I have always thought that life is like being on a journey. And on this journey we will find nice roads, wide trails, narrow trails, steep trails, hills, etc etc. We get surprise sometimes by our decision on what road to take next. Do we turn right? Do we turn left? Should we leave the nice road and pick that narrow dark trail? Will it be safe? Where will it lead?
There are many instances in my life that I had to choose what road to take. Sometimes I had more info and others I just followed my gut feeling. Though in all those instances, I truly believe now, that it was the best for me at the moment. It was right and it had it's own pros and cons. I truly believe that there is a hidden silver lining in all of them. Even the ones that at face value seems so wrong.
One of the big ones was when my parents divorced. I was barely 12. I had to choose who I should live with and that decision will include my young sister who simply wants to follow me wherever I go. So I chose my father. We moved to my paternal grandfather's house. Lost contact with my mother and elder sister who chose to stay with her. Life changes in that split second that I made my decision for both my young sister and me. And yet, as I lose precious time with my mother and sister, I gained the value of family as my father's siblings all stay near each other and are very close. My cousins and I grew up together. We learn to appreciate family and how to support each other.
The next big decision was when I applied for boarding school because all my friends are applying. I did not really want to go but I figured my friends will get into the same boarding school and we could continue our friendship. At the time, those friends were my most precious possession. I did not want to part with them. When the offer letter came, most of my friends got into the same school and I was the only one that was offered the boarding school in Penang. I was teribbly disappointed, to say the least. My friends persuaded me to go. They said it will be good for us. I only thought of the fact that I will be a stranger in a strange land in a school that no one I know goes to. I wanted out. However, I made a decision to at least gave it a try. Thinking that I could leave if I hated it. But those years was one of the best in my life. I learned to grow up. Be a bit independent. Learned to make new friends. Made mistakes. Had a crush. Superb experience that I would not exchange for anything. Even though I left my young sister behind and was even more distant from both my father and mother.
The next one of course involves university. I chose to apply to UTM. I had made up my mind that I wanted to go there. I just haven't decided what course to take. All I knew was that I wanted to get as far away as possible from science and maths subjects. So I filled the form for any course that I could apply to that does not have anything to do with science. But there was one more place to fill. My mother ask me to pick an engineering course. I was against it but i figured that it would be my last pick and thus have a low chance of being successful and in the mean time it will make my mother happy. Plus, I wanted to please her because we are not that close. Guess what? Oh yeah, that was the course that I was offered and i did not get any other offer from any other university. I was mad but I had no choice. So with rebel in my heart, I went. Intending to fail so that I could pick another course. Unfortunately, I got a scholarship that would make the burden on my father that much lighter and thus I was shackled into finishing the course. A hard as the course was, I managed to get through it. Thanks largely to my friends, whom I love dearly, I was able to make it. And again, those were the best times of my life. Had my first car (though it is an old beat up car, I loved it to bits), my first accident, my first time going out for a bite after midnight, my first all night cramming, my first best friend (whom I love so much I practically adopted her family). Many many firsts. Had a blast I tell ya. A BLAST!!!!! So despite the unwanted course, I had so much fun. Wouldn't change that for anything either.
Then decisions about work. Sometimes the lack of it. Had my dark moments of being useless and jobless. I wanted to work in Ipoh, close to my family after years of being away. But we can plan people say, but only ALLAH will decide. Work have taken me to Shah Alam, Petaling Jaya (where I stayed with my stepmother's relative. They were very very nice to me and I am grateful forever) and finally back to Ipoh. I was happy here. Things was going ok. True my salary is low and I do menial work but I was happy. Living a stressless (is that even a word? hahahaha) life. But as life has it, it is time again for me to make a decision. Either to stay on this road that is nice and looks so easy or go off road and find another trail full of adventure.
It all started when my raya leave was denied. He only approved the two days that is considered as public holidays and one more day extra. That's it. Even though I have no urgent matter to do during this raya period. I thought that it was very inconsiderate of my boss to not think about his employees and how they would want to celebrate this with their family that usually can only get together once a year. I was livid. More so when I heard that some got their leave approved. I saw red then. I was talking to the other employees who was angry as well and we decided to not come to work no matter what. Knowing that this could very well mean getting fired. Funny though, this made me reevaluate my current situation. I started to ask around about job openings. I applied for two positions in one day where before I was mainly playing the waiting game with my application for a government post. Where before I was contend with this low paying job, I want more now. And thus, I had a discussion with my family. After comtemplating everything, I had finally made a decision. I will tender my resignation after raya. I will take that plunge into the deep dark sea and take my chances for a better future. Maybe this is just what I needed to trigger a change. It might be a mistake but I truly believe there will be a silver lining even if it turns out to be a mistake initially. I believe that. I just hope it willl turn out great right from the start. With a silent prayer in my heart, here I go.......:D
Wednesday, September 24
Friday, August 29
Ramadhan is coming.......
