I should have blogged about this earlier but events that happened soon after wedged it momentarily out of my mind. It was about May 13, 1969. Few weeks ago, I was having dinner with some family members, including a grandaunt. Taking that opportunity, I askd her about what she knew about May 13 1969. She told me that there was much conspiracy theory surrounding it. But it was all about politics, nevertheless. Politics of people vying for power and will stop at nothing in order to do it, even if it means settting their own country backwards by 50 to 100 years.
Why did I bring this up? Well, it was in relation to the latest UMNO General Assembly, where the power-play of brown-skinned hegemony is again the trump card. I am not trying to be racist here. I am as brown as the next person in my country. We just come in different shades. It so happen that there is a particular sub-sub-sub group within the various brownies in Malaysia who want to bring the country back to a past where they reign supreme. Even if it means screwing their own brethren. When they speak in a language that is a mere euphemism for Malay supremacy and their stake in this country, they are not speaking for the Malay community. They are speaking for themselves, their personal supremacy.
Read this inteview with John Perkins, the author of "Confessions of an Economic Hitman". I might even go out and buy the book. Crass materialism is the fuel that powers the need for an economic crutch. They want the money but do not want to use their brains to get it. They will come up with rules and goal posts that shifts as long as it serves them while making themselves look righteous. Perhaps, there isn't a great deal of different between the American neo-imperialist rhetoric (or of those in opposition) to the attitudes of even the Liliputians (of which Malaysia's power-hungry group should wear a badge of honour).
On a different note, we need to do a transparency check on people from both sides of the divide, the 'bleeding-heart' leftists and the 'greedy' rightist (I think nobody ever it in this context, no?). This is an interesting post on charity scams, written from an individual's point of view.
Wednesday, July 27, 2005
Sunday, July 17, 2005
A haphazhard weekend
Two things happened over the course of two days.
On Friday, I attended a friend's farewell as she will be leaving for Down Under in a few days time. Despite the incessant rain and a kind of traffic that could put a damper on anyone's mood, it was nice to speak to her and a few people (though the number of people there made it impossible to have a proper conversation with anyone one person at a time, plus I had to rush off not long after to do an emergency errand). I hope that when slower days are here, I will be able to take my time about things instead of rushing here and there.
Speaking of rushing, I spent the first part of the day yesterday working on my dissertation Chap 3. I am reading Plath's letters (I have yet to finish them as she is such a prolific letter writer). I realise that I will not finish at least 40% of them by the time I complete my dissertation. It is difficult seeing that I still have a full-time job to go to until at least next month. I have until the end of the month to see how things will turn out for me in a month or two to come.
In the evening, I did as quick a grooming as I can but was still late for my dear friends' wedding. It is surreal to have a friend travel halfway across the world to his bride's home country and still have a remarkably big wedding. Not grand by Malaysian standards but grand enough seeing the limited time there is to prepare for it. If it had been me, I would have just hired a wedding planner and let him or her do all the dirty work for me. My hats off to these two great people and I pray that their lives together will be wonderful, and I hope to visit them in the country they have decided to make their home, at least for now.
Dance rehearsals are going on fine. We are pacing ourselves well. Many might not know that I am into a particular dance form since I hardly blog about the more personal aspect of my life except when it has already become public. (: I will publicise more about it the next month so for those of you reading this, come back in by the second week of August to check. I am not performing anything humungous since I am a relative beginner and already have a schedule that is rather tight. I do WANT to have a breather between things. Unlike many of my other super-duper friends, I do not relish a very hectic lifestyle. Been there and done that in my younger years. No wish to repeat it except when absolutely necessary.
Cheers all!
On Friday, I attended a friend's farewell as she will be leaving for Down Under in a few days time. Despite the incessant rain and a kind of traffic that could put a damper on anyone's mood, it was nice to speak to her and a few people (though the number of people there made it impossible to have a proper conversation with anyone one person at a time, plus I had to rush off not long after to do an emergency errand). I hope that when slower days are here, I will be able to take my time about things instead of rushing here and there.
Speaking of rushing, I spent the first part of the day yesterday working on my dissertation Chap 3. I am reading Plath's letters (I have yet to finish them as she is such a prolific letter writer). I realise that I will not finish at least 40% of them by the time I complete my dissertation. It is difficult seeing that I still have a full-time job to go to until at least next month. I have until the end of the month to see how things will turn out for me in a month or two to come.
In the evening, I did as quick a grooming as I can but was still late for my dear friends' wedding. It is surreal to have a friend travel halfway across the world to his bride's home country and still have a remarkably big wedding. Not grand by Malaysian standards but grand enough seeing the limited time there is to prepare for it. If it had been me, I would have just hired a wedding planner and let him or her do all the dirty work for me. My hats off to these two great people and I pray that their lives together will be wonderful, and I hope to visit them in the country they have decided to make their home, at least for now.
