Happiness is...

- Cibo Matto's 'Viva! La Woman'
- A stack of 30 postcards

Hedonistic boy strikes again.

Random Childhood Memory

Once upon a time (when I was a kid), I'd wrap myself up in curtains. Then I'd spin around until I become completely cocooned in curtain fabric.

To release myself, I'd spin the other way round.

Must aspire to make sense
Must not be a self enigma

Today as we sat by the beach, the waves suddenly stopped crashing to shore. We looked out to the ocean and there was not a ripple in sight.

It Is I

Today I asked my Magic 8 Ball (tm)...

'Am I the reincarnation of Franz Kafka'

'better ask again later'

'Am I the reincarnation of Franz Kafka'

'reply hazy, try again'

'Am I the reincarnation of Franz Kafka'

'it is certain'

Yes... It is therefore confirmed... I am the reincarnation of Franz Kafka. I'm not one who'd dispute the clairvoyance of the magic eight ball (tm).

ps: I hope I don't wake up as a giant bug tomorrow.

I Love Cibo Matto

What's up B? wasabi?
I'm searching the city for sci-fi wasabi
The start button has been pushed already
Obi Wan Kenobi is waiting for me in the lobby

(That was taken off a verse from Cibo Matto's Sci-Fi Wasabi. I reckon its about time I finally do a 'song lyric' entry. You know, the kind of entry where people put up song lyrics just to tell the world how cool they are based on the kind of music they listen to.)

Post Script

ps: it really sucks to be me today.

Fuck You

Fuck you!

Stop

Someone please stop this room
It is spinning way too hard
I'd like to get off now.

11 December Twentyzeroseven Prints

The sky was broken...







so i took a train to Johor Bharu







I went by Gemas...







Next up will be Air Kuning







It was a very long train ride.







A very strange sight before me...







A very strange vessel transported me...







A very strange place indeed.







Maybe here...







I'll take a closer look.







Oh what a pleasant surprise!







You sat there watching me eat as you were supposed to fast that day.







The train is broken.

It Must Be A Bitch To Be Tian Chua

After spending sunday night in police custody and last night at home... Tian Chua got arrested again this morning.

It must be a bitch to be Tian Chua.

To get straight to the juicy bits... here's a 10 sec clip of Tian Chua hit by the bobbys.



videos courtesy of the Malaysia Independent Watchdog Initiative (MAWI)

Wear A Black Ribbon

Just as I submitted the previous blog entry I received a phone call regarding the fate of the Bar Council 9.

Brace yourself... none of the nine are granted bail. And my favourite part of it is that the Attorney General himself prosecuted them.

What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck!

WEAR A BLACK RIBBON TODAY. IT IS INDEED A BLACK DAY FOR HUMAN RIGHTS IN MALAYSIA.

(un)Happy International Human Rights Day

Today is International Human Rights Day...
unfortunately it is not a very happy day as 9 people and countless more has been arrested yesterday in their efforts in upholding human rights in malaysia.
I will not say too much. I will instead present you with this video that I shot while I walked with the 9 that got arrested.



feel free to embed the video in your own blog.

Saturday Again

Hari Sabtu kian berlalu
Seminggu sudah tidak bersua
Parit di kalbu disesak pilu
Di awang-awangan menyesal jua

i am god

Being god is not easy...
I know... you can trust me on that
I have the t-shirt that proves 'i am god'

Saturday

Sudah berlalu hari sabtu
Terlepas lagi, malam sudah menjadi pagi
Yang silu bertukar pilu
Menjadi-jadi, mungkin takkan kembali lagi.

Friday

Fail...
Akan datang, take 2.

Thursday

Sorry... it's too late
It's already friday.
I think I'll try another day.

Wednesday

I want a lolipop
With colourful swirls that start from the middle
I really should stop
This might very well become an arcane riddle.

Monday

If everyday was a friday,
Fridays won't be special anymore.
And then we'll say 'God I wish it's Monday'

Aku Tak Tau

akutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktau
akutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktau
akutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktau
akutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktau
akutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktau
akutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktau
akutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktau
akutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktau
akutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktauakutaktau

If I actually knew what to do.
I won't have just sat there.

Mr Magorium's Wonderful Schamorium: A Case Study

Mr. Magorium's Wonderful Emporium (I think that's how it's spelt) is wonderful case study as to how to turn completely weak scriptwriting into a film that would completely sweep the lowest common denominator off it's feet (read, pretty much everyone).

Let the classroom come to order. Welcome to 'Saving a weak script through treatment 101'.

Boys and girls, should you be given a script written by the laziest bastard in the world, Here's what you should do:

1) Eccentricity! If the main character is boring as hell, make sure that he is eccentric. Eccentricity lends an illusion of genius to the character minus the hassles of developing the characters of a genius.

2) Casting! Have big names like Dustin Hoffman and Natalie Portman play the lead roles. Surely the audience would not dare to admit that such great actors can perform so poorly. People will blame themselves for not seeing through the genius of these actors. I already am. On top of that, by casting actors with names that rhymes will definitely provide good chemistry. Notice the presence of Jason Bateman.

3) Visual effects... lots and lots of it. People love that shit.

4) A pathetic socially inept kid that is cute as hell... no one can resist that shit. Even I can't resist it... can't resist choking him.

5) Lots of furry moving toys that interacts with people... especially one that's dying to reach out to you.

6) Inspirational Phrases! Lines like 'Life is an occasion... rise to it', who can resist that. Remember, if you can't afford to pay a good scriptwriter, it always pays to have a good copywriter to cleverly inject such phrases into the script.

7) Magic! Always include magical elements and if possible, make magic the main theme of the movie. That way, whatever story problems you encounter can be solved through magic.

8) Etcetera! Throw in whatever you can think of.

Voila. I would actually say that pretty much everyone walked out of the cinema happy. Only me... maybe I'm just a big barrel of disphoria.

You are all the happiness in the world locked up in a jar.

sigh...

Subtlety is an art-form
Unfortunately...
Some people are obviously trying to be subtle.

No... I'm not trying to be subtle.

Pinholio - Update # 4

Hai adik-adik!

Pinholio is a success... muahahahahahahahaha. It is true, one can produce a photographic image from nothing more than a few pieces of cardboard and a little pinhole.



Pinholio. f312/135mm

I went to Foto Pak Tai, whose owner was kind enough to help me process my negs immediately so i can figure out my exposure times.



