Seriously Malaysia? Seriously?

A new investigation by Global Witness reveals the systemic corruption and illegality at the heart of government in Sarawak, Malaysia's largest state. This film, shot undercover during the investigation, reveals for the first time the instruments used by members of the ruling Taib family and its local lawyers to skirt Malaysia's laws and taxes, creaming off huge profits at the expense of indigenous people and hiding their dirty money in Singapore.

Peace out!

Don't make noise

Ever heard of 'word vomit'? Its a term that people use when someone speaks/ write too much or when someone speaks/ write without thinking. 

When people speak with disregard towards consequences you get discussions like the one on the right. Total word vomit. All words but no substance. The only good thing that can come out of that kind of discussions - people can identify you as the 'unintelligent being that resorts to uncivilised name calling when out of ideas'. This is a good thing, seriously. That way, intelligent and reasonable people like the rest of us can avoid you in order to prevent deterioration of our own intelligence.

Thus quoting a friend of mine, there is a difference between making a point and making noise. The decision is entirely yours.

Peace out!

This poem is dedicated to those who made my life miserable during my boarding school years in Penang. Funny now that you're the one looking me up and trying to "reconnect". Funny how life turn out eh?

A Loser is...

 (James Vera)

A loser is one who throws wrenches in the gears
One who pulls out the nails holding up everything he's known for years
But when he finds something special he holds it dear
And when he loses that everything he's not afraid to show tears

A loser is one who presses on through the dark
One who's life has given him many marks
With fists bleeding but he still swings
Fighting for what he believes means everything

A loser is one who falls and falls again
But at the end stands tall with many friends
The sky brightening with vanishing clouds, the loser wins
Crowds now thankful for everything that he gives.

Peace out!

Dilemma Orang Melayu

One Malaysia is a myth?

Kenapa agaknya orang Melayu selalu dikaitkan dengan kerja kerajaan? Orang Cina pula mesti jadi businessman and orang India jadi peguam atau doktor. Adakah itu satu kemestian jikalau kita dilahirkan sebagai seorang Malaysian?

Tak lama dulu aku diterima bekerja di sebuah syarikat swasta. Syarikat itu milik seorang warganegara Australia yang dah menjadi penduduk tetap Malaysia. Walaupun aku 'excited' dapat masuk syarikat tu tapi tak sangka la pulak ramai yang memberi respon negatif dan memberi amaran agar berjaga-jaga. Kata mereka sektor swasta ni susah lebih-lebih lagi jika boss bukan orang Melayu. Ramai berpendapat kalau nak kerja senang, mesti cari syarikat yang majoriti pekerjanya sama kaum dengan kamu. Pada pendapat aku, pemikiran begini macam ada unsur-unsur perkauman je. Setiap bangsa seolah-olah dikategorikan dengan perangai tertentu maka kaum berlainan tak boleh 'ngam'. Tak boleh bekerjasama.

Yang paling mengecewakan apabila majoriti yang berpendapat begini adalah orang Melayu. Ramai yang sanggup menolak peluang pekerjaan yang lebih elok semata-mata ingin mengelak daripada bekerja dengan orang berlainan kaum. Jika ditanya kenapa meraka berbuat demikian, semua memberi alasan mendengar terlalu banyak 'horror story' mengenai bekerja dengan mereka yang berlainan kaum. Inilah orang Melayu kita, baru dengar 'horror story' je dah give up terus. Jikalau korang give-up lepas korang cuba bekerja kat situ, itu lain cerita. Ini cuba pun tidak, tapi dah give up awal-awal. Isk... isk... isk...

Tapi takleh nak salahkan orang Melayu je. Kaum lain pun selalu juga bertanggapan negatif kat orang Melayu. Ramai boss-boss bukan Melayu yang tak suka mengambil pekerja Melayu. Pada pandangan diorang pekerja Melayu adalah pemalas dan tak boleh diharap. Sesetangah syarikat swasta hanya mengambil pekerja Melayu kerana perlu memenuhkan kuota pekerja bumiputera. Jika diberi peluang mereka langsung tak nak mengambil pekerja Melayu. My supervisor secara terang-terangan mengaku yang dia berfikir 2-3 kali bila kena interview orang Melayu. Bukan kerana dia tak suka orang Melayu tapi disebabkan reputasi orang Melayu yang konon-kononnya pemalas dan tak suka cabaran dalam pekerjaan. Nasib baik juga aku berjaya meyakinkan dia yang aku bukan orang sebegitu, jadi aku pun dapat la kerja tu. Tapi bayangkanlah situasi interview di mana kedua-dua pihak, majikan dan pekerja, masing-masing ada tanggapan negatif terhadap pihak yang satu lagi tu. Macam mana nak bekerjasama kalau dari awal lagi dah takde kepercayaan langsung.

