Of Axiom and Principles

Redirection

2011-12-04T09:29:00.000-05:00

Missed me?

I've transferred here

See you there!

Nico

Reboot

2011-11-02T04:53:00.000-04:00

This blog will cease its function as of now.

I've been wanting to start something new but I was too lazy. I'll give the link once I get a new home for my musings up and running.

Cheers,

Nico

Someone Out of Town

2011-03-26T11:16:00.000-04:00

So I decided to take a good listen to Yuna's "Someone Out of Town" and thought it was an easy song to transcribe. Well, I'm not actually transcribing it but I got the chords down.

The chords are: (barre chords) F, Am, G.

Repeat them for the whole song. Listen to the song and you'll get the feel of playing them. Enjoy

Apologies

2011-03-26T02:58:00.000-04:00

Boy have I been on an emotional roller-coaster, heh. I wish I could tell the whole story here but I guess that would be exposing myself too much. I’ve exposed myself enough on twitter.

I’ve been a stupid and selfish person these past what, one and a half months? Why selfish? Because I’ve punished someone else by punishing myself. I really need to apologize to a lot of people for not being myself. I could’ve make life a lot more colorful for others but instead I chose to be stoic and quiet. I’m still picking myself up, it hurts while I’m doing it but life goes on. I’m really at fault for allowing my emotions to get the better of me.

I’ve been wallowing in self-pity a lot. My recovery from this that beleaguers my heart came in stages, I’d tell you about that some other time.

I guess everyone has their own problems, family problems, work problems, love problems and a bunch of other stuff. I felt like Atlas, trying to carry the weight of the world as I tried to overcome mine, I guess the feeling is shared by everyone as they try to solve theirs. The heaviest and most draining problem I had was myself.

I guess I know very slightly the feeling of a drug addict trying to kick his or her habit. It’s really hard overcoming yourself, convincing that you’ll be okay, wanting to be stronger and all that. The negativity, the voices that whispers in your heart, sometimes just a simple thought, they can take you down easily. I’ve really tried shutting them out, it was like trying to forcibly close an overloaded closet or luggage. In the end, I couldn’t shut them all out, I had to accept that some wouldn’t stay out so I had to take them with me. It was hard, painful and all, but I guess these kind of things make you human.

Never thought I would be so broken like this. I never even thought I would decide to go home so early. Who would’ve thought I would lose the cheery me, that guy who’s always laughing and making fun of people can be this sad. I guess that’s why I wanted to go back home, to find that old me back and put myself together.

I’ve never thought such hollow words would come from me, that I would give someone all those half-hearted laughter and empty smiles. Man, I’m really selfish that way, they deserved an honest smile.

Everyday I tell myself to be stronger, to be more cheerful and that no one else should be affected by this mess that I brought upon myself. But a simple thought, man, I didn’t know a simple thought would be strong enough to strip all that pep talk away. That’s life I suppose.

I’ve said this but yeah, I’m still trying to recover. Didn’t know it was this hard. A lot of the mornings before this, I was convinced I’m all good and I got over it but nah, life just likes to throw more stuff at you. Heh. I don’t know how long it will take but it won’t be soon.

Strength

2011-03-22T23:17:00.001-04:00

Dear God, the current me is a failure. I need to have my old self back so I don't flunk this quarter. I want my success to continue into this quarter but this shadow that's been hovering in my head won't go away.

I'm trying really hard to focus but I can't. I can't afford to wait until the day I come back home to recover. I'm trying my best to focus but these whispers in my heart is too loud. I tried to ignore it, shun it but it's not working.

Help me

Pathetic

2011-03-21T23:55:00.001-04:00

This post is going to be full of negative vibes, I advise you to ignore it.

Just ramblings of my heart because random thoughts of patheticness have been bombarding my head, and these are some

Time doesn't heal, it preserves your sanity.
Time doesn't heal, it lets you dig a hole big enough to keep everything in
Why cry over losing something you never had in the first place?
I'm an idiot, a fool.
Why can't my heart be still?
I need to look for pieces of me
I want to leave the things that's draining me
I don't want to think of this
Will I always end up like this?
I'm pathetic.
Suka dalam duka
When can I stop pretending to smile?
I never knew a smile can hurt so much
Funny how something that can make people so happy can break a person into pieces
I want to forget this
I feel like writing a song and name it "The Sweetest Mistake"
I should be happy for the things that happened
I'm fighting a battle with myself, to not let all these negative feelings get the best of me
I want to be myself again
I'm stupid
Why does my mind keep drifting to the same spot?
I really thought I was stronger
I'm actually a weak fool
A sore loser too
I just want to go back, can I go back now?
Can I take off this armor and show my weaknesses for once?
Why am I like this? I shouldn't be
I don't know why it hurts, it shouldn't have hurt
Because nothing ever transpired anyway
So why agonize over something that was never there
Be strong, stop thinking of this
Focus
I'm tired of living, can I just be like the wind or the stars for once?
This is tiring
Funny how it doesn't take much to spoil your day
I hope I have spare-parts of me back home
I'm pathetic
I'm weak
I like to whine
I'm a fool
I like to douse myself with sadness
I should stop this
Sometimes I feel like a paralyzed guy who's trying really hard to learn how to walk again

Lessons Learned

2011-03-14T00:02:00.002-04:00

Recently, life decided to give me a bunch of lessons in life. They were tough for me to swallow but I guess they were good experience.

I've learned that:

You don't know how strong you are until it's put to a test
I've never went through that amount of sadness in my life. Heh.
I'm really a weak guy and a sore loser
Letting go of something you really like is super hard
Forgetting that you've liked something is impossible
Dealing with losing something you really like means you have to accept the fact that you've lost it and move on. Avoiding it only makes it worse
Family and friends should be valued above everything, even if it hurts
When you have no one to talk to for support, God is always there for you
I should appreciate God's creations even more
Life has a sadistic way to rub salt into your wound and opening it up again when you thought you've closed it
Some things were never meant to be. They just weren't and you just have to accept it.
A part of my life can make a very good but absurdly sad drama

Sex Education

2010-11-22T22:11:00.000-05:00

A few days ago, someone in my Facebook network put up a link about the Malaysian government’s proposal on implementing sex education starting from 6 year olds. The poster condemned it along with a few people on the poster’s network.

One mentioned that teaching sex education to 6 year olds will teach them how to have sex. And yes I was riled up with that statement and there were a lot of reasons why, one of them being the inability to comprehend that someone with an above average academic level could come up with such a statement. I posted lengthy replies trying to enlighten these people what sex education really is, but I was still annoyed that the poster made those comments. I really shouldn’t have been ticked off so easily.

I realized that I got worked up for no reason and that they were just uninformed. My days in working with UNICEF allowed me to encounter people like these but I didn’t expect those who are good enough to earn a scholarship to be thinking in such manner. Anyway, I’m not here to rant about my annoyance toward the poster because I realized something. If a person with that academic level compares sex education to Kama Sutra, what will be the opinion of others?

The opinion of one does not reflect the general community and this may just be a hyperbolic statement but what if more than 70% of Malaysians think the same way? The only thing that worries me now is the mindset of the average Malaysians which honestly, don’t really sit on the bright side but I expected most of us to at least know what sex education really is.

Now we ask the question, why or how did this perception of sex education came to being? One thing I noticed was that most people see sex education as a thing of a Western culture and the general view of Malaysians towards the West is more of a negative outlook. It’s funny, I think there are a lot of things from the West that we could take, no, should have.

I guess another reason why most people are against sex education is because of the word “sex”. Being a conservative community, the word sex is something most would avoid talking about. Buying a condom off the counter will raise many eyebrows, at least to those who are observing. It’s known that there are teachers who are teaching science or Biology have trouble teaching materials on reproductive systems, and I do think that the parents in Malaysia would have the same difficulty when talking about the birds and the bees with their children.

So what’s the solution to this? I’m not sure of this, I could suggest a few but they would be the typical solutions. The problem here is mindset, an almost impossible task to change it. Perhaps we couldn’t change the mindsets of the present adults but we can try to instill it in the children today. The plan to implement sex education syllabus for 6 year old is going in the right direction. My only hope is that this proposal is executed properly and that the adults today do not play the role of a hindrance towards this development.

It’s odd that the adults are the one that are hard to reach. One would just have to refer to the debacle hovering about the proposal in implementing English as the language for Math and Science. To reach to the adults we would have to figure out how do they receive information and what affects their decision in constructing their perception towards an idea. I guess it’s not wise to generalize the public. We should accept the fact that there are many types of people and we would like our message to be received by a multitude of targets.

For now, we should probably focus on the future because maybe one day, we won’t have a situation of less than 40% of adults/parents who won’t have difficulty talking about the birds and the bees, who would know what advice to give to the young ones, to guide them to make informed choices.

Happy Birthday Mommy

2010-09-28T05:30:00.000-04:00

Dear Mommy,

(This should be read while the song, “Ibu, Engkaulah Ratu Hatiku” is playing in the background)

Living here in the US has made me realize one thing, I’ve never personally made a Happy Birthday card for you or even a Mother’s Day card for you, not even when I was a small kid. You know, the card that’s supposed to have my scrummy little handwriting that says, “To the best Mommy in the world” or “I Love You Mom”. Ringin might have done a bunch, but not me. So here’s one for you.

I’ve done so many things to make other people happy, and of course you know the crazy things I do for Zee Avi but I’ve realized I’ve never went the same distance for you even though you did so many things for me, way too many things that I can’t keep track of. I’ve been trying to figure out how to make you feel the most special Mommy in the world but all I could manage was this wall of text.

All I could remember was making you worry all the time and the things you did for us.

When I broke my leg when I was just a toddler, I don’t know how worried you were at that time or what you were feeling. But I remembered you really took care of me, pushing me in my baby stroller just so I’m not left out from anything. There were only 5 of us at that time, me, Gegirl, Ria, you and Daddy.

When I was seven, when I first started primary school, remember the time when I didn’t come back even though it was 8pm? The day when my friend’s mother took him and me out for makan-makan, and when I got back, you were really glad to see me. You asked where I went and I nonchalantly said, “My friend’s mother took us out”. I don’t exactly remember how worried you were but now that I think about it, gosh, you must have been worried sick. And that was also my first time learning the word “permission”.

Then during the time when we had to move to Kuching, I remembered when we had to live apart, Gegirl, Ria and Coebar and I had to live with Daddy in Sarawak while Ringin and Scar had to live with you in KL, just so you and Daddy can still support us all as a family. We were home alone most of the time after school, Daddy had to work until evening, but he’s always home by seven. I don’t know how you felt at that time, not being able to see us as often, wondering how we were here and whatnot. I don’t think we even called you that often.

Then there was my teenage years, especially in boarding school. My hormones were raging wild and you had to deal with all the crap I put out. First year of boarding school was a pretty tough time for me and you and Daddy were affected as well. You’ve always had my needs and wants in check throughout those 5 years in boarding school. During fasting you came every weekend to give me food, so that I’m not stuck with breaking my fast with crappy Dewan Makan food.

You were always there when I needed you, always helping me out with petty little things while still dealing with my range of emotions. I remembered you offered advice when I had a crush on this girl, you even got presents for me to give to her but I never had the balls to give it to her. . Even now, when I’m a thousand miles from you, I seek help from you even if it’s just deciding on what to wear for an occasion. There’s no else I could turn to but you.

All of my good traits in managing and dealing with people come from you and Daddy. You’ve groomed me to be a gentleman, taught me how to dance, how to deal with girls, everything that’s good about me, I owe it to you.

I could list out 1% of all the things you did for me and not even the internet could hold that portion. And you have five other kids beside me. Every single thing you had to worry about me, every single sacrifice you did for me, you had to do it another 5 times, for the other five.

My guard is at my lowest with you Mommy, the only person who could make me cry without even trying to is you. I can’t recall the number of times I’ve cried in front of you, but I do know those are only the times I’ve ever cried. Even right now, while writing this, it takes so much effort not to let the tears flow freely. You’ve always said that I was a sensitive guy, I guess I am, but I am only that person when I’m with you or when it’s about you.

