Chugging into 2012

Oh wow, it's yet another week and it's Friday the 13th today. Not that it is particularly significant but supposedly it is when creepy things happen. Oh well, I highly suspect nothing spectacular will be happening tonight. We must probably will call it a night early since the boys will need to rise early for a one day 'camp' organised by my hubby's company. Already I am pretty tired and it's just 8.30pm.

Anwar addressing supporters after his acquittal on 9th Jan 2012.

Let's do a recap as of happenings these 2 weeks before we start chugging into 2012. We have the very unexpected news about DSAI's acquittal last Monday. I had a feeling that he would be acquitted but most people predicted that he would be jailed! Anyway, it's happy news for the country as it finally made some sense. Not that I think our judiciary suddenly become independent but rather that the ruling government realised that jailing will be worse off for them.  Last I heard, the prosecutors would be appealing but has yet to be approved by the AG. I would think dropping the appeal altogether would be wiser move. Else any possible good vibes that was obtained from DSAI's acquittal will be nullified. I hope that all the drama and nonsense will be chucked away once and for all. Let the people decide on real issues affecting the well being of the people and the country instead of such trivial and disgusting matters.


Apart from that, the last I heard is that the poll will be not be as soon as we have thought. I would think that the PM will be wiser to call for election sooner rather than later since the positive effects from the BR1M money and DSAI's acquital are still fresh on people's minds. It would make very little difference to average Janes or Joes like us, I guess. Anyway, most people have got who they want to vote for already etched in their mind. Nothing will change their minds. It would be the fence sitters that both sides need to fight for. The fence sitters could very well tip the scales for either sides.


Enough of politics. Had Christmas cum CNY dinner with my colleagues yesterday at Fish Village in Semenyih. I think the food there was ok but not spectacular. The fishes were pretty nice and we ordered 3 styles. The bill came up to over RM21/pax, which is also oklah. I would hesistate to recommend to friends for the food alone but if they are looking for a different environment, it's pretty nice there with lakes all around. 


It's less then 2 weeks before CNY. I have got some new clothes for my daughter but haven't got anything for the boys yet. So will need more shopping within this period. No time for cookie making this year, probably just buy some. So much to do so little time. Need to do some serious shopping this weekend! I will stop for this entry, getting sleepy, nighty night.

Feed me for a day...

I have recently not commented much about the politics of the country. Maybe because I did not find anything interesting enough to mention in my blog or maybe I am preoccupied with other things in my life. But I am aware and still read news online regularly. Today, I was browsing the Star's online portal and I read this article about action to be taken on those who cheat the government to get the RM500 aid per household. The article is here: http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2011/12/11/nation/10076176&sec=

I am not surprise about the warning by the government to take action against cheaters because, there are bound to be people who will take advantage of any situation when they can. What I am taken by surprise is the Second Finance Minister, Ahmad Husni's quote: "...there were 6.3 million households in Malaysia, and the 5.2 million eligible account for 83%"

83% of households in Malaysia are actually earning below RM3K per month! So the government will be paying this one off Bantuan Rakyat 1Malayisa (BR1M) amounting to RM2.6 Billion! Also not forgetting the RM100 per school going child which had been given recently too, so the government must have paid a few billion just like that. Why? Because the election is here soon?

I am not saying giving money back to the people is not good but I really wonder how a one-time cash payout will actually help in increasing the household incomes of those affected. Instead of spending that kind of money, isn't it better to help those who really need help by providing them with a permanent jobs or skill of something? RM500 will probably help them that month but what about the rest of their lives? Reminds me of the proverb: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. Also remember Badawi's time when all car owners got the RM600 plus rebate for one year because of the fuel subsidy cut? How the heck did that help? For those who use their car a lot, it's fuel money for a month maybe but for those who don't use the car much, it was like fuel for a year! And some people actually have more than one car, so their get the rebate a few times that year. How fair was that?

Coming back to the current  BR1M scheme, I am quite unsure of the process and what constitute a household? Does it mean all those living in the same house are automatically considered one household? What if you rent a room or 2 families living in one house? If you are married or single, does that make any difference? Retirees, like my in-laws and my parents, do they count?

I am sure I am not the only thinking citizen to feel this way.The scheme is flawed, the process is unclear and most importantly it doesn't help people in the long run. I am surprised that the chosen government of the day have no better ideas to improve livelihood of the people instead of giving out one time goodies right before election times. Time to get some smarter people to the lead the country.

11.11.11: Beautiful Date

11.11.11. a beautiful date and many got married! The PM announced the day will go by without the Parliament being dissolved. Well, it was expected. Looking at how things are, BN is not ready to give back the mandate to the people yet. But it won't be that far off after all. In a few more months at most, early next year. With so many things not going well and Bersih & Co demanding electoral reform before the 13th Election, it would be unwise to call for election now. Although I am doubtful real reforms will take place but at least, there will be some cosmetic stuff to make the illusion of some sort of reforms. However, if the will of the people is strong enough, even though there could be some rigging and dirty tricks, I think and hope that it will still lead to change!

