MAVERICK MINDS

Of Maverick Minds and Musings

2007-10-11T21:24:00.000+08:00

I am writing this post after finally finding the time to read one of my favourite blogs... virtually visiting the mind of another maverick...

www.mediha.blogspot.com specifically, the Melting Pot Bubbling Over post.

It’s been a while since I’ve visited Kak Diha virtually so this is going to be lengthy :-)

The tree of racism and societal divide is slow to come out of the ground but once allowed to grow...it devours everything in its path.

To understand this growing trend i think we must go back a little into history.

Pre Merdeka our country was pretty much segregated thanks to the orang puteh. The Malays were mostly agriculturally inclined but a few elite groups were absorbed into the running of the government (the British recognising that they needed inside men within the majority racial group to quell any potential unrest). The Chinese were businessmen, having come from (at that time) economically booming and British Empire trading, China. The Indians were mostly labourers brought from India (the other colonial seat of power in Asia) to help work the mines, the railways or the plantations... some (like my grandfather) escaped the forced labour of the British but came to Malaysia voluntarily to seek out an independent and more lucrative future for his family.

Years go by; the divide solidifies and becomes even more pronounced...

Enter the people who had the vision of an independent nation. Couple that with the British Empire's gradual withdrawal from its outlying colonies due to both losses sustained during wars and the rising cost of quelling revolt from the conquered. With those two factors working in our favour, Malaysia was birthed.

For a long while our grandparents and parents lived in a world that the different races were solidified by nationalism and the lessons of colonialism. We forgot for a time that we were different races because we shared a common goal and a common enemy (the Empire) The Bumiputera policy at that time sounded feasible and even fair to the Founding Fathers of Malaysia due to the socioeconomic background of each race. I can only lament that the Indians were not more strongly supported. but i guess that we had little or no political capital at that time. But i digress...

Basically, we blended together under these circumstances because we were innocent, trusting, and sad to say a little naive. We had little or no idea what would happen 50 years down the line.

Currently... the average Malaysian has no idea what the colonial times was about.. we are reaping the seeds that we have sown. Things like racially segregative school systems... The Chung Hwas, The San Yuks, The Tamil Schools, The Sekolah Berasrama Penuh, The Sekolah Menengah Agama...Things like the NEP and the Bumiputera policy only reaching the rich and politically connected individuals... Events like May 13th and Kampung Medan events that happened but were not openly discussed only leading to more speculation and unfounded rumours.

People fear and shun what they don't understand...and understanding comes from exposure and education and honest discussion. Truth and Reconciliation Commissions helped South Africa maintain a certain level of societal sanity post apartheid, but in Malaysia we hide from the truth and from open and honest discussion.

Contributing factors like these slowly but surely eroded our nationalistic spirit. Parents of non Malays slowly became more and more disenfranchised and disillusioned by the Malay ruling elite and the parents of the Malays, secure in their created bubble of political advantage became more and more closed off from the other races.

All of us have become xenophobic gradually because of a combination of all these factors

Therefore, if a little girl turns up her nose at her pork eating schoolmate, she is only mimicking what she has seen other people around her do…maybe not her parents or siblings…but her friends and teachers and neighbours.

Xenophobia is not genetic...it’s a virus that is contracted.

I think our country has to seriously ask itself some very hard questions before we can become truly Malaysian. Don't get me wrong... I am a supporter of the Bumiputera policy, even if I do not receive its benefits... but i think that proper implementation, transparency, and accountability of how the policy has been administered is paramount to combat the mounting distrust and disillusionment the non Bumiputeras' feel. I have all confidence that the non Bumiputeras' will be able to understand the simple logic of providing special consideration for the largely economically inferior majority in the country. One only has to look to countries where a minority group became too economically advantaged over another to see how dangerous this trend can be (read civil war and riots).

Affirmative action makes sense...but only if implemented in a transparent and fair manner. Otherwise it breeds too much resentment. Malaysia makes sense...but only when these issues and societal divides are tackled in a long term and positive manner.

Malaysia Boleh? Only if ALL of us Boleh together...

Rage

2007-10-04T03:01:00.000+08:00

Ever feel angry?

I don't mean the normal anger or irritation one feels at, lets say for instance someone kicking your pet cat... i mean the consuming murderous rage that makes you want to draw a knife with a jagged edge and plunge it deep into someone, rejoicing in the tearing of the skin, the thick wetness of blood, taking pleasure in every inch of your weapon as it slides, oh so easily into a person... only to twist it and tear it out again, spilling blood and internal organs all over your hands so that you can feel the warmth of his blood washing over you?

Ever feel that way?

Or do you turn around mentally and shrug away the mental massacre? Have you ever felt angry enough to be able to maim and murder and do it with a smile on your face? Laughter perhaps?

I feel that way now... I want to kill. In order for me to do that i have to hate...not simple hate, but passionate hate, hate that takes the sweetness of revenge to new heights. I hate. I hate and i want to torture and slowly destroy every shred and semblance of humanity that exists in the sick bastards that took little girls like Nurin and used them for their own perverted pleasures. I want to shred their sick tainted little fingers and roast them over a fire in front of their eyes, i want to tape their eyes open and scrape off the skin from their legs and then dip it in salt. I will not let them die...death may be too good for them...

Little girls like Nurin should be playing with dolls not be made into some macabre receptacle to some perverts' sexual urges... Every time i see things like this happen i see my niece and my nephews... and i lose it. I want to kill.

They caught some people recently... i want to volunteer. I know i can make them talk...

Am i losing my humanity? Am i so gone that i can actually imagine doing such atrocities to another person? What would separate me from them then? I don't know.

Innocent till proven guilty? Empty indeed seem my ideals when i stare into the face of a little dead girl. I pray that she is in a better place now.

Got All Your Eggs In One Basket?

2007-06-21T12:07:00.000+08:00

Have you ever wondered what exactly racism is? Is it the act of discriminating an individual because of his race...or is it the deeper underlying belief that the race that you belong to is superior to all others?
Would it still be racist if you believed that another race (not your own) was superior to the rest? Lets say you were Malay but you believed that Europeans/Caucasians was the superior race?

Rather apt picture isn't it...white eggs discriminating against a brown egg...not realising that they are all eggs anyway and once broken their yolks are still yellow. Sadly, even after years of so called "civilization" and "progress". Racism is still very much a problem for the human race...

And if broken and sliced open, we are all the same colour... Blood red and stone cold dead.

Lets not lie to ourselves...all of us are racist to a certain extent. Colour and culture still provoke responses in us that could only be termed as xenophobic at best and downright racist at worst. But what makes a person go the distance in racism? Openly putting down another because of his upbringing? Is it ignorance? Or is it the ingrained upbringing that your parents have gifted you with? I've seen racism deny someone a good future, stop people in love from getting married, and deny a person from getting a job that he deserves. What makes us go this extra step?

My friends and i openly call each other keling, apek, mamat and many other derogatory terms, but always with affection and a touch of humour...but we are brothers one and all...and we would stand by each other without a second thought.