Ramadhan is coming and all is well. :)
Some update. The soundless computer have sound again. After much tinkering and trial and error, finally a solution was found and sound is again there to add to the the whole cyber experience. Happy as I am that there is sound again, alas I haven't used it much lately and I don't seem to mind that much anymore. Maybe after not having sound for so long had taken it's toll. Hahaha.
The sprained ankle? Yeah, it is getting better by the day. I do a lot of stretching and rubbing of heat rub. I am adamant that I will be back on the court playing badminton right after raya. I miss my badminton so much. Just looking at the badminton bag makes me want to just say, to hell with it, I want to play NOW! Thanks goodness for common sense and thank goodness that I have some of that. Hehehe. So patience is the key and hopefully that will lead to a lot more years of badminton. :)
Tomorrow, my office will be having a kenduri to celebrate the coming of Ramadhan. We are planing to cook bubur lambuk. Should be good. :) I guess Merdeka will just have to take a back seat this year. Nonetheless, happy birthday Malaysia!
The internet connection is still so bad. TM should really buck up and keep their end of the bargain. I think we are literally paying for bad quality service. After so many complaints and so many visit from their technician, the situation does not seem to get any better. More frustrating when everytime we call they seem to say that they have no record of any complaint being made. WHY is that? We are in the age where the customer is not always right. In fact, the customer should just shut up and put up with it.
Oh, and last but not least, a friend from university was chatting with me the other day and he was worried that I am still single. Well, thank you very much for stating the obvious. Haahaha. Anyway, happy as I am with the way I am now, I guess there's no harm in putting myself out there a bit and who knows, I might just land a good catch. So I am chatting on the cyberworld again. The last time was when I was in university. I feel like I am too old for this. Hehehe. But, unless you play the game, you will not have even a sliver of chance of winning right? Play the game and you have a 50-50 chance. :P On to my next adventure......kuah kuah kuah...
This is leen live fingers on the keyboard saying, live and let live. Carpe diem. You get lemon, try to make lemonade. Nothing ventured nothing gained. Well, you get the gist. Hehehehe.
Some update. The soundless computer have sound again. After much tinkering and trial and error, finally a solution was found and sound is again there to add to the the whole cyber experience. Happy as I am that there is sound again, alas I haven't used it much lately and I don't seem to mind that much anymore. Maybe after not having sound for so long had taken it's toll. Hahaha.
The sprained ankle? Yeah, it is getting better by the day. I do a lot of stretching and rubbing of heat rub. I am adamant that I will be back on the court playing badminton right after raya. I miss my badminton so much. Just looking at the badminton bag makes me want to just say, to hell with it, I want to play NOW! Thanks goodness for common sense and thank goodness that I have some of that. Hehehe. So patience is the key and hopefully that will lead to a lot more years of badminton. :)
Tomorrow, my office will be having a kenduri to celebrate the coming of Ramadhan. We are planing to cook bubur lambuk. Should be good. :) I guess Merdeka will just have to take a back seat this year. Nonetheless, happy birthday Malaysia!
The internet connection is still so bad. TM should really buck up and keep their end of the bargain. I think we are literally paying for bad quality service. After so many complaints and so many visit from their technician, the situation does not seem to get any better. More frustrating when everytime we call they seem to say that they have no record of any complaint being made. WHY is that? We are in the age where the customer is not always right. In fact, the customer should just shut up and put up with it.
Oh, and last but not least, a friend from university was chatting with me the other day and he was worried that I am still single. Well, thank you very much for stating the obvious. Haahaha. Anyway, happy as I am with the way I am now, I guess there's no harm in putting myself out there a bit and who knows, I might just land a good catch. So I am chatting on the cyberworld again. The last time was when I was in university. I feel like I am too old for this. Hehehe. But, unless you play the game, you will not have even a sliver of chance of winning right? Play the game and you have a 50-50 chance. :P On to my next adventure......kuah kuah kuah...
This is leen live fingers on the keyboard saying, live and let live. Carpe diem. You get lemon, try to make lemonade. Nothing ventured nothing gained. Well, you get the gist. Hehehehe.
Thursday, July 31
Technology can be frustrating!!!!!!
This is me live, fingers on the keyboard. Haven't been able to blog lately, something to do with putting food on the table. Hahahaha. Anyways, as the title proclaimed, technology can be frustrating. While I love the fact that computers and internet are so awesome, they can also be a source of hair pulling nightmares. The internet has been slow and inconsistent (as I have been telling people like a million time already and I really should stop shouldn't I?) and now there's a new problem.
