VOI v1.0: October 2002 Archives

I guess i've been brainwashed from young by my parents to believe that the pinnacle of education is award of a doctorate. To be called a "Dr", to have that suffix "Phd." at the end of your name - is an elevation of a person to a position of academic respect. I'm not convinced of this argument, but i admit that i agree with them on one point: that education is the purest, most secure investment that one can have in this life (well, not if you lived in the time of Mao-ist China - then you could be shot for wearing specs).

I have always had a fascination for knowledge, for information that can be transformed into knowledge and how the human mind processes knowledge from its raw form into something that actually makes a difference in our lives. I guess, above all else, that's why i applied for a Chevening Scholarship this week.

My Chevening Scholarship Application (PDF 68kb)

Why does it seem that the moment a Malay politician (strangely, this doesn't apply for non-Malay politicians) becomes popular, someone will either accuse him/her of being:

a. A bad Muslim (*gasp* in horror!)
b. A homosexual/lesbian/"unconventional" sexual appetite

We saw it happen to Anwar Ibrahim. Regardless of whether the allegation is true of not, the whole case revolving Anwar was handled with incredible distaste. The result = his fall from grace, thrown into a cage, and when he comes out one day, his physical problems will prevent further participation in politics.

And now we see it happening with Puteri UMNO head, Azalina Othman Said. Incredibly, the same person (i.e. Ummi Hafilda Ali) who "blew the whistle" (forgive the pun) on Anwar Ibrahim is looking to present evidence to Dr Mahathir that proves Azalina's lesbian tendencies. (Read the report in Malaysiakini.com)

Two questions:

1. Why should anyone care who Azalina sleeps with?
2. Why is Ummi going to Dr M? If she has a case, why not present it to the police (ahem, homosexuality just happens to be a crime in Malaysia)?

This whole thing stinks, and if we're not careful such back-knifing will rob Malaysia of some of its most promising political talent. That can't be a good thing.

The biggest problem i have with studying is... the actual act of studying. I'm just so very, very lazy when it comes to putting my face in front of a book and trying to digest the words on the page. Its just so... well, boring and, as anyone who knows me will tell you, boredom is something i can't absolutely stand. I hate being bored, and that leaves me in a dilemma: i enjoy learning new things, but one of the easiest ways to do that (i.e. studying) is just so damned boring!

Sort of caught in a conundrum there, aren't I?

Its quite sad actually. Just 7 short assignments or 20,000 words separate me from my MBA. I've been working on it for nearly 18 months now, and its just such a shame that at virtually the last 100 meters, i can't seem to get it up to finish. If there was Viagra-like solution for procrastination, i would buy it by the drums.

I'm finally settling down to do one of most overdue assisgnments ever - i think i was supposed to pass this one up 2 months ago; now i've got 48 hours to pass it up or fail and repeat the subject. I wonder whether i'll succeed. Oh well. I hate failing nearly as much as i hate being bored. Now where is my pen and paper...(blows the dust off the textbook)

Spent the weekend drooling over my latest gadget target: the RM8,000 IBM Thinkpad A31P. Been looking for a new note book for quite a while. The one that i'm using now, the TaggNote is about 2 years old so its time for an upgrade. Out with the old and in with the new. I guess, as much as some people are slaves to fashion, i'm a slave to technology. Its certainly a weakness (a very expensive one, at that) but i just can't help myself: i MUST have the fastest, brightest and latest gadget.

I tell myself that its not because i'm technologically vain. Its because the latest technologies can make my life easier, more functional and make me more productive. The A31P has a full suite of wireless capabilities, its got a macho-form factor to die for, and its got a CD-RW/DVD combo drive. Oh yeah, and 512MB of RAM with a 60GB (yes, that's a HUGE) hard drive. Its certainly a steal at that price (from a shop in One Utama); a Dell or Compaq that is similarly configured costs RM9,500 ++. Well, time to get the money ready. Hopefully, i'll be able to close the deal some time next week.

A full review of the IBM Thinkpad A31P by Tom's Hardware Guide.

