My Negaraku (Part II) – Methinks..

[Note to self : Never write to be continued. You never will. Too much pressure.]

So here I am, back with my patriotic post. Like I said, I've been trying to gather as much information as I can and get a larger view on things..unlike some biased articles I've read.

So the first thing i did was rummage through YouTube to see what juice I could find. I found what was reportedly an unreleased recording by Tun Dr. Mahatir regarding the State of the Nation. It's rather long winded, but I suppose it's to be expected from one of Malaysia's finest speaker who seems ever-ready to give a speech. He speaks about many issues that most of us have heard about before - our national budget, equality amongst the Rakyat, the economy, foreign policies, etc. - albeit with an inside scoop only accesible to the 'higher people'.. until YouTube came along.

Then there were the numerous socio-political blogs that are around mostly condemming either the government or a single race. Such as this one by pembebel who threatens to kill Namewee, though I just cannot seem to accept the immaturity of the author.
Here's some exerpts..

"Ingat! Orang lain yang “berani” buat macam ni lepas ni - Jangan harap korang lepas! Ni dah sentuh isu perkauman la babi! Memang tak sayang nyawa lah!"

"Ko adalah anjing yang diburu sekarang! Ya, anjing yang diburu! Berdoa la agar keluarga dan orang yang ko sayangi tak diapa2kan orang rakyat Malaysia lainnya yang terasa."

*inhales*

Alright..alright. Then there was the killer May 13 book I mentioned by Kua Kia Soong. Besides the fact that alot of it seemed new to me (Justin's voluntarily reading history for the first time in his life), the bombasticness of the language left me reading with almost half my normal speed and with growing grammar frustrations. Here are some excerpts from the book so far that demonstrate my point:

"The official version is fraught with contradictions and inadequacies to which few pay credence."
Just goes to show how a full blown massacre of both innocent people along with the democratic process was shortened into a few paragraphs in our Sejarah textbooks.

"For the newly Independant Federation of Malaya, the basic provisions of 'juridical equality' had to be compromised simply because the Malay rulers were strongly opposed to it."
In lame man's terms - "What communal equality? I don't want, means I don't want"

"At UMNO headquarters in Batu Road, the feeling was that democracy had gone too far - in other words, that the political hegemony of the Malays was in real danger. A non-Malay Mentri Besar in both Selangor and Perak seemed dangerously likely."
Like the song once said, "Uh oh.. we're in trouble, someone's gonna come and burst our bubble.. Yeah yeah.."

Like all controversial readings, you never know who's right and who's wrong. What's true and what's BS. But, the book offers an insight into something I'd consider one of turning points in what made Malaysia the way it is. Get your copy today. =p

About the whole situation
As far as I’ve lived here, the issue of impartiality of opportunities between different segments of the population has been the longest lasting one and I believe that it will remain that way until something is done. Because it is in some way similar to grievances about the IMF – that they do not realize that a simple change in regulatory clauses (or in this case, government policies) indirectly affects whether or not a child has rice to eat, or whether or not he will get the level of education that every citizen has right to.

NooOo, some just think it’s all politics and about business deals. Reality check my friend, politics is business. And business equals money. You figure the rest.

I also use the term ‘segments of the population’ instead of ‘race’ because the 13 May book makes one realize that sometimes the struggle is not only between the races but within the races – specifically between the higher and lower strata of the population. YES, it’s not always about the damn racial issue.

*calms down*

Ok, enough about the past. So tell me, how successful do you feel Malaysia has progressed so far? Somehow I think one would only feel the real effects of it once they’re in businesses – where the big moolah lies.

*pause*

Come to think of it, I shall not delve into this intricate area. Yes, call me chicken for having the slightest fear in the eye-ass-eh, but screw you, you selfish bs3rd if you never thought about your loved ones.

I am lucky enough to have a friend, who remains to be the rare breed that I am able to rationally debate political issues with. D once said that the government’s political system is fundamentally flawed. He said, “How would you expect unity between the races when the coalition is racially segregated?!

Makes sense, doesn’t it? Technically speaking, we should concentrate instead on ‘class solidarity’; meaning to reduce the gap between the higher and lower class Rakyat instead of the typical stereotypical fight between ‘Rich Chinese’ versus others.

Now when a party starts complaining, the government holds up their palm and calmly says, “Tolerance, my friend..” BS. In this country, tolerance is a direct equivalent to ignorance. Our education system has groomed us to think that questioning is an act of defiance. Based on my experience, the times I have truly understood and absorbed something was when these internal arguments were settled and I agreed with what was being taught to me. That can only happen through (you guessed it) questioning!