This week, a good friend of mine from primary school invited me to her wedding in Singapore. I did not hesitate to accept because it has been so long since I saw her and also all our other friends will be there too. So I am going to Singapore in 2 weeks! Lots of planning to do, buy tickets, book hotels, etc. Sincerely, I am so glad to hear she is getting married and told myself I won't miss her wedding. When I got married years ago, they all came down from Singapore and BP to attend my wedding too (in Kajang).

I am keeping it short for this entry, have many things to do. Have a nice weekend y'all.

Happenings around the World

I am looking around for topics to write in my blog this week. There aren't many things that caught my attention, except for the usual gutter politics of more lies involving innocent family members and the audit report that had some incredible findings of how the government wasted tax payers' money. But somehow, I am not in the mood to criticise all these as others have done lots of it already. So tired of all that, what can be said has already been said. For me, I am just waiting for the time to mark the big X on the ballot. I have made up my mind and no amount of smear tactics will change my mind.

Oh yes, the world is also shocked by several events, from the massive flood in Thailand (and neighbouring countries), to the quake in Turkey and the killing of Gaddafi in Libya. The Thailand flood has brought about many issues affecting Malaysia like the price hike of vegetables and production halt of some manufacturing companies due to lack of parts from Thailand. It is the worst flood in 50 years for Thailand and I hope it will not last much longer. The quake in Turkey see many hundreds dead and more still missing while the killing of the defeated Gaddafi was a sad sight to watch, no matter if he was a tyrant or not. It is sad that people have so much hatred in them to kill a defeated man instead of taking him into custody for trial. Now I heard of some conspiracy theory on the real reason why he was killed.

We will never know the real truth, just like the many other unfortunate things that have happened, in and out of the country.

Undilah, Registerlah.

TGIF! A week flew by, just like that. We had a busy week at work as the new students start to come in. It will be the same for a few more weeks before they settle down into their routine. Really glad that we have and will have new colleagues joining us. I am relieved that I do not have to go through throngs of resumes again to pick out candidates for interviews.

On the home front, one kid was sick after another these past weeks, so had many visits to the clinics. Otherwise, it was as usual.

I recently burned a big hole in my pocket. I indulged in a very expensive branded bag. Probably won't happen again for a very long while after this. After getting it, it is sitting in my closet inside its' dustbag. I am still hesitant to use it. But since I already bought, I really should be using it. Feeling guilty about it, though.


Back to politics for a bit. I saw that matters regarding Hudud law is being played up again in the news. This is another sign of the General Election looming. As always, this is seen as the main source of discourse between parties in the opposition coalition. Personally, I think there is no point discussing about this when the opposition still remains as oppositions. So whatever is being reported  is just propaganda to stir up fear amongst the non-muslims, trying to make them afraid of PAS. I totally don't buy it, it is no big deal. There is a Chinese saying that goes something like this: the ship will be straight once it gets to the harbour, so what is the point of worrying about something that hasn't happened yet and probably won't happen for a very long time? I admit, I don't know enough about Hudud and how the implementation will affects non-muslims in the country but don't we have more pressing things to take care off? Like rampant corruption, abuse of power and human rights violation under our noses, just to name a few. So don't get too hype up about non-issues. First things first.

Don't forget to register to vote if you haven't and check your voting details on the SPR site if you have registered. So when polling day come, go out and UNDILAH, JANGAN TIDUR! For a better Malaysia! Cheers!

On ISA and Nasi Lemak

For the last few days, the hype was all about the PM's announcement about abolishing the dreaded ISA (and a few other laws)! This is definitely a positive development although I wouldn't pop the champagne just yet. One thing is for sure, the election is looming round the corner. The PM is sure fighting for his survival, after his popularity went downhill because of the handling of Bersih 2.0.

It also shows that the ruling government is indeed aware that it is the demands of the people that such unfair laws be repealed but it also shows that the same government had been adamant  about keeping these laws until now! Why?! Basically, I think it is because these laws are to their benefit, so doing away with them was far from their thoughts. But the situation has changed drastically from 10 or 20 years ago. More Malaysians have access to information and alternative opinions in this information age. People are no longer as gullible as before, believing every word the authorities says. This is definitely a big win for the rakyat!

Oh, 16th Sept was Malaysia Day and we celebrated with a movie, Nasi Lemak 2.0. The kids did enjoy it a lot, still singing the songs they heard from the movie. My personal opinion, the movie was so so only. But it was still a commendable effort from Namewee and all the guest local celebrities that helped him. I am not really Namewee's fan, not at all. His songs to me are too vulgar although the tunes are okay. Nevertheless, I still think he has good potential. I was further impressed that the movie was shot using a Canon DSLR! Amazing! Adibah Noor and  Adflin Shauki were so lovable on screen, as always. The script, the cast and the cinematography were quite good, only the plot is a bit stale. However, I will still recommend it a watch, firstly to support Namewee's effort and secondly because there were many funny moments that were so Malaysian in the movie. So go watch soon.

