Empty Cans Make The Most Noise!

Some empty cans just love to contribute to the already deafening sound of the local media and political drama!

I'm from Sarawak (and will always be a Sarawakian first, a Malaysian second) and no matter how proud I am of my state's rich natural heritage and its rainforests, I'm sure the proposed dam projects are all within the appropriate environmental limits. The people who have been making a lot of noise should do their research first and not start talking shit even before they know their facts. Sarawak is a land filled with rivers and therefore, it is most suitable to make dams. So, get your facts right first! I'm sure all rainforests will be preserved accordingly.

Just one thing though, to the loud mouths of the peninsula - you guys just love to make so much noise and yet do you know that all these dams are for your own good? Do you think Sarawakians need so many dams for our electricity? We have more than enough already now and the government know that! It's because we have to sacrifice our land to provide for you, that's why we have to build these dams. So, perhaps, just shut your mouth!

Ditto Kak Marina!

LOOKING BEYOND THE WHITE BLOUSE - MARINA MAHATHIR

There are many different ways of thinking about the same thing, and if we insist that our way is best, we need to defend it with sound arguments.

I would nominate for “Small Mind of the Year” the announcement by a female student that our schoolgirls’ uniforms are too transparent, and therefore would lead to them being raped, have unwanted babies and all sorts of evil things. I’m surprised they didn’t mention that these white blouses would also make them corrupt and power-hungry. It’s nice that a student association is taking an interest in issues. But one would have thought it would complain about the general state of education in this country, rather than school uniforms.

In France, students are taking to the streets to protest against the poor quality of the education in the state schools. It would be far more impressive if our students complained about the same. After all, they must wonder why they cannot get jobs after studying. Or do they blame it on the alleged state of undress of other people as well? Perhaps complaining about the education system would reveal that this is why they have become so small-minded.

Instead of breeding big brains with the capacity to think issues out clearly and then hold their ground with solid arguments, we get grey matter that has been squeezed into tiny boxes by an education system that lauds small minds and thinks brains that think expansively are dangerous. The easiest and cheapest counter-attack is however to use the “freedom of speech” argument, where hole-ridden proposals are recast as opinion, never mind how silly. But these are the same people who would never allow anyone with contrary opinions the same freedom to speak.

It’s an argument that took the Education Ministry rather too long to put down. And nobody seems to have noticed that neither Minister nor Special Adviser on Women said anything either. When there are statements like these, nobody should be so polite as to not simply say that it’s silly. Why should we be afraid of offending people who patently have not thought things through? But we allow it for only one reason: they mentioned religion. Instantly this puts such dubious arguments out of bounds. I have heard people claim that drinking hot water is haram.

If someone proposes a ban on anyone drinking hot water because it is not allowed by a certain religion, do we simply let it pass? Once upon a time, someone said that it was impossible to land on the moon. If someone still says that today, do we still treat it with reverence? We see small-mindedness everywhere, with simplistic arguments and solutions to everything. Nobody seems to want to do the hard work of bolstering arguments with hard facts and evidence.

We seem to be proud of not using our brains, as if it’s an organ that is meant just for show. Never mind that in some people, once they open their mouth, the size of the brain becomes evident. The assumption is often made that the smallness of mind is in direct proportion to the amount of education the person has. But we often see so-called educated people displaying the same narrowness of thinking. Perhaps it is a factor on how much exposure someone has. I think we should take someone like those who say things like “clothes cause rape” and put them in forums where they have to defend their arguments.

If their arguments can actually stand up to the test, then they’re worth talking about. But how much should I bet that they won’t take up the offer? I once witnessed the total shock someone with a dubious argument received when he was invited to defend his policies at an international forum overseas. He was so confident he was correct; it did not occur to him that there would be counter-arguments. Left unable to defend himself, he started to blame others and the organisers for “setting him up”. This is what happens when one lives in an environment where small-mindedness is encouraged, where debate and discussion is discouraged.

If we truly want to develop, we need to teach our children that there is a big world out there; and to be part of that world, we need to learn how to think differently. We need to realise that there are many different ways of thinking about the same thing, and if we insist that our way is best, we need to defend it with sound arguments, not retreat into the realm of opinion. Even opinions must have a sound basis, not plucked from the air.