A few months back, my computer was upgraded to 1GB RAM. Unfortunately, even as i love the new speedier computer, i am now rendered soundless. Hahaha. it that even a word. Soundless. Yep, the komputer have no sound. Checking the sound option in control panel, i was told there was no audio device. Huh? What the......
So until today, I am soundless. Anybody out there who can help me get out of this soundless cacoon?
A few months back, my computer was upgraded to 1GB RAM. Unfortunately, even as i love the new speedier computer, i am now rendered soundless. Hahaha. it that even a word. Soundless. Yep, the komputer have no sound. Checking the sound option in control panel, i was told there was no audio device. Huh? What the......
So until today, I am soundless. Anybody out there who can help me get out of this soundless cacoon?
Monday, July 14
OUCH!!!
Yeah, that was the first word coming out of my mouth when I sprained my ankle while playing badminton last Wednesday. It was a bad bad day. Started with work that needed to be done by the end of the working hour, a trip to the post office to get the rebate that made me late coming back to the office (and the boss throwing a disapproving glance my way as I made my way to my desk); which in turn resulted in me not having enough time to properly warm up for the badminton session. I decided (foolishly, now with benefit of hindsight) to just go for my badminton session without a warm up session cause I was just too eager to play after missing a couple of sessions due to work commitment. What a big big mistake. All was well for the first half an hour, but when I decided on a last game after sitting down for too long, as written in fate I was down like a "nangka busuk" after I awkwardly landed on my right foot with a bad angle of the ankle.
As I was on sitting on the court, the pain just overwhelmed me and I think the adrenalin rush gave me a high. Everything looks blurry, the pain was throbbing, I could not breath properly, felt like the blood is rushing everywhere and yet nowhere. The people who played with me was asking if I was alright and told me to take off my shoes and told me to apply some heating oitment. One kakak was rubbing the oitment and massaging my feet and ankle, boy that was brutal, my instinct was to kick her away! But I just bit my lips and endured. As they moved me to the bench, I was still high. The pain was still there but it felt more like a gentle throbbing. They asked me if I was able to drive my car home. After like 10 minutes, I kinda felt the pain is subsiding (but later I would find out I was tricked by my body to think that) and thus I told them that I felt ok and that I am confident I would be able to drive the car home. At that time, I was still able to put some weight and pressure on the foot.
Arrived home to hear my mak being concerned and nagging me for being careless. I put ice on the swollen area. Rested for a while and took a shower. Rub some more heat rub and compressed the ankle with bandage. Elevated my foot while I slept. RICE. Woke up the next morning, put my feet on the floor to go take my shower and instant shooting pain up to my knee and I was screaming through gritted teeth. I had to shuffle, painfully and put all my weight on my left leg (which caused the left leg to cramp up) and head to the shower knowing that I have to shower because I have to go see the doctor without delay. It took me like nearly an hour in the shower manouvering and using the toilet seat as resting stool when my left leg cannot take the weight anymore. Called to office to tell my sob story and asking my mak to take me to the government clinic nearby.
My mak, who has not driven in like 7 years ( I am her driver nowadays), had to reacquint with her driving skills and slowly we made our way to the clinic. Saw the doctor, was told to get an X ray (which was only available at 2 pm) and to go back and see him after the X ray. We decided to go home first and go to the clinic again at 2pm as it was only 9.30 at that time. But I asked my mak to detour to my office so that I could make sure that any pending jobs will be taken over by someone. And before we head home, I asked my mak to go to the nearest pharmacy to get me a cane. Walking is slow and painful without some sort of support.