You think we are stupid, or what?!

Without realizing, we are already more than half way through 2011. August is a few days away. Apart from the usual crap and funnies you see in Malaysian politics (like what Patrick Teoh calls it) and the football qualifier matches between Singapore and Malaysia (which we lost with dignity), there were not many things happening that caught my attention this week except this one thing. There was a debate between Datuk Ambiga and the deputy Director of SPR, Datuk Wira held in Shah Alam on Wednesday. Didn't get to attend it but got to watch the videos online of the event. From what I saw from the videos, I can conclude that  Datuk Ambiga is really professional and made all her points clearly. My respect for her grew even more after I listened to her. Having said that, Datuk Wira is also brave for coming to the debate. We need more of these kinds of debate. People engaged with each other to talk about things face to face. Most importantly, in a public event like this one so that the general public can know too. I wish that our national TV could air these events instead of Government propaganda.

In the beginning of her introduction, Datuk Ambiga said that what we want from the candidates is a high standard of discussion on policies and not dirty politics. This is really apt. Who cares who is the actor in the latest secretly recorded sex videos! Tell us what the Ministers will do about improving standard and quality of living for the general folks like us. Tells us how can we ensure that our MACC, Police and Courts are doing their job in absolute fairness without a hint of bias towards anyone. How can we stop the unfair law from being abused at the pleasure of  some 'authorities'? How do we give answers to the people about those who have died in custody in gross injustice? When will the leaders, i.e. the ministers (prime or otherwise) take responsibilities about what is happening under their noses?

It's time we see candidates that talk and make sense and not making clowns of themselves. I refuse to believe that Malaysian Parliament candidates and the voters are not intelligent enough to partake in discussions affecting the future of our country for the betterment of our society. Political scandals can still surface, we need some spice sometimes. But not like the numbers that we are having now, which is a scandal overload, making the rakyat sick. Most of them are just plain stupid and plain lies, insulting the intellect of Malaysians. Malaysians are smart, you think we are stupid, or what?! But I can't say the same for some of those arrogant MPs and/or ministers that we have in our Parliament House.

For the coming 54th Merdeka Day, I pray that Almighty God will help Malaysia to be a nation of united people that does not tolerate racism, injustice and leaders who lack grey matter inside those hard skulls.

This is part 1 of the debate between Bersih and SPR.

Life Goes On

A busy week, especially a crazy Friday. So many things to do so little time.

Still, have to bring up TBH's RCI report. After 2 years, the answer given to the late TBH's family is he was driven to suicide. I was really sad when I read about it, was even sick to my stomach. A colleague asked me if I expected a different outcome. Honestly, I was not surprised but rather very very disappointed because I still held a glimmer of hope.

A promising young man who was called in as a witness to investigate on a mere belief of a RM2K misuse of funds by a opposition led state, died the next morning under the custody of the MACC. I doubt his family members can accept that outcome, even I feel this is unconvincing. I guess the truth to his death will never be known because the dead cannot tell. I think we will get the same outcome with the 2nd RCI on Ahmad Sarbani case too. I am reading about it and I am so sad, so I cannot imagine how their families are feeling.

Still, life goes on. For the time being, I will put aside these unhappy thoughts. I have a life to live! Hubby and I decided to make a day trip to Tg. Sepat with the in laws and the kids tomorrow. One of my colleagues recommended the place to me sometime last year. I was planning to go there then. But the the famous murder of the business woman and 3 others happened at the location, so we didn't think it was appropriate to visit. But since a year has gone by, I don't feel turned off by the idea anymore. Read some blog postings about it so I think I roughly know what places to visit there. So you'll hear more about the trip soon. Will hopefully take some good shots too on my DSLR, which has been gathering dust for awhile. Wishing all a good weekend but please also keep our beloved country in our prayers.

MALAYSIAN, and proud of it!

This is my story about the rally last Saturday.


62 NGOs (including some of the very respectable ones) came together, with Datuk Ambiga at the helm, to form a coalition (BERSIH) and they had been trying to lobby for clean and fair election since 2006. Their tireless effort have not bear any fruit, the EC and the government did not heed their calls. So they need to show that they have support of the general people and to tell the EC and the government to take them seriously. Hence, the rally is called. The cause is noble, to me, no one with the right mind can reject clean and fair election. But what motivated me to show my support was the stupid way the government and police handled the situation before the event even started, the attacks on Ambiga, the lies about giving us a stadium, the police intimidation and bullying, the stupidest 'advert' on TV against it, etc.. I felt our intelligence and sense of righteousness were seriously being challenged.

A few days before the event, I was trying to persuade my husband to go with me. I was too scared to go alone into the unknown, never been to a demonstration before in my life. My hubby was reluctant but I kept thinking of ways to go there, whether my friends are going too.

