The Axiomatic Truth

Problem-Solving

2011-07-29T23:35:00.000+08:00

"Kerajaan haruslah mengambil langkah pro-aktif manakala ibu bapa serta masyarakat hendaklah berganding bahu demi menangani masalah ini"

That's how all of my Malay essays ended in school. From global warming to social problems. I don't even know if the phrase 'berganding bahu' is correct, or what it means. Pahaha

Bizarre is the word

2011-07-26T23:56:00.002+08:00

Bizarre is the word I'd use to describe Malaysian political culture.

Bizarre is the way we treat our Yang Berhormats. We queue on the side of the road before they even arrive, we bow before them, we kiss their hands. Why?

Aren't we technically their bosses? Shouldn't THEY be kissing our hands and begging for our votes?

Speaking of begging for votes, why is it that politicians across the board seem to have a profound love of using divisive language, as if they don't need votes from the 'other side'? Why?

Their lips are too heavy to use the phrase "taxpayers' money" instead of the conventional "duit kerajaan" and they don't seem to care much about transparency and accountability. As long as the job gets done, anything goes. Why?

Is it because the government of the day has been in power for so long they forget that they owe that to the electorate? As for the opposition, have they been in the shadows for so long that the opposition mentality has become and integral part of their identity and language?

Or maybe despite all the advancements that we achieved as a nation, we are still a feudal society. We simply accept the authority of the ruling class without question. We simply accept the harsh reality that is power is not equally shared among the different sections of our society.

I've been reading Azzam Tamimi's 'Rachid Ghannouchi - A Democrat Within Islamism', in which there's section that explains Malik Bennabi's definition of Democracy which I find very interesting. He doesn't define Democracy as it is commonly understood (a mere system of governance), rather he defines it as a process :-

"We must consider any project aimed at founding a democracy an educational enterprise for the whole community, a comprehensive program that encompasses psychological, ethical, social, and political aspects.

For democracy is not - as is superficially understood in the common usage, that is within the limits of its etymology - a mere political process. Nor is it simply a process whereby powers are handed over to the masses, to a people whose sovereignty is recognised by a specific statement in the constitution.

But it is the generation of attitude, and of objective and subjective responses and standards, that collectively lay the foundations upon which democracy, prior to being stated in any constitution, stands in the conscience of the people. The constitution is nothing but the formal outcome of the democratic enterprise once transformed into a political reality indicated by a text inspired by customs and traditions, and dictated by an attitude generated in a given circumstance. Such a text would have no meaning if not underpinned by the customs and the traditions that inspired it, or in other words, the historical justifications that necessitated it.

Hence is the naivete of the constitutional imports borrowed today by some governments in developing African and Asian states that seek to establish a new order in their countries in emulation of the deep-rooted democracies. Such borrowing may be necessary at times, but it is definitely not enough on its own if not accompanied by appropriate measures to spread and establish what is being borrowed in the psyche of the borrowing country's population."

Exactly, Bennabi.

Shifting the blame

2011-07-26T01:07:00.003+08:00

Lately there have been reports of foreign/subversive elements trying to destabilise our country. Firstly there's America..... the Jews... some Christians... and finally.... the Communists.

As someone who spends an average of only 2 hours a week outdoors, I probably shouldn't be commenting on matters happening outside my house. HOWEVER, since I do own an old 29" idiot box that can't seem to stop lying to me, I think I have the right to speak up.

It's not hard to notice that every single time our country is faced with a crisis, we immediately blame these 'foreign' elements.

Religious tension? blame the foreign Christian NGOs. Economic crisis? blame the Jews. Political turmoil? Blame the Communists. And George Soros. Again, maybe the Jews. While we're at that might as well blame the Christians.And it goes on and on and on.

Well, you might blame Utusan, or even the government for the crime of using the Jews, some foreign Christian NGOs, and sadly even our own Chinese Malaysian brethren as scapegoats. However, if we were to look into the recent APCO fiasco and the comments under MalaysiaKini articles on relevant issues, you will find that this is not confined to the people in power and their supporters. Even the opposition, especially opposition supporters seem to be guilty of this rather unfortunate naivety.

Let me tell you that our biggest enemy is neither the Jews nor the Communists.
Our biggest enemy is our own mentality, refusing to accept that we have flaws and we need to improve ourselves.
Our biggest enemy is our willingness to be enslaved and subjugated by this habit of persistently shifting blame to others whenever we fail to deal with our own problems.
Our biggest enemy is our refusal to believe that we are responsible for our own actions/inactions.

The world is changing, national borders are fast becoming irrelevant. If we fail to step up our game, we won't have to look beyond the straits to see failure, we won't have to look at Indonesia as a definition of misery, we won't have to look at the Philippines as a model of mismanagement;

We just need to look in the mirror.

p/s: It was no coincidence that when I crashed my mum's car into a grocery shop, my first response was to blame the Koreans for making such a lousy car. Look at where Hyundai is now.

Back from the dead

2011-07-25T00:37:00.000+08:00

Hello world,

It's been a while. Apparently I have 5 times more page views from the US than Malaysia. I knew it. They're after me! They're after meeeeeeeee!

The story of breasts and bombs

2010-06-24T20:19:00.006+08:00

Chapter 1: BreastsSome people take the Health Ministry's advice too far, I think. Check this out.

Haha. I know, I know, isn't it crazy? Anyway, before you read on, yes, this is my THIRD successive post on something to do with religion. I do notice that. But it really isn't my purpose to make fun of religion, or even religious people. That'd be inappropriate. Right? It's just that most of the people I want to make fun of happen to be religious. Big difference there.

Back to what I was saying, apparently some 'scholars' suggest that women should breastfeed their colleagues/close male companions to 'legitimize' their mingling. WOW. I thought that these so-called 'scholars' are just hungry for BEWBS, and not seriously saying that women should um... y'know, boob-feed their pals. But this time, I think I'm wrong, as always.

But what surprises most is that they are from Saudi Arabia, where the state ideology is the now-infamous Wahabism. Which is quite famous for its literal interpretation of the scripture. Well, throughout my experience of skim-reading the Quran a few times (I know, that's sad), I'm pretty sure none of verses read 'breastfeed thy horny companions' or anything like that.

You see, this is what happens when you don't rationalize religion. Yeah, yeah, religion is superior to reason, bladibladiblahhh... But God also gave you reason and free will. Don't you think He'd appreciate it if you use it sometimes? Nonetheless, I simply can't fathom what was going through their minds when they decided to issue such a strange view. It's probably not blind faith, because as learned scholars I imagine they must have done some research. Sigh. Perhaps they're being paid by tera! hmmm another conspiracy theory... interesting...

Chapter 2: Bombs

And now speaking of Wahabism, you know what's been going on lately. The government is reportedly taking action against the Jemaah Islamiyyah, which is believed to be the Southeast Asian offshoot of Al-Qaeda, whose leader is Osama Bin Laden, who happens to be a Wahabi. So they come up with the conclusion that Wahabi is evil. By the same logic, I can also say that I hate the smell of KFC's coleslaw, and because the recipe came from KFC Corporation, whose president is Roger Eaton, who happens to be South African, therefore I must hate South Africa too. And perhaps Africa in general! Or even the world! Yeah! I must hate the world! Does that make any sense to you?

Anyway, yeah, those people who are accused of being Wahabi 'agents' in Malaysia did undoubtedly create some stir with their 'unconventional' fatwas. Personally, as long as they don't make my female friends breastfeed me, or tell me to fly a plane into some random building, I can live with that. What I can't live with is Malaysian Ulamas calling each other names. I still remember having to spend two hours of my precious life back in KMB listening to an anti-Wahabi Ustaz defaming the so-called Wahabi 'agents', from Abdullah Yasin to Dr Asri. I say stop it. If you're trying to argue from a higher moral ground, perhaps you shouldn't act like a total douchebag in the first place. Hey, just saying.

One more thing is that whenever there's any news in the mainstream media about the Muftis in the mainstream media, it's always albout the Muftis calling this and that haram. Yoga is haram. Smoking is haram. Botox is haram. Sure Heboh is haram. Celcom's lucky draw is haram. As if their only job is to say no to every single aspect of modern life. Their fatwas on things like the permissibility of inter-species organ donation or stem-cell research are either reported on the pages you won't be bothered to read, or NOT reported at all.

Anyway, of course there are lots of things in Wahabism that I don't agree with. But to simply call someone that you don't agree with a security threat, to me, is plain nasty. That'd mean if ever be Prime Minister, 99.9999963% of the Malaysian population would rot in jail, the remaining 0.0000037 being me. But wait. I often contradict myself as well, should I put myself in jail too? Gosh.

And wait. Before you say that I'm a Wahabi, or sympathetic to the Wahabi cause, kindly consider these things first: I read books by Ali Shariati too, perhaps that makes me a Shiite. I've finished reading Anne Frank's diary like, three times, oh! That'd mean I'm Jewish. Watched motorcycle diaries a few times and actually enjoyed reading Stalin's biography, so that definitely means that I'm a Communist. My point is, I don't label myself (neither should you). Which is why 88% of the time I'm wearing a plain T. Call it an identity crisis, but I'd still think that only losers label themselves.

Till next time. Outttt!

Burka Brouhaha

2010-05-16T20:15:00.007+08:00

The Burqa. The Niqab. The Purdah. (from left to right)

Never has any piece of clothing become so political. Save la brassiere, but let's keep that for another day.
This is quite a late post, but it's not outdated either. So shut up and read on.

As you probably would have read a few weeks ago, Belgium's lower house of parliament passed a law banning the burka in public places.

Before I launch a full-blown tirade against this xenophobic move, let me first start with what I personally think about the burqa/niqab/purdah/veil.

I personally loathe it. When I was small, at the height of the Al-Arqam movement, the Purdah (Malaysia's equivalent of the Niqab, the word came from the 'purda' in Rajasthan) was quite ubiquitous. Every time I see women in purdahs I came close to wetting my pants. For some unknown reason I felt intimidated by the mere sight of it. Now before you think that I'm such a prejudice bastardo, lemme make this clear; the house I was brought up in always sees the niqab/burka as a personal choice. It was entirely my fault. The prejudice is innate. But you obviously can't blame me, I was too small. After all, children, despite the noise that they make, the smell they emit, and the pain that they inflict on any civilised man's emotion can't possibly be responsible for their actions/thoughts, right?

And then there was the time when I went for my medical check-up at an 'Islamic' medical centre. I was attended by a female doctor in the niqab who didn't even look at me, and proceeded with stamping my forms without asking a single question. What if I have a medical condition that I forgot to disclose on the forms? What if I made false claims? Damn, if only I knew she's gonna do that I would've said that I've got three testicles or sth and
claim for incapacity benefits. Anyway, my point is, if you don't want any contact with an ajnabi (foreign man) then don't be a doctor.

*picture for decorative purposes only.

It was such a terrible feeling to be treated by a doctor in such a way. I would've punched her face had I known where it was.

Anyway, my point being that people in niqabs shouldn't be allowed to participate in any profession that requires clear, succinct inter-personnel communication. If you're a doctor, a school teacher, or a bank teller, we need to see your face. We need to read your lips. Which is why I firmly support Jack Straw's request that women should remove full veils when they're visiting his office. After all, that old man has got some hearing problem, for goodness' sake. He actually NEEDS to lip-read to do his job.

But then again, imposing a full ban on the burka is not the way either. Basically, there are two principal reasons why they're pressing for the Burqa ban, one is that the burqa is seen as a security threat, the other one is that the burqa is 'unwestern', and that it represents a backward eastern culture that oppresses women.

#1. The Burqa as a security threat.

Check this out. Ok so maybe an Australian man did wear the Burqa and robbed a bank. (Is he outta his mind???) Anyway, that simply does not provide a concrete excuse to ban the burqa. Will you also ban stockings, ultraman masks, and balaclavas then, since they all have been used by robbers?

And then there's this argument that the Burqa makes facial recognition difficult. Now, my problem is, in these places where they're talking about banning the burqa, only a tiny fraction of Muslim women actually wear them. Let's take France, for example, which has the highest number+percentage of Muslims in Europe. The home ministry gives the number of people who actually wear the burqa at 1,900. That is 0.04% of the total Muslim population of France, or 0.00003% of the French public. That means you are twice more likely to be murdered than spotting someone in a burqa. Now if you consider the percentage of people in burqas who ARE actually security threats, that will further push the probability down, such that you'll probably be more likely to make love to a magical pink unicorn than to be bombed by a burqa-clad woman. Enough said.