Came back at 2pm for the X ray. The X ray itself was pretty agonizing since I have to make sure my foot does not move as the X ray was taken. Believe me, when you have a swollen ankle, putting them at an angle and keeping them still is torture. Went to see the doc and he said the bones are ok, so it is only the tendons that is making me feel pain like hell. Got three days MC. Rest most of the time during that period. Felt better and more confident of putting pressure on my foot today and so here I am back at work. The driving was ok but the task of going up the flight of stairs was irritatingly slow. Thank goodness I have the cane, my superb mak and caring colleagues. :)
Tuesday, July 8
BBQ in BG
This is Leen live online. Hahahaha. Anyways, last saturday we had a kenduri to mark the completion of the old kampung house's renovation. All family member, well almost all, were there. I was told to bring bananas. :D
And of course, we had plans for the evening. The elders decided on a BBQ. A relative prepared curry noodles. We had hotdogs, burgers and chicken wings. Unfortunately, no pictures because I was in charge to BBQing the food and with the fan in one hand and the thongs on the other, there was virtually no way to take pictures unless of course like an orang utan I can use my legs and feet to handle the camera. Hahahaha. :P
The food was good but more than that, it was the feeling of family and the get togetherness of the BBQ. I have to say there are two style of eating that is very conducive for family gatherings, one is BBQ and the other is Steam boat. Yum yum. We were talking and laughing and remembering old stuff like whether my grandfather died before my aunt or the other way around. And I found and old photo of us all (those who were already born that is because one of my cousin and my younger sister is not in the pic) taken most probably during my grandfather's anniversary or birthday. We took the picture in front of the house and it sure brings back memories. The kids in the pictures are all grown up and some are married and had kids on their own. :) Time passes us by so fast and yet at times of gatherings like these, it feels like we are still stuck in that moment. A part of an entity. A part of a family. With people who knows us so well. Our weaknesses and strengths. And we know them well. And because we are family, we see pass the faults and embrace the person for who she/he is. Family rocks !!! (plus the gossip session are better than the ones we watch on tv of celebrities we know nothing about, hehehhehe :D) Glad to be a part of an amazing family both on my father's side and my mother's side. :)
And of course, we had plans for the evening. The elders decided on a BBQ. A relative prepared curry noodles. We had hotdogs, burgers and chicken wings. Unfortunately, no pictures because I was in charge to BBQing the food and with the fan in one hand and the thongs on the other, there was virtually no way to take pictures unless of course like an orang utan I can use my legs and feet to handle the camera. Hahahaha. :P
The food was good but more than that, it was the feeling of family and the get togetherness of the BBQ. I have to say there are two style of eating that is very conducive for family gatherings, one is BBQ and the other is Steam boat. Yum yum. We were talking and laughing and remembering old stuff like whether my grandfather died before my aunt or the other way around. And I found and old photo of us all (those who were already born that is because one of my cousin and my younger sister is not in the pic) taken most probably during my grandfather's anniversary or birthday. We took the picture in front of the house and it sure brings back memories. The kids in the pictures are all grown up and some are married and had kids on their own. :) Time passes us by so fast and yet at times of gatherings like these, it feels like we are still stuck in that moment. A part of an entity. A part of a family. With people who knows us so well. Our weaknesses and strengths. And we know them well. And because we are family, we see pass the faults and embrace the person for who she/he is. Family rocks !!! (plus the gossip session are better than the ones we watch on tv of celebrities we know nothing about, hehehhehe :D) Glad to be a part of an amazing family both on my father's side and my mother's side. :)
Saturday, June 28
Age Of Glory
12 June 2008 – I watched this TV show called Age Of Glory yesterday. According to the TV programme guide in The Star, it was supposed to be the conclusion episode but I kinda doubt that since some issues have not been resolved yet. There are, like, three main characters. All of them women and the story were about their struggles and their relationship with the men in their lives. Set in the 60s and 70s. What I wanted to mention is, I like the ending theme song. Unfortunately I don’t understand the lyrics. I wonder what the song was about. I know it must be something to do with love because there’s the word “ai” in it. This surely proves that music transcends the boundary of language. :D
Tuesday, June 24
Of Daisies and Forbidden Love
11 June 2008 – I watched the TV show Pushing Daisies yesterday. It kinda reminds me of Dr Seuss. I don’t read a lot of Dr Seuss’s books but I watched the movie Cat in the Hat and I love it. I love the play on words. Like singing in rhymes. Anyway, the reason the show reminds me of Dr Seuss was the colourful way it was presented and the way they talk like in rhyme but not really. It was really nice. I like the idea of the show. And it also reminds me of Gilmore Girls. I don’t know why. So basically, what I am saying is I love the show. Sadly I read it is only a 9-episodes first season. Looking forward to the next 8 episodes. : )
For a sneak peak of the tv show :
http://www.tv.com/pushing-daisies/show/68663/summary.html
For a definition/meaning of pushing daisies :
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/pushing+up+the+daisies.html
For a sneak peak of the tv show :
http://www.tv.com/pushing-daisies/show/68663/summary.html
For a definition/meaning of pushing daisies :
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/pushing+up+the+daisies.html
Friday, June 13
Something Light
10 June 2008 – Ok, enough heavy stuff. Those heavy issues can make me feel down. All we can do is try to make our lives better and try to be a better person and try to treat other people with respect. And humor works so well in making my live a little better. This is why I love humorous writing, articles, columns, etc. When I was subscribing Reader’s Disgest, I always read the humour sections first. The laughter Is The Best Medines, Life’s Like That, Humor In Uniforms and things like that at the end of each article.