Then when the morning came, I still wasn't sure how or with whom to go with. The whole morning I was bugging my hubby, finally, he relented. We called the in-laws and said we have something urgent to do and we left the 3 kids to them at 11am. My hubby made some calls and we knew that driving to KL was impossible, roadblocks have been set up everywhere. One of his friend was stuck in traffic and at long last gave up going there. My unusually smart hubby suggested going by train from UKM KTM. There was parking and there were no crowd. Only a few uniformed police officers standing around there. I told my hubby, try to be as low key as possible. We didn't even wear yellow but choose black so as to be less obvious.

Empty Street of Jalan Pudu

The the train trip was smooth, police presence was at every station but we didn't attract attention to ourselves. We change to LRT at Tasik Selatan and from my earlier checks with a friend, our best stop is at Pudu. So we reach Pudu without a hitch. On the LRT, we saw a group of middle age men in t-shirts and bermudas and they looked like they were out of place. These seemingly well-to-do men that should be on their Benz or BMWs. One of them commented that he had not been on a LRT for years, reminding me that I am the same. In my heart, I suspected that they were there for the same reason as us.

We passed by the old Pudu Jail on foot.

We alighted, saw two young chinese guys who seemed to also look like they were there for the same reason, we tried to follow them. But they walked too briskly, and my hubby also said he knew the way, so we walked in different ways. We headed down the empty road. On the other side of the road, we saw a few people also walking, we didn't know if we were going to the right place but hubby said we should go to the stadium so proceeded there.  In front of us were 2 malay young men, each holding a mineral water bottle. My hubby, the friendly dude that he is, said hi to one of them and asked them where they were going. I would have hit him in the head if we were not in public. As expected, he hesitantly said "Jalan-jalan." and I answered softly, "Kita juga". They walked much faster and we lost sight of them at the bend and we came to the old Pudu jail. 

We reached Hang Tuah LRT station, and the station was closed. As we were well-informed, we had exited earlier. It was almost 1pm, we didn't know what to do. So we went to a restaurant below the flats there and had some drinks. Even bought 2 bottles of mineral to go. I think the 2 elderly couple must be doing good business that day. We finished our drinks, had our toilet breaks and thought it was time to move on. We went back on to the main road and opposite the road was Masjid Albukhary. We waited under the LRT track, some others were there already. One of the malay man gave me a friendly smile, I smiled back but dare not strike any conversation. We were cautious, maybe they were plain clothes policemen. We were then joined by 2 more groups of young chinese. 2 large traffic police bikes and their police owners were already blocking the road leading down a lane which I believe was one of the ways to the stadium. We waited, not sure what were we waiting for. But I told my hubby, we need to follow the crowd and not trying to go to the stadium on our own too early because we may be chased away or even caught too early. I also overheard a chinese man saying that there were tear gas and water canon fired at some other place, that got me a bit worried.

People waiting in front of Masjid Alburkhary

About 1.30pm, the people inside the masjid began to move out, I presume they have completed their prayers or something. One of them looked at the opposite side of the road where we were and gestured for us to come over. We immediately did. At that time a police car had arrived on our side of the road and stopped a little way in front of us. So I knew we had better move away. We waited awhile in front of the masjid and people began to gather. One guy said "Kita pergi ke Menara Maybank". So we began to walk, instinctively, we tried to follow a few chinese in front of us, I think about 200 to 300 of us, walking by the road side peacefully, quietly. I felt excited that we were finally 'doing it'. On the way, we stopped at a Mamak shop that has the name "Insaf" which was really funny as that's what the government need to do. We went in to have a leak and I saw the smiling mamaks taking out boxes of mineral water to sell to the people walking by. I told my hubby to buy some water to show support, instead he bought some chewing gum. And we continued to walk.

When we reached Tong Shin Hospital, everyone stopped. Apparently, we couldn't proceed as the FRUs were already in front of us. By now there were a few thousand of us then. We were like right at the end of the group. I notice that the security officer at the Tung Shin hospital which is beside the Tung Shin maternity hospital began opening their gates which was closed before that. I was thankful in my heart as I was thinking the management was lending us a hand. Shortly after we stopped, another FRU group made a lined and block the road from where we came. We waited, not sure what to do. A malay man in yellow Bersih t-shirt, was sitting on another man's shoulder and began to address us, we cheered, clapped and chanted "Hidup Bersih!", "Reformasi".

A picture from the Internet, Tong Shin Hospital

Suddenly, a little panic broke out, people were running towards the way we came but there was already FRU in front. We were trapped. Many people rushed into the hospital and we rushed in too. We went to the covered parking lot just in front and watch from there. There were still a few hundred people on the road, grouping together and didn't budge. These are the brave front-liners. From then on, it was a long waiting game. Some chants were heard but no major movements from either sides. Even when it started to rain heavily, the heroes, the brave front liners didn't move. I was really impressed and guilty at the same time. I was more worried about getting wet and continued to wait and look from the 1st floor of the 3 level parking lot. Everyone was taking picture, videos and texting on their mobiles.

