Of a Minister and Old Mansions

I was suprised to see this news article in The Star yestersay: New hope for old bungalow. Well, I guess there's also quite a number of other people that would be suprised as well by the fact that this house that used to belong to a 'welthy Muslim jeweller' some hundred years ago is deemed to be of value by Rais Yatim.

Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim said the building could “tell” the story of the inhabitants of the island during the period.

Mr. Rais, can you justify how one rich man's house in Penang could give people a glimpse of the past while another rich man's house in KL was torn down a few months ago? Why couldn't Bok House tell as much story as this Wahab House can? Man, you can compare the architecture of both houses and you can see that there's nothing like Bok House elsewhere in Malaysia. This Wahab House? Go to Kuala Kangsar, there's a lot of houses just like that.

I really believe that Mr. Rais is going through all this to hush away all the criticism about the way he handled Bok House. It's that old formula again.. you do one good deed and people will forget the previous one. We aren't blind Rais, we can see what you're doing.. Anyway, Datuk Seri Mohd Yussof Latiff of the Penang Malay Association who mentioned that it will be turned into a Jawi Peranakan Museum also gave this statement to the press:

“The building needs to be protected so that it won’t be demolished to make way for any high-rise project,”

Yeah, sure.. tell that to the rubble near Zouk, I'm sure it'll appreciate to hear his fellow old mansion up there in Penang will be saved and turned into another white elephant project..

Labels: opinion

Morning rush

Morning rush.. no one likes it but we all face it sometime or another. Well, today was quite unusual since there's suddenly a surge of people at the bus stop that is far more than there usually is. I wonder why.. Is it because Limkokwing's students are increasing or is it plainly coincident that most of us had classes at the same time this morning?

Well, whatever it is it really got me thinking of the Malaysian transportation system. RapidKL could possibly be the best transport service provider in Malaysia. I haven't seen better. Anyway, it bothers me that their top notch service is only prevails within the City limits, while their service here could be said to be quite mediocre.

Mediocrity.. Why? Well, yeah. It stated on the bus that during rush hours the intervals would be at every 15 minutes. 15 minutes.. that's what on the paper. Reality? half an hour and sometimes even reacing 45 minutes (depending on your luck, karma and horoscope reading of the day). I don't know why that happens, but from what I read on the paper someone did mentioned the lack of busses. Well, if that's the case I hope the management will do something fast la to fix this problem. Don't tell me RapidKL doesn't make money.

Sometimes I just think that the drivers themselves are lazy.. well, you guys are humans after all right? If that's the case I hope you drivers clean up your attitude fast, we are students here, we want to go to our college and study. We are not a bunch of pelumba motor haram (this day onwards I refuse using the term Mat Rempit on my blog) who wants to go to Sungei Wang to kacau some girls, we are students from all over the world, eager to gain knowledge. Give us some respect please.

Malaysia is eager to promote itself in the eye of the world by building huge this and that, but to me we better look into these small things, these details instead. Small things can have a huge effect on the human mind..

Labels: opinion

All of us are the same

It's another sunny Friday afternoon in Cyberjaya and it herald another day of being cramped at the MMU Surau (I think it's called Madrasah Al-Farabi). Well, as you can see from the picture on the left, I am siting well away from the Surau building as well as the folks to my left and right not to mention those behind me. Yes folks.. there's still more.

Well, though I'm sitting under a pokok kelapa (or pokok tamar as Fahmi call it) I feel greatful that I'm a Muslim in Cyberjaya. Why? Well, there's so many different people from all types of countries here yet all can sit on the grass under the harsh Cyberjaya sun once a week to pray to God. Alhamdulillah.. It feels all warm and fuzzy inside thinking about it especially since most of the people came from rich families and high social status. All of us are the same in God's house I guess (as well as His lawn).

Well, I guess those people from Bandar Country Homes mosque could be here to see this and experience it for themselves. Maybe it would knock some sense into their mind and make them scrap that "Parking VIP" sign at the mosque. I hate that sign.

All of us are the same in God's house. What makes you think you're a Very Important Person?

Labels: opinion

You donated 3 cents how?..

Well, I get those stuffs again in my mailbox.. those chain emails. It's sad actually to know that there's still someone out there think they're doing a noble job donating 3 cents to a Fatima girl who met an accident. Are you one of them? Don't be fooled folks. There's no way to track those kind of stuffs unless it's coded and the email was not coded in anyway. Be enlighted!