Dance rehearsals are going on fine. We are pacing ourselves well. Many might not know that I am into a particular dance form since I hardly blog about the more personal aspect of my life except when it has already become public. (: I will publicise more about it the next month so for those of you reading this, come back in by the second week of August to check. I am not performing anything humungous since I am a relative beginner and already have a schedule that is rather tight. I do WANT to have a breather between things. Unlike many of my other super-duper friends, I do not relish a very hectic lifestyle. Been there and done that in my younger years. No wish to repeat it except when absolutely necessary.
Cheers all!
Thursday, July 14, 2005
Muslim communities living at the edge
They have identified the young men involved with the bombings in London. We have hope that they might not be muslims again, but yet again, they have proven themselves dependable in this area. Sigh. Looks like interfaith dialogues are now going to go on in a midst of suspicion and mistrust. The fact that more young people are drawn to extremism (from neo-Nazism to extremist cults) in this age is really scary. Even many countries, including the one I am living in, it is the young ones we should start fearing, not the older folks who are already on their way out.
Guardian featured a section with photos and captions on the dead and missing from the bombings.
Here is an interesting article by Madeleine Bunting on the failure of multiculturalism in Britain. I am sure in weeks to come, there would be more articles on this.
AS it is, should one look at any academic fellowships in offer now, especially by the First world countries, they are HIGHLY interested in funding anyone involved in interfaith (which usually reads Islamic faith) and Islamic studies.
I for one got highly interested in Islam after 2001, though I have had my curiosities about the religion prior to that. But, I was never actively reading up on it until post 9/11. I'll blame it on the late Edward Said (poor guy be turning in his grave). (:
Guardian featured a section with photos and captions on the dead and missing from the bombings.
Here is an interesting article by Madeleine Bunting on the failure of multiculturalism in Britain. I am sure in weeks to come, there would be more articles on this.
AS it is, should one look at any academic fellowships in offer now, especially by the First world countries, they are HIGHLY interested in funding anyone involved in interfaith (which usually reads Islamic faith) and Islamic studies.
I for one got highly interested in Islam after 2001, though I have had my curiosities about the religion prior to that. But, I was never actively reading up on it until post 9/11. I'll blame it on the late Edward Said (poor guy be turning in his grave). (:
smoking us out -SOS
Travelling to work everyday, close to 30kms everyday (one way), to the south of Selangor, near the borders of Negeri Sembilan, acquaints me with the various vehicles that follow the same route. Sometimes, you will meet with the same motorcycles cars commuting between KL and Negeri Sembilan should you be travelling within the same hour.
One of the most disturbing sight for me up to now, would be old fashion lorries which are still using exremely hazardous gas inducing engines and pipes. Should you be unfortunate enough to travel behind a lorry in a two-wheeler, or three-wheeler, you will be choked by the amount of concentrated carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide produced, slowly poisoned and left to die a slow and painful death before old age. It is time that the country allows individuals to sue lorry companies that repeatedly refuse to update their lorries into engines that consume fuel more efficiently and give off less poisonous products to the hapless trees and biosphere it happens to inhabit.
We need to take action and bombard the Ministry of Entrepreneurial and Cooperation Development with our complains so that they will stop issuing permits to companies that steadfastly REFUSE to do anything about their poisonous moving trucks.
Can any enlighten reader point me to a website that contains the latest information on smoke emissions and its impact on the environment? I would like to write a letter to this Ministry and put forward my complaint. Is anyone doing it already?
Start today and take down all the LKPK numbers of lorries that you see emitting horrible amount of smoke and submit them to the LKPK complaints bureau. Website is give in the link above.
One of the most disturbing sight for me up to now, would be old fashion lorries which are still using exremely hazardous gas inducing engines and pipes. Should you be unfortunate enough to travel behind a lorry in a two-wheeler, or three-wheeler, you will be choked by the amount of concentrated carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide produced, slowly poisoned and left to die a slow and painful death before old age. It is time that the country allows individuals to sue lorry companies that repeatedly refuse to update their lorries into engines that consume fuel more efficiently and give off less poisonous products to the hapless trees and biosphere it happens to inhabit.
We need to take action and bombard the Ministry of Entrepreneurial and Cooperation Development with our complains so that they will stop issuing permits to companies that steadfastly REFUSE to do anything about their poisonous moving trucks.
Can any enlighten reader point me to a website that contains the latest information on smoke emissions and its impact on the environment? I would like to write a letter to this Ministry and put forward my complaint. Is anyone doing it already?