Ninja Viv

Maybe the police grew tired of waiting, they started to fire tear gas in front and into the hospital. They also sprayed some blue chemical water into the car park where I was. Since I was on the 1st floor, not much of it came in, I ran to the inner part and hid behind a parked car while updating my facebook status on my mobile. When the smoke grew thicker, everyone was running away and into the main hospital lobby and corridors of the side buildings. That was when I took out my hankies, gave one to hubby and put my sunglasses and mask on.I could smell the choking smoke but I was not badly affected. Some people began shouting at the FRUs, "Polis bodoh, ini hospital lah!". But a few cool headed men reminded us not to instigate any hatred and retaliation. I was pleasantly surprised.

Then on, it was another waiting game. It didn't look like anything was going to progress and it was already about 4pm. My hubby said we need to get home to the kids, but there was blockade in front. We decided to go to the side of the hospital and climbed the fence to the road side, I haven't climbed a fence for awhile! We still lingered awhile by the road side wondering what to do as the FRUs has moved a little ahead now and is right in front of us. We overheard that PKR's Sivarasa was negotiating with the police a few meters in front of us. We decided to bravely walk pass them and we went to the opposite side towards the newly refurbished Pudu bus station. Later, I found out that we were lucky to have left then because it turned out that police allegedly was going to allow the people to march through but when people went down to the main road again, the police started firing more tear gas and rushed to arrest people even in the compound of the hospital.

Back to us, we had to climb another waist height fence to get to Kotaraya as the Puduraya station was closed. We wanted to proceed to Pasar Seni station to catch a train home but when we reached the junction to Petaling street, we saw the opposite corner chinese resturant that sells nice food was opened and people were eating inside. Although there was another FRU unit in front, blocking the way towards Pasar Seni, we decided to eat at the restaurant and my hubby needed to pee (again), anyway. Just as we sat down and my hubby left for the men's, a few tear gas was fired at the junction at the side and in front of the shop. I didn't think it was that bad until my whole face felt burning and I couldn't breathe. The lone girl in front of me had to abandoned her half eaten hokkien mee and run. Another indian man who just had his chicken rice delivered in front of him didn't manage to touch his food. The stall keeper (who seemed Burmese), quickly left the change for the indian man's chicken rice on the table and ran towards the back of the shop. Smoke was filling the whole shop, everyone, including me, had to escape. I saw the shop owner washing his face at the basin and other patrons were doing the same. My hubby didn't managed to pee and was also there coughing and his eyes were blood red. I saw an empty basin and started to wash my face and that helped a lot. We went to the back of the shop where a small group of people were recovering from the effect. Some nice people were passing salt around and we took a little each and put it into our mouths. It helped clear our throat and nasal. One stall keeper was scolding profanities in Cantonese at the police. Even now, I couldn't understand why the police fired the tear gas there. At that time, there were not many people around there, most people have been dispersed. I think, maybe they have been given a quota to achieve, so in order to go home sooner, they had to finish their tear gas and water canon quota, so they were trigger happy.

When we recovered enough, we knew we cannot eat the nice food there anymore. So we moved towards Pasar Seni, right through the FRUs and the many policemen there. I saw from the opposite side that the LRT station was also closed. My hubby asked a few blurry looking men in front of Pasar Seni if the station was closed. We got an unfriendly 'yes' answer. Those men must be policemen in plain clothes but my very BLUR hubby asked further, "Macam mana mau balik?". I was about to die of shock but I still managed to ask if KTM station was opened. Luckily the men said yes and we quickly said thank you and left them. We walked towards the KTM station and in front of POS Malaysia, a large group of uniformed postmen were standing there, watching. Hubby met an ex-colleague loitering in front of POS Malaysia and we chatted for a minute before we walked on to the KTM station. Journey home was smooth, the police presence was still heavy in all stations but we didn't face any issues.

That was my first experience participating in a demonstration for a cause that I strongly support. It was also my first experience being teared gas, climbed over fences, getting myself dirty and drenched but feeling excited and a little worried at the same time. But most of all, I was feeling more MALAYSIAN then ever. The unity of the people was unmistakeable, people of all races, all ages, we were all there for the same purpose. No words were needed, we all understood the purpose we were there. We listened and obeyed the instructions by persons unknown to us. It was a beautiful feeling and I would proudly do it again, like the auntie here.

Lady of Liberty, Annie Ooi. An exemplary for all you chickens (no offense intended) out there!

This is IT!!

So by now the whole Malaysia should already know about the 9/7 rally. It is tomorrow in KL without a permit and without a stadium (which was promised by the PM). If you guys are like me, you would have followed closely what has been happening so I won't go over it. Basically, I can see desperation and drastic measures of the ruling government trying by hook and by crook to stop it from happening. Roads have been blocked, bus permits frozen, public transport halted in for certain areas.

Like what many concerned net citizens have expressed, the rally whether is happens or not is irrelevant. It is already a success. People who do not usually care about these things have taken notice, people who are in doubt about what the present government stands for previously have their doubts clarified. People who cared to imrpove the country, now care with a passion.