Its the fools that use those terms and actually believe that they are superior than the rest that worry me.

If the hate is targeted at a race its called racism...but what if you hate Arabs from Saudi? Is that nationalism? What i find even more strange is that racism even exists between Muslims across the world...Something that our Prophet worked so hard to eradicate during his lifetime...I believe it was called Asabiyat ... Tribalism yes... but isn't that just a smaller form of racism?

And some of us are pathetic enough to think ourselves as good Muslims when we can't even "love our brothers in Islam as much as we love ourselves" (adaptation of a Hadith)

No judgement calls here...just generally wondering "what happened to the Ummah once known so well...greatness was known now can you tell?" (Outlandish featuring Sami Yusuf 'Closer than veins')

In Defence Of Defence

2007-04-16T22:18:00.000+08:00

Before reading this post, one must start with the fundamental belief that every person, regardless of guilt or innocence has a right to be defended in a fair and just court system...

If you do not believe in this fundamental principle of natural justice, I respect your views...and you may forthwith cease to read this post because it has nothing that it can offer you...and you may slither back to whatever hell hole you call civilization and pretend to be a intellectually astute whilst anyone with half a brain laughs at your ultimate stupidity. As I said...I respect your views...i think you are an idiot, but even idiots have opinions and rights.

I'm writing this post because I am saddened by the lack of respect and acknowledgement that criminal defence lawyers receive. Most of us (unless you are extremely rich and popular; read 'Karpal Singh') are labelled as accomplices to the actual criminal...and much much worse. These guys are just doing their job...give them a break.

Oh yeah...its all nice to point fingers and call lawyers names but consider the possibility that YOU might just be the person charged with an offence you didn't commit, put behind bars for someone else's crime, publicly humiliated for something that you had nothing to do with......then you come running to the most cunning defence lawyer you can find, suddenly these chaps are your saviours, and all lawyer jokes are forgotten huh...

In my meagre time in the firm, i've seen cases where people were imprisoned for just being in the wrong place at the wrong time and the steamroller of the justice system of Malaysia just keeps rolling over them time and again. I've seen futures and families demolished for nothing. Who you going to call to sort out your mess? The Defence Lawyer.

Remember this...and be kind to the next defence lawyer you meet...he might just save your future for you some day.

My Best Friend's Wedding

2007-01-03T16:08:00.000+08:00

(This is NOT a movie review...although Julia Roberts pulled off another masterful performance in that movie)

My best friend just got herself hitched. What does this mean? I don't know what it means...but i do know what it meant though...

It meant a few days in Alor Setar (her hometown) preparing for the nikah and wedding dinner, it meant spending three wonderful days with a family that can be best described by the word...beautiful. It meant meeting some of the most humble and generous people in the world, it meant feeling more at home 495 miles away from my real home, it meant that i was truly blessed.

I've been waiting for this moment for years...to see my friend in the mosque, looking absolutely stunning in her white wedding dress, finally getting married to a man that i know will provide and care for her for as long as they both will live (He'd better...or else it might get bloody) We've been through a lot together, my friend and I, but it was only during her wedding that i realised how much she means to me...(For those of you who have watched the movie, this is NOT where i try to break up the wedding and profess my undying love to the bride, so you can all breathe a sigh of relief)

This is where i realise that she has played an integral part in my life. This is where i realise that i can't thank her enough for all that she has done for me and the confidence, trust and support she has given to me throughout...this is where i realise that I am going to miss her like crazy when she leaves.

Yes...she will be migrating to Australia later this year and i am still trying to come to terms with that fact... it seems weird somehow that i wont be able to just drive down to her mahallah and pick her up for lunch anymore... funny isn't it? How the simplest things that you take for granted will be the things which you actually cherish the most.

We will have to move on i guess...i'm comforted and sure that even if distance separates us, we will continue to be there for each other as we always have. I have already placed a demand that the both of them start procreating prolifically on the double so that i'll have my hands full of little half Egyptian, half Malay, half Orang Putih nephews and nieces...but i guess that i'll have to wait a while for that...the groom, that charming Orang Putih, still thinks i'm joking when i told him to get cracking already...sigh...when will these Orang Putih ever take Asians seriously?

You know...its heartwarming to see two people brave the odds together and fight for their relationship when so many others are breaking up and getting divorced. It really restores your faith in humanity and the resilience of the human capacity to love despite the darkening world around us.
All of us could learn a lot from their story...

All the best my dear...May Allah grant you happiness and joy for as long as the both of you shall live, and may He grant me many many beautiful nephews and nieces so that i can spoil them rotten. Let me tell you, that man is one hell of a lucky guy to have you as a wife, and the best part is... he actually deserves a great woman like you. Match made in heaven indeed.

What Will We Say?

2006-10-26T12:32:00.000+08:00

Getting older has a few unsettling drawbacks...

besides getting a tad slower in the 100 metre dash and getting sleepy by 12 am...one of them is that you start to think about what your legacy to the world is going to be. The more i think about my contribution to mankind...the more i realise that i have contributed a lot of nothing much...which means that i am worried.

I am worried about what i will be able to say to the young kids that come along, i am worried about what their lives will be like and what contributions to their collective security and well being have i made...but most of all i worry about what i would say to them, these children of the information revolution...the children of tomorrow.

Will what i have to say still be relevant?

If all of us had one message to tell them, just one message to carry them through the progress of a generation, what would it be?

I would tell them to stop. I would tell them to take time off from life and just look around you and realise that they need to look beyond all conflicts and beyond all the lies that you have been fed, through all the racism and intolerance, through the prejudice and the hate that is so prevalent in this world. I would tell them to look beyond themselves...and think.

What would you say?

Why?

2006-09-22T11:44:00.000+08:00

Why is it that more often than not we are hurt most by people that we love or care for? Why is it that just when things seem to be going right and you are happy...things start to go wrong? Why is it that just when you think that your search is over...the treasure eludes you?
Is it because we love too much? That we are willing to place soo much care and love into one person that the person can't help but disappoint or hurt us eventually? Or is it because Allah has a different plan for us? Or are you yourself, in some sick and twisted way denying yourself the goals or happiness that you want? I have no answer...yet i also have no choice.

(Picture taken from Maryann Farly's online gallery...go visit www.maryannfarley.com)

PMS (Pummel Men Silly?)

2006-08-29T15:44:00.000+08:00

What is this mysterious sickness that afflicts our nearest and dearest and makes the sweetest women turn into a raging insensible beast of epic proportions ready to tear your throat out with a swipe of neatly manicured nails?

What is this white noise that only seems to afflict women and leave baffled, confused and sometimes physically battered men in its wake?

Is this purely a chemical reaction? Is it an overreaction? Or is it just women seeking attention and wanting to vent their pent up frustrations on men?

I pity them you know... women go through soo much pain in their lives, its no wonder that they can be a little bonkers sometimes. Period pains, headaches, morning sickness, childbirth... We men...hmm football injuries?