The concept of a nation-wide ban is also stupid because if you're living in a French city where the number of Muslims is much lower, the burqa actually makes it easier to identify individuals. Imagine if there's a burqa-clad suicide bomber in city X, where only 2 people actually wear them. Won't it be easier to identify them as opposed to "Black hair and eyes, olive skin, slight moustache"? From my own unscientific observation, 88% of women look like that. Now tell me, which of these two are easier for you to tell apart, this;

or this?

left: Zoe Deschanel, right: Katy Perry. Wait. Which one... I think I'm mistaken. Arrrgh nevermind.

#2 The Burqa as 'unwestern', a symbol of oppression.

Let's face it. For a husband to force his wife to wear the burqa is indeed an oppression. Just as much as for a wife to tell her husband to stop smoking is an oppression. Smoking, and exposing your face are both fundamental rights, so if your spouse stops you from doing either of them, surely that's an oppression, right?

The actual fact is that many of these women in Europe choose to wear the burqa out of their own choice. It's their face. Leave them alone.

And then some people argued that the Burqa is unwelcome in Europe because it contradicts with "Western" values. Wait. Who's the barbarian here? Apparently some people still think that the earth is flat, and that there is such a thing as a rigid, fixed, "Western" point on earth. Galilei died for nothing, it seems. So what is 'Western'? Where do they think Christianity came from? Manchester?

Another concern about this argument is that it won't be long before they'll go further and ban anything uwestern/foreign/eastern. Halal food, goodbye. Late-night Kebabs, goodbye. Shisha bars, goodbye. Chinatowns, goodbye. If you're a minority, you should be scared. Everyone is a minority in some way. So everyone should be scared, actually!

So, my final word is, I really don't think banning the niqab/burqa is the way to go, regardless of what you personally think of it. After all, these poor women have suffered enough. The last thing you'd want to do is to ban the burqa, make their husbands keep them at home, isolating them from the rest of the world. Now THAT is unWESTern.

note: my friend Nigel has an interesting post on the ban.

Promiscuous Women Cause Earthquakes

2010-04-24T22:53:00.007+08:00

LOL. See the article here

At first I thought it's just a sexist joke. But now I think he really means it. I mean, really. Check out his face.

The cleric did make headlines here because of his 'interesting' knowledge of seismology.

You know I'm not really a feminist. I don't have a bra to burn. But let's get this straight, this is just WRONG.

We Malaysians have had our share of similar, but less extreme sexist religious crackheads. Still remember the group that suggested schoolgirls become rape victims because of their white uniform? The well-known cleric who implied that rape victims who dress 'inappropriately' are to be blamed for the rape?

And let's not forget the Australian Mufti who suggested that such women are like 'uncovered meat'.

Sometimes I wonder; if these people will ever stop seeing women as mere sexual objects, and if they can see men as something more evolved than sex-deprived carnal beasts. And I wonder how much longer are we going to let them dominate our Minbars. How much longer?

A New Beginning

2010-04-17T07:37:00.005+08:00

You MIGHT think that a picture of a phoenix rising from the ashes would be more appropriate. Unfortunately it won't go well with the colour theme. A burning red bird on an all-blue page? What were you thinking? Where did your right brain go? Surely a sunrise over a blue pond/lake/sea/ocean goes better with the bluish theme going on, no?

Now artistic chat aside, so basically, after a long break I have decided to resume writing. Let's just see how long it's going to last this time.

If you find the link to your blog missing on the blogroll, I sincerely apologise. It's either you've stopped blogging or I have completely lost interest in your writing (ouch). Unfortunately I have no option but to cut down on the number of links, because I'm in a dilemma.

Dilemma dilemma dilemma. On one hand, I want the blog to be something private. But surely having passwords etc. for the blog is just stupid. Rather than writing a 'private' blog I'd rather keep a diary. Or email stuff to myself. Or memorize everything and hope that I'll remember every detail so that I can pass it on to my wife (or worse, my heart surgeon) on my deathbed. On the other hand, at the time I started blogging, there were so many new bloggers around, and there was this sense of excitement! You just need to discover aaaaaaall of your friends' blogs. Links were added on the blogroll not because of interest, but as a gesture of politeness.

This time it's going to be a wee bit different. I'll only link you to the blogs I actually read.

Last time it was the general feeling that the entries were too critical, too liberal, too political, too anglomaniac, too long, too insensitive, too elitist (WTF?!), too this, too that, bla3 that stopped me writing.

However there's no promise that it will be any different this time. Be warned.

(insert evil laughter here)

Time-out

2009-08-03T12:30:00.002+08:00

This blog is officially put on hold because the author has a new hobby. Feel free to drop comments, because someday the author may decide to resume blogging. Someday. Yes, SOMEDAY.

Bahasa Manglish

2009-07-10T20:14:00.012+08:00

As you can see, the government's decision to discontinue PPSMI by 2012 has raised many eyebrows. Our vocal former PM has spoken against it, while some nationalists want it to happen by next year. To be honest, I don't really care what language is it that they're using in schools, because at the end of the day, hypothesis becomes hipotesis, inference becomes inferens, pyramid becomes piramid, and so on. However, I do not wish to comment any further on PPSMI, because I believe the issue has already been settled, and it's about time for us to focus our attention on more important things, like racial unity in schools, implementation of moral values in science, and so on.

However, now I feel like talking about Manglish. Years ago, I stumbled upon an article in TIME magazine about the various types of English being spoken throughout the world. Indglish, Singlish, American English, British English, Scottish English are just some examples. Interestingly, 'Manglish' is also recognized as one. However, I can't help but to wonder what exactly is Manglish? How is it different from Singlish? Is it true that each ethnicl group in Malaysia has its own way of using the English language? I believe some, if not all of you, must have been thinking about the same things.

Therefore, I decided to list down some of the groups that collectively form a branch of English known to the world as 'Manglish'.

***

The Kamus Fajar Baktis

Perhaps the predominant group, they directly translate a phrase from their mother tongue with the help of the sacred Oxford Fajar dictionary. According to them, the Dwibahasa dictionary is one of the highest authorities in he English language, such that it overrides the authority of Phrase books.

How to identify them:

"Arrive-arrive, Abu see child cat cross walk celebration" (suddenly, Abu saw a kitten crossing down the road / Tiba-tiba, Abu ternampak anak kucing melintas jalan raya)

***

The Ones

They are very vocal about their support to 1Malaysia,therefore the word 'one' is used as much as possible in their daily conversations. What is so special about them is that they practise their belief openly, and there are just too many of them.

How to identify them:

"This one no good one. That one is the better one!" (This one is bad, that one is better)

***

The vocal H's

The sound 'aHHHH!' is probably the most popular sound in the world. With the correct intonation, it can represent anything from pleasure, pain and even fear. Almost everyone in the world can pronounce it, but only a handful take the sound very seriously. They believe that 'H' is the greatest out of the 26 alphabets, and therefore the sound of H must be expressed in any circumstance. They feel that they do not need to conform to the rules set by native English speakers on silent H's, which they feel are meant to undermine the power of 'H'.

How to identify them:

"HHHonestly, a HHHour ago, I would've told you that there is no way i'll be on the HHHonour list". (Honestly (/'a.nistli/), an hour (/auer/) ago, I would've told you that there is no way i'll be on the HHHonour (/'oner/) list)

***

The The's

This group prefers to add 'the' before any noun, so that it is possible to distinguish between nouns and verbs. Occassionally, 'the' is also added before an adjective to give emphasize it.

How to identify them:

"I want the cup of the coffee, extra the sugar because I like the coffee to be the very the sweet." (I want a cup of coffee with extra sugar because I like my coffee sweet)

***

The Spelling Beezzzz

What started out as a 'cool' way to simplify phrases in text messages has now become a major cause of headache among linguists all over the world. Although it is pretty much common to use LOL instead of 'laughing out loud', ROFL instead of 'rolling on the floor laughing', and OMG for 'Oh my god', some teenagers one day decided that it is possible to take their 'coolness' to a higher level by adding the letter 'Z' into the acronyms. Some people say that that they were inspired by the bees, believed by many to be the highest form of life, while others say that they were just being teenagers.

How to identify them:

"Lolzzz, last night I went out with da ladyzzz, Jazzebelle trippedz and fellzz, so Johnzzz screamed, "zOMG!!", *ROFLzzz*

***

The Grammar Policemen

Believed to be the guardians of the sanctity of the English Language, they believe that grammar carries more weight than meaning, and all violators shall receive public humiliation.

How to identify them:

A: I've finish all my work.
B: It's finishED, not finish, idiot.
A: Gosh, you're such a grammar police.

***

The Non-believers

This group of people do not believe in a second language. English is a threat to their mother tongue, they say. They also believe that English is a remnant of the past, a legacy of the colonizers, therefore it becomes their duty to fight it wherever they can find it.

How to identify them:

A: Hello, boleh saya cakap dengan Kasim?
B: Apa hello-hello? Anjing penjajah!!!

***

The Gangstas

Members of this group are usually fans of Rap/Hip-hop music, and they choose to make their music a way of life. They usually talk in rythms, and are usually overdressed.

How to identify them:

"Dang! Dem ladies know how to shake their booty!" (Awesome! The ladies surely know how to shake their [profanity bleep]!)

***

The Born-Again Brits

Also known as Anglomaniacs, this group believes that the British was sent from the above to civilize mankind. They sing God Save the Queen every morning and probably drink tea during breakfast.

How to identify them:

"It's globaliSation, not globaliZation. What an American, you are..."

***

The Global Citizens

Usually well-read and have a wider travelling experience compared to the other groups, The Global Citizens often try to educate their fellow countrymen about foreign cultures, and they usually end up using more foreign words compared to English words in their sentences.

How to identify them:

" I had a good Pina Colada out on the Patio, and took a siesta inside to avoid the scorching El Nino breeze"

***

The Parrots

Also known as the 555ers, they normally carry around a small notebook known locally as "buku lima lima lima". Whenever they come across an unfamiliar word, they will jot it down, and use it (repeatedly) in their future conversations, regardless of whether it is appropriate. All they need to do is to use the long, difficult words over and over again to prove that they are not illiterate. Pretty much like parrots. Sometimes they sound crazy.

How to identify them:

"The pharisee told the ragamuffin to discontinue expectorating in public places because he holds the belief that it is categorically revolting"

***

The Paris Hiltons
Although they are commonly teenagers who just hit puberty, some of them prefer to retain their 'hawtness' as they mature into adulthood. They may sound a bit nasal at times, with their right hands excessively moved all around them while the left hands rest on their waists. Their speech may be accompanied by unnecessary wobbling of their heads, usually done to make their points clear. They try to speak really fast, such that it is impossible for the Grammar Police to spot their habitual grammatical errors. Colloquialisms, such as "ain't, kinda, sorta" is everywhere to be found. Their favourite food is bubblegum, and most of the time, they wear sunglasses that cover 70% of their faces.

How to identify them:

A: That's hawt!
B: Hello~ you ain't gonna buy that, do ya?
A: Bee-yotch! Talk to the hand!

***

To tell you the truth, I don't really know to what group I belong to, because I do'em all!

Stop following me!

2009-07-03T22:59:00.003+08:00

You enter the shop.

The stupid motion-activated bell starts ringing, to notify the shopkeeper of your presence, though you're probably walking under his nose.

He greets you with an over-rehearsed "Welcome~", with a fake smile beautifully carved into his face. He probably wears a colourful uniform or pinafore that only a blind man would wear, but you pretend not to notice.

You go to rack 1. He follows. You look at him. He throws back a suspicious looks at you, as if you're trying to steal something. You move by one step, he follows. You turn right. He follows. You turn left. He follows. You start to mistake him with your shadow. You know it's annoying and you feel like throwing a shoe at him. Yet you try to ignore him, knowing that he's paid to do that.

The racks are dusty. He never really cares, because during his leisure time he's too busy sticking price tags while chatting with an employee, who's now probably standing behind the cash register.

You go through the items on one shelf (which is probably the one near your eye level), one by one, as you find none of them suits your taste, you move on to another shelf. 2 seconds after you make your move, the shopkeeper runs like a maniac towards you and begins 'tidying' the things you touched earlier, as if you're a leper or something.

Once you realise that there's nothing in the shop that is worth spending your hard-earned Ringgits on, you go straight for the exit. After all at times like this, inflation means you can only walk out with only two or three items.

From the other end of the shop, the shopkeeper shouts; "Thank you, sir!!!". "Aghh... Another artificial greeting...", you said to yourself.

