July 2006 Archives

The DJs over Mix FM asked the question this morning: would you rather live in a country where the sun shines most of the time, and dreary wet Mondays like today happen sometime or in a country like the UK where its dreary, depressing and wet most of the time and the sun shines sometimes.

For me that was the wrong question to ask, and its answer is absolutely misleading. If that country can offer me a 1st world lifestyle with a 1st world quality of life, with world class institutions, a free press and a transparent Parliament, where the purchasing power of the dollar earned is actually worth something, that's definitely what i would prefer even if it came with all the rain and gloom in the world.

Malaysia has a lot of offer its people, and there is still much room for improvement. But life is short and opportunities are limited. What would you do if you could do something, go somewhere where you could dramatically improve your quality of life? Would you say no for the sake of patriotism? What does that mean, really? Is the only way to be patriotic is to stay in Malaysia? Or can you live beyond our borders and still be Malaysian?

Its time to make a move, to improve my life.

Anyone who has 3 spare tickets (or even 2 will do), pls contact me. Really would love to go watch it, but the tickets were sold out before i could get any. Any help much appreciated. Thanks.

Received an email today saying that we should cut down all boxthorn trees (gharqad) because, according to a hadith (of which i do not know is authentic or not) the "Jews will use them as hiding places in the war against Muslims". It was a chain email, you know one of those, and it really inflamed me. The following was my reply:

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What a load of crap. We might as well cut down all the shrubs to while we're at it, or any youngling tree that's yet to reach maturity, as long as it can hide a human body.

This is the problem with the Muslim world today -- we're too hung up over things that don't matter; COME ON -- ITS A TREE AND IT USED TO HIDE THE JEWS OMG LETS CUT THEM ALL DOWN.

The contents of emails like this are all the same, and its symptomatic of the weakness in the Muslim mind. OMG COCA COLA IS A JEWISH COMPANY. OMG MACDONALDS DONATES MONEY TO THE ZIONISTS. OMG SO-SO COMPANY'S PRODUCT HAS AN INGREDIENT IN IT THAT IS QUESTIONABLE. OMG THE WORLD IS GOING TO END BECAUSE WOMEN WEAR SHORT SKIRTS, OMG ETC ETC OMG ETC.

No one talks about the real issues afflicting Muslims, the reasons why we've seen a decline in our civilization since the Golden Age of Islam. Issues like poverty (do people even care or know what to do about the fact that the majority of ummah actually live below WTO standards of poverty?), issues like the OIC (that piece of crap organization that just showcases how divided the ummah has become), issues like a Muslim's fascination with the appearance of religiousity rather than the substance and spirit of Islam (if you don't know what i mean, that just proves that ppl are not talking about it), issues like the reconciliation between the Shiites and Sunnis, issues like the cultivation of modern Muslim financial and scientific institutions, issues like the resolution of the clash of civilizations (is there one, if yes, why does it exist, how to resolve it, if no, why was it proposed, how do we explain our position in relation to the West), issues like the sectarian violence among Muslims (we complain so much about the Jews and whine about how the West hates us but how many of us realize that the main killer of Muslims in the world today is actually Muslims).

SO MANY ISSUES THAT ARE MORE IMPORTANT THAN TREES, COCA COLA, OR THE LENGTH OF THE SKIRTS MUSLIM WOMEN SHOULD WEAR.

Perhaps we deserve our place in the world, as we continue to persist to be so naive and pointless.

The worst kept secret in Malaysia was finally officially announced a couple of days ago, her upcoming nuptials with the enigmatic Datuk Khalid Mohamad Jiwa. Grats to the happy couple, may the wedding and marriage be a happy one. A small article appeared in The Star, where a reporter asked the reaction of Datuk Khalid's youngest son. He was diplomatic, and answered well.

Siti and her man, Datuk Khalid

Mohd Anas Zawari, 19, Mohd Adbi 16, Mohd Azif, 8

The ol' email mill has been running overtime since, with pictures of his other sons and their father. One particular email really made me smile, one where his, presumably, eldest son has his arms around some extremely beautiful women in what seems to be a (college?) party/prom? *chuckle* Looks like father and son have similar tastes in women, one of them even looks like a younger version of Siti Nurhaliza.

To be young and happy, bliss! :)

Its a safe bet that Siti will have her hands full with her new family. Good luck, dear lady, Malaysia's truest songstress.

Italy wins the World Cup after a penalty shootout victory over the mighty France. As far as World Cup Finals go, it was a good game, played in an attacking spirit. Was a good spectable, worth the late night.

One of Malaysia's undisputed King Bs (B for Blogger) has signalled his retirement from the Malaysian blogging scene. The reasons he gave for doing it fascinate me, and has lent itself to some deep thought on my part.

Mack, like me, like Jeff, like TV Smith, and several others have been around for a long time. Either by chance or coincidence we were poised in a position that has allowed us an unrestricted view to the development of the Malaysian blogosphere. Jeff and TV with their immensely popular blogs and "little birds", Mack with his almost cult-like following, and myself presiding over what remains, Malaysia's #1 blogtal, Project Petaling Street (it smashed its own viewership records last month with more than 30,000 unique visitors a day).

(the reason why i mention their names is because i'm close to them as in i've spent time understanding their blogging motivations, and i know where they are coming from and where they want to go blog-wise; this is not to say that no one else shares our visions, ambitions or experiences, but i can only speak of what i have personally experienced)

It seems ironic to me that Mack has decided to throw in the towel on the day, by his own admission, blogs have achieved a historical milestone: the ability to overtly influence the non-blog world, if that was indeed what has happened. Or perhaps, maybe that's why he has, because the "long struggle" for the position of blogs in the Malaysian sociapathy has been peaked. Who knows, and i for one will not begrudge him his decision.

All blogs exist to serve an agenda, may it be personal or otherwise. So to speak, they are the fuel that powers the words on the screen. Some agendas change, some do not; change can lead to the withdrawal of a blog from the blogosphere, as they have with Mack's, some changes may lead to a blog taking different tacks, sometimes in directions of ever more fervour, as they have with Jeff's.

Neither means a breaking of the blogosphere, there is nothing to be depressed or sad or angry about, as some have prematurely expressed. I call it blog-volution (evolution), may Darwin be smiling in his grave.

The perfect love story, a tale to warm the heart, to bring out the best of what's good in us, and to remind us that anything good in love can happen, actually.