Now that I think about it, you guys should probably heve heard about the Lunar Landing Hoax by now right? Well, I actually heard this story from that particular friend of mine some years ago who totally agree that the whole landing was a hoax by the American government.. you know why? He read it from Gempak. Well, I'm not saying that I disagree with the theory nor did I say that I agree with it since both sceptics and believers have a strong arguement on their side, what I'm trying to say is the source from which my friend get this story.. a comic book. Well, university life taught me that no matter how good an essay, thesis or whatever form of inforation there is, it is worthless if the sources are not credible enough. I don't have anything against Gempak mind you, it's okay for them to tell this stuffs to people since everyone have a heart for conspiracy but for us readers, don't la percaya bulat-bulat..

That's probably one of the most important things media school taught me: don't just consume the media, analyze it, comprehend it and try to see it from a different angle. There's more to it than what you first thought it to be.

Labels: media, opinion

Tint My Ride.. which ride?

I stumbled upon this ad banner yesterday in Rawang town. It's from a film tint shop that advertises the advantages of tinting your car which makes it cool against not tinting it which makes it hot as in the oven.

So what's the big deal about it? Well, take a look at the cars in the ad, the oven car is a Proton Waja while the cool, tinted and happy car is a Honda Jazz. That's the thing that caught my attention. Why is it that it's the local car that is the bad one and an imported Japanese car is the protagonist of this advertisement?

Well, with the little advertising knowledge I gained last semester, I guess all this have something to do with target audience. Perhaps this Air Cool company is expecting people in imported cars to be the ones that'll tint their cars compared to the poor old bloke driving a Proton. Is it? Well, as I've observed throughout my life, I find that it is the blokes in Protons are keener to tint their cars. You know, those people who trully believes their Wira is an Evo III type of guy.. So I guess in my opinion this advertisement is not quite as efective as it could be.

So how would it be effective? Change the cars. Turn it around and make the Jazz car sans tint while the Proton car tinted and put this as a tag line: An expensive car is useless without AirCool. That'll be kick ass.

Labels: advertisement, opinion

Mysterious and mesmerizing..

I really love to read girls' blog, I really do. I love all those pastel colours they use to highlight important words, the cheery layout, pictures of cuddly animals.. it's all warm and cuddly. If surfing the Internet is like driving to Ipoh on a rainy day, then reading a girl's blog is like stopping at Tapah for a hot cup of teh tarik.

Nevertheless, there's always one thing I notice in most girls' blog is that once in a while they'll post something that at a seems so general yet so full of emotions and yes, most of the time I don't really understood what it's all about. Well, before you get mad all over and call me a sexist let me justify that I'm not writing to belittle women and no, I don't think I'm the best blogger there is. It's nothing like that. It's just that I find it common enough to get me thinking about it while I was watching American Idol just now.

Well, as an average male I think (that's it I think.. it's just an opinion) that maybe girls utilize their blogs as a channel to voice their displease over something personal or about someone close to them but just don't feel right voicing it directly to the subject.Maybe the said culprit would one day stumble upon the post and realize it is them the writer wrote about and apologize.. or maybe it's nothing at all. Maybe it's just me.

Whatever it is, girls can be mysterious as much as they are mesmerizing.. Keep on writing girls!

Labels: opinion, thoughts

Of being in a crowd yet alone..

This is a scene of a Komuter ride and it begins in Shah Alam. Well, I haven't been on a train for a long while. I usually drive nowadays and it completely drowned my interest to walk and stand around just to get to somewhere. But then again, I guess I really miss the train ride.

As I waited for the train, I noticed that people'll do anything to entertain themselves as they waited for the train. I saw a guy listening to his handphone ringtone to keep himself preoccupied.. which would be a normal sight if not for the fact that his ringtones are monotonic. Further away, another man is killing time with puffs of cigarette while another was talking to a faraway friend on her handphone. Me? I plugged in my phone's measly 10 MP3s, observe and I write all this during the ride home. Everyone is doing something other than talking to each other. It is as if we are all alone eventhough we are not.. there is a crowd.