***

Sounds familiar? This is the nightmare that I go through every time I enter a shop. You might be thinking that I'm antisocial (which is not entirely incorrect), but that's not the point. I don't really know whether it's just me, or everyone thinks that following people around like that without uttering a single word is rude. Saying "welcome" and "goodbye" without really meaning it is also rude. Having stupid bells ringing when you enter the shop is even worse.

However, I'm afraid that unless on-line shopping becomes the norm (or I become rich enough to hire someone else to do my shopping for me), I'll have to face this dilemma every time I enter a shop, for the rest of my meaningless life. Sweet.

p/s: I apologize to all readers for the heavily-politicized previous posts. I know it's wrong to force my views on everyone, but hey, there's nothing you can do about it! Just let me pontificate about world affairs, and just enjoy your life!

When a spade starts calling another spade a spade...

2009-07-02T01:19:00.004+08:00

They never fail to impress me, these so-called "world leaders".

Egypt (i.e. the politicians, not the people), known for its long, consistent record for disregard for democracy and human rights (remember the Pharaoh?) just called for an 'action' against Iran over what it perceives to be a rigged election.

The question here is not whether the election was rigged or not (answer: IT WAS IN FACT RIGGED), but it is whether Egypt (read: Hosni Mubarak) has the right to give utterance to such a diplomatically blasphemous suggestion.

First and foremost, an 'action' can mean a lot of things. By 'a lot of things' I mean diplomatic sanctions, economic sanctions or even military intervention. Ironic, isn't it? For a man who shuts electoral stations, imprison bloggers & opposition leaders, and not to mention bar opposition candidates from contesting in a parliamentary election, Mr Mubarak has got real guts to say such thing. He's such a brave guy that his bravery borders on stupidity.

I'm quite sure that he's thinking;
"Of course I can say anything about Iran... Egypt is America's favourite ally in the Mideast. Nobody messes with Egypt, right? ... right?"
Well, WRONG. Firstly, ISRAEL is America's favourite ally. Secondly, America has a nasty habit of abandoning its "friends" when they are no longer useful. Do you, Mr Mubarak, still remember what happened to Saddam Hussein and Reza Pahlavi? Do you want a similar end? Didn't the Shah's family tell you anything during their stay in Egypt (after they were kicked out of the U.S.)?

However, the most comical thing about Mubarak's wise "suggestion" is of course, the logic behind it. If intervention is needed whenever vote-rigging occurs, doesn't that mean Egypt needs foreign intervention as well? Is this really what Mr Mubarak wants? This is almost like a chicken teaching a bird how to fly. Seemingly, the last thing that ordinary Iranians and Egyptians need is foreign intervention. They have already been invaded by tyrannical regimes, so let us give them a break!

The Egyptian leader must realise that despite the fact that just a few months ago his capital became the platform where the greatest reconciliatory speech was delivered by his holiness Barrack Obama, he is still largely unpopular at home. The way Egypt reacted during the siege of Gaza left millions of Egyptians questioning Mr Mubarak's (and their own) sanity. It is also important for him not to forget that should his regime ever falls, the vacuum will be filled by Hamas' allies in Egypt, which, in turn, will further complicate the already overcomplicated Mideast issue. At times when peace seems so close, the best thing that can happen is that the world forgets Mubarak's comments and move on.

Meanwhile, while the Iranians are fighting against the injustice upon them, the rest of the world should probably just sit back and watch.

In the meantime, instead of saying silly things, Mr Mubarak should spend some time finding a couple of good lawyers. After his refusal to open the border to allow aid groups to reach Gaza and by doing so effectively cut off Gazans from basic humanitarian needs, it is possible for Gazans to charge him with crime against humanity, isn't it? As far as I am concerned, he's already been found guilty the court of public opinion!

p/s: Usually, 'to call a spade a spade' is to tell the truth, even if it's unpleasant. However, when an unpleasant person starts revealing unpleasant truths about somebody else, he is what we call the spade that calls another spade a spade. If this sounds ridiculous to you, it's probably because I just made it up. HAHA. If it still doesn't make sense to you, just take it as a Hammadistic way of saying "everybody poops". If "everybody poops" is still beyond your realm, well, there's nothing we can do about it.

Twittering A Revolution

2009-06-21T00:29:00.005+08:00

If you haven't noticed what is happening in Iran, you're probably dumb, or you simply don't care.

If you have, that doesn't mean that you're that smart, either.

It is difficult to get the current updates on Iran, because;

1) They kicked out the foreign media
2) The main players, namely Mousavi & Karroubi, rarely update their facebook pages
3) The internet tend to exaggerate things, and deal with rumours as news.
4) People who are capable of providing neutral views are probably outside Iran, imprisoned, or dead.

However, thanks to Jack Dorsey, the voice of the Iranian public is once again, being heard.

If the uprising in Iran is successful, I'm quite sure a lot of people are going to make a bee line for a twitter account.

Just a few months ago, either the Time magazine, or one of those news magazines with lots of wonderful pictures called Twitter as the worst invention of the year, and that "we simply don't get it".

Today, the Iranians have proven that magazine wrong.

Some people say that Obama won the election because of his nifty on-line campaign. In fact, he actually generated millions of dollars through the internet.

Closer to home, or more accurately, at home, online campaigning did help the opposition make numerous gains. Two well-known bloggers also made it into the house of parliament.

Therefore, it is safe to conclude that future political milestones, be it local or global (glocal, anyone?) will be very much affected by the internet.

***

Recently, I read this Indonesian magazine, GATRA where there was this article entitled "Pengharaman Facebook" or something like that. It's about a Cleric who declared Facebook, along with some other social networking sites, 'HARAAM'. But the last paragraph did mention him saying "The tool itself is not haraam, but it really depends on the usage".

Now, I don't really know whether the article was purposely written to give the religious authorities a bad name, with the intention of pitting Facebook users against these people, or the clerics are just a bunch of dinosaurs, you know, leftovers from the previous millennium. Looking at the last paragraph, it seems to me that what the clerics wished to say was; See, if you use it the wrong way, then it becomes haraam.

This is a universal law. Anything can be regarded haraam if you use it the wrong way. Take, for example, the colourful prayer stickers (Doa makan, doa menaiki kenderaan, doa melihat cermin... ). If you stick them here and there just to remind yourself of your Creator, it is probably a good thing. But when you start to produce these stickers and make poor orphans sell it for you, then?

Therefore, I think that tools like Twitter, Facebook, and Blogger, to name a few, should not be viewed in a negative way. There's no use of going against the tide.

Regardless of whether we are liberals, conservatives, or just a bunch of anonymous readers who like to drop some hurtful comments occasionally, the internet is ours.

It is a medium to channel our thoughts, and we must use it wisely...

The Scientific Malaysian

2009-06-15T11:26:00.004+08:00

If I there is anything I can change about our education system, one thing I'd surely change is probably our approach in the teaching of Science.

I came from a generation of Malaysians who started learning science at the age 10, which I personally think is a little too late.

In the UPSR, science took approximately one-fifth of the total teaching hours. For PMR, it's reduced to only - one-ninth. Sad, isn't it?

And let's not forget how the theory of evolution mysteriously disappeared from our syllabus.

This, however, does not mean that I blindly accept the theory of evolution. What I'm trying to say is that, our textbooks should have addressed the theory of evolution, as well as the beginning of life from the religious/creationist point of view, as well as from other alternative viewpoints such as spontaneous generation or that spooky theory that says life originated from other planets.

Perhaps we should include scientific values in our Rukun Negara. We should punish all those fortune tellers and witch-doctors who are currently polluting our newspapers with superstition.

And oh, by the way, instead of trying to silence some women trying to seek their "fundamental rights", this party that claims itself more Muslim them others might want to consider proposing a motion to ban all those wannabe Ghostbusters on our television.

Bomohs. Pawangs. Dukuns.

Those people are anachronisms from the days we thought that every large tree is inhabited by a Spirit, and every time a crow lands on the rooftop it means that there will be death. Of bird flu, perhaps.

But who knows, perhaps these people are part of a plan designed by the wise Kings (who are, after all, descendants of the Gods, as said by the loony ancient "historians") to deal with unemployment. Instead of having those people laze around and do nothing or worse, having scary-looking people lined along the streets begging, our ancestors anoint them as healers. Casting demons and spitting betel nuts here and there. Wasn't that smart?

You may think that I'm such a philistine who doesn't know how to appreciate history and culture, and you may be correct, but all I'm trying to say is that we must be a bit more scientific if we want to compete globally. Seriously.

It doesn't look good when you have someone as beautiful and talented as Maya Karin going around the village clawing people to death.

New Look

2009-06-14T16:28:00.002+08:00

The white background requires more LCD power, therefore it is meant to increase electrical consumption which will, in the long run, contribute to global warming, thus reducing the size of the polar ice cap and this, in turn, will reduce the number of polar bears, forcing film-makers to make fewer documentaries on polar bears on Discovery Channel, therefore there will be a longer airtime for documentaries on machines.

If only you read this blog, John S. Hendricks.

Liberating the Liberals

2009-06-10T23:05:00.004+08:00

"I like to bill myself as a liberal",
I once said to my disciples (OK, friends).

*a brief moment of silence*

It didn't take long before their faces turned green. You could cut the atmosphere with a knife. Anger? Could be.
Confusion? Perhaps.
But their greenish faces somehow, told me that they're horrified.
They are horrified by the "L- word.
The word that many people think that if you associate yourself with it, you are registering yourself for a first-class ticket to hell.

Really?

Why is it that we are so afraid of the L-word?

A possible explanation is perhaps the fear is driven by the term "Liberal Islam", the name given by 'mainstream' Muslims to a movement founded their brothers who apparently have a different understanding of Islam. An understanding that I do not necessarily agree with. In short, the word 'liberal' has been hijacked by a certain group of people who think they have the right to 'reform' Islam.

However, looking at how the word 'liberal' is defined; either in the social or political context;

Liberal (society) - Respecting & Allowing Many Different types of behaviour

Liberal (politics) - Believing in or allowing more personal freedom and a development towards a fairer sharing of wealth and power within society

I sincerely believe being a liberal person is mainly a positive thing. In fact, the L word is even mentioned in the Cabaran Wawasan 2020;
"Mewujudkan masyarakt liberal dan bertolak ansur, rakyat pelbagai kaum bebas mengamalkan idea, kebudayaan dan kepercayaan agama masing-masing dan pada masa yang sama, meletakkan kesetiaan mereka kepada satu negara"

So, tell me; are you going to let "Liberal Islam" steal the L-word away from you?

++++++++++++++

A few centuries ago, I did this test (which was supposed to 'measure' how liberal I am), and here's the result;

Based on your answers to the previous questions, your overall score on a conservative/liberal dimension of moral attitudes--compared with the general population--puts your percentile at 71, with the 99th percentile indicating the most liberal possible rating. Another way of explaining this is to say that out of 100 randomly-selected people, you will most likely be more liberal than 71 of them. * You tend to hold progressive/liberal values, but are more traditional on some aspects. * When it comes to social morals, you feel that society's current laws need to be more liberal and flexibile across the board. * You believe that government is too conservative and would prefer it to change several of its political and practices.

Wanna try it out? visit this site

Dumb, Dumber, Dumberer: Should The Streaming Exercise In Schools Be Continued?

2009-06-01T16:10:00.002+08:00

Amanah, Budiman, Cekal, Damai, Ehsan.

Abu Bakar, Umar, Uthman, Ali, Hamzah.

A, B, C, D, E.

What do these names remind you of?

They remind me of classes.

Do you still remember, how we were separated into different classes back in school?

***

Let's say we have 3 groups of hamsters; The Bright Ones, The Average Ones, and the Late-Developers. Year in-year out, the hamsters will sit for some sort of a "test" to see which group each hamster belongs to. So the bright guys end up in class "A", where they will be pampered. The average ones will end up in class "B" where they will be FORGOTTEN, while the late developers, or the not really gifted ones would have to make do with class "C", where nobody really knows what happens to them.

***

Although this is just an allegory, one can't miss the stark resemblance that it has with our education system. We are still practising streaming exercise, as does Singapore.

If you were in my LDK group during the intellectually-challenging BTN, then you would've noticed that I asked a future educator whether it should be continued, after she lamented about the substandard treatment students in the lower classes receive from their teachers.

If you were in my JPA Interview group, then you would've noticed that I was asked the same question by the Interviewer.

To be honest, this is a question I've been trying to answer, but to no avail.