So...the question still remains... What is it that causes this? A close half Egyptian friend of mine told me that when a woman is afflicted with PMS her emotions tend to take over and even the slightest irritation is amplified ten times over...and the best part is, they think they are right! Small mistakes are magnified into huge proportions and the woman ends up feeling hurt for things that she would normally brush off with a laugh.

A lot of men are surprised once every month by women who suddenly burst into tears, gift you with a slap out of nowhere and burst into tears, shout at you and then burst into tears, throw stuff and then burst into tears, call you names and then burst into tears...and the list goes on.

My advice...keep count of the days before the storm breaks, batten down the hatches, and pray...pray hard.

Don't get angry at them my brothers, women are incredibly complex individuals that operate under a totally different concept of logic. Male logic is cause and effect without care for emotional considerations, while female logic fuses these to concepts together. That's why emotions play a very big part in a female's decision making processes, and males tend to shun emotions as being irrational. Neither is correct or wrong, we are just wired differently.

To the women in our lives...have pity on us. We already don't understand you most of the time, give us ample warning four days before you are due...so that we can buy lots of chocolates, cookies and learn Thai massage techniques...if all the above fail...give us time to leave the country :-)

Sigh...another female mystery...

For IIUM

2006-07-15T11:35:00.000+08:00

Dear Readers,

It has recently come to my attention that the contents of my blog have been the subject of a discussion with some lecturers in my beloved institution the International Islamic University Malaysia. The post in question was regarding my views of the degrading idiocy my fellow Muslim brethren have lowered themselves to following the publication of caricatures of the Prophet. (Post: Blasphemy! Kill the Infidels!!) Some lecturers in my faculty have chosen to take this opportunity to declaim that I am "the next Malik Imtiaz" (whatever that means) and that I am supporting the "non-Muslims" and therefore being a traitor to the religion. The lecturers that have their heads and hearts in the right place however, choose to defend my position and say that my posting actually made sense.

To both these groups I say thank you.

Freedom of expression extends to my writing and to those people that will object and protest against it. I am flattered that such learned academics would actually find the humble scratchings of an undergrad such an interesting topic of discussion and spend so much of their time discussing it instead of their usual discussions on how to improve the educational experience of IIUM.

Therefore...This next post is going to be dedicated to Muslims and their attitude.

If you ask this humble Muslim what the major problem of the Ummah is, I would answer it in a few parts

1) HYPOCRISY

We Muslims have become a group of people who have been blinded by their own rhetoric and plain stupidity. Why do I say this? Its because we rail against the injustice of Israel, the biasness of America, the unfairness of the world in general, but we forget and and even sometimes justify the bombings of innocent children and women in buses and streets of Israel, we still use American technology and weapons to "defend the Ummah", and we still ask for aid and monetary help from the "unfair infidels" of the world.

Is this hypocrisy? Yes it is... and it is so much a part of Muslim culture that we don't even pay it a second glance. Why do you think we are the rats that feed on the trash of the world's progress now? Why do you think that our glorious so called "civilization" has been in decline since the time of the Prophet? Its because we have become self righteous fools that seem to think that whatever we do is right by Divine Will and that we can do no wrong. An absolute disgrace to the traditions and the principles of the Prophet. Why? Because The Prophet would never have perpetrated such a disgusting array of violent behavior and destruction against anyone. He would have tried to win their hearts and minds by leading and setting an example.

We have become a people so enmeshed with the ritualistic elements of our religion that we forget the spiritual aspect of it. How many of us really think about Allah during our daily prayers? How many Muslims really understand the various connotations of fasting and the reasons why we do? More often than not we do it merely to fulfill and empty feeling of obligation and not for the love of our Creator. Do you think that our children should grow up in a world where our only understanding of Islam is that you should not drink, eat pork and have sex before marriage, instead of the understanding that Allah loves His creations and knows what is best for us? And you wonder why the current generation of Muslims around the world are increasingly disillusioned by the constant religious rhetoric coming from our so called "scholars".

But then...I may be a hypocrite too

2) IGNORANCE

I find it sad that Muslims have now resorted to village idiots as leaders, people who have had no experience, no vision and no ability whatsoever in being good leaders are chosen just because of the way they look or they how Islamic they seem to be on the outside. If you wear a white jubbah and a kopiah you are instantly looked upon as someone who is "Islamic" Multiply that by ten if you have a spectacular beard to go with the outfit and you are all set to be the next mufti.

Its sad that young brats my age think that they have the right to go moral policing other individuals in the streets just because they came from a religious background. Its downright disgusting that the only Islamic party in the country vomits religious rhetoric and calls others infidels when its own manifesto lacks a long term economic plan for the country. You expect money an investment to fall from the sky on your lap is it? Or do you think that Allah will save this country when we are economically bankrupt?

I find these Muslims just plain ignorant because they fail to understand that Islam is a religion that goes beyond the ordinary, it is a way of life...You can't have Islamic Law and the Hudud punishment imposed in a country that doesn't firstly practice Islamic welfare, Islamic banking and Islamic spirituality. Go ahead make Islamic Law and issue...rail against the so called "unbelievers" that object against it being implemented, that's your right, but understand first, that the Prophet only implemented the Hudud punishment in its fullest form when he had a functional Islamic civilization and not before. Do we have that in Malaysia? No.

What do we have? We have "mullahs" that have nothing better to do than brand others as infidels, we have political leaders that are too busy lining their pockets to really care about the little guy, we have school teachers whose grasp of Islam and its facets is tentative at best, teaching our children, we have parliamentary sessions which discuss Siti Nurhaliza and Mawi. Is that an Islamic civilization? Judge for yourself...

But then...I may be ignorant too

What do we have? We have a writer that is increasingly frustrated at the narrow mindedness and pettiness of his fellow brethren, we have a writer that is astounded at the level of unnecessary, avoidable and ignorance driven violence that is committed in the name of a religion that promotes peace and tolerance. We have a writer that cannot understand how these people sleep at night knowing that they have harmed another...

To my lecturers, please feel free to disagree with me and call me names, but leave a comment so i know who you are and that i know your standpoint on this issue, after all, the Prophet does not condone backbiting. I am merely a humble student who wishes to be enlightened by expressing his opinions, and i would be honored indeed if i am shown my mistakes.

I Lied Honestly

2006-07-01T11:40:00.000+08:00

Honest...something i have always taken great pains to be regardless of the consequences. I am a firm believer in the phrase "The Truth Shall Set You Free" But sometimes this policy brings you more harm than good actually. Like when a woman asks me "Fareez honey, do you think i gained weight?" Me being totally clueless when it comes to womanly rhetorical questions, naturally would either answer Yes or No depending on the actual size increase for the woman in question, Goodyear Blimp...Yes! Telegraph Pole...No! Simple right guys???

WRONG WRONG WRONG!!!

Women, that insane, confused, undeniably beautiful, intriguing species, WANTS YOU TO LIE TO HER! and the best part is SHE KNOWS YOU LIED!
This puts us in a nice cosy corner doesn't it?...She wants you to be totally honest with her BUT yet wants you to lie when it suits her. Thats fine, i can deal with that, but the problem starts becoming worse when you DON'T KNOW WHEN it suits her.