I read The Star paper and some of the columnists that I love to read are Mary Schneider, Kevin Cowherd, A. Asohan (excellent article on love story in non rom com movies J), sujesh pavithran, dzof azmi, Brenda Benedict, Alexandra Wong…and others. Any article that has humor in it, I’m in. I am such a sucker for anything that can induce laughter. Sitcoms, rom coms, dot coms hahahahahahahaha, no, just kidding. I would like to think I laugh enough. I frown too much sometimes so a laugh sure exercises the face muscles. Though I heard that we use more muscle to frown than to smile. Funny how that is, isn’t it?
Anyway, I love comics. I read them first when I read the paper followed by the sports section of course J. In The Star paper, I like Calvin and Hobbes, Zits, Hagar the Horrible, and though I am not really a fan of Garfield, I do read it anyway. The others too, except maybe Brenda Starr, and Spiderman (oh no, the wrath of spiderman fans) the former because I don’t get it and the latter because it just does not compare to the real comic books version. And I used to love reading Preteena that can be found in the Star Two section every Wednesday but no more. I tried to find it online but no luck. But I do read other comics online. Like Rose Is Rose, Agnes, Andy Cap, Baby Blues, Dinette Set, Jerry King Cartoons, Mother Goose And Grimm, Non Sequitur, Speed Bump, Red And Rover, Doonesbury, etc.
Laughter is the best medicine. A laughter a day keeps the doctor at bay. Hahahaha.
10 June 2008- I think writing is therapeutic.:) I sure feel good writing about anything and everything. Putting into words your thoughts. At this very moment I am listening to this song I’m Yours by Jason Mraz and I kinda like it. There’s a feeling of a Hawaiian guy on a ukulele singing on the beach as the sun sets.
I like Jason Mraz from the start. He is such a unique person. Like Mika of Grace Kelly. Hehehehe. And James Morrison though he is a bid melancholy. Marie Digby, Colbie Caillat, Sarah Bareilles(that song Love Song) and Gavin Degraw. Oh, and that guy who starred in One Tree Hill. He’s singer who hits on Nathan’s wife Haley. Tyler Hilton is the real name. His voice is distinctive. Beck, Jamiroquai (though I only like this one song and I can’t even remember the title but it is catchy), and others. But I kinda realize that I am not really a fan of singers or band but more a fan of songs. Some singers, I don’t even recognize them but I might love one of their songs. This is like how I show my support in sports. I like Kimi Raikkonen, so whatever team he ends up in, I will still support him. Except for maybe Arsenal whom I support no matter who the coach or the players. I digress. But music that is good to listen to will still be good no matter who the singer is. :)
I read The Star paper and some of the columnists that I love to read are Mary Schneider, Kevin Cowherd, A. Asohan (excellent article on love story in non rom com movies J), sujesh pavithran, dzof azmi, Brenda Benedict, Alexandra Wong…and others. Any article that has humor in it, I’m in. I am such a sucker for anything that can induce laughter. Sitcoms, rom coms, dot coms hahahahahahahaha, no, just kidding. I would like to think I laugh enough. I frown too much sometimes so a laugh sure exercises the face muscles. Though I heard that we use more muscle to frown than to smile. Funny how that is, isn’t it?
Anyway, I love comics. I read them first when I read the paper followed by the sports section of course J. In The Star paper, I like Calvin and Hobbes, Zits, Hagar the Horrible, and though I am not really a fan of Garfield, I do read it anyway. The others too, except maybe Brenda Starr, and Spiderman (oh no, the wrath of spiderman fans) the former because I don’t get it and the latter because it just does not compare to the real comic books version. And I used to love reading Preteena that can be found in the Star Two section every Wednesday but no more. I tried to find it online but no luck. But I do read other comics online. Like Rose Is Rose, Agnes, Andy Cap, Baby Blues, Dinette Set, Jerry King Cartoons, Mother Goose And Grimm, Non Sequitur, Speed Bump, Red And Rover, Doonesbury, etc.
Laughter is the best medicine. A laughter a day keeps the doctor at bay. Hahahaha.
10 June 2008- I think writing is therapeutic.:) I sure feel good writing about anything and everything. Putting into words your thoughts. At this very moment I am listening to this song I’m Yours by Jason Mraz and I kinda like it. There’s a feeling of a Hawaiian guy on a ukulele singing on the beach as the sun sets.
