than RM50 for a show (sans petrol/toll/parking/pop corns and pop sodas/customary meal thereafter). Not to mention, they could get Opah/Atok/Bibik etc to watch them too on their fave couch!(today's quality time it seems). But such freedom has invited a good cry from some industry players - if lesser people go to cinemas to watch their movie, how can they survive?

Anyway, I ain't promoting Astro First but I have been glued to Al-Jazeera for Egypt's Uprising with a box of tissues (did i hear JT's "Cry me a river"?) and a pillow (a physical emotional shield when i watch the tellies with my parents - heck, I cry too much these days - nasib baik ada Ayman Mohyeldin).

But suddenly, I thought of something absurd, likening the two into a great realisation.

We marvel at the sheer courage, bravery and steadfastness of our brothers and sisters in Egypt - the land where once a great civilisation started along the bountiful Nile River. For once, they enliven the soul of their great ancestors for a civilised society would not have striking poverty and blatant corruption as a way of life.

We shed tears of joy and sadness at the same time when we saw people from all walks of life congregated at Tahrir Square calling for the dictator and his regime to step down so their beloved Egypt and its people could move forward in better light, holistically.

We cry when we saw how the protesters were attacked by the dictator's blind supporters while the army stood still as if watching a silent movie.

We realise how powerful army could be in times like this and this alone could explain why some defence contracts hardly cost million, but billions because satisfying your army (for whatever reasons) is just another act of 'buying their support' on the pretext of natinal defence.

Thanks to readily available information online (sadly most of us Malaysians despise reading which render us indifferent), we are inspired to see that a change can only happen when we, normal Rakyat, start to play an active role to ensure that we have true representative government, instead of mere 'musang berbulu ayam' MPs and YBs so that whatever is being planned at federal level would trickle down to us, the normal rakyat. Once we obtain the benefits of such fairness and goodness from a sound, empathic and democratic group of people we spent millions to get them elected every now and them (well, we have so far 14 buy-bye-by elections since GE12 2008), imagine the wonders we could bring about to our people and Ibu Pertiwi!

The Egyptians pay a huge price for their real freedom. We, Malaysian, may not have to go down the same history lane if we could exercise our rights, electing the right people to helm our government, at ballot boxes, NOW. I'm sure that's the easiest form of valour we could all do for the love of our country, no matter who we are, how indifferent you feel about others (at least think about your children and their children), how inclined you are to retain your 'ketuanan' (well, you could only be one when you are morally and socio-economically strong).

All uprisings bring people together in the most emotionally stable touch - as simple as holding each others' hands. In almost all religions, we see congregations are being held every now and them.

So, why not you hold my hands now and let's rise up to the occasion we have been presented with?

Xīn Nián Kuài Le

2011-02-02T05:02:00.001+08:00

May this Metal Rabbit Year brings us
much-needed peace
diplomacy and
cautious tact

Wishing
one and all
a meaningful
and fruitful New Year

Satire of Malaysian's Public Transportation

2011-02-01T08:15:00.001+08:00

"Where do you work", asks a man, who seems to grin bigger by each passing day when he passes my seat.

"Somewhere near here", I replied in haste (I wish I could sing Wizard of Oz's "Somewhere over the rainbow"), as we climb up the stairs to the LRT station.

"With whom do you stay with? Husband?"

"Yes"

"How come your husband does not send you to office?"

"Oh, he's in Russia, training to be the next Angkasawan", with a big smile.

"Oh!", as he hurried up the stairs leaving me grinning like Alice in Wonderland's Cheshire Cat.

And I never saw him again. Mission accomplished.

So, since when one has to stop taking public transport once she is married? And who says that we can ask personal questions just because we have something in common and that is the bus we are taking every single morning?

Hm, I thought my plugged earphones would deter unwanted attention and question. So, I was wrong. Curiosity could kill a cat but never a man on a bus/lrt/commuter! Sigh!

Well, taking about men on a bus/lrt/commuter, I read with much shocks last week that men have been complaining about implementation of women's only buses/coaches. While some are just plain ignorant (for not knowing about this), these men have the cheeks to get jealous over women, who too have to sardine in their women's only coaches! I have never seen our coaches being comfy, let alone empty that those men have to sardine themselves with those of same species.

But then, I agree with them when they complained that couples would board those non women's coaches when the XX chromosome bearing species should respect the silent arrangement that women should board the all women's coaches, while their male partners get pushed into the other coaches.

But if you look closely on those coaches where men reside, you could see them distancing themselves with some not making any move further into the coaches, hence, perfectly explains why men would have to wait longer to get on the commuter while we women crushed our bodies so we could get home, cook, do some laundry and have a quiet time reading before calling it a day. Perhaps, it's been doctrined in men that resourcesfullness and multitasking are women's forte and these men have to be told to do so. So, stop complaining.

Once, I took alll women's bus back home. Five minutes later, the bell rings and the ladies point their dainty fingers to a man, secretly getting on the bus through the back door. The mysterious man walks towards the conductor, trying to share his 2 cents, hoping he could get a ride. But, we all could smell his alcoholic breaths when he zig zagging his way to the conductor. He is plain drunk! And tell me, gentlemen, if you would allow a drunk/a molester/etc to share a bus/lrt/commuters with you ladies? While I am not saying that all men could be a drunkard/ a molester, but having these services simply provide the best security you all could offer to your beloved women in your life, like your mom, wife, sister and daughter. We would not be exposed to unnecesary, unwanted hassles from men.

Not surprising to see more women are embracing the power of public transport in Malaysia while most men remain adamant to the comfort of their car seat.

Yet, when it comes to voting the right people to run our government, I wonder if we women have done our part to ensure our public transportation system is safe, realible and affordable. Maybe we have done so and it is high time to get our men to do the same too.

Or perhaps, it is high time to have a lady PM? After all, most people's power revolutions in Asia were led by women, namely Tita Cory and Daw Aung San Suu Kyii!

Wintry Death of Justice

2011-01-31T18:02:00.002+08:00

"If tears could build a stairway

And memories a lane

I'd walk right up to Heaven

And bring you home again

~ Author Unknown

January kicked off with an open verdict for Adik Teoh Beng Hock's inquest and it ended last Friday with the cop acquitted from causing grevious harm to Adik Kugan. Both died in the hands of people entrusted to uphold justice and order.

Their untimely demise is just a pin hole to reality out there. Many have suffered and succumbed to brutality of the so called 'justice enforcers', leaving fresh wounds on their loved ones, who will be forever asking how could this happened to them.

Their faces, in death, are the 'posterboys' of brutality.

Their stories, during their short life, are the stories of many unfinished businesses, unrealised dreams for better life with their loved ones.

Their families are the mirrors to our ownselves.

But how many of us are able to fathom significance of these tragedies?

To many Malaysian parents, upon being asked by their children, prompted by reading our misleading MSM, would simplify and justify their deaths like this "they are bad people".

But children are born innocent. They would ask their parents, "if they are bad people, how come so many people cried for them?"

"They are family".

"How come the chinese, indians and malays are crying too? Are they his family too?"

I pinning for better future to my 3 nephews and I know I need all the support from all of you out there to let the sun shines its lifegiving rays so that justice and humanity will emerge from the dark soils of our own ignorance and inactions.

Without justice and humanity, there will never be a civilisation.

Rest in peace, my brothers, for your deaths will fuel our fight for better Malaysia.

p.s. And I have The Band Perry's "If I Die Young" resonating in my heart...

New Scratchy Model

2011-01-19T13:30:00.003+08:00

After a botched PC with Maju Holding Group’s Chairman to solve land disputes surrounding Bandar Tasik Selatan’s ITT BTS (south-bound integrated bus terminal), FT Minister, Raja Nong Chik was informed by his boss that the latter will meet with Kg Baru residents on Feb 5, during which he is expected to make several important announcements. With Najib on high-gear to ‘monetise’ all landbanks belonging to the Government of Malaysians as part of his NEM, it is unlikely common people of Kg Baru would benefit from his upcoming announcement.

If I’m a resident to this unique Malay village, I would have mixed feelings with his anticipated visit. Should I feel elated and proud as his great concerns on me and my people reflect how important we are to him? After all, he said, “Rakyat Didahulukan, Pencapaian Diutamakan”. Or should I feel wary of his ‘out-of-the-blue’ expression of ‘goodwill’ knowing that Kg Baru is indeed ‘The Jewel in the Crown”.

Whatever he will announce, I hope he won’t do his infamous “You help me, I help you” speech because someone of his stature should not be associated with “I scratch your back, you scratch mine” kind of mentality in governing our Ibu Pertiwi. If he insisted, he then should rename his NEM to NSM – that is New Scratchy Model!

Alas, under his premiership, this seems like his ‘winning’ mantra. Look at his RM1.6 Billion for Felda ahead of Tenang by-election, which I am very skeptical if the said Billion is for the benefits of our hardworking settlers.

He and people working for him should adopt ‘Love thy neighbours’ Golden Rule. Alas, what do you expect from someone like him, whose paranoid aides asked the church to remove crosses, prohibit hymns and prayers/scripture from our Christian’s brothers and sisters Bible during his visit to Mar Thoma Church in Brickfield last month.

Nonetheless, I recall Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s Last Sermon, which amongst others said that, “You are all equal. Nobody has superiority over other except by piety and good action”.

Perhaps, it’s high time his ‘muftis’, ‘ulamas’ and heads of religious departments do us Malaysians a favour by advising him of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)’s last sermon in performing his responsibility as the Prime Minister of our Ibu Pertiwi. That will do.

p.s. I purposely mentioned Raja Nong Chik in this post because as FT Minister, he brings more problems to every project he put his hands into like Keramat Old Market, Sentul’s Kampung Railway, Brickfields’ Little India and Bandar Tasik Selatan’s ITT BTS. Like PEMANDU, we will continue to be a constant comical act to the whole world if we continue to appoint a Minister just to cause more troubles!

p.s.s. On the victorious night after our young Harimau Malaya team lifted their AFF Suzuki Cup in Bandung in front of befuddled Indonesian fans, one of Apex’s Facebook fans (that is our serious looking goalie Khairul Fahmi Che Mat) thanked him for bringing back sexy Malaysia football. Maybe some people should learn a thing or two from Khairul Fahmi’s consistent sterling performance! It’s sexy, not scratchy, back game we ought to play!

p.s.s.s One of Peter Gabriel's songs has captivated me, hence, explained why I have his gig poster :)

Blow Baby Blow

2011-01-12T18:43:00.004+08:00

Life is always a mystery as it presents you something you desire/love/enjoy/look forward to when you can’t do anything about it.

When I was small, Mak would ask me what I want to have today every morning before she goes to market. Mak would ask me that whenever I fall sick because when I am one, all Mak could see in me is just a semi-comatose girl ditching the whole world for days. I sleep most of the time and hardly consume anything. God bless her soul, Mak would lure me out of my ‘dark, warm and comforting cave’ with a bowl of cold and heavenly smelled Lady’s Choice Strawberry jelly (that is what I would request from her). Painstakingly slow and assuring, she nurses me back into a girl who put up a fight with a boy, whose name was jotted down by her as he teased 2 girls in their class when our class teacher was out (if you asked the boys from my school, they would describe me as a girl who cried a lot but had guts to voice my mind. That’s me Ms Weepy Winter Poppy Sick).

Yes, this cold monsoon weather has not been kind to me. It always makes me sick and when I’m sick, I fall really sick. Recently, I emptied 4 boxes of tissues (my nose was as red as the clown’s), drained 3 bottles of cough syrup (Codeine did not have any hallucinating effects on me. Sigh!), popped tens of pills (half of them I vomited afterwards as my esophagus triggered involuntarily acts to dispel thick phlegm from my system), used asthmatic inhaler (so I won’t cough like a hyena all night long. Dear neighbours, please forgive me) and dropped reading, writing and socializing altogether (No Xmas or New Year wishes to those I care).

For such horrible actions, I am ashamed of myself.

Here, I plead for forgiveness from my dear friends, my blog and remaining working cells in my brain as I have ditched them in my pursuit to nurse myself back to health.

Yes, every time I fall sick, I think of death nearing my bedside while praying hard that I would be given another chance, some precious time and a little grace to be alive and carry out purpose I was born into this world in the first place.

They say, falling sick is a way for us to redeem ourselves, cleanse our souls from the sins and make us more aware of our own existence. I hope this year I’d be a better, stronger and kinder person and I wish all of you out there the very same prayer. Let’s spread these positive vibes all year round.

They say, friends or foes, we should all nurse the sick with kindness.

May we ‘nurse’ our differences we have proactively, constructively and attentively. May we ‘nurse’ our Ibu Pertiwi back to its former glory by firstly, getting rid of our ego, prejudice and siege mentality; secondly, breathe and live real values that once unite our forefathers in harmony; thirdly, empower ourselves with vital skills and information to kick-start the progress of this Ibu Pertiwi and its Rakyat, which has been gridlocked for years; and finally, embrace the fact that we have been presented with this chance to change, hence, so it is just right that we ride on this wind of changes and make the changes work for betterment of all.