In Malaysia, we have come to expect the unexpected. Nothing surprises us anymore. The dirtiest, lousiest and stupidest things you can think of, have happened in Malaysia and you can expect more. But taking it quietly doesn't mean we are taking it with our hands down. If you have not watched V for Vendetta, you should watch it. Here's the part of the televised speech by V from the movie.



Meanwhile, I leave you with a quote from Anonymous:

"We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us."

Clean and Fair - What is wrong with that?

Can anybody tell me what's wrong with wanting something to be clean and fair? That is what BERSIH 2.0 is about - clean and fair election. So I cannot comprehend why such a noble cause can be turned into something ugly. Their 8 demands, make perfect sense to me (but perhaps they are idealistic and cannot be achieved all at once). I don’t think there is anything wrong for lay citizens to demand these fundamentals for a democracy. I think the Government is over reacting in this fiasco. Comeon, how can a peaceful march harm the country? Some businesses are complaining it will affect their business, what about those numerous marathons and marches or parades that we have done before in the past? Certain roads in KL were closed too, that one no one complain meh? I am sure there were complaints but they were not highlighted. Come on lah, this is call selective reporting.


Before March 2008, I was rather ignorant about the politics of the country, I didn't even vote that year (because I just delivered my baby that time) but ever since that tsunami, I begin to pay more attention to what is happening in this arena. Coupled with many other factors, like TBH, Alanthuya, rampant corruption, Sodomy II, etc., you cannot but take notice. What is Malaysia coming to? If this is not corrected, Malaysia can only get worse. Some people ‘solve’ the problem by leaving the country and call somewhere else home. But for those who cannot or do not want to leave, we should all care to make our beloved country better, not worse. What could be done? BERSIH is an important start. If you still think that the country is fine must, you must be in LALA land. If you think that we are not that bad, well, can we afford to wait until we are THAT bad?  

For those who think that BERSIH 2.0 march could lead to a riot and lead to the overthrow of the Government, I think the idea is too farfetched. Malaysia has not reached such a stage as Egypt or Tunisia yet, but we are on our way there if we are not careful. I totally respect Datuk Ambiga, she is such a brave and smart lady (I wish a lot more people will be like her). And she has assured that this is a peaceful march, so why are the police overreacting, arresting people for no apparent reason? Even wearing yellow now is forbidden? Can my children still watch Spongebob Squarepants? Maybe ban yellow pages? Is this a lawless country? I didn't care for yellow so much until now, it's my new favourite colour! Shall I spot it for the weekend shopping trip?

Till then, let's listen to the Beatles:

My Emotional Rant on Our Country, Our Home

Life is pretty unpredictable, that is probably an understatement. It is supposed to be that way, right? If everything is routine, it would be pretty boring. So this week, the nation was hit by a sex video scandal shocker that turned out to be a fruad. I say it's fruad because no way it can be true, you think DSAI is a fool? But honestly, I am immuned by now, anything and everything can happen in Malaysian politics.
I am not a specialist, so I am going to put down in my layman reasonings. As I already said, DSAI is no fool, he won't be screwing hookers during this time when he is already in trial and the Sarawak State election is around the corner. Not to mention, the general election pretty soon too. DSAI may not be a saint but I am sure he is not a compulsive bi-sexual maniac.

I first learnt about who DSAI was when I was in primary school. He was the Education Ministry then. He was the reason my classmates laughed at me. I spelt his name Anuar instead of Anwar in a test paper. Even to this day, I don't find anything funny in that, I didn't care who was who in the government then, so not knowing the correct spelling of his name is not a big deal! Plus I was only in primary school :(. I was pretty upset about it. Evidently, I still am upset since I still can recall the matter! (Geez, do I need some therapy to let it go?)

Later, in UM, during our induction for 1st year, he came to give a speech. I recalled then he was a fantastic orator. I didn't really get what was the gist of the speech but I was impressed and enjoyed his speech. Also later, when I was more mature, I didn't really like him because I heard that he was a haughty minister. But when he was brought down ruthlessly like a common criminal, I begin to change my preception of him. Mainly because the things that he was accused of didn't make sense to me at all. Even if he was really a homosexual, he didn't deserve to be dragged down with no nicety, afterall, he was the DPM. That's when I think things went downhill for Malaysia. Since then bad things and badder things start to happen to our beloved country.

DSAI could have put his tail between his legs, take the wealth offered to him and leave the country. But he stayed, he was imprisoned, then released from prison and still he stayed. That's when I became convinced, he is here because he really cares and wants to make this country better. He may not be spotless clean and sinless but he is way way way better then most of people who are in power just to suck the fat out of the country for themselves. Ask yourselves, does he really need to take all this shit thrown at him, continously? But why is he taking it? I believe he has made it his life's purpose to save Malaysia from the clutches of evil. Needless to say, he is very important as the chance of change in Malaysia. This is proven by the dirty and desperate tactics against him.