If everyone else in this world has forsaken me, I know I’ll still have you to turn to and that’s why you are and will always be the number one lady in my heart. No other girl, not even Zee Avi would be able to take your place.

I wished I could have been a much better son for you and do so much more for you. I don’t think I will ever be able to match the things you’ve done for me.

So here’s to you Mommy.

Thank you for everything you’ve done for me.

Happy Birthday,

Love,

Boboy

It Needs Both Way To Work, But This Is My Side of The Story

2010-09-19T13:10:00.000-04:00

The mind is a wonderful thing, complicated at times though. I sometimes wish I have the power to read minds, figuring out what’s going on in a person’s head so that I could plan my next move better. Some suggests reading body language is a way around it, but then I have to be trained to properly read a person like that show “Lie to Me”. I wish it were that easy to analyze a person, imagine all the things I could do!

Sometimes, when I meet someone whom I rarely talk to or someone new, we’ll have eye contact and I get the feeling that the person wants to talk more but hesitates, and I’ve never made it any easier for the both of us because I hesitate too. Sometimes I get the feeling that the person wants to talk to me but the person can’t figure out what topic to talk about. That search for things to talk about goes in my head too sometimes.

There’s never a sure-fire way to strike a conversation with someone, even with a person I know. I try to be myself every time but I forget that some might not be comfortable with what I do. The language I use is crude at times (especially if I speak in Malay, no profanity, just, crude), I speak my mind, I like to play with words and tease people. Most of the time it works, but sometimes, I have to make alterations and most of the time when I do make the alteration, it’s too late and everything becomes awkward. =/

I wish there was a course in analyzing people, I would definitely take that.

Raya

2010-09-13T00:51:00.001-04:00

And so the month of Ramadan has passed, and the Eid celebration began, which always means one thing: Food overload. I didn’t gorge on much food last raya but this year, God, it’s almost like back at home, makan, makan, makan and makan. Luckily I’m able to hold myself back and consume only two servings each time there was an eating event. At least being able to spread out my eating time throughout the day helps in reducing the appetite.

I couldn’t get to Skype with my family back in Malaysia because they’re in Perak and the internet connection there is horrible. I’m almost indifferent at the thought of having to celebrate Raya away from friends and family. I did manage to call them though, but that only lasted like less than half an hour because they’re at Opah Nyah’s house. I called my best friends, with each call lasting from 30 minutes to 3 hours during the night before Raya. It was awesome, slightly tiring but awesome nonetheless.

Then there was the MYSA raya event, it was a very enjoyable occasion, everyone was smiling, laughing, and had a very good time. I enjoy sitting back and watching others enjoying themselves, I realize that this makes me look sort of a lonely and distant person but I just don’t feel the need to partake in the occasion. I think the feeling is like when an elderly person who smiles as he or she watches young children playing around. Ah, that does make me sound old though, oh well.

The new raya song by Yuna is ohsem and catchy. Makes me want to dance every time it plays, even if it’s in my head. And Zee covered Saloma’s raya song, which made this year’s raya even more amazing.

Only thing that bugs me is the possibility of me celebrating Raya alone the next year, without the company of other Malaysians. No food extravaganza, no salam-salam, no laughter during the first of Syawal, which would be slightly depressing. I’m still looking for those who aren’t going back for the summer, hopefully there won’t be many who are going back but the possibility of that happening is low.

Selamat Hari Raya (Cover)

2010-09-12T00:04:00.000-04:00

Yuna - Raya Oh Yeah

2010-09-12T00:03:00.000-04:00

I'm loving this song so much, I'm putting in the effort to transribe the chords.

Human Interactions... Sort of.

2010-08-24T22:20:00.001-04:00

The male counterpart is a complex being to me. While I am aware that the human species ain’t that simple or straightforward, girls are more mysterious to me, maybe simply because I am not a female. Anyway, I already find that human interactions are very intricate, forcing me to adjust my way of communicating with people specific to each individual or a group of individuals.

Naturally, it’s easier for me to figure out or make an educated guess on what goes on in a person’s mind if that person is a male. It’s not 100% accurate but my chances are probably higher than figuring out what goes on in a girl’s mind and that is (well, duh) obviously due to the fact I’m a guy. I don’t exactly know what I’m trying to convey right now but what I do know is I want to talk about girls.

I found out some time ago, that girls react very favorably to me if I maintain eye contact with them, listening to them attentively and mirroring whatever they have to say. If you don’t know what’s mirroring go read Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Anyway, different girls give different reactions to this method of communicating that’s for sure, but all of them are very positive reactions. Some might feel awkward and be shy about it, or some would appreciate the fact that a person is giving their fullest to what she has to say, and there are those who avoid eye contact too.

And girls really appreciate it if I notice them wearing something new and telling them about it, or praising whatever subtle things they wear that guys don’t usually notice. This is not limited to people I know too, girls whom I’ve never spoken to also appreciate this gesture. Too bad they have boyfriends (they always have boyfriends don’t they?). Then I start receiving smiles and hi’s and bye’s from these girls but I never seem to have a conversation with them. This gesture should be blunt and direct, else they’ll know you have something else in your mind.

I have always believed that girls have this radar built into their brains to detect guys who are trying to flirt with them ever since my mom told me about it. I do wish my mom told me what happens when a girl do detect guys who wants her. Does the girl feel complimented? Or will she be annoyed? That remains a mystery to me.

For me, Malaysian (yes, Indian, Malay, Chinese, Bidayuh, Iban, whoever’s living in Malaysia) girls are easily approachable compared to Americans. Maybe it’s because of cultural differences. Let’s put it this way, if I was in a class that has American and Malaysian girls, and I don’t know any of them, I can think up of lots of ways to approach the Malaysians but the Americans? Not so much.

First of all, it’s hard to figure out what subject would interest them besides the class we’re taking. I tried talking about things other than class but they always seem uninterested or have no say about it, maybe I look boring or something. Setting physical appearance aside, most of them seem to not bother about anything other than class. I find it really frustrating that I can have a two hour conversation with Russian girls in Russia with the language barrier and all but I can’t do that with American girls who speak English.

But, I find that girls from liberal arts majors are easier to have conversations with than those from the science major. Don’t know about engineering though, haven’t met one yet. I keep wondering why there’s this difference between majors. I’m not dwelling too much into it though. Anyway, I guess my inability to interact with them is down to my lack of knowledge about America from an American standpoint.

I’m not a social butterfly too, I’m between an introvert and an extrovert, leaning more towards the introvert side. Sometimes I have trouble talking with new people, sometimes I don’t, really depends on how active my mind is that day. Now that I think about it, maybe it’s just me and not their fault, well it was never their fault, they’re just like that, and they can’t help it.

Oh well, I'll have to keep on looking for settings out of class to have conversations then.

Thoughtless

2010-08-24T01:09:00.001-04:00

I haven’t been doing much thinking lately, deep thinking that is. Maybe it’s the summer season, or that may just be me trying to find an excuse. I just don’t feel like doing it, I don’t feel the need to take up a book and read it, or give more than five seconds of thought into an article. Everything I read was just skimmed through.

Most of my actions are never thought out thoroughly as I used to, they’re always short-sighted these days. The other day I was eating at a Thai restaurant, I decided to eat outside but I didn’t think about the mosquitoes. Dinner was fun with the mosquitoes biting everywhere.

Even when playing games on the PS3, I refuse to complete a puzzle-like challenge in Devil May Cry 3, which is odd since I usually just breeze through those. I gave up halfway, then played a mindless first person shooter game which only require reflex. Heck, I even gave up playing Metal Slug XX, and that required very minimal thinking!

I know this is bad, not engaging my brain in something intellectual so to speak, especially 3 months of summer. This is going to be a very redundant post, man, I can’t even insert a meaningful post. I only hope that this won’t linger until classes start again.

Song 1

2010-06-12T20:46:00.003-04:00

I made progress!

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=SBM8KKH5

Summer Fiddlings

2010-06-12T00:21:00.004-04:00

I'm working on a song (I guess you can call it a song) but the lyrics are cheesy, haha. Only problem I have now, is I can't sing and looking for someone to sing is not easy.

I'll work that out.

*Updated*
Raw recording of the song can be found here. This is only rhythm and bass though. Lead guitar and vocals will ensue sometime

http://www.mediafire.com/?nmmlmmehtxo

Wha?

2010-06-09T14:11:00.002-04:00

The irony of updating my blog with a somber post is dumb when my tagline is about optimism. What?

Doodles

2010-06-09T08:24:00.000-04:00

There are so many things I'd like to do in life, most of them being things people do easily.

Driving a car for instance, almost everyone knows how to drive one when they've finished school.

Me? I've been trying to figure out why I couldn't get myself to learn to drive one right after finishing high school. I used to use the excuse "I was born to have a driver to take me around" but that notion doesn't seem very practical now.

I guess it must be fear, I try my best not to blame my dysfunctional left eye but yeah my fear stems from that weakness I have. I'm scared of causing accidents just because I couldn't see things to my left and because I couldn't judge distances as good as a normal person. I don't know how close some things are or how far they might be. My friend say that happens because I've never driven a car before, I hope he's right.

Same thing goes about relationships, though I sweet talk to girls a lot just for fun but I've never been in a relationship. I do ask myself lots of times why am I not in one,

"am I too picky?",
"Am I too passive, never making the first move?",
"Do I fear rejection or do I fear the ramifications after rejection i.e. Talking to each other will be awkward"

I don't know if I'm too modest at times, letting go of chances simply by reasoning; I'm not good enough of a guy for her or she deserves someone better.

I have to admit that at times I am jealous of seeing other people in a relationship, heck my younger brother has been in three different relationships!

But what am I jealous of? I ask myself this too, I know the jealousy is there but of what? Being able to hold hands, or having someone to concentrate my sweet-talking to? Or am I jealous just because I don't have someone to call as "my girl"?

I wish I had a clear answer for these questions I have.

But all I can do right now is sigh.

Of Sape' and RIT's Malaysian Night

2010-04-16T22:48:00.002-04:00

So I promised that I'll post a video of me playing the sape'. Here you go! Plus there are more videos that you should watch!

One of my favorites

I wished I was dancing in this one, it's so upbeat!

Silat is always awesome

And more can be found at http://www.youtube.com/alchemistar

The Downfall of Bahasa Melayu

2010-03-05T01:13:00.002-05:00

Bahasa Melayu or the Malay language has a tune of classical poetry to it. Used properly, every sentence constructed will be music to the ear and it amazes me how people from yonder use them without being in awe. As wonderful as it may be, it wouldn’t be my first choice if I were to explain something technical as the structure and the vocabulary of the language restrict me from doing so.

Many times the people native to this language, the Malays, have fought relentlessly to defend its pride and identity, the most recent being the use of Bahasa Melayu in the teaching of science and mathematics. Though I wonder how many of those advocating furiously actually do use proper Bahasa Melayu.

With the advance of wireless communication and the rise of social networking in recent times, I am able to observe how the national language of Malaysia degrades from a classy language to trash language though the blame should not be put on the two. I am utterly convinced that the majority of the current generation of Malays, encompassing those from the 80’s up till now has no idea how to construct a proper, grammatically-correct Bahasa Melayu sentence, which is a pity.

I have to admit that I cringe to the sound and sight of an English sentence filled with grammatical errors, and I do the same with Bahasa Melayu but one thing about English is that there will be a group of people (especially in the internet) who find themselves inescapable from correcting incorrect usage of the English language, these people are known as “Grammar Nazis”. Too bad there aren’t any equivalents of them for the Malay language.