So, while you blow this wind of changes so others could ride it on further and better, could you please excuse me as I need to blow my nose?

p.s. Dandelion symbolizes ultimate emblem for persistence and a strong will. It is also thought to represent wishes coming true, cheerful love, and general happiness. I guess it would be my fave flower this year.

The Forces To Be Reckoned With

2010-12-16T17:45:00.001+08:00

Suspension of the above forces to be reckoned with does not make me sad. Everything happens for good reasons and their suspension just shows how insecured BN government is. This suspension further aggravates the existence of BN in near future, now the snap poll is just around the corner.

An injustice somewhere is an injustice everywhere, BN.

Meanwhile, I call upon my fellow brothers and sisters to do what Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, "Great hearts steadily send forth the secret forces that incessantly draw great events".

May the forces be with us, all!

Fi-sha's Cat

2010-12-10T13:30:00.001+08:00

I've recently moved to a new place, somewhere near my sister's place so my parents could be near to her and their other two grandchildren, my First and Second Angel. It took me less than a day to decide and made necessary arrangement to move in. Last night, the landlord came over and he was happy to see that now his house is well taken care of and feels so much homey. All credits go to Mak and Ayah refuse to 'chill out a bit' (Read: they surely don't have have to mop, vacuum the whole unit and wipe every single surface every single day since I ain't longer a little child, rummaging through my 'toys', doing my handcrafts with paper cuts and pencil lying all around nor walking around the house with muddy feet :D but since OCD runs in the family, I succumb to 'their obsession').

Our house, somewhere near some peak of the universe, is still almost fully furnished (which makes me tinkering around the idea of homestay or rental to the growing population of nearby university's professionals) with my cats and garden fending their ownselves. Frankly, I never failed to pray for their wellbeings every day but of course, I still worry for them, especially Mulan.

Mulan came along into our family 10 years ago. Although I could sleep like a log through blaring sounds and glaring lights, her meow-ing woke me up around 2.30 am. I peeped through my window and saw a grey-and-white kitten of 4 months old. Her meow-ing grew louder as she set her piercing eyes on mine and started to climb up the wall successfully and let herself in. I may look cruel yet I have softest spot for animals. So, i carried her to the kitchen, poured her some biscuits and she devoured it with such gutso. Later, after she 'cleaned up' her face with those cute paws, she helped herself onto my bed and found her place in between my legs. And the rest is history. Today, Mulan is a dominant female around the house, a stubborn and tempestuous lone ranger (just like her owner - :D we mirror each other!) - who remains the only cat that could climb up to my 2nd-floor room every single day, without much efforts considering her voluptuous size.

Today, I miss her immensely as I look at innocent-looking-yet-mischiveous Simon's Cat.

Mulan would breathe down my face, every morning, after her roll-like-a-ball sleeping in between my legs. It is normal to wake up to a well-chewed mobile charger, fur balls in my hair and my cats and ducks figurines all over the floor.

Mulans, most of the time, thinks she's a school-going kid, who enjoy clawing my books as part of her daily ritual.

If I watched telly, she would sit next to me and look me deep in the eyes, as if implying to me rudely that I better spend my time looking at her, instead of the telly.

Mulans' a hard day's night - sometimes I wonder what was she doing when i was away for work when she sleeps like that.

Such an attention seeker, she just loves putting that kind of act on top of things I want to use.

She is quite obsessed with boxes and bags - places for her to curl her body. Well, not before making sure they will treat her well.

Sexed Up Political Games

2010-12-08T05:53:00.001+08:00

A week ago, Hillary Clinton and her colleagues were ‘humiliated’ with Wikileaks’ US Embassy cables exposé. From snaky Saudi Arabia to China’s Politburo ‘Google Invasion’, Libya’s blondie influence to Russian gangland-style administration, the cables just show how sick the world’s diplomatic liaison is being carried out – all in the name of insecurity (thanks to TMI for this).

Not surprisingly, Wikileaks’ exposé, for me, is a bigger picture of Malaysian politics – the crude, the rude and the brute of the ultimate power in this country.

And not surprisingly enough, Wikileaks’ founder, Julian Assange is now being charged and held in custody for 2 sexual crimes in Sweden. In Malaysia, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim is being tried, for the second time, on sodomy charges.

Somehow, regardless whether you are a Superpower like USA or a first-class-infrastruture-third-world-mentality Malaysia, sex charges are the fastest route to ‘assassinate’ a character. In the case of Mr. Assange, I am not sure how the prosecutor team would justify sex without consent, as purported by the 2 Swedish ladies. As for Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Attorney General’s team is yet to produce credible evidence in court.

Such dubious sex crime cases would take years to set aside and in the meantime, dirty hands of political power would continue to linger on our system. As a result, even after 110% hard and earnest works by a handful of people who fight for better changes for us, the Rakyat, progress of idea and action is too minimal to notice and for us, the lazy bums, we will start to cry out our disappointment for their lack of political power to push through reforms, which had been manifestoed during the last election. We would feel cheated by this handful of people, who work 24/7/365 and thus, allow ourselves to be cheated – again and again - by the current ruling party – no matter how ridiculous they could be.

Unfortunately, as it is today, no matter how civilized and educated we wish to be recognized as by others, we remain primitive when it comes to sex as we allow our conscience to be numbed by some low-living power-hungry political beings.

Instead of sexed up political games, it is high time for us to seize the power up by lending our weight (that is our brain and brawn) to the right cause, just like Wikileaks.

Instead of retreating, its Infowarriors and Wikisleuths gain more momentum than ever before as the fight to uphold justice and abhor two-timing, double-standard human rights is the right thing to do.

Note: In 2003, Oxford Mini Dictionary to words and phrases has included ‘Sex Up’ in its publication. This phrase carries the meaning of "to enhance something to give it greater appeal or impact", after Andrew Gilligan, a British journalist, used it during a celebrated BBC Today program in May 2003, accusing British government of 'sexing up' intelligence reports on Iraq.

Hijrah - The Real One

2010-12-06T16:48:00.003+08:00

A few days ago, Mak told me that when Rasulullah (PBUH) went for his Hijrah from Makatul Mukarramah to Madinataul Munawarra 1432 years ago, he had his Hijrah planned extremely well. Despite him being Kholilullah (Allah’s Beloved), Rasulullah (PBUH) took responsibilities putting strategies together to ensure his Hijrah’s mission succeeds. This mission was planned as he was advised of a plot of his assassination by his own Quraish people, whom had been persecuting Muslims.

One night, he slipped away along with Abu Bakar As Siddiq. They took food barely enough for them to survive a grueling 200-mile walking across desert. They ensured their footsteps were wiped out by a shepherd, taking a strange route, which had been recce’d by his fellow friends. Once, they hid in the cave as the Quraish people were closing on them. A trusted messenger brought them news and while many did not know of the first Hijrah, even amongst the supporters, they made sure the families they left behind won’t tell of their whereabouts.

Only after taking such calculated measures, Rasulullah (PBUH) prayed right through, asking Allah for guidance and protection so that he could accomplish his goals, to safeguard the interest of Muslims from evil Quraish people, who felt threatened by growing influence of Rasulullah (PBUH) towards Amal Makruf Nahi Mungkar (a call to maintain what is right and forbid what is wrong).

Above all, Rasulullah’s (PBUH) Hijrah started with an intention (niat) – to sincerely perform such risky Hijrah all in the name of Allah. No one would know our intention so it is important that we continue to assess our ingenuity and establish our purpose and meaning in life.

Without all those measures taken, Islam would not be where it is now, far beyond parochial politics played by the Quraish people, to hold on to their power, even if it means to torture and kill innocent people.

The soul to a Hijrah is not in actions taken to mobilize our plans towards our goals. It lies with our intention.

Like any other roads less traveled, beautifully worded by Robert Frost, a Hijrah requires unconditional love for a Hijrah never promised anything but it requires everything. Yet, for an iota of goodness it brings in our heart, a Hijrah makes all the difference.

It’s time to Hijrah – for real.

This Ain't Monday Blues

2010-12-06T13:25:00.002+08:00

No, this ain't monday blues though I think I would die one fine day from cancer. My sister brought it to my attention last weekend as I sprayed my room yet again in my quest to heavenly-smelling room.

Here's why.

I'm addicted to air freshener! My latest 'obsession' is Airwick Aqua Mist in Lavender. If I was to represent myself in a sports, my sister would definitely have an image of me balancing an essential oil burner on my right and air freshener aerosol tin on my left, with a motto, "Smell No Evil" across my nose.

Not only i kill myself softly and slowly, by inhaling them, I too pollute the environment. In a way, I kill both you and me! Yicks!

Now that i realised I could be dead by such horrendous illness, I am not sure I would give up on such treat-or-trick air fresheners anytime soon unless someone could help me plant lavenders by the balcony and in pots.

Suddenly, I can imagine myself at par with smokers and UMNO politicians. It is damn hard getting rid of obsession to sweet smelling air, cigarettes or power. But, try we must.

Say NO to overdose!

Wuquf: Its significance

2010-12-03T14:21:00.002+08:00

Mak says, "If we befriend a perfume seller, we too would smell as nice as the perfume he/she sells".

So, that is how I get hooked to Anuar Zain's "Ketulusan Hati", which is frequently featured on OASIS 106. As I don't really enjoy watching telly, I somehow make a point to sit down and watch telly with Mak, thus, explains my liking towards the song as that channel is one of those prominent ones tune in by my parents.

It was reported that the singer allows ASTRO to air his videoclip FOC and I think that is really kind of him to do so. May Allah bless him and his loved ones.

That song has a beautiful music to match its meaningful lyrics, which I seem to draw its similarities with Khalil Gibran's "Love" poem. Not surprisingly, it is 100% made in Indonesia (composed and written by Indonesians and recorded in one of those great Indonesian studios).

For this year's Haj season, Abang Man and Mr. Dnightcaller had been called to perform one of the "Five Pillars of Islam". So, listening to that song and thinking about them never fails to make me cry.

The image of a man crying while performing Wuquf in that videoclip remains a heart-thugging reminder to me as the following articles on Wuquf explains its significance in Haj and in our daily lives. From Allah, we come from, to Him we shall return and only from Him we could ask strength and guidance to give meaning and perform responsibilities we have been bestowed upon when we came into this world.

"Wuquf in Arafat" By Abu Haneef

On the 9th of Zul Hijjah,Wuquf in Arafat is performed from Zuhur to sunset. The main action in Wuquf is not to pray lots of Nafls but to stand facing the Haram asking Allah (swt) for forgiveness while recognizing Him as our Lord.

The Prophet said, "Al Hajju Arafah," meaning that standing in Arafat is the Hajj. Why?

To answer this, we must first understand the first Wuquf that all of us performed in front of Allah (swt).

"O Prophet, remind mankind about the incident when your Rabb brought into existence the offspring from the loins of Adam and his descendants (virtually each single individual of mankind) and made them testify about themselves. Allah asked them: “Am I not your Rabb?”

They all replied: “Yes! We bear witness that You are.” This We did, less you mankind should say on the Day of Resurrection: “We were not aware of this fact that You are our Rabb and that there will be a Day of Judgment” [7:172]

This happened when Allah (swt) gathered us all in one large assembly before the birth of any of us. It is also very important to note that this event took place when Man was made Allah’s vicegerent (khalifa) on this earth. At that time, Allah (swt) asked the rhetorical question "Am I not your Rabb?" By replying “Yes”, we have established a covenant with Allah (swt) to accept only Him as our Lord.

In other words, He made sure that as Khalifa we don’t forget the real owner, and act as if we are the owners.

Satan, the accursed, also resolved that he would persuade Man to take his own desires as his god or have Man worship someone other than Allah (swt).

Herein lies the significance of Hajj. Wuquf in Arafat is really the place where we go through the process of once again recognizing our Lord. It is no coincidence that Arafat means recognition.

This is the real significance of Hajj.

We assess our past. We ask for His forgiveness, and resolve to worship only Allah (swt), to stop accepting others as our Lord, and if necessary, to take action to change those who deny Allah (swt) and worship others or enforce other unjust systems.

"Wuquf Qalbi" by Ubaidullah Al-Ahrar

This means to direct the heart of the seeker towards the Divine Presence, where he will not see other than his Beloved One. It means to experience His Manifestation in all states. Ubaidullah al-Ahrar said, "The state of Awareness of the Heart is the state of being present in the Divine Presence in such a way that you cannot look to anyone other than Him."

In such a state one concentrates the place of Dhikr inside the heart because this is the center of power. All thoughts and inspirations, good and bad, are felt and appear one after another, circling and alternating, moving between light and dark, in constant revolution, inside the heart. Dhikr is required in order to control and reduce that turbulence of the heart.