Sampai bila la rakyat Malaysia nak hidup dalam stereotaip negatif ni. Kalau pekerjaan setiap individu dah ditentukan buat apa ajar anak-anak Malaysia untuk ada cita-cita. Baik cakap je terus "Aiman, nanti bila dah besar nanti takleh kerja selain daripada kerja kerajaan tau. Kena kerja situ sebab orang Melayu semua kerja situ." Rasanya dia akan jawab "Aiman tak kisah" tak?

Konklusinya setiap orang ada kehebatan tersendiri. Jadi tak kiralah bangsa apa pun orang tu, peluang mestilah diberi tanpa sebarang prejudis. Walaupun aku seorang berbangsa Melayu, namun aku bukan hak milik kerajaan.

DAILY DRIVING PET PEEVES…

1. Driving behind a guy who’s in no big hurry for anything, so he drives like ten km per hour.

2. People who don't wait their turn and squeeze their way into a turning/ junction

3. Tailgaters and High Beamers.

4. People who honks at every single opportunity

5. People who does not use the signal to turn.

What are some of your driving pet peeves?

Saya innocent, encik. Betul!!

Tarikh: Isnin, 5 April 2010

Lokasi: Simpang dari UIA menuju cabang Ampang (MRR2)/KL (Karak) di highway.

Masa: 9.30pm

Situasi: gelap-gelita

Mr. JayPeeJay: Awak terkejut ke saya suruh awak berhenti?

Shan: Agak ah (mata bulat ketakutan, muka pucat lesi sambil tangan menggenggam erat stereng kereta. Kesan genggaman itu masih lagi berada di stereng kereta sampai sekarang.)

Mr. JayPeeJay: Cermin kereta awak ni gelap ni.

Shan: heh? (mata kini bulat kebingungan)

Mr. JayPeeJay: Awak buat semua cermin ke? (dia mengeluarkan lampu suluh dan menyuluh kesemua cermin kereta. Muka serius je).

Shan: haaa?! (sekarang mulut pula ternganga luas. Alhamdulillah kawasan tu takde serangga2 terbang.)

Mr. JayPeeJay: Bila awak buat cermin ni?

Shan: T..tak buat pape pun encik. Apa yang saya dapat t.. time beli kereta ni, n... ni je lah. (haih... gagap la pulak)

Mr. JayPeeJay: Betul ke ni?

Saya: (mata semakin bulat) B... betul encik. Saya ni mana tahu sangat bab2 kereta ni (butiran peluh sejuk mula berkumpul di dahi)

Mr. JayPeeJay:: Macam susah nak percaya je...

Saya: B..b betul encik. Saya memang tak buat pape. Kalau tak percaya boleh telefon mak saya (terus keluarkan handphone dan dail nombor mak.)

Mr. JayPeeJay: Eh. Tak payah... tak payah. (Dia belek2 cermin lagi. Lepas tu dia pandang muka saya. Saya pun pandang balik muka dia).

5 minit berlalu.

Mr. JayPeeJay: Cermin ni gelap ni. Awak kene pergi check kat JPJ.

Shan: Okay, okay. Saya pergi check.

Mr. JayPeeJay: Kalau betul gelap awak kena bayar denda.

Shan: Hah? Ye ke? Okay, okay saya pergi check.

Mr. JayPeeJay: (geleng kepala) Haih... okaylah. Awak pegi baliklah.

Shan: Boleh balik eh? Okthanksbye. (tanpa ragu2 terus tekan minyak dan blah)

2 jam kemudian.

Shan: (tengah baring2 tiba2 terbangun) Laaa... dia nak aku hulur duit ke?

Inilah alkisah seorang perempuan lurus bendul yang tak pernah kena tahan polis/ JPJ. Kadangkala lurus bendul tu ada hikmahnya juga ye.