Is it true that our teachers pay more attention to class "A" students compared to their less gifted counterparts? I'm not a teacher, so I don't know. If such allegation is true, I honestly think that the idea of separating students based on their merits should be thrown off the window.

Nevertheless, if we were to keep students of different academic abilities in the same class, there may be fights, bullying, and what not. Some people say that grouping students according to their ability will enable the teachers to formulate a strategy for the whole group, while others claim that having a class with students from different academic abilities will enable underperforming students to hang around with smarter students, who will motivate them to work harder. Having a 'mixed' class will also enable students to appreciate their differences, that is, if their Pokemon-filled minds are able to understand such thing.

If I really have to take sides, I think I'm more inclined to ask the streaming exercise to be discontinued.

We already have MRSMs, Cluster schools, Smart schools and so on. I guess the streaming exercise is just part of the system to filter the brightest minds, and isolate them from the rest.

Depending on whether or not you support it, it can be a good, or a disastrous thing for our country...

Pure Awesomeness

2009-05-29T22:33:00.003+08:00

Just got back from BTN.

Felt like dancing.

Cool video, no?

Anyway, I ended up sleeping like a boar. Ha~ ha~

Environ-mentally Ill?

2009-05-22T00:31:00.004+08:00

I once thought of planting one tree every weekend.

I planned to buy a Civic hybrid.

I promised to separate my rubbish.

I vowed to write using only Pilot Rexgrip (it's made of recycled material).

I made a covenant to stop wasting electricity.

I joined Greenpeace international.

Has it made any difference?

I really don't know. Green is the new black, they say. People are producing green cars, green homes, and even green air conditioners. And now people are talking about Nokia's green phones. Big deal.

Is it all just a media hype, or are people really starting to become aware of their responsibility to mother earth? Ask yourself.

If you're just like me (i.e. someone who's given up on the power of Green), it is time to wake our compatriots up, and tell them it's not worth it.

why should I pay an extra RM15,000 extra for a 'hybrid' civic when I can get the non-hybrid one for RM115,000? In fact if I'm taking a bank loan, it actually costs even more!

After all, as the name suggests, it's a 'hybrid', which translates into 'it still runs on petrol, but we still hope that you should pay an extra RM15,000 so you can fantasize that you just saved the world'

And where do you think that RM15,000 came from? The sky? I'm sorry to disappoint you, but the majority of the money spend came from natural resources. Resources like gold, petroleum, and even diamonds.

If a product costs more than the conventional product, then I believe it's not a 'green' product.

Besides from not polluting the environment, a green product should also be cheaper. If you think you're saving the environment when you're frolicking around in your hybrid car perhaps with your Anya Hindmarch "I'm not a plastic bag" tote neatly held below your organically deodorized armpit, then you have a problem. Or at least I THINK you have a problem. Does that mean that I am the one with a problem? well, maybe.

This morning I let the tap water run while I brush my teeth, and I was amazed by the beautiful mixture of toothpaste and water being sucked into the vortex created by the sinkhole.

I turned on the TV and I went straight to bed.

I overcharged my laptop.

I left the lamp open the whole day.

And it felt awesome. Before that day comes when the entire world becomes too obsessed with environmental activism, before Al Gore is declared a messiah, and before owning a lightbulb carries a death penalty, I feel that I must enjoy doing these things while I can.

Is it really over?

2009-05-19T21:04:00.000+08:00

After 2 years of losing your freedom, sleep, and every bit of cheer, it is only too natural to thank God, your government, the old woman who keeps appearing in your dreams suddenly, or whatever higher power that you believe in, that IB is over.

Yet it’s still too early to celebrate, because there is still a long way to go. Or at least that’s what I think. Not just because I’m a born-again pessimist, but it’s the imminent, albeit gloomy, reality. And oh yes, perhaps IT IS because I’m a born-again pessimist.

Considering that an average Malaysian male lives for about 70.05 years, that means I still have more or less about 52.30 years to live. However I do believe that the actual figure smaller - looking at my current rate of junk-food consumption. Meanwhile, my hatred towards virtually anything above the ground and under the sky might just give me a heart attack. Or perhaps it is my driving habits that will send me straight before my creator, you know, like driving on the other side of the road, running into grocery shops, and honking at hapless children and senior citizens. Sad, isn’t it? I THINK I still have a long way to go, but who knows? On the other hand, people have been saying that people with huge earlobes tend to have long lives. I may not have huge earlobes, but I mean I have huge EARS, if that helps.

Anyway, if you are reading this entry, there is a substantial chance that you just finished your exam, and you are probably figuring out a way to celebrate. Of course it’s not wrong to celebrate, but I suppose that there’s nothing wrong to remind ourselves that our journey is far from over, especially to avoid the risk of being overjoyed =)

I know I’m such a wet blanket, but believe me; the world needs people like me. Pathetic people who try to lecture happy people how to live their lives. Haa haa.

WOW… I just can’t believe it’s already been 2 years.. Tempus Fugit.. Yes, time flies…

p/s: Now I must go back to sleep, get rid of my negativity, and attempt to wake up with some positive energy, only to find that I’m getting more negative than before. (still remember the term 'hyper-polarisation?) haahaa

The Plight of The Middle Class

2009-04-15T21:07:00.002+08:00

A few days ago, I had a heated discussion with some friends. I didn't know how I got there, but somewhere along the way I said,

"I think it's unfair to deny rich kids of scholarships just because they're rich"

...which obviously neither amused nor enlightened my friends.

One fought back with very good arguments indeed, while another asked me to "cuba keluar sikit".

I'm definitely not a person who's keen on promoting Plutocracy, because what I actually meant was that if you really ARE capable of something, you should get it, regardless of how much your daddy makes or how many pairs of shoes your mum has.

The one with good arguments refuted, saying that poor people (normally refers to people in rural areas) do not have internet connections, reference books, and they can't ask their parents if they don't understand academic things.

...Well dear, do ALL rich people know how to solve a quadratic equation? Can they ALL define what inertia is?

The friend went further: "It takes more effort for a poor student than a rich one to excel!"
Hmm.. Let us delve into this claim.. If you have 2 students of 2 totally distinct socio-economic status with 9 straight A's in front of you, can you say that the poor one has worked harder? So, even if you stay up all night to study, you finish all your homework, you're still not 'as hardworking' as your poor friend?

I find this belief rather toxic. The belief that all rich people are lazy is one of what we, the middle classes often generalize about the rich. We envy them. We want to be among them. But in the meantime, we'll just ridicule them so that we can curb our jealousy and not feel bad about not being able to afford the latest Ferrari.

When the government decides to give away scholarships to poor people, I perfectly understand. It's part of their electoral promise, although the money actually comes from the rich and us, the middle class, who've paid a handsome amount of tax beforehand.

But when companies that offer scholarships scholarships (like one well-known car-maker) start putting a 'cap' on the parents' income for their potential candidates, I sense something unjust. Not only they're being unfair to the rich (and the middle class), but they are also brave enough to make it public.

One of such adverts read;

"Keluarga pemohon mestilah berpendapatan kurang dari RM5000 sebulan".

Well, well. Now, what if I happen to be a highly intelligent school leaver whose parents earn RM5000.01 a month? Is RM5000 a good criterion to identify the 'underprivileged'? How is having an extra RM0.01 make me a 'rich' person?

Somehow I think this pro-poor development thing has gone too far. It's demotivating highly-capable people from working hard, because it's just not worth it. After all, being poor looks so much more comfortable!

Now, again, if you think I'm preaching Plutocracy, most probably you're wrong. I'm a true believer in Meritocracy, a view I proudly adopt from the teachings of Confucius and Thomas Jefferson. If you think that it's the poor people who are the 'backbone' of the country, well, think again. Perhaps your mentality is still in the 18th century Russia. We, the middle class are the new backbone. We constitute the majority of the electorate. We don't need free textbooks or free Milo. We want better schools, better internet connection, keep more of our wealth (but if the government wants to tax us, at least it SHOULD benefit us), better cars, and perhaps more responsible politicians.

We no longer need Neo-Communist policies robbing us of our hardwork.

Anybody joining the revolution?

"if you tremble with indignation at every injustice then you are a comrade of mine"
- Che Guevara

p/s: Yeah, I know he's a Communist but since 'injustice' is in fact a very subjective thing, I prefer to interpret it in a way that it'll sound like it supports my argument.

IQ - Intensely Questionable

2009-03-19T20:16:00.005+08:00

Do you know this kid?

Well if you don't let me introduce him to you.

His name is Pranav Veera and he's 6 years old. What's so special about him?

well, he's capable of:

- reciting the names of the US presidents in the order they served in office.
- Saying the alphabet backwards.
- telling you the day of the week if you give him a date back to 2000
- counting over 1 million
- operating microsoft excel
- smiling from ear to ear

I mean like, come, he's only 6, for God's sake! Isn't it too early to be doing all that???

But the most important part of all, his IQ is 176. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, 176.

Even Einstein had an IQ of 'only' 160 (by the way, IQ is calculated relative to a person's age, so a 6-year old with an IQ 176 may not be more intelligent than a an old guy with a bizarre hair-do who has an IQ of 160).

Anyway, now I'm starting to doubt this IQ thingy. Let's take this guy (i.e. me), for example. The last time I checked, my IQ was somewhere between 148 and 156. (Click on the numbers to check yours).

A normal person should have an IQ of around 100, so having an IQ in the >140 region sometimes makes me think that I'm a genius. Then how come I can't even remember what day was it on the 1st of February 2009, or even operate a car with manual transmission?

And now, I'm convinced that this whole IQ thing is a hoax. So I guess it's unfair to use such things as a measure of, well, 'intelligence? Take the UKCAT test for example, I can't believe that ppl would actually USE it to measure one's aptitude. Can u actually believe that someone struggling with maths (I even failed my add maths twice in high school) and his mother tongue actually has an IQ of 148, let alone 156???
having an IQ above 146 makes a person smarter than 99.9% of the human population. RUBBISH. Anyway, it'd be awesome to see what happens if I tell an angry mob "You know what, I'm smarter than 99.9% of you!".

And from here we see that East Asians (and perhaps Ashkenazi Jews) happen to be the 'smartest'. I wonder where should a Jawa/Pattani guy be classified under?

Despite having an IQ that is short of only 4 points from Einstein's (haha), I haven't been able to come up with anything as wonderful as e=mc2. Neither have I ever obtained a 7 in maths. Hence given that I have obtained handsome scores in more than 1 test, I hereby declare that IQ tests are a pile of $H17. No wonder the U.S. Supreme Court banned the use of IQ tests in employment.

Whatever it is, I wish you the best of luck, Pranav (that's a cool name). The world is a cruel place, and you need more than an ass-kicking IQ score to survive.

p/s: spending your thursday night updating your blog is also a prove that IQ has no correlation with intelligence.

Equally Confusing

2009-03-18T20:10:00.003+08:00

A few days ago, in my post under the title of "Thanks Mom, for the Brains", I did say;

"Before I proceed, let me remind you that I am neither a chauvinist-feminist, nor am I an MCP (=Male Chauvinist Pig). I'm somewhere in between. I do not believe in the superiority of one gender over another. I believe in equality."

Evident in the comments section, I believe an Anonymous reader does not believe in gender equality.

"i don't think men n women can b equal...
however, there shud b justice between both genders..."

Am I saying that the reader is wrong? Absolutely not. Does that mean he (or she)'s right? Perhaps. But who knows.

As I said a few posts ago, I stand to be corrected. There is a high possibility that I made a mistake, therefore I really appreciate different opinions, just so that I'll be able to look at things from many perspectives.

Therefore, today, I hope to clarify what I meant by equality - not to 'prove' that the reader is wrong or that I'm correct, but to, well, essentially define what I meant by equality.

Equality, to me, is the similarity in the treatment that we provide towards two or more different things. Similarity, meanwhile, is when the two or more things are almost the same.

For example,

1+2 is equal to 3. Are they the same? No.

Likewise a woman is a equal to a man, but they are not the same.

Being equal does not mean being the same. When I said women and men are equal, I mean both groups deserve to be treated in the same way, not that both groups need to behave in the same way.

This is why I have to disagree with the statement "i don't think men n women can b equal..."

Moving on to the "however, there shud b justice between both genders" part...
Can there be justice, I ask you, without an equal treatment between two groups?
How can there be justice when the president of a club/society/country MUST be a male when a Female gets more votes?
Can there be justice when a man is paid more than a woman for doing the same job?
You tell me. After all, we all have different definitions of the word "justice".