Note: As nature takes its course (Read: As i grow older), like most people, I, too find getting closer to the Almighty as one of very few things that make ones feel contented. God has created such urgency in everyone after they have reached certain age to long for grace of God because as we grow mature, we cannot run away from being a good role model to the young ones. I believe, fundamentals of life can be found in teachings of all religions.

Net Present Value of Our Happiness

2010-12-03T13:00:00.003+08:00

Last month, David Cameron’s government was poised to start measuring people's psychological and environmental wellbeing, bidding to be among the first countries to officially monitor happiness. What a great coincidence that now he has to face his extremely-not-happy youngsters on his plan to triple its higher education tuition fees at the back of his coalition government’s offer to loan Ireland some hefty Billions, when most hardcore Irish people feel that Brian Cowen is more than capable to not to call for EU and IMF’s financial assistance.

I feel their pain, having to surrender their pride and dignity to capitalistic, inhumane IMF.

What irks me, like my fellow British and Irish people, is not so much of financial uncertainty we are facing but more of how we manage such uncertainties. From what we have seen so far, they – the ruling party – always get their priorities wrong. Take for instance, the proposal to build 100-storey high Menara Warisan, which is touted to bring long-term gain to us, when we are facing with ever-increasing costs of living, dog-eating labour laws and degrading education and health system. I am not sure how such gain, if any, would be enjoyed by us, common people because like all mega-projects we have so far, their promoters would get their ‘commission’ upfront, regardless if such projects are not viable. Well, look at how many Millions spent on ETP – that were just hard-earned moneys spent on putting ideas on the drawing board and getting them presented to us. There is no guarantee that the said plans would carry any holistic impact on our economy and our lives.

Like marriages, some people get their goals wrong. They get hitched, thinking that along some years spent together and a baby or two in tow, their other halves would change into better, complimenting partners.

Happiness cannot be counted on future undertakings, unlike how we compute NPV of a long-term project. Happiness cannot be delayed. It must be created and experienced now.

But what is happiness anyway? Is it a sense of completeness we achieved upon having everything? If that is so, how come so many rich people are behaving badly – a sign of their discontentment of what they have and insecurity of what they haven’t got?

Happiness is both relative and superlative, for me.

It is relative because I am happy just to have things and people that give meaning to my life, when I don’t have much to offer. So, happiness is as simple as we want it to be.

It is superlative because by being happy myself, I make others happy too and most of the time, impacts of such happiness shared are phenomenal and life-changing. Thus, happiness is life’s supreme goal.

Dalai Lama says, “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion”.

But, is happiness really THAT matter? It is when you go through the following 100 simple secrets of happy people, especially when we are going through the next difficult decade. Happiness gives values to everything we do and happiness is never about our wellbeing. As our lives are interconnected, happiness is always about wellbeing of people around us.

1. Your Life Has Purpose and Meaning
2. Use a Strategy for Happiness
3. You Don't Have to Win Every Time
4. Your Goals Should Be Aligned with One Another
5. Choose Your Comparisons Wisely
6. Cultivate Friendships
7. Turn Off the TV
8. Accept Yourself—Unconditionally
9. Remember Where You Came From
10. Limit Yourself to Thinking About One Subject as You Lie Down to Sleep
11. Friendship Beats Money
12. Have Realistic Expectations
13. Be Open to New Ideas
14. Share with Others How Important They Are to You
15. If You're Not Sure, Guess Positively
16. Believe in Yourself
17. Don't Believe in Yourself Too Much
18. Don't Face Your Problems Alone
19. Age Is Not to Be Feared
20. Develop a Household Routine
21. Don't Be Overprotective
22. Pay Attention. You May Have What You Want
23. Don't Let Your Religious Beliefs Fade
24. Do What You Say You Are Going to Do
25. Don't Be Aggressive with Your Friends and Family
26. Root for the Home Team
27. Don't Confuse Stuff with Success
28. Every Relationship Is Different
29. Don't Think "What If"
30. Volunteer
31. If You Can't Reach Your Goals, Your Goals Will Hurt You
32. Exercise
33. Little Things Have Big Meanings
34. It's Not What Happened, It's How You Think About What Happened
35. Develop Some Common Interests with Loved Ones
36. Laugh
37. Don't Let Your Entire Life Hinge on One Element
38. Share of Yourself
39. Busy Is Better Than Bored
40. Satisfaction Is Relative
41. Learn to Use a Computer
42. Try to Think Less About the People and Things That Bother You
43. Keep Your Family Close
44. Eat Some Fruit Every Day
45. Enjoy What You Have
46. Think in Concrete Terms
47. Be Socially Supportive
48. Don't Blame Yourself
49. Be a Peacemaker
50. Cherish Animals
51. Make Your Work a Calling
52. Never Trade Your Morals for Your Goals
53. Don't Pretend to Ignore Things Your Loved Ones Do That Bother You
54. Get a Good Night's Sleep
55. Buy What You Like
56. Accomplish Something Every Day
57. Be Flexible
58. Events Are Temporary
59. Be Your Own Fan
60. Join a Group
61. Be Positive
62. There Will Be An End, but You Can Be Prepared
63. How We See the World Is More Important Than How the World Is
64. Keep a Pen and Paper Handy
65. Help the Next Person Who Needs Some Minor Assistance
66. Take Care Not to Harshly Criticize Family and Friends
67. Some People Like the Big Picture, and Others Like the Details
68. Do Things You Are Good At
69. Go Visit Your Neighbor
70. Smile
71. Don't Accept Television's Picture of the World
72. You Always Have a Choice
73. Be Agreeable
74. Don't Ignore One Part of Your Life
75. Listen to Music
76. Let Your Goals Guide You
77. Use Your Job Positively
78. Don't Forget to Have Fun
79. Believe in Ultimate Justice
80. Reminisce
81. Be Conscientious
82. Don't Dwell on Unwinnable Conflicts
83. Enjoy the Ordinary
84. Focus Not on the World's Tragedies, but on the World's Hope
85. Get a Hobby
86. Envying Other People's Relationships Is Pointless
87. Give Yourself Time to Adapt to Change
88. Focus on What Really Matters to You
89. Realize that Complete Satisfaction Does Not Exist
90. Surround Yourself with Pleasant Aromas
91. Don't Let Others Set Your Goals
92. You Are a Person, Not a Stereotype
93. Know What Makes You Happy and Sad
94. Keep Reading
95. We Must Feel Needed
96. Say "So What"
97. Have a Purpose
98. You Have Not Finished the Best Part of Your Life
99. Money Does Not Buy Happiness
100. What Does It All Mean? You Decide

Note: My warmest, sincerest appreciation to Sir Walla, who is benevolent enough to take time to find and share this E-book with me, from which I have extracted the secrets of happy people I listed above. May God bless him and his beloved family always.

The Winner Stands Alone

2010-12-02T13:15:00.000+08:00

I grabbed Paulo Coelho's latest book, "The Winner Stands Alone", during one of my rare weekend outings about a month ago (weekend, for me, is time to stay home doing homey things). Romantic at heart, I was struggling reading its first chapter - no thanks to Igor, the Russian Billionaire (I imagined him looking like Putin). He is on the pursuit of 'destroying a universe' (Read: Killing people) to make his ex-wife realised that leaving him for another man is the biggest mistake! At one point of my life, I, too, had a strong urge to cause such grievous actions on others so that they could see how hurt I was (thankfully, I was sane enough to realise things always happen for good reasons. If not now, later).

But as I progressed with this book, like many other admirers of Paulo Coelho's works, we realise Igor epitomises our life's greedy pursuit for power just to make us feel normal, at par with the rest of the degrading worldly people. This book is life-changing for me. It has too many secrets about life and one of them is Lucifer Effect. This term coined by Professor Philip Zimbardo explains so many inexplicable events inflicting us. His extensive works on Lucifer Effect make Naomi Klein's Shock Doctrine so relevant in today's world. Zimbardo and Klein's works picture the worst side of us humans.

I hope you enjoy reading this one meaningful story taken from this book.

The spirit of the girl with the dark eyebrows reminds him of the story told by an old Afghan in a break during a battle.

After many centuries of turmoil and bad government, the population of a city high up on one of the desert mountains of Herat province was in despair. They could not simply abolish the monarchy and yet neither could they stand many more generations of arrogants, egotistical kings. They summoned Loya Jirga, as the council of wise men is known locally.

The Loya Jirga decided that they should elect a king every four years, and that this king should have absolute power . He could increase taxes, demand total obedience, choose a different woman to take to his bed each night, and eat and drinks his fill. He could wear the finest clothes, ride the finest horses. In short, any order he gave, however absurd, would be obeyed, and no one would question whether it was logical or just.

However, at the end of that period of four years, he would be obliged to give up the throne and leave the city, taking with him only his family and the clothes on his back. Everyone knew that this would mean certain death within three or four days because there was nothing to eat or drink in that vast desert, which was freezing in winter and like a furnace in summer.

The wise men of the Loya Jirga assumed that no one would risk standing for the position of king, and that they would then be able to return to the old system of democratic elections. Their decision was made public, and the post of the king fell vacant. Initially, several people applied. An old man with cancer took up the challenge and died during the period of his rule with a smile on his face. A madman succeeded him, but left four months later (he had misunderstood the terms) and vanished into the desert. Then rumours started going around that the throne had a curse on it, and no one dared apply for the position. They city was left without a governor, confusion reigned, and the inhabitants realised that they must forget the monarchist tradition altogether and prepare to change their ways. The Loya Jirga felt pleased that its members had taken such a wise decision. They hadn't forced the people to make a choice; they had simply got rid of those who wanted power at any price. Then a young man, married and with three children came forward.

"I accept the post", he said.

The wise men tried to explain the risks. They reminded him that he had a family and explained that their decision had merely been a way of discouraging adventurers and despots. However, the young man stood firm, and since it was impossible to go back on their decision, the Loya Jirga had no option but to wait another four years before they could put in place the planned return to elections.

The young man and his family proved to be excellent governors. They ruled fairly, redistributed wealth, lowered the price of food, organised popular festivals to celebrate the change of season, and encouraged craft work and music. every night, though, a great caravan of horses would leave the city, drawing heavy carts covered with jute cloth so that no one could see what was inside them. These carts never came back.

At first, the wise men of the Loya Jirga thought that the king must be removing treasure from the city, but consoled themselves with the fact that the young man rarely ventured beyond the city walls; if he had and had tried to climb the nearest mountain, he would realised that the horses would die before they got very far. This was, after all, one of the most inhospitable places on the planet. They determined that, as soon as his reign was over, they would go to the place where the horses had died of exhaustion and the riders of thirst, and they would recover all that treasure.

They stopped worrying and waited patiently.

At the end of the four years, the young man left the throne and the city. The population was in uproar, after all, it had been a long time since they had enjoyed such a wise and just governor!

However, the Loya Jirga's decision had to be respected. The young man went to his wife and children and asked them to leave with him.

"I will", said his wife, "but at least let our children stay. They will then survive to tell your story".

"Trust me", he said.

The tribal laws were very strict, and the wife had no alternative but to obey her husband. They mounted their horses and rode to the city gate, where they said goodbye to the friends they had made while governing the city. The Loya Jirga were pleased. They mights have made many allies, but fate is fate. No one else would risk accepting the post of governor, and the democratic tradition would be restored at last. As soon as they could, they would recover the treasure abandoned in the desert, less than three days from there.

The family rode into the valley of death in silence. The wife didn't dare say a word, the children didn't understand what was going on, and the young man was immersed in thought. They climbed one hill, and travelled for a whole day across a vast plain, and slept on the top of the next hill.

The woman woke at dawn, wanting to make the most of the final few days of her life to look her last on the mountains she had loved so much. She went up to the very top of the hill and gazed down on what should have been an empty plain, and she was startled by what she saw.

During those four years, the caravans leaving the city each night had not been carrying off jewels or gold coins. They had been carrying bricks, seeds, wood, roof-tiles, spices, animals and traditional tools that could be used to drill into the earth and find water.

Before her lay a far more modern, far more beautiful city than the old one, and all in working order.

"This is your kingdom", said the young man, who had just woken up and joined her. "Ever since I heard the decree, I knew it would be pointless to try and change in four years everything that centuries of corruption and bad governance had destroyed. I was certain of one thing, though, that it was possible to start again".

A Letter to Ahmad Fitri Rusyaidi

2010-12-01T13:39:00.002+08:00

Fitri Rusyaidi My Dearest

I hope this letter finds you in the pinkest state of health.

It’s been more than 2 weeks since you moved into your new home and I must say, since then, Amumma and Atok have been experiencing the most difficult time in their life. Although Tok Chu keeps telling me that I am ‘the rock that keeps the ship in place in this tempestuous sea’, I, too, suffer from your departure, my dearest. It’s hard writing this but I must do so I could feel better, even for a little bit, with running tears and blowing nose.