Simple grammar rules:

1. The words used to describe the intensity of an adjective like “paling” cannot be ended with the word “sekali” after the said adjective. E.g.,

a. “Paling baik sekali” is wrong and it can only be “Paling baik”. As using “sekali” is redundant

2. There’s also the “Kata sendi” rule such as “ter-…-kan”, “meng-….-kan”, “me-…-kan”

a. A common mistake that people do and blindly ignore is the addition of a non-existent “kata sendi” which is “mer-…”. Little do they know the word “merbahaya” do not exist.

b. There’s also the common mistake in the usage of “ter-…-kan” and “paling”. “Paling terbaik” is redundant and in a worse case would be “Paling terbaik sekali” which is redundant times two.

Sadly, 11 years of taking the core subject Bahasa Melayu does nothing to teach the average Malays on how to construct a proper sentence. Even more regrettable is that every single Malay show on national television blatantly uses error-ridden Bahasa Melayu up to the point that it seems that it is NOT wrong to do so. The line between proper and improper usage of Bahasa Melayu is blurred and convoluted, a blaspheme to the language in my opinion. It destroys the language.

A particular trait commonly attributed to the average Malays unfortunately is that they are lazy and this laziness has spread to their usage of their own mother tongue. The stupendous amount of “abbreviations” to simplify the use of the language is pretty amazing and very annoying at the same time. I would say this culture of using simplified version of words started when the Malays gained access to public education, while taking notes during lessons and such.

I’ve personally witnessed how these “abbreviations” evolved in the hands of my uncanny and witty schoolmates who seek to make note-taking a whole lot easier. I do not blame them or myself (as I too use such short-forms) for doing so as it is a necessity for survival in high school and even in college (assuming that Bahasa Melayu is the medium).

There are also individuals who try so hard to be cute that they in turn try to incorporate their “cuteness” in their writing which I find stupid and irritating. Let’s look at a few examples of these abbreviations and “cutesy” words.

1. Abbreviations

a. Yg, Xkn, Blh, m’derma, thn, tlg, t’baik etc.

2. “Cute” words

a. Jew, kew, cubew, tipow, etc.

A common pattern in creating abbreviations is that you purge the vowels from existence and any “kata sendi” can be replaced with the first letter and an apostrophe. I believe that such practice should be confined within note-taking and SMSes, and not when expressing ideas on the internet or even when updating Facebook statuses.

It’s an eyesore. The beauty of the language is destroyed and in the end, there would nothing to be proud of about the language. As much as I don’t prefer to use Bahasa Melayu as my medium of communicating, seeing a language being violated due to ignorance is disheartening. And because of ignorance too a person using proper spelling and grammar in their Bahasa Melayu will be subjected to teasing and labeling, such is the foolishness of the average Malays who claim they take pride in their mother tongue.

I hate to ponder on the fate of this language in 30 years time.

I’ll translate this post into Bahasa Melayu later

Vanity

2010-03-03T19:42:00.002-05:00

As much as I like to think that I'm the most humble person in the world, I am not. I like to flaunt my achievements and greatness, I like to proudly announce whatever I've succeeded to the whole world and thus this post is solely dedicated to that.

I got a 100 in my finals for Organic Chemistry which was something proud and a very, very tiring process. I had to study 5 days and an additional 3 days, amounting to 12 hours each day just to understand the whole syllabus. Of course there was the help of past years but had I not studied like a robot plus the study groups I did, I would have not gotten the 100 and would've gotten an 80 instead.

I had to buckle up because I did badly for the first two tests, well only the second actually. Class average on the first test was 50 and I got 64, even though it's not the best, it's better than the average.

So yeah, here you go, proof of my achievement.

Plus, I got into dean's list for the second time. I've never thought I'll achieve all this in an American university. Haha!

Malaysia and Crime

2010-03-03T15:05:00.004-05:00

In the recent light of the rape of a 15-year-old girl by 15 men, I decided to write about the crimes in Malaysia

I find it funny in Malaysia that the larger the number of people who receive education the bigger the number of crimes and even more depressing is that the crimes get worse every time. One would expect the opposite to happen since logically, the more educated a nation is the more civilized that nation would be and thus, the lesser the number of crimes committed.

I do not have the specific numbers for the number of Malaysians who are receiving at least a secondary education but if we try extrapolating from this data ( (Auty, 2002) surely the number of citizens who had secondary education have at least tripled or at least hovering around in the number of hundred thousand. But I guess using only that as a data is insufficient as we would have to take into account the number of dropouts to have an idea on how the education system is working but that is on a whole different discussion.

Based on a paper as cited by this blog, it seems that Malaysia is turning out to be a haven for crimes because according to that blog, the number of crime rate has increased by 300% since 1991 and according to this website, the numbers are steadily rising.

This paper whom the author is known as ACP Amar Singh Sindhu is dedicated to dissecting and analyzing the trend in the rising number of crimes in Malaysia. It can be found here

Perhaps the main cause for the rise in the number of crimes is unemployment because as we all know (yes, this is generalization), a lot of Malaysian graduates are unable to find a job due to their ~~incompetence and the lack of motivation to improve themselves~~ “weaknesses” and this might have driven ~~these idiots~~ them to resort to uncouth manners of obtaining a bit of wealth.

But these criminals aren’t only Malaysians, they comprise of illegal immigrants too, and the growing influx of foreign workers might contribute to the rising amount of crimes. Having to leave their country in pursuit of a better life and ending up living in squatters and battered shacks might prove to be frustrating and thus crushing any dream of leading a better life. This frustration might have been a motivator to seek out money in ways that I despise.

Stamping out crime has often been one of the problems in Malaysia, we just can’t seem to find the right concoction to deter or at least reduce crime in anyway. The negative view of the public towards the police force certainly doesn’t help with the cause but such views were not made out of thin air. The law enforcers of Malaysia are generally known to be very kind towards bribery, they are lazy, have no etiquettes, and are comprised of a bunch of lazy bums with those who are truly dedicated being a rare species. The police force in Malaysia has lost its honor but they are certainly not doing anything to regain that back. But I’m not going to elaborate on weaknesses that even I have no evidence for.

Let’s talk about solutions. Almost a year ago, I stumbled upon an article which to me is very interesting; the article talks about “The Broken Window Theory” envisioned by James Q. Wilson, a political scientist and George L. Kelling a criminologist back in 1982. The theory suggests that disorderly conditions promote bad behaviors and if one were to fix these conditions, there would be a decrease in unruly behaviors. In the article it showed positive results when the local authorities took the extra length to clean off graffiti, pick up trash, and be more strict with parking and all. It’s these little things they made it a habit to clean up while still doing their rounds around the neighborhood.

Now Malaysia, well, let’s narrow it down to Klang Valley, something I can relate to. Anybody who lives in the vicinity of Klang Valley knows how people love to do double-sided parking, motorcyclists breaking the red light before it can turn green, the chaotic parking in front of apartments or condominiums, restaurants taking up parking space to put tables and chairs, etc. Most would know how low cost flats are like, dirty, dingy and all. The Klang Valley area (especially in residential areas) is a living chaos.

If we could apply this theory (though we might need to fix administration and their allocation of money first) by making sure none of the above is present, it would be interesting to see how this would work in local communities of Malaysia. The presence of police in hot spots or anywhere for that matter might deter potential criminals from ever committing one though the lack of personnel might hinder this from being executed.

A clean and organized looking city or area like Putrajaya (of which I think has less crime rates, maybe due to the fact there’s not many living there) would not only make the Klang Valley area look pleasant, it would make it safer.

The mentality of the people is that breaking a small rule is nothing as long as it doesn’t have an immediate effect. This mentality is somewhat universal in Malaysia, be it those from lower income or those are filthy rich. This is what we should change, because with this third world mentality, any law-breaking is legal. The Americans for example, will stop fully if there is a stop sign on the road no matter who they are but Malaysians, as long as there aren’t any car visible, we won’t stop. If only enforcement wasn’t an issue in Malaysia, a lot of problems we have would be fixed.

I do hope there would be a politician who would try to make Malaysia a safer place. An average citizen won't be able to do much except abide by the laws and reporting crimes.

Party Anyone?

2010-03-01T19:02:00.003-05:00

The thing about studying in RIT is that the area is devoid of real parties, only in a rare occasion would you find a good party. This might be due to the fact that RIT is known for its ~~nerds~~ Computer Science or Information Technology program and the biggest club is the Anime Club. I’m not against ~~geeks~~ well-educated people in any way, it’s just that, I am robbed of the opportunity to observe human behavior in an occasion the Americans are known for, well, from a Malaysian perspective that is.

I’m not talking about a formal or dance party, I’m talking about the parties American college students usually have.

Having said that, I will have to admit that I do not enjoy partying nor do I enjoy loud repetitive melodies being played in a crowded area though it is suffice to make me happy seeing other people enjoying themselves. Plus, I am not fond of the smell of beer. I’ve been to quite a few parties since my arrival here in RIT, though the rate of joining a party has pretty much decreased.

From my observation I find that most who are in a party who are seemingly enjoying themselves project superficial happiness. Maybe it’s just me but I notice that in their eyes, I couldn’t find real happiness, more of emptiness so to speak. I just don’t see the same flicker in their eyes as those who are merrily doing what they enjoy, dancing, playing football, kayaking, researching, or even having a good laugh. That’s how I feel every time I’m in a party. It’s a bit sad if you ask me.

Well, that might be explained by their state of mind during the party, being under the influence of alcohol and all but ultimately, I guess, being in a party for them is where they have the means to pretend to be something else, in this case, being drunk. Some of them admit that they would not dance unless they’re drunk, which in my opinion, is unfortunate but I guess my definition of dancing is different from theirs.

I also find that partying is a form of conformity, one would be considered uncool, geeky or nerdy if they were not partying which, might explain the emptiness I see in the crowd’s eyes. A person who would be really interesting would just lose all appeal amidst the drunkenness and guys in a party will be thought of only trying to get into the pants of any girls they could get a hold on. If a person has a good character, a party would not be a very good medium to express such characters.

Some say that partying is a way to release the stress and the worries from daily life, to me partying would just add on to the stress. This might sound biased due to my nature as an introvert, though I would like to say I am in between an introvert and extrovert. To me this method of escapism isn’t effective as it doesn’t give you space to think or reflect back on life, nor will it be a source for inspirations. It’s just an escapade, and that’s all there is to it.

I Now Accept Donations

2010-02-17T00:21:00.001-05:00

Please and Thank You

Sape'

2010-02-07T19:00:00.001-05:00

Watch this space. I'll be posting my sape' song soon.

The Great Pretender

2010-02-04T00:36:00.006-05:00

I think a lot of people have been through times when you just conjure up a person in your head who would know all your troubles, all your dark secrets and yet still accept you as who you are. Or maybe when you’re sitting alone in the train or bus and the seat next to you is empty, you wished that imaginary person to be real and sit beside you. Or even at times when you’re walking back home alone, while you look forward, observing the people around you or while looking up into the sky, and then you wished that same imaginary person would be walking beside you when you turn to your side.

Then when you think about the people around you at that moment and realize that none of them could ever be even close to that person you pictured. You know that the people around you are the type who the moment they know the truth about you, they’ll shun you and that they will refuse to accept you. You know that your secrets will make them uncomfortable and then they will always have this discriminating gaze upon you even though you try to convince yourself they aren’t those kind of people.

And in such a situation a heavy realization just sinks your heart, no matter how much you laugh with them, joke with them or converse with them, you’re actually alone.

You start to realize that you’re far from being yourself when you’re with them and what makes the whole event even sadder is that you’re actually pretending, holding back a large part of yourself in front of them because you fear the backlash from letting the actual you out. You still try to let a part of yourself out but you have to adapt to what would deem suitable to them. At times you let them have a peek at your true self and seeing their negative reactions you quickly change back to the “appropriate” you.

                That imaginary person used to be real, they were your best friends.

               But now being so far away from them eventually you feel the need to fill this newfound emptiness. But this search is long and hard plus being shrouded in these circumstances, you start to wonder, will you really be able to fill up this void?

All your emotions, all your ideas, all your thoughts, you want to vent them out to that made up person whenever the moment appears but realizing that it’s no use, you keep it in your heart even though it will only make the loneliness greater. Sure you’ve chat with your best friends or called them but that freedom to just go to them anytime you want is not there anymore, to have them to be there at the spur of the moment is just not possible anymore. You feel restricted and that is why you want that imaginary person to be real, to be close to you, to be physically available all the time.