Basically, justice is what we, defenders of egalitarianism are fighting for when we talk about equality. Why is it that women, or ethnic minorities have to work harder to get something? Did they ask to be born that way? No. This is why, I think, equality is a prerequisite for justice, regardless of whether we're born with an extra muscle between our thighs, or extra fat on our chests or extra melanin on our skin.

But then again, perhaps it is true that the place of women is in the house. I mean in the house of Parliament!

Is this really what I want to do?

2009-03-15T23:00:00.004+08:00

I've been thinking quite a lot about my Uni applications.

So far I've managed to secure 3 conditional offers, but the main question remains unsolved - Do I really want to become a doctor? Is this something that I really want?

I've been debating with my inner self about it for the past 2 years, but now I think I'm getting closer to the answer.

I'll tell you why is it that I think I'm getting closer to the answer later, but we shall start with my intra-cerebral debate.

______________________________________________________________________

Left Brain: There is significant evidence to suggest that my interest in science will be put to a better use if I choose something science-y, like medicine for example.

Heart: Gosh, I just hate people, like, come on, I mean, do you really want to spend the rest of your life touching their pancreases?

Right Brain: On the contrary, arts and humanities requires no such revolting procedures to allow you the opportunity to learn about mankind. History, for example, enables you to understand the causes and consequences of an action. Isn't that wonderful?

Left Brain: I believe not. A doctor's job guarantees more prospect for success. Additionally, there are alternatives if one does not wish to meddle with someone else's organs. What I mean is that there are fields like psychiatry, radiology, and let's not forget, the Academia.

Heart: You know what, you guys never listen to me. Tell me once you finally make a discussion.

(My heart simply left and this is perhaps, why I've been feeling so numb and acting so heartless all this while)

Right Brain: More prospect for success? Do you mean money? Excuse me Mister, but of the 10 richest people in the world, do you know anyone with a medical degree? Plus, the person whose head we're living in seems to have a lot of interest in history, politics and things like that

Left Brain: No, no, I am convinced that the moron has a significantly more interest in science and what not.

Heart: (suddenly barged in) Are you both that dumb? He likes both, can't you see?!

_______________________________________________________________________

Basically that's how the debate roughly sounds like. Worse still, I can't get the voice out of my head.
I hear them when I sleep.
I hear them when I'm awake.
I hear them when I pray.
I hear them when I eat.
I hear them even when I stuff my tiny ear canals with my lovely pair of Creative earbuds and turn the volume to the max.
They just won't go away.

Until this morning, while scavenging on a pile of old Newsweek magazines, I found the remedy. (Yes, I do actually read old magazines) On page 51 of the Sept. 10th, 2007 issue, I found a thought-provoking article on "Well-Rounded Docs"

It says that more than 70% of meds in the US take up a Humanities subject due to personal interests.

I guess I'm not alone. It is also said that Humanities students fare better in the MCAT (the American UKCAT, methinks.)

Now I think I'm quite normal after all. But I guess there's a silver lining in the cloud. Perhaps I'll just have to get the education I need on Humanities informally.

This way I can devise my own syllabus, which suits my noddle better. Who can forget how awfully torturous it was to learn History in class, despite your having the motivation to actually finish reading the encyclopaedia of Islamic History on your own?

Well, at least I know how it felt like.

But do you know what the actual answer to my question was?

It's just an 16-word sentence of moderate length from a nobody named Dr Ryan Jacobson;

"Human science is about integrating information with the big picture, which is helpful for a physician"

Well-thought, isn't it?

Thanks Mom, for the Brains.

2009-03-15T00:02:00.008+08:00

It's been quite some time since my last post, and no doubt that it will take even more time before I can, once again, write like crazy. For the time being, I guess I'll have to put this blog on a long, long, sleep.

Anyway, do you know that 12 years ago, an article in The New Scientist Magazine exposed how influential our mothers are to our intelligence?

Apparently, based on a research conducted on mice, researchers found that the mother will pass down genes that control cognitive processes of the brain, while the father's genes are more influential in the development of the limbic part.

Shocking, eyh?

So thanks mom for the brains!

Anyway, before you ladies get too excited, let us remind ourselves that the research was conducted on mice.
Yes, mice. The hypersexed species that gives birth to around 35 baby mice a year.
So just imagine how difficult it must be for a Mouse-Mom. Of course she doesn't have to do laundry, pick her children from school, or prepare dinner, but then again, she still has 35 mouths to feed. And that's only in a year.

So no wonder the average doe need a little extra IQ than her mate.

Can we extrapolate the situation on human beings? I really don't know.

But I do know that women are waaay better at multi-tasking.

However, regardless of the accuracy of the finding, I do feel that throughout the centuries, the fairer sex has been quite mysteriously sidelined in many areas.

In recent years, however, things are much better for the womankind. Before I proceed, let me remind you that I am neither a chauvinist-feminist, nor am I an MCP (=Male Chauvinist Pig). I'm somewhere in between. I do not believe in the superiority of one gender over another. I believe in equality.

Can you Imagine, how much resources have we, the human race as a whole, wasted when we decided to keep them in the kitchens and harems for thousands of years?

Take an example, the women of Afghanistan.

They now hold a larger share of parliamentary seats compared to some of their Western counterparts (The new Afghan constitution ensures a minimum of 25% of the 361 parliamentary seats to women).

And where were these women a decade ago? You guessed it right. Completely invisible from their ankle up, uneducated, poor, but nevertheless resilient.

A few months ago, in an article in the Time magazine, there was a story about a woman who was constantly beaten by her husband, yet after the occupation she decided to go to an Arabic lesson. Some time later, she went back to her husband, and it was not long before her husband tried to hit her again. Before he even started, she recited a verse from the Quran - complete with the translation (on the treatment of women). Only then did the husband stop beating her. She later found out that her husband never really understood what he read from the quran, because he knew no Arabic.

And now comes the bigger question - Why, in heaven's name, did the Taliban, who claim to be ruling under God's words forbid women from going to school?

Wasn't God's first commandment to the Prophet sounded something like "Read!"?

Did God say anything about what to read, or who should be reading? Nope.

And when the Prophet rushed home, trembling with fear, who was it that comforted him? Was it not a woman by the name Khadijah?

Knowledge is important, regardless of whether one is a President or a Peasant.

Then why were women denied of their basic rights in the past?

And why is it that female students in Malaysia are often confined to the vice-(something2) post when it comes to selecting a chairman for almost everything, from class reps to Student Union presidents?

I get even more annoyed when some self-acclaimed "experts" use a religious justification for this.

During the Prophet's time, people went to his wives for advice.

In the process of electing a new Caliph, women voted!

During the Umayyad dynasty, the Mother Queen headed the Court of Appeal!

When Imam Malik's male students made mistakes while reading the Muwatta', his daughter knocked on the wall to notify them!

And those are just some examples of many feminine Islamic figures who disappeared from history, because it is, after all, "his story".

Yet when we talk about the rights of women, most of the time there'll be people trying to shut us up by saying that we've been brainwashed by the Western media. Well, sir, YOU are the one who's been brainwashed. I'm afraid centuries of patriarchy has shrunken your noddle.

Is it possible to educate someone who refuses to recognize the rights of the creature who gave birth to him? Ungrateful rubbish.

There you go. My point is, it doesn't matter whether the finding is valid for human beings or not. (I personally think the theory is true). What matters is that women are given equal opportunities to men. Simple, isn't it? Now comes the harder part of actually taking it into practice.

Before you go to bed, just remember to thank your mom, and thank your lucky star that you're not a mouse or an Afghan woman under the Taliban. GNite! :-)

p/s: Yesterday happened to be Naim's birthday, and coincidentally next Sunday is Mother's day. So Naim, if you happen to be reading this crap, don't forget to thank your mom. If it wasn't because of her, you won't be celebrating your birthday. In fact won't be doing anything because there wouldn't even be YOU!!!

6 Generations of Greatness

2009-02-01T21:28:00.002+08:00

"You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family."

I think it's true, regardless of whether you love your family or you hate'em to guts.

For me, I love mine. They're the greatest.

ThirThings I Don't Understand

2009-01-27T09:11:00.003+08:00

Yes, ThirThings means thirteen things and nope, this is not the part where I make fun of the Terengganu accent.

It's a game, a very popular game in Liechtenstein, where you randomly list 13 things. Quite fun actually.

Today, Its all about:

Thirteen Things I dont Understand

1. Why do people cover the floor with shiny mosaic and get really angry when we step on it?
What is the purpose of floor if not to be stepped on???

2. Why do non-English (say, Korean or japanese) singers sing in their native language, and then tastelessly say things like "come on baby" and "baby I love you Sooo"?
What is this? Some sort of pronunciation exercise?

3. Why are Rap videos & Tech magazines brimming with scantily clad women?
I can accept that the Rappers (not rapists) say things like 'Ho' and so they need to utilize the women as a form of imagery or something... But Tech magazines? Do those women even know how to operate a digital camera???

4. Why do people play the kompang?
It's loud, the sound is irritating, and most of the time it overwhelms the conversation of well-wishers during weddings. I want to meet the inventor of the Kompang and play Kompang with his head. seriously.

5. Why do people think God does his Holy Job better on Fridays?
Even I do it. I don't know why, but hey, ever thought of how cool it'd be if we can live like everyday is a Friday?

6. Why do people think that I'm self-righteous?
I'm not pious and I'm not afraid to admit that. End of story. When you do wrong things, I'd say it, even if I do it. So I guess that makes me self-righteous. Anyway....

7. Why do new parents talk endlessly about their first babies?
No, people. We're not interested in the colour of the poo. So probably you did something sweet with your partner and that wrinkly pinkish organism was born as a punishment to that sweet thing you did earlier. End of story.

8. Why do people always carpet the mosques?
New carpets stink. Old carpets stink more. So why can't we stick to marble? After all, after wudhu' ppl come straight away into the prayer hall, leaving the carpet damp, a conducive environment for bacteria and fungi. This leaves the mosque as a bacteria-infested, lethal place to visit. How Ironic.

9. Why would some people think it's cool to homosexualize others?
I cannot seem to understand why do some people call their friends gay and tell tall stories about their gayness. I don't even know whether the stories are true. Worse still, most of the time I believe them. Perhaps this is what happened to Malaysians when a Prime Minister told them that his deputy was gay.

10. Why do bridegrooms carry the keris?
What does it have to do with a wedding? Perhaps the groom will use it to cut the cake? Nope. Open presents? Nope. It's useless and it's violent.

11. Why do people wear crocs sandals?
They're ugly, and they're disgusting. They're like Britney Spears. American, fat, ugly, and tasteless. Yet people still love them. I don't know why.

12. Why do people say that I'm different?
When I ask somebody to do something else instead of studying all day, the answer that I least anticipate is "kau lain laaa mad....". Tell me, how can I, an inferior being who just found out that the word "warkah" means "surat" 2 months ago, answer in a way that will not make you look stupider than you have proven yourself to be?

13. Why can't Rashid stay?
How can we boycott Israeli goods and southern Thai goods at the same time? Why do we recite the Qunut Nazilah for Palestinians and keep mum about Southern Thailand? Can we sympathize and discriminate at the same time? At least Southern Thais make their own money. They don't go around and ask for donations an then use it to launch rockets they promised they'll never launch. They've been stuffed into Police trucks and suffocated. They've been shot in the heads. They share a common language with us. They don't fight among each other like Hamas and Fatah does. They are also Muslims. Then why?

IB Acronyms for Dummies

2009-01-17T19:33:00.006+08:00

One day, a man tells his friend:
"hey there mate, I think we should include more TOK-ish elements in the IA. I heard IBO wants that. We need to score because we blew our IOP n IOC last time. Thank God we're doing Malay SL, not HL. Answering the Malay HL paper is like writing the EE, but it's not as tiring as CAS."

"Ala.. Chill la weii... Aku ni lagi teruk, aku order TM dpt TD. Kalau tau camni baik makan kat DS. Pastuh dah abis mkn boleh terus study kat LRC. at least boleh jugak online pakai PSP, sambil chatting dgn barang due-tige O-Pe-Chan.", his friend answered.

I know it sounds like we speak Hebrew here in KMB. :)

Now I feel compelled to record every acronym used in the IB programme.