I am not trying convert anyone's political views. Basically, just ask yourselves these questions. Can we trust the justice system to be just? Can we trust the police to be professional? Do you honestly believe the MACC as they spew crap? Do parents have confidence in our children education in the country? Are we teaching kids to be future racist? Do you honestly think Malaysia is doing great or getting worse?

Why do I care? I am just pendatang Cina. Just go migrate somewhere. But the truth is, I know no home but Malaysia. I do not have any interest to 'find' my ancestors in China, I don't read or write Mandarin. Instead I speak good Malay. I like and respect good people, regardless of their races. I am proud of Malaysia when we get into the international news for the right reasons. Sorry for getting kind of emotional but I, and the rest like me, love this country as much as any other Malaysians. We are Malaysians, no one is more Malaysian then the other.

I want to steal this starter line from Martin Luther King Jr., "I have a dream...". My dream is a Malaysia with no racism, no discrimination, no corruption, no more crap. When the time comes, please choose the correct people you think can help Malaysia regain her dignity. Real reforms need time, things may get worse before it gets better. But most definitely, we cannot let our country get worse and worse by the years.

Ted Williams Blew Me Away

Happy new year and wishing all a great 2011. At the start of the new year, we are greeted with the 'open verdict' outcome of the lenghty Inquest on TBH's death. I was not even particularly interested to read up what was written about it on the papers and online portals. I didn't know why until I read this article on Malaysian Insider which depicts the feeling of hopelessness that I have about our country. I feel exactly like what is said by the author in this article, "I felt nothing because I have come to expect little of the country’s institutions. " It is a bad and dangerous feeling to have.

Even when I am busy with the start of the kids' new schooling, I am still affected by the fundamental problems that our country has. Even when I am worrying about my crying princess in her new kindy and my red-eyed son in his new school, I am still affected by the predictament of my country. But I am saddened that not everybody sees the problem or is concerned.

At a time like this, by chance (or by design of the Almighty), my eye caught an article that changed my mood entirely. It is not often that we hear about inspiring stories that gives us a positive feeling and hope. Remember the Susan Boyle story, now we have a male Susan Boyle by the name of Ted Williams from Ohio, USA. See the video below and get blown over, like me, with his God given voice!


I sincerely hope he gets the chance he is desperately needing and change his life around. If you listen to other interviews with him on youtube, you will find him such a pleasant and God-loving man. A far cry from his down period, I woud think. God works in mysterious ways.

Glory to God in the highest. Amen

Blowing my top

The day begun as usual, the office day was nothing out of the ordinary. But I was furious when I got home to find the dog had dragged my clean laundry to the floor, again! I have punished her numerous times but she just wouldn't learn. Then the kids are also a bunch of trouble makers too. Fighting and snatching things from each other. I blew my top, more than once today.

This is one of those days that I really want to get away to be by myself. But alas, it cannot be. I don't have much of alone time anymore since the kids came along but that's part of family life. I am also having a headache and not feeling all that well. So God, please give me the strength.

It's time for bed for the kids. I think I will let the hubby handle them for awhile upstairs while I steal some alone time to update this blog. With some period of quiet time by myself, I can quickly collect my thoughts and look at things in different perspective. Hmmm, I will make sure my hubby make some alternate arrangements for drying the clean laundry so that the clueless dog cannot reach it. I am going to plan some activities for the kids, preferably something that involves physical movements for tomorrow, since it is a public holiday (Deepavali). These kids get extremely naughty when they are bored. Then there is also the weekend. Maybe swimming, playing at the park, shopping (involves walking), dunno yet.

Oh yes, just read the news that the two by elections were won by BN, just as I was expecting. So I am guessing the election is coming soon with BN having great confidence with these two wins. I was telling my hubby that the mass media is pretty important especially in rural and remote areas. These are the only means of information from outside for them, forget about Internet. It is after all a democracy (to a certain extent) and the people of Galas and Batu Sapi have spoken. Accept that fact and move on.

Tomorrow is a brand new day, Happy Deepavali to all that are celebrating. I conclude with a prayer for this nation: Lord, please provide the people of this nation the wisdom and courage to choose their leaders wisely. Please bless this country of ours with peace, harmony and fairness to all, justice to the afflicted and hope for the despaired. I ask this in the name of Jesus Christ your Son our Saviour, Amen. Peace to all.

Happenings around Us

Been busy at work since we are short handed. Expect to get replacement in a month's time. Otherwise, life is as usual, busy with kids at home, rosaries at BEC members houses nightly for the whole week and some weekend activities with familiy members. Haven't been following much on what's on the news lately. Now let's take some time to look at what's happening. I heard about the budget (that makes no difference to me) and the 100 storey building. There is also some movement in facebook against it but frankly, I do not have a strong stand on the matter. Do we really need another sky scrapper in KL? The mega project would be a windfall for a few (already rich) people awarded the project and probably help 15,000 foreign workers get jobs constructing the building. To me and the general public, there is no benefit. Maybe someone might say it is national pride, well, I say BS. So I don't have a strong stand on this, with or without, makes absolutely no difference.

