On The Road to Putrajaya

August 27, 2008 | Category: I can Has Shiney New, Short Rants, Something Malaysian | Leave a Comment

Looks like my shining hope of political anarchy has won the Permatang Pauh seat =) Congrats Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, on winning by a 15k majority, nearly one thousand votes higher than how his wife fared in the March 8 elections.

Meanwhile, in Parliament, Barisan Nasional craftily tries to sneak by a very questionable piece of legislation, taking advantage of the fact that most of the Opposition MP’s were campaigning in PP. It’s already in the second reading, so law students should understand the gravity of this stage.

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Nic showed me the way to HELP University today. I’m not sure if he’s going to sign up or not, but odds are he probably will, judging by the way we compared the two options.

Anywho, I’ll NOT be letting this blog be known to my classmates once I start university. The problem with publicizing the blog was that I found it inhibiting on my freedom to express my rants and daily muses. I doubt it’ll be a secret forever, but the longer the better. The current readers will suffice. =)

Next time this year I’ll be in UK. Woot. Can’t believe it was only one and a half years ago that I was toying with the idea.

The lighting from my room’s windows are the best during mid-afternoon.

Got my crumpler, the Dreadful Embarrassment. Will post obligatory poser photos with its contents on Monday XD

Finding Path

August 23, 2008 | Category: Photography | 2 Comments

maybe one day i'll burn this fucking world.

I’m feeling a little dramatic.

Woke up around 10 in the morning to see the family leave the house for lunch. Once they were gone, I lazily headed upstairs to bathe, doze off on the bed for another good 10 minutes, and dressed. It was time to drive to KLCC. The two attempts to reach the complex from Subang yesterday was not successful (got lost in both tries), but I was feeling lucky today. Just follow signboards. Pusat Bandaraya & KLCC, I kept telling myself.

Somehow, after getting lost in old town, I managed to reach the nicest shopping complex in Malaysia 45 minutes later. On my own. My first time. Yay me.

Almost forgot to explain why I was in KLCC… urm, Sony Style was organizing a beginner’s workshop for noob photographers like moi (honestly, give me a PnS and I’d return with better results than with a DSLR) so I signed up about a month ago. I didn’t bother bringing a bag or my very lame looking alpha camera pouch along, because, well, I didn’t exactly have any accessories. I only have one lens (the 18-70 kitty). Only one UV filter. One battery.

I was about an hour early, so I decided to grab something to fill my tummy. Headed to Starbucks, but made a quick detour upon seeing a bunch of DSLR wielding peeps already sitting there. They were also waiting for the workshop to start, I guessed (and was right). Wasn’t feeling particularly social (when am I ever?) so satiated my hunger with a mocha at CoffeeBean instead. I watched the shoppers, the mothers with their children who always seem to be running ahead but held back by an invisible leash, the quai loes and their being the only people inside the mall wearing shorts…

The Ting Tings is playing on iTunes. Hmmm. Interesting.

Anyway, the workshop started around 1. Basically they taught us how to use and utilize all the functions on Sony’s Alpha cameras, plus a few tips here and there on composition and the ‘artistic’ side of photography.

Learnt alot, but after the assignment which consisted of taking to the streets to try out our skills and compare photos, I was seriously disheartened and considered myself wasting my time… because I have no talent or eye.

First of all, when I exited the building, it was pouring. No outdoor photography. I had to take indoors. Me being a very shy person, I felt like a pervert carrying a DSLR around. There are alot of pretty girls in KLCC, see. And I don’t blame them if they feel like I’m trying to sneakily take pictures of their butts. It’s a horrifying ordeal. Sometimes shopkeepers even told me to not take photos. I was shooed away. My pictures came up horrid, my utilization of the lighting was bad, and when reviewing pictures the tutor just went past my one within 10 seconds, saying “So this is just a snap shot among snap shots? Alright next.” I don’t even know why I submitted the picture I did (we could only use one). The picture was shaky, the composition was lousy. Sigh.