The negatives hanging out to dry after processing, you can't see much cause the my handphone's camera sucks ass, but believe me, there is an image on that piece of negative... though i have to say it is slightly dense. Outdoors, on a sunny day, exposure time is 2 sec... when its overcast, about 4...

I tried to to take some indoor pics and got nothing but negatives that are completely blank. Tried one at 8 seconds and another fat 20 seconds... nada. Nothing came out. Then I went home and did some research. I am such an idiot, I totally forgot that when it comes to exposure times, you multiply 2 for every step... I heroically simply multiplied 4x for four steps... duh. hence 20 seconds... give and take... but in actual fact it really should be 30 seconds...

Then upon further research, I learned about 'reciprocity failure', which states that for exposures over 1 second... 'X' should be factored in to calculated exposure time due to the film's emulsions' something something...

Taking that into account, the correct exposure time should have been 2 minutes 34 seconds. Woohey. And then I did some more calculations and found out that a pinhole picture indoors can take anywhere between 50 seconds to 1 hour 20 mins or even more to expose... woohey...talk about patience.

Anyway, the photos from the test shoot will be available soon... Depending on whether I am rajin enough to fire up the darkroom.

Happiness is... (Prologue)

Happiness is over-rated.
It is nothing more than a drug for those incapable of dealing with their own realities.

(to be continued)

Project Pinholio - Update # 3

Hai adik-adik!

By implanting a nut (not the kind you eat, the kind you screw a bolt into), that fits a standard tripod shoe onto layers of hard mat board superglued to the bottom outer shell of the camera of course. After fasting for 40 minutes and 28 seconds, I received an epiphany as to how the camera should be mounted on a tripod.



I am so fucking great. Worship me.

To make myself even greater, I'm like already 98% done with the camera. After my last posting, I glued the outer shell togerher, attached it to the camera, lightproffed the insides, made a flap door style shutter, attached a tripod mount, attached rubber feet to the base... and...



I even made a viewfinder so that i can view an approximation of what I'm shooting. How cool is that. Of course this would have been impossible if it wasn't for N the engineer whose phytagorean theorum knowledge proved to be indispensible (assuming that the base of the pyramid is a perfect rectangular 100mm and 72 mm on its side, and the height of the pinnacle is 135mm. What would be the length of the sides?).

So what is the 2% that's still incomplete. I realized that the shutter flap won't close tightly and when opened, won't stay open without me having to keep my hands on it. Solution? velcro... but I need to go find some.

Project Pinhilio - Update # 2

Hai adik-adik,

Woohey, the Pinholio is really taking shape now. If you look at the above picture, note the left, right, and front outer shells are glued together already and the film mask is lined with felt. On top of that (or rather, on the side), sitting on its side is the film holder that also doubles up as the back of the camera. How this works is that I'll place a piece of sheet film on the inside of the film holder, and then just snug it in nicely in the back of the camera. It's as simple as that.



And voila, the pinhole. Over the weekend, I've successfully sourced a piece of copper sheet that's about 0.015 mm thick. In the course of that, I stupidly cut my finger while inspecting the copper sheet. Had no idea the edges were that sharp. That little piece of squarish looking thing... well, that's gonna be the shutter that covers the pinhole. I'll device a hinge and knob system to open up the shutter when I want to expose an image.

All in all, everything seems to be going ridiculously smooth. However, last night, I received an epiphany in my dream. What about a tripod mount? Well, what about a tripod mount? I'll think about it.

Project Pinholio - Update #1

Hai adik-adik,

Since medium format is not big enough, and I cannot afford to buy a proper large format camera. I have decided that I shall make my own large format camera. Woohey.

Introducing Project Pinholio, my very own large format pinhole camera made of nothing more than mat boards, art gum, and possibly some felt, and copper sheets.

What is a pinhole camera? can you eat it? can I get contagious diseases with it? How is it possible that you can make a camera out of cardboard? Forget about cardboard, how is it that you can even make a camera yourself.

Well, essentially, a camera is really nothing more than a hole in front of a lighttight box that transmits an image onto a material coated with a light sensitive emulsion (read : film). However, because most cameras has got such big holes, a lense is necessary to focus the image properly. The smaller the hole, the more sharp an image becomes. Thus a pinhole camera has a hole so small, it doesn't even need a lens. Actually the hole of a pinhole camera is alot smaller than a pinhole itself.



Now with that very informative lesson in science over. Allow me to elaborate on my working methodology for Project Pinholio. After contemplating various materials, i.e. paper, wood, jello, glass, etcetera, I've decided to settle with hard mat board (wood was high on the list, but since realize that I lack the dexterity to craft wood) purchased from the local framers. To increase the strength of the mat board, I decided to glue two layers of mat board together to create a super strong, super thick mat board.

Oh yeah, the reason for utilizing large format film is because I am too lazy to devise a film advance mechanism for a medium format system. This would however mean that I will have to deal with the inconvenince of loading and unloading film in a changing bag after every photo I'll take. But then again, how often does one get to shoot large format.

That is followed by planning out the size of the camera so that I can accurately draw the outline of the individual surfaces of the camera for cutting. I decided on a 135mm focal length, which translates to about 45mm on 135 format film. Could have made it a bit wider, but I'd prefer a focal length that emulates the perspective of the human eye.

After much measuring, cutting, and gluing. I ended up with this...


Front, notice in the background, the front board for where the pinhole is is still not attached. I am yet to make the pinhole.


Back


Leftovers... notice the Olfa mat cutter. Been wanting to have that for years, I finally decided to just buy one today. It's uber cool. It cut boards at a 45 degree angle, this allows me to mount my photos in the future nicely. For this project what it does is that, with angled edges, I get a stronger joint when I put the camera together.

Oh well... that's it for today. I would say that the camera is about 40% done. After this, I'll have to hunt for a copper sheet fof the pinhole, and get some felt to further lightproof the camera. Then I'll have to build a film holder, followed by an outer shell for further strength.

Woohey! and this Sunday, the large format film will be coming from Singapore. Hopefully, I'll be able to take a photo with this camera within this month.

Just Another Day...

I asked my Magic Eight Ball(tm) 3 questions...

... 'YES'
... 'SIGNS POINT TO YES'
... 'NO DOUBT ABOUT IT'

then I asked... 'Are you sure?'

... 'REPLY HAZY, ASK AGAIN LATER'

Updates On My Life

1) Been working

2) Watching too much Little Britain... "The computer says 'no'"

3) Contemplating getting rid of my facebook account... "The computer says 'no'"

4) Trying to build my own large format pinhole camera... "The computer says 'no'"

5)

I'll clip my wings.
Crawl into a fetal postition and envelope myself in a cocoon.