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I couldn't agree more with the above! And as you all know, I admire Marina Mahathir a lot for what she has to say and all that she stands for. Perhaps, if we have more people like her here in Malaysia, the world would be a better place! I'm so happy for this article! Ruffle some more feathers! Can't help but feeling so great! The above article was extracted and taken from The Star. I do not own the article, I'm just merely posting it here for everyone to read. Oh yeah, if you want to read more and be inspired with what Kak Marina has to say, point your mouse here.

Green Peas

This is quite a random post but I know I must say something about green peas. Anyway, have any of you out there bought/eaten Ayam Brand's Green Peas before? Have you guys/gals realised that there seems to be something amiss about the green peas? In my personal opinion, I believe those are not green peas at all. In fact, they're "kacang kuda" dyed green. If you don't believe me, go buy one yourself and check the water these green peas are soaked in. It's all green and I also believe that if they're really green peas, I don't think they'll discolour that much to even colour the soaking water green. Besides, green peas don't taste like those produced by Ayam Brand. Even those frozen ones we get packaged together with sweet corn and carrot are much better. What do you guys think? Just a thought, a random one at that.

I don't know if I'm being paranoid but I trust that many companies out there, especially big ones, are resorting to cheaper productions and larger profits these days. It's quite a norm actually, so I won't be surprised if what I said above is true. It's just too bad that our consumer associations are not doing enough like those in the European/North American countries. If we happen to have a society like those in the UK, one complain and there goes everything for the company. Don't look at me like I'm some kind of shoe polisher for all things West. I'm just saying the truth, I've lived four years in the UK and I know how good their government is. Trust me, I'm still proud to be Malaysian but I just thought that Malaysians ought to/must be better off.

Congrats Levy!

From my previous post, I guessed all of you would have known that the pageant was held last night and without a doubt, it was never televised and I bet only some old rich farts attended the pageant. Typical!

Anyway, the new Miss Malaysia Universe 2008 has been chosen and she's 20-year-old university student/model from Terengganu, Levy Li Su Lin. On her left is the 1st runner-up, 23-year-old Jean Thor Jean Nee from Kuala Lumpur. And guess what, I'm so proud of this - the 2nd runner-up is Sarawakian! She's 23-year-old Valerie Chan Hsueh Yi.

I never saw the pageant/contestants so I couldn't really comment on how deserving these girls are or how Levy will fare in the international pageant to be held in Vietnam this coming July. All I know is that if Levy wants to a mark in Miss Universe, she has a lot to do before the pageant. With so many power contestants this year, it looks set to be a tough fight. I'm really hoping that Levy stands at least 5'7" because all the Asian contestants this year are all over 5'8". I thought (was hoping) one of the taller contestants in the Malaysian pageant would win but anyway, perhaps, Levy did a better job than them. Congrats! And please make Malaysia proud! We haven't had a semifinalist in Miss Universe since 1970. It's quite pathetic if you think about it!

Miss Malaysia Universe 2008

Adelaine Chin - Miss Malaysia Universe 2007

Guess what! Everything in Malaysia seems a little out of touch sometimes. Even beauty pageants! The Miss Malaysia Universe 2008 pageant is going on right now as I'm typing this entry but there's not even any coverage at all, besides some articles/videos on The Star. It's a disgrace actually considering the fact that the Miss Universe pageant is the #1 pageant in the world. I wonder what Donald Trump would say to the local production/selection. Quite embarrassing! Anyway, the official website of the local pageant is never updated and no one ever knows who the contestants are!

Goh Nai Hsing - 1st Runner-up

But thankfully, last year's first runner-up, Goh Nai Hsing, actually took the time to highlight the contestants in her blog and even add her own commentary on these girls. I just thought it was very gracious of her, considering the fact that she didn't even have to! Good on you, girl! Anyway, last year's winner, Adelaine Chin, has her own blog too and she did mention about highlighting this year's pageant but I haven't seen any updates yet. So, hopefully, I'll get to see some updates after the pageant tonight. As for Adelaine, you've done Malaysia proud and you really deserve a standing ovation for your tremendous effort. All the best in you future undertakings! To Nai Hsing, don't forget to keep updating your blog and entertain us with all your stories. Great read by the way!

HHHMMM...Need I Say More?

KUALA LUMPUR: A Malaysian group condemned the uniform worn by girls at government schools, saying it encouraged rape and pre-marital sex. “The white blouse is too transparent for girls and it becomes a source of attraction,” National Islamic Students Association of Malaysia vice-president Munirah Bahari said in a statement.“It becomes a distraction to men, who are drawn to it, whether or not they like looking at it,” she said, calling for a review of uniform policy so that it did not violate Islamic ideals.