This is not the picture, but I do find his hat very cute.

A picture of a couple holding hands, oblivious to the 6 foot nerd snapping them from behind.

I tried to capture this moment, but due to being very shy, I didn’t dare get any closer. Composition sucked, but you can easily believe that some great shots could’ve been taken by a more experienced phoggy. There’s something about holding hands behind that I’ve alway found sweet.

I liked the colors, but once again… couldn’t pull it off.

Carrying on, I was slightly disheartened like I said. I felt like I knew nothing about photography. But about an hour later I started telling myself I just needed more practice. No one that horrid that they are beyond the help of practice.

Can’t remember which shop’s window this is. It’s at the centre, where the lifts that go up to Petrosains are located.

2 Comments | Permalink

My thoughts on Pakatan Rakyat.

August 23, 2008 | Category: Something Malaysian | 1 Comment

The past few days have made alot of Pakatan Rakyat supporters confused. Here’s an example:

While Khalid Ibrahim, Selangor’s MB is under fire by UiTM’s council and students alike for his suggestion that the bumiputera-only university admit a 10% quota of non-bumis, Zulkifli Noordin led a hundred-strong group of protestors to the front doors of the Bar Council’s forum concerning Islam conversions and threatened to storm the building by force if they did not dissolve the forum immediately. Quoting him “I am a Muslim first, MP second.”

Both are PKR members. So what IS PKR’s stand exactly? Anwar Ibrahim’s strategy of catering to EVERY type of person is not going very smoothly. True, this is better than race based politics in BN, or religion based like PAS, or geographical themed like DAP. PKR is trying to win over EVERYONE. But can it be achieved?

The euphoria of unity from moments like PAS candidates campaigning to a receptive church seem to be losing its effect.

Another chagrin is DSAI’s way of forming the new government. I vehemently DO NOT agree with crossovers from the Barisan Nasional side. Isn’t it hypocritical to paint the image of Barisan Nasional MP’s as crooks, then forming the government with a good *40* of them. What about the candidates who contested under the PR flag against these would-be crossers? Change may happen if he forms the new government, but a good 40 of his people will bring with them the stench of corruption. The ends does not justify the means.

I can of course see the rationale in this move. While BN’s strength lies in near unlimited resources and a stranglehold of the population, Pakatan Rakyat’s strength lies in the euphoria hype it manages to stir. Will this fiery hunger for change last and remain as strong for four more years, until the 2012 GE? I doubt it.

PAS, DAP, and PKR are obviously estranged bedfellows. But this itself could be what attracts support from across boundaries of race and religion. A strong Muslim man with change in mind would vote for a DAP candidate against an UMNO person, keeping in thought that he believes a vote for DAP, is also a vote for PAS. Then again, weird things like Selangor’s MB being a malay from PKR while DAP won most of the seats in the state happen. Perak, where PAS has only little seats as compared to its other two allies, has a PAS MB, with hints of rather onerous pro-Islam legislations surfacing.

This confuses people. People like the Muslim man who are willing to vote for a party which before Pakatan Rakyat did not stand with their political ideals. People like the non muslims who voted for PAS and now see the party’s extremist tendencies resurfacing.

But this is change. Change will never be initially easy. Add two different chemicals and they may combust, but in the end the result is a stable strain. Remember the J-curve? It can be used in politics as well. BN is the opposite of this. BN offers stability right from the beginning, and the ease of mind knowing that we won’t be budged from our comfort zones, as bad as it may be, but that we’ve learnt to accept over the past 50 years. Barisan Nasional knows this, and may punish states which are controlled by PR by cutting subsidies, trying to prolong as possible the period before things start to improve. So one wonders how long can the people endure. Does this justify Anwar’s unethical road to forming the new government?

I would say no. But you should give it some thought, and come up with your own conclusion.

1 Comment | Permalink

No Mersvy, Derky?