Despite all that, the most you can do is continue pretending and tell yourself that you will eventually find this person if you brave through these circumstances. Even if you can’t you will be back to where you can be yourself again anyway and you’re pretty sure that there’s a whole bunch of people out there who are in a worst condition than you are.

Sometimes it’s okay to dwell in your own negative feelings once in awhile.

Now replace you, you’re and your with I, me and my.

Depravation

2010-01-27T10:23:00.002-05:00

I do not want to be bothered by international/Malaysian issues for the next few posts. Screw that, instead

I want to climb a mountain and,

Fall off while grabbing onto a root or branch
Find leeches on my leg and curse them
Go down the mountain while thinking that slipping will kill me
Reaching the summit and enjoy the view
Think how much time is left for me to reach the top
Drink liters of water as I climb up
Touch every leave and tree I pass by
Avoid muddy patches which might have leech in it
Rest and see my body heat evaporate and make me think I have an aura
Look for a waterfall
Dip in the river and have the waterfall "massage" my back
Breathe the fresh air
Drink the water from the river.
Come back down after 8 hours of climbing and feel dead beat when I get back home
Listen to the sounds of animals and river flowing
Look at human tracks and trails, figuring out how long has it been there
Decipher animal trails and wonder if they're nearby and think that getting chased by a wild boar is not a good idea
Look at the small and humongous ants going in line on the trail, on the trees and on the plant while trying to avoid them
Look at holes on the ground that belong to animals, thinking it might be a snake's nest or an armadillo or something else
Watch my words and obey the golden rule of hiking
Know that something is watching you everywhere you go
See little butterflies flying, mating,and do what butterflies do
Going through a trail full with shrubs while worrying about leeches that might be on the leaves getting on to my legs

I want to jump into a river and

Sit and enjoy the flow of the river against me.
Float with the river to the end and come back up, repeating the same thing over and over again
Swim against the current and get tired doing it
Play with the little fishes that swim in the river
Clear the trash from the river
Munch on something while seating on a big stone in the river
Get my skin all wrinkly
Dip into the river and let the whole of nature engulf me, sound, taste and all

I want to jump into a sea and

Get saltwater in my eye and mouth
Going as far as I can from the beach without dying/drowning
Float with the waves
Swim to the bottom of the sea
Find something weird in the sea
Get stung by stupid jellyfishes that demands death in my hands
Do a barrel roll in the water
Get sunburned and turn dark from overexposure
Just float with the waves
Get the wobbly feeling of still being in the sea even though I'm on dry land
Get on the beach and chase little crabs into their holes

I want to get into a kayak and

Paddle until my hands feel like coming off
Kayak on a lake or island hop
See big lizards swim past my kayak
See big scary fishes swimming around my kayak
Let the waves/current take me to wherever they might take me
Paddle again
Get to places I wouldn't dare to swim to
Splash the water to my partner
Paddle to a shade and rest under it

*cries* IT'S WINTER AND I CAN'T DO ALL THAT!!!!

Had To Let It Out (Part II)

2010-01-18T01:17:00.001-05:00

This is a continuation from the previous post.

1. So what if the use of the word “Allah” by Christians in their publication contradicts their own teachings/beliefs? Why should it bother any Muslim by the way?

a. I do not condone this but surely by pure logic, Muslims should cherish this “error”, it is such an amazement to me that this matter is a great concern to those opposing the usage of the word.

b. Really, so what if they’re wrong?

2. Honestly, I don’t know how a fatwa actually works, but I don’t think that it applies to non-Muslims. Do correct me if I’m wrong.

3. An insult to Islam?

a. Yeah, the Malay Muslims sure know how to represent the global Muslim community.

b. Personally I think it’s more of an “insult” to the Malays than the religion itself.

c. In the news, no one ever interviewed the Chinese Muslims, or converts or the Muslims in East Malaysia, the outrage is all by the Malays.

d. Well, I believe the reason for it is that they’re the only ones who are so upset.

e. Sabah and Sarawak have used the word Allah in their Bibles for ages, I’ve read my grandmother’s Bible when I was 10, and I didn’t care much about it, I didn’t screw my faith.

f. That goes the same for the Muslim community in Sabah and Sarawak, no one ever made a fuss out of it, it’s been more than 50 years the word have been used in the Bible.

g. You can say that I’m guilty of accusing blindly or racist but I think it’s pretty obvious that the ones who are causing such furor are the Malays.

4. Well, I wouldn’t know the reason why they won’t use “Tuhan” instead unless they announce it themselves. Like any other person, I can only speculate, I think they felt discriminated not being able to use the word. But hey, it’s only a speculation, don’t take my word for it.

If the resolution of the whole issue was up to me, I would say I’ll only allow the use of word Allah in publications meant for East Malaysia and not in the Peninsular. Why? Well, look at the Muslim community in the Peninsular, they’re super sensitive to things like these, they get agitated easily, I think the peribahasa, “Bagai menarik rambut dari tepung” is less of a bother than the process of keeping them happy.

There you have it, my two cents. Thank you for taking the time to read such a long post.

Had To Let This Out

2010-01-17T16:58:00.002-05:00

I really didn’t want to write about the current situation in Malaysia because I know it will end up nowhere. Any argument, any debate, any discussion will only be tainted with cussing, abusing and non-intellectual words.

And man, this blog is starting to make me look like some pious dude or something

I know my own brethren, I share the same blood with them, I lived with them for my entire life and I know that most of them will not be able to have a proper discussion with me. It might sound biased but just look at this, go through every post and you’ll find that they will immediately abuse anyone who tries to present an argument with labels and such.

Why do they do it? To be firm they say, we can’t be soft all the time they say, we can’t do it cautiously all the time they say. I say that’s a bunch of BS, there’s a big difference between being firm and being abusive. Anyway, let’s move on to the main point.

First of all, I think we should analyze why these people are so adamant at refusing to let people use the word “Allah”. It’s always better to look at an issue from both sides of the coins.

1. Their main argument is that people or the next generation will get confused between the true teachings of Islam and the teachings of Christianity.

a. Those less educated will be more vulnerable towards the Christians that might want to deviate these vulnerable Muslims

b. Malaysia will turn out to be like Indonesia, where the teaching there is screwed up according to them.

2. If Christians use Allah in their teaching it will just contradict their own concept of Trinity.

a. I have no idea whether any of these are true but here you go

b. The “group” opposing says Jesus=God, Holy Spirit= God so since Allah basically means one/singular God, it doesn’t fit in the equation.

3. There’s a fatwa forbidding the use of word Allah in any religious publication that is not of Islamic origins.

4. It is an insult to Islam.

5. Allah is an Arabic word and not a Malay word, therefore why use Allah instead of “Tuhan”, the Malay word for God?

I guess I got most of it, if not all. Here comes the rebuttal. Be warned that I do not possess a deep knowledge of Islam nor Christianity, not even History. What I have is mediocre and is nothing compared to what real scholars would have. I’d like to share a few links before I go on with my opinions as these authors have far more better facts or points than I do.

I will not use any Googled facts or suddenly read the Quran and look out for evidence to support my points. For this matter, it doesn’t work that way, because to use them one must have a firm grasp of the facts. Instead I will use what one would call common sense and see how far it goes.

1. Confusion? To a certain degree, I will have to agree that allowing the usage of the word “Allah” in a religious publication will indeed confuse a certain group of people. That said, it is the Muslim community’s duty to make sure that such confusions do not arise from mere reading of an article.

a. It is easier for one to be confused by their own kin rather than to be influenced by strangers. Take a religious cult like Ayah Pin for example, was he a Christian? No, he twisted the facts about Islam and made it for his own good and look at the followers he made, they aren’t “uninformed” people, they are engineers and businessmen, the class of people one would think least vulnerable.

b. The impact of non-Muslims trying to uhh, sway an average Muslim’s faith wouldn’t be that much, because humans have a natural instinct to be suspicious around things they don’t know. It’s like when an average Muslim or any religious person learning about evolution, they’ll shun it the moment they see it.

c. Even if by some small chance the Christians will use the word “Allah” to shake the beliefs of Muslims, eventually people will find out that something’s wrong and help fix the problem. This is the power of a community.

2. There is this belief that the most vulnerable groups, i.e., the less knowledgeable in any Islamic teaching will be mixing up the teachings of Christian and Islam. They say that even an Imam’s son can turn into the devil himself (as in being the opposite of his dad) one can only imagine what more the advent of the current situation will do.

a. And it’s the Christians’ fault for this to happen. Yeah, right, blame the environment and not his parents.

b. Most of the people worry that their children or their future children will not turn out to be Muslims and even question the integrity of Islam.

c. This is where we see the Muslim community in Malaysia as a whole fail in being Muslims. They would not take up the challenge to prove that Islam is right, instead they fear the questions, they shun the questions and it is blasphemy to even think of the questions.

d. They’re so proud of their own religion yet they barely know anything about it. There’s just so much around them to be observed and studied to prove that their belief is right but no, they choose to sit back and watch mindless Cinetron series.

e. It is a duty as a Muslim, as said many times in the Quran, to observe Allah’s creations (that’s basically everything around them) to see how great Allah is and all.

f. Therefore it is a responsibility to be knowledgeable enough to teach your children and take on any answers they might have. If you aren’t able to convince your children then it is your fault, and not some ruling by the court that is at fault.

g. Personally, I think those that didn’t receive any religious teaching wouldn’t care whether the Christians use the word “Allah” or not in their Bible.

h. Given the compulsory Islamic Education subject that all Muslim students will take in school, they would know to at least that whatever they read is not parallel to the general knowledge of Islam and thus able to differentiate which is a Christian publication and which is an Islam publication

3. Some pointed out the whole Muslim community in Indonesia as an example of the implications, as shown here

a. One significant trend that I found in the author’s writing is that at the end of every occasion, he knew that what he encountered was a Christian publication/event/thing.

b. Did he become confused? Was his belief shaken? None of that happened and he even went out of his way to make sure that what he saw is a legit Islam event or whatever it was.

c. Those who pointed this out also say that the teachings of Islam in Indonesia is screwed up, well look at who’s talking. Who’s the one who has been watching all their “Islamic” Cinetrons on tv? Who’s the one who say that the Cinetrons give good lessons? See? Exactly my point.

d. Plus, even if they are claimed to be screwed up, at least they had the sense to make smoking haram unlike us who are said to be still true to the teachings.

I’ll continue more on this, but for now here you go.

(to be continued…)

The Answer To Life, The Universe and Everything

2010-01-07T11:07:00.000-05:00

It's 42 according to Google . How I wished it was that simple but nonetheless it is amusing.

Currently I'm reading Finding Darwin's God by Kenneth Miller. A heavy duty book, talking about how Evolution fits in perfectly with religion/Christianity. It feels almost as if I'm reading a text book because of all the facts and with my head trying to make sense with all the data given.

One might ask why am I reading such a book, the answer is simple: To figure out the truth/answers. I'm still not at the point of life where everything is accessible for me, and data like these needs to be presented by others to me and it's up to me to scrutinize it.

I think I'll treat myself to a whole bunch of philosophy books, the more famous ones first and the obscure or eccentric ones later but first, I would like to read Richard Dawkin's "God Delusion" and Darwin's "Origin of Species", both books shook the world. Perhaps once I am done with this book I'll browse through Amazon for the books I need. I would love to know more about how people view this life, from Ayn Rand's Objectivism to Niccolo Machiavelli's principle of "Anything for the end product".

And deep inside my heart, something is compelling me to read the Quran and memorize it which is surprising for a person like me. I'm pretty far from what you would call an average religious person, I'm more of, the guy who's definitely going to hell, those who knows me deep down would know why. So yeah, I'm the type who others would say, "Hati dah hitam" or "Owner of the heart that is sealed by God" which is why the calling to read the Quran is astonishing.