Was doing a check on my log files today and it seems that people are using the following keyword searches on Google to find the Volume of Interactions. Here's the list of keywords, in descending order (top being the most popular):

rape in malaysia
malaysian babes
blog directory
malaysian blog
woman in sexy high heels free pics
are virgo males jealous
blog malaysia
cats istana budaya
conflict in nothern ireland
debaters singapore blog
draconian mean
gatacca ethics
great malaysian blog list
how virgo males win back their ex lovers
hudud laws malaysia
iium debate club website

"woman in sexy high heels free pics" - WHAT'S UP WITH THIS??? Hahahaha! :))

I've been spending a lot of time attending meetings in PETRONAS about how the organization is trying to improve its brand equity. Yes, that's right: brand = equity. In such a highly competitive market, every small advantage helps, and until lately, the area in which PETRONAS has always lagged behind its competitors, especially SHELL, has been in how the public perceives its brand.

Before (and maybe still, but its changing), while SHELL was known as the "performance brand", PETRONAS was often looked upon with disdain as the "sluggish brand" - it unfairly obtained this tag for no other reason than because it was seen as a quasi-government, Bumiputra (sons of the earth) run company.

During my many meetings on this topic for the company, i began to wonder whether each of us have our own "brand". I can probably say with some degree of confidence what brand means for a company, but what does it mean for humans, if anything at all?

These last few weeks have been a very bad time for my alma mater - the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Besides having a brother muslim deported to the US under dubious circumstances, IIUM's pride and glory, the English Debating Association has taken a beating in the last two national competitions. There are two possibilities for this unfortunately state of affairs: IIUM debating is on a steep decline, or the other Malaysian universities have suddenly improved. No doubt the latter is true, but a large contributing factor lies in the former.

What can be done to arrest this slide?

The Great Malaysian Blog List (GMBL) has grown to 100 blogs registered at the time of this posting. The progress is encouraging and very welcome. There are an estimated 2000 Malaysian-made blogs out there so 100 is barely a scratch on the surface. But everything has to start somewhere, right? Thanks to all who have helped the GMBL reach this milestone.

The 100th blog to be registered on the GMBL is:

Intransigent

Thanks to Strizzt for the "100th GMBL Website" image.

Jealousy is a very powerful human emotion. Often, it makes us do things that we normally wouldn't do; it makes us spend money we don't have (to have what another has), it makes us say things we don't mean (to make the other seem insignificant), it can even lead us to murder (to get rid of the pesky competition).

The GMBL is 8 days old. The current blog count is 93. Some discussion about it has going on at the Rice Bowl Journal. Some criticism, some praise and a whole lot of suggestions as to how it can be improved. I'm taking everything in with a positive attitude; something as young as the GMBL can only improve with time. Thanks to Tim, Ianthe, Chris, Babysakura and the rest for their feedback. I appreciate the honesty you've all shown.

The discussion can be found here:

http://ricebowljournals.com/boards/index.php?act=ST&f=49&t=2245&s=703c1fcbed499d9e22652b5652ff737c

Looking around the world today, it seems that chaos is everywhere: the bombing in Bali, another in the shopping district of southern Philippines, the ongoing sniper saga in the US, the tensions in the Middle East, an Africa gripped by the horror of AIDS and poverty, the nightmare of financial uncertainty in Southern America.

Problems such as this will always endure as long as we're dealing with the unpredictability of the human spirit. There will always be murderers, always be people who are trying to take advantage of others, always be disease and death. That's just how God has created this world.

Should it then make me feel guilty to be living in the relative peace of Malaysia?

Its so strange that we spend so little time being aware of the most intimate things in our lives. Actually, its almost a shame that we don't. Well, today, i will correct this wrong and pay tribute to the three most intimate items in my life.

My watch, toothbrush and underwear.

As i was leaving the house this morning, i got stuck because a huge tractor was blocking the road. It was one of those trucks that you see in the construction yards; the one with a huge "shovel" in front of it. Patiently waiting for it to move, i wondered what is was doing here, in my neighbourhood where there were no construction projects underway.