Biol punya orang. Tak reti bawak kereta ke? *tunjuk jari tengah*

The title does not in any way refer to me at all. In fact it refers to the moron who thinks that just because my car is smaller than his, therefore he has the right to act like a jerk and give out rude gestures.

You'd think that I'd got this response because I was driving slow on the fast lane or endangering other drivers by driving recklessly or something. But no, I got this "charming" epithet all because I cut him off when I entered the middle lane. Did I nearly ram into his car? Heck no! He was miles behind me. Did I signal? Of course.

So what did I do wrong? I was driving slower than he was.

Seriously, I don't get dudes with heavily modified cars who has this need to speed whenever they drive. But whatever lah, if you wanna speed like a mad person then go ahead because its your bloody fuel that you're burning. Tak kacau duit aku pun. But what I truly don't get is that they need to speed even though they're not on the fast lane and they bully others who are in their way. Now I'd totally understand if I was blocking you in the fast lane, but this is the middle lane I'm talking about. Is driving at 90 km/h in the middle lane wrong nowadays? And what's the point of speeding on KL roads anyways when cars are bumper-to-bumper nearly all the time.

And also what's with all the bullying? What results will it achieve by 'menghimpit' another person's car? If you bump my car won't it leave scratches on both our cars? Or have you somehow magically developed an invisible force field around your car? Nak letak force field around your car? Takat bawak wira je baik tak payah la brader.

Sumpah, if I was Superman I'll pick up that dude's car and hurl it with all my strength. Dah nak speed sangat. Hah, amik kau!

Being a girl driver in KL is challenging enough but to be bullied even further just because I drive a smaller car is simply heinous. Do realise that no matter how big of a car you have if you langgar pokok, remuk jugak. If habis minyak, stranded jugak. If every individual is judged solely on the basis o0f car size then might as well people start driving the monster trucks. Better yet, the army tank. Nobody will mess with you then.

I vow someday my little viva will be equipped like this. Berani ko nak buli?

Eww, so the "hentai" wan?

Hentai is Japanese for pervert. And pervert is a great description of most Malay minds. Male & female alike. No exceptions. Mad at that statement? Why would you be? Unless you are one. A hentai, that is ;)

Today, I witnessed another display of Malay hentai-ism during a Mak Yong theater. Yes, you heard right. Hentai-ism during a Mak Yong theater at Istana Budaya. Throughout the entire show, the biggest response came only after corny, porno jokes were told. Not after a beautiful display of Mak yong dancing nor during an intense fight scene nor even after a touching, reunion scene between a long-lost mother and son. During these times the audience were either yawning away or anticipating when the actor will say 'pele' (Penis in Kelantanese dialect) again.

And of course to add insult to injury they just had to throw in a cross-dressing pondan dayang into the mix. These kind of things really makes one wonder if Malay theater can actually survive if they omitted sexual jokes and softy mak nyah from the plots. Seriously, I even heard some guys reviewing the play based on the porno jokes and the pondan element alone. Forget the fact that it was a play to promote Mak Yong. Apparently porno jokes were more important. I'm guessing that these were the same guys who wolf-whistled and hooted when an actor had to embrace an actress. It wasn't even a proper hug. And yet they made such a ruckus. It was bloody humiliating. And it seems like I was not the only ones who felt this way. Several Mat Sallehs came for the show as well and they were actually looking around and shaking their heads when these "moments" happened.

Will there ever be a time when Malays can actually show 'depth' through their mindset. Or is it just wishful thinking on my part since we Malaysians are conditioned to act and think this way. I don't know. What do you think?

Malay Girls = Cheap, Easy Sex??

Have you ever Google-imaged 'Malay girls + tudung' before? I did. All because I wanted a picture of a Malay girl wearing horrible looking tudung. Reasons for that shall be disclosed later. But other than the one that I needed, guess what pictures showed up instead?

Malay girls, wearing tudung and/or in baju kurung, snogging boys, giving BJ, flashing boobs/ panties/ whatever "goods" they may have.

Yikes! (o_O)

And these, my friends, are found with the SafeSearch Mode ON. So for the heck of it I decided to turn the SafeSearch Mode OFF and aiyaiyaiyaiyai... *jaw drops open* Pictures like these *points up* are nothing compared to those.