So i have put my meager amount of gray matter to work and come up with answers that will get guys like me out of the stupid hole women like to put us into:

Q: Am i fat? (Guys...when you hear this...RUN!)
A: No dear, you are just the way i like you to be (for honest dudes like me you can mutter 'well filled' under your breath to make peace with God for lying)

Never say:
A: Yes...so whats for dinner?
A: Well...that depends on which country you are from...Have you seen the women in Tonga? Damn! Now thats big! Whats for dinner?
A: Hey its all good honey...more cushion for the pushin uknow what i mean?? *wink*

Other Female Questions Of Slow And Rancid Death To The Male Species

Q: Do you think i'm stupid?

Q: Why were you looking at that woman?

Q: Do you want to go shopping?

Q: Is she more good looking than i am?

Q: Do you think i look good in this?

Q: Were you listening?

Q: Is playing that video game more important than listening to me?

In other words guys...just tell her what she wants to hear and she will be happy. Be honest and face the consequences. Don't say i didn't warn you.

Q: Do you think i look good in this?

A: Nope

Q: Why? (first signs of danger...eyebrows come together and her eyes narrow)

A: Because the jeans makes you look like a kebab (WRONG !!! WRONG!!! WRONG !!!)

Q: A kebab?? are you insulting me? are you saying that i'm fat (voice becomes shrill and forehead starts getting all wrinkly)

A: I'm not insulting you, i'm just saying that you in that jeans reminds me of a kebab... (starts to cower in fear of razor sharp nails raking his face)

Q: Is it my skin then? does it look like pita bread to you?

A: No honey... (reaches out to hold her hand)

Q: DON'T TOUCH ME ! (yanking it away in a dramatic sweep worthy of an Oscar)

A: Ok ok honey...listen you look fabulous ok...get the jeans, maybe i was just hungry ok everything looks like kebabs to me now.

Q: Stop lying...you just said i look like a kebab...that means i'm fat and ugly. And whats this about you looking at other women?

A: I don't think kebabs are fat and ugly...i think they are rather good to eat right about now...oohh there's a Kyros over there! Other women? What other women?

Q: You just said everything looks like kebabs to you...so you were looking at other women right?

A: Everything...wha? Sigh (Looks defeated but doesn't know the worst is yet to come)

Q: Are you listening? You never listen to me and now you think i'm fat and ugly. STOP THAT! Why were you looking at that other woman with the low cut blouse?

A: Low cut? Where? Oh you mean the woman with the kebab in her hands?

Q: I know what you were looking at you lying...I'm leaving!

A: Huh? Can we have dinner first?

Q: No take me back home NOW!

A: Bungkus? Please?

Q: NO...NOW! (stomps off in a fuming rage and expects you to follow even if she is going to your car and you have the keys)

A: Huh?? (Looks perplexed for a while until he realises that she looks really nice from the back with her head held high....and then smiles to himself)

You can't win with women my brothers...best to face the facts now. Beautiful creatures and incredibly complex...but fragile. Come to think of it, just like a work of art.

Allah must have put them on this Earth just to teach us that not everything is black and white, not everything is as simple as we like to make them. Sometimes my friends...sometimes it takes a woman to get things right.

Thanks Zati!! Ho ho...This made my day

2006-06-24T03:39:00.000+08:00

Slap The Monkey

Love Life

2006-06-20T04:41:00.000+08:00

Death.
That word invokes emotions and memories that are hard to ignore. How does one deal with it? At some point or another we will have to deal with this fact of life and we realise it...but it doesn't make the process any easier.
I have always wondered, why do we die? Is it just the normal culmination of your biological life and the natural deterioration of your body's organic matter, or is there a significance behind it? Do we die just to make way for the next generation?

Here's a thought:
Imagine a single carbon molecule in your body and then imagine the assimilation of that same carbon molecule into the earth when you are buried after you die...this molecule could then possibly be absorbed by a tree into its molecular structure...which in turn would be used to create a fruit from the tree in a bid to reproduce itself...This fruit would then be eaten by another human being and almost magically, a piece of you exists in another human being even months after your own death. All life forms are connected in ways that i am only beginning to fanthom.
Imagine that scenario, and then think about how that carbon molecule got into your body in the first place...from somewhere else...possibly given to you in your mother's womb which she in turn got from somewhere else...its an endless cycle that constantly uses the finite amount of matter contained in the universe to generate a amazingly varied amount of life forms.

Its a miracle...and rather ironic actually... Death is actually the celebration of the continuation of Life...
All beings are created with a specific life span (unless you believe that rocks are alive) after that Allah wills that you return your corporeal form to the central organic matter deposit...Mother Nature, from where it came from so that other life forms can benefit from the deposit as well. This system is complex beyond imagination but at the same time absolutely beautiful in its simplicity...

Dear Boss/Leader/Omnipotent Being in The Great Big Heavenly Place Where Good People Go,

If you are reading this, I think i understand now :-) I know it took me a while but i'm getting there...A tad slow when it comes to these things, as my friends will attest :-)

HELP!

2006-06-15T21:03:00.000+08:00

Brain cells slowly dying....can't process complex thoughts...being reduced to lower evolutionary being...i shouldn't have read the local news...somebody give me a gun so i can shoot myself and end my mental captivity in this country run by fools.

Happy

2006-06-13T06:22:00.000+08:00

I'm happy...
IIU 4 (Blues, Azahan and me) gang raped MMU in the finals of GSD ladies and gentlemen. Despite a surprise case and some mad scrambling of ideas and speaker positions. IIU won in style...A 7-0 decision and the best speaker prize won by Blues (Who deserved to be crowned king that night) I had fantastic teammates who carried me through the rounds and helped me get my momentum back...Thanks guys!!

Prize monay...and lots of it, a great tournament, i got some of my rust scrubbed off and i'm just waiting for the next tournament. But best of all...a message was sent, Mafia style, to the people of MMU... If you still want to field senior debators who are probably taking their third masters by now (read: Logan and the rest of the MMU seniors who don't seem to want to graduate or leave)...IIU can do it too....and kick you in the rump at the same time.

YOU WILL NEVER KEEP US DOWN!!

IIU VICTOR!!

Life?

2006-06-05T16:40:00.000+08:00

It’s amazing sometimes how the actions of one person can affect another individual. One mistake, one slip up, and you just might destroy the emotional makeup of a person and cause that individual endless pain and suffering. One betrayal can cause years of unhappiness and one slip of the tongue can cause immediate anger.

The thought of it compels me to sometimes withdraw and keep to myself...hoping that I will not be at fault if someone gets hurt. I know the feeling...and it isn't nice. But then I realise...withdrawing from your loved ones will also hurt them, and that isn't nice either.

What is a person to do in situations like these? Does he shut himself away? Or does he be the best person he can be and hope for the best? The answer is of course obvious...but why is it soo hard? Nothing much this time guys....just rambling.

Solitary Confinement Anyone?