The train eventually stopped at the platform and I boarded it and sat on the sit nearest to the door. I've always love this seat.. It's just like your favourite sink at the school cafetaria and your favourite toilet cubicle. Anyway, the scene inside the train was just the same as it was on the platform: there is a crowd but everybody is alone. The Indian man across me stared at the mirror as if to catch a glimpse of his faraway home while the fella on the other end of the cabin is talking loudly on the phone as if he is alone. No one hardly talked and everyone has that sad, sorry and tired look on their face. There is a crowd but everyone is alone and sad.

I guess everyone just can't wait to get home.. maybe that is everything on their mind ofter a long day of work and the hectic life of the capital, managing the companies' capital or even making their own capital one way or the other.. Though I don't fit any of the desciption, trying to enjoy my 10 song tracks which had looped 4 times makes me their equal I guess.

This is a scene of a Komuter ride and it ends in Rawang. There is a crowd, there's you and me but we are all alone and sad. We just couldn't wait to get home...

Labels: opinion

Don't point yer finger at me!

I read The Star newspaper this morning and stumbled apon an article entitled interestingly enough "Police often come under fire".. Well, I had to admit, it's a fine headline and my mind starts to wonder what it is about so I glanced at the subheadline, "Mohd Johari: Local authorities at fault too". Owh.. It's that blaming game again.


It seems that it is now a popular thing to blame other people here in Malaysia. First it was them politicians blaming women's dressing that caused them to be raped, women then blame men for not being able to constrain their sexual fiends and suggest them to be kasi-ed, then they went further and blamed a bunch of clouds for the flood and did you know what the cloud replied? It gives them yet another flood.

Well, I'm not saying that, "Hey, I agree with you cops". No, I don't agree but I don't see why you need to go to the presses just to blame other people. I admit some local authorities are not really doing their job and spend our money attending a 'seminar' at some uphill resort, but blaming people like that wouldn't make things any merrier. Imagine what the local authorities would say then? "We did our job, it's the police to blame". Yeeha!

So what should be the right thing to say then? Let's see.. how about, "Police admit lacks" and the subline would be "Local authorities and Police must work together". Wouldn't that be nice? In fact, kick out the headline altogether and make the subline as a headline, "Local authorities and Police must work together". Now, that's greatness.

Labels: Malaysia, opinion, politics, social

Of Souvenirs and Sharing..

Well... souvenirs. Everyone love to get souvenirs especially when the giver is someone they love or well, like. But the truth is, we don’t usually get what we wanted right?

Once I had a friend who went for vacation in a country outside of Malaysia and he told me that he would be getting me something when he came back. God, was I happy that day! I waited and waited and waited for him to return and as days pass by, my anticipation and imagination grew. I was imagining wild things from him up to the point when I think about it now seems ridiculous. Then one day he came back and gave me a souvenir: a keychain. I figgin’ piece of keychain that he must’ve possibly bought at the airport on his way back. And I was of course devastated.

But that was years ago, when I myself haven’t been anywhere other that the states of the Malayan Peninsula. My first trip to other people’s land is to Mecca in 2000 followed by the college trip to Bangkok 4 years later. It wasn’t until my recent journeys to Jakarta that made me realize the harsh reality of it: buying souvenirs for people back home. To me, I don’t like to consider myself as a tourist, I want to be a traveller. I don’t know why but it seems quite natural to me that every time I go places, I tend to assimilate myself with the people around me, their language, their food, their norms. It feels very nice to be able to act like one of the locals and that is what I look most in traveling.

Honestly, thorough my trips I haven’t shopped much even for myself though I crave most of the stuffs I saw in Bangkok’s Chatuchak and Lumpini but was too broke to splurge. In Jakarta it turned out to be a ladies shopping haven with tudungs costing RM 5 on the average while Bandung played fair if you know where to look. So imagine, me having a hard time looking for stuffs for myself and imagine the thought of souvenirs on top of that. I did.. and flunked both. Thus at the end, I went back into Malaysia with roughly the same stuff I brought with me.

I like to take photos, I really do. Though I initially snap stuffs for my own personal satisfaction but upon seeing the look in people’s faces when they join me and look at the photos I took it made me realize that photos can be a very good souvenir as well, perhaps even better than physical materials even! It’s nice to share those moments with your pals and telling them the story behind every snap which is something you can’t do with a keychain. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the keychain but this is the thing that works for me.

Sharing.. now I knew I should’ve watched Bear in The Big Blue House more often...

Labels: opinion, personal