So is that how Malay girls are seen nowdays? Are Malay girls nothing more than a cheap f**k willing to do it with any guy anywhere? Based on the pictures it seems like it. And in the 21st century, sex-obsessed society, these pictures are God-send. They're proof that Malay girls are really are that desperate. And that "easy".

Dalam lift pun jadi ye, bang?

After discussing it with guy friends of various nationalities, it seems like most of them look at Malay girls as "easy" girls who'd do anything to be seen with a good looking guy especially if that guy is an International. Nationality of choice: Any country that produces Caucasian males. No Caucasians to be found? No problems, look for Arabs. Malay guys would be at the bottom of the list. I didn't say this, people. They did.

I have a European friend who dates solely Malay girls because of this. He gets them to do pretty much anything he wants. Money, transportation, entertainment etc. All are taken care off by these "girlfriends" of his. The only thing that sets him apart from a male escort is that he doesn't sleep with these girls. Or so he claims lah. But I'm sure that if he did take that step and ask those girls he dated to sleep with him, most would probably won't refuse. It's a sad fact but then it is what it is. A fact.

So what do we do? What action should we take?

Seriously, I don't even know myself. Preaching is no use. People have been doing it for years and things still went from bad to worse. Plus, preaching is so 1989. It doesn't work anymore in this day and age. But one step that I think could actually help is to QUIT TAKING PORNO PICS OF YOURSELVES!

It's your choice whether you plan on being the "easy" girl but if you plan on being a cheap lay then at least be a smart, cheap lay. Avoid anything that can be uploaded, downloaded or distributed. Spare us the gritty details of your hobbies. Avoid anything that can be used as hard-proof against you.

And please, please, for all that is good and pure, please don't wear the tudung if you're not ready . Nobody should force you. Do it only when you're absolutely ready and when you're certain that you'll respect all that the tudung represents. This is actually the main element that'll decide if you turn out like this:

Wearing a tudung doesn't mean looking drab. You can still be stylish. Just look at Yuna.

or like this:

This girl is confused in a thousand different ways.

Remember, it's your choice!

FYI, it's called 'Bad Parenting'.

I seriously don't get it why certain parents just don't see that it is wrong to bring kids under the age 12 to a midnight movie. Haven't you heard of a fixed bedtime before? Even if it is the weekend during a school holiday do you seriously feel that kids that age should be up until 3am? And to think parents are complaining constantly about teenagers always staying up late or sneaking out at night. Who's fault do you think that is?

And does age restriction mean anything to you? Do you feel that a movie where soldiers blowing things up and women running around half naked is appropriate for children age 12 and under? Sure the ratings say PG13 but don't you as parents feel the need to at least check out how the movie is before you actually let your kids watch them. Movie trailers nowadays pretty much give away the whole plot but if you're still clueless on how the movie is gonna be like then take the safe alternative and DON'T BRING YOUR KIDS! Do you want them to turn out like this?

And what is up with parents who just doesn't get it that toddlers don't belong in a place that requires you to stay still for more than 15 minutes? And how could you even think that people would find it cute when your toddler would suddenly start kicking the back of other people's seat or start playing with other people's heads just because they're bored. It is not cute. It is annoying.

I repeat, A-N-N-O-Y-I-N-G.

Parents, please do me a favour and refrain from taking your kids to a grownup movie. There's plenty of age appropriate movies out there and I'm sure with those kind of movies grownups can't say a word when kids start screaming and run up and down the aisle. It is after all a kid's movie. And if you really want to watch a grownup movie, get a babysitter. If you can't find one then buy the DVD. At least at home when your kids start getting bored of the movie the only people that they'll annoy are their parents.

Now you see it... Now you don't!

I am totally ripping this off from Nurul Izwa J. but the topic is too interesting to let by. Didn't mean to plagiarise, girl. Consider it as a tribute to your excellent choice for topics ;)

These pictures were taken from reports regarding an 80+ man who murdered his wife simply because she wanted a divorce. The news itself is already a matter of deep concern as it shows that Malaysian nowadays are getting more and more desensitized to the idea of right and wrong and that murder is becoming more and more recurrent in today's society. However, hidden beneath the horror of the report lies another mind-boggling matter. Check out the two pictures below and see if you can spot what I am talking about.