IB - International Baccalaureate

TOK - Theory of knowledge

IA - Internal Assessment

CAS - Creative Action n Service

SL - Standard Level

HL - Higher Level

IOC - Individual Oral Commentary

IOP - Individual Oral Presentation

IBO - International Baccalaureate Organisation

EE - Extended Essay

KMB-specific acronyms

LRC - Learning resource centre

PSP - Pusat Sumber Pembelajaran

DS - Dewan selera

TM - Telur Mata

TD - Telur Dada

O-Pe-Chan - Orang Perasan Cantik

And many more...

I don't really know if the IB people think it's cool to use the acronyms or what, but i think it saves quite a huge volume of my saliva.

Thanks, IBO!!!

The Interview.

2009-01-16T23:59:00.003+08:00

Warning: Please do not scroll down if you cannot tolerate my rant-and-rave

Friends.

Dear friends.

What you are about to witness is probably one of the rare cases of great misfortune that have befallen the human race.

It was 11.00 am, in the ice-cold Anggerik room, and I was shivering like an electrocuted chick. My palms were sweatier than usual. And I felt like my left lung just collapsed.

Yeah. It's my QMUL interview.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SCENE 1

Dr. B : Hello, Hammad.

shaking hands

Nervous Guy : Hello. (shivering)

Dr. B : So, are you nervous?

Nervous Guy : I'd be lying if I say I'm not. Yeah, I'm ridiculously nervous.

Dr. B : So, how are you today?

Nervous Guy : Nervous, but fine. (wtf??!!)

Dr. B : Believe me, you're not alone....

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SCENE 2

Dr. B : What can you tell me about what a good doctor needs?

Nervous Guy : Passion, Compassion, and Probity .

Dr. B : So, what can you tell me about probity?

Nervous Guy : I don't know, I guess the doctor-patient confidentiality thingy? (<Nervous Guy knows that Probity means Honesty, but he's not sure when is it that a doctor should be honest. Unfortunately, the "doctor-patient confidentiality thingy" has nothing to do with honesty.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SCENE 3

Dr. M : how many hours have you spent at this, Klang hospital?

pretending to calculate.... staring at my now bluish fingers pretending to calculate.... pretending to calculate....

Monolog Dalaman sikit : "damn! brape ek..... tibai je la"

Nervous Guy : maybe, mmm... about.... 60 hours? no, no, 80 hours.... (20-minute disparity?
r u kidding?)

Dr. M : Well, that's... (3-second-pause)... a quite reasonable period. So is there any
particular patient that you still remember?

Nervous Guy : Yeah, I have a vivid memory of this guy, there was this really old bangladeshi
chap who was very difficult. I had to bathe him and only after much coaxing did
he finally surrender. (surrender??? I know my english teachers must be crying
rite now)

Dr. M : How did you communicate?

Nervous Guy : I don't speak any Bengali, so we had to use sign language. (heart says: Thou shall
not lie...)

Dr. M : Then what happened?

Nervous Guy : when I was leaving, he took me by my arms and thanked me. I saw him crying.

Dr. M : Just now you said that you don't speak any Bengali... How'd you know he was thanking
you?

Nervous Guy : (Kantoi tahap Gaban) mmm... actually... well.... he... If I could remember
correctly.... mmm... mmm.... (a flash in the pan - Buh Zinggg!) He was putting
his palms together so I guess that means "thanks". It's a universal gesture,
right????
awkward silence.

Dr. M : Maybe.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SCENE 4

Dr. M : So what can you tell me about the east end?

Nervous Guy : It's not that different from Klang

Dr. M gave a very confused look

Dr. M : what do you mean?

Nervous Guy : You have a huge number of Bangladeshi immigrants (Why, God??? Why did you
make me say that???!!!)

Dr. M : HAHAHAHHAAA!!! Then you should start learning the Bengali lingo.

awkward silence again.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SCENE 5

Dr. M : What do you know about the university?

Nervous Guy : The university has been successful in selling itself as a perfect place...

Dr. M sniggered

Nervous Guy : (after a long pause).... for people like me. (JAWAPAN PALING BODOH)

Nervous Guy almost died after realising that he didn't really answer the question, and the cruel fact that he doesn't have an inkling about the Uni.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SCENE 6

Dr. B : How would you discourage someone from becoming a doctor?

Nervous Guy : Why would I do that?!! (sudden emo attack)

Dr. B : I don't know, just, let's say, you want to discourage someone from becoming a doctor.

Nervous Guy : (cisss... berguna sgt explanationmu itu)

Nervous Guy : Number one, you'll be married to your job. You should only marry something you
really love. (Nervous Guy DID say "marry someTHING you love)

Dr. B : Anything else?

Nervous Guy : Yeah. The exposure to contagious diseases.. like... (quiet)
(Bloody hell, I can't think of a single example)

Nervous Guy coughed twice. To indicate that he's stopping mid-sentence. then he stared into the ceiling and played with his necktie. Until now, he still can't forgive himself for that.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SCENE 7

Dr. M : What made you choose our university?

Nervous Guy : PBL. (Tipu : Nervous Guy never knew QMUL uses PBL until the day b4 the
interview)
I love teamwork. (Tipu : Nervous Guy is known to be a self-centered psycho)

Dr. M : Any other reason?

Nervous Guy : (Shyte.. what's the name of that thing, huh? is it S&M or MMS or M&M or sumthing)
SMM

Dr. M : Oo... You mean SSM?

Nervous Guy : Yup. I think it's wonderful.

monolog dalaman: you don't even know the name, LIAR!!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

SCENE 8

Dr. B : Do you have any question for us?

Nervous Guy : mm...
wait a minute.
Yeah, in fact I do.

Dr. B : Go Ahead.

Nervous Guy: How often do you revise you curriculum?

Dr. B and Dr. M looked quite baffled. They stared into each other's eyes, like a cheesy scene from a kitschy Korean drama.

Dr. B : Errr.... Quite often. In fact we just finished revising the syllabi.

Nervous Guy : Good. (Apakah??!!)

Dr. B : If I may ask, why did you ask?

Nervous Guy : There's this module I'm really interested in.

Dr. B : And that is....

Nervous Guy : Domestic Violence. (Note: This is perhaps the only thing Nervous Guy noticed
from the prospectus.)

Nervous Guy threw a lunatic smile.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

The moral of the story is, it doesn't matter if the interviewers r friendly or not.

In my case, thank God they were.

The important thing is not the interviewer,

not the seating arrangement,

not the questions,

not their accent or your accent.

It's you.

For socially-retarded, self-loathing people like me, even being ME is a problem.

Oh Maaaaaaaaaaaan!!!!!

2009-01-16T15:51:00.003+08:00

It's only 16th January.

And I'm starting to hate 2009.

Something tells me that it's not a good year.

Thank god my semester exam result's shown some improvement. Otherwise there's simply no reason to live.

I blew my QMUL interview. A total disaster. Told a lie and got caught. Red-handed.

Still struggling to finish my IA, World Litt, EE and so on and so forth.

A lot of things have been going on these few days.

Yet here I am, safely home, lazing off like a wild boar on barbiturate.

Im sooo...

sooo...

sooo...

depressed... and f*&%ed up.

Age of Change

2008-12-31T23:16:00.007+08:00

So 2008 has ended and we've made it into 2009. (Great....)

Happy new year, everyone, regardless of whether you're celebrating or not.

Hopefully you're not one of the hooligans running here and there with your stupid fireworks making each and every eardrum around you less functional.

So they say 2008 has been a yearful of surprises. Some, like Obama's victory were pleasant ones whereas others, like the Bukit Antarabangsa tragedy, obviously weren't. The worst of all is perhaps the second Great Depression, where the Greatest Nation fell to its knees, taking the whole world with it. Even the Europeans and the eastern Dragons weren't spared this time.

This is certainly not the time to celebrate, but it is the perfect time to reflect and to THINK.

Through
History
I
Now
KNOW.

On the other hand, my crystal ball's telling me that there will be more surprises in the coming year. There's been much anxiety over what 2009 holds for us all.

Obama's swearing-in ceremony.
Israel's national election.
India's parliamentary election.
Umno's polls (see how the shahrizat-rafidah drama ends)
My 20th birthday. Yeah, right...
IB exams (yucks)

Anyway, it would be lovely if I could outline my New Year resolution for the whole world to see and probably snigger at, but my problem is that I don't really have a genuine one.
So every year, I resort to the stereotypical "I hope to become a better person".
Pathetic one, no? Wait till the end of the year, where things get even more pathetic as I totally forget about the resolution.

So again, happy new year everyone. May the force be with you in keeping up with your resolution.

*************************************************************************************

A few hours ago, I was (and still am) shocked by Israel's decision not to accept a 48-hour ceasefire. You're doing a really stupid thing, Olmert, I tell you. Apparently it was Mr Bernard Kouchner, the French Foreign Minister (France holds the EU presidency until the New Year) who came up with the ceasefire deal. Probably Mr Kouchner read my post yesterday (LOL) and decided that it's foolish not to step in.
Mr Kouchner (greying nose hair visible) looking terribly disappointed

However, I believe now he thinks it's even more foolish to step in. After all, who can blame him? A lonesome ranger trying to settle a centuries-old feud? Of course it's not easy. Well anyway, at least he tried. Go Mr Kouchner!!
The Israeli PM and his Egyptian toyboy giving each other a shoulder hug. The monster on your left hand side: Mr Olmert. The one in the left is Mr. Mubarak

Hosni Mubarak, meanwhile, thinks it's foolish to open the borders so he'll just let his Gazan brothers die while he charms the pressmen with a tall story of what a good global citizen he is. Certainly, you will questioned before the Lord for every drop of Gazan blood spilled, Mr President!

Dear Mr. Olmert, with all your respect, please put a stop to this craziness. Your people have suffered negative publicity for thousands of years and unfortunately you're one of the reasons for this. If you choose to remain as a pariah state, then we really can't help you.

So by 12.00 (local time) the fighting still continues and there wasn't any indication things will improve. The IDF is still butchering tens of innocent lives while Hamas is still praying hard for the arrival of the 1000-angel-strong 'divine army' that they say God has promised them.

Stop the fighting, please. For heaven's sake you're brothers! You even share the same Y-chromosomes!!!

Stop Toying With Our Lives

2008-12-30T23:22:00.007+08:00

CAUTION: SUPER-DUPER LONG POST. DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVE NO INTEREST IN THE ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN CONFLICT

"Stop toying with our lives"

Perhaps this is what is reverberating in the heads of ordinary Gazans, as they switch on their Holy Black Boxes (TVs) and are greeted by a handful of individuals who talk of 'ceasefire', 'rockets', 'mortars' perennially on the TV screen. However, this time around, their speech is accompanied with the latest death tolls, and threats of opening the 'Gate of Hell'.

Ismail Haniyeh (Hamas leader), Mahmoud Abbas aka Abu Mazen (Fatah Leader), Hosni Mubarak (Egyptian Pres.), Ehud Olmert (Israeli PM)

It's been 4 days since Operation Cast Lead begun, and as we bid farewell to 2008, 360 Palestinians families are mourning the loss of their fallen loved ones and no doubt, that the other 4 Israeli families are pretty much doing the same thing.

It is a sad thing to know that in the midst of a global economic turmoil, some parties are happily shooting at each other and playing the blame-game as if the human life is worthless.

So yeah, the ceasefire has expired. But does this mean that the lives of 1.5 million Gazans are at the mercy of a piece of paper with the signatures of smooth-talking politicians? Now that's just ugly. You can renew the ceasefire as many times as you wish, but how much longer do the people of this godforsaken land have to suffer?

We are in dire need of a permanent, real solution to this 60 years-old problem. But unfortunately this is something tremendously difficult, if not impossible, given the current attitude of Israeli and Palestinians leaders. Meanwhile, somewhere in Washington D.C. the shoe-attack victim remains muted, and is probably enjoying the weekend while packing his stuff before his term in office ends. Annapolis has failed. And so has America.

Hence the only viable option is perhaps, renewing the ceasefire. But with Egypt's neutrality being disputed and the tendency of most Arab leaders to remain oblivious (or castrated) and avoid the embarrassment by calling each other cowards, a serious mediator is urgently needed. Turkey, EU, Saudi Arabia, Russia and perhaps China can apply.

Israel has simply too much to lose if it decides to go for a full-fledged invasion of Gaza. The first four days of Operation Cast Lead, which to me, is just a warm-up exercise has triggered much resentment across the globe. Interestingly, the demonstrations are not only being staged in Muslim countries, but they also occur in France, Venezuela and South Korea. The world is starting to get sick of Israel. Plus, should the crisis burst into a full-blown war, it will only strengthen the popular support for Hamas. Toppling Hamas won't be easy either, for the simple fact that undoing democracy is no child's play.

