Anecdotes of my passing...

A line that probes the mind. Give it some thought.


The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creature that cannot.

- Mark Twain


This begs the question, is it better to be intellectually superior or morally superior? =)

The title speaks volumes. At least I think so. But that is not what the Malaysian Government thinks...

"Irresponsible bloggers forcing us to act, says govt"

There are so many things to say in so many different ways that I don't know where to start. For starters, let's just begin with blogging. What is it exactly? It is "to write entries in, add material to, or maintain a weblog." Like any other material such as the press or media, it is subject to certain restrictions. The only stark difference is that in the cyberworld, the laws governing it is not as well established as the others. Sure, there are statutes in place...we have the Computer Crime Act 1997, Digital Signature Act 1997, Communication and Multimedia Act 1998, Digital Signature Regulations 1998 to name a few. But the problem of jurisdiction arises when blogs are hosted abroad... Admittedly, I know next to nothing when it comes to cyber crimes in Malaysia. However, this will not stop me from saying what I think is only fair.

It is true that regulation may be necessary (as much as I loathe to admit it) to preserve this superficial and delicate balance of racial harmony (how this always seem to be the default reason for any draconian/unilateral measures taken) but the question is always the degree and scope of such a regulation. Mahatma Gandhi once said that “Freedom is not worth having if it does not include the freedom to make mistakes.” It therefore begs the question, are we truly free? Any reasonable person will say that we are never truly free, or we are only free but within the ambit of the law. Technically, these are correct but for the sake of argument we should also note that the people should be free to voice their concerns (albeit responsibly). In this case, via blogs. Online. Of course, we should always venture to voice our concerns, criticisms and opinion objectively but sometimes passion may be mistaken for treachery. Each person is entitled to their own view and being the individuals that we are, it is up to us to decide for ourselves what and how our views are.

I sometimes post my opinion on certain issues when I feel the need to. However, I try to do it in a objective way but in the face of subjective interpretation, inflammatory innuendos are just waiting to occur. The question is, are we mature enough to receive any criticism, reflect on it and perhaps improve from there? This is a little off-track but the degree of transparency and accountability in our country is far from sterling. Granted we shouldn't compare with countries such as Nigeria but we should always strive to be better. Complacency is a disease in our country and we will rot to death before we know what kills us.

On this issue of irresponsible blogging, I've seen quite a number of inflammatory blogging but there are only a handful that are actually touching on national issues. And nearly all that I've read seems to be coherent and sensible. (Caveat: of course, I do not read all nor do I admit that I am authority but any blogger will be more likely than not to be in the same position) Of course, this is no excuse for ignorance of the law, but perhaps the government should objectively view the bigger picture and then investigate on a case-by-case basis instead of implementing an comprehensive and blanketting rule to regulate ALL bloggers. No express mention of ALL bloggers is made but this is the only possible inference that the government would make. Another idea is that only the Opposition blogs as well as underground dissent being monitored. This monitoring and regulating will not be difficult to do considering that many are blogging from home (if you're smart, you'll blog from a public connection) and that we have the all-encompassing monopoly of a corporation TMNet. ( I have so so many complaints...) I am very sure that the database and record are all stored somewhere but then again given the mediocrity and efficiency of our country, I wouldn't safely bet on it.

Back to the issue, I suppose that regulation is the only form of control necessary to further submit the citizens to its rule. What's more with the election just around the corner, any dissent or tarnish to the reputation of the ruling party is not to be welcomed. Malaysians are after all not mature enough to separate the wheat from the chaff. We will never truly be able to grow democratically, maturely if the executive continues to force-feed, suppress and control. Control by all means is necessary but the high-handedness (especially with the arrest of Nathaniel Tan) of our executive is more than a cause for concern. When will we ever learn? The more forbidden the fruit, the more tempting it is. The less there is room for discussion and forum, the less outlet there is for expression, resulting in more riots, opposition-sympathisers and whatnot. It is also interesting to note that the famous "bloggers" caught in this web of irresponsible blogging are some of the most responsible bloggers out there .... Jeff Ooi, Ahiruddin Atan and Nathaniel Tan comes to mind. It is the chorus of anonymous batu api-s that are the real culprit.