August 22, 2008 | Category: Short Rants | Leave a Comment

I visited Ikano yesterday to shop for my imaginary studio apartment. Oh Ikea Moment, where for art thou?

Crossed the bridge after that and FINALLY satiated my one month old craving for pancakes with ice cream (take that, Sandy!). Yum.

So it’s 3am now and I better go to sleep if I want to complete my to-do list for Friday.

10am-1pm gym.
2pm leave for KLCC to familiarize myself with the route. Saturday is Sony Alpha workshop day at KLCC.
On the way back, buy ingredients for dish I want to cook for Saturday’s possibly non-existent pot luck.
5pm, cook the dish, put it in a tupperware.

Yay.

MIL- lah

August 21, 2008 | Category: Understanding The Female | 5 Comments

I was reading through this month’s Men’s Health over a cup of fresh milk and digestive biscuits (my favorite combination for when reading anything) and the following caught my eye:

“Say this: You make sweatpants look sexy”

Which is interesting, because, in my opinion, sweatpants are sexy. Especially if the girl’s pretty fit. But that’s beside the point. Throughout discussions in my past 19 years of inhabiting this planet there have always been two camps between the males regarding clothes are hot (on a woman). There’s the less is more camp, and the more is less camp.

I belong to the latter.

In the occasional po2n06r4ph7 hunt (Aku lelaki okay), I tend to skip the pictures of the ones who are fully exposed. It’s just… boring. With some clothes on however, the mind is allowed to wonder. What might not be real, might as well be.

It’s true that girls who wear less material tend to attract more eyes. But those aren’t glances of interest. They’re merely a short male reflex of curiosity, uncontrollable and temporary. Put on something pretty (instead of scanty), and the looks you get, increase in quality (in terms of guys).

More is less.

I think my PAS membership should be arriving by post tomorrow.

5 Comments | Permalink

Doublethink

August 18, 2008 | Category: About The Book | 2 Comments

I usually hate pirating books (unlike software. I love free software), so it was quite painful for me to have had to download the pdf file of 1984 by George Orwell. 1984 was impossible to find in any book stores, unlike his first book Animal Farm (which itself was already hard, lost in the river of the Classics Section).

Thankfully, it turns out the book is available to be read for free Me is a very happy book-worm.

Anyone who loves propaganda, dictatorship, or even the tiniest sliver of interest in governments and politics will enjoy it. I’m at page 27 now. Drop me an MSN message if you decided to start =p.

The thing that he was about to do was to open a diary. This was not illegal (nothing was illegal, since there were no longer any laws), but if detected it was reasonably certain that it would be punished by death, or at least by twenty-five years in a forced-labour camp. Winston fitted a nib into the penholder and sucked it to get the grease off. The pen was an archaic instrument, seldom used even for signatures, and he had procured one, furtively and with some difficulty, simply because of a feeling that the beautiful creamy paper deserved to be written on with a real nib instead of being scratched with an ink-pencil.

Actually he was not used to writing by hand. Apart from very short notes, it was usual to dictate everything into the speak-write which was of course impossible for his present purpose. He dipped the pen into the ink and then faltered for just a second. A tremor had gone through his bowels. To mark the paper was the decisive act. In small clumsy letters he wrote:

April 4th, 1984.

2 Comments | Permalink

Spahgetti

August 16, 2008 | Category: I can Has Shiney New, Money Matters, Photography | 5 Comments

So phew! Friday was my last day as an intern in the law firm, and I’m officially retired.

It’ll be two weeks before University starts *prays that Nicholas will join me in HELP. I need a carpool buddy*, so it’ll be a fortnight of chilling, book reading (and maybe some writing), music appreciation, and of course the gym. Was planning to do my annual period of seeing how long I can be a vegan (my record is nearly 3 weeks), but since BB-ing requires meat, I might forego it till November. I actually hardly ate meat for two months during Feb-April, but it was an on and off thing… nothing to do with vegan but trying to lose weight.