Then i realised that it was being used to push down a tree. Immediately, i thought: "That's such a silly thing to do. Why not cut it down? Pushing a tree down? Whoever heard of that?"

I think we've all done things that we're not proud of. Sometimes these things we do to ourselves (i blew my fingers off when i was 4!), sometimes we do these things to others (i remember slashing a school mate with a pair of scissors when i was 8 or 9). But i think what makes us human is that we have an ability to learn from these errors, the ability to put them behind us, and the ability to live our lives looking at tomorrow rather than yesterday.

Therefore, realizing a fault in ourselves is sometimes worth the effort in making the mistake in the first place.

I received an email today from Atok, a member of the GengJurnal blog community informing me of the GengJurnal Gathering 2002. Its a really cool thing that they are doing, and i encourage anyone who has some free time and wants to meet other Malaysian bloggers to check it out.

Atok also told me that during the gathering, the GJ community presents an award for the Best Weblog. Last year, Atok was the sponsor of the award and this year another such award will be presented.

This was my reply to Atok, as i was asked for my opinion about the award...

The last few days have been interesting. Learned a lot (this is a relative term: from knowing absolutely nothing, to something, no matter how little, is "a lot") about the Malaysian blogging community, mostly from emails i've received from bloggers who have been around a lot longer than i have.

To one and all, please allow me to extend my heartiest "Thank you" for being patient with me and showing me the ropes.

Everything i've learned so far has confirmed one of my initial beliefs: the Malaysian blogging community is thriving and well.

There have been several high-profile rape cases in Malaysia lately that has made me sit up and take notice. The case of the 13 year old Filipino that was allegedly raped while in detention, awaiting deportation as an illegal immigrant (turns out she may actually be Malaysian). The case of that police officer (i forget his name) who was accused of raping two immigrant women while they were in lock-up; he was acquited by a male judge who said that the sex was consentual, therefore it was not rape.

Both cases are nasty, and they only serve to highlight how vulnerable women are in this country under the "watchful" eyes of the law.

I believe a very healthy debate about the idea of having the Best Malaysian Blog Awards (aka the Bloggies) has ensued between the Malaysian bloggers who are visiting the Volume of Interactions.

I kindly invite everyone who is interested to find out what the issues are so far and contribute your ideas concerning the matter.

Received an email today that made me think about how the GMBL [what is this?] in conjunction with the Best Malaysian Blog Awards (nicknamed the Bloggies) proposal i sent to The Star can bring much deserved recognition to the talents of Malaysian bloggers, and promote the art of blogging to yet-to-begin-bloggers-to-be.

This was my reply to her email.

Dear { a friend },

No unfortunately, i've not gotten a response from The Star yet, not even a letter of acknowledgement...

Dear { a friend },

Hello there! Nice to hear from you again. I'm sorry that you've had difficulty setting up your website. Maybe you can ask my dad's help; he's very supportive of students who want to set up websites especially something as prestigious as the Asian Medical Students Association. Why not drop him a note at profizham@profizham.org

What's the URL of your AMSA site again? I seem to have misplaced it.

You received my email invitation to the Great Malaysian Blog List (GMBL)? Cool. I wonder how it reached you? :D

Started a new project today, called the Great Malaysian Blog List. Scouring the web over lunch today, i discovered that there were quite a number of noteworthy blog-lists out there, including the excellent Top 100 Blogrolling list, the list of updated blogs in Wander-Lust and Movabletype and many more. And it struck me that i couldn't find a single list where all Malaysian-made blogs (what is a blog?) could be found. Its either that it doesn't exist, or that i couldn't find it. Whatever the reason, i decided that i would attempt to create one.

The Great Malaysian Blog List is born!

Add your blog to the list! (Non-Malaysians are welcome to add their blog to the General Blog List)

When Huntington wrote the "Clash of Civilizations", it was hailed as a ground-breaking piece of work, able to explain the direction of future conflicts in the global society. He was wrong. What he wrote about was nothing new. Conflicts along religious lines is as old as religion itself. You could almost say that religions are tailored for conflict.