We (that is Amumma, Atok and me) had anticipated that day would come since you were still in Mummy’s warm, comforting womb. You were supposed to be taken care by a child minder in a nursery (as Amumma and Atok are no already in their sixties and for one, I have forewarned my siblings that my parents should not be burdened with taking care of their grandchildren) with Amumma and Atok picking you up from the nursery after Asar. But Allah knows what is best for His khalifahs. Your hospitalization every now and then during your early months breathing the air in this world has turned you into a more decisive soul. You would screech at the sight of strangers with impure hearts and unfortunately, today, we have too many of them out there. As a result, Mummy and Daddy thought it was best for you to stay at home with Amumma and Atok since you have grown closer to both of them. That was a start of a beautiful journey for us.

Despite me ranting about your anger management, I want you to know that in the process of carrying out the said plan, we have grown closer to you more than we should. There were times when you would run to us, instead of Mummy or Daddy, for some reassurance and comfort. There were times when you abandoned your toys and storytelling session with Mummy and Daddy so you could greet me with your heart melting smile and warm, snuggly hugs when I come back from work. For that, my dearest, you have such a beautiful soul, even at your tender age.

You know how much Amumma and Atok love you, my dearest? Immensely, even beyond how much they love us, their children. Like Abang Faris and Abang Hariz, their grandchildren are their pride and joy. Not because of what you are. It is all because of how much you all showed them your unconditional love to them. Having you around the house gives them purpose. Caring for you makes them feel alive. Loving you gives them so much joy, no words could ever justify. Through their eyes, your devoted love for them reflects that they have come full circle in life. It is life worth living and they have lived theirs well.

Although Amumma and Atok would still worry sick about you being away from their home, they told me that they have accepted the fact that you belongs to Mummy and Daddy. That affirmation feels like a cold shower in the scorching-hot afternoon for me, my dearest, because I do not wish to see them feeling sad missing you. While they are no longer around you, rest assured that their kind prayers and warm thoughts never left your side. They will forever be in your heart, following you wherever you go, in whatever you do.

I have told Mummy that you love to have your porridge with Bovril and I have, too, asked her to cook the porridge the way you like it. I have reminded Daddy to apply Mosguard, even during daytime. With you leaving our home sweet home, I feel like we have just let you out into a dangerous world, with many impure souls, biting mosquitoes and sharp edges all around you. That worries me a lot (did I tell you Worry is in this family’s middle name? :) ). Worrying and missing you have given me sleepless nights (Read: Dark circles) but I’m not complaining because if those are signs of unconditional love, I rather have dark circles for the rest of my life, my dearest.

So, my tears have stopped flowing, my nose is no longer runny. These mean I must stop here, before they start again. You know very well how emotional I could get, don’t you, my Third Angel?

Till then, be safe and always be good, like you always do, my dearest. Always remember, we love you dearly.

Note: Mak and Ayah keep seeing him around the house. So much emotional torments that we are moving into a new home (homestay/rental proposal is being considered for the existing home), somewhere nearer to my sis' place this weekend. As for me, I try not to watch ASTRO 613 PHDC, especially Timmy Time - a cartoon series he normally watches when i come home from work.

Let's Paint The Town Purple, People!

2010-11-12T13:12:00.007+08:00

KLCC is kind enough to host this year's "Purple Day" - that is to create public awareness on autism - from 11 to 14 November and is gracious enough to pencil this event as its annual event, where "Purple Day" will be celebrated throughout November.

Purple Day was initially started by a 9-year old epileptic Cassidy Megan in 2008 to raise people's awareness on epilepsy, debunking its myths and giving hopes to people like her who, most of the time, suffers emotional trauma as a result of their seizures, most people find embarrassingly funny. It is celebrated every 26th of March.

In western world, November is celebrated as Epilepsy Month and with too many links between epilepsy and autism, I applaud NASOM for their successful initiative to rope in giants like KLCC in getting more people out there to become more sensitive (early symptoms of autism for instance) and being more sensible (most of you out there would taunt an autistic child for their social misbehaviour and non-interaction, to name a few).

Autism is dear to my heart as my Second Angel suffers from one. As he is turning 4 next February, it is so glaringly sad to see that my Third Angel would beat him in terms of behavioural and intellectual aspects not too far from now. While I am normally tasked to do some *acrobatic stunts* (he should join Malaysian acrobatic team) with him whenever he's around, taking care of him takes a heavy physical and emotional toll on my dear sister.

Parents, like her, need more supports and better support system than what NASOM and other organisations could offer.

Though "Purple Day" will end this Sunday at KLCC, may I propose for your kind and thoughtful contribution to donate directly to NASOM, whenever you may do so, because this association direly needs financial assistance especially so that these kids, whom most teachers in school would label as misfits, would be able to unleash their true potentials to just being normal, like you and me, through various interesting activities like what the Great Mr. Victor Chin shared here about a group of autistic children using their artistic skills to communicate.

For me, every child is precious and what a waste for us not being able to show them what greatness he/she can bring into this world.

If we could paint a life, it would be painted in hues of purple, for it signifies royalty, nobility, mystery, magic and spirituality.

So, let's paint the town purple, people.

Seoul-ful : Asia's Latest Miracle

2010-11-11T18:45:00.000+08:00

Is it acceptable to 'plagiarise' another country's economic master plans, I wonder. If it is not, then I hope we all could feel a little better reading this inspiring article from TIME, considering some people are too busy romancing cronyistic politicking, we almost got derailed from our main reform agenda, that is of economic importance.

Surprisingly, after reading this article, we would realise success of economic reforms rely heavily on political scenes. So, could we all, please nudge our politicians, in case they forget that we, common people, are ready to reform NOW and we need them to wake up, stop fighting and start working for us?

Well, Korea is definitely more than its healthy, nutritional Kimchi, B-Boy Korean Wave, saccharine-filled Winter Sonata, magnificent historical sites and richly cultural values.

Seoul-ful – Asia's Latest Miracle
By Michael Schuman / Seoul (with reporting by Lina Yoon / Seoul)

When I relocated from New York City to Seoul, South Korea's capital, in 1996, I found the city vibrant and fascinating, but also surprisingly provincial. Koreans preferred their fermented kimchi over any other food, and though I grew to enjoy the spicy staple, a longing for familiarity and the feebleness of my digestive system occasionally demanded a respite from the chili-laden cabbage. That proved challenging. Aside from some fast-food joints and wallet-straining restaurants at five-star hotels, foreign cuisine was hard to come by. It's why I have such fond memories of Lee Je Chun. While studying and working in Germany, Lee acquired a taste for things European, so in 1992, he opened the Jell, a shop that sold wine, cheese, pasta, sausages and other imported delicacies. The occasional chunk of cheddar I'd buy was a cherished reminder of a home far away.

A few weeks ago, I returned to my old neighborhood in Seoul for the first time in 10 years, and much to my surprise, Lee and the Jell are still there. But it wasn't the same place where I shopped in the 1990s. Lee no longer sells food: foreign goodies can now readily be found at supermarkets and Costco outlets. Instead, Lee has built a private club for wine lovers, where he hosts tastings for members who pay a $900 annual fee. In its earlier form, the Jell catered largely to expatriates; today the wine club's members are nearly all locals. Koreans have caught on to the pleasures of a good wine. "Korea has changed a lot," Lee says. "Koreans are opening their minds."

The results are striking. Thirty years ago, Korea was poorer than Malaysia and Mexico. Since then, its GDP per capita has surged by a factor of 10 to $17,000, more than double the levels in those countries. GDP growth was 0.2% in 2009, when much of the rest of the world was contracting, and is estimated to be 6% this year. Yet when I left Korea in 2000, it was an open question whether its success could continue. The embarrassing memories of the 1997 Asian financial crisis were still fresh, and Koreans were worrying that they would lose out to a rising China.

Over the past decade, however, Korea has reinvented itself — it's an Asian miracle again. Korea has become an innovator, an economy that doesn't just make stuff, but designs and develops products, infuses them with the latest technology, and then brands and markets them worldwide, with style and smarts. Samsung and LG, not the Japanese electronics giants, are dominating the hot new LCD-TV business. In 4G phone technology, Samsung is poised to become a leading force, while Hyundai Motor, an industry joke a decade ago, is a top-five automaker, its rising market share fueled by quality cars and nifty marketing.

"'Made in Korea' used to be synonymous with cheap and imitative," says Bernie Cho, president of DFSB Kollective, a start-up that markets Korean pop music internationally. "Now it's become premium and innovative." New industries, from online games to pop music, have emerged as powerhouses. Politically as well, Korea is stepping out of Washington's shadow and becoming an influential voice in its own right. Symbolic of that new role, Seoul is hosting the G-20 summit on Nov. 11 and 12, the first Asian country to do so. This nation is a global leader-in-waiting.

Part of Korea's success is simple commitment. Koreans spend some 3.5% of their GDP on R&D, compared with 1.5% in China and less than 1% in Malaysia and India. Innovation, however, isn't something that can be conjured up in government offices or corporate boardrooms. You can tell people to work harder or build a more modern factory, but you can't order them to think better or be more creative. That change has to take place inside people's heads. In Korea, it has. Koreans have become more accepting of diversity and outside influences and quicker to shed old prejudices. Such an outlook was brought about by a fundamental (and continuing) reformation of Korean society. Koreans are breaking down the barriers that held the nation back, a process fostered by political freedom and a passionate embrace of the forces of globalization. Says Cho: "Korea has gone from being a hermit kingdom, from a closed door, to open arms."

A Stranger No More

Globalization has always been the engine behind Korea's economic miracle. Beginning in the 1960s, a destitute Korea capitalized on its cheap labor to competitively export toys, shoes and other low-tech goods to consumers in the West. That jump-started income growth; as costs rose, Korea shifted into ships, microchips and other advanced products. Yet to Koreans, globalization was a one-way street. They were happy to sell things to the world, but wanted no more than the profits in return.

Koreans didn't care much for foreign cars, foreign investment — or foreigners. Empty taxis would ignore my frantic hails, while locals sometimes swore at me while I walked in Seoul with my Korean-American girlfriend (now wife). Behind its crenellated walls, the Korean economy developed on its own dynamic, and boosted by their unexpected economic success, Koreans came to believe their system was special, even superior. But dangerous problems were festering. Companies were shielded from competition and heavily supported by tight links to the government and banks, allowing them to borrow and invest willy-nilly while building up frightening debt burdens. When I would mention these flaws to businessmen or officials, I got brushed off. The normal rules of economics didn't apply to Korea.

That self-delusion evaporated during the Asian financial crisis of the late 1990s. As Korea's most prominent companies collapsed into bankruptcy and the government endured a humiliating $58 billion International Monetary Fund bailout, Koreans had to rethink the ways they did business, managed their careers — even their entire economic system. The crisis "was the catalyst" for change, says financier Tom Kang. "The old ways didn't work."

Kang would know. In 1999, George Soros purchased control of a brokerage then called Seoul Securities and plucked Korean-American Kang from Wall Street and inserted him as CEO. Kang created an instant stir. CEOs in Korea were expected to work their way up the seniority-based corporate ladder, and the incumbent managers at Seoul Securities were outraged that a 37-year-old outsider was now their boss. Local media got wind of his Wall Street — level compensation, and he got dubbed "the $3 million man." Kang became a symbol of evil foreigners taking advantage of Korea's moment of weakness.

Kang had entered a securities industry that didn't operate by international standards. Poorly trained brokers would flog stocks to old ladies based on rumor and press clippings. Kang got to work applying what he had learned on Wall Street, cleaning up the firm's risk management and expanding and strengthening new businesses like institutional sales and investment banking. As profits rose at Seoul Securities, other brokerages copied Kang's imported ideas. The industry has changed so much, Kang says today, that if he arrived now as CEO he wouldn't create nearly the same commotion. Koreans "are much more open, have much more global experience," says Kang. "That's the real drama. You can talk about government policies, but [the difference] is the people."

What happened in the securities industry was replicated in other sectors. The 1997 crisis broke apart the cozy government-banking-corporate networks, forcing the big companies to become truly profitable, independent and internationally competitive for the first time. That process was egged on by a new influx of foreign money, ideas and people. Foreign investors began to play a much larger role in the domestic economy, increasing competition. Korean companies brought low by the financial crisis in banking, autos and other industries were sold off to international giants. Storefronts in Seoul now boast more foreign names than I thought possible in the 1990s, from H&M to Kate Spade to Zara. After Apple's sudden success in a Korean economy where foreign handsetmakers had almost no presence — its iPhones claimed more than a quarter of the local smart-phone market in the first half of 2010, according to research firm IDC — Samsung was pressed to accelerate its own product development. The number of foreigners living in Korea has exploded, from fewer than 250,000 in 2000 to more than 870,000 in 2009. Business before the financial crisis "was more like a club," Kang says. Now "there's a lot more competition, and that's forcing people to be innovative. If they don't, they're going to die."