Mencari Bagan Lalang: A Recollection Of Actual Events.

Today, I thought I'll give you, the reader, a treat. I will provide you the pleasure of reading a blog entry that is a recollection of an actual event instead of subjecting you to another one of my mindfuck obscure blog entries.

Bagan Lalang is a beach I used to go to when I was in primary school. I remember going there for the first time when I was 11 on a boy scout camping trip where I stepped onto a bonfire of burning ember barefoot. It was a nice little beach then, nothing but a couple of shops in a little fishing village.

Last week, acting on a whim, over cake and coffee, I suggested to PQ to go look for Bagan Lalang. I have no idea where it is, It's been more than 10 years since I was last there... So today, we decided to wing it. After a few missed turns and nook and cranies, we find ourselves in Bagan Lalang.

Needless to say, it is now bastardized beyond recognition. But then again, I am not here to romantisize old notions so I'll stop here. We bought a kite... a Doraemon shaped kite for 10 ringgit and decided to send it up the sky. Strangely our Doraemon has a 'B' marked on its front pocket. Shouldn't there be a 'D' instead? I wonder if what we're flying up in the sky is really a Doraemon... maybe it's really a 'Boraemon'. The latter is a possibility since one can say that it is not a very accurate visual representation of a Doraemon. It also boggles my mind that Doraemon should be flying up in the air without a propeller on top on his head.

Oh well... how long can we keep a Boraemon up in the air? Kite flying is exciting in the first 10 minutes, but once it is up in the air, how long can it maintain its entertainment value. Once we lost our wind (no pun intended), we decided to call it quits and go beach hopping to Morib (which is about 40 kilometers away) instead.

On the way to Morib, we saw a signboard that says Tanjung Sepat. I was once told that you can find kick ass seafood in Tanjung Sepat, so we decided to make a diversion and check it out. It was not even 6 pm when we got there... The jetty streches out to the sea where fishing boats are parked as they sway to the gentle beating of the waves. We walked to the end of the jetty with a bag of fish crackers and watched the local people stare at the ocean.

There was a little restaurant, 'Ocen Restaurant' (no, I did not spell wrongly, they did) that looked like it was good... me and PQ thought maybe we can eat dinner there. Alas, the little hand is only a little over 6. We had lunch at 3 pm, after that we had cendol, a pack of Mamee, and a bag of fish crackers... Dinner at that time seemed like an impossibility.

With 'Ocen Restaurant' in mind, we drove off to Morib, faithful to our beach hopping agenda.

Morib was well... another beach. I had an ice cream cone. There was a man who was sweeping the beach with a metal detector. We'd like to believe that he's seeking buried treasures, but I reckon he's probably seeking metal bits to sell off as scrap metal. The sun set, we left.

Back to 'Ocen Restaurant' in Tanjung Sepat.

caveat emptor : since I'm already blogging about real events, I reckon maybe I should jump on the food blogging bandwagon too. Extra bonus! I will be a food blogger today, and I promise that my range of adjectives will go beyond 'delicious', 'tasty', and 'it was OK'. Woooohooo, slow down them bandwagon, I'm jumping on now.

So yeah... Ocen Restaurant... this is what we ordered.



Me and PQ, flabbergasted at the amount of food we ordered, contemplated our ability to eat everything. We decided to take away the crabs if we can't finish it.



Bollocks! We finished everything... Yes, it was that good. That and also because we are pigs.



Numero Uno. The 'Kong Po Sotong'. This is ultra fresh sotong. It has to be fresh since this restaurant is like right next to a jetty parked with fishing vessels. God, the squid bounces right off your teeth as you bite it, and yet its not hard and chewy in a way where you'll never get it down. Maybe chewy is not the right word to use... I would actually say that it is crunchy. However, some may say that for 'Kong Po', it is a tad mild and is not as tasty as it should be. In this case, calling it 'mild' would be inappropriate... I'd rather say that it's subtle. For squid as fresh as this, it would be a waste to drown it in flavours. In that way, I feel that the flavour managed to gently carry the squid through in its culinary journey. 'Really Tasty' is sometimes good, but I believe it takes a cook with real finesse to be able to blend flavours in a subtle manner and simply tease the palate.



Tous. The 'Tra La La', named so because I can't remember what it is actually called. Another fine example of how a simple dish when cooked properly and without pretense, can be most pleasing to the tastebuds. No frills required for this dish, just fresh clams, ginger, chili, chinese cooking wine, and etcetera. What's more pleasing was there was not a hint of that irratating taste of soil that one so often finds in la la.



Tres. The 'Kam Heung Crab'. This has got to be the most intensely flavoured dish of the night. Some may say that cooking really fresh crabs a 'la 'Kam Heung' is a real waste of fresh crabs since 'plain steamed' would be much more appropriate. On any other day, I'd agree with you, but after sinking my teeth into this, I'd beg to differ. I am throughly amazed at how, despite the intense flavours, I can still taste the freshness of the meat inside it. Earlier talks of packing some crabs home was thrown into the ocean the moment we digged in. What take-away?



Qua. The 'Kangkung Belachan'. Do I really need to review this? It is Kangkung Belachan. Any restaurant that serves such good food is expected to fry up fantastic vegetable dishes. If this is actually bad, I'd be really disappointed with the entire establishment, but I'm a happy camper.



PQ's pile.



My pile.



And a coconut each to wash down all that goodness. Bliss.



The bill. RM 69.20 (21 USD) for a meal that could easily been enough for 3 people. Absurd.

Since we can't attend Panda Head Curry?'s reunion gig (woe to me! woe to me!), we listened to Panda Head Curry? as we drived home in the darkness instead.

ps: this entry is dedicated to PQ. Couldn't ask for a better person to go running around in circles with.

Dinosaurs were big
Bacterias are really small
Intergalactic beings are way out there.

Post

Everyday I tell myself... 'Maybe I should post a blog entry today...'
And then I don't.

I don't see why today should be any different.

The Magic Gourd : A Review Of A Film So Bad, That We Came Out Of The Theatre Speechless. We Tripped On Our Asses On What I Thought Is A Trippy Film.

Oh my fucking gourd!

Perhaps

It's me.
Perhaps, if I have an extra ticket.
Would you go away with me?

Reason #4721 Why I Am Still Single

"I'll walk you to your car."

"Oh you don't have to."

"The things I do just to spend a little more time with you."

"Awwww... You say the sweetest things."