Picture taken from Utusan Malaysia Online

Picture taken from Berita Harian Online

For those who has somehow missed the glaring difference between the two photos, here's a hint - check out the dark blue umbrella in both pictures.

The Barisan Nasional logos from the first picture are missing!

Now why is it that Utusan Malaysia felt the need to crop out the Barisan Nasional logos that were on the umbrella? Is Barisan Nasional so insecure of their political image that there is a need to censor even the teeniest detail on a picture that is totally unrelated to politics? Thing is if Barisan Nasional really wanted to deviate the attention away from the BN logos in the picture, then they should've just left it there. The mere act of taking them away has more people talking/blogging/joking about it. Now that simple cropping act has generated more bad press and speculation than if the logos were left there in the first place.

Seriously BN/ Utusan, cropping was a bad move. You just gave your competitors more ammo to 'kutuk' you with.

Don't you copy me!

Remember this ad? It was probably one of the most touching raya ads in 2007. Now take a look at this Greek short film:

So who copied who? Hmm...

Now I know that the issue of copyright is such a "sensitive" issue right now and me being a Malaysian and all should just join the picket line and shout 'the Pendet dance is ours!', but heck what's life without a little fire eh? Let's all be a "firestarter" and go 'Ooh... seems like Malaysia tiru idea orang lain'.

But in all fairness both advertisement and short film came out in 2007. So there may be a possibility that they were just working on the same idea/ concept. So whether Petronas copied this short film or vice versa, seriously who cares? Let's not get our knickers in a twist over something that doesn't even make any major impact in our lives. Whether the idea belongs to Malaysians or to the Greeks, there'll still be people starving in the world, or people dying of uncureable diseases. So let's concentrate our efforts on that, shall we?

Moronic Codes

kat tb3 yang owg komen tu ade jew yg ske ski reka cte sendri

WTF is this? Tolong jangan taip macam ni boleh tak? You sound like a moron. Go join Aznil in Tom Tom Bak and learn how to spell.

Proud to be a Perak-celup-Kelate-murtad Malaysian

If I could sum up my childhood in one word I'd pick 'bedouin'. Not because my parents are Arabs originating from the sandy deserts in the Middle East but simply because my childhood consisted of me travelling from one place to another. Most of my memories growing up were probably of my siblings and I being bored in a car, us bickering in the car, us being uncomfortable in a bus, my sister being seasick on the ferry or the best yet, my brother and I playing a prank on the air stewardess when the journey was simply taking too long. My family have probably exhausted all modes of public transportation known to mankind.

So it's no wonder that I don't really have a sense of identity when it comes to my... hmm what can you call it?... State-lity? Ye, saya tak boleh nak pilih saya ni asal negeri mana sebenarnya.

I was born but not bred in Kelantan. My pre-teen years were in a small, English suburb of Birkenhead. My early teenage years were in a highly Chinese dominated town of Ipoh and I spent the last of teenage years in a boarding school filled with Malays. Now I am happily going through my adult life in the cultural melting pot of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.

So can you see yet the root of my confusion?

If I were to say I am a Kelantanese, the response would probably be "What? You're a Kelantanese? You don't look or act like one. Can you even speak Kelantanese?"

Ho ambo buleh kecek Kelate. (Walaupun Kelantan saya cair tapi saya tetap boleh paham dan bertutur dalam bahasa Kelantan).

But whether I look or act like one, well... I probably don't. I don't really fit into the typical gadis Kelantan mould. And regarding acting like a Kelantanese, how do I act like one? Do I have to speak Kelantanese all the time? Must I only mix only with other Kelantanese? Do I have to vote for PAS?

Isn't it enough that I enjoy eating budu and have the natural pension for sweet stuff.

So then what's up with being 'Perak Celup'?

My whole family (i.e. my immediate family) now lives in Ipoh, Perak. I LOVE Ipoh. I ADORE living in Ipoh. As cheesy as this may sound...

I H♥E♥A♥RT IPOH

But alas as much as I love the peaceful oasis that is Ipoh I can't fully say that I am a Perakian. Simply because after the age of 14, I have never stayed in Ipoh longer than a few months at a time.

Eh? How can this be?