Meanwhile, Hamas is simply too weak to defend Gazans from the murderous IDF (Israeli Defence Force). However, although they're not as well-equipped as their Lebanese counterpart, the Hezbollah, they are undoubtedly more desperate. We really can't predict what people in desperation are capable of. However, by remaining defiant, Hamas is risking its popular support, especially at times when Abu Mazen and Hosni Mubarak continue to advertise Hamas as a bunch of power-hungry, stubborn zealots.

Time is running out, Mr Mubarak. Make your move now, or you'll find yourself fighting for your own throne, the Egyptian Islamists are building their power and although you're not very smart, you can't be stupid enough to miss this.

Anyway, I find the editorial in Ha'aretz (an Israeli newspaper) very inspiring:
"Re-establishing the ceasefire on better terms and with better supervision is a reasonable goal. Toppling the Hamas regime, or eradicating the last rocket factory where the last Hamas member is making the last Qassam rocket, are not reasonable goals, in part because they are unachievable without a prolonged presence on the ground in Gaza."

An eye for eye makes the whole world blind.... - Mahatma Gandhi

Change.

2008-12-30T21:19:00.003+08:00

I've made a few changes to the blog.

Larger fonts.

Fewer widgets.

Shorter posts (hopefully...)

Life is all about changes.

Embrace CHANGE.

Such A Long Day

2008-12-30T10:32:00.001+08:00

If yesterday was a dream, it surely was a crazy one.

It's more like a roller coaster ride, I think.

So basically I went out with a couple of friends for a pizza-and-movie ritual and watched Yes Man, which, I think, is a wonderful movie, although I couldn't really enjoy it because, well, It's too funny I was laughing my ass off most of the time and my eyes just wouldn't open whenever I laugh that hard.

Some friends didn't even make it to the cinema because the temptation to build up the sleepy dust (which some ppl also call as eye-boogers) on public holidays is simply too great to resist, while others had other commitments.

Syafiq photographing our far-from-photogenic faces

Iqbal humbly enjoying his pizzazz

Finishing the last sip

Going home

And so we went back around 4.00pm and when I checked my pocket for the commuter ticket while waiting for the commuter it was still there, but when I'm on board, it's gone. What? It's gone?

I didn't really know what happened to the ticket.
Whether I dropped it,
Or somebody stole it (Which is quite unlikely),
Or it spontaneously combusted,
I really don't know.

All I know was that I was frantically searching for it everywhere, looking a la retardo. Which of course, was a wild goose chase. "If only I had bought a touch n go card, this wouldn't have happened, shite!" I said to myself. So I had to come up with a few plans for damage control:

1. I'll just jump over the fence once I reach the UKM station, for which I will most probably end up in a lock-up
2. I'll just bribe the officer, for which I will spend a good number of centuries burning in the pit of hell.
3. I'll just pretend that I got pick-pocketed while waiting, but it's just not possible to hide my wallet. In my underwear? disgusting. Eat it? I don't think my stomach can digest leather products.
4. I can just beg the officer for mercy and pretend like I come from a far, far away kampung.

But in the end, I was quite lucky. KTM left the fence wide open, so there isn't really any need for a ticket. Speaking of Malaysian laxity...

I was totally worn out. So when I was finally home and decided to dock my butts on my favourite chair, I was told that my sister Cho just delivered a baby girl whose weight is about 4.1. Yeah we're talking about kilograms. So great! I'm now an uncle! For the 5th time, that is... Since I don't know what Cho n her husband will name the baby, for the time being, I'll just refer to her as niece #3.Niece#3, The latest recruit to our growing clan

Abg Fad & Yaya at the ward

Yob&Yong keeping an eye on the children
Ira: Will I still be the center of attention?

Niece #3, It's a cruel world out there. We welcome you with open arms but we can only guide you through. You have been given life, but you will have to learn how live. Being born doesn't make you a human just as being tall doesn't make you Yao Ming.

OK now I'm starting to pity Niece #3 for having a psychopathic antisocial Karl-Marx wannabe as her uncle.. haihhh...

Not everything is what it seems

2008-12-27T17:19:00.000+08:00

This post is written in the spirit of solidarity to Adlan's (edited LOL) post on 'everything is not what it seems'

It's friday, and as usual I feel mysteriously more religious. Perhaps this is why it's called Sayyidul Ayyam, the most revered day of the week. In the fairly well-lit prayer hall, from the majestic Minbar the Khatib leisurely talked about social ills... drug addiction... teenage pregnancy... and... he went to relate it with teenagers whose Qiblah is to the west (or West). And he went hours, and, and hours, and hours condemning those poor souls.

Yeah I know 'the West' and 'the west' is different, but literally, I guess there's nothing wrong with the teenagers, because geograhically, Makkah IS sort of to the west of Malaysia, about 290 degrees from the north (a mere 20 degrees from being exactly to the west).

The person sitting next to me obediently nodded, but I managed to refrain from throttling him in the spirit of the Sayyidul Ayyam. Not that I'm saying he's wrong. Not at all. It's just that I'm really bad at hiding it when I disagree about something.

So it makes me wonder, is everything that is western, a bad thing? Apparently, the late Hamka, a prominent Indonesian Islamic scholar doesn't think so. He once famously said; "Take what is good, even if it comes from the West".

I cannot agree more, after all, just look at the statistics:

Out of 30 countries with the highest HDI (human development index), only one is a muslim-majority -Brunei, at no.30 :D.

Out of the 26 wars that occured in the last 5 years, 17 were fought on Muslim lands

Out of 10 countries with the lowest unemployment rate, only 2 are muslim-majority countries

Out of 30 countries with the lowest corruption only one is a muslim-majority, Qatar, at No. 28

Out of 10 most corrupt - half are muslim-majority countries

So what's really happening to us? Were we not taught by Islam to be successful, peaceful, hardworking and honest? And why then, are we still being taught to hate the West, despite what they have achieved? And despite being at the bottom of almost every known list, why are we still being told that we're above the rest? Will faith without practice suffice?

After all,

A muslim who eats with cutlery is no less Muslim than the one who eats with his hand.

A muslim driving a Camry is no less Muslim than a person riding a Camel.

A muslim who wears a Cashmere coat is no less muslim than a Kashmiri separatist

So what's with the value judgement? As far as I can remember, despite being born in a household of hijjab-clad women, I was never taught to bear any sort of animosity toward those who don't. In fact a few days ago, my sister read to me, a quote from Allahyarham Mohd. Natsir, who was the leader of Masyumi, "Sebaik-baik muslimah itu berjilbab, tapi yang nggak berjilbab itu usah dibilang nggak baik". I know quite a number of free-haired friends who are angels if you were to compare them with some of the covered ones. And I constantly thank God for having a mother and sisters who are pretty much sophisticated and modern yet they differ from what is constantly portrayed as the 'modern women' by the piece of cloth wrapping their intellectual heads.

It's sickening to have tens of snot-faced people around you (in fact maybe hundreds) who talk as if they have a ticket to Heaven and have a penthouse there, but are almost barbaric when it comes to work ethics. Not being punctual, plagiarism, free-riding, and so on...

I am not a good person. I am a great person. Ok, kidding. I am not a good person, this is so because I am not perfect. Nobody is. Far from it. I'm not proud of it, in fact I hope to change these habits by the time Izrail pays a friendly visit. You may find me in shorts enjoying my Nescafe, and please remind me to wear something that reflects my faith and upbringing (and thanks Naim for tirelessly doing that). When I say bad things, remind me to hold my tongue (and thanks Syuk). And thanks again to Naim for entertaining my intellectual crap.

It would be nice to have friends who criticize you and point out your mistakes. True friends are supposed to be honest. Those who go around and compliment you on everything you do, now those are the people that you should be watching out for. Those who backstab, I will eventually know (I know some already hoho) ;) One who listens to backstabbers never hesitates to break the secret. So watch your back.

Anyway, back to my point, being a good person is not just about what you wear, what type of music you listen to or even who you hang out with. Judge a person by what is IN his/her head rather than what's ON his/her head. Perhaps it is time to really stop judging a book by its cover once and for all. Instead read the review on Amazon. And then judge. haha

Just saying.. what I said may not be true and I stand to be corrected.. but, according to Puan Bahariyah, "If you think you're right, then you're right"... Now, isn't that an axiomatic truth? World's greatest teacher...

So Adlan, I can't agree with you more. We should stop being judgmental. And stop being pretentious too... And for those who still passionately chant those anti-Western rhetorics and think it's smart to do so, well, think again.

lalalallaaa (bloody hell smthing's wrong with blogger.com)

2008-12-20T00:48:00.000+08:00

lalalalallaala

Shalom, Stateless Nations

2008-12-18T23:22:00.000+08:00

figure 1: Sharing an affectionate brotherly embrace (huahauahua)

This morning, I watched a NatGeo documentary about the Ashkenazi Jews in Europe. They were once a nation without a state, which means that they were a group of people linked by a common culture, yet they don't have a formal Government. In fact they roamed the earth without a land for hundreds of years - facing continuous harassment and discrimination.

And now, just look at them - A regional superpower, equipped with nuclear arsenals, the highest percentage of PhD holders, and all these and more despite being estranged by their immediate neighbours. It brings one question to mind: whether will there ever be another great Nation that will rise from the ashes, after centuries of humiliation, and rebuild their own' Promised Land'?

There are simply too many Stateless Nations to date, but I find some of them are truly fascinating objects of curiosity (dont ask me why); exampli gratia:

#1 The Kurds (population: Almost 40 million)
40 million is roughly0.6% of the world population - about 8 Singapore-s. Largely concentrated in Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Germany, the Kurds also dwell in western European countries as well as the USA. They are predominantly Muslim but small Christian and Jewish minorities also exist. Their 'homeland' is called as Kurdistan, a mountainous region around the Turkish-Iraqi-Iranian frontier. Since the invasion of Iraq, the Kurds have enjoyed a wider political freedom, even securing Iraqi presidency. They have given birth to one of the most towering historical characters, the Herculean Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi. Some other Kurds you may know are - Ibn Taiymiyyah, Badruzzaman Said Nursi (a turkish Islamic philosopher), and Nusrat Bhutto (the late Benazir Bhutto's mom).

#2 The Uyghurs (population: 9 - 20 million)They are the inhabitants of the Chinese-controlled Xinjiang-Uyghur Autonomous Region. Also known as the eastern Turkmen, most of them are muslims but decades of years of religious oppression has led Islam to be more like a cultural identity than a religion to many of them. They can also be found in much of Central Asia, the USA as well as Europe (you can also find'em in UIA if u want). The most well-known Uyghur is perhaps Rebiya Kadeer (pictured above), a laundrywoman-turned-millionaire who was jailed a few years ago and is now living in the USA. The Chinese authorities ordered her to divorce her husband for speaking up against the government (I kid you not).

#3 The Basques (population: 18 million)This people live in Northwestern Spain and Southwestern France. They speak their own language and there have been calls for seccession, spearheaded by the ETA. The list of distinguished Basque personalities include Che Guevara, St Francis Xavier, St Ignatius Loyola, Xabi Alonso, as well as Simon Bolivar (After whom Bolivia is named, and a great idol of Venezuela's Socialist President, Hugo Chavez. Yeah, THAT Hugo Chavez). Kinda interesting to know that they produce clergymen and revolutianaries alike.

#4 The Palestinians (population: 11 million)Simply the best example of the extraordinary rendition of human survival skills, a massive number of the children of Canaan were banished to make way for the new state of Israel. The majority of them are muslims, but there is also a large Christian minority. Jordan accomodates a huge number of Palestinian refugees, and so does pretty much of Arab League nations.

The Arab League strictly forbids any of its member to grant citizenship to Palestinians. You may find this cruel, but..........

This is done so as to preserve their Palestinian identity and prepare them for a future independent Palestinian state (soo touching). Some Palestinians have gone as far as holding the post of Prime Minister in Belize - Said Musa, the presidency of El Salvador - Antonio Saca (a great supporter of Bush's unfortunately) and the Throne of Jordan - Queen Rania. Even Imam Shafie himself was born in Gaza.

The list continues, and from this point onwards I will not go into much detail:

#5 Thai Muslims (population: 7.5 million)Where are they? Southern Thailand, Bangkok, Saudi Arabia and Malaysia
What's so special about them? They were once ruled by the Pattani Sultanate and are pretty much similar to west-coast malaysians, despite there is slight difference in their accent. Due to ASEAN's non-interference policy, we are coerced to remain silent about their suffering. Shame, Shame.
Thai Muslims I know: My grandparents?