That reality altered Korea Inc.'s view of the world, and made its companies fiercer competitors. Korean corporate offices used to be for Koreans only, but now firms like carmaker Hyundai Motor recognize they have to be more open to outsiders and foreign ideas to compete on a global scale. "When we went to overseas markets, we tried to control everything from headquarters and by Korean staff; most [Korean] companies were doing that," says Han Chang Hwan, a senior vice president who spent much of the past 12 years posted in the U.S., India, Malaysia and Germany. "Ten years ago, the president of Hyundai Motor America was a Mr. Kim or a Mr. Park. We realized it was ridiculous. Nowadays, all the overseas subsidiaries are handled by local staff. It is a process of globalization." That's made Hyundai much more responsive to local markets and creative in its sales efforts. During the worst of the Great Recession in early 2009, for instance, the U.S. operation offered to take back Hyundais from buyers who lost their jobs. The marketing coup was devised entirely by Hyundai's U.S. managers and likely helped the company outperform its rivals during the downturn. Hyundai is even integrating foreign experts into its Seoul management team. Now the headquarters cafeteria offers salads, steaks and other Western dishes at lunchtime. "In the 1990s, we couldn't imagine!" Han exclaims.

Breaking Down Barriers

That same attitude also bolstered the career of my friend Sue Kim. I met Kim only days after my 1996 arrival in Seoul, when she was a young media-relations staffer for the chairman of the LG group of companies. Soon after we met, she told me that she intended to become a top executive at an LG company. That sounded absurd. Female senior managers at big corporations were practically nonexistent. Most women were relegated to minor tasks and expected to quit after they got married. For those bold enough to stay on, Korean corporate culture made it almost impossible for them to get ahead. Unlike her male counterparts, Kim was required to wear a uniform, a practice she found so embarrassing that she changed into business suits whenever she left the office. After work, her male colleagues would often bond at hostess bars called room salons. Kim was left out. But she persevered: she felt she was offered a rare opportunity to show just how valuable women could be to Korean companies. "I felt responsible, that I had to do well," she says. "I wanted to prove myself, that I'm not different from my male peers."

She succeeded. In March this year, Kim, 39, was promoted to bujang, or senior manager, in the investor-relations department of LCD-panel maker LG Display, at a pace somewhat faster than that of many of her male counterparts. The rank is so lofty that many managers never get promoted again, if they even make it up that high. Kim's climb was partly due to her willingness to play the game. To endear herself to her officemates, she would often join them in after-work power-drinking sessions, occasionally downing 10 boilermakers in an evening. But she also believes the old prejudices against women are slowly melting away because of the trials of global competition, which, Kim says, are forcing Korean executives to place merit over gender. "Korean companies look at their employees by what they can bring to the table," Kim explains. "As the global market becomes fierce, the focus has been on maintaining talent rather than the old discrimination."

Other biases are evaporating. When I lived in Seoul, smart, young Koreans had a very narrow path to success: study your brains out in high school, pass the tough exams necessary to get accepted at one of a handful of elite universities, then join the government or a big company like Samsung or Hyundai. Anything else was considered an embarrassment in Korean social circles, and parents usually dissuaded their sons from charting their own course. Not anymore. Koreans have become much more accepting of different life choices. That's encouraged an army of young people to start their own companies, often in innovative IT or high-tech businesses.

Typical of the new breed is Kim Jin Cheon. For eight years, the engineering Ph.D. had a dream job carrying out semiconductor research at Samsung Electronics. But in 2008, Kim, then 36 years old, did what would have been unthinkable in the 1990s: he ditched Samsung and invested $45,000 of his savings in a software firm he named Company 100, to design browsers for mobile phones. Kim says he was inspired by other young entrepreneurs who founded world-beating companies in Seoul, like gaming outfit NCsoft. With more money available to support start-ups, Kim got a $900,000 infusion from a local venture-capital firm in 2009. He says Korea's new spirit of entrepreneurship represents something larger — a longing for more freedom among Korea's youth. "Samsung became a global company, but what did I contribute?" Kim says. "I felt like just one part, not a leader. The younger generation want to do what they really love."

Cry Freedom

The reason why Kim chose to follow his dream is intimately linked to Korea's political changes. The country was largely ruled by dictators for 26 years, until massive street protests forced free elections in 1987, and even after that, the government still intervened heavily in the economy. But Korea has become a much more democratic society over the past decade, driven by Presidents Kim Dae Jung and Roh Moo Hyun, the first leaders to come from an opposition party, and the market-oriented economic reform made necessary by the 1997 financial crisis. That, says Kim Se Joong, founder of software start-up JellyBus, has emboldened Koreans to take more risks — a crucial ingredient to creating an innovative economy. "When the government was big and had a strict system of control, it was difficult to succeed without the support of the state, so parents pushed their children to reach for stability, by working in Samsung," says Kim. "Now the government is smaller and intervenes less. People feel they can become successful, whatever company they work for. The economy of a country is very reflective of the politics of the country."

Kim Sang Hun takes this thinking one step further. The CEO of NHN, owner of Korea's most popular Internet search engine, Naver.com, says the emergence of new innovative industries like his would have been impossible without Korea's democratization. He remembers the harsh times under the dictators, when police were frequent visitors to college campuses and Koreans were restricted from traveling abroad. "Now the younger generations have become more individualistic and free; they go to Europe on backpacking trips," Kim says. "I think openness is necessary [to have creative industries]. People are not scared to say their thoughts."

Freedom has been an important factor in the career of hip-hop star Tiger JK, who performs as the one-man act Drunken Tiger. The story he told me shows the link between Korea's new openness and its ability to innovate. Back in the 1990s, Korean popular music, or K-pop, was popular only in Korea. Its highly stylized, color-by-numbers dance acts were tightly controlled by the industry, and created all the excitement of a sing-along with Barney. Tiger JK had no interest in playing along. After spending his teenage years in Los Angeles, he returned to Seoul in 1995, hoping to break into the hip-hop scene. But his chatty raps and freewheeling shows were too unusual for Korean music executives. Producers of TV shows promoting new music scolded him for diving into the audience during performances. He even got booed.

Tiger JK peddled recordings of his raps at alternative clubs and built up a following at college campuses with his rebellious shows. About five years ago, other, more famous K-pop stars started seeking him out to praise his music — then adopted some of its elements, like shout-outs to the crowd. TV producers began asking him to dive into the audience. "They were waiting for me to do something wild," he says. Last year, Drunken Tiger won some of the country's most prestigious music awards. Tiger JK says it's because he's become "safe." Actually, it's because Korean society has become as audacious as him. K-pop today is considered the cutting-edge force in Asian popular music. Exports of K-pop nearly doubled in 2009 to over $31 million. "Korean artists became the freedom warriors" for young Asians everywhere, says Tiger JK.

Above all, Korea offers a counterpoint to those political leaders — like China's — who believe "state capitalism" is superior to free enterprise, or that they can create an innovative economy without civil liberties. Of course, that doesn't mean the Korean system is perfect. Despite its progress, Korean society still remains too wary of foreign influence and too biased against women in the workforce. Businessmen complain that too much red tape clogs their way. The outdated education system is so rigid that parents flee the country in droves to put their kids into high schools in the U.S. and elsewhere. The Korean economy is still not a fair place where everyone is governed by the same rules. And North Korea hovers as a relentless threat.

However, the Korea I know is a country that confronts its challenges. I asked my old friend at LG, Sue Kim, what Korea will be like in another 10 years. With more and more Koreans gaining international experience, she believes the great globalization of Korea will continue. South Korea has 75,000 students enrolled at U.S. universities — third highest, behind giants India and China, according to the Institute of International Education. "I think you'll find a much more cosmopolitan Korea," she says. "I think Koreans will bring in more diverse ideas and backgrounds. We're going to extend our presence more globally. We're going to continually grow, and you're going to see a much better country in 10 years." I don't doubt it.

p.s. Thanks to YB Dr 'Abe' Dzul, at least there is ONE malay gentleman who is brave enough to stand up against bigots and idiots. May Allah bless him and his loved ones. Amin.

Whateva Zahid but Apologise YOU MUST!

2010-11-11T13:36:00.003+08:00

Zahid said he is not insensitive and that he meant my non-malay brothers and sisters are less patriotic and not unpatriotic as he commented earlier, justifying why there are just too few non-malays in our Angkatan Tentera Malaysia.

Whateva! Your nonsense fact-twisting words deserve this annoying response. As if I bloody care what you said.

But, come to think of it, I bloody do, Zahid, because you bloody forget the history of our real heroes. Maybe that was why Muhyiddin proposed for History to be a must-pass subject for SPM. I must say to Muhyiddin that was a noble call for our youngs to reflect on our illustrious history but what good does it make to them when the real stories have been purposedly blacked out from most history books for your ruling party's political gain? Maybe you lots in the kitchen cabinet should sit for history classes first in the August House.

Interesting, for the very few non-malays who served our Angkatan Tentera Malaysia and Polis Diraja Malaysia, 15 out of 20 Pingat Seri Pahlawan Gagah Perkasa were awarded to non-malays. For instance, we will always remember valiant retired PWI Kanang Anak Langkau, who recently turned down a Datuk-ship as "he cannot afford to live that kind of lifestyle usually associated with that title for he is a simple, poor man". His story is now one of the novels to be read by Form 3 students I was told.

Zahid, they may be very few in number but their contribution weighs far beyond their duties and are certainly a high standard of valour, loyalty and selflessness protecting a nation they called Home.

Zahid, go back to school and take up History. For the time being, YOU failed BIG time and if you were a student sitting for SPM, you bloody failed, which also means you would have to resit for SPM or if you do not wish to, I am so glad we Malaysians won't have a Minister like you!

Zahid, go and apologise to my fellow non-malay brothers and sisters for your uncouth remarks. This YOU MUST DO!

Parenting Skills - We All Need Them

2010-11-09T06:39:00.001+08:00

"People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built" ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

After a dear friend recounted how a student was beaten to bleed by a teacher for failing to participate in dawn congregational prayer (Sembahyang Subuh Berjemaah), I told him that all teachers need to learn parenting skills, as part of their syllabus.

Now, even children in UK would be sitting for parenting classes as part of their plans to effectively break poverty cycle, as reported in The Guardian here.

The coalition's poverty adviser, Frank Field, will call for all children to be given parenting classes at school when he presents a government-commissioned review into poverty to the prime minister later this year.

The theme of Field's review is "how to prevent poor children becoming poor adults". He recommends a move away from a mainly financial approach to tackling child poverty, favoured by the last government, to a strategy that focuses on parenting, and on the early childhood years, up to the age of five.

"Being a parent, apart from running the army in Afghanistan, is the most important thing we will ask anyone to do and we assume people get the knowledge by osmosis – and they don't," the former Labour minister said.

He said he was disturbed by research showing how accurate a prediction can be made as to where a child will be in their 20s, by looking at their ability at 22 months and just before five years.

Narrowing divisions in children's readiness for school at five was central to tackling divisions in later life, he said.

A report by the Sutton Trust charity, published last week, showed that poorer children are twice as likely to start school with behavioural problems, and warned that the gap had widened over the past 10 years. Field interprets those findings as evidence that although the Labour government was successful in reducing the overall number of children living in poverty, parallel work needs to be done on reducing non-financial inequalities.

He argued that with generous investment, the foundation years – the first five years of a child's life – could "become more powerful than class in determining where children will be at five, 10, 16 and where they will be at 20".

Part of the problem was a decline in people's understanding of good parenting, he said.

"There has been a rupturing of the level of parenting skills in my lifetime. There was a collective wisdom about the beneficial effects of tough love – you set boundaries for your children, but you loved them within those boundaries."

During his research for the review, he met numerous teachers who said those boundaries were no longer being set.

"I think it is more difficult to parent now than it was. The pressures on you are greater. It is expected that people, mothers, should work, and rather quickly after birth, even if they are on their own. Postwar housing developments have split up communities. You are bombarded with demands from television about the things that children should have. It puts a much greater pressure on parents. To add to that you may not have had a good role model yourself," he said.

"I've met lots of heads who say children are worse prepared for school now than they were 30 years ago. Children should be able to sit still, they should know their own name, they should be able to take their coat off, they should understand the word 'stop', they have to be able to hold a crayon." Teachers had told him they were increasingly obliged to teach children these skills, he said.

In recommendations that he will present to the education secretary, Michael Gove, this week, Field will suggest that parenting should be taught as a theme within other subjects – "not as a separate ghetto subject", so students would look, for example, at the development of a child's brain within their science GCSEs. The teaching would help children understand what would equip them to be a "five-star parent".

"While money is important," he said, "I will be arguing in the report that there are other circumstances which, the research shows, are as important as money in determining outcomes: the interest you take in your children, how you bond with them, whether you read to them, the interest you show in what they are doing at school."