"Well, I was a copywriter at one point in my life."

Growing Baramundis

I was pleasently surprised when I saw Baramundi, my favourite fish while I was in Papua New Guinea, on sale at a local supermarket.

Salesman : These are organically grown Baramundi
Yuen : (puzzled) How do you grow fish?
chi (interjects) : You know, you get some seeds... (at this time, Yuen was hitting me on my side incessantly telling me to stop already), plonk it in the ground, and then a fish will grow la.

The salesman was not amused at my lil' schpiel.

Me and Yuen walked away laughing, I realized what a bastard I can be.

Woe to me.

Woe to me.

sending you a card with your name on it.
and emoticons that go <3<3<3

I fell up to the sky and crashed into a satellite.

What The Fuck!

People can be assholes...

What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck!

Assholes in positions of power.

What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck!

Raging rampage buying everyone out.

What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck! What the fuck!

Subdued.

Remembering Lou Reed Days As I Stroll The Streets Of Forgotten Time

After losing my favourite Lou Reed CD for more than 2 years already... I've decided to do the wrong thing and download the album illegally off the net (It's not my fault that the iTunes store is not available in Malaysia... topped with the fact that I don't have a credit card).

Listening to this album again... I am reminded of two arcane Lou Reed incidents.


April 2005, Luang Phabang*, Laos.

Like any other Luang Phabang days, there was one special morning where I woke up and had a feeling that today will be especially slow (note that Luang Phabang is already the slowest place on earth). And days like these, Lou Reed's 'Perfect Day' would play in my head incessantly... 'Just a perfect day, drink sangria in a bar...'

I walked to the library and asked Carol if she has any Lou Reed CDs... nay.

I walked to the local CD shop to see if they have any Lou Reed CDs... nay.

nay.

nay.

nay.

I proceeded to my lazy afternoon cafe for tea and cakes still pretty much with Lou Reed stuck in my head. The sun is still hiding behind the clouds as the Mekong flows languidly on my side.

I sip my tea, I eat my cake, I read my book.

I tell myself to ask one of the waiters at the bar if they have any Lou Reed...

I stand up... the stereo gently plays 'Satelite's gone up in the sky...'

Thank you... My day is now complete.


October 2005, Chagar Hutang**, Pulau Redang, Malaysia

I drag my feet on the sun kissed white sands of Chagar Hutang as I stare into the horizon where the sky meets the ocean. It is said that if you're on sea level, the horizon is about 5 kilometers away. I tip toed a little, for a moment, I saw a little further than 5 kilometers.

I soak my feet in the turquoise hue water. From nowhere, my head kept going 'It's so cold in Alaska, It's so cold in Alaska...'

Sigh... cut off from civilization, there is no way I can get any Lou Reed CDs anywhere.

I return to the hut and took a seat at the bench right next to her.

She begins to whistle...

She whistles 'It's so cold in Alaska, It's so cold in Alaska...'

I look at her... once again, the universe conspires.


Post Script

Maybe it's the magical quality of Lou Reed, maybe its the magical quality of Luang Phabang and Chagar Hutang, or maybe, it's the magical quality of the people around me.


*Luang Phabang is my favourite place in the world.
**Chagar Hutang is my favourite corner in the world.

WTF is ZOMG

Shaking my hand as my head spins counter clockwise.

iPod Classic 80GB

Usahlah aku berkata kata (Need I say more?)

Singapore Belongs To Malaysia

As much as I am not a fan of Singapore, here's a few reasons why I think I can like it.

1) Bicycle lanes... jealous, Singaporeans can ride their bicycles everywhere and MRT stations have safe bicycle parking lots. sigh.

2) Schwepps Lemon Bitters... sigh... you can get lemon bitters at a 7-11.

3) Ruby Photo... sigh... all means of photo paper, chemicals, and films... and its cheap... bloody hell.

4) MRT...

5) The Soup Spoon... Roasted Pumpkin, & Tangy Basil Tomato.

6) Paperchase in Borders... I'm a sucker for pretty stationary.

OMG! I Am In A Suit!

OMG! I am in a suit!

ps: whilst looking around clothes with effa in Sungai Wang... Effa showed me this piece she was looking at.

Effa : look at this.
me : O - M - G...

The salesgirl who was tailing us like as if we were the last glass of protein shake in a world filled with bodybuilders, giggled...

salesgirl: heh heh he... omg... hehe..

I was like, 'what the fuck?'

Parkdrive - Biarkan

Thanks to facebook and Jerome Kugan, I am now in love with this song, 'Biarkan' by Parkdrive from Indonesia.

I need to go buy the CD, absolutely in love with it. Bloody hell... can't find the MP3s on the net, and I'm not about to load up youtube everytime i want to listen to this song.

Mungkinkah aku tersilap anggap
Salah langkah, kata-kataku gagap
Kenang-kenangan masa dahulu yang kian menghilang
hanya bayang-bayangan yang tinggal sekarang.

Cirit Birit Update

While I was in Penang, I had diahrrea. Unfortunately for me, the lure of Penang food is way stonger than my will power to maintain a diet of light food to contain the situation...

How can one resists lam mee, fried oysters, roti babi, nasi kandar, mee goreng, cendol, loh bak, char kuay teow, assam laksa, dan lain lain while one is in Penang...

To make matters worse, I've been drinking milk (no thanks to effa, which rarely happens, but I sometimes get a pang for milk), which is supposed to be like cirit birit enemy number one.

Oh well, post Penang, the good doctor advised me to avoid solid food. Like totally WTFness. All I should be havng is plain water, glucose water, 100 plus, and the occasional neat tea. Unfortunately, by dinner time, I got so hungry, that I went ahead and ate a pear. I'd like to believe that fruits should be ok.

Hopefully I'll be better in a couple of days. Can't wait to stuff my face with food.

Looking forward to chewing.

I'm so profound I can't even understand myself.

Guacamole

If 'salsa' is both a dance and a food condiment.
There should also be a dance called Guacamole.

'Let's do the Guacamole!'

If I can't have you with me,
I'll have a can of iced coffee.

Election Fever : Bolehkah Anda Rasa Kepanasannya!

Oooo! can you feel the heat. Election fever is coming. One would however expect someone like the Miri resident would get this facts right in regards to the Penan populations.


MyKad, birth certs for 1,400
the Star 19 September 2007

MIRI: The National Registration Department has approved the applications of some 1,400, mostly Penans, stateless natives living deep in the interiors.

Miri resident Ose Murang said the birth certificates and MyKad for the 1,400 were ready and would be distributed when the mobile units visit their area.