I like Jason Mraz from the start. He is such a unique person. Like Mika of Grace Kelly. Hehehehe. And James Morrison though he is a bid melancholy. Marie Digby, Colbie Caillat, Sarah Bareilles(that song Love Song) and Gavin Degraw. Oh, and that guy who starred in One Tree Hill. He’s singer who hits on Nathan’s wife Haley. Tyler Hilton is the real name. His voice is distinctive. Beck, Jamiroquai (though I only like this one song and I can’t even remember the title but it is catchy), and others. But I kinda realize that I am not really a fan of singers or band but more a fan of songs. Some singers, I don’t even recognize them but I might love one of their songs. This is like how I show my support in sports. I like Kimi Raikkonen, so whatever team he ends up in, I will still support him. Except for maybe Arsenal whom I support no matter who the coach or the players. I digress. But music that is good to listen to will still be good no matter who the singer is. :)
Freedom of Speech
10 June 2008 – Finally the workload has gone down. I was busy as hell (pardon the crass use of word J) the last few days. Except for the few daydreaming sessions during lunch, the rest of the time I can’t even leave the table. Excursions to the restroom were virtually reduced to the bare essentials and sometimes I did not even go for the whole day. Yeah it was that kind of week. And when the internet, which usually provides stress relieve, was down most of the time, I get stressed out and that in turn flares up my psoriasis.
Anyway, today I took a half day leave to take my mak to the bank and managed to watch the last few minutes of Debat Perdana. If I am not mistaken, the topic was about the government (which is the proposition, the school was Sekolah Tungku Abdul Rahman, Ipoh – yeah, kinda proud it was a school here in Ipoh -> Ipoh! Represented!) was proposing laws on how to censor bloggers and internet users. And the opposition (Sekolah Sains Alam Shah) was against the ides because it was against freedom of speech. I have to admit that I was on the proposition side.
Now don’t get me wrong because I hate censorship too. I always think that we should be left to decide what we watch, and say and write because it is our basic right. I still hate censorship of movies mainly because they are doing the worst job in the world. So really it is not the censorship that I am against but the implementation of it and mainly the people behind it that in my opinion are a weird bunch of people for the way they interpret what should and should not be censored. I am still puzzled when a loving scene of an old couple bathing near a well was deemed inappropriate and yet we have movies about mat rempits and their conquest of girls and drugs and scenes of them in bed together and girls wearing skimpy clothes (which old folks from the kampong will ask if they did not have enough cloth to make a full dress) and racing dangerously on the road being a menace to all other innocent road users.
Oh, the movies makers will claim that the movie was made to show the bad things about merempit but really I just see how they glamourise the rempiting and the bad way of life. You know what they say about when you ask for certain parts of chicken at KFC, you better tell them about the parts you want and not the parts you don’t want because they always hear the wrong part. Example : you tell the KFC cashier that you don’t want chicken wings, wallah you will find chicken wings on your plate. You really have to say I want drumstick and breast, only then you will get the right order. Why? I think it is because we sometimes get the obvious and not get the message behind it. Meaning, showing the rempits doing cool stunts, getting laid and having fun will erase the memory of one mat rempit dying or getting badly injured. The good stuff outweighs the bad and that is how they make the movie. Sex sells some people say. So I think if we show the good things like love between old couples, people who are friends with all races and familiar with other religions and culture and people forgiving other people, then the obvious message will get through to the audience too.
I saw a documentary on TV3 I think about how some mat rempits are professionals and only merempit to relieve stress and not to harm other road users. I say, if you are really thinking of other people, how about racing properly in a proper racing circuit far away from innocent traffic that did not sign up to be you fellow racers on the road. And to the ones that do that, racing properly on the right track I mean, I salute you. Now that is healthy stress reduction activity. And how I have digress….:P
Back to the censorship, I say there is a level of censorship needed for the young impressionable minds but for those who are older, they should be left alone to make up their own minds. And naturally censorship will cough up the topic of human’s right to choose. To not be treated like a two year old that does not know any better. And this in turn will lead to the freedom of speech. Where we believe we have the right to criticize, to argue, to write, to say, to act any which way we think is right without considering other people. Pardon my language, but that is bullshit! I believe we do have the right to speak up our minds. And I do believe in freedom of speech. But I look at the motive for saying the things that some people are saying. And I draw a line when people speculate or make up stuff but say it like it is the truth. So really, what is the motive?
In my opinion, freedom of speech must come with responsibility. However I only see the quest for freedom of speech and no responsibility in some actions and words written. Like the short movie “Fitna”. It was clearly a movie that champions freedom of speech but at what cost? Fitnah, in Islam means telling a lie in order to sully another person’s good name. Like for example, telling people that the widow in the kampong in seducing other people’s husbands and sleeping around and causing the wives to ostracise the widow and in some cases to do more harm than that.