Enough about my body. The credit card arrived today! Woot. Yeah, I finally have my own credit card. No more worrying about not bringing enough cash for meals or buying stuff. You’ve no idea how many times the situation in which I just realize I didn’t bring enough cash has surfaced. It’s embarrassing and troublesome.

So anyway, here’re some pics I decided to upload from my handphone to the web. Honestly, the Nokia E65 has the worst 2.0mgpx cam in the world.

Three Nintendo DS’ from the McDonald’s meetup. White is Colin’s, middle is Boon’s, bottom is my grandma’s (I can find better things to do with 600 ringgit)

Sandy, wearing my glasses.

Ethan Ho, my 1 year old…uh, son of my cousin. What do you call that kind ‘a relative?

The Desk. Will kinda miss this place.

Mouth watering cupcakes.

Dinner at MidV to celebrate a little earlier Ching’s birthday, =). L-r Ching digging into the salad, and Colin waiting for me to serve him the Pizza.

Yours truly, and Ben.

I’m very very tempted to get a small digicam.

P.S. Wordpress 2.6.1 wtfarkk

5 Comments | Permalink

French Kiss

August 11, 2008 | Category: Understanding The Female | 3 Comments

I wonder if I’ll get a free dress for doing this.

Anyone here knows who Wai Jean is? Wai Jean? That petite girl from the Originzzzzzzz? Know Originzzzz? That…uh, group of girls that call themselves The Originals. I know, damn diva right wtf hahahah.

Wai Jean on the left, from gang Originz. Unrelated to this post is girl on the right from Volleyball gang. SMKSU girls are so friggin gangster can?

*turns off chinese primary school english*

Anyway, this is a blog plug to pimp Wai Jean’s new clothes shop.

http://francais-kiss.blogspot.com

If you’re someone who visits Ringo’s website like me (oops), then you’ll be familiar with how this works. To those who aren’t: If you see something you like and are interested in purchasing it, drop a comment! (alternatively, send them an email. Their guide on how to purchase, pay etc are written on the side of their blog)

A nice touch is the little haiku written in each post, related to the featured clothing.

For example, for the dress above, this was written:

Oh my dear Satine ; You are made of high quality satin and you are such a perfect fit. Not only do you dazzle me at night during such wonderfully formal occasions, you also feel so sweet beneath my touch. Even that bling isnt so blinding; and that hourglass silhoutte you bestow upon me.. is simply.. fabulous.

So go! Shop!

http://francais-kiss.blogspot.com

*psst. I erm, like the Tunique dress if you’re interested in giving me something*

3 Comments | Permalink

I look like Lim Kok Wing

August 9, 2008 | Category: Questioning Faith, Something Malaysian, Syok Sendiri | 13 Comments

So I wenth and goth myeth hairth doneth…

Previous Next

Candid picture of me, 37th try.

So apparently today’s Bar Council Forum regarding conversions of the Muslim faith in law, whether in or out, has been brought down by protestors. About 300 of them. This forum wasn’t about discrimination towards the Muslim faith. It was an open invitation to the public to discuss a very serious problem seen in our community, for BOTH Muslims and non-Muslims.

Can you imagine your husband converting without your knowledge, and then told that by-law, your children MUST follow the same faith? Or because of your spouse or children’s conversion, you cannot inherit their property should they pass away? Because you’re not of the same faith? It has happened.

Yes, comrades, it is in the institution that we (cept Malays and Muslim-borns) are free to practice whatever faith we wish. However, what happens when one person’s faith invades the lives of another?

And this, my friends, is why I hate all forms of religion. It’s up there with the top evils of the world (country borders, politicians and greed).

Nevertheless, I feel if there is always going to be a “No Discussion.” attitude from one side… then we will always have disharmony. Maybe not in the streets, but in the hearts of Malaysians for many, many years to come.

What we all need is to listen.

13 Comments | Permalink