Now don’t even get me started on the freedom of speech/press in this country. Our leaders constantly paint a rosy picture for us like we’re stuck in the happy section of a Bollywood movie. I sincerely believe that only when there is honesty can there be progress. Tell us there’s something wrong and we’ll think of a solution together..not behind closed doors.

The outcomes of a failing system are already evident. Outflows of Malaysian intellectuals from our motherland. This article wrote about the situation.

“Higher Education Minister Datuk Mustapa Mohamed said qualified Malaysians can seek their fortunes overseas where they gain experience, remit part of their income home but most importantly, return someday to impart experience and capital earned while working in a more lucrative environment.”

Perhaps he forget about institutionalized discrimination.

D also repeatedly talked about how wrong it is to combine Religion and Politics. I on the other hand used to argue that it’s the Malaysian way, and it has worked for us. Sadly now I think he’s right. We have parties here whose sole manifesto is/was based on this.

I’ve another question - why did the government abolish inter-faith talks between the religions? IMO, that’s the stupidest thing any government would ever do. It’s anti-peace! WTF?! I just.don’t.get.it. I'm almost begging for enlightenment.

Just recently I heard rumors about demonstrations by the Indian community in Putrajaya. I assume it’s about them not getting a fair share of the political cake in Malaysia. According to my sources, they said, “If nothing’s changed by the 31^st, see lah…”

Now that’s a scary thought. I think you and I know that no one ever wants to wield parangs and be on the run and burning down things. It's happened before, it may happen again. Do not take peace for granted.

Sigh.

I’ve vented enough. I’m no longer angry, just tired. Tired of this feeling of animosity between those I hope to call my Malaysian brothers and sisters. Tired of the few jokers who tarnish everything good about this country as we know it for personal gain. What goes around comes around..

Oh and the ungrateful who over-compare and complain should really open their eyes.

What we (desperately) need is a massive psychological revamp. Chinese should stop being selfish and start thinking about others. Malays should be less sensitive and take the bitter pill of reality. And the Indians should serve better roti canai. (lol ok, honestly I don’t know as much about the Indian plight, but the roti canai’s really make our days. =) Maybe Malaysians can learn from the hidden meaning behind Russel Peters’ seemingly racial jokes. If we can laugh about Indians, Jamaicans, British and the rest, why take ourselves so seriously here?

In the famous words of Martin Luther King, "Why can’t we all just get along?"

We’ve come a long way now. 50 years is no easy feat – and it doesn’t seem to be getting any easier. We’re technologically savvy. We have lovely infrastructure. Our economy is booming. We have GREAT FOOD! And we’ve worked hard to get here. I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate the government on that part at least. It is my sincere hope that Malaysia keeps getting better and that I stay in this country that I adore so much, flaws and everything.

Selamat Hari Merdeka ke-50, Malaysia!

See!

Heh, I pledge to not look at the KLSE till everything stabilizes so as to maintain my life expectancy. But it's all good lah, BATman is here to save the day. *hint hint*

Big fish

As we speak the Dow Jones Industrial Average(DJIA) has plunged another 200-odd points at the end of Tuesday's trading day. Resurfacing of new credit worries and concerns about the health of the consumer (indicated by generally dismal performances by key market indicators including retailing giant Wal-Mart -5.09%). Based on my experience, that's like a bomb waiting to happen tomorrow. One might even compare this to cancer - it's gonna come, and there's only so much you can do about it. No disrespect to anyone.

You may stop the water but you can't fight the wave
This begs the question: Has the bull lost its steam? Or in other words, has the local as well as international bourses reached their peaks? Admittedly signs of an overheated market was quickly replaced by optimism in the local bourse due to the upcoming elections. So was that overrated? Some people beg to differ lamenting instead that the local economy still has strong fundamentals and will thrive again once things settle down. Unfortunately, due to KLCI's dependency on the DJIA, KLSE appears to be beyond help paving way for capital outflows from institutional investors who decide to play safe.

Another good analogy comes from the founder of Freely method of Options Trading, Clemen Chiang. (No, I didn't go for the real thing..yet) During one of his preview sessions, he once asked (something along these lines)

"What happens during an election crisis here in Malaysia? KLCI crashes? Maybe, maybe not.."
"But what happens when there is an election crisis in the US? The whole world (including Malaysia) would crash whether you like it, or not."

So why look at the small fry when you know we're all gonna lose a leg when Jaws comes?
Might be a good time to rethink my strategies.

