50th Merdeka Series (2)

Well... a lot have been said about that boy who sang a rap song with some National anthem lyrics thrown into it. I have to admit I haven't yet seen the video so I can't comment much about it. What I can comment is about the reaction that people have on that action though.

It's funny that an action by a young man somewhere in taiwan can affect us like this in Malaysia. All because of a song. Granted that he added some part of the national anthem into his song. He was even reported to say some bad things about Islam and Malaysia (I can't verify this). And of course, the normal reaction to this by some part of Malaysian society is extremely predictable.

Accusations of being unpatriotic is the least of it. Some even brand him a traitor, there are even calls for him to be a "persona non grata".

For the part of being unpatriotic, first we have to try and define what is being patriotic in Malaysia all about. To be patriotic in Malaysia is simple enough, it's all got to do with the Malaysian flag. The bigger the flag the more patriotic we are. That is a simple enough equation. In this sense, I am not as patriotic as some of the people I saw that attached the flag on to the hood of his car. Kudos to that guy!. All I have is a small Malaysian flag on an atlas, the SAME size with all other flags of other nations!*GASP*. Worse still is that old guy in tattered clothings and worn out sandals that was rummaging through some garbage bin... I assume he don't have a flag and thus not patriotic.

For the guy with the flag on his hood of his car. At least the covered part will be cleaner and dust free compared to other part of the car.

So, what's your definitions of patriotism?

50th Merdeka Series (1)

Sorry for not updating last month...been too busy.

Anyway, as you all know...this month is the National Independence month of Malaysia. And as all good citizen, I am sure you're all just couldn't wait to celebrate it by counting down the seconds to twelve on the eve of the 31st.

Anyway, I thought I might fill this month blog with nothing but merdeka related topics.

So to start small I go for a simple introduction to the events of Merdeka.

This year we celebrate our National Independence for the 50th time. Next year for the 51st.

This year motto or slogan for National Independence is "Malaysiaku Gemilang". Literal meaning "My shining Malaysia". And we will celebrate it in Kuala Lumpur..yay!

Well...that's the basic of it.

A Lesson from Juggling

It came to be that the are 2 stress ball in my house taken from hotels. One black another yellow. And so, one day a week ago I have nothing better to do and started to try to juggle those two balls with one hand.

First I throw I ball in the air with my right hand and than catch it with my left, one ball at a time. I did that several times and it was not so difficult. But that didn't achieve my target of juggling with one hand.

Then I started to throw both balls in the air between the hands and catch it simultaneously. I repeat that again for several times and that was so difficult to do either. But again that didn't achieve my target of juggling with one hand.

And so, with both balls in my hand I started to throw one in the air, as soon as the first ball started to fall, I throw the other ball in the air and catch the one falling with the same hand. At first I only manage to do that three times consecutively. The most I can do was 6 times and no matter how many times I tried I can't make it past that.

So I started to change the rhythm of throwing and catching. First I tried a faster pace, later I tried a slower pace. Well suffice to say I still can't get the hang of juggling 2 balls with one hand (i sounds so easy!!) but now at least I can manage 10 consecutive throws consistently.

So, what's the point of this whole article? Well it's up to you to decide really.

The Environment

It's been nearly a month since I last posted. Sorry bout that, my internet at home was down and didn't have the time and energy to fix it.

Anyway, yesterday was all about the World Environment Day. Nearly all English dailies have at least an article on the environment. Layman, celebrities, politicians, NGO's and others have given their pledge to do something "Green" on that particular day. Even an established property developer stopped work at one of their site yesterday. Anyways I too have a few "Green" pledge to make.

One. To use public transport as often as possible at the price of punctuality.
Two. To use less air-conditioning at home and be terribly uncomfortable and probably be sleepless all night.
Three. To plant more trees (though in the pot) though it will reduce my already "area deficient" apartment.
Four. To use less water by washing my car only once every two months. (Currently, I only wash my car once a month).

Well that's about all that I can pledge now. I'll think of other ways to help the environment and make my life more intolerable.

About Barriers, Dividers and Walls

I was reading an article in the NST this morning about the wall that divided Baghdad erected by the Americans. This is just another example of how callous and indifferent the occupying forces can be when it comes to other nations. How easily for them to divide a nation just like that. It seems history repeat itself. From the Berlin Wall, to the Palestinian Barriers, to the Baghdad Wall. All a form of repression.

Though repression can come in many guises whether it's physical or non-physical in nature. Looking back at American histories, you can see full well the repression of the Americans first upon the natives of the land, later upon the African slaves brought to America (this repression lasted for more than 200 years) . If we look further back in European history, the feudal system is also a form of repression, where the conditions of the serfs were no better than slaves.

Nearing the present time, another form of repression exist within the South African Apartheid regime, not to mention the Israel apartheid policy (I'll state my position clear on this one, the Israeli government is no better if not worst then the South African Apartheid regime, their whole nation state existence is base on the perceived rights of the Jewish race upon the land of Palestine).

A more subtle form of repressions is through education. By denying certain portion of history or skewing the facts of history thought in schools, some government repressed not only the right of children to judge by themselves according to the facts, but also those involved in the events. Examples are the Japanese text book omitting the facts of WWII and also the lack of references on the Communist participations in WWII in Malaya within school text.

There will always be a group of people who will try to repress others, whether through strength of arms, political and economical superiority, mass media and even education. Because of that it is not enough that we must always guard ourselves from the myopic view and flawed reasoning of these kind of people but we must also resist and fight all kind of repression. Only than can we emancipate our mind, free our souls and achieve understanding that transcend boundaries.

Taking the day off

Just came back from Kota Baru, Kelantan. The weather there was hot, extremely hot. Went there for a meeting in the morning and came back that very afternoon. Already not feeling well then. This morning, I got up and realized that I have a headache. I hate headaches..And I'm also feeling exhausted. I'm sure it's not enough rest. Since I've started studying by myself, I slept very late, around 12.30 am to 1.00 am. Still have to wake up early the next morning.

Well, I need my rest today. I have to go to Penang tomorrow.

Opportunities in Self-Improvement

So, it's been several days now that I started studying back again my programming. As luck would have it, I have to be fully dependent on the Internet for sources and references. Indeed the Net open up countless opportunities for you to improve yourselves. The question is whether or not you have the will to do it. Everybody can do it. Provided they have Net access.

What about those that have not access to the internet?. Well they can always try to find books to buy and broaden their knowledge or perhaps register with some institutions for part time learning. Oh!, before I forget, all of the above requires some amount of cash, which as usual the poor is without. Some of you would say that, the government have given a lot of incentives especially income tax deductions, for people to pursue the so called "life long learning". Well unfortunately the poor do not have enough income to start paying income taxes. Those that qualifies is pretty rich enough to buy lots of books. The rich can also deduct from their income taxes monies spent on furthering their studies. Wow ain't that great all those incentives for the wealthy.

Meanwhile the poor can continue being poor.