The government is committed to the same goal of eradicating child poverty in the UK by 2020 as set out by Labour, and has increased child tax credits paid to families falling below the poverty line.

Field, who was a director of the Child Poverty Action Group charity before he went into politics, said he thought the extra money should have been spent on Sure Start projects, aimed at helping children in their early life.

"I would have argued, though I wasn't in the game to argue, a different split of that money, between tax credits and the foundation years, because if we are serious about transforming the lives of poorer children, it won't simply come by increasing tax credits, however generous they are."

Do You Know How It Feels Like To Be Free?

2010-11-08T18:30:00.000+08:00

"Only free men can negotiate;

prisoners cannot enter into contracts.

Your freedom and mine cannot be separated"

~ Nelson Mandela

“How can I set free anyone who doesn't have the guts to stand up alone and declare his own freedom?

I think it's a lie – people claim they want to be free – everybody insists that freedom is what they want the most, the most sacred and precious thing a man can possess.

But that's bullshit! People are terrified to be set free – they hold on to their chains.

They fight anyone who tries to break those chains. It's their security…

How can they expect me or anyone else to set them free if they don't really want to be free?”

~ Jim Morrison

"What do we mean by setting a man free?

You cannot free a man who dwells in a desert and is an unfeeling brute

There is no liberty except the liberty of some one making his way towards something

Such a man can be set free if you will teach him the meaning of thirst, and how to trace a path to a well

Only then will he embark upon a course of action that will not be without significance

You could not liberate a stone if there were no law of gravity - for where will the stone go, once it is quarried?”

~ Antoine de Saint-Exupery

To different people, freedom carries different meanings. Like success and marriage, getting one is easier but managing one is difficult because we tend to start with a wrong foot, wrong reason, which most of the time, is badly reasoned and hardly justified. As a result, we linger in it (success or marriage) for namesake, drifting from high to low points in life, feeling numb; hopeless; careless; and don't-care-less.

Having seen the deplorable living condition for some Malaysians in Batu Sapi recently - thanks to the buy-buy-election - it hurts me deep inside. Unlike their forefathers that fought the battle to bring them where they are now, it seems to me that these people are in worse situation compared to to their forefathers because they have almost lost the spirit to fight for dignity and better life. These are the people who have been denied freedom and they have succumbed to much-hyped myths that their lives depend on the ruling party. Like us all of us, their destiny lies in their own hand. But with continuous oppression and artificially-created miseries imposed on them, it is so easy to surrender.

So,would that be alright for us not to do anything about it since they have accepted their current destiny? If we are a living, breathing human being, who would have felt their miseries (cubit peha kiri, peha kanan terasa sakit), we would do something for them.

And that is why I think the best people to really move these people out of their self-chained destiny is the local people. Instead of just hyping up on sensational issues (sometimes, reading their takes makes me feel like reading UK's tabloids - well, now you know why we are also catching up in printing tabloids, that is to feed people with things to talk about so they could forget their own miseries and later, to confuse them), they should focus on their own people and highlight the issues with proper channel. For once, we should get our act together and get things moving instead of relying on buy/general election to punish the short-term amnesiac politicians.

Some of us would have known how it feels like being free - it's ecstasy; it pushes us to only greater height; and it only makes us more humane.

And that is why The Lighthouse Family's "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free" would be a fitting song for this post. Freedom, like love, is best shared and it is best shared with full morality.

Diwali - Lessons from It

2010-11-05T16:50:00.001+08:00

Astronomically, Diwali - literally translated into "Row of Lights - is celebrated on darkest night in the darkest period between October and November, marking celebration of a New Year.

That means even a spark of light or a tiny twinkling star could stand out in the vast canvas of night.

And that the light isn't just a sight but a guide.

So, when there's light, there's no confusion.

Everything is clear. Nothing is an illusion.

May we dispel our ignorance, flagrance and vengeance for conscience, prudence and valiance.

Wishing Thiva, Vijay and all my Indian friends who are celebrating Diwali a Joyful and Meaningful one.

Caca Marba Midweek Break

2010-11-03T13:11:00.004+08:00

Yes, it's so caca marba as detailed below: -

1. I revisited "Shawshank Redemption" - one of the most meaningful films I've ever watched, over and over again (though at first I watched it for cute Tim Robbins (hehheh my choice of guys speaks volume - from John Cusack to Tim Robbins. Gee!). It's about real friendships and burning hopes. It brings honour to perseverance. It teaches enjoyment to solitude. It has too many quiet plots, which for me and many more out there who enjoy this philosophical movie, reflect the reality of life - at times, we feel alone, abandoned and rejected but during these down times, we learn to listen to our soul and get to know ourselves better, which later these revealations would assist us to make rightful decisions in life. Like Andy Drufesne, we may have to crawl through our stinkiest moments in life to a brighter one and like Andy, all we need is a little tool. This is a must-see 16-year-old movie!

"Dear Red, If you're reading this, you've gotten out. And if you've come this far, maybe you're willing to come a little further. You remember the name of the town, don't you? I could use a good man to help me get my project on wheels. I'll keep an eye out for you and the chessboard ready. Remember, Red. Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things and no good thing ever dies. I will be hoping that this letter finds you, and finds you well. Your friend, Andy"

~ Andy Drufesne

2. Jason Donovan's "Sealed with a kiss" came back into my life a few months ago. It carries different feeling at my dinosaur age, especially when it comes to the part that, "It's gonna be a cold lonely summer but i'll heal the emptiness". When I was 15, curing loneliness would probably be sulking all summer long. Now that I have grown old (hopefully not a fool anymore), I heal my emptiness with things that scream "I Love Myself" (Read: things that make me simply me!) and honouring people I care dearly, wholeheartedly, by doing things we would do together. Loneliness flies away when I fill my emptiness with things and thoughts that matter. Loneliness isn't a bad thing - when one feels lonely, for me, it means one yearns for something and that yearning should be used as the pushing factor towards what one is yearning for. There's always a blessing in disguise. Let's hope that while we are busy healing our emptiness, we must stop and look out for signs for the end of cold lonely summer is nigh...

3. One of little dreams I have is to set up a children library because I enjoy children immensely (by being a kid myself). Innocent, curious, mischievious (I'd reword it to experimental) and boisterous (full with energy may I say) they are, there is so little choices in getting them great local reading materials. Today (Yes, I am writing this with a big smile on my cherub face), I found Pak Yusof Gajah, who has been nominated (for the second time) for the prestigious 2011 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award ("ALMA") of Sweden at the Frankfurt International Book Fair. What attracts me to him is philosophy on life and seeing arts beyond sketches and paintings. His books would make perfect timeless gifts for a child!

"People are afraid to dream, he continues, because being ambitious and wanting to be a high achiever is discouraged by a society that thrives on mediocrity. But dreamers should be stubborn – that is what got him to where he is today"

~ Yusof Gajah, The Edge 28 Sep 2009

4. After reading Art's latest posting "The Administration of Justice in Malaysia - A Glaring Misconception" and hopeful Kg Gas' folks, I have John Denver's "Sunshine on My Shoulders" playing in my heart.

Thank God for them - they make my Wednesday!

2012 - The End of Humanity; 2010 - The End of BN

2010-11-03T06:10:00.002+08:00

A self-professed late bloomer in everything, I only got myself watching "2012" last Sunday night because it has lovable John Cusack.

Some of the horrific scenes in the movie look like they have been taken out from ongoing Gunung Merapi Eruption. I turned off the TV feeling physically exhausted and emotionally distubed. That movie is no longer about John Cusack - it's definitely more than meets [his] eyes!

When Dr. Adrian Helmsley said this almost at the end of the movie, "The moment we stop fighting for each other, that's the moment we lose our humanity", I had tears welled up in my eyes.

That is why for what happened to Adik Kugan, Adik BH Teoh, Adik Aminulrasyid, we will fight for them and their loved ones. It is not 'sibuk jaga tepi kain orang' (that's, for me, is only applicable when you gossip about others, out of envy and anger).

And that is also why we sent flotilla to Gaza.

It is not sympathy. It is not even charity. It's humanity.

Somehow, Antares read my mind (as this post was first written on Monday). He shared Jose Arguelles' poignant article on "2012" and I am deeply affected by it because I feel ashamed of us, human beings, for causing so much suffering, without a tinge of regret or guilt, all in the name of power and material possession. Thank you Antares.

"This is a grand drama that is playing out now. What we are seeing is the exhaustion of materialism, what the Club of Rome defined in 1973 as the Limits of Growth. I was recently on an investigative visit to East Africa (Kenya) and South India. For a counterpoint to the misery that was everywhere evident, as I was traveling through different parts of these two countries, I took time to watch CNN, Al-Jazeera or BBC in the hotels so I could follow the oil spill and witness the European union voting a trillion dollar bail out for the Euro and some failing economies.

It made me wonder: Where is the trillion dollars to give every human being on Earth a roof that doesn’t leak, an actual sanitary toilet, clean drinking water and real food on the table? No, it was quite evident that the species has failed in taking care of its own and in its capacity to save its environment.

What people need to understand is that 21/12/2012 is actually humanity’s deadline, and right now it would rather send a man to Mars then deal head-on with what it has created on its home planet"

~ Jose Arguelles

Having read that, I hope KJ - Yes, that Ketua Pemuda UMNO - who had been telling Batu Sapi people to vote for BN because "PKR has nothing" to wake up. Wake up Bro!

Well KJ, PKR has nothing but it wants to do something. BN has everything but it hasn't been doing anything since 1963. Let's not talk about 100-storey tall Warisan Merdeka, you lot can't even get basic infrastructure up and running in Batu Sapi. Shame on you KJ!

Women on the other side of the world

2010-11-02T06:41:00.000+08:00

A couple of week ago, I thought of Eva Peron – the Spiritual Chief of A Nation (that is Argentina) as she was called by her people. It is close to 6 decades after her demise but her spirit of emancipation lives on in Latin America. Two historical events prove this.

Yesterday, Madam Dilma Roussef was elected as Brazil’s first female president after the ever famous Lula, her mentor, was barred by the court from running his third presidency term. Madam Rousseff is seen as Lula’s ‘puppet’, having lived a colourful life (a former Marxist rebel) and holding various powerful positions in Lula’s cabinet (primarily of Brazil’s energy and finance ministries).

Under Lula, Brazil joined Mighty, Hungry BRIC, catapulting half of his people into middle income class, thus strengthening its domestic consumption on top of rising commodity prices, to bolster Brazil’s economy. Call her whatever you want (politics can be so nasty most of the times) but I think Lula has picked the best person to continue with his successful economic reforms to greater heights. Madam Rousseff becomes a grandmother in September and in her first speech to the people, she said that “[she] will pay attention and take care of the country as a kind mother”. That reminds me of “Don Juan”, in which Lord Byron wrote, “Man's love is of man's life a thing apart, 'Tis woman's whole existence”.

In December 2007, Argentineans elected their First Female President, the beautiful Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner. She took the office from her husband, Nestor Kirchner, who passed away recently from sudden heart attack. Dubbed as The Clintons of The South, this First Couple fought evil capitalists – their own elitists and international foreign banks, defied IMF during 2001 financial crisis, introduced interventionist economic policies and looked after the poors of their nations, making them the third largest economy in the American’s South Hemisphere, rebounding faster than any of its neighbours. They have always been bestest political partners but with her power-broker husband rest in peace, would Cristina’s Peronic spirit fizzles out? I hope she’s be stronger in her true self – just like how Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “A woman is like a teabag, you never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water”.

“Women wish to be loved without a why or a wherefore; not because they are pretty, or good, or well-bred, or graceful, or intelligent, but because they are themselves” ~ Hendri Frederic Amiel

While women on the other side of the world have emancipated and showed their mettle (that they can change the course of their nation and they can rule - how ironic when at home, moms have always been the ruler!), we on this side of the world could only manage a snigger when our budget next year will give us cheaper lingeries, handbags and toiletries. How pathetic they think we are!

God did not create women for nothing. Women nurture, never torture. Women’s real strength, despite their fragile physique, is not just their ability to provide. It is their ability to provide endlessly, wholeheartedly, even if they received so little or nothing in return.

God Bless All Women.

Genting Sempah's Tragic Accident - Tragic Loss of Common Sense

2010-11-01T17:45:00.000+08:00

Last weekend's accident makes me realised one thing - most of the time, we put our life in someone else's hand.

It was reported that the outing was the first to many youths in that old bus.

It was also reported that the parents were not happy with the condition of the bus in the first place but who are they to ask for something better, when, like most abiding Malays, they accepted everything in whatever conditions. Even if it means paying hundred of RM for a screwdriver, as famously reported in AG's report for years now.

Not surprising, the trip was organised by Belia 4B (which means it was well sponsored but as always, we have too many Ali Babas (middlemen) in between Belia 4B and the youths).

When we have so little, even a little contribution means the world to us.