There have already been countries like China that regulates the Internet. It is such a wonderful tool, but like any other tool, it can be misused. So is a knife. Is this a valid reason to stop a person from using a knife? Or would teaching the people how to use a knife properly be a better way?

Considering this regulation of the blogosphere yet another knee-jerk reaction, it may be safe to assume that this issue will be forgotten and the Internet will remain what is. (Which is something I wouldn't mind anyway).

In the end, in the words of Antoine de Saint-Exupery, 'I know but one freedom, and that is the freedom of the mind.'

Duh.....It's a no brainer. Even the kid in preschool can tell which is the better offer. What am I talking about? It's the price war between the top bookstores in Malaysia and the hypermarkets. Sure, they'll throw in some t-shirts, and goodies but what I am more interested in is the book. No disrespect to Potter fans (i may be one..i'm not so sure myself), I have no interest in the goodie bags but reather the book itself.

I can't wait to start reading it. But I've already "accidentally" and "indavertently" seen some spoilers online. People will post major plots in MSN messages, forums, and even Chinese newspapers (from a friend).

So, back to the topic at hand, the bookshops in Malaysia seemed bent on holding on to this monopoly on pricing. I think RM 109.90 for a book is outrageous. The average Malaysians don't earn enough to justify such a quantification and most certainly would discourage anyone to buy the book and read it. Is this the event that we want happening despite our clarion calls for our citizens to embrace the reading culture? Contradictory and downright ironic. Stupid? Yea. Greedy? Bloody right!

On the other side of the coin, the profits from this very profitable title will be able to generate enough income to promote other reading-culture-promos but is this a legitimate excuse for raising the price so exorbitantly? Asda in the UK has already been under the spotlight for selling the book at a loss at £5 ... down from their intial pricing of £8.87. I especially welcome the reasoning for their actions:

Spokesman Ed Watson said: "Kids trust Asda as the place to get a copy of the Deathly Hallows at a great price and that's exactly what we'll be giving them.

"Harry Potter has reignited children's passion for reading and our colleagues and customers are gearing up for the biggest book launch we've ever seen."

Is this not a noble cause? It is not like you have to sell it at a loss. A minimum profit should be enough since the popularity of the book is enough to bolster that profit into a huge margin.

Other UK retailers have priced their HP7 books at a higher price but still way lower than ours when converted. Waterstone's and Woolworths have set their prices at £8.99 per copy while WH Smith will charge £10.99 (from the link). Does this mean that our import tax is so high? Or is the blatant monopoly secretly hoarding profits from their collective pricing?

Very mysterious and suspicious... I wonder if Voldermort is behind all this...


Updates : Now we're getting 20% discount but only we purchase something else in the bookstore...right...very comforting.. Ava kedavra to you too... I've suffered enough expensive titles to last my life here.

The highly-anticipated finale of the Harry Potter saga is finally arriving...in a matter of hours. Will 'The Deathly Hallows' be worth the wait? Will Ms. Rowling finally kill off Harry? Will Hermione ever pair up with Ron? (I'm hoping not... :) she's too good for anyone in the story).

So many questions, so little time. But all these will be answered soon enough. Unfortunately, I will not be one of the throngs of people camping outside bookstores but I certainly hope to be able to read it soon. Kinda like an itch you can't scratch...it's niggling the feeling of not knowing what happens in the end. That said, exam's coming so I don't know if I'll be able to read it before the exams. If I do, it'll take up the time I can use for my preparations. Then again, if I don't, I get the afore-mentioned itch and cannot concentrate...

I feel so pre-pubescent. Please shoot me now.

The title is in no way meant to demean or put down any Indian films. Personally, I've enjoyed a few myself. Top of the list is Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. My rational and logical mind screams in agony whenever I watch that movie but my heart and desires seem to thrive in that movie. I guess there are a lottttttt....of exaggerated scenes but overall, it was entertaining to me. A tad too long though. But I digress...

The title of my post today is the title of the email forwarded to me by a friend. I found the mail quite entertaining so I thought I might as well post it here. :) The descriptions are nearly verbatim (i've edited here and there for grammatical errors as well as for more dramatic feel)

The setting: An Indian action drama (I am assuming )

The cast: Hero and his brother

Location: In a room


3

2

1

Action!