All because of that damned boarding school laaa!! I still dont fully understand this whole trend of boarding schools. Sending your kids into the far depth of undeveloped wilderness like Balik Pulau or Gerik (no offense to those from those two places but during my time the schools were really in the middle of nowhere) just for the sake of a better education?! Realise people!!... that top scorers for the past few years were not from boarding schools. They were from regular day schools that were smack dab in the middle of the city. Trust me, kids that goes to boarding school are miserable. I was utterly miserable. To this very day I entertain the idea of going back to that h**lhole and bombing that school to smithereens. I vow to never ever send any of my kids to boarding schools.

But I digress.

It was simple enough to say that between school, term breaks, and familial bonds my days were pretty much divided between Ipoh, Penang and Kelantan. Long weekends in Kelantan, miserable school days in Penang and long breaks in Kelantan. That was my routine for 2 years straight. Now do you see why I feel like a bedouin?

Tapi.. kalau rumah awak kat Ipoh dan awak dah lama tinggal kat sana bolehlah nak dikatakan awak ni orang Perak.

Hmm... not necessarily. I cant speak a word of the Perak dialect. I even don't know certain Perak districts. I can still get lost driving around in Ipoh and I'm ashamed to say this, I don't even know who's the Perak Menteri Besar is. Oh malunya. The only thing Perak about me is my LOVE of Ipoh and my burning desire to learn how to cook ikan patin gulai tempoyak.

And since I've been living in KL for the past several years does that mean I'm a KL-ite? Haih... pening, pening.

Takpelah... whatever it is I may be, either Perakian, Kelantanese, Penangite, or KL-ite saya tetap orang Malaysia. Home is where the heart is and my heart is firmly rooted in Malaysia. In fact my heart is rooted in several states in the country. How Malaysian I can get? Hehe.

So to support our new Prime Minister's call for One Malaysia I am proud to call myself a Perak-celup-Kelate-Murtad Malaysian.

Selamat Hari Kebangsaan, Malaysians. Merdeka!!

This is sexual harassment, I tell you!

Please tell me that somehow you're sexually assaulted after reading this. Because I do. How could you not be when statements like "keras, kasar and panjang" (hard, rough, long) is written in bold on an ad for male virility. It's practically porn! And since I have to pass by this horrendous banner to-and fro work, I'm practically assaulted twice a day!!

What is it with Malaysian with horribly graphic and blatantly sexual advertisements? It's bad enough that we see these kind of ads plastered everywhere on buidings and street corners but we also have to endure these crass displays on TV too. The worst is probably the coffee advertisement with the genie as the mascot. And the one with M. Rajoli and wife in it. Even thinking about those ads simply make me cringe. Seriously, do Malaysians enjoy these vulgar promotions?

I'm just thanking God that I havent seen any ads for female virility. I shudder at the thought of what euphamisms they may use to describe the female anatomy. brrr...

Alahai Mak Datin Oi...

Datin-datin sekalian...

What is it with you people? Jadi Datin tu best sangat ke? Gah sangat ke sampai antara kengkawan baik sendiri pun kene bahasa-kan diri as Datin? Nama yang dianugerahkan oleh mak bapak korang tu tak cukup bagus ke? Bila kengkawan sendiri pun jadi Datin, dok sesama panggil each other Datin camne korang differentiate antara satu sama lain? Saya tak paham... bebetul tak paham.

Wahai mak Datin...

Do you think people care that you're a mak Datin? Do you think people actually give a damn to know that they're sitting next to a Datin when they're having a lovely meal at a nice restaurant with family and friends? Tak payah la nak cakap kuat-kuat. Kami kat sebelah je. Boleh dengar you all menjerit-jerit panggil each other "Datin". Reality check mak Datin oi... orang pergi restaurant sebab nak enjoy makanan yang dihidangkan bukannya nak mencari alasan nak jumpa memana orang yang kononnya "berpangkat". And yes, people without the "pangkat" nowadays can afford to go to the places that you go to too. You're not the only one with the money nowadays.

Oh mak mak datin sekalian...