Fitnah in Islam is as bad as murder, that’s how bad it is. Sowing the seeds of hate is practically murder. And I believe that. People kill themselves over gossips that ruin their lives. People kill other people over things said that are not true but was believed to be true. Taking for example the cartoons by the Danes about depicting Muhammad S.A.W, they say why should they follow the rules of another religion that they do not believe in. And they say it is their freedom of speech. But I say that even you do not believe that religion you still have to respect the people who do. Like following the customs and practice of a foreign place that you visit. You don’t laugh at other people’s way of life. You don’t insult them purposely. You try to blend in and learn a new culture. Would they be as bold as to do that in an Islamic country? I don’t think so. But they are bold because they are in their own land and seem to think that it is merely their right to use their freedom of speech.
I am asking you now, if someone goes up to your face and say that your mother is a questionable woman (I would not like to use the word itself here), would you not get mad? It is, after all, their right to say whatever they like so why should we react to that? But we do get mad and we do react, some, more violently than others. And frankly the question to ask here is; what is the motive of the person who said such things. Is it merely to speak his mind or to provoke reactions? We might not agree with how other people dress or what they believe but it is their right to live life the way they saw fit. And not respecting that only show how shallow and the cowardice of people who hide behind the freedom of speech reason. Where is your responsibility to respect other people’s right? Does freedom of speech outweighs everything else in life? Do you provoke a killer who has a gun aimed at you by saying the truth like he is stupid to try to kill you because he would go to jail if he did or would you shut your mouth and try to stay alive?
There are other things that are more important than all out freedom of speech that does not consider other people’s feeling, other people’s lives and other people’s faith. And those people who champions all out freedom of speech are losing the real “human rights”. The right to be respected and the right to live together in peace. There are things that we should speak up for and then there are things that we should consider how it affects other people and whether it will bring good changes in the world or merely create hate and violence. Provocation and in turn violent reactions are what causes war and fights and in the end the loss of human lives, some of them innocent. A few Danes disrespected Muslims and all Danes get the bad name. One Dutch make an obviously biased movie and all Dutch bears the brunt of anger of Muslims around the world. And the fanatics will turn to violence and I have to make a stand here that violence is wrong. Murder is wrong. Killing innocent people for any reason is not acceptable. Ever. Even in war you don’t kill the innocent and you only kill those who want to kill you to protect your live and your family.
By the length of this posting, you can guess that I feel strongly about this and I do. I feel sad that freedom of speech is used to justify everything. Even at the risk of sparking hate and violence and never ending revenge. Don’t just see the violent reactions and not see the provocation. We are after all humans, with deep feelings and passion and desire and anger and hate and love and so many other feelings that could lead to actions both good and bad. People kill over love gone wrong. People kill over long term bullying. People kill for the death of a pet. People can kill for so many reasons. Some actions can lead to chain reactions that destroy lives. Things spoken can hurt more than pain of the physical. I just hope people remember that and use freedom of speech responsibly and use it with the aim of making the world a better place.
Anyway, today I took a half day leave to take my mak to the bank and managed to watch the last few minutes of Debat Perdana. If I am not mistaken, the topic was about the government (which is the proposition, the school was Sekolah Tungku Abdul Rahman, Ipoh – yeah, kinda proud it was a school here in Ipoh -> Ipoh! Represented!) was proposing laws on how to censor bloggers and internet users. And the opposition (Sekolah Sains Alam Shah) was against the ides because it was against freedom of speech. I have to admit that I was on the proposition side.
Now don’t get me wrong because I hate censorship too. I always think that we should be left to decide what we watch, and say and write because it is our basic right. I still hate censorship of movies mainly because they are doing the worst job in the world. So really it is not the censorship that I am against but the implementation of it and mainly the people behind it that in my opinion are a weird bunch of people for the way they interpret what should and should not be censored. I am still puzzled when a loving scene of an old couple bathing near a well was deemed inappropriate and yet we have movies about mat rempits and their conquest of girls and drugs and scenes of them in bed together and girls wearing skimpy clothes (which old folks from the kampong will ask if they did not have enough cloth to make a full dress) and racing dangerously on the road being a menace to all other innocent road users.
Oh, the movies makers will claim that the movie was made to show the bad things about merempit but really I just see how they glamourise the rempiting and the bad way of life. You know what they say about when you ask for certain parts of chicken at KFC, you better tell them about the parts you want and not the parts you don’t want because they always hear the wrong part. Example : you tell the KFC cashier that you don’t want chicken wings, wallah you will find chicken wings on your plate. You really have to say I want drumstick and breast, only then you will get the right order. Why? I think it is because we sometimes get the obvious and not get the message behind it. Meaning, showing the rempits doing cool stunts, getting laid and having fun will erase the memory of one mat rempit dying or getting badly injured. The good stuff outweighs the bad and that is how they make the movie. Sex sells some people say. So I think if we show the good things like love between old couples, people who are friends with all races and familiar with other religions and culture and people forgiving other people, then the obvious message will get through to the audience too.