Start today and take down all the LKPK numbers of lorries that you see emitting horrible amount of smoke and submit them to the LKPK complaints bureau. Website is give in the link above.
Thursday, July 07, 2005
London bombings
I am sadden by this. Not because it is happening in a developed country, but by its premonition. Could it be that what has been written in the book of Revelations in the bible is about to pass?
More later...
More later...
Tuesday, July 05, 2005
Reading to an audience at the Doppelganger open mic
It was a great feeling, though I was extremely nervous when I was called to come forward. That was not helped by a rather glowy introduction that forces the onus on me to perform well.
Thank the Lord that is was painless.
Amen
Thank the Lord that is was painless.
Amen
Sunday, July 03, 2005
G8 summit and the L8 concert
There is much excitement about two events that are going on tandem, the first being an extremely important one in world history and would be watched with bated breath by pundits and lay people alike (that is laypeople who are interested), and the second would be joined by those with or without much clue as to its aim. Even on the twenty-first century, we still find that the most powerful people in the world tend to be men. Many feminists argued that it has to do with the political and social structure, and the socialisation of the two different sexes. But I think it has to do with the fact that through history, there are very few women who could provide the sort of role models in the way that men have, and many an ambitious woman find it difficult to emulate the existing examples available to them without sacrificing too much of themselves. Perhaps the men who do are actually sacrificing that which the women are afraid to do?
Anyway, back to the L8 concert, which you can read all about in the major newspapers, most probably in the newspapers of the G8 countries, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK and the US. Perhaps a few decades later, we will have more Asian countries (like China and India, but they have to revamp their infrastructural and social weaknessses) who will expand this to G(n) where n = positive integers. Some would argue that it is a a great way of enlisting popular culture to tap into the psyche of the people, hyping it up and making them excited enough to want to travel just to be part of it. Some felt that its glittering affair is a far cry from the abject lives of the Africans they are trying to portray (with the exception of African bandits who amassed their riches through plaguing their people). I hope that the G8 leaders,as many other critics have said, would address the political weakness of many of these African countries. Parts of Africa used to be part of some glorious civilization in the past, but that seems to have disappeared into history. They have the best people whom they can work with to look for better solutions.
And the problem of climate change and environment, I fervently hope that something can be done about it. But just looking to the leaders to act tough on it, while we complacently add to the climate problems is like the cliche pot calling the kettle black. There are many countries in Asia whose citizens are living abject lives, but perhaps no longer to the starvation extent of still so many Africans. I think it is important for the media, and for any public education propagandist, to actually show the REAL reason why African nations are left so far behind. Yet within their nations have produced world-class and world-famous artists, musicians, writers and even scientists, something which many South East Asian countries have yet to achieve.
Perhaps the best way to assess the current way the world works is to look at who are the powerful people who inhabit it. Are they paragon of our values?
I end this post by attaching this leader from Guardian which spells out much of these two events
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,6903,1520122,00.html. And whatever the G8 meet and L8 tries to do will be rendered pyrrhic if this continues without accountability
Anyway, back to the L8 concert, which you can read all about in the major newspapers, most probably in the newspapers of the G8 countries, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, the UK and the US. Perhaps a few decades later, we will have more Asian countries (like China and India, but they have to revamp their infrastructural and social weaknessses) who will expand this to G(n) where n = positive integers. Some would argue that it is a a great way of enlisting popular culture to tap into the psyche of the people, hyping it up and making them excited enough to want to travel just to be part of it. Some felt that its glittering affair is a far cry from the abject lives of the Africans they are trying to portray (with the exception of African bandits who amassed their riches through plaguing their people). I hope that the G8 leaders,as many other critics have said, would address the political weakness of many of these African countries. Parts of Africa used to be part of some glorious civilization in the past, but that seems to have disappeared into history. They have the best people whom they can work with to look for better solutions.
And the problem of climate change and environment, I fervently hope that something can be done about it. But just looking to the leaders to act tough on it, while we complacently add to the climate problems is like the cliche pot calling the kettle black. There are many countries in Asia whose citizens are living abject lives, but perhaps no longer to the starvation extent of still so many Africans. I think it is important for the media, and for any public education propagandist, to actually show the REAL reason why African nations are left so far behind. Yet within their nations have produced world-class and world-famous artists, musicians, writers and even scientists, something which many South East Asian countries have yet to achieve.
Perhaps the best way to assess the current way the world works is to look at who are the powerful people who inhabit it. Are they paragon of our values?
I end this post by attaching this leader from Guardian which spells out much of these two events
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/leaders/story/0,6903,1520122,00.html. And whatever the G8 meet and L8 tries to do will be rendered pyrrhic if this continues without accountability
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