2006-05-05T00:12:00.000+08:00

Recently Moussaoui has been found guilty and sentenced to life inprisonment in a super maximum security prison. Despite the rather funny double superlatives...i find Supermax prisons rather silly actually. Below is an excerpt picked from the BBC report about these jails.
Supermax prisons are said to be equipped with 1,400 remote-controlled steel doors, motion detectors, pressure pads and gun towers with perfect sightlines across the complex.
Tightly controlled and technologically advanced, such facilities are designed for the most dangerous and disruptive prisoners. Solitary confinement is an almost permanent way of life, with ADX Florence's 400-or-so prisoners locked in spartan cells for at least 23 hours each day.
An hour each day can be spent in a concrete-walled recreation yard. A typical "Supermax" cell's furniture - bed, desk, stool - is made from poured concrete. The cells are equipped with showers that run on a timer, and a toilet that shuts off if plugged. Meals are delivered to inmates in their cells to restrict interaction. Each cell also is equipped for 24-hour video and audio surveillance.
Inmates are allowed up to five non-contact visits per month, each lasting no more than seven hours.
My first question is...why go to all the trouble? Why torture the dude? Although, the timed shower thing seems better than what we have here in Malaysia...at least the poor bugger will know when the water will get turned off...here the Waterworks will wait until you start using soap on your face.
But still...why go through all this just in the name of justice. The death penalty to me would be a more humane thing to do.

Pakar Sakit Puan

2006-04-21T19:32:00.000+08:00

My kids at TKC asked me to help them prep for a very interesting topic today...This House Believes that Male gynecologist Should be Limited...After the initial snicker about the mental image of droves of disappointed male doctors whose applications get rejected...I started to realize that this could be a serious issue indeed.
Should a quota be imposed? My girls told me that the current percentage of male gynes is a staggering majority of 90%. Is that such a bad thing? Shoudl females be given more room to enter gynecology? Do they want to in the first place?
I guess that Malaysia, being a country very much aware of its Islamic majority should also start to realise the important of having a healthy amount of female "pakar sakit puan"
I wonder what the position of the Syariah is on male gynes?
Views appreciated guys :-)

I Apologise...

2006-04-18T22:16:00.000+08:00

To my loyal readers (ye priviledged few...) i apologise for my lack of new substance. I have been trying to make my mark in advertising and have had absolutely no time to write. Will write soon.

Fatah Gets The Boot!

2006-02-27T11:23:00.000+08:00

Hamas has recently secured what the United States would like to refer to as a "shocking" victory in the recent Palestinian elections. Preliminary results give Hamas 76 of the 132 seats in the chamber, with the ruling Fatah party trailing on 43.
What does this bode for the future of Palestine? Is the decision to appoint a political group infamous for its terrorist activities really a good thing for Palestine?

I think it is...

Firstly we can rejoice that Palestinians have finally shown that they are unhappy with the rule of Fatah and the corruption that was rife within it.
Secondly we can be happy that Hamas will no longer have to resort to terrorism and violent means for its message to get though. Hamas recently announced that the unilateral truce between Israel and them would continue if Israel honours the truce. I sincerely hope that they do because fighting the pre-election Hamas was a totally different ball game than trying to undermine the only Palestinian government that has managed to capture not just the minds but also the hearts of Palestinians.

Hamas will now have a legitimate avenue from which to voice out it's policies and to negotiate a viable future for Palestine. I'm optimistic that Hamas will want to take this opportunity to bargain from a position of power and maintain the trust of the people of Palestine by continuing their clean up operations within the party. The Palestinian people too will have a stronger voice championing their cause in the form of Hamas as opposed to Fatah whose neck was leashed by an Israeli rope.
However, the win poses problems for efforts to restart peace talks with Israel, which insists it will not deal with an authority including Hamas. This I fear will be their greatest mistake. Israel has to realise that it is dealing with a Palestine that is increasingly desperate and outraged with the constant Israeli occupation and violence. The first signs of change was the change in Palestinian confidence in Fatah and the rise of Hamas.
But what I find funny is the reaction of the United States to the election. The United States and Israel seem to not want to negotiate with a "terrorist organisation" despite the fact that they were democratically voted into power by the people of Palestine. I find that especially disturbing because the U.S. has always been vocal about protecting democracy and the right to choose but is now choosing to ignore a democratically elected government and cut it out from the peace process. When does a terrorist become a minister?
Strange foreign policy you got there Mr. Bush...

Any predictions on the future of Palestine? Anyone?

Freedom of Press Or Freedom To Oppress?

2006-02-15T12:15:00.000+08:00

Regardless of the actions of Muslims that degraded their own religion, (previous posts)
I find it absolutely appalling that the so called "free" press of Denmark is practicing such obvious double standards.
This brought me to an even bigger question...Is there such a thing as a free and liberal press? Or is the term so much self serving tripe that is dished out to us by...Hey, The press themselves!
That quintessential symbol of worlwide evil, Adolph Hitler, in his book Mein Kampf states that one of the tactics that leaders should use when in control of a nation is to perpetuate what he likes to call "The Great Lie" where a leader makes up a 'lie' and them repeats it 'eternally' with the correct support from public information dispensers to a point when the general populace actually believes in the 'lie' and accepts it as 'truth'. Have we been fed 'lies' all this time?
I admit, being a debater and a soon to be lawyer, my ideas about what is a lie is flexible at best but there is a difference between portraying your case in the best light and outright bullshit. (Though some may argue otherwise)
I was recently discussing a rather famous Malaysian issue with a fellow Muslimah who is a member of a Malaysian Muslim NGO and I heard something rather disturbing. (WARNING: Hearsay only, NOT to be construed as 'truth')
It seems that a certain Malaysian Daily refused to publish or accept documented evidence and an interview that pointed to the fact that our Muslim brother Moorthy was actually a Muslim at the time of death. These documents and the interview would have served to prove beyond a doubt that he was a Muslim and dispel much of the rumours that have been going around about the Syariah Courts but they were refused publication. Why?
Press hypocrisy functions in many ways. The most recent example of this was revealed by the British newspaper The Guardian in its article THE FILM U.S. TV NETWORKS DARE NOT SHOW (May 12, 2005). This article discusses the resistance filmmaker Adam Curtis encountered during his attempts to locate a major American media outlet willing to show his documentary film, THE POWER OF NIGHTMARES.
Although this documentary examines the historical events that ultimately led to one of the most catastrophic events in American history - the September 11th, 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon - the cowardice of the American media apparently resides not in the film's analysis of these events, but in its depiction of the "neo-conservative's" exploitation of September 11th for political and personal gain.
Ever wonder why the faulty intelligence, Halliburton contracts, mass killings in Fallujah, and outright lies about Iraq never received much press coverage as opposed to Osama's latest videotape?
Don't you find it funny that if the Pope is shown with a bomb for a hat, the whole world would be up in arms in denouncing the caricature, but if the Prophet is drawn similarly, it falls under freedom of speech and is not offensive.
Makes you look at your daily newspaper in a different light doesn't it?