And it puzzles me even more when I think about where I am now, I'm in the US, claimed by many to be full of negative influences that will shake my beliefs and all. I joked with my good friends that one day I'll come back from the US a more pious person than I could have ever be in Malaysia. Haha.

Anyway, the journey for answers will go on for me while I'm still breathing. Heave ho!

When I Think of You Guys

2010-01-06T10:09:00.004-05:00

Whenever I think of my best friends, I'll think of this song, My Sacrifice by Creed. Why? The chorus of the song explains everything, also explains the significant difference between my best buddies and the everyday "friends"

Here's to you guys, Djawad, Aqram, Aatha, Piah, Oi, Dassila and Muammar.
Thanks for being in my life. (Damn I sound cheesy but meh)

My Sacrifice

Hello my friend we meet again,
It's been a while, where should we begin,
Feels like forever,
Within my heart are memories,
Of perfect love that you gave to me,
I remember.

Chorus:

When you are with me, I'm free,
I'm careless, I believe,
Above all the others, we'll fly,
This brings tears to my eyes.
My sacrifice.

We've seen our share of ups and downs,
Oh, how quickly life can turn around,
in an instant,
It feels so good to reunite,
Within yourself, and within your mind,
Let's find peace there.

Chorus

I just want to say hello again
I just want to say hello again

Chorus

My sacrifice (I just want to say hello again.)
I just want to say hello again.

My Sacrifice

Confident People Do Not Get Confused

2010-01-03T11:25:00.003-05:00

A wonderful article touching about the use of "Allah" by other religious institutions in Malaysia, which is currently the big issue in Malaysia. Taken from Marina Mahathir's blog.

Personally I think it's stupid of people to even make an issue out of it, I don't think the word Allah belongs to anyone. I can list out a variety of reasons why I think it's stupid to make it such a commotion and why it is NOT wrong for non-muslims to use Allah but I'd rather focus on engineering a disease that will kill off stupid and racist people from the face of the earth... kidding.

The article from the the much respectable Marina Mahathir exemplifies why this issue is a big joke.
Below is an excerpt of it.

Prophet Muhammad’s Promise to Christians

The document is not a modern human rights treaty but even thought it was penned in 628 A.D. it clearly protects the right to property, freedom of religion, freedom of work, and security of the person, says Muqtedar Khan.

Muslims and Christians together constitute over fifty percent of the world and if they lived in peace, we will be half way to world peace. One small step that we can take towards fostering Muslim-Christian harmony is to tell and retell positive stories and abstain from mutual demonization.

In this article I propose to remind both Muslims and Christians about a promise that Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) made to Christians. The knowledge of this promise can have enormous impact on Muslim conduct towards Christians. Muslims generally respect the precedent of their Prophet and try to practice it in their lives.

In 628 AD, a delegation from St. Catherine’s Monastery came to Prophet Muhammed and requested his protection. He responded by granting them a charter of rights, which I reproduce below in its entirety. St. Catherine’s Monastery is located at the foot of Mt. Sinai and is the world’s oldest monastery. It possesses a huge collection of Christian manuscripts, second only to the Vatican, and is a world heritage site. It also boasts the oldest collection of Christian icons. It is a treasure house of Christian history that has remained safe for 1400 years under Muslim protection.

The Promise to St. Catherine:

"This is a message from Muhammad ibn Abdullah, as a covenant to those who adopt Christianity, near and far, we are with them.
Verily I, the servants, the helpers, and my followers defend them, because Christians are my citizens; and by God! I hold out against anything that displeases them.
No compulsion is to be on them. Neither are their judges to be removed from their jobs nor their monks from their monasteries. No one is to destroy a house of their religion, to damage it, or to carry anything from it to the Muslims' houses.
Should anyone take any of these, he would spoil God's covenant and disobey His Prophet. Verily, they are my allies and have my secure charter against all that they hate.
No one is to force them to travel or to oblige them to fight. The Muslims are to fight for them. If a female Christian is married to a Muslim, it is not to take place without her approval. She is not to be prevented from visiting her church to pray. Their churches are to be respected. They are neither to be prevented from repairing them nor the sacredness of their covenants.
No one of the nation (Muslims) is to disobey the covenant till the Last Day (end of the world)."

The first and the final sentence of the charter are critical. They make the promise eternal and universal. Muhammed asserts that Muslims are with Christians near and far straight away rejecting any future attempts to limit the promise to St. Catherine alone. By ordering Muslims to obey it until the Day of Judgment the charter again undermines any future attempts to revoke the privileges. These rights are inalienable. Muhammed declared Christians, all of them, as his allies and he equated ill treatment of Christians with violating God’s covenant.

A remarkable aspect of the charter is that it imposes no conditions on Christians for enjoying its privileges. It is enough that they are Christians. They are not required to alter their beliefs, they do not have to make any payments and they do not have any obligations. This is a charter of rights without any duties!

The document is not a modern human rights treaty but even thought it was penned in 628 A.D. it clearly protects the right to property, freedom of religion, freedom of work, and security of the person.

I know most readers, must be thinking so what? Well the answer is simple. Those who seek to foster discord among Muslims and Christians focus on issues that divide and emphasize areas of conflict. But when resources such as Muhammad’s promise to Christians are invoked and highlighted it builds bridges. It inspires Muslims to rise above communal intolerance and engenders good will in Christians who might be nursing fear of Islam or Muslims.

Read more here...

Through My Eyes

2010-01-02T21:19:00.006-05:00

(I found this lying in my Documents folder, guessed I forgot all about it)

(I noticed that a lot of my posts starts with the words Me, I, My, etc. Guess I do have that self-centered part in me)

              My childhood memories were so mundane that I couldn’t recall much from it, I remember a few people but nothing significant happened between me and them. The whole experience of growing up is a very blurry image for me, and I have doubts whether some that I have are real or made up in the midst of wanting fond memories.

                I guess moving about almost every year during primary school didn’t help much with my social skills which I have to say is quite appalling for me. This post feels a bit déjà vu –ish. Anyway, I was a very selfish and self-centred boy back then, almost amounting to greedy. I showed no passion towards anything

                The rebel, the non-conformist, the oddball, I have adored such labels from a young age, who doesn’t want to be different from the rest? But the boarding school community cruelly stamped this nature of mine because I like to observe and from my observations, no one was comfortable with the individualist, the outstanding ones will be isolated and discriminated and this forced me to adapt with a heavy sacrifice; myself.

                My only outlet was in my pedestrian writings (English essays or scribbles) and the indie songs that I listen to. During my time in high school I love to write stories, they revolved around the fantasy genre and it was my tool to escape into a world in which I was the hero, or any world for that matter, as long as it was not reality. I would buy journals I thought to be elegant and expensive and write countless amounts of stories in them but never have I completed any of them for reasons unknown. Maybe it was because I never had a framework in my mind, no plots or such, maybe it was just bursts of emotions, whatever it is I tend not to rationalize my inability to complete a tale. I think of it as a bad habit.

                The indie music I listen to was something I was personally proud of, it’s like the feeling of knowing something cool when everyone else doesn’t and this taste of mine was personally shared with select friends. I take pride in this little knowledge I have of whom Aqram was my main source. It was sort of symbolic at that time, a subtler way of acknowledging myself that I am not one of the community, that I am different from the rest.

               There was also the fact that I am one of the few whose English was at the better end of the spectrum in school but any pride I had from that was ripped off from me when I came to INTEC where exceptional people beyond my capabilities exist. I didn’t bother much about that though, I always keep in mind that there’s no such thing as the best because there can only be better.

                Now being in the US, I can be myself again, be the boy I always wanted to be because now, everything is up to me, I’m not restricted by nonsensical rules or a narrow-minded society. If I don’t make it, there’s no one to blame but myself. Yeah!

I seem to be doing a lot of reflections of my life in my posts, oh well, there’s more to come then. Haha

The Birth of an Idea! (National Service)

2010-01-02T19:06:00.004-05:00

Epiphanies happen during the most unanticipated of times, in my case, toilet sessions. I was reminiscing the times I had as a student exchange in good ol’ Russia and how much it had fostered the change in my perception towards Russians and strangers overall. I dare say that those who went under the same program would want their friends a whole lot more to undergo such a wonderful experience.

Looking back at how much of a life changing experience it was for me, I said to myself, “What if we do it nationwide instead of internationally?” This was certainly an ingenious idea and coupled with the process of relieving myself, I felt really good about it. This was certainly a very feasible notion in fostering harmony within a country that prides in a multicultural society. One might ask, “What exactly did you come up with?”

Imagine, a bunch of students with different background staying for say, 3-6 months with a family with a totally different cultural background. Let me illustrate this in a simple manner, put a Malay student living in a majority Chinese area/parents, put a Chinese student living in an Indian majority area/parents, put any students with the Orang Asli or the Penans. Cultural adaptation, tolerance, and whatever same exact benefits you can reap from an international student exchange program!!!

We have to remember that the program requires host families and this is where the impact becomes wider. Not only do we allow the teenagers to learn and gain a unique experience, the adults won’t be missing out too. That’s two birds with one stone!

Let us reflect back on the National Service program also known as PLKN (Program Latihan Khidmat Negara) or NS. Now I’m not saying it’s a bad program, most of the people I’ve met said it was a good one as they get to meet new friends and all but that’s about it. The end result in instilling patriotism was not that prevalent, as such emotions would only arise from the sense of belonging and appreciation.

From my experience during the student exchange program, I wanted to stay in Russia so much that I cried when I had to leave, and I think the majority of those who were in the student exchange program felt that way too in their respective countries. I would bet my savings that the local version of the program would generate better results!

We could just model the program based on the Rotary Youth Exchange Program or the American Field Study programs, they’re proven to work, so why not? Why we can even ask assistance from Rotary Clubs around Malaysia. Of course we would need to evaluate certain factors in choosing potential host families to allow maximum benefits.

Having said that, one important issue arise, in the international student exchange program, students are required to attend the local high school in their respective country. Now here’s the golden question, “Should this apply to the local version of the program?”. Personally, I have no idea, this question itself came up while I’m writing this.

(I’m pretty much stumped at this point, the idea doesn’t look so ingenious now)

(After an hour of thinking)

I have to admit, this is a difficult issue as the main reason why the International Student Exchange is such a wonderful program is the high school experience. The exchange of cultural differences while attending high school and the friends made was unique to the program that I find it hard to apply the same thing locally. There’s no point for the student to go back to high school now right?

(After two weeks of travelling and holiday-ing)

What could be done is that the students still go to “school” but instead of your typical Malaysian high school, they could be sent to a centre where they will undergo whatever modules originally panned out.

This might sound unprofessional but I’m too lazy to develop the intricacies and strategies to approach the program through this concept. I think I might have been redundant back there but anyways, here’s my take on NS.

2010

2010-01-02T11:11:00.001-05:00

I can’t believe I have lived through another decade, it’s amazing how much I have learned and experienced within this span of ten years. I am grateful to God The Almighty for all those times I had and for the things to come. I celebrated the countdown to New Year at Times Square which I must say, it’s a unique experience of its own and one that I do not want to go through again, despite the fun I had.

Surprisingly I was slightly disappointed with the celebration because there weren’t enough live performances to cater for the crowd that was battling through 9 hours of standing still; they at most had 6 live performances. I was irked because I expected better.

Acoustics were abysmal, we couldn’t hear Daughtry’s vocals until he performed another round, and the sound system wasn’t loud enough to cater the millions of people packed there. They instead dished out a playlist of songs which can be done at any clubhouse or even in my own apartment, what made it worse was that, THEY REPEATED THE SONGS at least twice. The stage was not facing the majority of the crowd, I think they were focusing on the VIPs, which I find very inconsiderate. Performance-wise, it was a dismay for me.

The line going into the human pen

See how packed it is?