Then there are the 2 by-elections which I am not following. I have a feeling BN will bag both if not at least one of them. Also there has been talk about the general election coming soon. As a lone citizen, as much as I want things to improve, but what can I do? All I can do is to exercise my rights at the polls to pick whom I think is less corrupt, more just and fair. I urge all to do the same, exercise your rights at polling time. The worst thing anyone can do is to not make your one vote count. If you have not register yourself, please do so at the nearest Postal Office.

Also there is the Anwar's ridiculous trail and TBH's never ending inquest. I find it funnily sad that we are still trying to find out if TBH killed himself or was killed, for more than a year now. If TBH was found to have been murdered, what's next? All evidence would have disappeared by now, so how will there be any prosecution on the murderer/s?

Natural disasters are happening in Indonesia, tsunami and volcano erupting. We can only pray for the victims and their families. Then we have murders happening everywhere, just a few days ago, there was news on a murder by gunshot near where I stay. Also heard about the skeletal remains found near Broga Hill, which I think was related to the high profile murder of the business woman. 2 days ago, a well meaning friend sent an email complete with pictures of a murdered child in her uniform. This little girl went missing on her way to take her UPSR exam recently and was found brutally murdered. It was really heart wrenching to see the pictures, I couldn't bring myself to see all the pictures attached. I deleted the email but what I did see already made me distraught. I cannot imagine what her parents would have felt. There is absolutely no comprehendable reason for a child to be killed in this manner. I was sad the whole day, that is why I always try to avoid sad stories like these but at the same time, I feel like ignorance is not bliss. I feel guilty living in this nice little bubble when the real world out there is so cruel and sad. Why? Is there a reason behind all the bad things that are happening? Some to innocent beings? These are questions that probably have no real answers. I will leave that as it is for now and save all the sad thoughts for another day.

Merdeka Blues?

Merdeka is fast approaching. This year it falls on a Tuesday. We haven't got any plans, probably a day to laze around at home or do some house improvement work.

At this Merdeka, I am feeling sad for our country. Alhtough much is going on outside of our own confines, majority of the rakyat are still the same. They live the same lives, work the same jobs, interact with the same people. But as we celebrate the Independence Day of our beloved country, are we proud of her achievements, are we proud of the societies that she has? Many times, I really think we have gone backwards instead of forward. 50+ years, and we are still harping about race and religion. People say these are sensitive topics and to be avoided. So we will avoid them by circling around them but never really dwelve into them. But does it really help? 50 years on, I definitely think it did not.

However, I truly believe majority of the people are peace-loving and fair people. I hope people will not be played by the politicians or the main stream media into feeling the need to bash one group in order to come out tops. It is my heart felt hope that all Malaysian should just go back to the basics, the fundamentals. We want good not evil, we want fairness not biasness, we want capable leaders not corrupt ones, we want all the needy to be assisted.

God is our ultimate judge. I ask for for His divine help, to make this country one that we are proud to call HOME, the only one we know of. Amen.

Palm Sunday and Cheng Beng

The past weekend saw some interesting events. We celebrated Palm Sunday and in church, we brought along some palm leaves to join in the blessing of the palms. While on the way to attend the Sunset mass Saturday, we had to go collect some palm leaves. I asked my hubby to get from one of the neighbours decorative palm trees but my hubby was too shy, so I went down to try to retrieve from leaves but it was harder than it looked. I gave up since I didn't have any scissors or knives. We ended up driving to my in-law's house and got a few leaves from her African palm. These leaves were thorny and sharp, we got pricked and pricked others too in church. Gosh. I am going to buy a few decorative palm trees so that come next year, it will be a breeze to get the palm leaves.

The reason why we went for the sunset mass instead of out usual Sunday mass was because my in-laws and some relatives need to go to Nirvana park to pay respect to my children's great grandmother on Sunday morning. She died a few years ago in her nineties. She was a dear old lady, very kind towards me and loved my sons dearly. My hubby was her favourite grandson too. When my hubby told me that he needed to fetch these folks to his grandmother's grave, I told him I want to come along too. I have not been to her grave to pay respect, had always wanted to go. So we set off at about 8am and it was a major traffic jam. It took us more than an hour to get there which would normally take maybe 20 mintues. We went in 2 cars and parking was also big hassle there. The relatives did their offering burnings. My family put on some incense on her grave and prayed to Out Father for mercy for great grandmother's soul. Every year a few weeks before Cheng Beng Semenyih will see major traffic jams on weekends because the famous burial sites. Supposedly, you will be lucky if your ancestors are buried well and Semenyih seems to be the prime burial site. In fact my hubby said that it is the most expensive real estate, a small plot cost you easily RM20K to 40K. Chinese are very superstitious and customary people.

Lastly, a bit into politics. MCA had a re-election on Sunday and Dr Chua won. Was not what I expected but oh well, it's not going to mean much to me anyways. I am all for non-race based political parties and politicians. I hope to live to see the day when this becomes a reality in our beloved Malaysia.