“The department had issued a list of names of those who will be given the birth certificates and MyKads.

“Many of these villagers have been waiting for many, many years for the vital personal documents. Most of them are Penans. However, there is one major hurdle we must overcome, and that is to trace the correct recipients.

“Most of the Penans live in very isolated settlements deep in the jungles, and they keep shifting their settlements all the time. We need to pinpoint their exact location and find ways to reach them,” he said when interviewed.

The 1,400 “lucky” ones were among some 35,000 natives who do not have birth certificates and MyKads as they were born in remote settlements and their births were never registered.

Some were born before Merdeka near the border regions, giving rise to uncertainties about their citizenship status.

Asked how his office would assist in tracing the 1,400 applicants, Murang said the best way was to use existing timber roads to get to major settlements and use them as bases to get word out to the recipients.

Some of the interior settlements are 600km inland from Miri.

Aduh sayangnya.
Kanta mata melihat dengan ralat.
Jurang antara yang benar dan yang diharapkan.
Lompatlah, terlantar jahanam di dasar gaung.

Kamu umpama dunia bagiku
Namun, dia umpama alam semesta

I Need Help!

Wednesday Afternoon Haiku

Wednesday afternoon
Waiting for the train to come
Can anyone tell?

Wednesday afternoon
Staring at the big blue sky
Oh well, what the hell.

Merdeka & Sex

Over the weekend, Katagender embarked and completed its most grandiose feat ever. See Lainie' Yo Yo Yo's blog to see what it is all about.

Or better still, go to Central Market Annexxe anytime from now till the 16th of September to see what it really is. Just follow the signs that says 'Katagender Merdeka And Sex'

What The Fuck Is An Activist?

What the fuck is an activist?

Raindrops dancing outside the window as I stare into the bottom of my ethereal coffee cup.
I couldn't ask for more.

Am I a narcissist?

Emo Post For The Post Modern Poster Boy

Why do people have to ask stupid things like 'How are you today?' and then be answered by a 'Fine' followed by a 'How about you? How are you today?' which will then be replied with a 'I'm fine too'.

It totally doesn't make sense at all. Why can't people be comfortable with just shutting up? Why do we find it necessary to say stupid cliched things, and to ask stupid cliched questions when we are not really interested to find out?

Is there a burden attached to silence?

I relish the moment when we can sit down together and not speak a single word and yet be completely comfortable with each other.

We sip our coffee in silence. Leaving with the feeling of having the best times of our lives.

Eating risotto in a bowl with a pair of chopsticks.

Hippopotamus

Dilemma...

I can choose to stay here and hope that things will get better...

Or

I can go thinking that I can make it home safely by myself.

Either, or, and nothing more.

Why then do I often find myself caught in such farcial situations? Do I actively allow myself to walk casually into this only to later find myself caught in a situation where I cannot comprehend? Where I cannot possibly apply a hypothesis in order to at least help me start from somewhere.

Why must I start from scratch. To induce or to deduce. Line of logical explanations. Circular reasonings. I cannot begin to understand how it works.

Maybe this is pure rubbish. This has got to be my worst blog entry... but I'm gonna post it anyway.

Trilogi Jiwa (epilog)

Mungkinkah anda mendiami suatu sudut di satu ruang istimewa dalam jiwaku?

Trilogi Jiwa (bahagian 3)

Trilogi Jiwa (bahagian 2) : Beruang Makan Nasi

Di sekitar tahun 1980an, ada seekor beruang bernama Tony yang tinggal bersama kawan-kawan bujangnya di sebuah rumah bujang yang terletak di Kampung Pandan. Tony bekerja sebagai seekor beruang sarkis di sebuah sarkis yang terletak di berdekatan rumahnya. Kerana terlalu penat melompat gelang api dan menunggang basikal satu roda sepanjang malam, Tony biasanya gemarkan tidur, terutamanya tidur yang berpanjangan (atau terma saintifiknya, hibernasi).

Pada suatu hari, setelah berhibernasi selama 3 hari 3 malam, Tony bangun dengan perasaan lapar yang amat sangat dalam perutnya. Walaupun terasa sebegitu lapar, sebagai seekor beruang yang beretika, Tony masih, dengan penuh disiplinnya, mandi wajib dan menggosok gigi sebelum menjamah makanannya di meja makan. Setelah sudah kering setiap bulu pada badannya, Tony pun menuju ke dapur rumahnya dengan harapan kawan-kawannya ada meninggalkan makanan dari semalam.

Tony membuka peti sejuk. Alangkah terkejutnya apabila Tony mendapati yang peti sejuknya kosong, air kosong setitik pun tiada. Apabila dia membuka almari dapur, sama juga...segala-galanya kosong. Yang ada, hanyalah semangkuk nasi kosong do bawah tudung saji. Tony mendakap mangkuk itu ke hidungnya, baunya boleh tahan, walaupun nasi dari semalam, masih boleh makan lagi. Tony melihat sekelilingnya mencari lauk yang boleh menemani nasi kosongnya. Langsung tiada, yang ada hanya kicap pekat dan garam halus... 'Bleahhh, kalau sekadar kicap dan garam, tak payahlah, apa kelas', kata Tony. 'Saya rasa kalau begini, saya nak pergi ke bandar cari makan lah' tambahnya. Ketika ini, Tony tiba tiba terasa pelik, dia bertanya bagaimana seekor beruang seperti dirinya boleh pandai bercakap. Dan jika beliau begitu pandai bercakap, kenapa pula dia masih melompat gelang api dan menunggang basikal? Bukanka seekor beruang yang pandai bercakap lebih menarik dari seekor beruang yang boleh melakukan aksi aksi ngeri. Beliau hairan.

Disebabkan kehilangan selera melihat nasi kosong itu, Tony segera menaiki bas mini nombor 25 ke Menara Maybank di bandaraya Kuala Lumpur. Perut Tony semakin lapar. Ketika sampai ke bandaraya, Tony segera mencari warung makan di lorong lorong belakang di Jalan Tun H.S. Lee. Terdapat banyak warung warung makan di lorong lorong belakang di bandaraya, namun tiada satu yang menarik citarasanya. Bukan setakat itu, lorong lorong belakang yang sebegitu kotor itu kian memualkan dia... seleranya kehilangan.