So here are the things you should know before celebrating New Year at Times Square:

1. Be there by 3pm. Cops will close all routes to the vicinity (45^th-49^th street)

2. Literally millions will be there packed and directed into a human pen.

3. If you really want to have fun, bring more than 5 people with you.

4. BE PATIENT!!! YOU HAVE 9 HOURS TO GET INTO THE PEN

5. You will be standing for 9 hours straight if you want to be at the centre of things located at 46^th Street.

6. If possible don’t drink before coming, dehydrate yourself as much as possible before coming.

7. Restrooms don’t exist. Restaurants either lock their doors or close their washrooms during the day. Be prepared to bring diapers, cups or bottles to relief yourself during the event.

8. To relief yourself after the celebration, immediately look for Hilton hotel (should be somewhere around West 57^th-59^th street)

a. DON’T ENTER USING THE FRONT ENTRANCE,

b. Walk around the building and enter from the right.

c. Beware because it’s an exit only door, so you would have to wait for people to exit.

d. Hold the door when they do that and get into the building.

e. The restroom should be on your right, next to the counter.

9. Umbrellas or raincoats are a must, plus it’s a subtle way to start a conversation with strangers.

10. Dress adequately, 3 layers of clothes weren’t enough to keep me warm and people know how warm I can get.

11. If your friends are late, it’s their fault, don’t help them get in using any method, police are efficient and you will be kicked out of Times Square. Happened right in front of my eyes so don’t try.

12. DON’T PUSH while getting into the human pen, it’s outright rude and will anger people.

13. Don’t act like you’re tough and all, people are there to have fun, not to fight, EXPECT NO MOVEMENT FOR A FEW EFFING MINUTES and don’t get ticked so easily.

14. Keep your stuff close to you, pickpockets are bound to be everywhere.

15. Have FUN!!!

Super packed

Have Fun!!!

Avatar

2009-12-24T00:28:00.001-05:00

Having heard and saw the hype around this new movie entitled Avatar, I decided it was high time for me to watch it and at the same time, have a taste of 3D for the first time. The movie owes its grandeur to the fantasy world it presents despite the predictable plot. I can see how the movie appeals the audience. The creators of this movie put in a tremendous effort in showcasing every minute detail of this whole new world that they single-handedly created a whole new culture, complete with a whole new language and ecosystem.

They practically produced the same effect Tolkien’s Middle Earth had on those who read his book and saw the movie adaptation of it even though neither side had the same creatures and all. In addition to that, Avatar exemplified escapism at its best; to be able to leave behind any weaknesses and tap into a whole new body and world, be a hero and find a sense of belonging. The only thing I was disappointed at was my inability to neither feel nor see the difference between 3D and a normal version of it. I blame it on my one sightedness.

Certainly the ecology of Pandora was intriguing, with every single creature lighting up at a mere disturbance of a touch and the ability to physically link with nature herself. But what made held me the most was the anguish and despair of the Na’vis when the plants and trees regarded highly by them were destroyed. The first thing that crossed my mind was the Penans and the other tribes in Sarawak and their demise. In a way, Avatar was a remarkable piece of movie that retells the current fate of the Penans though in a more romanticized and dramatized manner.

As much as I would like to say I’m a jungle boy at heart, I have not spent enough time with nature to proclaim myself so but I do know what it feels like to have the nature or home you call dear to be destroyed to development. Whenever I returned to my father’s hometown, the foot of the mountain was my playground with my cousins and uncles. The stream was my swimming pool, I was even told off by my mother for swimming in it in my pyjamas. As I grew older the stream’s condition worsened, as with the jungle around it. It was polluted with insecticide, and on my last visit, it wasn’t even a stream anymore; it could hardly hold 3 adults. In a way, I was sad, almost as if I’ve lost a dear friend; a friend who would put me at ease whenever I visited it. That’s a part of my childhood gone to be frank.

Nature especially when untouched has never failed to soothe my heart and it always seem so mysterious to me in its own ways, be it the jungle, river, sea or even the sky. To my delight and surprise, Avatar presented the plants as keepers of memories and information, a perception which I have held for quite awhile. I would run my hands along the bark of a tree and ask “What have you seen during your lifetime?” almost as if hoping for an answer. On every occasion that I see a tree is fell, it crushes me to think all those memories that tree might have is being thrown away for humanity.

And every time I see a hill being cleared in the name of development, it punctures a hole in my heart and every single time that emotion is invoked, I ask myself, “Is this a genuine feeling or is it superficial, fabricated to make yourself feel like a nature boy?”

Having been away from Malaysia, I yearned to jump into a river again, to allow its water to flow against my body, to climb another mountain and look over the earth from its summit and to float with the waves of the sea. Avatar amplified those feelings by a factor of 100, maybe even more. Perhaps the scarcity of greenery here compared to the lush jungles in Malaysia was not befitting to my eye.

Avatar also reminded me of the reason I chose not to stay in the US my entire life, which is, to fight for what is right and to help fix and alleviate my country from the plague that beleaguers her. As much as I hold negative thoughts on what my country contains, I could not bear to only watch and let her live with such atrocities and do nothing about it. I feel that it is my responsibility to contribute towards the betterment of my country.

Such sentiments do sound plastic to some but this is how I really feel all this while. And yeah, Avatar was a pretty good movie.

Rant of The Day

2009-12-19T19:20:00.002-05:00

Being involved in an online debate is something I occasionally do though I have never really enjoyed it due to the never existing conclusion to any one of them. I’m also not a big fan of participating in any oral debate as it requires one to think on your feet and be quick about it, which allows room for mistakes and missed points. In any words mastering the debating skill is akin to mastering the guitar; instead of finger dexterity, muscle memory and musical sense, you will need to hone complex and powerful persuasion and convincing skills.

Rarely do I come across people who would argue without including abusive words in their reasoning, which I find very annoying. Such a trait is very common in those with shallow and uneducated minds, whom I encounter almost frequently. Had it been a true oral debate, I am convinced that it will turn out into a brawl instead of a proper rational debate.

I try my best to never retort with the same uncivilized manner, to always respect the point they put forth and to ignore the name-callings. This of course is a very tasking process as it fills my head with a question, “Should I even bother talking to people like these?” To me, the repeated offense undermines the opposition’s credibility and thus killing off the need to debate.

Surely it is a fault on my part for imposing such perception towards individuals who employ such tactics but the fact that I am human too increases the inclination for me into becoming bored. Instead of receiving a sound rebuttal, I receive a hoard of abusive names. If it was a face to face conversation, I would do either:

1. With a boring face, just walk away

2. Retort sarcastically with a boring face and walk away

So yeah, name-calling kills a debate and bores me to death. I should stop arguing with people that do that. End of rant.

It Will All Work Out In The End

2009-12-18T18:03:00.000-05:00

Despite the fact I have an annoying void in me, here's an ode to the things that make me a happy boy.

I got the job as a referee, just what I wanted! Booyah! 21$ per week!
My overall balance is 1k, I was already saving 300$-400$ from the current allowance which was supposed to last me for two months but I overpaid my rent for 3 months! Then I unexpectedly receive a check worth $355.52 from JPA! And the next allowance is coming in this February! So it's like I have an extra one month worth of scholarship money, yay!
I was listed in the Dean's List, never expected that when I first came here!
Currently done with the first exam aaand Christmas is A WEEK AWAY! Dropping by Philly to celebrate Christmas with my aunt and everyone else there, then off to NYC with Muammar and Dassila for the New Year!
Classes for this quarter have been going fine, ASL is one of my favorites, despite the difficulty. I think I learn so much from that class!

Yeah, life's been working out very well for me. Thank God for that.

Fool's Gold

2009-12-17T18:25:00.003-05:00

I had to put this one up, a perfect example of the people I encounter in the blogosphere. This was a follow up comment on the blog I mentioned in the previous post. I have to say I’m proud of my Bahasa Melayu, guess 11 years of studying it didn’t go to waste.

pala otak hang said...

Yo Nico (yo! yo! kamu rappers yo!),

Kalau ye pun kau nak berbunyi liberal, jangan lah sampai jadi bangang. Hak peribadi? Privacy? Oi tongong, kau tau ke maksud "personal", "private" dan "privacy" tu atau itu hanya retorik kosong dan bodoh kau saja? Private bermaksud persendirian, bukan di khalayak ramai. Tapi si mangkuk ayun babi tonyok rasis tu terang-terangan menggunakan Facebook (iaitu satu media umum Internet yang dilawati BERJUTA pelawat setiap hari) untuk menyatakan pandangan perkaumannya. Dan perlakuan dia yang membenarkan komen kawan dia yang bodoh macam dia jugak, wajar dikutuk. Dia tak tau ke ada function "delete comment" di FB? Kenapa dia publish juga komen tu? Sbb itu dia harus dipertanggungjawabkan! Bodoh!

Api jangan dilawan api? Habis tu dengan apa? Dengan kertas? Kapas? Pantun, puisi dan dakwah? Kepala hotak kau. Sebab perangai mcm tu lah kepala kau dipijak, bangang! Teguran dan debat intelektual dengan makhluk bangang bahasa Melayu mcm depa tu tak ada gunanya, sebab ianya bukan berada pada "wavelength" yang sama! Tiada resonans! Tiada hasil! Mereka tak faham itu semua. Cakap melayu dan Inggeris pun tunggang-langgang, kau nak ajak berdiskusi pulak? The only ubat mujarab terhadap kekurang-ajaran makhluk2 laknat macam depa is pelempang kiri kanan! Pasal apalah kau ni bengap sangat.

This is my reply to him:

Kepada, pala otak hang,

1. Terima kasih saya ucapkan kerana dengan pemerhatian anda yang begitu teliti dan tajam anda mengingatkan betapa rendahnya ilmu yang saya ada di dada.

2. Anda juga berjaya membuat kesimpulan yang saya ini cuba "berbunyi liberal". Tidak pernah saya sangka saya seorang yang sebegitu.

3. Ternyata anda ini seorang yang mempunyai ilmu yang begitu luas dan begitu banyak untuk meletakkan panggilan-panggilan sebegitu itu ke atas saya.

4. Saya juga mendapati anda ini begitu hebat dan berani sehingga nama sebenar anda tidak perlu ditulis dan anda terus ke perkara yang ingin dikatakan.

5. Saya juga harus puji bahasa yang anda gunakan untuk berhujah, sungguh indah.

6. Ternyata anda sangat mahir dan tidak tunggang-langgang dalam penggunaan kosa kata Bahasa Melayu sehinggakan Bahasa Inggeris diselitkan dalam hujah anda

7. Bahasa sememangnya jiwa bangsa. Ternyata anda ini sangat bangga dengan bangsa anda dan diri anda.

8. Saya begitu kagum dengan diri anda.

9. Saya ingin menyatakan bahawa saya bukanlah "makhluk-makhluk bangang Bahasa Melayu" seperti yang dituduh anda. Bahasa Melayu bukanlah bahasa ibunda saya.

Namun inilah hujah-hujah saya:

Pertama,

1. Facebook bukannya sesuatu yang "umum", lingkungan pendedahan yang dilitupi Facebook hanyalah tertakluk kepada kawan-kawan seseorang dan rangkaian kawan-kawannya.

2. Pendedahan maklumat juga boleh diubah suai mengikut kehendak pengguna, contohnya, Si pengguna boleh membenarkan kawannya sahaja untuk mencapai maklumat yang terdapat dalam akaun Facebooknya dan mereka yang tidak diiktiraf sebagai kawan tidak akan mendapat sebarang maklumat.

3. Walau sebanyak mana pelawat Facebook, tidak semua akan mendapat maklumat yang sama.

4. Ternyata penulis blog ini mendapat gambar ini dari sumber-sumber yang telah diiktiraf sebagai "kawan".

5. Sedangkan warga-warga Barat yang dikatakan tidak bertamadun dan penuh dengan gejala sosial akan mengkaburkan atau menghitamkan nama dan gambar jika ingin diguna pakai maklumat yang didapati dari Facebook.

6. Seperti contoh:

a. http://myparentsjoinedfacebook.com/

7. Sudah tentu mereka yang beragama Islam boleh melakukan perkara yang lebih elok dari mereka yang dikatakan mengamalkan budaya kuning.