Interesting Blogs

2006-02-13T16:40:00.000+08:00

From time to time I come across blogs that give me a whole new experience and open up windows to the world I've never seen before. This is one such blog http://indiauncut.blogspot.com/ below is an excerpt from it

Jaziya

I'm sure you know how Islam is. You can do one of three things in the tribal agencies. One, you pay jaziya. Two, you embrace Islam. Three, you prepare to die.

We pay jaziya.

That's Taranjit Singh, a Sikh from Peshawar telling me about how the Sikhs of Peshawar get by. Jaziya is a religious tax that some Muslim kings, most infamously the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb used to levy on Non-Muslim subject. I'd always thought the practice had died out a couple of centuries ago, but large parts of the North-West Frontier Province, where I am right now, are stuck in an old time warp. Although it falls in Pakistan, Pakistan's government has no formal control over much of it, especially in the Khyber Agencies, where different tribes (or agencies) control different areas.

Just wanted to share a great read with you guys.

What Next?

2006-02-13T15:36:00.000+08:00

What next? The Islamic world (I will not say that it's a "civilization" and I am still a bit skeptical about using the word "Islamic") was rocked, shaken and angry due to our Prophet being depicted in a cartoon and made fun of the world over. Muslims retaliated in the usual way...Burning, rioting, and damaging property...Old news now.
The next question the "Islamic world" should ask what do do next? It is an offence in Malaysia to deal with the images and I'm certain other countries have taken similar action. What's the next move? What should we do so that nothing of the sort will ever happen again?
I was sincerely disappointed at our Prime Minister's reaction to the crisis at hand. He adopted an ostrich approach to the problem and seemed to want to ignore the affront to the Prophet. (This is my interpretation of the speech and it may differ from person to person) To me both ways of dealing with the problem are wrong, Badawi's and the rioting.
A strong approach to the problem needs to be taken, but an approach that is also grounded in reality, economics, and politics I've been playing around with this idea in my head for a few days and it may sound a little idealistic but here goes:
The majority of Muslim countries are countries which are mostly import markets, where a lot of foreign goods cater to a domestic market. A concerted effort from ALL Muslim countries across the world to boycott goods from Denmark may just result in a lot of irate Danish businessmen pressuring their government to take action. The best part is, Muslim countries need only to shift their buying power to other competitors. (I may need more indepth research on this, I admit)
The second could be a direct letter from the Malaysian Agung to the Queen of Denmark demanding an apology from the State. Denmark is also a constitutional monarchy and thus the Queen holds sway as Chief Of State. The silence of the Agung on this matter is rather disturbing too. The next could be the deportation of all citizens of Denmark from Muslim countries and the revocation of their business licenses. Simple enough...So long as we have the political and economic will. Saudi Arabia need only halt its supply of petroleum for a day for the prices of fuel to skyrocket in the world market. Chaos...I know, but chaos that MUSLIMS can control.
What's the point of all this? At the very least it will demonstrate to the rest of the world that we mean business...And start to shake off the image that we are a barbarian horde, good only for wholesale destruction. At its greatest we will demonstrate to the world that Muslims are not to be trifled with anymore and we are done being the laughing stock of the world's population.

Blasphemy! Kill the Infidels!

2006-02-07T10:11:00.000+08:00

I'm sure that most of you have read about the recent issue surrounding the freedom of press and the sanctity of religion. The Posten newspaper cartoon was considered to be a rape of Islamic principles and a slap on the face of all Muslims the world over, and rightly so...
But before we rant and rave about disrespect and blasphemy, let us ask ourselves, how many times have we laughed at and even ridiculed Buddha? How many times have we ridiculed Lord Vishnu, Siva, Murugan? How many times have we called Christians misguided? How many times have we condemned other religions in our "Muslim" publications?
We righteous Muslims are always right, how can we be wrong? How can we be wrong to point fingers at others? We are, after all the chosen of Allah S.W.T. How can we do anything which is not His Will? Why do we need to respect others when we are clearly the people of Heaven?
If this is what being a Muslim means, I'd rather be a heathen and burn in Hell. At least there I will not be a HYPOCRITE!
You know what I find disgusting? Its the rape Muslims have committed on their own civilization. Its the downright murder that we have done on the principles given to us by the Prophet Muhammad S.A.W. Its the degrading filth we have immersed ourselves into since the death of the Prophet and the ascension of Muawiyah and all his bastard children.
Yes I said his bastard children...Any of you have a problem with that, this is my number 013 6048135. Please feel free to confirm your ignorance and stupidity.
Don't you find it ironic that the cartoon was made to depict Muslims as being violent and uncivilized, but what really confirmed the opinions expressed by the cartoon was the reaction by Muslims themselves? We have only confirmed the world's belief in our lack of education.
By all means burn down embassies, torch cars, riot in the streets...That's your right...But don't beat your chest or tear your hair out when your child's brains are splattered all over your street by a machine gun because he was mistaken for a terrorist. We ask why there is injustice but we don't realize that we have brought this upon ourselves by being scum ourselves.

Our Prophet himself had filth thrown at him when he approached unbelievers, he did not respond with degrading violence and uncivilized behavior, he responded with kindness and compassion. Is it because we love Our Prophet so much that we respond with mindless violence? I don't think so. I think its because we have allowed ourselves to become animals with no functioning or apparent thought process, that's why. And we wonder why we are hunted down in Palestine and Iraq and shot down like beasts. We should be ashamed of ourselves. I certainly am.

Addicted!

2006-02-06T11:07:00.000+08:00

I am officially addicted to action figures...yes for those of you who think that i coundn't get any geekier...i have just reached new heights! I just can't seem to get enough of those plastic and metal sculptures. I don't just collect any action figure, i collect the sculpted figures that are very detail oriented. Halian and Arik will remember them from my room but for those of you who haven't had the rather dubious honour of being a guest at Casa Fareez, the pictures explain everything.
I need help don't i? Afdlin Shauki, a man of many talents once said that this hobby is only for individuals with serious mental issues. He of course, has thousands of action figures all over his house ;-)
Another empty self indulgent posting by Fareez

Fareez in Disguise!

2006-02-06T10:53:00.000+08:00

Heloo everyone...its been awhile hasn't it? the break was absolutely phenomenal. Met A LOT of new friends and old ones as well. Have to thank Haroon for that. This has proved to be a great start to the new year for me. Scriptwriting a little, translations here and there, a totally rad Transformer Decepticon toy (side picture) and a few other collectibles later and i can safely say that i am a happy man!
Sorry for the rather short post...just wanted to show off.. Muahahahahaha...Did i mention that it is made out of die cast metal? :-)

Knights In Rusted Armour

2006-01-20T16:17:00.000+08:00

What is it that draws me to images of knights? Is it the romanticism of a lone force of good against evil? Is it an inner desire to help people? Or is it just because i've read too many Dungeons and Dragons books when i was little?
Anyway, enough ranting. The real reason why i am writing is because of some thought provoking situations that has happened to me both recently and over the years. I'm talking about chivalry and its acceptance in Malaysia.
Recently, someone commented that its strange that a young person like me opens doors for others and gives way to ladies and basically everyone else. (I have been mistaken for a doorman once)
I asked the person why was it strange and he replied, "its just not Malaysian" I explained that in my family, i was brought up to always put the needs of others first and be polite even under extreme provocation.
King Tirian in C.S. Lewis's The Last Battle "Warriors do not scold, courteous words or else hard knocks are his only language"
I havent obeyed those rules all the time, granted, but i do try.
But what really disturbs me is that this person thinks its a strange thing. Going further back, i was really surprised at the behaviour of some women on the public transport. When i get up to offer them the seat, the more often than not flatly refuse and act as if i was trying to molest them or something. Its strange that our society seems to view simple acts of courtesy as being alien and strange.
Another example. Ever tried standing at the roadside in Malaysia and make like you want to cross the road? The first thing that drivers will normally do is speed up their vehicle! As if you crossing the road would mean that they would be horribly late for a meeting. Try the same scenario in Australia, South Africa and you will see drivers that are even close by braking for you to cross with a smile.
Whats wrong with us?