I could imagine how happy the youths were having gotten a chance to see the world outside Baling - I am not sure if it is still one of the poorest areas in this Ibu Pertiwi and how worry were their parents having to let go their precious ones on a long trip on that substandard bus.

I could imagine the emotional turmoils currently faced by the ill-fated bus driver. He was denied a driving license because the driving centre he registered was an illegal outfit. And he resorted to driving without a valid license because he has to support his family. Sadly, not wanting to inflict such economical suffering to his family, he inflicts another set of sufferin to families of departed souls.

Now, 7 precious ones were now in the Hands of their Creator. They are gone but their loved ones would forever live with endless "What if I had...".

May the souls rest amongst the righteous people and may Allah gives strenght to their loved ones.

This accident could be avoided if only we have more sensical people. This ideal is not far-fetched because it starts with us. Help everyone around us to be one.

Celine's Weekend

2010-10-29T08:14:00.004+08:00

Good news for Celine Dion - her premature twins have been discharged from hospital early this morning.

So, it is a great cause for celebration here in my blog and if there's just one song of hers to kickstart this weekend, that would be her "Treat her like a lady" along with Diana King.

Have a great weekend everyone!

p.s. Yes, that song is meant for the Government of the Day! Treat her i.e. this nation like a lady because you make a good girl crazy when you don't treat her like a lady! Get it!?

No Man Is An Island

2010-10-29T07:48:00.002+08:00

Somehow, reading Uncle Lee's comment to "A Gentleman's Wisdom of Work" makes me feel humbled. He teaches me the art of sharing or perhaps the art of "Pay It Foward". He makes me reaffirmed my belief that we are not rich for having what we possess but we are rich because we are able to give to others. If we do not have the material possesion to share with, we always have time to spend, a smile to share, a prayer to say, a shoulder to cry on, ears to listen to and words to comfort.

Uncle Lee's words remind me of John Donne's "No Man Is An Island", whose poem was adopted by Joan Baez in a song of the same title.

Yes, Sir, I will always keep a song in my heart :)

Uncle Lee said...

Hello Fi-Shah, terima kaseh seribu for this jalan atas ayer compliments.

I have always believed in giving anyone, everyone a chance in life.

To live out their dreams as I had. I gave them the opportunity to exceed theirs, mine and the company's expectations.

Once upon a time when I was looking for a job, a man offered me one, without looking at my resume....I did not fail him....

He had looked at me, as I later in life looked at people when offering them a job.

Resumes can be doctored, just as in cosmetics hiding blemishes.

To me, a person who does not have a degree or higher education, it does not mean he or she is not smart.

There may be other circumstances, namely ..Money. Poor parents, etc.

I now give them that opportunity....to be somebody in life. And to sit in my chair one day.

Everybody has weaknesses, we all have...but everyone needs a helping hand, like a baby learning to walk.

Give them your hand.....they will not fail you.

Once again, terima kaseh. You have a pleasant week, and keep a song in your heart. Best regards, Lee.

October 28, 2010 7:44 PM

A Gentleman's Wisdom on Work

2010-10-28T18:15:00.001+08:00

“Anyone can be heroic from time to time, but a gentleman is something you have to be all the time” ~ Luigi Pirandello

A man could be smart. A man could be hot. A man could be fun. A man could be a big gun. But not many are gentlemen. Uncle Lee is not only a gentleman. He is smart, hot, fun and a big gun!

I enjoy tremendously reading his writings as he writes realities that make us all human – alive and loved. He captivates his readers' imagination and aspiration - what a sensation!

Yesterday, Uncle Lee shared his wisdom on hiring people and I told him it is too good not to share with many more out there. His wisdom is universally applicable, in my point of view, as we are after all born a leader to our family, company and community. I admire Uncle Lee’s insights building business not by going through the numbers (profit, profit, profit), cables (cronyism, nepotism) and papers. He helps people to build themselves with their innate strengths. He builds meaningful and winning relationship with those who crossed his path. He makes work a big part of life-enriching experience!

Thank you Uncle Lee for your wisdom and kindness. May God bless us all.

I hope you would enjoy reading it and pass it along to others.

Uncle Lee's A Midnight Rendezvous ~ "Work with me, not for me"

I was a Jack of all trades, master of none. I stopped reading the newspapers the day I retired.

However, I might sometimes buy the weekend papers for its section on new cars, and their road test results.

Glancing thru last weekend's papers, my eye caught on some employment vacancies, and read their various requirements for those applying.

There was the usual number of years experience preferred.

And Critical attributes required, as follows: -

'Confident, energetic, positive, self starter, and results-driven.

Ability to form trusting and professional relationships throughout the organization and company officials.

Highly effective communicator.

You have strong interpersonal and conflict resolution skills, and an independent, self starter who thrives in a team setting'.

When I employed people

I never looked at resumes, maybe only five all the 25 years I employed people.

I have employed from Sales Personnel, Mechanics, Stenographers, Administrative, Accounts, Field Executives, secretaries, Managers, Regional Managers to General Managers. (Local and foreign)

'There's no security on this earth, only opportunity' ~ General Douglas MacArthur. Supreme Allied Commander, Pacific theatre of Operations. 2nd WW

And regrettably that out of the five resumes I had actually looked at, three failed to live up to expectations.

I believed they had doctored their resumes. I let them go.

Of the ones I never looked, none failed to live up to my expectations, but impressed me with their work.

I never looked at race, gender nor religion, nor age nor for impressive credentials.

I looked at the person.

I looked for people who are better than me in various fields, be it a woman or a man, young or mature.

If the work vacancy does not require a good command of English, I took in those with minimum English qualifications, even a few with standard 6 or a Form 3 education.

The only positions I looked for a good command of English language as well comprehension was in Administrative, or as my personal secretary. Then I looked for the best.

I have always believed, we all have our weaknesses as well our strengths. Weaknesses I can cure. Their strengths I want.

That everyone deserves a chance in life. To prove herself or himself.

As long as you are not afraid of water, I will throw you in the deep end, and then throw a lifebelt.

I also believe when paying peanuts, you get monkeys.

I never tell people how to do things.

I tell them what to do and let them surprise me with their ingenuity.

Then it's lead me, follow me, my way, or the highway.

I looked for attitude, integrity, responsibility, initiative, and a sense of humour.

8am to 5pm, they work with me, not for me. After 5pm, what they do is none of my business.

I found a lot of my employees at shopping malls, on board a Penang ferry, on board a plane, in a coffee shop, even once at someone's funeral.

Should someone impress me, like a cosmetic salesgirl who tried to sell me an aftershave lotion even after I had told her I only use two brands, none of her's, it was the way she treated me and never ran down the brands I was using that impressed me.

"Mister, the brands you are using are very good, one of the best on the market, but...should you one day decide to have a change, do give our brand a try, I'm confident you will not be disappointed".

The next day, I went to see her. She recognised me. I handed her my business card and an envelope, marked, 'Your eyes only. Read when free'.

I had offered her a job in my company. She accepted. I never asked for her resume. She never failed us.

Bomb squad technician

I once created a job for a young girl I met by chance, she a Malay girl in typical Malay baju wearing a tudung, looking for a job at a small Chinese mall where every small store had their Chinese God statues with burning incense and jossticks beside the entrance or inside.

It was her positive attitude that really impressed me. She had brought her papers with her, telling me she has an Australian Masters degree in Mathematics.

I never looked. I believed her.

She was looking for any kind of work and prepared to accept a salary of Rgt 180 if employed by any of the stores should they take her.

I offered her a job with a starting salary of Rgt 500. And she never failed us. I never did look at her resume. (See posting in archive, 'A Malay girl and her destiny', d/d 4/6/10.)

I had a slight advantage over most managers. Wearing neckties was and is something I disliked most. All my life till present I only own four neckties.

One was bought at a pasar malam (night market) in Trengganu, one at a pasar malam in Ipoh,...reason being the business meeting I was supposed to attend next day requires a tie.

One given to me by my boss as I think someone had leaked out I used neckties purchased from pasar malams.

His Senior Manager wearing a Rgt 3 necktie? He presented me a Dunhill tie.

Another, a present from my girlfriend, now my wife when she discovered I was not going to wear a tie for our marriage ceremony. Marriage almost got annulled because of a tie.

I still have the four neckties today, used only for funerals, but not at mine, and weddings.

Innovative Orang Hutan

My kind of interviews, using Reverse Psychology.

Why I mentioned the above is when anyone coming for an interview and sitting in my room waiting for me, it also gave me the opportunity to discreetly observe them for a few minutes, from outside. They never guessed I was the Manager.

This was only for management positions.

I would mostly wear a checked shirt and slacks, or plain pastel shirts. No ties!

I would sometimes purposely leave on my empty table at a corner, a copy of a Playboy magazine as well depending on job vacancy, an appropriate booklet, brochure or a marketing magazine.

But unknown to anybody, I had a one inch, light pencil line drawn beside the Playboy magazine as well another line beside the Marketing magazine.

Should any one be moved or looked at, the probability of it being put back in same location is near impossible.

I would then know which magazine applicant had looked at discreetly while I was out. 7 out of 10, it was the Playboy magazine. The men mostly. Women, maybe 3 out of 10.

Next to the Playboy magazine would be my small bronze statue of the 3 monkeys, 'see no evil, speak no evil, hear no evil'.

Sometimes, I would knowing before hand of several interviews I had to conduct, I would hard boiled two eggs at home, one for spare, and putting abit of salt under a thin napkin on my table, put the egg in a corner standing up.

Everyone knows an egg cannot stand on its own. Many times the egg was moved and lying on it's side when I came in.

I can imagine how they tried to make it stand again.

Good, I like curious people. But never disclosed my trick.

I wanted to see how many would ask me about it, or laugh or get distracted by it. I was looking for humour.

Quite often, while conducting an interview for a senior post, I would prearrange with my secretary to interrupt us and tell me a fictitious problem, then leave.

I would then ask him or her whether they understood what my secretary had said, and ask, "what would you do if in my place"?

When looking for a sales executive, male or female, my secretary would arrange they wait for me at the far end of the reception room.

When in turn they were invited to come to my room, I would observe how they adjust themselves, how they walk to my room.

I was looking for a relaxed, self confidence poise.

Then listened to how they greet me, whether they sit down or wait to be invited to sit down. My door will be opened, most will knock, quite a few didn't.

When interviewing a man, one of the first things I look at are his shoes. If dirty, or leather and not polished to a shiny sheen, he is toast.

Polished leather shoes tells a lot about a man.

If a lady, over makeup, or giggly, or wearing sandals for an executive vacancy, she is toast too.

Self confidence

Beginning of an interview, for management positions, I will ask them to relax, I tell them what the company does.

I will ask them to tell me about themselves.

My secretary will enquire what drinks they like, normally coffee.

And she will bring in their coffee in a Wedgewood coffee cup and saucer. Sugar and cream separately, with a spoon.

Mine iced coffee in a glass. I will light my cigarette while discreetly observing how they behaved while adding sugar and cream or without.

Women will mostly beat men at this. Some men will stir their coffee like in a coffee shop at Gurney drive..

I will tell them, "I have not looked at your resume, and assure you, if you meet my expectations, I will never look.

I will believe what you tell me".

My secretary would have seen their application letter as well enclosed resume, but on my instructions, will not show me any.

She will reply and invite them for interviews.

If advertised in media, I do not ask for photographs. I love surprises. A photograph tends to either influence or diminish an applicant's chances.

Once they are relaxed, I will ask unrelated questions, some to jolt them, some to surprise them, some humorous.

In a light hearted manner.

Examples:

To men: "When was the last time you went up to Genting Highlands Casino?

You married? Kids? Two? You know any girls? Yes? Young or matured? You play poker? What stakes? What about chess? Golf? Badminton? Fishing?

Genting Highlands Resort and Casino.

This a personal question, you don't have to answer if uncomfortable. Is your wife very conservative or somewhat liberal should you have to work nights or weekends entertaining clients at nite clubs?

Can you swim? No?

If you see me struggling in the water, what would you do?

If at a pool, there are three diving platforms, different heights. I ask you to jump into the pool from one of them. Would you"?

He answers, "which platform you want me to jump from"?

Good answer. And he can't swim.

"Tell me, Wong...you mentioned you have an American degree in Business Administration, three years working experience.

What remuneration you looking at with our company?

What figure would make you happy...go ahead, I just had a medical check-up, I have a healthy heart".

Mr Wong has impressed me with all his actions and replies, and I think he is capable of meeting my exact and demanding expectations, he tells me, "I'm expecting a salary of $1000, plus benefits". Positive answer.

Some have answered, "ohh, you pay me what you think I deserve". "Anything between $800 to $1200".

"I want a job, I leave it to you sir, how much I should get paid", etc.

Indecisive. He's toast.

After seeing all applicants, I decide on Mr Wong. He comes for a second meeting with me.

He had taken a peek at my Playboy magazine first interview as well moved the egg. He did not stir his coffee like in Gurney Drive.