This post is merely an opinion and should not be used as investing advice of any kind.
I am a noob.
That should do the trick.

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

Forgive me for not posting my interpretation of the Namewee incident as I am currently gathering more facts and evidence to support my post and claims. Among which is the extremely interesting and controversial MAY 13: Declassified Documents on the Malaysian Riots of 1969.
Also, I'm sure some - if not many - of you have noticed that racist sentiment has increased dramatically in the past few weeks in view of the issue. In the meantime, I plead that every sane human and animal (including the cock in the song) do their bid to ease any sort of tensions. Don't succumb to the temptation of venting without rethinking the larger cause. It is better to lose your ego than lose a friend.

Tick tock

I admit. I've been wasting so.much.time. Too much, in fact. It's taking a guilt trip on me now. Sigh, damned YouTube.

And so (albeit very ironically) I've took a 'lil time to attempt to visually motivate myself with some cheap Photoshop-ing. Something that screams at me saying, "Get off that lazy ass of yours, boy".

Enjoy.

Credits to AlsoVision for the center piece

For those of you who wish to spend more time finding quotes on time usage, feel free to browse here. Again, the irony.

My Negaraku (Part I) – Chronology

The past 50 odd hours has led me to rediscover a darker side of my beloved country. It all started with a friend o mine sending me a clip of a remade version of our national anthem by Namewee entitled Negarakuku. (full lyrics)

A 'lil background on the clip
Namewee first uploaded Negarakuku on the 15th of July. He claims that he did it because his friends who were receiving it complained that the filesize was too big. Therefore the next best thing would be Youtube, right?

[some say] Wrong.

Anyhow Nel said it was very funny, but it's a pity that I wouldn't understand it. *inhales* I take these comments in my stride. After a lil browsing, I got a translated version. Hah.



Superbly entertaining. Be it his voice, the R&B-ish-ness of it, and even the information that he so poetically expresses. (So good that later on, I caught myself singing this rendition of Negaraku in the car by myself. :O ) It's one of the best Malaysia-related song I've heard in awhile, aside from some of Poetic Ammo's efforts such as Kuala Lumpur - Negarakuku really had.. feel.
Then there was the comments section. *clicks Oldest*

"Ouch... this is getting a 'lil serious!". Posts ranged from proclamations of Namewee as a 'hero' all the way to extreme and hostile comments threatening to slaughter the singer like a chicken entering an Ayamas factory. I knew this guy was going to be arrested soon. Big time story soon! I knew this was just the beginning of a bigger issue.

Found this.

He has supposedly been charged under the Sedition Act and upon conviction must serve a 2 week jail sentence and/or RM100 fine. (I reckon there might be some ass-kicking in the process..) I don't know whether the clip's sadly funny or funnily sad.

Doesn't matter. I got thirstier. So i searched and searched. I found him on NTV7's news. Was even featured on TaiwanTV! Actually, the part where I spent most of my time were in the Comments section and other forums discussing the issue. (e.g. USJ e-community, Mahaguru58 Blog) Also, while chatting with Jay n Keith, Jay stumbled upon a website called Bolehnation. At that time, we couldn't load it. Check it out.

I swear, I didn't Photoshop this.

I really wonder who's idea was that. Respect.
When we finally could load the site, some of the links (notably BolehChannel) just doesn't work anymore. Hmm....


With a click rate of 53,751 times and also ranked as the 'Top 10 Most Popular'...Wait a minute.

LIVE (at the time of writing):
I just did a search of YouTube Top 10s (where they have the daily top 10 most viewed videos). And I had trouble finding the 15th. So I'm searching, and searching. And guess what? It's NOT THERE!! And it stops at the 21st of July. None in August. Why? Hmmmmmm.... odd. I feel like I'm suddenly in a bout of investigative journalism. The more I search, the more interesting it gets. "The truth is out there.." *plays X-Files theme..*

Watch for:
My personal interpretation and opinions of this whole incident and what it meant to me.. and you.

Disclaimer : If anything offends you in any way, do yourself a favor and stop reading, go away and get yourself a cup of coffee. It is what keeps freedom of speech tolerable not only here, but anywhere else on this planet.

What should've been

A few years back a Powerpoint show concerning our abhorrent participant in Miss Universe 2004 by Miss Malaysia '04, Andrea Fonseka. Here're some excerpts to give you a clue why:

So the judges think, "hmm.. maybe they chose her because of her intelligence." Lets see.

"Okay, now that was just bad. Neeext!"