In multicultural Malaysia, home to majority-Muslim Malays as well as ethnic Chinese and Indians, female students at government schools have a choice of wearing a white blouse with a knee-length skirt or pinafore. They may also wear a “baju kurung” and a headscarf is optional for Malay students. Munirah said that “covering up” according to Islamic precepts was important to fend off social ills, including “rape, sexual harassment and even premarital sex.”

“This leads to babies born out of wedlock and, to an extent, even prostitution,” she said. “Decent clothes which are not revealing can prevent and protect women from any untoward situations,” she said, suggesting that girls wear a blouse of a different colour or with an undergarment.However, the girls themselves also came in for criticism, with the association saying that some used the white blouse to lure men. “This is the source of the problem, where we can see that schoolgirls themselves are capable of using this to attract men to them,” Munirah said. “This could see them getting molested, having premarital sex and all sorts of things.” – AFP

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OK, I'm all for reducing the rates of crimes against women and girls here in Malaysia. With the amount of rape cases and premarital sex increasing by the year, it's quite scary to think that in a country where religion and values are of utmost importance, such insanity should be the least of our worries. But it seems otherwise.

Anyway, changing our school uniforms (to something less sexier? how more can it be changed?) is definitely not the way for us to reduce such crimes or to even prevent them. I believe education is key and that perhaps is the single most important thing for everyone to look into when it comes to solving such crimes in Malaysia.

There's also the other thing. Isn't it just true that it's human nature when we're told not to do something or prevent from doing something, we just love to do it more? Well, the more controlled a human is, the wilder they'll get. Trust me, it's certainly true. Case in point - how many more anti-piracy programs do we need? Are the consumers even afraid of being caught? Worst still, are these VCD/DVD peddlers even afraid of the government/officers-in-charge of anti-piracy? Sad to say, they're having a ball actually. If you happen to visit a shopping centre in USJ, the whole place is dedicated/filled with pirated goodies. Whatever you want, just name it, you got it.

FHM 100 Sexiest Women In The World 2008

Megan Fox is #1! Congratulations!

Anyway, I may have been a little late in posting anything about this annual poll for the sexiest women alive. But hey, better late than never. However, unfortunately, no matter how late I am in posting/announcing that Megan's #1 in the world...I'd still be considered earlier than the local issue of FHM Malaysia. Ever since the whole Ning fiasco, the magazine has been tone terribly down and these days, sad to say, it's not even worth it to buy the magazine anymore.

When I was in the UK, FHM is like so great and it still is! The 100 Sexiest List is a book there but here in Malaysia, all these gorgeous ladies are all cramped into ten pages or so. How sad! And guess what, no matter how measly it may be, the issue with the list is the only one I buy. When FHM first started out in Malaysia, it's like a must buy for me every month. But now, only one issue per year. Anyway, for more information on the list and more on FHM UK, point your mouse here.

F.U.R.K. (Fuck You RapidKL)

Never in my life have I ever need to wait for a bus for nearly two hours! Thanks to RapidKL and Metrobus, only in West Malaysia you get this kind of fucking service! Rapid indeed! And guess what, after two painful hours of waiting and wasting my time standing like a fool in the middle of nowhere, the bus never came and I have to take a taxi.

And as you've read from my previous post about the best and most luxurious taxi service in the whole world, you'd know that only in West Malaysia you can get the best service. West Malaysia, Truly The Best!!! Seriously, I wonder what the tourists would think of this kind of service. Oh yeah, I forgot. There's another bunch of taxis that help to protect the good name of West Malaysia. They go around being so kind to the tourists and so polite and well, you get it! Polish shoes all the way!

And we Malaysians, it's just too bad we're not fair-skinned and light-haired (Jinjang bengs and lians notwithstanding, sorry fellas!).

Wake Up!

Have you ever taken a taxi in Malaysia and get so frustrated with the service provided? Indeed, I'm very sure it's very common and without a doubt, of the ten taxis you take in Malaysia, all ten provide the world's lousiest service!!!

I'm really pissed with the level of service these taxi drivers provide. Some don't even bother to use the meter and charge so excessively, you thought you'd bleed from the neck without anything cutting it. And worse still, these taxi drivers push their seats so far back, people sitting behind can't even sit and there's no leg room left at all!!!

What's more, these taxis smell so bad even my unwashed socks smell like French perfume!!! Anyway, the government ought to do something about this but then again, what more can I say. Sigh!!!