#6 The Bangsamoro (population: 5 million)Where are they? Southern Philippines, Sabah
What's so special about them? They were granted autonomy and inhabit the Mindanao Island. Most of them live below the poverty line.
Bangsamoro I know: Nur Misuari, Amirah Ali Lidasan (pictured above)

#7 The Acehnese (population: 4 million)Where are they? Aceh, Indonesia
What's so special about them? They fought a long war for independence but finally compromised for a regional autonomy. Known to be the most conservative area in Indonesia.
Acehnese I know: Cut Nyak Dien, Hamzah fansuri, Hassan Di Tiro, Irwandi Yusuf, Nurudin Al-Raniri

#8 Ceylonese Tamils (population: 3 million)Where are they? Sri Lanka
What's so special about them? The tamil tiger is known to be one of the few rebel groups that own warplanes (what?? seriously???) and uses female suicide bombers frequently
Ceylonese Tamils I know: Tan Sri Ananda Krishnan, Sivarasa Rasiah, Radhika Kumarasamy, Tan Sri Devaki Krishnan (these people ARE NOT tamil tigers)

#9 The Rohingyas (population: 3 million)Where are they? Myanmar, Bangladesh, Pakistan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, etc...
What's so special about them? The Myanmar junta calls them 'Bangladeshis' when they have been in myanmar for a long, long time. Longer than the Juntas. Maybe you can try calling your grandfather a Nigerian. See how he responds. Just don't tell him I told u to do it.
Rohingyas I know: none (forgive my ignorance). Penculik Yin, perhaps.

#10 Beta Israel (population: 200, 000)Where are they? Ethiopia and Israel
What's so special about them? The Israeli government 'rescued' them from Ethiopia, but they still suffer discrimination in Israel.
Beta Israel I know: Esti mamo

So maybe the oppressed nations will awaken day. But when you have leaders who prefer to spend their people's tax money on fancy Italian-made Mosque chandeliers
instead of building decent schools,
I think it's far from happening in the near future...

So, will there be a new Israel? I really don't know. You make the call. The ball is in your court.

Personally, I don't really believe that you need your own state as a precondition to be successful. Look at the Jewish scientists during the Industrial age. Or even Persian scientists during the golden age of the Islamic empire.

Indira Gandhi was once asked by a fellow parliamentarian, "why is it that Indians are successful everywhere they go except in India?' Haaa... Try to answer that...

I prefer to be judged by my capabilities rather than my skin colour.

And live in a colour-blind utopia where it doesn't really matter you're yellow, black, white, green or magentta and whether you call a tree as pokok, shajarah, arbre or arbol. Racism is simply stupid.

To make my point clear(er),What do you think? I stand to be corrected :)

p/s: I received some comments that my blog is graphic-heavy, but hey, I'm trying to save your time here. A picture speaks a thousand words, doesn't it? (well, try to compile 4 pictures and submit them as your ee (4000 words) and try to argue your case. And wait and see how IBO responds)

Was, Is, Will...

2008-12-18T00:34:00.000+08:00

As I was feeling truly out of my elements yesterday, I decided to do something I'm really good at. I did NOTHING. I was in bed all day, looking into the sky~ the very gloomy sky~ the insufferably dull sky~ (it wasn't even sky blue, it's more to Alice blue..)

And so I began this really, useless process of introspection.. And I was suddenly haunted by things that I have long forgotten.. So I tried to build up a list of things that I have forgotten for the past 19 years, 2 Months and 18 days of my life.
Things like;
1. Forgot how to ride a bike
2. Forgot my Arabic
3. Forgot hoe to cry
4. Forgot how to apologize and forgive
5. Forgot how to drive a manual transmission
6. Forgot how to play the song 'Ode to Joy'
7. Forgot Surah Al-Mu'minun (tried to recite this Surah in Zohor but nothing came out)
8. Forgot how to use Macromedia Flash
9. Forgot how to operate a Motorola phone
10. Forgot my sifir duebelas

The list goes on and on~ Now aside from no. 4, all the things that I forgot are $$$-generating skills. What a bummer. It makes me wonder, is it perfectly normal for us to forget some things from our past to make room for new 'things'? I really can't provide myself with a satisfactory answer. To some extent, yeah, I do think that we should be prepared to let go of certain things (although not everything) from our past to live the future. 'Give up the past to live the future', now that sounds sooo neat and over-simplified.

So it led me to something else: do world leaders let their past affect their present judgments as leaders?

I know there ARE leaders with glitzy, and often unpredictable past. like:George Bush, the current President of the US who used to be a cheerleader in high school (how freaking Gay)

The late Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the US, who was an actorRahm Emanuel, Obama's chief of staff, a ballet dancer (thank God he wasn't a belly dancer)this hottie is Maria Carfagna, Italy's Minister for Equal Opportunity, a showgirl@actress (I dare not publish her racy pictures, and I find her title truly amusing)Shimon Peres, ex-PM of Israel, a kibbutz farmerSarah Palin, the Governer of Alaska and the republican VP nominee, a beauty queen (who's smiling now huh???)Samak sundaravej, Thailand's shortlived PM, a chef (speaking of Thai food...)And finally, one of my favourite war criminals of all time, Joseph Stalin, the head of Soviet Union, a WEATHERMAN (nice hair, dude!)

Whereas ome leaders had a reputable past, like:
Richard Nixon, the 43rd president of the USA, who was a lawyerGolda Meir, the 1st female PM of Israel, a schoolteacher (she's not an average grandma)Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the Israel-bashing Iranian President, a lecturer in Civil Engineering (he's specialized in traffic, yet traffic jam is ubiquitous in Iran)Tun Dr Mahathir, who needs no introduction, a doctorDr Gro Harlem Brundtland, ex-PM of Norway, a doctor-cum-economistFidel Castro, ex-Pm and ex-President of Cuba, a Lawyer (he surely loves havana cigars)Condi Rice, The US' secretary of state, a lecturer in political scienceChe Guevara, an icon of communism, a medical studentBarack Obama, the president-in-waiting of the USA, a law professor (WOW)Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, you-know-who, a youth activist (explains his exemplary oratory)Abhisit Vejajiva, thai PM, an economics lecturerAbdullah Gul, Turkey's President, a lecturer in International Management (dunno wut that is)Wu Yi, Chinese Vice Premier a.k.a. Iron Lady, a petroleum engineer (We just LOVE your hairstyle)

Do lawyers and academicians lead better than cheerleaders and movie stars? Although yeah most of the time it's true, it's preposterous to say that it is always so, so you be the judge. Aristotle said that philosophers should lead the country. It's either he's a genius or a total crackpot.

I can't help not to excogitate about the future. Where will I be? Will I still be the person that I am today?

The khatib (raya qurban) in my place said, in his sermon, that it does not matter what you do throughout your life. What matters is what you do before your death. A good person, who turns into a sinner at his deathbed will see Him, and a sinner who turns into a saint at his deathbed won't.

At first I thought it was creepy. Now I can't stop thinking about about it. Will I be the same person in the future, perhaps, as a father?In the year 2020, children will be wearing overalls again!
And will I be the same person once I take over the whole world?Que Sera, Sera (Whatever will be, will BE)

Still Waiting...

2008-12-17T02:32:00.000+08:00

I hate waiting.
I detest waiting.
I loathe waiting.

If you think giving birth is painful, well, try waiting for your UCAS (UK Uni Application) results. It's even more painful, or at least that's what I think. And we're not being given the magical epidural to numb the pain. Nothing to stop the excruciating, tormenting, unpalatable pain of waiting - who needs that at this time of the year, especially when you have 2 novels to finish... So far I have only received one reply from UCAS, and that is from QMUL... 1 out 4... I feel like a cat with only one leg... Or a car with only one wheel... Or a cow with only one... stomach...

Choice #1: QMUL : Interview
Choice #2: Bristol : Has yet to reply
Choice #3: Cardiff : Has yet to reply
Choice #4: Edinburgh : Not expecting much

Not only am I sick of waiting, I am also tired of checking the mailbox. Not just emotionally tired, I'm physically worn-out too...

The mailbox is precisely 75 steps away from my door (we're talking about my steps, and my shoe size is 9, which is 1 size short of the one that nearly hit Bush's head) . See how my nephew over there (let's just call him 'the kid' for now) is dwarfed by the pavement?. I'm too lazy to walk myself, and the kid is obviously too small to be asked to check it for me.
Ok, as I was saying... If I were to walk back to the house once I've reached the mailbox, it will take another 75 steps.
In total : 150 tiring steps.
Each of my arbitrary unit of 'step' is approximately 2 feet long, which means that 150 steps = 300 feet.
Yeah, as a post-americanist (not anti-american) it's kinda hard to imagine how long '300 feet' is so let's just convert the Imperial (the unit being used ONLY, yes, ONLY in the US as a standard) measurement to a suitable decimal form: the cm.

1 foot = 30.48 cm, hence 300 feet = 9144 cm,

and 9144 cm = 91.44 m

91.44 meters? what the heck???

If I walk a farther 8.56 meters (Into the dining hall maybe) I'll be walking 100 m, a nice, round number.

And if travel from the door, to the mailbox, and into the dining hall in less than 9.74 seconds, (which gives me an average velocity of 10.267 m/sec) I'll break the world record and may as well score a gold for Malaysia in 2012. Ladies and gentlemen, you have a beacon of hope :)

BoooMMMmm.. Reality check: I'm just a hypoglycemic couch potato who can't even breathe properly. Now let us just forget about the medal for a second. Wait, no, for GOOD. My point is, it's completely disheartening to see what a lazybum I've turned myself into these days... Yeah I MADE the choice to become lazy.. It has nothing to do with my featherlite weight, or technology, or being Malay. I just-you know, happen to be naturally kind of, well, sort of - LAZY. Haihh...

But luckily, I've discovered this new website where you can actually create your own avatar. Cool stuff kan? For now, I can remain oblivious to my laziness..

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

@ Naim

I hate to disappoint that fat kid but Greece is, truly, beyond my realm... All I know is that they came up with democracy, and then they were invaded by the Romans and Ottomans and the next thing they knew they were under a military junta.

Democracy was restored some time later and by this time there was this much hype over the Capitalist-Communist divide. As I had been told by my Holy Black Box (read: TV), the riots were caused by the shooting of a teenager in a predominantly leftist area - by a police official. As a positive, optimistic citizen of the world, I would say that this should serve as a reminder to all uniformed officials not to abuse their power.

In our conversational english, this translates into : Holy Moly! the Greeks are in deep shit. Like many other leftists, these people were sidelined during the rapid industrialization of the 60's and 70's and so most of'em are relatively poor. So basically this is a result of inequality (people who have nothing to lose have more freedom to act violently than people who have EVERYTHING to lose). But it is such a shame to see the bithplace of democracy is being raped with such barbarous showcase of power.

Another strange thing is that, some people are calling this as the 'Student Intifada' and some protesters are even spotted wearing kefiyyehs (the traditional checkered Arabic cloth) Why people? Why? What do Islam, or the Arabs have to do with anarchism????? We know we represent 'the oppressed' but leftist, poor, anarchist, molotov-throwers? Gheeeezzz...

I really thought this 'inequality' threat isn't a really a real problem. At least not until this greek riot and the Reformis demo. When you have 15-year-olds being shot for no reason and some middle-aged chaps threatening to display their doodles in Malaysia then you have a SERIOUS problem....

p/s: To all my friends (especially iman k.a.) who are still waiting, if you're using YM then good, u don't have to check your inbox constantly, if you're using gmail, download gmail notifier (cool thing)... And make friends with the postmen :)

1st And Foremost

2008-12-15T23:59:00.000+08:00

Mhmmm....

I finally have my own blog. To the poor souls whom I have mocked in the past for allegedly spilling your guts in public, you can smile now. I am finally jilating my own ludah. Can't resist the temptation.

1st of all, I would like to explain the name of the blog : Philo's Axiomatic Truth.
Well, Most of the time, I'll be blogging about the truth. Kinda self-explanatory

I've kept the layout as simple as possible, to minimize downloads, and the lackluster black background is purposely kept, well, black, to reduce power consumption...

And I'm grateful to have a friend like Shafiq Johar (The math genius who seldom dines ) who's inspired me, indirectly, to write a blog of my own. Thanks.

I have no idea what I'm going to ramble on about, but I surely hope it's not as baffling as I naturally am. Cheers.