Alright, I (really) understand the discontentment of the Malaysian community at the point in time. I don't know what were we thinking, or what was she thinking. I mean, things could've been.. less disastrous.

But that was three years ago, folks. I don't know how updated is this photo, but this is her now.

Talk about determination, man.

The pursuit of Happyness

A few hours ago I watched the abovementioned show. Will Smith portrays Chris Gardner, a bright and talented salesman who (almost literally) fights to make ends meet. Disaster after disaster happens making everyday just that much harder to move on. But then he sees a light at the end of the tunnel when he sees an opportunity - although far fetched – to get a better job for a better life.

Throughout the show, the directors successfully made the viewers think of these few themes:
“I just need to get through this”
“Trust me”
“How much worse can it get?”
“Can I do this?”

Because of this ingenious concept of self-examination, they allow you to feel Will Smith’s character so much so that every time he falls you hurt. Every time he feels angry, you feel his rage. Everytime he feels guilty, you can’t think of watching another second of it. But you do, because you know everything’s gonna be alright in the end.. or will it?

I’ll leave the rest for you to watch yourself. I personally give it a 5/5 rating as it hit me chest deep as it couldn’t have come at a better time when I’m contemplating similar issues.

It brings you through the limits an ordinary man can push in order to achieve extraordinary levels in life, no matter the circumstances; and believe me, his circumstances could not have been any worse. Imagine yourself having a son at the age of 35, not having what it takes to do your job. Subsequently, hardship strikes, your support from your loved one is gone, and you’re left defending the only family you’ve got – with 25 dollars, nothing more, nothing less.

What would you do? What can you do? An important question then unfolds:
How desperate do you have to be in order to suceed?

I’m sure you’ve heard of many success stories of wealthy millionaires who barely had enough food to survive during less fortunate times. Admittedly some of them maintain their status quo by accepting their so-called ‘fate’ but a small minority of them turn out to be the most successful people in their respective fields. And it’s due to one reason, and one reason only – drive.

Suddenly I look in the mirror and see an enemy staring back at me.

In this age and time, most of the hardships have been undergone by the previous generation and for most of them, their wish is to see us have a good education and have a comfortable life. Who wouldn’t love them for it? I certainly do. But are this actions indirectly planting seeds of complacency in us? Knowing that no matter what wrong we come across, what difficulties we encounter, what pain we endure *inhales* “It’s gonna be ok..”, says daddy.

Blessed are the ones who are born great, for they shall inherit much greatness. Blessed are the ones born less fortunate, for they have endured hardships and truly realize the importance of success.

Is the middle-class doomed to mediocrity?

A bold statement, I know. But everyday I see more middle-class folks reach a career saturation point set only by themselves. Is it really enough to be good? Or would only greatness give you true happiness?

What I’ve learnt is that happyness must be pursued.

P.S: *spoiler* Watch out for tear jerkers!

Riding the waves

Let me tell you a true story on what's been happening in my life for the past few days that's led me to ffk many of you. Albeit with a gladiator-like spin to it.

I was caught up in a storm in the greens of the water while watching the terror of an impending red furnace. Bears from all over could be heard roaring, as though challenging the bulls' territory and thus authority. As though saying, 'you've had your time, now it's mine.."
All of a sudden, I was in the middle of a pit fight between the bulls and the bears. The bears seemed to feed on the crowd's fear and got stronger with the increasing worrying atmosphere. They were concerned about the possible damage that saw no end at the time. It was violent. Innocent bystanders were injured and some heavily wounded.

So there I was, in the middle of the madness trying to muster the courage to hold my ground in the pit. True, I was foolish to jump in. But in the midst of this heart-racing period did I learn and experience many things that no gold could buy. Who cheered and jeered at you? Who helped you survive and you see those who wanted nothing more than to be vultures after you're nothing more than pulp in the sand. And I learnt (the hard way) that in the pit, it's every man for himself.

Just when it was about to give a final blow to the seemingly debilitated bull, the bull lashed out a critical hit to the bear which sent the bear whimpering away hurt.. for now.

"Is it worth it?", I asked. Oh yes. There's always a feast of the meat for the survivors. Slay on, slay on.

(to be continued..)

Yeah, so you can see that I've been trying to ride the bull and keep myself alive at the moment. I will not go into details for now because I'm way too tired. But if you all want, I might share a lil more detailed about how it all works.

But as for now, I can only be cautious and hope that the bear sits tight while the bull charges forward. And the next time the bear comes, I'll be prepared for battle.