Is it wrong for me to wear something casual to a kenduri? Granted la I was supposed to wear baju kurung since it was an Islamic thing but salah ke aku memakai seluar? Perlu ke pandangan sinis dan jelingan-jelingan tajam yang dilemparkan ke arahku itu? Sekurang-kurangnya aku berpakaian kemas, sopan dan yang penting sekali aku menutup aurat dari hujung rambut hinggalah ke pangkal kaki. Not an inch of my aurat was exposed. Betapa teringinnya hati tak ber"pangkat" aku ni nak tuding jari kat jambul korang tu and your jarang figure-hugging kebayas and say 'Sedar tak korang di mata pandangan Tuhan, you're the one that's underdressed'. Mau terjojol biji mata korang kalau aku cakap macam tu. But I didn't say that. I may not have a title but I was brought up with dignity. I need to respect my elders. Emphasis on the word elders ye. Sedarlah wahai datin-datin oi, kebaya jarang are only flattering to those whose skin don't sag.

Datin...

Bukannya saya tak respect you. But you're making it too easy for me to NOT respect you. Ingatlah sikit, pangkat Datin tu bukannya anugerah. You dapat pun secara proxy. All because you married a guy who was good enough to be given the honour of Dato/ Datuk or rich enough to buy himself that particular title. Lain la kalau you yourself have the honour to carry the Dato' / Datuk title in front of your name like Datuk Zeti Akhtar Aziz or Datuk Siti Nurhaliza. In cases like that, you don't have to demand people's respect. You'll get it just like that.

So sedarlah diri sikit wahai warga-warga Datin sekalian. Jangan nak menyombong diri di atas perkara-perkara kecil seperti title tu. It's what you make of that title that will give you the respect that a mak Datin deserves. As Shakespeare said it 'A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet', so even if you don't have the Datin title but you contribute to the people then in their hearts you are a deserving Datin.

You dig?

To all Malaysian political leaders!!

Dedicated to the Malaysian Political Scene

(Please do not sing this to the tune of the song... some of the word don't fit. Read it as a poem ;P)

Where have all the good men gone?
what's happening to our PM?
Where's the street-wise politicians?
To fight the rising odds
Would there be another Tunku
That'll cater to all our needs

We need a leader
We're holding out for a leader 'til the next elections
He's gotta be firm
And he's gotta be smart
And he'd better not stick things up the butt
We need a leader
We're holding out for a leader thats not covered in mud
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life
larger than life

Somewhere after the elections
In my wildest fantasy
Somewhere just beyond my reach
Was a country living in peace
no bombed model, no bribery,
no politicians who were somehow always in heat

We need a leader
We're waiting for a leader that'll know what is right
who'll know what is wrong
who's not in it for the cash
who wont go skulking in the night
we need a leader
we're holding out for a leader who'll fight right
who knows what to stand for
we're hoping it's gonna be soon
we're hoping he'll be larger than life
Larger than life

Up where the mountains meet the heavens above
Out where the lightning splits the sea
we pray that there's someone somewhere
who is indeed he (or she ;>)

Through the wind and the chill and the rain
And the storm and the flood
we know he'll try to fix all these things
and once again make the nation proud

Stampeding Malaysians! Run!

Topic jump again!

I wonder if its a national phenomenon here but Malaysians do have a tendency to create a mob. All you need is a nation-wide announcement and the next thing you know there'll be a mob.

The latest mob happening in Malaysia is in conjunction with our government's announcement of motorists' petrol rebate. After that announcement the post office were jam-packed with people wanting to get their hands on the cash despite the government's announcement that this rebate can be claimed until next year.

Before that, Malaysians caused a nation-wide jam by flocking to all available gas stations to fill their tanks before fuel prices go up the next day. Thing is the government gave ample warning about the price hike and yet people still wait at the last minute.For all those who waited for nearly an hour that day for fuel, don't you think you wasted more fuel by crawling slowly in line towards the gas pump. If fuel prices are going to rise again in August, expect another nation wide jam then and avoid going through roads that have gas stations along the way.

There was also the time when PDRM wanted to give all motorists a chance and gave 50% off on all summons. And then there was that time involving MyKad. So many events, so many mobs...

These Malaysians probably mob just for the heck of it. You know... to feel the adrenaline rush or experience the hot sweaty excitement of a throng of people all wanting the same thing. But there is one thing that I notice that will really get Malaysians riled up, is if there is a mention of money anywhere in the context. If you're getting money or free stuff then expect a mob on the very first day that a notification goes into effect. If you need to shell out money then expect a crowd on the very last day.

Malaysians say that Singaporeans are Kiasu. but who's kiasu now?