Beliau terus berjalan sehinggalah ke perkarangan Jalan Silang (yang sekarangnya digelar Jalan Tun Tan Siew Sin) dimana mana beliau terbeliak melihat huruf M berwarna kuning yang sebegitu besar itu. Air liurnya meleleh, jus perutnya bergelora. Tanpa berfikir panjang, Tony terus memasuki restoran McDonalds yang berhawa dingin itu. 'Burger keju, kentang goreng, dan air Coke' katanya kepada pelayan di kaunter restoran itu. '6 ringgit 28 sen' jawab pelayan itu. Tony menyeluk tangannya kedalam saku meraba raba mencari duit... alangkah kecewanya beliau apabila mendapati yang beliau hanya mempunyai wang sebanyak 2 ringgit 30 sen sahaja. Dengan rasa segan, Tony menanya pelayan itu 'Kalau nak kentang goreng sahaja berapa yea?', '1 ringgit 92 sen' jawab pelayan itu. 'Kalau begitu, nak kentang goreng sahajalah'.

Di suatu sudut, Tony terjumpa sebuah tempat duduk yang kosong. Tanpa mambazir masa, Tony segera membaham segala gala kentang goreng yang ada pada penghidangnya. Dalam masa kurang dari 2 minit, maka habislah kentang gorengnya. 'Begitu sedap sekali' fikirnya... 'walaupun tanpa mencecah kicap tomato atau sos cili'. Begitulah nasib Tony, setiap kali beliau makan di restoran makanan segera, beliau akan melupakan tentang sos sos kerana saiz paketnya yang kecil dan saiz tangannya yang besar menyukarkannya untuk membuka paket paket sos di sana. Tambahan pula jarinya semua pendek pendek belaka.

'Ah...' kata Tony sambil meraba perutnya dengan rasa puas. Namun, Tony masih berasa lapar. Apa kan tidak, hanya kentang goreng sahaja, mustahil ia boleh mengenyangkan seorang manusia, apatah lagi seekor beruang dewasa yang tingginya 6 kaki 7 inci. Tapi, apakandaya, duit di kocek tidak cukup, hari pun sudah mahu lewat. Tony bercadang untuk balik ke rumah sahaja agar beliau boleh sambung tidur, alang alang boleh melupakan rasa laparnya.

Setelah sampai ke perhentian bas, Tony meraba koceknya untuk mengambil tambang bas. Alangkah terkejutnya apabila beliau mendapati yang beliau hanya tinggal 38 sen sahaja. Tambang bas mini nombor 25 60 sen. Mana cukup? Beliau terfikir untuk menanya orang ramai untuk sedekahkan kepadanya duit 30 sen kalau boleh. Tapi memang mustahil, until beliau berbuat begitu, maruahnya terlalu tinggi, lagipun, apabila beliau cuba bercakap dengan orang lain, mereka biasanya lari lintang pukang... terkejut melihat seekor beruang yang boleh berkata kata.

Oleh itu, dengan hati yang berat dan perut yang lapar, beliau membuat keputusan untuk berjalan kaki balik ke rumah.

Tony berjalan...

Sudah 3 buah bas mini nombor 25 melaluinya....

Beliau masih berjalan... sang suria semakin rendah...

Beliau masih berjalan... hari sudah pun gelap...

Beliau kepenatan.

Sudah 2 jam berjalan, barulah belaiu sampai ke pintu rumahnya di Kampung Pandan. Kepenatan beliau tidak terhingga, kelaparannya pula, tidak terkata. Namun begitu beliau hanya mahu tidur sahaja.

Apabila Tony masuk ke dalam dapur rumahnya, matanya bersinar melihat sebiji mangkuk diatas meja makannya. Kelihatan di sudut matanya, nasi putih yang ditinggalkannya siang tadi. Tanpa membazir masa, Tony mencapai mangkuk itu dan menghabiskan nasi itu dengan gelojoh.

Perut Tony kenyang, hatinya senang, Tony kembali tidur di katilnya bermimpikan mimpi indah yang mengukir senyuman di bibirnya.

Trilogi Jiwa (bahagian 1) : Hello Goodbye

Woot! Woot! It's been 6 years already.
Bring out the champagne and party like its 1994. I practically owe this domain.

Flickering bright lights illuminating my fright.

Major Jerk Off Post.

People are idiots...
But please don't be mistaken, in reality I am really a form of pure energy.
It's just that I manifest my existence in the physical form of a person...
I don't think you people can deal with what I really am, lest I blow your minds away.

PS: I love all of you.

Post Number 200!

As the nation celebrates its 50th year of independence, I'd like to celebrate my 200th blog entry (though many would dispute that a number of my entries would not qualify as valid entries). For the past couple of days, I've been restraining myself from posting anything as I've resolved to ensure that this 200th one would be special and meaningful. It is not easy to not subject you, my imaginary reader (what I've always believe is a mere schizophrenic construction in my head) to my usual dose of random thoughts, non-thoughts, and brain farts. It takes a great deal of discipline to not post such single line blog entries such as 'encased in a logic proof plastic bag.' or 'drinking soup from the far end of the bowl'.

No, it was not easy. So much so that, for lack of material (and... and audience), I almost resorted to shutting down [tentative working title]. It's about due time anyway. When I first set up this blog, I gave myself 3 months before I'd start losing interest in it. It has been more than a year now ever since the end of that self imposed expiration date. But of course, back then I have failed to take into account a very important variable... that being my shameless narcissism.

Many have complaint over the year and a half my blog's been around that it lacks any sense of clarity, neither does it present you with an inkling of my day to day activities and thoughts. In response to this, I think the time is right to repost my first blog entry to emphasize once again the spirit of my blog... here goes...



It has appeared to me that over time, i've slowly lost my sense of clarity and i am now diving headlong into an obscure oblivion. I would attribute it to my inablility to make sense of my surroundings as my understanding of myself, the people, and the environment around me become more arcane; when in my search for the questions that haunt me, in demands for answers, i find myself bogged down by more questions whenever one gets answered. Every answer poses a thousand more questions.

Should I stop seeking? Should I stop questioning? Should I stop existing? Ironically, any answer to any of the above question will breed in itself more questions to ask myself.

there

(this is a post that was supposed to be here)

Schizophrenic Parables

Once upon a time, a lonely rich man sought the help of an acquaintance to recover his buried treasure in the desert. They agreed to share the bounty equally if the aquantaince agrees to do all the digging. The aquantiance had his reservations initially but felt that it is only fair since the rich man has the knowledge to the whereabouts of the treasure.

After roaming about the desert for seven days on camelback, they finally reach the spot marked 'X'.

The aquaintance began to dig with his shovel.