I saw a documentary on TV3 I think about how some mat rempits are professionals and only merempit to relieve stress and not to harm other road users. I say, if you are really thinking of other people, how about racing properly in a proper racing circuit far away from innocent traffic that did not sign up to be you fellow racers on the road. And to the ones that do that, racing properly on the right track I mean, I salute you. Now that is healthy stress reduction activity. And how I have digress….:P
Back to the censorship, I say there is a level of censorship needed for the young impressionable minds but for those who are older, they should be left alone to make up their own minds. And naturally censorship will cough up the topic of human’s right to choose. To not be treated like a two year old that does not know any better. And this in turn will lead to the freedom of speech. Where we believe we have the right to criticize, to argue, to write, to say, to act any which way we think is right without considering other people. Pardon my language, but that is bullshit! I believe we do have the right to speak up our minds. And I do believe in freedom of speech. But I look at the motive for saying the things that some people are saying. And I draw a line when people speculate or make up stuff but say it like it is the truth. So really, what is the motive?
In my opinion, freedom of speech must come with responsibility. However I only see the quest for freedom of speech and no responsibility in some actions and words written. Like the short movie “Fitna”. It was clearly a movie that champions freedom of speech but at what cost? Fitnah, in Islam means telling a lie in order to sully another person’s good name. Like for example, telling people that the widow in the kampong in seducing other people’s husbands and sleeping around and causing the wives to ostracise the widow and in some cases to do more harm than that.
Fitnah in Islam is as bad as murder, that’s how bad it is. Sowing the seeds of hate is practically murder. And I believe that. People kill themselves over gossips that ruin their lives. People kill other people over things said that are not true but was believed to be true. Taking for example the cartoons by the Danes about depicting Muhammad S.A.W, they say why should they follow the rules of another religion that they do not believe in. And they say it is their freedom of speech. But I say that even you do not believe that religion you still have to respect the people who do. Like following the customs and practice of a foreign place that you visit. You don’t laugh at other people’s way of life. You don’t insult them purposely. You try to blend in and learn a new culture. Would they be as bold as to do that in an Islamic country? I don’t think so. But they are bold because they are in their own land and seem to think that it is merely their right to use their freedom of speech.
I am asking you now, if someone goes up to your face and say that your mother is a questionable woman (I would not like to use the word itself here), would you not get mad? It is, after all, their right to say whatever they like so why should we react to that? But we do get mad and we do react, some, more violently than others. And frankly the question to ask here is; what is the motive of the person who said such things. Is it merely to speak his mind or to provoke reactions? We might not agree with how other people dress or what they believe but it is their right to live life the way they saw fit. And not respecting that only show how shallow and the cowardice of people who hide behind the freedom of speech reason. Where is your responsibility to respect other people’s right? Does freedom of speech outweighs everything else in life? Do you provoke a killer who has a gun aimed at you by saying the truth like he is stupid to try to kill you because he would go to jail if he did or would you shut your mouth and try to stay alive?
There are other things that are more important than all out freedom of speech that does not consider other people’s feeling, other people’s lives and other people’s faith. And those people who champions all out freedom of speech are losing the real “human rights”. The right to be respected and the right to live together in peace. There are things that we should speak up for and then there are things that we should consider how it affects other people and whether it will bring good changes in the world or merely create hate and violence. Provocation and in turn violent reactions are what causes war and fights and in the end the loss of human lives, some of them innocent. A few Danes disrespected Muslims and all Danes get the bad name. One Dutch make an obviously biased movie and all Dutch bears the brunt of anger of Muslims around the world. And the fanatics will turn to violence and I have to make a stand here that violence is wrong. Murder is wrong. Killing innocent people for any reason is not acceptable. Ever. Even in war you don’t kill the innocent and you only kill those who want to kill you to protect your live and your family.
By the length of this posting, you can guess that I feel strongly about this and I do. I feel sad that freedom of speech is used to justify everything. Even at the risk of sparking hate and violence and never ending revenge. Don’t just see the violent reactions and not see the provocation. We are after all humans, with deep feelings and passion and desire and anger and hate and love and so many other feelings that could lead to actions both good and bad. People kill over love gone wrong. People kill over long term bullying. People kill for the death of a pet. People can kill for so many reasons. Some actions can lead to chain reactions that destroy lives. Things spoken can hurt more than pain of the physical. I just hope people remember that and use freedom of speech responsibly and use it with the aim of making the world a better place.
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