Bacteria Strikes!

2006-01-16T09:25:00.000+08:00

Just recovered from a very severe case of food poisoning. Must have been that stupid nasi kandar that i had for lunch on Saturday. Mamak food lovers beware! Not everything is as it seems... now i have this packetful of medicine that i have to take but according to the doctor i have to eat first before i take them...hmmm, how do i take the medicine when i have no appetite? And where do i find non spicy food in this country? Help! I'm stuck in a vicious medical cycle! And it hurts my tummy...:-(

Maryam Ansari Are You Reading This?

2006-01-10T17:57:00.000+08:00

Momo...what in the world have you been up to? I swear, if you do not reply to this post i will...i will...hmmm, not much i can do since you are in cali..oh well.
Reply momo...don't be all mysterious and drop me anon comments..its infuriating, and not to mention downright unfair. Everyone else reading this...sorry :-)
Send me an email, and tell me what has been happening in your blender these days ok momo.

Toasty!

2006-01-09T11:06:00.000+08:00

I'm joining the Toastmasters! wohoo! now instead of arguing and making a total ass of myself in debates i can actually make people smile and laugh! I will also be founding the IIUM Toastmasters soon. i hope that it would generate interest among the students. It will of course be free from the normal debate club arrogance and be actually fun!! Open for suggestions? Anyone think its going to succeed?

New Year Ahead...

2006-01-03T16:42:00.000+08:00

Its the New Year Folks..time to start your life anew and change perspectives ..get a clean start on things. I have made up my mind to start exercising and losing the flab that has somehow moved in around my middle. (yes i know, its been there for a looong time)
Its hard work man...but it will pay off when i put on that silly Padini shirt that clings to you like cellophane tape and actually look presentable. Narcissus eat your heart out! Its going to be less food and more execrcise from now on.
I know of at least one friend that has joined the fitness craze...(Halian) I wonder whetherthe old adage will apply to me "The bigger the biceps, the smaller the brain" i guess i have nothing to worry about either way :-)
To Sir Arik, hope that chambering has been beneficial and rewarding. I shall be joining you and Halian soon i hope. Till then keep the seat at the Bar warm for me.

Baik Punya Cerita!

2005-12-23T09:59:00.000+08:00

I was recently convinced to watch a Malay movie...(those who know me well will vouch for the near impossibleness of that happening...sigh, the things we do for love sometimes...) However i am pleased to report that i was pleasantly surprised and even entertained by the show...It was Afdlin's Baik Punya Cilok and it was actually FUNNY! The movie was a cross betweeen Ocean's Eleven and Twelve and The Bujang Lapok series. There was a comprehensible plotline and the dialogue, (not Monty Phyton stuff, of course) was superb! The characters were played out well and you could actually see the chemistry betwwen the four friends...Hats off to Afdlin and gang for pulling off a good show!
To anyone who has doubts about Malaysian movies, forget Yusof Haslam and the bunch of blithering idiots he hires for scriptwriters...Afdlin Shauki, Harith and the gang are the people to watch in the future!
Oh yeah...there will be a surprise appearance in the movie...you will like it.
Watch it people...worth the time and money...Malaysian Cinema is back!

Business Ethics??

2005-12-20T12:45:00.000+08:00

I have just run into a ethical dilemma...can you work for a company and then freelance for a rival company at the same time? Recently been receiving jobs from a different advertising agency and working as a freelance copywriter for them...I am still a bit sceptical as to the ethics that are involved...are you supposed to be working for a rival when you are in the employ of the company? Granted, i do all the work after office hours and in my free time...so no office equipment is actually used to help the rival, but what about the job done itself..what if, because of the work that i have done, the rival starts getting an edge above my company and thus cutting profits from it? A little voice in me is saying that i wouldn't have to do this work in the first place if my company actually paid me better...but there is still that nagging feeling that i am somehow contravening Section 25 of the Universal Declaration of Good Guyness... Sigh...

Life and things that piss me off

2005-12-01T17:02:00.000+08:00

Have you wondered sometimes whether you are living your life the way you are supposed to? Is every human being on the planet following a set route in which the person has to follow in order to become who he is? Or is it really a random series of choices which send you down one road or another? What makes a person good or bad? I always thought that a good person is a person who is honest and truthful to everyone and cares for the welfare of the people around him, but why is it that this attitude always goes unrewarded. Its the good guy that always loses out...Its the honest guy that gets betrayed in the end. Its the person that cares that doesn't receive help when he needs it. Why?
Why do you have to be a bastard to succeed? I don't want to blame anyone for being smart (Yes Halian, I know...) But why does it have to be that way. I hate hypocrites and i hate dishonesty for malicious reasons, but why am i surrounded with these people? (Sir Halian, Sir Arik and Lady Raihan, My Queen and those that i have named as friends excluded)
I have personally known someone who deliberately lies and colours the truth so that she could get an advantage...no one is spared, not even her boyfriend. Why? wouldn't life be a little empty when you have no real friends? Why lie?
I am hereby vowing never to be hypocritical (never was) never to be malicious (except in debates) and to strive for success in life by paying as much attention to the people around me and caring for their needs as much as possible, I vow to honestly work for a living and not exploit the talents or the disadvantages of others, I vow to become a better person and make people around me feel better as a result.
So help me i vow to live for the future generations, to prepare them for the world, to give them faith iin themselves and the tools they will need to project that self confidence. I vow to strive to be a better Muslim, to make my Creation worthwhile, to seek to better understand my Creator and His many mysteries. I vow to smile more, to laugh with others or otherwise keep silent, i vow to be the best me i can be.

Work work and more work

2005-09-28T14:51:00.000+08:00

Hello world! its been a while since i have posted anthing new, been rather busy with living i guess. Working in an advertising firm now as a copywriter. Pretty good job seeing as i get paid to come up with creative ways to sell products and i can give free rein to my creativity. the people tht i work for seem to be pretty nice actually. Mostly Chinese but they make me feel at home...Malaysia, i love this country sometimes... Hope that my pay gets increased though...need to seriously plan my budget or i might be out of cash pretty early into the month. How is everyone? I don't think that anyone is still reading this blog though but to whoever is...hello!