Beaten by the fierce Saharan sun, beads of sweat flow like a river in this barren desert as he tirelessly push his shovel into the Saharan sand.

He digs deeper...

...and deeper...

...and deeper...

Still the treasure is not in sight. He questions the rich man, to which answers that the treasure is buried really deep.

After digging for more than two days tirelessly without food or water, the acquaintance finally died.

Seeing this, the rich man sighed and with his own shovel covered the hole with sand.

All That Jazz

Over the weekend, I went to two jazz thingamajiggas on two consecutive nights.

thingamajigga numero uno...

'Jazz And Your Sense Of Humour' at the Top Room on Friday night.

The David Gomez Trio collaborates with a few people from Instant Cafe Theatre... Junji, Maya Tan, Shantini Venugopal, and Edwin Sumun. There were 3 sets altogether, 2 of them was the trio playing with either one of the ICT people singing. Maya, Shantini, and Edwin are like totally jazz virgins, and for virgins I have to say they put up a really good show. I especially enjoyed Edwin's sets... very entertaining, the only downside to it was that David's grand piano had an open top. It would have been nice to see Edwin climb on top of the piano doing the tra la la with David. The third set, was the ICT people performing some new musical material written by Junji, which I soon realize that I've been Junji's guinea pig while we were recording in the studio these past couple of wewks. Despite that, it was still funny... no one was spared, Dr.M, Pak Lah, Namewee, Mat Rempits, even Gloria Arroyo. Best 35 ringgit I spent for the week. Though it's kinda weird to have to pay to watch the David Gomez trio play when I usually get paid to listen to them play.


'The Sunrise Digi Jazz Festival' at Sunrise Plaza Mont' Kiara on Saturday night.

Bleah. If they mean Jazz Festival as in Jazz as in how I would say '...you know, and all that jazz' as in how I would say '...you know, and all that shit', then yes, this would then be a Jazz Festival. When we arrived, Shannon Shah was playing. Please excuse me, I really like Shannon... but seriously, jazz he is not... neither would people like Zainal Abidin, Sheila Majid, nor APU (with all due respect, I like APU too) should be considered jazz (unless of you're one of those people whose point of reference for jazz is Dave Koz and Kenny G). It is sad, but one can see how uncomfortable Shannon was on stage (far cry from the Shannon I usually watch)... I don't blame him, with a sound engineer like the one that mixed for the event, I would be too. This sound dude singlehandedly changed the name of the festival to 'The Sunrise Digi Kick Drum Festival'. I can't hear nothing but the kick drum. Shanon's voice was drowned in so much reverb I can barely hear what he's saying even when he is just bantering, what more when the band kicks in. Shanon's piano? His piano was like a mythical creature that everyone has heard of from someone else, but will never hear of themselves.

Then next came 'Funk Mob', a band headlined by John Thomas... Josie Thomas' son. I first heard John play about 8 years ago I think...then he was still a teenager. Back then, I felt that he had technique, but lacked soul. Unfortunately, now that he's 23 already, he still lacks soul, but I'll give him credit for having improved his technique. I'd hate to say this (thank god no one reads this blog), but the 'Funk Mob' unfortunately feels like nothing more than a masturbatory band made up of a bunch of kids who are eager to show the world how great they are with their instruments. Throughout the 2 songs that I cared to stay back for, every single member of the band performed a solo which they took all the way to China (and sometimes Alaska) before coming back to earth... the solos are impressive, but does nothing for the song itself.

Sigh... and fucking hell, 'Tonight only, Parking : RM 6 per entry'... what a rip off. Bastards.

It is unfortunate, but I think after Friday nite at Top Room, the 'Jazz' fest just paled in comparison... will definitely not go again.

disclaimer: I am not a qualified music critic, neither am I a qualified critic of any sort. If you are unhappy or disagree with this post, I would suggest that you go to the Sunrise Digi Jazz Festival.

A Poem That's Really An Apology

I did a bad bad thing...
I thought it was funny.
But it really isn't...
It might have sound like what it was
But it really isn't...

One would think that this is a poem
But it really isn't.
Please don't think too much about it
It really isn't.

Not In My Name

“The offence was not against the Prime Minister or ministers concerned but against the nation,” Nazri told reporters...

-extracted form The Star, August 17 2007-

Sorry Nazri, in no way was I offended by the Namewee's Negarakuku clip. Not only that, I feel that this is a necessary piece of work that would help shape the maturity of the nation (which, given the current manner the government is handling this issue, is obviously lacking... not so much the people of this nation, but the powers to be)

So please, don't use my existence in vain... I will, under no circumstance allow myself to be involved in your petty politikus. Please count me out. If anything, I am offended by your claims of me (being part of the nation) being offended by Namewee.

Unless of course, you, Mr. Internal Security Minister do not consider me as part of the nation.

Oh sorry, I forgot. In Malaysia, my citizenship is a privelege, not a right. How naive of me to think otherwise.

Too damned lazy to even finish typing a blog ent.....

I Want 2 Things

I want 2 things now..

1) A good cup of latte
2) A slice of cake smothered with decadence

On my time wasting marathon today I saw the new apple keyboard in person. I also want that.

Ever since I got my new 24" widescreen monitor I realized I've been such a geek... I can't believe I'm drolling over a keyboard. By the way, here's a photo of my new monitor



OK. So I really want 3 things. There are also alot of other things that I want, but I'm not gonna tell.

Kena Reject...

Woe to me... the following arrived in the mail today.



Not a good addition to what is already a lazy unproductive day. I should cattle prod myself. Maybe I should go learn how to make films under the tutelage of Panda Head Curry.

In Pursuit Of Laziness II (POLIS)

I've got lots of work to do... but am yet too lazy to do anything... I want to have cake and coffee.

But instead I'll sing this song to you...

I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts (Didilidi...)
Here they are all lined up in a row (Didilididilidi)
Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head...
Listen to what the doctor says...
He says...

I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts (Didilidi...)
Here they are all lined up in a row (Didilididilidi)
Big ones, small ones, some as big as your head...
Listen to what the doctor says...
He says...

(And now lets kick back and bring the beat down 2 notchess and bring in the horn section)

I've got a lovely pair of coconuts (Didilidi...)
Here they are both lined up in a row (Didilididilidi)
Big ones, small ones, some as... Ohh excuse me, they're all big...
Listen to what the doctor says...

He says...

This post is dedicated to Pook, Luke, Cally, Reza, Matt, and the rest of the motley crew at the Boboa Station Primary School, Lake Murray, Papua New Guinea.