Took the day off today. Been feeling generally depressed lately, and thought that an extra long weekend may be the answer. Did it help? Not sure, the verdict is still out. One thing is for sure, i feel more than a tad bit lonely. The funny thing is that i thought that's what i wanted.

Went to watch Cats last night at the Istana Budaya (trans: "Cultural Palace"). It was terribly fun, the choreography was fantastic, Palladino's rendition of "Memory" was worth the price of admission (which is unfortunately considerable at RM150 per person), and the usherers were bastards.

Istana Budaya at night

Visited this very cool blog today, called Technoerotica. It's got a little bit of everything that you could ever want in a well maintained, content-rich blog. Its even got this nifty little article that serves as the most common sense, plain-for-your-average-joe/jane guide i've ever found for increasing traffic to a website. He's just like you and me: Mr/Ms/Mrs Average Internet-User. His writing reflects that position thus making it so easy to understand.

The internet traffic guide: http://technoerotica.net/digest/traffic.html

I love his closing remarks on the issue:

"One final note. Traffic isn't the measure of success for your site. A site with ten loyal readers is not much different than sites with thousands."

For some reason i woke up this morning not wanting to dress up to go to work. First insane thought was to walk into office without any clothes on. Dismissed that nearly straight away. Then i thought that i would wear a T-shirt to work saying, "Fuck them all" (hahaha... i must have been hallucinating; i don't even have a shirt like that) - turned that idea in my head a few times before discarding it. PETRONAS, being the ultra-corporate place that it is, i didn't think that it would go down well with everyone. Stared in the sparse emptiness that is my closet and finally decided on a compromise: a Malay-Muslim style shirt in the tradition of Raihan (one of Malaysia's favoured nasyid groups). Ahhh.. felt nice to be different today; felt good to be out of place for once.

Clad in white

With the Congress voting today to give Bush the authority to wage war on Iraq, with or without the United Nations' approval, it looks like the Middle East will have another war on its hands, barely 11 years since the last one. I truly suspect that this one will be an even messier affair, with the US and Western Civilization the biggest losers.

Was looking around for good blogs to read this afternoon when i stumbled across this month's Blog of the Month: Not You, The Other One.

Written by a talented young lady, Sarah, the blog is full of insightful moments in the mind of a twenty-something (i think) woman living in the UK. Certainly, being from Asia, it was an education for me to read it; time flew by and i enjoyed myself immensely. For these reasons, i've decided that it will be this month's VOI Blog of the Month!

Do yourself a favour and take a look.

Finally took a bit of time to finalize the site design for the Volume of Interactions (VOI). Quite happy with it now; always did like the minimalist approach - just white and black, and a splash of red to give it character. Simple, straightforward (boring??), and logical.

The Guardian (UK) held a competition recently to find the best British blogs - i think they found some real gems, especially the overall winner ScaryDuck: Not Scary, Not a Duck, which has to be read to be believed. You would never imagine that real life could be THAT funny! :)

Please, please check this out - i promise you won't regret it: http://scaryduck.blogspot.com/

Also, the Finalist List.

It rained like crazy this evening. So crazy that i thought the water levels would reach me on the 25th floor of the Twin Towers! The rain just kept on falling in sheets, punctuated by thunder and lightning - every few minutes i heard a sharp pinging sound as lightning struck my tower.

When it rains like this, Kuala Lumpur traffic normally jams up in terrific fashion. Having being caught in 3 such jams over the past 2 weeks, i knew that it would be futile to try to go home while the sun was still over the horizon. So i buckled down and decided to wait it out.

For once, i'm thankful that the rain was so heavy, and that i was literally trapped in the tallest building in the world with lightning lashing down on me from all over. Why? Hani was downstairs.

Been listening to a lot of Kelly Clarkson (pic) lately, the winner of American Idol, a tv talent search program similar to Asia Bagus that was on air a couple of years back. Whatever did happen to that program?

Her latest single is A Moment Like This. An amazing song. This lady will get better as her voice matures, that's for sure. Keep your eye on her.