America and Anti Americanism

2005-06-21T13:57:00.000+08:00

A simple glance at the news today and we will be able to hear and see that the United States is incereasingly becoming a major pain in the butt for many nations. It ravaged Vietnam, Afghanistan, then Iraq...notice the similarities between the three countries that i just mentioned? All of them were attacked for reasons that only seemed to be understood by the power elite in washington but not justified to the general public, or else justified with shabby intelligence reports that seemed to pull the wool over most Americans.
To top it all off, the average American on the street doesn't even know where these countries are! I thank Jay Leno for that interesting nugget of info
Whatever happened to the principles that Amerca has stood for during the days of the Founding Fathers notably Abe Lincoln himself, the person the abolished slavery despite great opposition from everyone.
Now the President of the United States seems to me to be a slug of a man, whose intelligence is doubtful at best coupled with big multinational corporation ties that totally destroy his credibility and impartiality.
What were the Americans thinking when they faced the ballot box?
Apparently they were not thinking at all...

2005-06-15T15:16:00.000+08:00

GOOD LUCK IN THE EXAMS EVERYONE!!

2005-06-10T18:59:00.000+08:00

Life can be fun sometimes you know, i just got off the phone with one of the school debate participants and it was gratifying to know that these people still seem to remember me even after so long. Its scary sometimes when you hear that you have caused so much change in their perceptions on life and issues that they had to rethink everything that has been thought to them over the last two to three years. One person can in fact make a huge impact upon the individuals around him and a truly responsible person takes the opportunity and gives the best to everyone, but a person who does not realise his role in society and in his immediate circle of friends is a potentially destructive force.
Physics applies here as well. "Every action has an equal and opposite reaction" Every thing you do has its equal reaction in the person you effect and has the opposite reaction on you. It takes a very responsible and upright person to use that power responsibly.
Who's life have you changed today? and was it for the better?

2005-06-03T10:02:00.000+08:00

hello world...i guess that putting together a functioning blog is someting which requires a lot of time connected to a steady source of connectivity to the Net, someting which i unfortunately do not have at the moment. can't wait to get myself my own home and IKEA furnishings so that me and my second girlfriend, my desktop comp, will be able to surf the information highway in peace. By the way, did i mention that i have decided to name my computer Olga? Fitting name i guess, its a big thing with no fancy frills, but its real power lies within. Olga indeed :-)
Ever had the feeling that you could do so much more with your life if only you could get off your rump and start doing things? A lot of people seem to have the impression that i don't work hard enough for the important things in life. I think that is true to a certain extent, but i can't help it, i just don't feel passion for those "important things" I hate academia...i prefer practical, hands on jobs...
oh well..cest la vie...grin and bear it.

Of leadership and men

2005-05-15T12:44:00.000+08:00

One question has always puzzled me no matter how much i try to rationalise it...i have always wondered what it takes for a person to be a leader? I'm talking about a leader that is naturally looked on to lead and not a person that was elected or put into that position. Its a pretty gray area, different people seem to react differently to different types of leadership tactics, some need a leader which tells them what to do in a military manner while some others need soomeone who sets the general objectives of a project and then delegates duties. What then makes a true leader? what does a person need? Some prefer their leaders to be somber and serious while some others prefer them to be jokesters and funny in order to releive tension...if a siingle individual was to follow the needs of everybody around him, he would develop multiple personalities man...I wonder what the Prophet did in his time to do his thing?

2005-05-11T02:32:00.000+08:00

MAVERICK MINDS

Blair Affair

2005-05-10T10:37:00.000+08:00

Three cheers for democracy!
Its the only political system in the world that lets good, educated and politically aware people choose their potential leader. Hurrah for democracy! the only system that lets people make the same mistake twice! It was bad enough that Bush Junior was elected back into office, but that was expected because of strong Bible Belt support and the current Christian Revivalism in the U.S., but Tony? Come on...
Weeks before the election, we saw Tony being questioned about his involvement in Iraq and the lies that he told about the weapons of mass destruction that were supposed to be hidden somewhere in the numerous harems of Saddam's palace
Furthermore, the Labour Party's economic policies have been receiving a lot of flak from the British public...Those two reasons would be enough to signal death to any political candidate, but somehow Blair seems to have survived...albeit with a significant reduction in his majority votes.
May be it was a case of the Brits not wanting the other guy more than Blair...Better the devil you know than the one you don't right? Mr Howard from the Conservatives has reputedly resigned as a result of his three time in a row defeat at Mr. Blair.

Democracy has spoken.

Work stress

2005-05-08T18:20:00.000+08:00

at long last i have finally manged to find the time to actually update this damn blog of mine...honestly its kinda turning into something of an addiction...Anyways, i finally got myself off my bum and got a job. Currrently doing surveys of customer satisfaction for Company X an IT solution provider, whch incidently is a fancy corporate sounding name for a company that puts together systems for customers...I learnt one very important lesson at work...the value of patience...The interviews have to be done over the phone and the customers have to answer a series of questions in order for the survey to be complete and for me to get paid...:-)

As expected, i got more than my fair share of Malaysian "courtesy" so to speak. Have you ever stopped to consider the effect you manners may have on the person that you are peaking to on the phone? I encountered people who seemed to think that telephone manners is an alien concept. My job involved me calling the IT dept heads to ascertain whether they were satisfied with the products provided by the company and if not to identify the problems that they faced so that the company could inprove its service, but more often than not i was treated as a nuisance and a bother to their schedules. That in itself is not a problem, but some of them seemed to go out of their way to be rude to me.

Just goes to show that Malaysians have a long way to go in terms of professionalism and courtesy.

So folks the next time someone 'inconveniences' you with a five minute customer survey, cut the guy a little slack, alright...he's just trying to pay the bills. If you don't want to answer the survey, say so, and make their lives a little easier.

2005-04-21T00:47:00.000+08:00

Haloscan commenting and trackback have been added to this blog.

Jumping Straight Into It...

2005-04-20T10:40:00.000+08:00

Hello again, as promised lets start the ball rolling shall we?
I have always debated with my friends, sometimes heatedly as well about the efficacy of Malaysia's Bumiputera policy and its implications to the Malay racial group as well as to the other races in Malaysia. More often than not we end up in a stalemate and agree to disagree with each other, so i decided to widen the scope of the discussion a bit further, lets bring in the rest of Malaysia too...

Here are a few questions that i think should be answered first in order for the dicussion to be on the same plane of logic.

1) What is the purpose of the policy and has it acheived its objective?

2) What are the situations in which the policy applies, Education, Land...etc?

Lets see the answers alright...Malaysian politicians need not reply, we have heard enough from you lot already.

Hey guys

2005-04-20T10:27:00.000+08:00

hello world, this is my first posting so i will be as brief as possible, this blog is set up for two reasons, First, so that i can finally get myself in touch with the blogging community and, Second to facilitate the reception of fun into my existence...looking forward to hearing from everyone soon. I promise that the discussions will be interesting enough.