I take him for a walk around the plant, tell him what I am looking for as an 'Executive, Sales and Delivery Operations'.

Back in my office, I tell him, "Wong, I have not looked at your resume, nor am I interested.
You have impressed me and I am prepared to accept you in our Company.

However, I will not be paying you what you asked for in terms of salary".

I now for special effects, pause and light a cigarette while looking at him.

He doesn't bargain with me like buying underwear at a pasar malam. Some do.

Then continue, "I will offer you what you asked for as well another $150. We all have to eat, take the family for weekend dinners. How's that?

Before you answer me, I give you 2 minutes to think carefully whether you can meet my 3 work related commandments;

1/ I expect punctuality in everything, and I do not take prisoners, short of you going for a heart bypass, the last excuse I want to hear is, 'traffic jam'.

2/ You will accept full responsibility in everything you do here. And if by chance you burn my factory down, or experience a snafu, you point your finger at yourself, nobody else. Even if one of your staff played with a lighted match.

Lastly, 3/ I want you to be better than me, whatever you do in your department, that's all".

He accepted.

Another interview

There was a Malay lady I employed. She about 28, married two kids. Very pretty. Tall. Very nice personality.

She tells me she has only a Form 5 education, passed with a grade 2. Five years admin working experience.

Again, I never looked at her resume. No reason to.

She had taken a peek at my Playboy magazine while waiting for me. She asked me about the egg. That shows curiousity.

She laughed and blushed when I teased her, "I know while you waiting for me, you looked at my Playboy magazine".

A few had denied. The magazine was moved! Toast!

Her reply," Mr Lee, first time I come for interview I see a Playboy magazine atas meja, ada dengar, ta'pernah tengok".

(I have heard about it, but never seen one before)

Good answer, she did not deny.

Somehow she impressed me with her replies to my questions.

One was..."If I give you work you have no experience in, as an Executive, a job maybe suitable for a graduate with a Mechanical degree, would you be prepared to accept it"?

"Mr Lee, you give me two months, I study my work from everyone here, I will not fail you".

The answer I was looking for.

Me: "Che Kairina, last question. Assuming you alone out of town on our business trip, would you feel uncomfortable facing five uneducated, loud mouth swearing small time contractors?

Or facing titled business people, and answering their questions in a conference room"?

"Mr Lee, yes...sebab saya don't have that experience before. But after 2 months I know my work, my assignment, maybe tentu nervous one time, two times, but after that I think should be no problems. And Mr Lee, I am not afraid of getting my hands or fingernails dirty too".

She was invited for a second meeting with me. I offered her a job she did not apply for and told her, "Kairina, I want someone like you. Work with me, not for me."

She got the job meant for a graduate. I like her positive attitude.

A year later she proved to be better than one of our graduate executives responsible for another territory.

She was promoted, and paid a graduate's salary. She never failed us, nor did I look at her resume.

In Kairina, Wong and the many others I personally employed, I was looking for people better than me, and together we never looked back, they followed me up the ladder of achievements, above and beyond the call of duty.

My code of conduct to employees

To all I had employed, I assured them,......

"I will never call you at home, nor expect you to work nights, or weekends, unless it's your fault.

If you have any personal problems, leave it at home. I expect you to come to work with a smile, go home with a smile.

I will not look over your shoulder. You have your responsibility, you know what to do.

I expect you to make mistakes. As I will too. Accept the responsibility.

Finally, lets have fun working together. And remember, you work with me. Not for me".

This my personal opinion.

I personally believe Managers who call, phone their employees at home, at nights, on weekends, during their vacation are either inconsiderate, inefficient, a show off, a bully, and or abusing their position. There is no excuse, there is no reason to. (Police and Doctors excepted)

25 years I never once called any of my staff at home. I don't even know their home phone numbers.

When not out of town, I make it a point every morning of walking around chatting and joking with all my staff, from coffee lady, mechanics to respective Senior Managers.

I never wore a tie (unless meeting VIPS). My office door was never closed, no brass plate sign outside of who I was, and opened to anybody, anyone who needs me.

And I dislike meetings, or having one, unless necessary. Once in 3 months was fine with me.

Meetings are for bosses who dare not make decisions, or to look important.

Everyone of my staff receives a birthday card personally signed by me.

More than half of my employees were not qualified for the jobs I gave them, or promoted them to....they never failed me.

My employees were my strength.

I gave them my trust. They rewarded me with responsibility, ingenuity, integrity and their smiles when coming to work.

'Wars may be fought with weapons, but they are won by men. It is the spirit of men who follow, and of the man who leads that gains the victory'

~ General George S. Patton, Commander of US 3rd Army
The first Allied Forces to reach River Rhine, Germany, 2nd WW

Have a pleasant week.

Uncle Lee.

Murdered by Law Enforcers

2010-10-28T13:55:00.000+08:00

“Conscience is a judge having spiritual quality that differentiates between right and wrong. Common sense and conscience are given to everyone but their use is not common. People even do not use commonsense and conscience; hence they are strayed from the right path. Conscience is like inspiration. When a man does something wrong, deep in his heart he feels guilty. When a man does some good he feels a queer sense of pleasure and satisfaction”
~ “Islamic Concept of Conscience” by Professor Maqsood Jafri

On Tuesday, Mak called me in the office. She told me my youngest brother’s case has been postponed, again. To that news, she rejoiced because Adik would be able to join us for Ayah’s all things-grilled-and-steamed birthday-do this Saturday. Not that I wasn’t aware about Adik’s court proceeding that day but I never thought Mak would think that far i.e. Adik could be sentenced to a 2-year jail and he won’t be around to celebrate Ayah’s birthday. She couldn’t thank God enough for his blessings on Adik (Mak and Ayah fasted for days and woke up for prayers at night prior to Adik’s court proceeding – our parents will forever worry for us and how sad that some of us have the heart to belittle their sacred roles). Oh, please forgive me. I wrote about Adik’s case in my “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother”.

His wrongful lock-up incident opened up my eyes the perils our Men in Blue could inflict to us, common people, out of the blue. I got myself familiar with Red Book and decided to distribute it to those people in Puduraya (I know you have been reading a lot of nasty stories about ‘Ulat’ in Puduraya but trust me, they are far from truth).

However, after a Google chat with Art Harun (whether it’s alright for me to do, etc. – surprisingly, he told me I could get myself jailed – Truly Malaysia Boleh!), I went instead to print copies of it and asked Adik to distribute. If not for Art’s legal and friendly advice, I could be detained by them – just like what happened to 4 Bar Council Legal Aid Volunteers early this month. Thank you Art.

Reading Nat’s “Arrested and beaten for testifying against cops?” this afternoon, I shudder at the very fact that I, too, could be in Cik Ganga Gowri’s shoes now. For Adik’s brush with Men in Blue, I feel for her anguish. Now, I’m just lost for words.

Don’t you feel for families of Adik A. Kugan, Adik BH Teoh, Adik Aminulrasyid and Adik Gunasegaran? In a collective way, we are responsible for the untimely death because we have allowed the Government of the Day to lose their conscience for far too long now but continue voting them.

This has got to stop!

“Unity is strength. When the sand grains unite they become a vast desert. When the sea drops unite they become a boundless ocean. The conglomeration of stars in the firmament of sky soothes our eyes. The seven colors emerge in the shape of a bewitching rainbow. The unity of people makes an invincible strong nation”
~ Professor Maqsood Jafri

Mak's Socratic Wisdom

2010-10-27T13:05:00.005+08:00

As Ayah got transferred from one army base to another while I was small – from The Little Red Dot to Sg Petani, Kuching to KL – me and my sister had many sets of friends growing up with but one constant social fixture – we hardly saw Mak chit chatting around someone’s door, along with most women in the mornings and evenings. It was odd looking at your friends’ mothers gathered around talking while Mak was content cooking for tea at 4.30 pm and ironing (she used to iron everything until I made her stopped when she turned 60 5 years ago). Why didn’t Mak enjoy doing the same like the rest of the women?

As I grew a little older, slowly Mak shared with me the reasons to that. Mak, apart from her OCD (that kept her busy most of the time), tried her best not to join such gathering, which by then I knew it was gossip session amongst the women, after their husbands went to work. She said me such gathering has no real benefits – it is bad for our soul. She taught me to pray for Allah’s mercy to ‘turn our eyes blind, our ears deaf and our mouth mute towards everything evils’. She proved to me that ‘talking is good’ but ‘bad mouthing and spreading doubts’ are roots to all evils.

More than a week ago, I thought of Plato’s great teacher – Socrates – out of the blue. Thanks to Plato, I started digging up Google for writing on his teacher (as Socrates has never written anything), for I know such intense feeling for him means something. Apparently, Socrates proves Mak right.

From ancient Plato’s Apology, Crito and Phaedo to Meno, I stumbled upon many more relevant recent articles on Socrates. Coincidentally, on 17 October 2010, a historical article by Bettany Hughes appeared in The Guardians. It is called “Socrates – A Man of Our Time” (similar time line when I thought of Socrates). I read it with teary eyes, wondering how we could be so blind and heartless, in this era of information technology (truths could be at our fingertips at the speed of light bulb), when we are faced serious lies, wishy washy ideas, stinky allegations and thousands of rumours.

“When Socrates finally stood up to face his charges in front of his fellow citizens in a religious court in the Athenian agora, he articulated one of the great pities of human society. "It is not my crimes that will convict me," he said. "But instead, rumour, gossip; the fact that by whispering together you will persuade yourselves that I am guilty." As another Greek author, Hesiod, put it, "Keep away from the gossip of people. For rumour [the Greek pheme, via fama in Latin, gives us our word fame] is an evil thing; by nature she's a light weight to lift up, yes, but heavy to carry and hard to put down again. Rumour never disappears entirely once people have indulged her."

Trial by media, by pheme, has always had a horrible potency. It was a slide in public opinion and the uncertainty of a traumatised age that brought Socrates to the hemlock. Rather than follow the example of his accusers, we should perhaps honour Socrates's exhortation to "know ourselves", to be individually honest, to do what we, not the next man, knows to be right. Not to hide behind the hatred of a herd, the roar of the crowd, but to aim, hard as it might be, towards the "good" life”

~ The Hemlock Cup: Socrates, Athens and the Search for the Good Life, by Bettany Hughes

In Mark Vernon’s “Who was Plato’s Socrates?” back in August 2009, I was enlightened to find that Socrates believes that “love is everything [he] knows” and his idea on knowing oneself opens up the sacred meaning of love, when most of us easily associate love with foolish hearts and romanticism. So, when my Bro Ian asked me “Love is in the air eh?” in one of my posts, I, now, would like to pray that let love lives and fills the air so we could get out of this tight position we are currently in.

“It might be said that the genius of Plato's Socrates was to embrace ordinary human uncertainty and doubt, and fashion it into a flourishing way of life. He recognised that to be human is typically to be ignorant, though unlike other animals, the human creature can become conscious of his or her lack. And contrary to what the doctrinaire believe, therein lies something immensely valuable. A developed sense of what lies beyond us powers human innovation and creativity. A disciplined desire to reach out for more is the refinement of love. A subtle understanding of the limits of knowledge is the beginning of wisdom. If you were to convert Socrates' philosophy into a self-help book today, the title might be "The Power of Doubt."

We are "inbetween people" – inbetween "the beasts and the angels," as Saint Augustine was later poetically to put it. Moreover, this conviction meant that it is not strictly true that Socrates knew nothing at all. One thing he knew about for sure was precisely the longing that stems from the human condition – the longing to understand, to discover, to become enlightened. This one certainty powered what Socrates understood to be his vocation, the thing for which he was prepared to die”

~ Mark Vernon’s Plato's Podcasts: The Ancients' Guide to Modern Living (Oneworld)

So, Socrates teaches us to know ourselves and to love one another. Would that make us weak? Surprisingly, these are the virtues that make us strong.

Wait! Before you think he is just too philosophical (while I believe all school kids should be exposed to philosophy to understand life), you must read this Op-Ed on The Observer titled “Put your trust in Socrates, not economists”.

“We should stop comparing national economies as if they were running a race. Plainly, they are not. Supply and demand do not respect borders. For one country to have a surplus, another must be running a deficit. It is imbalances between economies that puts prosperity at risk; the way different nations structure their economies within the globalised market probably matters less than we like to think.

If we stopped comparing the "competitiveness" of national economic models, we could devote more attention to what kind of society we want, and what economic policies will get us there. That, indeed, is probably the economic equivalent of another famous Socratic injunction: know thyself”

How true!

Ironically, when UK people is celebrating 10th anniversary of Fairtrade Town, our conscience is being hammered with erratically greedy Government of the day spending and senseless fancy ETP projects – it feels like we are going to follow Greek’s footstep not too long from now.

Let's not take a walk by Greek's wild side. Instead, we should walk the famous Greek Socratic talk!

Thank you Mak for your Socratic wisdom. I love you for all eternity..