There are a few undeniable facts concerning the origins, philosophical foundations and practice of syariah law in general and hudud in particular.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was a a very wise man when he said that we, as muslims (though i think this message is valid for all people, regardless of religion or belief), should never talk about another person behind the back of that person with someone else. It goes beyond the rule that you shouldn't say something about someone if you don't have anything good to say. Even if you have something good to say about a person, maybe its better not to say it to anyone else, not even if you're asked, or in polite, informal banter.

Finally went out and did it, finally ended all the procrastination and bought myself a webcam after more than 2 years of "i'll think about it". Bought the Logitech Webcam Express (ok lah for simple webcamming) for RM100 (about USD$25) at Low Yatt Plaza this afternoon before having a wonderful chicken rice meal at the famous corner hainanese shop.

Low Yatt Plaza is really a haven for the software pirates. So many shops were selling pirated software, it was amazing. Made me wonder, what would happen if these people DIDN'T sell pirated software and everyone was forced to buy original products.

What would happen in a country like malaysia is that very much fewer people would be using computers. This country's ICT capabilities would be severely crippled by the low number of IT-capable citizens, as a direct result of the un-affordability of the expensive software. Windows XP would cost RM500. MS Office would cost RM1,500. Development tools like Delphi and the rest would be priced out of reach, meaning less people will be able to learn how to use it. Even computers may begin to cost more - i am under no illusion that most new computers sold use pirated software. Fewer users, a weaker critical mass = Malaysia ICT vision will be under threat.

Maybe that's why software copyright enforcement seems little more than lip service by the government. If they were serious, places like Low Yatt Plaza would not exist. If they were serious, i may not be writing this to you.

Had a very nice dinner with hanaan and her father. Took them to Gombak and treated to tom yam sotong, kailan ikan masin, ayam gajus, udang tepung and siakap masam manis... yummy. I was afraid that the tom yam would be a bit too spicy for him (he is after all, a kenyan living in dubai - how much chili can he take?). But tengok, tengok, dengan malunya, i was the one who starting sweating first! It was quite pedas, and pekat but very nice.

Hanaan, she of the nice smile

I studied for my undergraduate degree in the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). Graduating in October 2000, i have some very fond memories of the place. Tonight was the Alumni Annual Dinner 2002, and it was held in grand fashion at the Mandarin Oriental, one of the best hotels in town.

It was a fantastic experience, and well worth the RM100 registration fee.

View of the stage

Had a strange dream last night.

In my dream juma and i were back together again. Or maybe it was one of those flashback dreams, where i dreamt of the time when we were still together. The only thing for sure was that in the dream we were together and happy.

Either way, i wonder why i had that dream? Its not like i want to get back together with her; i would be happy if we could just be friends.

Been receiving some legal advice from Azahan and Edora - both have read the article about me and juma on Warta Perdana and they both think i should defend my legal rights. If i didn't say the things that they said i said, i shouldn't let them get away with. The issue is more than just defending my dignity and honour, but it also is about setting things right and a question of principle. Someone has to take a stand about such reporting, and maybe i won't have much impact on the tabloid industry as a whole, but at least i would have done my bit. I believe that this will make a difference.

I'll be meeting Edora at 6 pm tomorrow to discuss my options. She's going to help me draft a "show cause" letter that we'll send to the editor of the newspaper asking him to publish a retraction. If he refuses (i assume its a 'he'), then i'll give a call to Robert (a old debate team mate who is a tremendous lawyer now) to represent me and see whether we can make warta regret publishing its lies.

View Newspaper Pic 1

View Newspaper Pic 2

What does it mean to be a “draconian”?

Draconian.

What does this word really mean? It seems to have been bandied about quite freely each time criticism is levelled at the Malaysian Government and some of the laws it advocates.

Does the word mean the laws are outdated, ancient and unsuitable for current times? Or does it refer more specifically to how these laws may be perceived as instruments of cruel and unjust action? After all, "draco" originally refers to dragons of the mean and nasty variety.

Let's assume for a moment that it means both.