There's Something About Miri

My latest film, 'There's Something About Miri' is now live on google video. Click on the image above to watch. Enjoy...

Oh such self pleasure...

Superkawaiicoolomatic

As a self proclaimed pop-ho-capitalist-bourgeoisis-marxists, the following video is rated 'superkawaiicoolomatic'. I want a monogram somthing now.

Bow To The Genius Of Panda Head Curry!

Panda Head Curry have finally made a music video for themselves. Although 'Samy' is not my favourite track in their debut album 'One Thousand Homo Humpbacks', it has nonetheless smittened me with its pure genius and flawless execution.

Woe to me! I should stop making films altogether until I get to learn under the tutelage of Panda Head Curry!

In Defense Of Youth!

Recently, there has been a discussion thread in the Sea Turtle Research Unit (SEATRU) Volunteer mailing list regarding lowering the minimum age limit for the programme (the current age limit is 18). Most people feel that the age limit should stay (me included). And then the following email was posted...


from : (Name Withheld)
to : seatru_volunteers@yahoogroups.com
date : Aug 9, 2007 12:19 AM

I strongly agree that the age limit should be set at 18. Even 18 years old teens are already so rebellion (though not all are like this), what can we expect much from them to contribute? Besides, this is in fact a voluntary programme for the sake turtle conservation and not summer holidays camp or whatsoever, therefore I find that it will be burden for the staff to keep an eye on those KIDS. First thing first, what can they contribute? Patrolling during day time & sleep during night time? Or help to make more noise so that the atmosphere there feel better?

At the same time I do not find that KIDs under 18 years old are physically fit. Though I am in England now & I agree that English teens here are much stronger & independent, look at M'sian boys & girls. How well-built they are? I am sure majority are skinny & not so tough. Come on, mate! Can can easily be carried wawy by the waves.

Set the limit as it is. Vacations or summer holidays in Chagar Hutang is just not the right destination. I am sure if the teens are keen to join, I really believe that I can always wait for few more years or so, if they really have the intension to help. CH is always there for them! CH would not vanish over night.

Hope my opinions make sense & strong enough to support Prof Chan's stand.
(Name Withheld)


Of course, your's truly, me, could not resist posting a reply to such bigoted nonsense. Here then is my reply to the group...


from :chi too (19sempilai@gmail.com)
to :seatru_volunteers@yahoogroups.com
date :Aug 9, 2007 10:04 AM
subject :Re: [seatru_volunteers] Re: Under-aged participants

dear friends, and friends of friends friends,

how amazingly bigoted... If such is the general regard held towards youths by us adults, it is no wonder that they end up becoming what we perceive them to be... rowdy, irresponsible, party animals that can't do shit.

There seem to be a completely unfair line of reasoning here.
premise 1 : some youngsters are irresponsible and useless
premise 2 : Chagar Hutang cannot tolerate irresponsible and useless behaviour
conclusion : Chagar Hutang cannot tolerate youngsters.

What is my point? well, I guess most people here are smart enough to figure out what I am getting at. But for those of you who don't and insist on me having a point. Here's my point then:

(.)

To simply deny young people such an enriching experience is not only unfair, but highly myopic. And I state again, I cannot imagine a better time for a person to be passionate about issues (be it social or pop) then when they are at that kick ass opinion forming rebellious 15-18 years old. And what is so wrong about being rebellious? How does one define rebellion? Smoking a cigarette? Cutting class? Disobeying unjust rules? Swearing? Standing up against authority? Having an opinion? (well, but then again, the school system would probably repress it and claim that opinion forming should be left to universities, and universities would then claim that students should concentrate on studying).

Yes, I understand that the SEATRU team is really busy with existing work and to take this into consideration would mean more work for everybody (in terms of setting up new policies and guidelines and etcetra)... but isn't that how work works? you have loads of it, and you find yourself put in a position where you take in more. I'm quite sure that mechanisms can be put in place to ensure that youngster interested in volunteering are the real mccoy.

Seriously, if youngsters really are so irresponsible and useless as Jason claims to be, I'm pretty sure that Prof would have never allowed the MKIS kids to come every year. Testimony that kids can do more than day patrols and sleep at night. I don't know about you, but when I was 15, all I wanted to do was to stay up late (and not sleep if allowed...)

I however, have a confession to make... I can't stand kids, especially youngsters, and I especially don't fancy having a 15 year old in Chagar Hutang with me. However, to deny a youngster such an enriching experience simply because of my own preferences is not only unfair and selfish, it reeks of elitism. I also believe that having no one to speak up on their behalf in this mailing group (any 15-17 year olds here? gimme a 'woot! woot!'), someone ought to. This is also what happens when one was rebellious as a teenager, we like to take complete opposite sides of popular opinions (even the ones i agree with) to see if such opinions are valid and reasonable, and is not merely a result of herd behaviour.

To end this exhaustively long e-mail, I would like to now form another line of reasoning based on (Name Withheld)'s methodology.
premise 1 : some people are irresponsible and useless
premise 2 : Chagar Hutang cannot tolerate irresponsible and useless behaviour
conclusion : Chagar Hutang cannot tolerate people.

Thank you very much. I hope my opinions make sense and is strong enough to sway Prof Chan's stand.

Yang menjalankan tugas,
chi too
Just an old cynic who harbored desires to see a turtle since he was 12.

Perhaps...

Hanging on to a sunbeam
Perhaps I should put it in a light-tight box
But it would still be dark inside.

The Necessity Of Truth

Writing in darkness
Obscuring clarity
Oh the pity!

Despite the starkness
Preserving sanity
Oh so pretty!

Alas
An unnecesary necessity.

Oral Constipation

Nothing important to say... (Kafka was born in Prague)

Poetikarat no. 1

Distracted,
I tripped and fell on my face.
I breathe in the dust
You clapped your hands in praise.

Unprotected,
My heart skipped a beat.
My realization of the crux
You clamoured at my very defeat.

Alas.

Gazing outside...
I trade my gold for a minute in your tide.

ReWhine

I've received complaints that my recent blog entries have been happy and light. In an attempt to restore my dense and dark reputation, here's an entry that lacks the component of clarity.


Staring into the irrevocible differences of our vicarious epiphanies.

I Want To Ride My Bicycle!

This is a sticky post. Scroll below for updates.



Mari kawan-kawan, kita menjajah jalanraya Kuala Lumpur. Woooheeeeeey. Ride your basikal, tricycle, unicycles, unicorns, or you can just simply walk. Just don't show up in a car.

Thank You...

you've made my day.