Our hero Balakrishna and his brother were captured by the baddies and they tied Balakrishna onto a chair...Those idiots didn't know that Balakrishna cannot be stopped by such a simple mode of detention...



Here is our hero's brother...The baddies tied him up too and fixed a time-bomb across his stomach...The bomb looks more like a pack of sausage rolls…..



Balakrishna sees some bullet shells lying on the floor...This means that the baddies had a gun...But they decided to use a time-bomb to give the 'finishing touch'...This is what i call 'Innovative Thinking'...(famous last thoughts..)



The shells triggered Balakrishna's brain (if any) and suddenly he has an idea...He throws himself onto the floor and starts moving towards the bullet shells...



Now, lets have a look at the time-bomb...The timer(presumably a pager covered in plastic) is ticking...See the weird buttons on the bomb??...The red button is the On-Off button!!...Now, this is the world's first time-bomb with such a convenient on-off button...This is what I call a 'User-friendly Time-bomb'...Very easy to handle...Very baby-friendly...



Coming back to our hero, he is struggling to reach the shells...Look at his expression...Seems like he is desperate to use the toilet!!...



Finally, he manages to reach the shells...He picks up a shell with his mouth as if it is Kappalandi...The viewers have no idea what the hell he is up to...Read on...



He concentrates with the shell between his teeth...Look at the sweat on his face...Gives an impression of how hard he is concentrating...With all his strength, he spits the bullet shell towards the bomb...



Lo and behold!!..The shell flies like a bullet through the air...Credit goes to Balakrishna here...He has the ability to make a shell work like a bullet...He can be a good asset to the Indian army...Heck, any army! Or special forces squad! The shell reaches the time-bomb and hits exactly the green button!!...The time-bomb gets switched off!!...Balakrishna saves himself and his brother!!...


You can't see but in this final picture above, our hero actually spits out the bullet and then the bullet bulls-eyes the stop button on the time bomb. There is a .gif animation but it doesn't show here.

This is something I have yet to see in Hollywood but perhaps it won't be long now. :)

That's a mouthful indeed.... paraskavedekatriaphobia - fear of Friday the 13th!

And today is one. Beware!

"A Friday occurring on the 13th day of any month is considered to be a day of bad luck in English, German, Polish and Portuguese-speaking cultures around the globe." - from Wikipedia

Should we believe? Personally, it has always been just another day for me but I like to think it has some special connotation in my otherwise very mundane life.

Let's just assume today is one of those "special days" shall we?

Why is Friday the 13th special?

"The modern basis for the aura that surrounds Friday the 13th stems from Friday October the 13th, 1307. On this date, the Pope of the church in Rome in Conjunction with the King of France, carried out a secret death warrant Against "the Knights Templar". The Templars were terminated as heretics, never again to hold the power that they had held for so long. There Grand Master, Jacques DeMolay, was arrested and before he was killed, was tortured and crucified."

Oh...but that's so historical... Don't we have any ancient story of the gods or something?

"Superstitions swirling around Friday as being lucky or unlucky have existed since ancient times, beginning with the northern nations. Ancient Romans dedicated the sixth day of the week to their beautiful, but vain, goddess Venus, so, when the Norsemen adopted the Roman method of naming days, they naturally adopted Venus as their name for the sixth day of the week. Their closest translation for Venus, Frigg, or Freya, eventually evolved into Friday, a day they considered to be the luckiest day of the week."

Ah...I've always loved Fridays...it means the weekend is coming! That means I should love Venus too! (not Venus Williams tho)

Anything else we should know?

"From a religious standpoint, Muslims tout Friday as the day Allah created Adam, legend has it that Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, the apple, on a Friday, and later died on a Friday, and Christians consider Friday as the day on which Christ was crucified by the Romans.

The Scandinavian belief that the number 13 signified bad luck sprang from their mythological 12 demigods, who were joined by a 13th demigod, Loki, an evil cruel one, who brought upon humans great misfortune. The number 13, in the Christian faith, is the number of parties at the Last Supper, with the 13th guest at the table being the traitor, Judas. When Christians combine this day and number, the combination can only hold special significance."