Kedua,

1. Apabila saya merujuk kepada kata-kata "Api jangan dilawan dengan api" saya bermaksud bahawa untuk melawan sesuatu yang buruk, tidak perlulah merendahkan taraf diri untuk melawan balik.

2. Tunjukkan bahawa diri itu lebih elok dan lebih matang dalam mengendalikan hal-hal sebegini.

3. Apakah perlu bersusah payah mencari najis untuk dilemparkan balik kepada mereka yang membaling najis kepada anda mahupun membazir tenaga dan memukul si pelempar itu?

4. Ternyata pendapat anda menunjukkan bahawa anda juga mendalami ilmu agama anda dengan sedalam-dalamnya.

5. Terima kasih kerana menunjukkan apa yang diajar agama anda kepada mereka yang tidak menganuti agama anda.

6. Saya tidak hairan kenapa ramai yang kurang selesa dengan agama saya.

Now, the last few lines are quite provocative. My bad, I shouldn’t have done it, it’s obviously a personal attack but I can’t help it. If it was in English I could have put in more sarcasm and a tinge of bitterness but meh, I’m not a BM linguist specialist.

You can’t do much damage with BM because it’s more suitable for nice things like poems and all. Cursing in BM (though I do it lots of times with friends) makes you sound so crude, especially if you’re talking to a stranger.

Truth be told, the touch of religion there was another personal attack. Man, I'm delving too much on personal attacks, I should be more professional. I'm what people would call a sinner so, maybe next time, I'll try not to delve into that matter. My credibility on that part is not really believable. Heh

I don’t know if I should even bother to take my time and reply next time, seems useless, it’s not like I’m talking to the person face to face which I’m pretty sure would end up as a brawl if that were to happen.

Internet gives you e-strength, and e-penis, pretty sure this dude won’t give up on that.

So yeah, there you go.

Inconsiderate Beings

2009-12-16T23:45:00.002-05:00

I believe a person who labels a person racist while undermining the race of the accused is also a racist. As it has come to this, I shall write in both the National language and English.

Malay Version

Seketika yang lalu, saya dipersembahkan dengan sebuah website yang menuduh seorang mahasiswi dan kawan-kawannya sebagai seorang yang “racist”. Saya tidak akan mengutarakan isi kandungannya secara terperinci dan saya juga tidak akan memberi “link” untuk blog itu untuk memelihara hak peribadi mahasiswi tersebut.

Namun apa yang dapat disimpulkan adalah seperti berikut:

1. Mahasiswi menyatakan dia “dislike” too many Malays

2. Kawannya menambah, “Government Uni is like that, Malay pig all”

Ulasan saya tentang blog ini adalah seperti dibawah:

1. Apa yang perlu diberi perhatian adalah gambar yang dikemukakan merupakan “printscreen” Facebook Wall mahasiswi itu.

2. Ini adalah pencerobohan hak peribadi mahasiswi itu dan penulis blog itu boleh disaman atas tindakannya.

3. Penulis blog itu sepatutnya menegur mahasiswi dan kawannya itu secara peribadi dan bukannya menghebohkan perkara ini di khalayak ramai atau lebih tepat, di blog beliau.

4. Sebelum menuduh seseorang, individu tersebut seharusnya mengambil dan menyelami pandangan pihak yang dituduh.

5. Pada pandangan saya, mahasiswi ini tidak mempunyai kawan Melayu yang ramai maka perubahan sebegini memerlukan pengubahsuaian yang mengambil masa.

6. Hal ini boleh diumpamakan dengan pelajar-pelajar yang sedang menuntut di luar negara di mana mereka dikelilingi orang-orang asing.

7. Tidak ramai yang akan terus selesa dalam keadaan sebegini dan ianya memakan masa untuk seseorang menyesuaikan diri, seperti juga mahasiswi ini.

8. Kawannya yang menyatakan, “Malay pig” sudah tentu telah diajar pandangan yang buruk terhadap orang Melayu dari kecil lagi.

9. Yang perlu diberi perhatian di sini bukanlah mencari siapa yang salah, tetapi APA yang menyebabkan perkara sebegini timbul, KENAPA, BAGAIMANA untuk menyelesaikan masalah ini dan bukan menumpu kepada persoalan SIAPA.

10. Menuding jari tidak akan menyelesaikan masalah perkauman.

Saya akan meletakkan beberapa keratan “comment” yang ditulis oleh pembaca-pembaca blog ini:

1. “Aku pantang dgn statement cina kurang ajar ni...!”

2. “...dia mesti minta maaf ...”

3. “...entah2 dlm bahasa cina ntah apa yg diorg mencacai....”

4. “...cina betina nie "follower'...”

Ini adalah pendapat saya tentang “comments” yang dinyatakan:

1. Saya mengaku, apabila membaca komentar pembaca-pembaca blog tersebut, perkataan pertama yang timbul di kepala saya adalah; Hipokrit.

2. Sepanjang saya membesar dan belajar dalam kalangan orang Melayu, terutamanya dalam ceramah agama dan perbualan seharian mereka, akan ada mereka yang mengutuk agama lain dan merendahkan bangsa-bangsa lain. Tidak semua, tetapi memang wujud golongan sebegini. Seperti contoh, “Tengok, sembah orang perut buncit, apa orang perut buncit boleh buat?”

3. Saya ingin mengatakan, cermin diri dahulu sebelum mengata orang dan menuntut kemaafan.

4. Yang saya dapati menjelikkan adalah penggunaan bahasa yang kesat untuk meluahkan pendapat dan penggunaan nada yang “racist”.

5. Bahasa melambangkan keperibadian dan juga bangsa. Kesan penggunaan bahasa yang kurang sopan terhadap kedua-dua itu tidak perlu saya ulaskan.

6. Jikalau boleh, saya tidak ingin menyentuh hal agama di sini tetapi saya rasa orang-orang Melayu ini bangga menjadi sebahagian dari Umat Islam maka saya rasa perlunya saya menyentuh hal ini.

7. Ilmu saya tentang agama Islam adalah cetek namun saya faham bahawa setiap manusia itu asalnya dari Nabi Adam yang membawa maksud tiada bezanya satu manusia dari manusia yang lain.

8. Saya juga diajar bahawa manusia itu tiada bezanya di depan Allah S.W.T kecuali ilmu dan iman mereka.

9. Jadi perlukah isu perkauman dibangkitkan oleh masyarakat Melayu yang merupakan pengikut Nabi Muhammad S.A.W? Malahan, perlukah perkauman itu menjadi satu isu?

10. Jika suka diagung-agungkan Islam itu, janganlah mencemarinya dengan perkara duniawi seperti perkauman.

11. Ingatlah tugas khalifah yang diamanahkan untuk menjaga dan memakmurkan bumi ini.

English Version

Awhile ago, I stumbled upon a link on Facebook that brought me to a blog that was accusing of a university student as racist. I will not explain the blog in the detail and to respect the privacy of the said student, I will not provide the link to the blog.

The cause of the commotion was this:

1. The student said, “Too many Malays, dislike”

2. Her friend added, “Government Uni is like that, Malay pig all”

My thoughts are as below:

1. What should be known is that the conversation was on an image that was “Printscreened” from the wall of the student’s Facebook Wall.

2. The blogger didn’t even have the consideration to blank the student’s name.

3. This is a blatant breach of privacy of the said student and the author of the blog can be sued due to his actions.

4. Personally I do not think the author had made the right move. What he should have done is that he should have just personally told the student and the friend that it is inappropriate to do such a thing.

5. He didn’t have to post a blog about it.

6. And before accusing someone, the person accusing should at least look the whole issue through the perspective of the accused.

7. In my opinion, the student didn’t have that many Malay friends and thus being in an environment full of Malays is something new to the student. Adapting will always take time.

8. This is akin to our students who are studying overseas where they are thrown into a whole new environment filled with a whole new and different community/culture.

9. Not many will immediately sort themselves out immediately and this applies to the said student too.

10. The friend who said, “Malay pig” is just an ignorant young man, he was perhaps indoctrinated with such perspective since young,

11. The main issue here is not whether the person is rude or not, nor who is at fault but the main question is WHAT could have made such negative perspective to appear, WHY, and HOW can we fix this situation. The word WHO shouldn’t exist in any of the questions.

12. Pointing fingers won’t solve anything.

I will add a few abstracts from comments left on the blog; It’ll be in Malay to preserve the nature and intention of the sentences:

5. “Aku pantang dgn statement cina kurang ajar ni...!”

6. “...dia mesti minta maaf ...”

7. “...entah2 dlm bahasa cina ntah apa yg diorg mencacai....”

8. “...cina betina nie "follower'...”

My opinion?

1. I would have to admit that the first word that came to my mind after reading the comments was; Hypocrites

2. Throughout my life growing up and learning in a community of Malays, especially in religious talks and their daily conversations, there will be those who make fun of another religion and using derogatory terms to describe other race. I.E. “Look at them worshipping that pot-bellied statue, what on earth can that fat statue do?”

3. I would like to say it to their face, “Take a good look at the mirror first before calling other people racist and asking for an apology”

4. What made me ticked was the use of impolite words and the racist tone found in the comments.

5. The language used by a person reflects his/her personality. I need not explain further on this.

6. If possible, I would not like to add the element of religion in this post (since it will get too hot for me to handle) but considering the fact the Malays are pretty proud of being Muslims I feel the need to do so.

7. My insight towards Islam is not significant but I know enough to know that in Islam, the whole of humanity originated from a single person named Adam. This would mean technically, no one human is different from another, we share the same blood and all.

8. I was also taught that in the eyes of God, everyone is the same, the one thing that differs us from one another is our iman and our depth of knowledge.

9. Taking all these into account, I think race issues should not be brought up by the Malays. Heck, racism shouldn’t even exist in any form with the Malays or Muslims what more an issue.

10. If you’re so proud to be a Muslim, don’t try to defile it with things like “Ketuanan Melayu” et al. It’s too “worldly” for your own good.

11. The Malays should know this if they had taken the trouble to pray 5 times a day and eat halal food.

Sometimes

2009-12-15T21:59:00.000-05:00

Even an introvert at heart needs a person to talk to physically.

If I don't know better, I think I'm homesick.

I need to fill up this currently empty social circle of mine, quick.

A Brief Introduction To Measures And Quavers

2009-12-14T15:37:00.002-05:00

Music is my life; My parents musical tastes have a direct influence to mine which is why the melodies and tunes I adore and listen to have always been labeled boring, slow, and old by my peers. The likes of Beatles, Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Led Zeppelin, Mark Knopfler, Eric Clapton, Zee Avi, Bing Crosby, Louis Armstrong and the likes have enriched my life to an extent that I wish to live during their era and even aspire to be them. But this has not always been the case, I have never listened to them before I entered college for I was busy listening to indie music which I prefer identifying myself with.

My first exposure to a musical instrument was when my parents forced me to go for music lessons when I was 5 (or was it 6?). Nonetheless, I was a very nonchalant kid back then (for a good 10 years too) I cared nothing but myself. I never did really have that passion to learn the keyboard but I proceeded with the lessons until I was 11. You could say, I was never musically inclined (though I did repetitively sing “Michael Learns to Rock” and songs from “Now! That’s What I Call Music” CD everyday) I’ve never regarded anything highly, the world only revolved around me, friendship was something I never valued. I think this might be due to my family moving around so much that contributed to me not caring about such things hence the reason I was never passionate about anything.

Right, I’m starting to digress here. So my first musical instrument that I went lessons for a good 5-6 years was a keyboard/organ/whatever you’d like to call it. It has two stacks of keys and a whole lot of synthesizers.

I was 15 when my dad came back one day with a box almost as tall as him, I couldn’t remember the whole event but I think I didn’t show much interest in what was in the box. He then proceeded to open the box and surprisingly, out came a guitar which he handed to me along with a chord book. He said, “Here, learn how to play it” I fiddled with it for a few days but gave up when I found it too hard and my naturally short fingers didn’t help with the cause plus I didn’t have a tuner. And thus my Yamaha C40 classical guitar picked up dust for a whole year and now I have regretted doing so.