Wow...I didn't know that... Oh well...we learn something new everyday.

So, are you going out tonight? :)


Info taken from here

He stopped dead in his tracks. The path ended abruptly into a wide and green meadow. The gentle breeze teasing the blades of grass as the butterflies flit from flower to flower. He could smell the the subtle scent of woody pinecones with a tinge of sweet lavender. Or was it foxglove? It did not matter... It smelt good.. The song of the birds played in the air, lilting each note with unbridled innocence as to what the future holds. The warmth of the sun illuminated the wide yonder ahead. He was tingling with excitement as he stepped off the path and onto the grass.

He turned around and looked behind. The woods with its shaded bowers and rustic carpeting has been the staple sight for some time now. He knew he had changed. It may be for the worse or better, but he knows...he has definitely changed. He laughed softly to himself. The bittersweet memories were flashing in his mind. Those will be his souvenirs from his journey. As well as his accomplishments. Reflect on the past, but think ahead. Live for the present.

He continued walking in the lea. The more he walked, the lighter his heart felt. After the cloistered arbour of the forests, somehow he seemed to delight in the open air. Perhaps he has been cooped up for so long. Each step grew bouncier as if enthusiasm were his shoes and gravity non-existent. He paused every now and then to capture an image of a dragonfly resting on a blade of grass or a butterfly flapping its tinted wings on the petals of a coneflower. He tried chasing the tiny tufts of dandelion as the wind blew them far across the meadow.

At the end of the meadow, he saw the road ahead. There was a new path, this time cutting through yet another verdant woods. His playtime was over, he felt. It is time to move on. He blew a gentle goodbye kiss to the meadow and stepped onto the path. His new journey is just beginning. The dew and nectar of the meadows will be his sustenance as he took his first step into the unknown. He said softly to himself, 'this is life...'



congratulations to Jon on his convocation and I further dedicate this post to my friends and classmates leaving for places beyond to further their studies. Eka, Teoh, you're not forgotten too. Thanks for the memories. :)

The famous date in the history of the world...at least one of the more famous ones. :) Fourth of July...the date of independence for the high and mighty United States of America. The bastion of freedom, justice and liberty. The land of the brave and wise... I can go on and on...but the sad reality is that many other countries in the world whose humanitarian records are just as exemplary, if not better, are not spoken in the same breath. The world is truly changing and despite the borderless society we live in today, the same cannot be said of the mentality of the people. Many young global nomads have embraced this borderless culture but despite this growing number of people, another group looms darkly behind the curtains. Terrorists, pseudo-terrorists, wannabe martyrs, and whatever nomenclature they cloak themselves with are increasing in their threats to the world.

The US has since retaliated with even stricter enforcement and tighter (but draconian) security measures that has greatly put everyone else at discomfort. Who can blame them? I know I wouldn't. Some may derive comfort in the enhanced safeguards but yet a larger number remain apprehensive of its effectiveness. Do we really need to be so inquisitorial when screening for passengers? Can we justify stripping a person of his/her personal liberty in the name of national security? Apparently, in this time and age, we can. Reasons for such implementation have been voiced out and laced beautifully with adjectives that go along the lines of the people's interest. Anyone rational (if they choose to be anyway) will understand why such a heavy stance is taken. People get killed, lives of others in danger...the like. On the other side of the coin, activists have been vociferously calling for such systems to be more humane and less harsh. Who are we to judge?

These open-ended questions and justifications for the state of the world as it is today remains unanswered just like it will be till the end of time. There can never be too liberal a policy and likewise there can never too totalirian a regime. The Aristotelian Golden Mean seems to be the wisest move but the determination of this elusive middle line remains a moot point. Should we leave it to the government to decide (since they are hiring the best brains and such) or should we take a majority view of the common people? So many permutations yet so little results.

The US remains a bastion for freedom and liberty but the erosion has begun. It started a long time ago, but the pace is faster now. A lot have said that fire cannot be fought with fire. But is the water enough to put it out?

On a lighter note, the law nite 2007 was a blast. It will be remembered and cherised for a long time. :) Happy Anniversary!



*^^.. heheh. Shopping this weekend?