Many other sorrowful, no, depressing events during boarding school life ensued and while trying to survive it all, I picked up the guitar. It was my cousins in Kuching who ignited my passion for the guitar, they taught me a simple lesson; transitioning between chords. From then on I progressed exponentially. The level of my guitar playing now, I owe it to them. Bless them.

I would still consider myself an amateur as I only know how to play songs on the guitar, but to actually play the guitar is something I have not acquired yet. Yes I know how to play Classical Gas, and a bunch of other stuff but playing it is different than expressing it. This notion of mine is hard for some to contemplate because one might say there’s no difference between the two. My frustration is that I am not able to produce wonderful melodies or riffs of my own and I am confined to playing known songs.

I do experiment with the guitar once in awhile, but I keep producing the same groove, almost a reminiscence of the last experiment each time I try something new. It’s very funny when people want me to pull off a solo and I’ll go, “I don’t really know how to do that” which would undermine my credential as an aspiring guitarist and make me and my guitar look bad.

I have so many melodies and riffs in my head but perhaps my unwillingness to pen it down hamper my progress to produce songs of my own. If I push myself (which I have never done), it might also allow me to explore the more creative side of me. My time here in Land of Freedom would perhaps ignite the hidden composer in me or even help me discover that I have no talent in such a thing. Nonetheless, wish me luck in my endeavour towards music and its beauties!

Notice for Visitors Coming for Yuna's Chords

2009-12-13T16:22:00.001-05:00

I've noticed a lot of people have been visiting my blog to get to Yuna's chords that I've transcribed, well I've made it much easier for the visitors to navigate for the link if they ended up here.

It's on the column to the right if you're here looking for it. Good luck with the songs.

Yuna's chords ------------------------------------------------->

Unrequited Love

2009-12-10T19:29:00.001-05:00

".....
9. "Zee Avi," Zee Avi: Listening to Zee Avi might make you recall Kimya Dawson's quirky lyrical style, but the Malaysian-born Avi has an eclecticism all her own on her debut CD. Her voice sounds dreamy, her lyrics smart and humorous. And paired with her acoustic picking, she sounds intoxicating......"

The AP ranks top 10 albums of the year - Yahoo! News

I will and shall always be Erik. Sigh.

Beliefs and Hypotheses

2009-12-10T11:32:00.002-05:00

My trite depth of knowledge concerning the “Theory of Evolution”, “Human Evolution” might hinder my elaboration in this post. The nuance of it was instilled in me while exploring the principles and theories of Genetics by Dr. Rothman, whom I have the right to believe an ardent fan of Darwin. Though I felt duly annoyed by his exacerbating passion for Darwin in class, I would like to condone the fact that I have acquired a significant amount of knowledge regarding Darwin’s hypotheses due to that.

My summarized understanding of Darwin’s natural selection is as below:

1. Fitness of species = reproductive health of species i.e. The species that reproduce the most is the fittest

2. Variations will occur in any species

3. Nature/environment will be the main determinant of the survivability of the variants through indirect ways

4. Evolution is a very slow and ongoing process

5. Of course there’s more to this but I will leave it up to this.

My peers (being the faithful Muslims) rejected whatever the professor taught when he dallied on evolution and such which I think is not a good way to approach knowledge. But I’m not to speak about that. I find that the hypotheses Darwin presented was very rational and logical, plus I do not think they contradict with religion at all. The only thing that might be considered blaspheme is that the hypotheses insinuates that human arose from lesser species and nothing more.

Looking past that, I find that what people do not want to understand is the essence of Darwin’s hypotheses which are very plain and straightforward. I have yet to involve myself in any debate regarding Human Evolution in religion but I would like to express my reactions towards the total rejection of Darwin’s hypotheses by certain avenues; that is the average religion-following person.

I am surprised and dismayed at the same time encountering people who claim Darwin’s hypotheses as preposterous, non-logical and irrational without first understanding the basics of it. To reject any knowledge without fully understanding it, to me that is not a very reasonable thing to do.

Speaking as a Muslim, this is my thoughts, all knowledge comes from Allah and to deny any knowledge is to deny God, no knowledge is evil or bad but it is the person utilizing the knowledge that should be judged.

I do not wish to assume but personally I think if people understand the essence of the hypotheses they would understand that anything beyond that is extrapolating and can only be proved by definite evidence. The hypotheses will not shake or deny any foundation for any religion and if a person thinks it does then they should not reject it but instead seek for the truth, rather than barking and harking at it.

This is turning into more of a rant but let us ignore that shall we? I firmly believe that the essence of Darwin’s “Natural Selection” that I have not fully elaborated hold true until definitive evidence says I’m wrong and that it does not contradict religion in any manner.

My final words are,one does not need to be presented with so-called astounding facts nor be immersed in an environment of lies/sins to have his or her belief undermined. A person’s belief can only be shaken only if the person allows it to be so.

Moving About From Rochester to Anywhere

2009-12-10T00:41:00.005-05:00

Being in Rochester, there aren’t that many options for a direct journey to anywhere beyond New York. My stay here which is coming to about 4 months now allowed me to try two modes of travelling, by bus (specifically Chinatown buses) and by train.

Suffice to say using Amtrak was more comfortable than using the bus and despite the review I read on the internet, I find no fault in their service except for that one time when they were late by about 40 minutes. The price varies from cheap to bloody expensive and the cheap ones come with a catch; the schedule will never fit you or if it does, it’ll just cause so much trouble for you and the person picking you up. If you’re not expecting anyone to fetch you, I highly suggest using Amtrak for the long distance trip.

Chinatown bus is not a very good option for long distance travelling, my last experience with it was not something I would like to go through again. For a two to three hour journey the Chinatown bus would be a very cheap and viable means to travel to anywhere and I will reiterate that it is not meant for long distance travelling. The office where you get your ticket and wait for your bus, and I’ve been to three of them, is not pleasant to the eye, very disorganized, almost akin to Pudu station, at most it may be worse than Pudu Station. Most of the passengers that took the same bus with me from Roc –> NY and from NY -> Roc were very unpleasant and loud, taking the red eye trip is not very comfortable when you have those kind of people around.

Also it seems that it’s cheaper to buy the bus tickets when you get to the office than when you buy them online which is a difference of 5$-8$. The buses never arrive or depart on time because, what the operators would do is that, they will not depart until the bus has ALL of its seats filled, which I and a few other passengers felt negatively affected by it.

So here’s a quick comparison between Amtrak and Chinatown bus

1. Price

a. Amtrak’s cheapest ticket to NYC from Rochester is $54 while the same trip using Chinatown bus would cost you $55

b. Over a short distance (NYC – Philly) the price leans in favour of Chinatown bus by a large amount

2. Duration

a. Roc-NYC or NYC- Roc using either method would take 6-7 hours taking into account delays and whatnot.

b. NYC-Philly: Amtrak is faster than Chinatown bus

3. Comfort

a. Trains win hands down in this one.

4. Customer service.

a. Amtrak ranks way higher than Chinatown bus. Chinatown bus has zero stars from me on this one.

Hitherto (Can’t believe I finally get the chance to use this word), I recommend Amtrak if you have to travel more than 4-5 hours and Chinatown bus if the trip is about 2-3 hours.

Lessons From The Lone Traveller

2009-11-30T09:05:00.003-05:00

The last week was filled with adventures and joy, yet again!!! I managed to travel around NYC (alone, bummer), Pennstate and Philly (it’s my second home now), met up with my good friends from INTEC and had a Thanksgiving dinner. NYC is a good place to walk around during the day and a tad eerie in the night if you’re lugging around a backpack; Walking around with my faithful brown backpack made me felt like I have this big sign that says, “Rob Me!”

The heart of NYC is pretty much like KL without the greenery scene plus a stupendous amount of buildings, and it was all too familiar for me which made navigating around so much easier. Navigating around Chinatown is hard, well, navigating anywhere outside the heart of NYC is hard. Chinatown is the spitting image of Petaling Street, maybe Penang but you get the idea.

My gravest mistake was not printing a map of NYC. Well, I didn’t plan on walking around NYC in the first place but yeah, a map would have made life easier. But that’s how I am, I have this tendency to jump into an adventure without planning ahead, I like the surprises and randomly spontaneous adventure I come across in my life.

Here’s what I’ve learned from my trip in NYC:

1. Subways, cops and curators are your bestfriends.

a. Subways serve as convenient landmarks to where you are, plus, they give out free maps. I didn’t know about the free maps so I took a picture of the maps they put up in the subway. Your camera can be your GPS, which I think is cool.

b. Cops? Most helpful and knowledgeable people around if you need directions to get to anywhere in NYC. They’re everywhere too which makes locating one pretty easy.

c. Curators? Same as cops but without the uniform AND they’ll suggest places you should visit. They also work as a mobile encyclopaedia, telling you the history of certain buildings, monuments, landmarks and even the history of NYC.

2. Hone your map reading skills

a. Doesn’t really apply to the centre of Manhattan but more of the lower and upper parts of Manhattan.

b. If you’re on a tight schedule, getting lost in Manhattan is the last thing you would want to do.

c. The subway map is missing a lot of information because they only show important streets and avenues, which can be very misleading. So what seem like a short distance is actually 4-7 blocks away.

3. Take lots of pictures as you walk (duhh)

a. And I’m not talking about self-portrait stuff, take pictures of your surroundings.

b. This would serve as a pictorial guide for you if you ever get lost, a convenient way to backtrack.

4. Always, ALWAYS, bring a fully-charged battery for your phone AND camera

a. Pretty much self-explanatory. Both devices are your lifelines, wouldn’t want them to die on you now would you?

5. Write down important numbers and always have small change in your pocket

a. Shit happens, things can get really bad and everything can go wrong at times. Yes, everything.

b. If your phone died on you, (happens to me all the time) write down the phone number of your parents’, friends’, whomever deemed important to you, and keep it close to you.

c. No matter how reliable or modern whatever electronic device you have, if it runs out of battery, it’s as good as a paper weight.

d. This is when the small change matters, thank God for public phones. This enables you to contact whoever you want to, get information from them and resume backpacking. ‘Nuff said.

My next post will be about travelling from Rochester to ANYWHERE. There’ll be review about a few transportation services. So watch out for that!

Love is...

2009-11-20T23:49:00.001-05:00

I saw this on Jia Mun's blog and thought it would be very nice to share with everyone.

Children are so innocent.

Too bad we have to become adults and forget what is important!
What Love means to a 4-8 year old ....
Slow down for three minutes to read this. It is so worth it. Touching words from the mouth of babes.
A group of professional people posed this question to a group of 4 to 8 year-olds, 'What does love mean?'

The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined See what you think:

'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore.
So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.'

Rebecca- age 8

'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.
You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'

Billy - age 4

'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.'

Karl - age 5

'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.'

Chrissy - age 6

'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'

Terri - age 4

'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.'

Danny - age 7

'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.
My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss'

Emily - age 8

'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.'

Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)

'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,'

Nikka - age 6
(we need a few million more Nikka's on this planet)

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.'

Noelle - age 7

'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.'

Tommy - age 6

'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.

He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'

Cindy - age 8

'My mommy loves me more than anybody
You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'

Clare - age 6

'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.'

Elaine-age 5

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.'

Chris - age 7

'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.'

Mary Ann - age 4

'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'

Lauren - age 4

'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' (what an image)

Karen - age 7

'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.'

Mark - age 6

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.'

Jessica - age 8

And the final one

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,

'Nothing, I just helped him cry'

New Look (Still working on it... maybe not)

2009-11-20T23:11:00.000-05:00

I've decided to revamp the blog and I happen to find a template with a design I liked. Only thing that bugs me is the colors, I'm not really a fan of these colors but it'll have to do until I find the strength to redo it to my liking. I forgot how tedious designing website was and sadly, I will be reminded if I try to uhh, disturb what it has now.